4:00 on a Saturday

Somehow the day is drawing to a close already. Had class four of Sheep-to-Sweater. It was all about sampling spun wool, knitting up what you've spun to answer questions like, "Will this work for my project?"; "Should it be 2-ply or 3?"; "What needle size works best?"; "Too much twist, too little, or is it just right?". And we have homework before the next class; I like the idea of having a plan! One of the people I've been delighted to meet at class, someone who is discovering natural dyes and shares her experiments (and beautiful results) here most generously surprised me with a gift:

a book that makes the supposition I'll one day get beyond the basics...but if I do, this book is going to totally cool to work with. Thanks, Shel!
  The food plan has been largely successful this past week, less difficult in some ways than I'd expected, probably in part to what was likely a stomach bug that left me queasy and disinterested in food much of the week. I'm pleased with my progress though. For example, as I sit blogging, rather than my typical Saturday late afternoon ginger beer, I have this:

a glass of water flavored with lime. A simple baked chicken breast, baked potato and two broiled pineapple slices replaced my usual 'I'm sick'  go-to meal of store-bought rotisserie chicken, instant mashed potatoes, ginger beer and frozen fruit bars (which have lots of added sugar). Managed not to eat sugar or anything processed until last night's fried fish dinner, and today I'm back on track. Just cleaned out one cabinet and stocked it with the quinoa and whole grain & no-sugar muelsli, raw sunflower seeds (not even salted), and assorted beans. The fridge has been re-stocked with veggies, and a no-sugar, heavy-on-the-vegetables, no refined/processed foods menu is in place for the week ahead. And now that the thought of it doesn't make me turn greener than a kale leaf, will try my hand at some juicing this week! The TCM practioner suggested during the week I come off the herbs to see if they could be behind the stomach issues, and they're still a suspect, but we're trying again with a lower dose. The pay-off for this first week? The hives are much better, not gone by any means, but much better. I've lost 4 lbs, and my whole body feels less bloated. Cravings? Definitely when I was sick I yearned for my usual comfort food, and last night I was jonesing for a ginger beer. Walking through the grocery store, one is assaulted by the aromas of baked goods and chocolate, and having to wait in line at the candy-bar riddled register is brutal. But hey, one week has passed. People keep telling me it'll get easier.
  How about you? Several of you posted you were making some big changes, too. How's it going? Tips, tricks, recipes? Have the cravings left you?
  And now I'm going to settle in with wool for a few hours....leaving you with the obligatory Spring-is-springing blog photo: