PHYSICAL CHALLENGES ~ December's Thread
 

WELCOME EVERYONE ~ Please join us in our thread: to give support and encouragement; to share ideas, and/or just chat with one another about everyday issues ...

This special thread is for anyone with any kind of physical obstacle and/or challenge like SB, CP, MS, MD, PK, Lupus, Osteo, Arthritis, Rheumatism, or any other condition (s), whether genetic or acquired (like injuries), that causes some physical limitations and/or difficulties.



:D HAPPY DECEMBER EVERYONE :D


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:hug: ROSEBUD :hug:

And a great Good Morning to all . . . :grouphug:

Let's hope that December is a great month for all of us -- unfortunmately mine is not off to a good start -- looking at the second day of my morning blood sugar running a little too high and it is raining to beat the band again and that always makes the arthritis act up even though it is mild. Anyway, those two delightful little events "forced" me to eat chocolate for breakfast. :o :o

Other than that, same stuff different day (SSDD) . . . see you later . . . :wave:

HI LADIES ~ pretty quiet around here the last couple of days. We had another :shocksn:snow storm :shocksn:today with frosty cold northeast winds; and we went out to put up some 'penny' lights and you just froze your skin so fast it was really bad. The lights are a bit jagged, so I'll have to go straighten them up on a warmer day; too horrible and cold out to do anything with them tonight.

THANKS MEOWEE ~ for coming in and putting our December thread up into a red sticky for us; very appreciated. Sorry to hear that your sugars are too high right now, but hopefully you can get them managed again soon. You are pretty lucky to just get rain right now, but I know that when the snow shows up there, you can get some pretty doozy storms too!

We had a pretty good day; did a bit more sorting and planning out ideas for our decorations. Took a nap this aft to rest my poor tired feet; I bought some new cushy slippers that seem to be helping my feet a bit. They have soft fur inside and help to keep my feet warm. There are many things we like about our new place, but nowhere is perfect; and that is one of the flaws here: the floors are cold, so I had to get some warmer slippers with heels to protect my feet. I have enuff problems with them as it is.

HI PURPLE ~ hope you are feeling OK.
HELLO to NUMPSTER and VAL too ~ hope you both have a great week.

Not much to report tonight; just resting a bit. Take good care ladies, your friend :hug:ROSEBUD:hug:

HI LADIES ~ our day started out pretty nice; calm and even a bit of sunshine for awhile, but then some clouds and fierce winds came through and ... BABY, IT'S COLD OUT THERE!!! :lol:

We got a lot accomplished today; I started wearing my new cozy slippers and they are really helping my feet a lot. They are very warm and have good support soles on them, which is just what I needed. We got several boxes sorted through and tossed two bags of stuff just today. We have our tree up now, but just have to decorate it tomorrow; and all the livingroom was rearranged too ... yeah!!!

With all this storming about out there, we will probably have to keep the outside decos to a minimum this year; but that will give us lots of time to plan for next year. Two of my big, red bows got blown down, so DH went out and rescued them; will have to find a better way to secure them in the morning.

HI PURPLE ~ glad you dropped in long enuff to let us know how you are; sorry to hear that you are having some pain in your abdomen. I had some tiny jabs on my lower right side for a couple of days, but now it has gone away completely; probably just gas or something like that. :o ;) You know the first thing that comes to mind is appendix, but more likely the other; or so we prefer, for sure; so very glad it's gone now. :D

Hope your doctor gets to the bottom of your pains soon; will send up some prayers for you too becuz you really don't need anything else on your plate. Glad your trips went OK; I thought maybe you two had been off on some more deliveries, esp with Christmas so close.

WOWEE, you had snow over there; too bad it didn't stick around for awhile longer, but at least you got to see some for a bit. Maybe you'll get some more for Christmas yet; that would be nice as long as it isn't too much. :D

HELLO to NUMPSTER and VAL ~ hope you two are having a good work week; tomorrow makes it more than half over, right? That's how I used to look at it when I worked before. My favorite jobs were only four days; but the ones that were five, I would break up like this:

Monday is the fresh, first day (keep really busy to make it go fast); Tuesday is almost half way; Wednesday is well over half; Thursday is almost done; and Friday is YEAH Day (meaning last day); hence TGIF!!!

HI MEOWEE ~ hope you have a good weather day and a good sugar day tomorrow. Any snow yet?

Well, DH had his battered fish and I had baked breaded chicken nuggets with lots of salad and veggies for dinner tonight. I had PURPLE's homemade Banana-Chocolate Ice Cream for dessert. Love that one ...

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

Hi . . . :grouphug:

Our weather is still unseasonably mild and we are supposed to see sun but I can't find it yet. Nothing exciting around here -- want to get the wrapping done today so I can take things to the post office tomorrow. After that, I'll be spending my time trying to overcome the almost all consuming urge to bake, bake, bake that hits me every year at this time. Wouldn't be too bad if it didn't also come with the almost irresistible urge to eat, eat, eat.

