Two days later, the inside of my house looks better even if the outside doesn't.

The art glass and displays all over the house have been rearranged. I have 4 grocery boxes of lovely pieces that I have grown bored with and am taking to the booth. Some should net me a nice profit. 

The office is tidied, boxes have been emptied or moved, papers have been filed. There is so much floor space again I laid out Molly's favorite fuzzy rug from Florida and she has been snoozing away on it. 

The living room is lovely and calm looking. Still a few more decorations left to put on the tree, but the rest is looking very nice. I did some shopping in my booth and at a few others to find the extra ornaments I need.

The final task will be to repot some of the plants so the grouping under the TV set and by the window are perfect. R way overbought on indoor plants, and some are not thriving or are actually very ugly. So they probably will not survive the repotting.

The outside is still a clusterfuck. I have machinery in my driveway and ladders and soffits in my backyard. They have only finished the soffits on 30% of the house after two days of work. Turns out my 1959 house did not have 2025 standard-size soffits so they have had to custom-cut each one, and that requires a lot more time to do. Also, the weather has not been cooperating at all. This morning it is snowing AGAIN but expected to end around 10am It's 8:30 and they literally arrived as I was typing this. So they are busy working in the freaking snow to get this done. The only silver lining is that it rained during most of last night/today's storm so all the icicles and black ice melted and it's easier to get around. 

++++

In many ways, this year-end busywork very much resembles my year-beginning work, just in the opposite direction. Then, I was systematically taking apart every section of my parents' home and lives, while also doing the daily household chores for me and Molly. I collected all of their reading and regular glasses to donate to the Lions Club. Cleaned out the pantry of my dad's BOGO buys and donated hundreds of pounds of food to the local pantry, while keeping Molly's and my food stuffs in the space. Emptied out drawers and closets and cabinets, packing for home or donation or giving to neighbors or selling at the garage sale. Packing my mom's display items while rearranging the rest for staging. 

Now, I am nesting, building our home back up. Finding the new right spots for their items and mine. Re-imagining what my living room should look like. Spending time in an office space that I enjoy and don't want to bury in crap. Incorporating R's passion for plants with my passion for vintage items. Most of all, right now, after 30+ years on the road to Connecticut, Detroit, or Florida, we will be celebrating Christmas at home from now on. I am figuring out what I want that to look like. All the while, washing dishes and doing laundry and making the bed every day. And making sure I find pleasure in this, like my parents did. They loved fussing with their house, making it look pretty all the time. I just don't think I realized how much work went into that. 

I started Wegovy this week. Lowest dose, of course. I had done Zepbound last summer/fall but had no positive results and lots of horrible side effects. So I have experience with the weight loss drugs, and am nervous, skeptical and hopeful all at the same time.  

So far, Wegovy is a lot better.
1. I am definitely getting fuller faster, and have been eating half of my regular meals. I like that. 
2. No gastric issues. I did some reading and learned there is lots of anecdotal evidence that not doing the shots in your stomach area can help with that. So I did my arm this week. Will stick with arms and legs (you are supposed to move around the shot location weekly) and see if that continues. 
3. Still have "food noise" but it's not cravings, just trying to plan my meals better so I think about food more. 
4. Have lost about 5 pounds in the last two weeks (also doing Weight Watchers and that started sooner). 

I have my first followup with my PCP this week. I am going to ask her if things continue positively that I stay on 2.5 for as long as possible. I ran into trouble on Zepbound -- and my sister did on Wegovy -- as we moved up to higher doses. One lesson I am taking from last year is that slowing that down is probably better for my own body. 

Weight Watchers is also ongoing. There, results are mixed.
1. I am definitely eating better more often. Lots more vegetables and fruits and whole foods. About 60% good choices, 40% poor choices. 
2. There is the ability on the app to track your macros and calories as well as your points. This is helpful as I figure out what the right balance of food is for me. So far I am not getting enough of anything including calories but I am exceeding my points every day. Definitely off-balance somewhere. 
3. I have not yet taken advantage of WW's true strengths -- the community and the meetings. There are lots of in-person and online options, I am just biding my time a little bit before I jump in. I have been dabbling in the WW Reddit though. 

It's funny, everyone says starting weight loss around the holidays is hard, but for me it's always been the best time. I love fall and winter foods so much - squash and Brussels sprouts and roasted veggies and chili and all of it. I already earmarked tomorrow for Sunday food prep. Looking forward to it!