I’ll take that ANY day + Wednesday tangents!

Yesterday’s run included new snow on our mountains, crazy wind and bits of rain… and I’ll take that ANY day over heat when I am pregnant.  6.22 miles @ 9:06 average (not including walk breaks) with my sister and we were so happy that the weather put out fires in our area and cleaned up our air.

I ended up carrying my hat for the second half of my run because the wind was so strong it kept blowing it off of my head.

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PS remember my friend that paced me for my 50 miler?  He said this on Strava the other day and I couldn’t agree more.

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I came home from my run and had hot chocolate with the girls.

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We did school at home (it’s starting to feel more normal again!) and then took a break to the duck pond.  Skye’s favorite song is ‘Ducks Like Rain’ and we listen to it 20 times a day so she was happy to sing the song to actual ducks.

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All three of us needed a nap in the late afternoon and woke up feeling so much better.

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And of course soup had to happen for dinner and we had this copycat recipe of Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana!  It was so so good.  PS we use this cast-iron pot/dutch oven more than any other pot and it is perfect for making soup.

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I didn’t post any tangents yesterday so I thought I’d get all of my random thoughts/pictures out today instead!

*Skye was beyond happy to have her sister back and so were we!

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*I’m really going to miss my sister’s carpet in her basement when she remodels the area;)  There are so many different patterns and colors happening in there!

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*This made Andrew’s day.

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*I’ve always had a bit of an outie belly button but pregnancy really brings it out and I get plenty of stares as I’m running.

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*Never in my life did I think I would be as excited as I was to watch a live football game…  I’m guessing the game a few nights ago was the most viewed BYU football game ever since there aren’t many sports games to watch anymore.

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*Pure joy from Skye as she was wearing an ‘Elsa’ braid with her freshly pierced ears.  I have no idea how a 2 year old is taking such good care of her ears (and enjoys us cleaning them with the solution they gave us 3 times a day) but she is very happy that we said yes to getting them pierced.

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*Megan posted this and it is 10000% Andrew and me!  I always pack early (and if I am packing for a trip that involves a marathon then I am packing 2 weeks early) and Andrew does the other option but at least he never forgets anything… I tend to forget everything.

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Which are you?  Pack early or start right before you need to leave?

What is harder to run with humidity or at altitude?

Are you into hot chocolate or not your thing? (We will still be friends no matter how you answer I’m openminded about this;)

Do you like to eat just one type of cereal at a time or do you ever mix cereal and/or add toppings?

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56 comments

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That soup looks amazing, I need to come over for a bowl!

Humidity is pretty awful, I need to move somewhere drier haha.

I have a standard packing list that I update specifically for a trip a few days before leaving, and then get everything together a day or two before except things I can’t pack until the last minute (glasses, computer, etc) and I write out a post it note reminding me to pack those things. Luckily my husband also packs ahead of time so we are both ready to go.

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COME OVER for lunch today… and then kneaders of course after for dessert. Yes, yes you do… like Utah?! I need to get it together and put a list together, that is so smart! You two defy the above meme, way to go! Hope your day is a great one Victoria!

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I find humidity so much harder! I live in MD and remember that when I went on a trip to Denver people were warning me about how hard running would be there because of the altitude. But with the lack of humidity it was heaven and I felt like I could run forever!!

Currently 99% humidity here…and not raining.

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My husband said the same thing to me yesterday. I was talking about a work conference that is supposed to be in Denver in June and how it would be harder for me to run because Denver is high altitude. He said he had no problems when he went a few years ago for a work conference. Maybe I won’t try to get out of going……….

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GO GO GO!! The altitude is much easier than the humidity!! Stop by Utah before you head home too:)

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YES YES YES I totally agree and you have proof… humidity is so much harder! Good luck with 99% today and I hope all of your hard work this summer in that pays off this fall with some amazing runs. Have a great day!

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hahaha that is so me and my husband too! I pack the week leading up to a trip and he waits until we have 30 minutes until we leave to throw everything in his suitcase. But he DOES forget things–we drove up to a wedding last year that was about 4 hours away and he forgot his suit. lol. He had to panic buy one at some outlet store because it was a tiny little town. The humidity vs altitude thing is interesting. It’s insanely humid where I live, but when we visited Bend, OR last year I really struggled running, and it was only about 4k feet. It took the whole four days to kind of get used to it. I think I PREFER altitude over humidity though, because you usually have cooler weather and better views. ;)
Hot chocolate, YES. Extra marshmallows or whipped cream!

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Hahaha it’s so funny how opposites really do attract with things like this:). Forgot his suit… that one is a tough one to forget for a wedding ha! Now just come out to Utah and run with me because you will definitely get that colder weather and I’ll take you on some cool trail runs:). Good call with the whipped cream… I need to do that next. Have a great day, Mollie!

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Humidity is the bane of my existence lol. As far as packing goes I am pretty spoiled. My husband packs for me because he excels at it! He enjoys it, whereas i absolutely dread it. I tend to eat one cereal at a time. At the moment bran flakes are my go to cereal.

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AHHHHH I need to teach Andrew to pack for me. That is a fabulous idea! I hope you have a delicious bowl of bran flakes today! Enjoy your Wednesday, Kimberly.

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If I don’t start packing a week ahead of a trip, I honestly can’t sleep at night. I can’t help it–I don’t want to forget anything and want to make sure things are clean. And yup, my husband is the exact opposite.

I love mixing cereals! Cereal is amazing on its own, but mixing them brings the meal to another level. Any toppings I add are fruit–blueberries are my favorite.

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Yep, I totally feel you on that! Why not just start packing so we can sleep easier?! I hope you mix a delicious bowl of cereal soon and add all of the blueberries possible on top. Have a great one, Joy!

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I’m a pack right before I leave person, which is crazy because I’m normally an over-prepared, over-organized person. But packing waits until the very last minute haha.

I love hot chocolate! Pretty soon I’ll transition from post-run iced coffee to post-run hot chocolate.

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I am excited for your transition, post-run hot chocolate is just the best:) Isn’t it crazy how/when/why we can be organized and unorganized or last second? It’s so interesting to me to hear about everyone’s different methods! Hope your day is a great one Mariah!

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Multi-day packer for sure! My husband will “pack early” but only because I tell him I need his stuff so I can organize. And it takes him literally 5 minutes to grab what he wants. Do you also pack something for EVERY occasion? Not only do I pack early, but I am also a habitual over-packer. Especially when there is a race factored into our trip – I will have a whole carry on with mostly running gear.

I personally have the humidity to contend with and I am NOT a fan. However, I have also run a race at altitude and that was pretty challenging coming from a more sea level-ish location. At least with (summer) humidity, there is an end every year. Given the choice though, I would choose altitude (also because then I would most likely be in the mountains).

Happy Wednesday!

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Andrew can understand your habitual over-packer needs for sure and I understand it when it comes to running stuff (YES to the carry on of just running stuff)! And 5 minutes to pack… I am jealous of your husband. I like your choice to choose altitude and now you need to come run a race near me so we can hang out:). Thanks Janelle, you too!

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I would take altitude over humidity any day! Unfortunately, I live in Iowa, which is usually super humid in August when the corn is breathing. But this year, it wasn’t as bad because we were in a drought and because a derecho blew through and destroyed about 30% of the corn crop. Both worse than the humidity :-(

I used to travel for my job so I pack the night before and am super good at it. I traveled internationally and always went with just a carry-on so I feel like a packing champ!

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You guys have had a really rough summer. I hope that your fall is a great one and the temperatures/humidity/weather is kind to you all! Internationally with just a carry-on… that is impressive! I hope you have a great day, Jackie!

