Oh PURPLE . . . I really feel for you . . . my Mother suffered from that and although she had a very high tolerance for pain, that facial problem used to bring her to tears. I have occasional flare-ups of TMJ (Temporal-Mandibiular Joint Syndrome) and that's bad enough, but nothing like I remember my Mother suffering with the Trigeminal problems.

ROSEBUD . . . enough already . . . we too are getting Ontario's snowmageddon. It's white windy and very :brr: out there. at least it looks like a sure bet for a white Christmas (although the current long-term forecast for Christmas Day is calling for rain).

Other than that, nothing much going on around here.

:wave: HI THERE ~ well, the temps dropped down to -30C last night, but thank GOD, we had lovely sunshine all day; but now that the sun has gone to sleep, the temps are back down to -24C. I feel chilly, but our indoor thermometer says its 20C or 70F; so I guess it's me. I have been having this chilled thing going on; maybe it's a cold bug, becuz I was stuffed up when I got up this morning.

THANKS, PURPLE ~ for all that info about the pics; now I will have to try it all out for when I would like to show some pics. SORRY, to hear that your trig pains are acting up again so badly; will send up some prayers about that for sure! You don't need that right now or any time for that matter.

Hope you have lots of fun tonight at your whist games. We are just staying indoors with these terribly cold temps; I'm turning into a bear: all I want to do is hybernate when it's this cold outside. You are SPOT ON about the BANKING UP of the snow: he shovels the snow up against the outside of the house to seal all the cracks and to act as an insulator to keep the cold out from around the bottom of the house. It really works well; we used to do that at our old place as well. It can make a difference of 5-10 degrees, mostly becuz it stops all the winds from coming in as well. You know that animals curl up in dens under snow all the time to keep warm.

HI MEOWEE ~ NO SNOW TODAY; we had temps too cold for snow. The clouds are all frozen in place somewhere. ;) Sorry, you got those colder temps though; apparently, they are getting them in the northern states as well; very strange this year! DH got the car going this morning; had to mail another gift for me today (almost forgot one). He was happy that is started in these low temps, but he had it plugged in all night too.

HI NUMPSTER and VAL ~ ah, now you ladies can relax for the weekend. Hope you are all doing well.

Well, I really went to town and made homemade pizza tonight, but with my own wheat ULTRA THIN crusts. I make mine almost as thin as those pita rounds, but it turned out nice. I made DH's a bit thicker, but would still be way thinner than the commercial thin crusts. I think nothing tastes as good as homemade pizza. I make them the shape of beaver tails or about two medium slices each.

Well, time to go have my tea now; take good care ladies, and have a Fantastic Friday night!!! :hug: ROSEBUD:hug:

Hi Ladies

Well take two my PC decided to shut down completely as I was writing this and of course I had not saved it at that point. The annoying thing was I was finished and previewing to see if I had an errors. Oh well cest la vie.

Fortunately my face has settled down today no more pain. Though it makes you wary after a bout of pain like that. I have been quite dopey today after taking extra medication to control the pain. I did not merge out of bed till 10.30am which is not me. DH has been an :angel: today helping me out loads today which is really sweet of him and just what the doctor order ;)


I have had a lovely walk today to the local shops ended up buying a loaf of bread from the bakery. It will make excellent toast as it has thick slices. This is what I had for my tea in actual fact with a little of apple and blackberry jam.

MEOWEE I do not envy what your mother had to go through. I can fully understand how it brought her to tears as it does me. On a really bad bout I just end up curled in a ball on my bed hugging a pillow with the curtains close. The medication does eventually kick it but due to the high doses I have to have during a really bad bout it gives me nausea.

Temporal-Mandibular Joint Syndrome is a condition that I have not heard of but it equally does not sound very nice. I know that I would never wish my condition on anybody. I am normally up beat through after a couple of days of being in pain it gets me down to some degree.

ROSEBUD I can see why you bank up the house with snow ( when I say you I mean DH;)) if it makes that much difference in the temperatures. Especially when you have temperatures well below freezing in the winter months for days on end. Every little bit helps when you have rising fuel bills due to the rise in the cost of living. The only slight blessing here in the UK they have cut our tax by 2 1/2 % but how long for I do not know. Our tax now stands at 15%.

Last night at whist I was hopeless I was the whooping girl I think ;) I would have won the lowest in the house but for winning the last 3 hands with big scores. Not that it bothers me I come more to socialise and to get out of the home. The other bonus it is a natural pain killer it helps distracts me from the aches and pains for a few hours that I get with this condition.

I hope that you are not coming down with any lurgy (bug) You have done well so far as last winter you and your husband caught to many colds unfortunately. Lurgy is a slang English term referring to an illness which can be passed on to others.

Hello to Numpster and Valdine hope you are up to date with all your Christmas festivities and that you are both well. Night ladies and take care till next time.

