HI LADIES ~ we were very blessed today to be invited out to a friend's for a turkey dinner at their place. We also played some games too; and everyone had some fun. It was nice to go somewhere and have a gathering with others at this special time.

HI MEOWEE ~ well, according to that list, DH and I a pretty green people; there were only 1 or 2 that we missed. But I have to say the one about the car's air conditioner was a bit funny: don't use it and you conserve gas; but use it by closing the windows to save on the drag effect, and you'll save on gas ... hmmm ... OKay ~ lol!

HI PURPLE ~ your BONFIRE celebration sounds like fun; we do something like that on our country's birthday most years. And that tile game sounds interesting; I like rummy, but that just sounds like an interesting alternate version.

Maybe your very tiny servings are the secret to your success in your weightloss; and maybe that's something I'll have to work on. As you say, it's much harder for us to keep increasing the exercise, as it wipes us out after a certain amount. I often end up so sore that the next day, I don't want to do anything extra simply becuz just walking is an effort for me ~ lol!

Well, I'll take a look at my servings and see if I can peel a little off them here and there. I did pretty good today, I think; although I did have a small piece of pumpkin pie for dessert, but like MEOWEE says, it's a good thing these days don't come around too often.

One thing that really bothers me, is that we don't have any restaurants here that serve a healthier fare. Some close down and others open up, but they just keep on serving the same high-fat stuff like fried this and fried that. We need a place that serves more grilled items like grilled or roasted fish, chicken, pork, or steak. I'd like something that has lean meat with a salad, and at most, maybe with a small baked potato, if I feel like that. I tried to get something like that this week and wasn't successful at all.

One restaurant advertised a healthier menu, but when we went there, they were closed; can't have customers, if you are not there. It takes time, but you have to build up a clientele by being open at regular times: why were they closed on a Friday at noon??? Do any of you experience the same problem?

ANYWAYS, it's getting late and I'm tired; hope you all are having a great weekend too. I'm going to go ahead and cook a turkey for tomorrow anyways as that will give us something for sandwiches too. Don't want to drag around a whole pile of frozen stuff either. Take good care ladies, your friend ROSEBUD

Good Morning . . .

I actually did better than I expected at the Thankgsgiving Gorge-fest yesterday -- not a really OP kind of meal, but I did stay away from the really high calorie stuff (well, the mashed potatoes and gravy part anyway). One more big meal (a late lunch) to get through this afternoon and then this holiday will be behind us again for another year. I kind of like that our Thanksgiving is early because it gives us more time before Christmas to eat properly and hopefully, lost a couple of pounds before the really big eating holiday comes around.

Have a great Monday, gang, even if you do have to go to work . . .

HI THERE ~ spent a good part of my day, prepping foods and cooking and baking our turkey dinner; picked some carrots, onions, and turnips from the garden, and cooked them up with sliced celery; and made dressing for the turkey. Made homemade pumpkin pie for DH and a pumpkin custard for me; and they turned out swell.

So now we are both stuffed liked the turkey; Haha!!! I'm sure our stomachs have shrunk as we were feeling full with just one small plate; I think it was all the veggies as they do tend to fill you up faster. It was a very enjoyable meal, and we have leftovers for dinner tomorrow; just heat and serve: yeah! It will be nice to have turkey for sandwiches too.

HI MEOWEE ~ yah, made sure to have lots of veggies to balance out this meal; they can really help you not to eat too much junky stuff. We didn't have much of that around here thankfully (only popcorn this weekend).

We had a very warm day today; very unusual: in the 70's Farenheit. Just perfect for THANKSGIVING DAY, I think. On top of that, we had a nice light breeze come by just before dinnertime too. Now it's time for me to go have my evening tea and maybe I'll even do a puzzle tonight.

HI TO PURPLE and VALDINE ~ hope you both had a lovely day.

Take good care, your friend ROSEBUD

ROSEBUD

Hi there . . .

A very Happy Birthday to you, ROSEBUD . . . always remember you are just getting better and better -- never any older. Oh . . . and don't forget to get out there and VOTE today, Chickie.

At lest the sun is shining for this Canadian Federal Election Day and I guess I'd better getmyself out there to the polling station and then off to the Doctor's office for my annual flu shot.

Have a good Tursday everybody . . .

AHHH ... THANKS SO MUCH for all the birthday wishes! We had a good day. First, we went and did our civic duty by VOTING for our federal election today. Then we went and put in an application for another place.