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My packing is 110% dependent on the length of the trip. This past weekend I flew to Philly (masked up with lots of wipes and hand sanitizer) to look at houses(!!!) and I packed about 30 minutes before I left lol. When I went to the beach earlier this summer I packed a week in advance.

Dutch ovens are the best for soup! It makes it feel more fancy in my mind since it looks so official lol. I can picture a chef using it at a restaurant to make soup so I feel fancy ;)

I’m all about hot chocolate but it has to be good hot chocolate. I commented a while back about a trip to France and you are more than welcome to come. A bribe of the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had may or may not be involved ;)

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AHHH yay for your Philly trip this last weekend. I hope you had a fabulous time and I’m so excited for your move. I WILL BE THERE AND I CANNOT WAIT FOR THE HOT CHOCOLATE! Have a really great day, Maureen!

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Humid runner over here (Bostonian, triple H— hazy, hot, and humid). It’s the worst when you stop running at a light, that’s when all the sweat pours out.

I don’t mix, I just eat the cereal as a line up haha. Last night it was honey bunches of oats followed by Raisin Bran.

I have a list I print out each time I have a trip and check it off as I pack and then cross out each item when I am packing to go home—has come in handy and prevents you from leaving stuff behind.

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TRIPLE H… that would kill me off! I hope that this fall feels so amazing after all of the hard work you have put in through the summer months! Interesting about the line up… then do you get new milk for the new cereal since it leaves behind some taste of the previous cereal? I need to print out the list, such a good idea. Have a great day, Lauren!

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When my 9 year old was 6 she saw me mixing 2 cereals together and said “ that’s allowed?” and I said “ not only that, highly encouraged” and she was mind blown. She mainly sticks to Cheerios but I do find her sometimes adding in 3 different kinds and she sits and savors it!
My husband packs the night before and over packs. I tend to pack a little before and under pack but don’t often forget things. My girls are starting to pack light too which I am happy about! I think it’s a good lesson, my sister’s family brings the whole house with them ( each kid travels with their bed comforters, insanity).

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“Not only that, highly encouraged” hahaha that just made me laugh so hard. Thank you for that! Bed comforters too… they do bring everything! I hope you have a fabulous day friend!

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Oh my gosh… Humidity is way harder than altitude!! You can totally get used to altitude, but humidity is just awful! Ha
I am so excited for NFL to be back this week!! Real sports, wahoo!! We won’t be going to any actual games, but it will be nice to watch on TV.
I got a super early run in this morning. It was so fun. I haven’t run before the sun was up since last December probably! It felt good to change things up a bit.
So glad you had weather to help with the fires out there. We could definitely use some rain here to help the fires. It’s been so bad! Praying things improve quickly.
Off to a busy day! Have a great Wednesday ?

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YESSSS… I’m pretty sure it is impossible to ever get used to humidity. Enjoy watching the games, I’m surprised over how much I enjoyed it! Way to go getting in your run early this morning and beating the heat. I hope that you get rain asap. Thanks Wendy, you too!

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I live in Florida so I run in very humid weather all the time. I’m pretty sure I would have a heart attack if I tried to run at altitude! I think it’s all about what you’re used to- although I’m guessing once you get acclimated to the altitude you don’t really notice it. Somehow we always notice the humidity.

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YES, I bet you always notice the humidity and I don’t notice the altitude at all. Come test out my friend’s hypothesis and run with me in Utah. I hope your fall includes some amazing miles after all of the hard work you’ve put in through the summer with the heat/humidity. Thanks Jenny!

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Hey Janae, I thought I would pop in and let you know I was able to finally complete my half marathon on Saturday. Not the time I wanted (2:06) since I was nursing a sore knee but my hamstring did not act up! My left knee really flared up afterwards but I think it’s just an arthritic flare and nothing serious. I am looking forward to not being “in training” anymore and just running for fun for the near future. I certainly learned a ton of lessons from the 3 training cycles I went through though.

I am definitely an early packer but I have gotten better.
I have not run at altitude so I will go with humidity/dew point.
I have not been that into hot chocolate. What brand to you guys use?
No mixing cereals here, I have 3 types that I rotate through.

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JOHN! It is so so good to hear from you. CONGRATS on your half marathon, I am so happy your hamstring behaved and let you do it. I totally know what you mean about getting back to running just for fun, enjoy! We buy the Stephen’s brand of hot chocolate. It is a Utah brand but I’m guessing they have it other places too (and on amazon: https://amzn.to/33aH4Fj) ! Let me know if you find it:). Have a beautiful day and congrats on your half, you are amazing!

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Thanks Janae!

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Hi! Would you mind sharing your hot chocolate recipe/ which hot chocolate you like?? It looks SO good and my kids LOVE hot chocolate but I never pick the good kind. Thanks so much!!

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YES for sure… We always use milk (it tastes so much better vs water) and then we use Stephen’s Hot Chocolate Mix. It is a Utah based company but I just found it on Amazon too. Let me know if you guys try it and I hope your kids love it! Have a beautiful day.

https://amzn.to/33aH4Fj

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Hi!! I hope you’re having a beautiful Wednesday! Where did you get the girls’ sweatshirts? …and do they make them in adult size, ha!

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HEY AMY!! Right?! I want it in my size too! Here is the link and I hope your day is off to a wonderful start.

https://shopstyle.it/l/bmlop

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hey Janae! Just a quick question – do you still wear those Spartina Rio shorts while pregnant? I’m actually pregnant too! Just under 12 weeks :) I saw they’re back in stock (the 3.75in) and wanted to buy them – but wondering if it makes sense and whether I’ll still fit in them a few months from now! If you have any other pregnancy-friendly shorts or running clothes recommendations would love to hear from you!

Thank you!
Geri

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HEY GERI!! Congrats on your pregnancy. I did until I was about 22 weeks pregnant and then they didn’t fit anymore. This post has my favorite things to wear during pregnancy (including workout shorts). I hope it helps and please keep me updated on how you are doing!

https://hungryrunnergirl.com/2020/06/maternity-clothes-that-i-am-loving.html

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I love a good cereal mix!
Chris and I are totally that way. Like you, I am closer to 2 weeks.

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I swear I learned to mix my cereals from YOU! Hahaha I would just love to go on a double date… we would all get along so well together. Have the best day, Erica!

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Hi Janae! I’m so glad the fire situation is getting better in your area! We have had strong winds and really high temps the last few days which caused some fires. Parts of my county evacuated and we are all just hoping it will stop soon. Fires are really terrifying.
Stay safe!

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Oh Amy! STAY SAFE and please keep me updated on how you guys are doing. Sending prayers and I hope rain comes soon. xoxo

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My grandpas was someone who loved to mix his cereals. He liked to have a couple different kinds to pick from. He’s the only one in our family who ever did it. Everyone else thought it was weird, haha. I haven’t thought about that in a long time. Thank you for reminding me of it.

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Oh I love this, what a fun memory with him and I hope you do it soon too:). Have the best day Fiona!

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I’ve never run at a higher altitude to compare humidity to but humidity is noticeable and hard.

What type/brand do of hot chocolate to you make? Have you ever made it from scratch? Homemade is my favorite with homemade marshmallows – but that’s just a special treat around Christmas time. It’s definitely been chilly enough here lately for it!

My steps to packing are = pack early – over pack – rethink it and under pack – forget something :)

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Hey Erika! I’m with you… humidity is just so so hard! I have never made homemade marshmallows or homemade hot chocolate, I need to though. We use Stephen’s brand and it is just so so good. Hahah I love your steps of packing, thanks for sharing and have a great day!

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When I pack, I plan outfits in my head I want to wear, then pack the day or two before.

I’ve never had that soup before, but it looks so good! Also what a great dutch oven find – what size do you guys have?

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Hey Anna! I hope you love it too, we have the 4.3 quart and it’s perfect. Have a great day!

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— I start to pack for a race about a week early and other trips the day before. My husband is a day before packer, too.
— Hands down harder to run in humidity – both for sticky/gross feeling and my humidity sensitive lungs. But…don’t judge off me…I live at 6000 ft in the mountain west so altitude and dry is my norm.
— I LOVE hot chocolate but limit myself to one a day…my preferred 6 cups a day would be an unreasonable calorie/sugar load.
— I occasionally add toppings to my cereal but I never mix cereals – eat a small amount of one, then switch to another kind, sure – but never mixing.

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The humidity this summer has been the worst…BUT now that they weather is changing, I am hitting faster paces because of all those hot & humid runs!
I make a packing list about a week before a trip. My husband traveled a lot for work so has it down to a science and can be ready to go in 20 minutes.

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We travel so much that we both tend to pack the night before. After not traveling since March, it felt so weird to pack for our trip to Hawaii. I was sure I was forgetting something, but all I really needed was extra masks, wipes and hand sanitizer.

My least favorite is running when we have Santa Ana winds. I’ll take high humidity over 30+ mph winds with single digit humidity any day.

This is probably kinda weird – I drink coffee year round, but only drink hot chocolate when it’s cold outside.

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Last minute packer *physically* but an early packer *mentally.* Meaning, I think about what I’m going to pack then at the last minute (usually day before) I commit and pack.

Humidity is terrible. Same for wind but when it’s hot out, wind isn’t so bad. What’s really mean is a hot, humid, hill with a headwind. The 4 horrible H’s.

Coffee, tea, then hot chocolate. Unless I’m camping, then hot chocolate rates really high. Camp coffee and camp hot chocolate tastes great then. What brand of hot chocolate do you use? Yours always looks so good.

I’m a total cereal mixer: Rice chex + Granola is one of my favorites. Or Rice Krispy’s + granola.

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This may be a silly question… I really admire how you respect and prioritize your need for rest. Did you ever struggle with guilt around this? I have an infant and online biz and constantly feel like I should be doing *something* and have a really hard time taking a nap even if I know that’s what I really need. Curious how you prioritize this so well. Thank you!

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Hey Tricia! Not a silly question at all! That guilt is real and there really is so much that can always be getting ‘done’ (and your situation sounds very busy!!) but I’ve come to realize I am so much more productive when I let myself rest when I need to. I’ve realized we’ve got one life and that I need to say no to the things that aren’t that important and take time to take care of myself! I also remind myself that guilt is a feeling I should feel for when I am doing something that is actually bad! Taking time to honor my needs is the opposite of bad! In order to take care of others we need to take care of ourselves! Have a beautiful day and I challenge you to do something for you today and forget about your todo list for an hour!

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Yes, humidity is TOUGH! I live in Alabama and it is a constant struggle!

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I don’t know how it got started but my kids are cereal mixers. I have to have 2-3 kinds mixed up for them or they complain “ just one kind”? Haha. High maintenance I made them!
And I love fruit on my cereal. Feels naked without it!

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I’m in the DC suburbs of northern Virginia and the summer humidity is rough. It feels like you’re trying to breathe through a sopping wet washcloth.

I’m going to try that soup—I love it at Olive Garden! I’m making split pea and ham soup for lunch tomorrow and I can’t wait. Soup is delicious any time of year, but especially during the cooler weather.

I love hot chocolate. I make a big batch of mix every year to give as Christmas gifts. It’s always a big hit because it tastes great and it’s something that doesn’t need to be displayed or cleaned or anything.

PS—I finally made it to Great Harvest today! Two gorgeous honey whole wheat loaves and one cheddar garlic. I may or may not have snacked on the cheddar garlic loaf while driving around doing errands. ?

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