:wave:purpleorc :hug:

:wave: HI LADIES ~ we had lovely sunshine again today with our -25C temps; the sunshine makes it seem not so cold. Even NIKO lays in the sunrays coming thru our livingroom window: smart boy! I just finished cutting DH's hair for him as it was getting pretty long and curly.

HEY PURPLE ~ I am sooo glad that your trig pains have dissipated for you (gone away). DH has a friend who has been getting them for years, and he always said that they made tears run down his face too. And, you were able to play your games and go for a walk today; that's pretty good.

I've joined in at PHOTOBUCKET, but have yet to figure out how to load up some pics; apparently, I was missing something, so I'll try it again tomorrow. When I get it all figured out, I'll post some more pics in here and there. My PC acts up now and then, but it hasn't shut down on me; just have to redo some things now and then as things get jammed up.

HI TO MEOWEE and NUMPSTER and VAL ~ hope you all are having a great weekend.

We were listening to some Christmas music tonight to get into the spirit of things. And we sorted out some records and one box of brass to put up on top of my piano. Must be another box ?somewhere? as many pieces were missing. Just did a bit of tiding up around here today. We are pretty well set for Christmas here. On Christmas Eve, I make up a small stocking for DH and myself with a few small gifts and treats each year; nothing big though.

Not much else going on around here; time for tea and a puzzle, so take good care, friends :hug:ROSEBUD:hug:

It's warmed up to -25 degrees C!! FINALLY!! It's been weeks around -40. ugh!

I finally really quit my weekend job. I gave my notice several weeks ago saying I'd help up to christmas. Then I worked six hours yesterday thinking it was MY LAST SHIFT and they tried to tell me I was on for eight hours today. So, I politly declined and turned in my discount card. I am officially DONE!!

Numpster - I'm glad your MRI is done and over with! I am not a fan of them either. So confined and LOUD. I felt pretty traumatized after my first one for quite awhile.

Purple - I hope your UTI is totally cleared up by now. I get them practically all the time now as an MSer too. And it's never ever typical symptoms. It's just abdominal pain - so they have to get really bad before medical staff take me seriously. Darn silent infections. Last time I had a UTI I didnt even know it. I did some regular lab work and received a call from my clinic a week later. I got pretty mad at my doctor (since he represented all the doctors who have brushed me off) and he gave me this super UTI killing drug that is guarenteed to kill any UTI ever. (but of course it comes with bad side effects!)

I recently learned more about TM - just came across the information I guess. And my gosh Purple. Doesnt sound good. I'm glad there are several therepies you are pursuing.

Rosebud - thank your DH for the advice for my brother. My Dad has much wisdom like that too but my brother is 22 and male- so he wont take advice until he learns the hard way at this point. Ah well! He pushed his truck up the driveway with two of his friends so it is parked in the garage until he can buy a new battery. My poor little car has to stay outdoors 24/7 for now. Not ideal at -50 :( and thanks for the compliements on my new display picture. I was feeling very down for all my bad eating this month so I took pictures to remind myself there is still a huge change in my and to not give up. Today is always fresh with no mistakes in it.



I had been really feeling the effects of the season and both my jobs this month. I had to call in sick for a couple days to get my energy back because cog fog and fatigue were starting to set in. Luckily I seem to be past that right now. With all the staff Christmas parties I have not been sticking so well to plan.

I even got to go out on Friday for some drinks so alcohol calories not so good! I did well though and didnt drink enough to suffer the next day (I think MS is enough for me I dont want hangovers!) But my stress levels are headed back down and I'm leaving for my parents place on Wednesday to be back on Sunday.

If I dont catch you all before then. Merry Christmas!!! :xcheer: :xcheer::present: :hohoho: :present: :coolsnow: :brr: :brr: :coolsnow: :ginger: :ginger: :xcheer: :snowglobe: :snowball: :tree: :brr:

Val

:wreath: HI LADIES ~ I tried to upload a pic into photobucket again this morning and it didn't work; I'm not sure what I am doing wrong. So then, I went to ImageShack and when I tried to upload one pic, I ended up with a boot (as I call it when it sends you off the site with a we can't find your server page). I had no luck this morning at all everything I tried didn't work. Either the weather is playing havoc at these US sites, or my PC is acting up unbeknownced to me. :?: Who knows? :shrug:

HI PURPLE ~ I will keep trying to see what happens; maybe I'm not computer savvy enuff to figure these sites out, but the IMAGESHACK site looked pretty straightforward to me though. I don't like wasting so much time like that; to spend 2-3 hours and get no results, when it should have only taken a few minutes.

Glad to hear that you felt up to going for a walk; I am going to have to twist DH's arm to go for a walk with me. Sometimes, I just walked up and down our laneway a few times just to get some fresh air; but it's so cold here, you have to really dress warm with hats and mitts and scarves. I got a new pair of boots and I'm so glad that they keep my feet nice and toasty; but I had to get them extra big and wide to keep my toes nice and warm.