Have a great day, gang . . . :carrot:

HI LADIES ~ we had another snow day with blowing winds; winter is sure making her presence known now. DH did some running around and I just stayed here and hybernated. Did some more sorting and rearranging of decos today. Make a nice, creamy pasta dish for dinner; had a romaine salad with mine.

Boy, I am really gonna have to watch the munching this month; I think I am gonna wait to just before Christmas to pick up any ready snacks this year. I made some bran muffins for DH and I today to have with our afternoon tea.

I heard from NUMPSTER last night; they had a death in their family on the weekend; and they had to put down their 19+ yr/old kitty buddy yesterday as he was having seizures. As a result, they will be hosting the family Christmas Dinner with a family who is in mourning for a loved one: what a challenge for them. She said she may drop by on the weekend, if she has time. She has some quick planning to do, but I'm sure that family and friends will pitch in and help them out too.

HI MEOWEE ~ boy, you are blessed with very mild weather right now. Is this normal for your area or something new and strange? I don't do the 'BAKING' thing any more; I always ended up with piles leftover and then would have to eat it, of course, so it wasn't wasted. So, I stopped that bad habit a few years ago; now we just pick up a variety of nuts, and some cereal bits & bites for our guests, which they really like.

We are having friends here for Christmas Day this year; so I am making the Christmas dinner. Gonna have a couple of kinds of pie for dessert; roasted veggies with our meat (haven't decided yet, but we have a turkey and a roast beef) plus a salad and mash potatoes with gravy: naughty, but nice!!! Well, that's the point of this joyous season ... to enjoy the blessings we have been given and that includes good food.

HI to PURPLE and VALDINE ~ hope you both had a lovely day!!!

Time to go make my evening tea; take good care ladies, your friend :hug:ROSEBUD:hug:

Hi there . . . :wave:

Another mild day in northeastern Nova Scotia -- but it is very, very windy. We do tend to have a slightly 'softer' climate than some of the places I've lived in Ontario (Toronto, Kitchener, Barrie). We get slightly milder winters and slightly less humid summers. This is, however, an extremely warm one so far.

Decided to buy myself a treat the other day -- a can of French Vanilla flavoured coffee -- brewed some up this morning and it smelled magnificent both in the can and in the pot -- but, guess I'm just a boring coffee drinker because I didn't like the taste of it at all. :shrug:

Nothing else too exciting for me . . . hope you all have a great day. :grouphug:

:wave: HI LADIES ~ oh, we had a lovely, sunny day today ... all day; it was glorious! The first one we've had in ages, so we opened the blinds wide open to drench ourselves in all that beautiful sun. I even saw the stars tonight and a bit of the moon as well.

We got a lot of stuff sorted today; I sorted out the last of the clothes while DH ran errands today and visited his sister. Then later, we went through all our records and are donating 3 boxes of duplicates (meaning we have the same music on tape or cd's); and some we just don't listen to anymore, so might as well let someone else enjoy them.

We finally finished around 8 pm; so told DH that's enuff for one day! I had to watch him cuz he kept going through the boxes over and over, and taking some back out: he's such a hoarder! ;) Today, while he was gone, I was able to toss two bags of old clothes; and I had a ball doin' it too!:D

We finally got our lights on our tree this afternoon; and my bows back up on our deck. We have three of our large decos on the deck; we are just waiting for one that I ordered that will be here in a few days. We didn't like the penny lights where we had them, so we may try them somewhere else.

Since this is a new place, we are having to do a lot of trial and error decorating to see what looks OK from the street. Poor DH gets annoyed by that, but I have made it all so easy this year, that he was happy anyways and couldn't complain; and actually told me he was glad of the changes to simplify everything this year. I don't want the enjoyment taken out of the season with the decos taking days to put up; so I try to do as much as I can myself, and leave the really ez stuff to DH now.

HI MEOWEE ~ I really like Mocha coffee; you can buy it or make it yourself -- two ways. You can make your regular coffee and add a bit of cocoa powder to it; OR you can make a packet of Swiss Hot Chocolate and add a bit of instant coffee to it for only 110 C's. You may want to buy the low-sugar one though ... and I like them both!

HI PURPLE ~ hope your feeling better and the doc gets to the bottom of those abdomenal pains for you; and I am sending up prayers that it isn't anything too serious. Hope you have lots of fun at your whist drives and good delivery trips too.

HI to NUMPSTER and VAL ~ TGIF near the end of the week for both you ladies; hope you have a wonderful Friday!

Well, that's all for me tonight; time to go put my tired feet up and rest a while, so take good care ladies ~ your friend :hug:ROSEBUD:hug:

:wave: HELLO LADIES ~ we had a great day today; went shopping and ran errands and got in some walking, without aches for a change ... yeah!

Will be back to share more tomorrow, as it's getting late now. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend ~ your friend :hug:ROSEBUD:hug:

HI LADIES ~ we went up town today to do the last of our Christmas shopping for family and friends; got some really good deals today. Now I can get our gifts for my Dad and SM wrapped up and on it's way. Gee, I'm so very late this year; gotta work on my Christmas Cards too and get them out as well.