After that, we did some shopping and then went out for a little lunch. Then we picked up my birthday present, which I picked out. It is a 3-tiered hand-made wooden bird feeder that I had been admiring for some time, and a small desk organizer kit for my desk. I told DH that all I really wanted was a nice, warm place to live for my birthday ... lol!

MEOWEE ~ THANKS FOR THE B-D WISHES and the voting reminder too. We marked it on our calendar, and it was easier to remember when it falls on your birthday.

THANKS TO YOU TOO, PURPLE ~ for the birthday wishes, esp since you weren't feeling too well; so nice of you to think of me and to come in here and post so early in the morning on a busy day. Am sending up prayers for you that you are feeling better real soon.

Yes, your eating plan sounds great; I have been doing similar things myself and sure could notice this holiday that we couldn't eat as much as we would have in the past. I picked up some more fruit and salad stuff today when we went shopping (strawberries, bananas, and pears).

HI VAL ~ hope you are having a great and exciting week!

Take good care ladies, your friend ROSEBUD

happy belated thanksgiving fellow canadians

I hope all is well ladies. Work is overwhelming me. Life is overwhelming me. Being a landlord is overwhelming me. I was at my parents place for the holiday - I wish I could have been there forever!

It was a General Election . . . but we still have a minority federal government, so how long it will last before the next election call is anybody's guess.

HI VALDINE ~ will send up some prayers for you PRONTO!!! You are under a lot of stress right now. Lots of big changes and new responsibilities in your life all at once. Great advice there from PURPLE; I couldn't have said it better. Step back, take a deep breath; don't forget your PILATES; and GENTLE YOGA can sure be relaxing too. I made up some of my own moves and motions, doing them along with deep breathing exercises, whenever I feel overwhelmed by life.

I do know how you feel; we've had a tough year ourselves. The landlord issues can be sorted out: there is a solution to every problem, and a relaxed, clear mind can make better decisions. As for your job, I'd give the same advice that PURPLE did: tackle only one thing at a time. Make a list of the things you want to accomplish each day and then each week; putting the most important tasks at the top of the list. Start in the morning, and check them off as you get each one done.

A big desk calendar can help you keep track of things also. I am very organized and like to do things like that to help me do my bills and such. You are a smart, strong, young lady; and you already told us that you are fiesty too. Start with yourself; keeping yourself well, with lots of rest and that will help you tackle the other stuff much more easily.

Did you get the apartment ready? Do you have a tenant, or are you showing the place? I would put an ad in the paper and would show it on my day off only. Set aside one day and show it to say only three people. Usually that was enuff to find a suitable tenant. I typed up some basic rules about the rental (ie how many people can live there); and gave a copy to each tenant: it was an informal kind of lease. I chose to include all the costs in one price but made sure to charge enuff to carry the place easily (including some for insurance, all utilities, minor repairs, and a little profit for your troubles).

I charged a "SECURITY" deposit to all my tenants: boy, they sure worked hard to get that back. Meaning, if they wanted it back at the end of the tenancy, they had to keep the place in good condition. If they did any willful damage, I gave them an option: either fix it yourself, or I'd pay someone to fix it with their security deposit. By having the rules already set out on paper, there were less problems for me as a landlord.

HEY PURPLE ~ wonderful advice for VAL there, as usual. Good for you ... notes stuck to the bathroom mirror: that's a great idea! I'm so glad your pain has gone away; nothing worse than pain like that and migraines. Keeping up my prayers for both you and Valdine. Good idea about those vaccinations: DH is down with a cold or flu that is taking a while to go away. Just sent him to bed with an aspirin and a bottle of water: poor dear!

HI MEOWEE ~ gee, I haven't heard what the results were of the elections; which party(ies) won? Another minority: oh boy, lots of issues there. Our people here are all losing their jobs because of a lack of trees or wood product sales, or both, whichever is the truth ... who knows. Another lovely Christmas for the people in the north; Santa will be on a diet again this year! LOL! Gonna have to prayer a lot harder for everyone ...

ANYWAY, was a bit under the weather myself, but now I am feeling better; just did stuff around the house like laundry myself today. Take good care ladies, your friend ROSEBUD

just running by before I go to bed. Hopefully I can read up on the thread this weekend.

I just wanted to thank you ladies for the thoughts and prayers. And Purple I think you're wrong - you have and are persevering so much so dont undercut yourself. Thanks for the ego boost though. I decided not to tell my new employer that I have MS -- so I'm feeling some pressure to not use that as an excuse for anything. ever.

I am joining a lunch time yoga class starting next week. And now I'm off to inject my interferon before I forget. thank you for the love and reminders to take care of myself. I'm trying.

( Rosebud I have 2 guys living in the house with me besides my brother .. now it's just winterizing the house to take care of . I missed it but did you find a place to move to yet?)

HI LADIES ~ we had very cool weather today, but the sun finally came out in the afternoon; and we've had a big yellow moon out there tonight: so nice against the dark sky. Last night, there was a kind of multi-colored rainbow around the moon: unusual and very pretty. My camera couldn't get a pic of that as I needed a bigger zoom to get something that far away.

HI VAL ~ glad you are getting things sorted away in your house; yah, the cold weather comes, and the storm windows have to go up; gotta get the oil tanks filled up to keep nice and cozy. And, depending on how cold it is, you may have to cover some windows with clear plastic and thick, lined curtains to keep out the cold winds. We put up 1-inch foam pieces to fit the top of our windows plus curtains and plastic where needed too. The southern folks don't have to worry about such things. Wide (2.5"), clear tape that comes in a big roll is also very handy for taping around windows and door sashes: and it doesn't look too unsightly either. You can buy that at any hardware store; and then we just peel it off in the spring when it isn't needed anymore.

Let me know how your yoga classes go, I used to watch some ladies that had yoga shows on TV. I can only do the simple stuff as I don't have the flexibility like I did when I was young, but you can still do some movements if you are careful. And NO, we haven't found a place yet, but we did get some good news today; we have more flexibility to get a place than we thought. I'm concerned that I'm wasting time on wild goose chases, when we really need to focus on the renting thing for now. I don't want to make any drastic decisions because we are feeling pressured to find a place. Two months isn't really long enough to find a place in a small town when you only have a handful of places come up each week and dozens of people looking.

We are noticing that the access into many places isn't very good; meaning for people with physical challenges trying to go up 20+ stairs outside a building is ridiculous, esp for me. Not to mention, that I have a terrible fear of heights/stairs because of bad falls; and most of them have this access problem. It is sad to see the line-up of seniors and middle-aged persons trying to find accessable and affordable lodgings. Our country did not prepare itself for this problem; people have been warning about it for years. Money is desperately needed for housing up here; but will it come???
ANYHOW, that's my rant for today ~ LOL!

HEY PURPLE ~ hope you have a good visit with your parents; and that everything goes well for your DAD at his appointment tomorrow. DH had to take our car to get the steering fluid lines checked; turns out one is leaking, so we are waiting for parts to arrive for tomorrow and the mechanic will fix it for us. Thankfully, it was just a line and nothing bigger than that. That should set us up OK for the winter.

We may go out to look at another place tomorrow afternoon as well; it's keeping me busy just manning the phones and looking around. Baked some fruit-filled bran muffins today for DH for snacks. We had fish with salad and veggies for dinner tonight; a nice change after having turkey three nights this week already. I put some in casseroles with leftover veggies and gravy into the freezer for dinners later on.

Well, time to go for now; it's getting late and I want to get my legs up for awhile. Take good care, chickies; your friend ROSEBUD

Woke up yesterday with a nasty pinched-nerve kind of back ache and spent most of the day flat out in bed. It's still with me, but a little less so this morning so I thought I'd try sitting and typing for a little while anyway.

Now on my good news; bad news front -- after seeing quite a few double digit BGLs, I decided to bite the bullet and put myself back on insulin. The first 6 months I was off insulin held together fine because I was still taking Actos. The past 6 months without the Actos have been getting consistently worse and worse. So, it was time to do something (past time, actually, but I kept hoping for a miracle) and I know the doctor will not let me go back to Actos (nasty long-term side-effects are too possible) so it's back to playing human pin-cushion for me.

Other than that, it's another rainy day around here and that is not helping with the back ache either and I won't be doing too much of anything today. We have a Municipal election tomorrow and at the rate I'm moving, doesn't look like I'll make it to the polls.

Have a good one everybody . . . think this little guy is about all the moving and shaking that will be seen around my house today . . . . . . well, other than the cats; they never sit still for too long (when they are awake).