I just cut DH's hair using a pair of good hair scissors; I couldn't use a clipper becuz he has nightmares from his childhood of his Dad using them to almost bald him with those; and he hated that. DH has a small face and looks better with a neat, short cut; but not too short. I'm an amateur, but I had a little practice on my brother and Dad's hair; plus DH's for the last 20 years or so. Yes, we save $15.00 at the barber every time I do it myself, which is about every 6-8 weeks. I trim my bangs myself and the rest is long. DH used to trim it for me, but now I do it myself. You are right, in that most hairdressers are scissor-happy people; and a couple of inches to them, is about SIX in their hands, from my experience. :lol:

When NIKO comes in from outside, he runs to the rug in the livingroom of to the gas wall furnace to get warm; they are very smart aren't they. And just like our SWEETIE did, when it's 5 pm, he comes to get us to let him outside as he thinks it's time for us to start making dinner When we first got him, he would plant himself in front of the kitchen stove when I was cooking; now he has learned to get out of the way and sits and watches instead. It's really funny to see; our girls used to do the exact same thing. Watching with anticipation for the leftovers, of course. ;)

HELLO to MEOWEE, and NUMPSTER, and VALDINE ~ hope all you ladies had a lovely and restful weekend. Probably lots of stuff to get ready, for Christmas is coming upon us real fast.

:wave: HI VAL ~ you posted while I was typing. Sorry you had a bad experience with your MRI; I had one when I was in my twenties. It was spooky but the nurse/techie was so reassuring that it was OK. It was loud and bright, if I am recalling it all correctly (as that was a long time ago), but I was OK. Glad you are feeling better; and we hope you have a great CHRISTMAS with your parents.

Well, I made a few muffins today for DH; usually make them on Saturdays, but was too busy doing other stuff. We are having pork chops for dinner tonight; probably with some mixed rice, veggies (broccoli & cauliflower), and maybe a salad for me. NIKO loves leftover pasta and rice and buns or bread. Sometimes, I will pick him up some day-old buns, for a treat, as he loves them so much.

DH's sister dropped by for a wee visit this afternoon. I will be making a Creamy Cheese Pasta Casserole tomorrow for Boxing Day gathering. I will put it in the freezer and bake it that morning to take with us for the afternoon. Also making our last-minute list for tomorrow or Tuesday, as the weather is supposed to be milder by then.

Take good care ladies, your friend :hug:ROSEBUD :hug:

Just wanted to let you know -- Nova Scotia is CLOSED -- seriously, you cannot get in or out of the province by land, sea, or air because of the current blizzard. :yikes:

:tree: HI LADIES ~ it's very cold here again today, but we did get some nice sunshine to warm things up for us. I went outside for a short walk with my ski poles this afternoon and to take some pics of our outside decos, but couldn't stay out too long, as my poor fingies got froze just being exposed for a few minutes. However, I did get a couple of pics anyways.

I spent the day just doing stuff around here; we decided to go up town tomorrow becuz it was sooo cold and nippy today. They are forcasting warmer temps for Tuesday and Wednesday. So I will have to make my casserole tomorrow as I didn't have any carry-away tins to put it in. Will pick some up tomorrow as well. That gathering is at DH's Sister's house on Boxing Day; it was supposed to be on Saturday, but it got changed to Boxing Day again. Guess some people couldn't make it otherwise.

HI VAL ~ just put in a short note yesterday when you were in, as I was typing while you posted. Too bad you can't put your car in your own garage as you are working full time. As much as I know how you didn't want to give up your part-time job, now you will have some more time for yourself and to rest. That is difficult trying to hold down two jobs, esp with health challenges as well.

DH says that when he worked up on BAFFIN ISLAND in a mine many moons ago, that they had sometimes keep their batteries charging up becuz it was so cold up there. I see your temps are getting pretty frosty too (in the -50C range ~ WOWEE ... now that's really cold; and I find our temps bad enuff as your face and hands freeze so fast when exposed to the air, esp if there are any winds like today. We had -30C when we got up, but there was a cold north wind today too; thank GOD for the sun, or it would have been even worse.

Once again, we hope you have a wonderful CHRISTMAS celebration with your Mom and Dad; and we wish your brother the same too!!!

MEOWEE ~ yes, I agree with PURPLE; sorry to hear that you have such a bad blizzard down there right now. Hope it clears up before Christmas Day, so you can join your friends, but if not ... the most important thing is to stay safe and warm at home!

HEY PURPLE ~ many people here say that when they were on a plateau, they ate a bit more, and then lost more weight. That may explain that 4 lb loss; but heck ... take it, girl!!! Maybe the walking the last week has helped too. I have been trying hard to watch what I eat, but I did have a candy treat last weekend. :nono:

I made sure to eat well the next day and today too. We are having baked chicken breasts with roasted veggies for dinner tonight. As far as hair cutting, I started practicing on myself and doing bangs for my little sisters when I was young, and it just evolved from there. then when in a pinch, I did my brother's and Dad's a few times to save them money. At one time, I did consider going through to be a hair dressor; maybe I should have, eh?

We are having one couple for sure and maybe another on Christmas Day, then if weather and health are OK, will be going to DH's sisters on Boxing Day. So we are gonna have an easy dinner on Christmas Day; will be picking up something tomorrow for that (DH wants a Shepherd's Pie, so I'll see if I can find one for him. Usually, I make them myself but he said he saw one at our M & M's meat shop when he was there picking up a meatball special for me. We always have something like meat pie or pizza or lasagna or something like that on Christmas Eve, so I can have a break from cooking.

Well, I really hope you and your DH have a wonderful Christmas celebration with your parents over the next few days. I will come in each day to keep the thread moving along as best I can.

Take good care ladies, your friend :hug:ROSEBUD:hug:

Hi there . . . :wave:

The good news is that things are moving in Nova Scotia again. It's even sunny out there. Both Air Canada and West Jet have scheduled quite a few extra flights out of Halifax in hopes of clearing the herds of stranded travellers before the next storm hits tomorrow evening. And that, of course, is the bad news. Even worse, IMHO, is the fact that they are predicting warm and raining for Christmas Day and I really dislike rain on Christmas.

Hope everybody else is having a good Tuesday . . . :carrot:

:wreath: HI LADIES ~ well, we had those higher temps, so we were able to go uptown and get our last-minute shopping done. Boy, you sure can spend some $cash$ so fast at Christmas, eh? We found some Shepherd's Pie for DH for Christmas Eve and he is so happy about that. :D

We finally decided on having 'Eye of the Round' Roast Beef and French Tortiere Meat Pie for Christmas Day (as we are having Ham and Chicken Wings on Boxing Day at DH's sis's place). We are having yams, mash, turnip, carrots, tomatoes & cukes, and maybe a romaine salad as well. We have blueberry and pumpkin pie with Vanilla bean ice cream for dessert. We try to have something different each year. One our guests is allergic to turkey so we work around that. We can have our turkey at New Years' or some other time, as I have a small one in the freezer.

So, we are pretty well set; I will prepare the veggies the night before and store in the fridge so I won't be too worn out. We also picked up some rolls at a good price. I usually make biscuits, but it would all be too much for me with my feet and leg problems lately. It will be a nice dinner I'm sure.

MEOWEE ~ So glad that things are movin' and shakin' again down your way. Yah, yucky rain isn't great for Christmas, but it's better than a blizzard, right? ;)

PURPLE ~ Actually, I have been where you are, as I have lost weight many times before. I found it odd when people would tell me I was getting too thin (discovered I was 117 lbs, but didn't realize it until a friend weighed me). Other times, at 137 lbs, some people would say that I needed to lose a few more lbs; I thought, 'gee, people are never satisfied, are they?' Dummy, I was and listened, and set myself up to regain the weight again. I stayed at that weight the longest ... over 5-7 years or more. I'd love to be that weight now, eh?

The best thing I learned was that most men don't prefer toothpicks after all; they like a bit of flesh to hold. I know that now; why can't we learn this when we are younger? I hear young ones here say they must get lypo suction on their tiny pouches (lower bellies) even though they weigh so little. Why do they want to be so flat? Who says that's the look of a woman? I always thought that was how a young man looks. Why can't we see that we look great, when we look great?

I was talking to a casual friend today about how when you hit 40 y/o all that really matters is how you feel in your body; especially regarding your health. You finally learn that VANITY and flat tummies won't really make you happy. I get so concerned about those procedures. Many say that if you gain weight back after having them, that you look all disproportioned afterwards. I sure hope they investigate it well beforehand.

Anyhow, it does takes some adjustment on your part. There will be those that sincerely are concerned that you are eating enuff; thank them and reassure them that you and your doctor are keeping an eye. Getting your doc's opinion will quell concerns, I think. Don't worry about personals right now; we know that you are busy and have a full plate as it is. Be sure to take some time to enjoy yourself too, OK? Don't go and wear yourself out. This is a time for celebration: a time for sharing love and peace and joy with our friends and loved ones!

Take good care ladies, your friend :hug:ROSEBUD:hug:

:wreath: MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE, EVERYBODY!!!:wreath:


We had a lovely day resting at home; got my casserole done for boxing day. We've had nice, mild temps here and lots of snow falling all day. Hope you are all enjoying a lovely evening with family and friends tonight. Take good care ... :hug:ROSEBUD:hug: