Merry Christmas!

LA and I weren't exactly anticipating spending Christmas in the hospital, but that's exactly where we were.  We decided to make the best of it and share Christmas dinner.  By coincidence, today's lunch menu included roast turkey with gravy.  Happy Day!

We have two women who work for Nutrition and bring our meals each day, Wanda and Tanisha.  They are two of the nicest women, and I look forward to their arrival each day.  And not just because they bring the food.  Wanda was lucky enough to have the day off today, so Tanisha was bringing our meals.  As she was picking up the breakfast trays, I asked if we could possibly have a tray of turkey if she had any spares at lunch.  She said that she definitely would, so LA and I would both be able to have turkey dinner.

I am on the low-sodium, low-fat, low-cholesterol diet, and the meal LA received had no restrictions.  My Christmas dinner consisted of three slices of roast turkey breast with gravy, mashed potatoes, and green beans.  LA had the same turkey and green beans, but he had cornbread stuffing instead of the potatoes.  He was also kind enough to give me a little of the stuffing.  While it was salted, I only had a few bites and it really completed the meal.  Last year, LA and I had gone to Emma's in Concord for Thanksgiving.  We both agreed that today's meal was equally as good as that we had at Emma's.  And it was hospital food!  I am getting used to the blandness of my food, but I did put some "butter" on the potatoes for a little extra oomph.  Close inspection also revealed that the gravy is simply broth mixed with cornstarch.  It was still gravy-like enough to make a decent meal.  LA's cornbread stuffing was actually very good.  I wished they had accidentally given it to me!  Cranberry sauce was included on the side, but neither of us tried it.  I did look at it, and it didn't look canned. 

For dessert, we had red jello with mandarin oranges and whipped cream.  I ate a couple of the oranges, but the jello wasn't made right and was quite stiff.  LA doesn't eat jello at all.  Being Christmas, we also got a special treat.  I had pumpkin mousse with whipped cream, and LA had a mini pumpkin pie.  Apparently the pie crust wasn't low-fat, so I didn't get it.  The mousse was very good, but I was getting full by that point and was unable to finish it. 

While we had hardly anticipated spending Christmas in the hospital, we were at least able to spend it together.  The food was respectable, and we were surrounded by friendly and caring people.  This definitely qualifies as a good Christmas, and we even get a funny story out of it.

Pumpkin and Spice and Everything Nice

I'm not normally a huge proponent of Walmart (although I am there at least three timer per week), but I am advising everyone to put down whatever you are doing and head there right away.

My nearest Walmart has been undergoing "renovations" for two months now. As far as I can tell, "renovations" actually means "moving everything around on a daily basis so that I can never find what I'm looking for". The one constant is the candle aisle.

I often stop to smell all the candles, hoping for one, just one, that smells so good that I can't live without it. I finally found it.

Walmart's Mainstays brand Pumpkin Spice candle is my New Favorite Thing. The smell envelopes my entire living room and makes me feel as though I'm living in a pumpkin pie. And the small one is just $1! Plus, it comes in a jar, so it's portable and you don't even need a candleholder.

The only downside is that my New Favorite Thing is causing me to crave autumn and all the things that come with it. Like pumpkin pie. Until autumn officially arrives, I'll just be burning my pumpkin spice candle.

If you aren't a big fan of pumpkin pie (God forbid!), they have other scents too, like hazelnut, Cinnabon, and something involving cotton.