Our last outdoor ornament arrived, and we put him up today; now we were able to put our lights on outside. I decorated the tree this afternoon as well; so we are starting to get things in order. Now we just have to put up some indoor decos over the next week.

HI PURPLE ~ glad you are feeling better; hope those pains have left. I have been so blessed; my feet and legs held out for two trips up town in a row, but they are tired right now; and my knee just pulled once after all that walking I did today. Some friends and others have been praying hard for my legs; they are being answered becuz they have improved so much that it is amazing. I just have to be careful and not overdo it, then reinjure them again and again.

You did very well at your MS center Christmas dinner; I am doing fairly well with dinners, I have to watch my snacking more. I am a bit of a tea toter I guess; and I do like hot chocolate on a cold night, as I only have one or two coffees each day or it bothers me for some reason. I like our TIM HORTON's coffee a lot and DH usually buys me some tins each Christmas.

HI TO MEOWEE, NUMPSTER, AND VAL ~ hope all you ladies are having a great weekend. It's is very cold here tonight and the winds are becoming wicked, with lots of snow blowing. Our fingies were freezing in only seconds out there tonight; glad everything is done, so now we can hybernate.

Well, we are late having dinner tonight ~ gotta go check on it, so take good care of yourselves :hug:ROSEBUD:hug:

:wave: HI LADIES ~ we woke up to -25C temps this morning but we had beautiful sunshine all day that warmed things up for us. Right now, it has dropped back down to -21C; that is nippy cold, but the howling winds we had last night are gone, thankfully!

PURPLE ~ your weather sounds like it is colder over there this year also. I will have to look for that Cadbury's light hot chocolate in our local market and see if I can find it, as I'd love to have a cup of that every night myself.

I'm so glad that your pains are gone: I really believe in the power of prayer and have seen hundreds, if not thousands of them answered in my lifetime for family, friends, our pets, co-workers, many associates, and ourselves over the many years. Regarding associates: these are anybody who asks for prayers, or that I notice need prayers, and also people from prayer clubs that I belong to, who request prayers. I belong to five prayer groups/clubs at present and we pray for others and each other as well; I really enjoy it, and have met many people through this as well.

TIM HORTON is a Canadian NHL hockey player who died in a car crash on the way home from a game one night. Tim wanted to start another business to fall back on when his hockey career ended as he had a wife and family to support; so he and another man created a coffee/donut shop here in Canada called TIM HORTONS (as it was his idea). After he died, his partner bought the existing restaurants from Tim's family, and it has grown to be a very large and popular franchise, with some in the US and other countries now.

I hope you have a good week; and I agree, I love coming here to and miss it if I don't get to come in and read or post. I enjoy talking to the people here about all kinds of things; and we have a Christian group here where we prayer for others who have needs as well.

HI TO MEOWEE, NUMPSTER, AND VAL ~
hope you all had a great and restful weekend; and are not too bushed from shopping and such. Take good care, your friend :hug:ROSEBUD:hug:

:wave: HI LADIES ~ well, it was cold today, but only -11 or 12C but there were a few winds which made it feel more like -17C or so; but we just stayed home and did stuff around here. Did some more sorting and cleared all the boxes from our back porch; we've cleared away more than half our boxes so we even have some room in the first storage shed now.

DH put up the bird feeder he bought me for my birthday in October; as we picked up some seed last weekend. Some chickadees were fussing and eating out of it in no time. So fun to watch their antics again: I just love watching them.

I had a bad fall today; DH put my two stainless steel cans that we store the seed in the porch for me, and I went to come back in and first, I tripped over the straw snow mat; caught myself, then tripped over the doorway lip that stops the cold. I have tripped on it before, but this time I went crashing down on my left side: oh, my poor knee took the worst of it. And dear NIKO was so concerned: he came arunning and didn't want DH to touch me (as he was trying to help me get back up), and NIKO kept licking my face and then DH's, so at least we could laugh about it.

I had to lean on the hurt knee to get up; DH helped me but I took the rest of the afternoon off to rest my body. I seem to be no worse for the wear, and I hope I don't feel any pains tomorrows; maybe have a few bruises though. I know we'll laugh over this one for a long time; I was even laughing about it as I was typing it here, so that's a good sign ...

HEY PURPLE ~ yah, you just might get some snow for Christmas this year; they say the northeast has been hit by a brutal cold front, but that it may go away by next weekend. Sure hope so ... :^: It doesn't usually get this cold until January to March. Well, we are managing to stay warm; even if we have to put the furnace up a bit or use my mini backup heater, we'll be OK.

We have all our gifts too; and just have to do my Christmas cards, and get the last few things for Christmas dinner just before as well (like you, a few days before). Will try to get a few inside decos done tomorrow as well.

We had a nice lean pork dinner tonight with a mixed rice, green and yellow snap beans, and sliced tomatoes. This is another of our favorites; nice and lean and healthy. Well, time to go get my tea and warm myself up again.

HI TO MEOWEE, NUMPSTER, AND VAL ~ everyone seems to be very occupied lately; hope you are all OK as some of you haven't been here for a while ... hint, hint, hint!!! ;):D

Bye for now :hug:ROSEBUD:hug:

Hi . . . :grouphug:

Yes, I still exist . . . but my back has gone out again and this is the first time since Friday that I've actually been able to sit upright comfortably enough to actually type on the computer.

And do we ever have snow and cold right now. :brr:

:wave: HI LADIES ~ well, it wasn't quite as cold today, about -8C with a bit of snow for the morning. We had lots of Chicadees come to our feeders and bells today; we counted over 10, which is the most we've seen at once, so far. I think they called all their relatives and friends over ... hehe ;)

We picked up a timer for our outdoor lights, so that poor DH wouldn't have to keep going in and out to put the light on and off in this terrible weather. At the last place DH had put in an indoor switch which isn't possible here, so the outdoor timer was the best solution and it worked great today.

I got some laundry done today and we only sorted a couple of boxes as we had company drop by twice. One nice fella brought us a chicken as a gift, as they were on sale and they were sold out so we couldn't get any; that was very nice of them to think of sharing one with us (as they managed to get six, or three each). DH's sister came by for a visit, and was telling us about a Christmas party they are holding, and will let us know about the details soon.

HI PURPLE ~ yah, my leg is sore, but I don't see big bruises like I expected but I sure can feel it when I touch it though. NIKO doesn't like the cold either and asks to come in right away; but he does have a make-shift hut that he goes into to get out of the elements.

Today, NIKO was quite naughty and acted up terribly when DH's sister came: I thought maybe that he thought she was my sister as they do look a lot alike. He kept yipping at her for some reason and jumping on her. I know he likes to play with my sister and he just loves my sister's dog, Shibby. She's a beautiful husky-shepherd with the biggest smile and lovely, gentle spirit. NIKO is sweet too but today I had to use a water spritzer to get him to behave and it worked very well. I'm so glad that I found something he doesn't like that won't hurt him. He doesn't like water either, which is something we did notice about him too.

MEOWEE ~ so sorry that you hurt your back so badly; I can so relate to that as I have so many back and arthritis type issues. The cold has really been hurting my legs and feet lately; the pain has been so excruciating, so tonight, I took a pain med to see if that helps a bit. Sending up some prayers for you ...

HI NUMPSTER AND VAL ~ hope you ladies are having a good week; I know that it's getting quite cold up there in Thompson, Manitoba right now, VAL: bundle up good to keep warm.

Well, it's getting late and I'm gonna try and put my legs up if I can; the one is sore so it's hard for me to put them up how I normally like too. Take good care ladies, your friend :hug:ROSEBUD:hug:

Good Morning . . . :grouphug:

My back is feeling about 80% functional this morning and our really strange weather continues. After lots of snow on the ground with sunshine and a high of -9 yesterday; today we are supposed to get +13 and bunches of rain and wind (that's 16F yesterday and 55F today). :dizzy:

Nothing big in my plans . . . still have a little wrapping to do (local stuff) and will continue my reading and back resting that's been the story of my life for most of the week. Still taking the Robaxicet, of course. The added muscle relaxant in it really does seem to help a little.

I'm sure it would work even better for muscle pulls, but I'm pretty sure this is the old pinched nerve in the sacro area and now I'm just waiting for the poor nerve to get over the trauma it suffered. :lol: My father suffered from the same problem . . . maybe it's a family trait that the nerve fibres in that area are too long and thus get trapped in strange places from time to time. :lol:

Hope the rest of you have a great day . . . :wave:

:wave: HI LADIES ~ we had another very cold day today, but we also had the full day of sunshine: I sometimes think that is GOD feeling very sorry for us that it's so cold, so He sends along some sunshine to make it warmer. It dropped to -20C around dinner time, but it's about -18C right now. Our gas furnace is working at full capacity trying to keep up; I can hear the $$$cachings$$$ as she goes! :lol:

MEOWEE ~ so glad to hear that you are feeling better today; definitely take it easy until things are back to normal. I have two discs that give me problems from old injuries; and they aren't the ones involved in the SPINA BIFIDA: those are in my lower back where you bend and the spine isn't fully closed there. That's why I have such difficulty walking sometimes, esp in snow and sand; and cold, damp days.

I'm still trying to get that scrape in my leg to heal; it keeps scabbing over, but not falling off like it should. Had to use a creme the doc gave me today; it worked and now we start again. I am going to try something different this time to see if that works; I'm praying (literally) that it will work. DH and I both have been having trouble with CHARLIE HORSES in our legs lately; maybe it's the sudden freeze, so we are doing light stretches to see if that will help (it seems to be helping me, so I just shared that with DH).

I heard from NUMPSTER today; they went to NITA's funeral on Saturday; had a busy three days with all that, and they had to arrange the music for the funeral and the pics at the family gathering for everyone too. Hope they get some rest time now; as her DH is trying to fight off a bad flu bug too.

HI TO PURPLE and VALDINE ~ hope both you ladies had a good day today.

I managed to get most of my cards done today; just a couple left as I was waiting for new addresses. It's that time to hit the sack again, so take good care of yourselves now ladies, your friend :hug:ROSEBUD:hug:

Good Morning, Chickies . . . :grouphug:

Back is still about the 80% level -- guess I just have to be patient with it. At least I'm semi-mobile now.

Won't be doing the normal Tursday Mall Crawl today. Actually nothing will be moving very far or very fast around NS today. Don't know why they seem to manage to get the forecast right when it's for the most dreadful of the winter dreadfuls -- freezing rain -- it's a skating rink outside this morning and since all the snow had melted before this stuff started, there isn't even a little cushion of white stuff under it all.

At least I'm better off than some because I have electricity although I did think my telephone lines were down first thing this morning but that turned out to just be a minor 'cat'astrophe. I don't know what they do at night sometimes or how I manage to sleep through it. You would think that knocking the phone of the table and half way across the room would be noisy enough to wake you up. :shrug:

It's supposed to turn mild again tomorrow so hopefully the ice will be mostly gone by the weekend and hopefully my back will let me get out and about a little bit.

Have a good day, gang . . . see you later . . . :wave:

:wave: HI LADIES ~ we had lots of snow today and much warmer temps; thank you, GOD, for that! I would much rather have the snow and warmer temps, as the cold bothers me much more these days. I just saw another thread where other ladies were saying that they have the same problem; they had some good tips on there and I'm gonna use them too. I have been going around with my fleece robe on over top of my clothes some times, and with wooly socks and slippers, to boot. ;) It warmed up to -5C and now it is about -11C, which is much better.

HI MEOWEE ~ yah, with that kind of weather, you are better off staying at home anyways; and letting your body heal a bit more. Yes, kitties can get up to all kinds of shenanigans during the night, but they can be so fun to have around and good companions too. Prayers ... that you are feeling better real soon.

We spent the day wrapping a few gifts that are being shipped down south, finished off my Christmas cards, and took some extra boxes to the shed so that I could set up my sewing machine for mending jobs. This place is starting to look like a home. DH's sister stopped by the other day and said that this place is noticably smaller than our old place; the livingroom is longer and narrower, but we will call it cosier. It is plenty big enuff for us though, and we don't want it too big or it would cost too much to keep up.

Well, it's time to put my feet up with my hot tea and do a puzzle; and rest my poor leg that got bruised when I fell the other day. Will be going to bed earlier tonight to as it took me a long time to get warmed up last night for some reason; hence, longer to get to sleep, but it should be better tonight, we hope.

HI to PURPLE and NUMPSTER and VAL ~ TGIF ... just one more day ladies, as tomorrow is Friday!!!

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

:wave:

Our roller coaster weather ride is continuing . . . still raining of course but the high today is supposed to be between 15 and 17 C (60 to 65 F). My front porch is still looking a little ice-covered right now but it is melting fast.

Other than that . . . SSDD

:wave: HI LADIES ~ well, apparently the temps dropped down to -30C during the night, but we had lots of blankies on the bed, so we didn't notice it until we woke up to cooler air; but we slept very well. Today, we had full sunshine again and -20C temps out there now, and I can even see a few stars.

We got our parcel and the last of our Christmas cards out in the mail today; so that's out of the way. Just have a few gifts to wrap to put under the tree for a friend and DH, then I'll be done too. I did some housecleaning; put away some laundry; and baked some banana-bran muffins for DH and I put some chopped dried prunes in a few for myself, and I added a Christmasey touch by adding a few spices like cinnamon, cloves, and ginger, etc. They are quite nice actually.

WOW, MEOWEE ~ those are pretty warm temps you have there; they say it is supposed to warm up here too, but haven't seen that just yet: maybe tomorrow will be the lucky day.

HI PURPLE ~ nice to have you drop by; but we knew you were quite busy with a lot on your plate right now. Glad you had fun and some good fortune at your whist drives: very nice of you to pass those "naughty" prizes on to others, who may want them. Hope you have a nice visit with your parents this weekend too.

HI NUMPSTER ~ hope you had a good week. I sent DH to M & M's meat store to pick up those Italian Meatballs for only $9.99 box of 130-140: I will make my own sauce to go with them. They also had shrimp platters on for the same price, for those who like them (I never did); and I saw a pic of those Chinese h'oerderves (sp?): they do look yummy too, and nice and light as well.

HI VALDINE ~ hope things are going well for you right now, esp on your new job. Are you planning to spend Christmas or any of the holiday with your parents this year? What about your brother: how is he doing? Was he able to find a job of some kind? How are things going with your apartment? Well, I hope ... drop by for a few minutes sometime, and let us know how you are doing, ok?

Well, tonight we had an old favorite of "baked" fish & chips; trying to enjoy some meals we always loved (as DH just loves fish), but also make them a bit lighter as well. We had a nice coleslaw and sliced tomatoes with this as well.

I have on a pair of DH's wooly-type socks and they are keeping my feet nice & toasty; and soon I will put my feet up to do a puzzle or two as well. We are just staying home tonight and taking it easy as the weather out there is frightful, but yes, the snow is delightful ... :lol: Many more people are putting their lights on; our neighbour to our right decorated a huge fir tree on the other end of their lot with large blue lights: it really looks lovely, I must say.

Hope all our friends here are having a wonderful Friday night and a restful weekend; take good care ... :hug:ROSEBUD:hug:

:wave: hopefully i will find a moment to stop by this weekend.

My brother did find a part time job at grey hound cleaning buses. It pays much better than his walmart job did unfortunatly he left his junker truck unplugged on the street for four days while it was below - 35 celsius. SHOCKER! now the battery is D E A D sometimes I think that kid just seriousy needs to grow up. ugh.

I gave my notice at Reitmans, my casual job. I cant keep doing it and working my current hours at the City. Which I still love! Who knew a position in my field of study would actually invigorate me every day? I'm very lucky. Now just to keep my health completly in check.

I'm still on a plateau. though I think of it as a self imposed one. I'm happy where I am right now. Anyways. more later I hope! :hug:

I know that Canadians are famous (or maybe that's infamous) for talking about our weather a lot; probably because we get so much of it. Nova Scotia is still on the same roller-coaster. Yesterday we broke fifty-year-old records by hitting +20 C (68F). Today -- our high is going to be -2C (+28F) with a little snow before we also head back to about +10/11 C (+37F) for tomorrow. Oh well, out in Cold Lake, Alberta (where my oldest son is) today's high is going to be -25C (-13F); so guess I should be thankful for small mercies. :lol:

Well, I really have to go out and brave the cold and the crowds for a bit today since the larder is looking a little bare and I do have one more gift to get. So I'd best get moving in the hopes of beating the snow. Which, of course, will likely melt again tomorrow. Won't be a long wandering trip because the back is still not quite right and i don't want to aggrevate it any more than I have to.

Have a great day . . . :carrot:

:wave: HI LADIES ~ wow, lots of posts over the last couple of days to read. Well, we did get those lower temps and had some sunshine, to boot! It was around -20C when we got up, but that came up into the single digits with the sun, and now it's holding at about -7C.

We got a lot accomplished today: we put up our indoor Christmas decos, which is a lot of little annoying jobs, but I love it myself. Deliberately kept it simple this year so it went much faster for DH who does all the climbing and nailing, which he insists is his job. :lol: And, that's OK with me! ;)

YES, MEOWEE ~ talking about the weather is indeed a favorite Canadian pastime; and you are probably right that it is becuz of the varied weather and extremes that can come our way all across this beautiful country. Glad that you feel well enuff to venture out for a little shopping today; that's a good sign, for sure.

HI PURPLE ~ I do the same thing with the muffins; I make lots and put some in the freezer. They keep well there, and then we just grab one at a time for a snack. I try to make them as healthy as I can, using a low-fat recipe and always adding lots of fruit to them, as that's the only way I can sneak fruit into DH.

I really fooled him this past week, as I chopped up a pear and put it in our chili pepper spagetti sauce just to see how it would be. DH said that he didn't even notice anything except that it just tasted really good. I got the idea from another recipe I heard about by EZMONEY's daughter. I think the recipe had sauteed chunks of chicken breast with chunks of apple, pear, and sweet green peppers.

HEY NUMPSTER ~ you said that you were coming in to post this weekend, and I haven't seen anything yet. :nono: Hope you had a good day of rest today. I know that you are all going shopping next week. I just have a few small gifts to wrap this week and still have lots of time. Here I was concerned that we'd be behind with the move and trying to unpack and find everything for Christmas, but we've managed to find all the most important things. Tonight, we went on a hunt for batteries for our Christmas Clock (a gift from our nephew). I found some with my MP3 player and camera bag. DH wanted to just go buy some more at the store; and I said, 'Why do that, when I know we have lots here somewhere?' He hates looking for things, so now I tell him that I'll look for the stuff, not to worry about it ... ;)

HI THERE VAL ~ so nice to hear from you; and I am so glad that you are lovin' your new job so much. It makes the change all the more worth the risk, doesn't it? And, I'm really pleased to hear that your DB has another job as I sent up some prayers for him on that one. I also have a tip for him about the truck battery: when it's that cold here, in the past, DH brings his batteries in the house (here we have a back porch that will do or on the floor of our coat closet just inside the door on a piece of cardboard from a pop case to protect the floor); charge it up overnight and then he can put it in his truck only when he needs it and he will be good to go anytime. I have a weather map and was looking at your temps, and yes, you get some pretty low ones up there too! I love your new avatar pic, and yes, learning to maintain yourself at a comfortable weight is a very important goal in itself, and you look great too!

Well, that's about all the news for now; just taking it easy for the rest of the night. Take good care of yourselves, your friend :hug:ROSEBUD:hug:

Hi Rosebud, Purple, Meowee, Val and all other postees:

Sadly I don't have a lot of time to read all the posts & reply, especially during excessively busy times.....10 hour work days, do take a toll. Rosebud as you know I faithfully read yours since I want to keep abreast on what you and DH are up to! Was terribly busy with the funeral, preparing artwork for a Christmas mural at work, setting up/troubleshooting a couple friends MP3 players and loading 'em up with music files from my database and volunteer work for our Christmas families also at work. We go out this Monday to do all the shopping. DH is going with me to help with the lifting and once I've got him there, I'm going to corral him into wrapping......he just doesn't know that yet!:D A friend at work has asked if I would consider doing a photoshoot for her daughters wedding.....oh boy, I just don't know whether to commit or not. It's not until April and it's only a small wedding, but I just don't know if I'm confident enough. I have two awesome Panasonic Lumix cameras & a Sony HD video camera which would be sufficient to do the shoot but I so lack confidence. I'm still mulling it over.

I haven't even begun Christmas shopping for my own family yet....YIKES!:dizzy: On Tuesday my daughter and I will hit the pavement and try to get some of it done. I'm just terrified that if I over do it, I'll be sick for Christmas, so we'll just have to pace it out.

Purple & Meowee, I just go with the flow of the weather, although winter is definitely not one of my favourite seasons. I don't even bother looking at the weather forecast, it will be what it is and I can't change it....no sense of me whining about it.

Val great to hear your brother landed a job. Oops on the battery though. Like Purple said boys will be boys. They just just don't seem to have forethought. I am always saying that to my DH.....cause and effect my friend....for every action (or lack thereof) there is a reaction. Guys just don't think ahead. It's okay to live in the moment but a little forethought can save some headaches later on! I enjoy my job too Val and look forward to my work, just not when things are terribly overwhelming. If your second job was stressing you, it makes sense to let it go and focus on the one that does invigorate you!

Rosebud, your muffins sound delicious....wish I had the time. Glad to hear you have everything almost ready for Christmas....wanna come help me out?????? lol Can't wait until retirement (or semi-retirement). I just never seem to have time anymore and it's not that I don't try to make the time.....it's that people are so demanding of my time. In one way it's a compliment that they come to me, but on the other hand, there is only so much one human being is capable of. I have to work on a Christmas video to play on Christmas day when the family gathers. It will be sort of a memory video for our dear Nita, gosh I still can't wrapped my head around that fact that she is gone....I know the facts but it just doesn't seem real...such a young person. I have photos from various family events & video from last Christmas which was at her home (which it always was) so I'll incorporate some of that footage. I don't want to make it a sad video....don't want people sad & crying on Christmas day. I'll try to make it uplifting somehow.

I went last Monday for an MRI....that was interesting. Sheesh why don't they tell people in advance that this machine is very confining. I'm claustrophobic (reeeeeeeeeeeally claustrophobic) and couldn't go through with it. I tried, but it scared the beejeebees out of me....to the point of onset of a panic attack. I can't believe I was set up like that. Poke me, prod me, cause me all sorts of pain....I can totally handle that, but put me in a confined space and I lose it! Called the specialist that ordered this and they seemed very inconsiderate but did offer a sedative for the next appointment....fine, I'll try that, but if that doesn't work, I'm done with it. On one had, I feel really stupid and on the other hand I know my limits. DH is going to come in with me and maybe that will help too...who knows. I know I need the MRI because I want to ensure it was not a stroke I had in the summer, I just don't know if I can get past my phobia to do it even with meds. I'm a fighter so I won't give in without a valiant effort first though.:stars:

Well I better get off of here, gotta do those Christmas cards today. I double booked this evening, friends invited us over to play a new game but Bre called last night and said she was coming over this evening and without thinking I agreed. Just too much on my mind I guess.....oh well. Also, notice I didn't speak of weight/diet issues??? It's not that I shouldn't be thinking about it, it's just the furthest thing from my mind at the moment. I'll get back on track soon enough.

Hope you all have a terrific day and will touch base again soon!

Numpster:wave:

Good Morning :wave:

Just to continue the pattern; it's cold but sunny with a bit of snow flurries today . . . :lol: . . . think I'll take myself out for a bit again today since it mioght be the last sun we see for a good length of time.

HI NUMPSTER ~ glad that you found some time to come in and visit with us; I know that you and your DH are very busy, and that you are always doing kind things for others. Gonna have to pace yourself, and maybe say "NO" sometimes, so that you don't get sick. Did you get those cards done? Hope so ... I'd love to help you out if I wasn't 500 miles north of where you live.

Oh, your day will come when you will have so much time, you'll be looking for things to do; that's what happens when some people do retire. We have a friend who retired recently and she needs to find something to do soon becuz what she is or isn't doing right now isn't pretty; we are praying hard for her right now. When you retire, you must find hobbies and clubs, or volunteer work or a part-time jig or something to fill your day, or you could go bonkers and/or drive everyone else around you that way! ;) That's why DH and I try to keep busy with our many hobbies and such; simply becuz it's healthier for you: physically, mentally, and spiritually!!!

HI PURPLE ~Actually, I like comparing our temps across this country and even knowing what your weather is like over there for you. I have a weather site I look at daily; and we have a thermometer outside our window, so we know what the temps are so that we know how to dress up here. When you live up north in very cold temps, you NEED TO KNOW the temps to plug in your car, do a car warm-up before you go anywhere, and also make sure you dress warmly enuff, or you could end up with FROSTBITE VERY QUICKLY.

HI MEOWEE ~ so glad that you are feeling well enuff to get out once again; and your temps are still better than ours, so far. It was milder here, and we are grateful for that!

VAL ~ I so agree with Purple and Numpster about men/boys/guys and the maturity thing. Men do mature slower and I swear, that some men NEVER DO; at least, that's been my experience with some men in my life. I have also found from talking to other women that these traits are common to most men. Like just tonight, DH and I were discussing how many things women find annoying and immature, men seem to find funny and acceptable; therein reveals a big gap in perspective between the sexes.

Well, we just stayed home and had a relaxing day; and I made a roasted chicken with a bunch of our favorite veggies (carrots, onions, green and yellow beans from our garden, celery, and a new jacket potato each). I could eat this every Sunday and be happy forever; actually, I could eat chicken 2-3 times a week and be very content becuz I love it so much. Can you tell? :D

NIKO just came by to see me by our desk; he often lays beside me while I am typing and keeps me company. DH watches his favorite movies why I am on here in the evening; it works well for us. Well, it's time to go make my evening tea ... so take care ladies, your friend :hug:ROSEBUD:hug:

Hi gang . . . :wave:

Warm and wet again today. I liked yesterday's cold and sunny a lot better. Oh well . . . no snow to worry about.

Nothing exciting for me since all the shopping and wrapping is done and jjust a few more things to be delivered in the coming week.

Bought a little turkey breast yesterday to roast up for leftovers. I go out to friends for actual Christmas dinner but, even though I'm not a real turkey lover anyway, I find I miss leftovers. Think it's a psychological thing. Also got cream cheese to make the Christmas cheesecake I take along and some other fixings for a new salad I'm going to try. A way to take some Sweet Potatoes without resorting to the usual and overly rich and sweet version.

Have a good day . . . :carrot:

:wreath: HI LADIES ~ wow, we had a big snowstorm last night and this morning the temps rose to 40F and it rained, then everything turned to ice as the temps dropped down to -18C or close to 0F; the winds were the worst part, a kind of whirling wind that howled too! :brr:

HI MEOWEE ~ yah, this messy stuff isn't too great but halfway in the middle might be nice: sunny with temps cold enuff to hold the snow but not too icey and slippery. That's a good idea to take a couple of healthier dishes to the Christmas dinner; good for you. Wow, you have really caught up with the gifts and such. I may pick up a few small things for DH for his stocking; as he already has his big gift: another big tool! No surprise there ... haha! :D

HI PURPLE ~ as a nurse, you are a great comfort when explaining medical things; thanks for your input. I'm sorry that you are so tired, but I am in the same boat some days, so I can so relate. I was just saying to DH yesterday, that I can't believe I did all this, and worked a physical job too. For awhile, I worked as a community support worker, but most of my jobs were physical ones. Thiss sore, old body couldn't do any of that now. I used to be an early bird and now I don't get up until 8 or 9 am. My legs get tired and sore by the afternoon and I have to put them up and in the evening too; finally following doctors orders simply because I need too. I like the sounds of those granola bars; I used to make one with bran and oats in it too. Maybe I'll make some for Christmas; they were very healthy and low-fat. Be sure to get enuff rest; some of those chores will wait for another day.

Yes, it is very cold here in the winter; and where VAL is, it is even colder, so I imagine they have the same issues as us, that's why I gave her the tip about the batteries for her brother. So far DH hasn't had to bring our battery in the house, but if it gets too cold (-30C or lower), he may have to. That's a time when you see cars and trucks stranded all over the place. Also, we have to plug our cars into something called a BLOCK HEATER, that warms up the engine, for at least 2 hours, but some people leave it on all night. Then we have to warm the car up before you go anywhere as it's a frozen popsicle with the windows all frosted up, and not fun to ride in. The windows have to be clear before you take off for the visability factor, of course.

VAL ~ DH asked me to pass this onto your brother: that it is advisable to put a piece of 1/4" plywood under his battery as this also helps it from losing power so quickly; and to clean his battery connections about once a month.

HI NUMPSTER ~ hope you all had a fun day shopping for those families ...

We had a nice dinner of lean steak with sauteed veggies and mixed rice, plus a salad for me. Last night, I did about 40 minutes of chair aerobics as I haven't been out the last few days becuz of the weather. This afternoon, I finished putting a few more decos on my tree to fill in a few empty spaces. Now, I going to make myself a tea and put my feet up for a while. Take good care ladies, your friend :hug:ROSEBUD:hug:

Good Morning . . . :wave:

Sorry to hear about your ice, PURPLE . . . seems the weather is strange all over. Warm (+11;over 50) and wet at daybreak but moving toward cold (-2;below freezing) and white by mid-afternoon around here. :dizzy:

At least I've got a couple of things to take my mind of the chronic lower back pain this morning.

(1) Didn't sleep well last night and woke up with a sore, stiff neck. (2) The tooth I had the root canal done on this past April decided to discard it's gigantic filling while I was enjoying my big salad last night. Hey, at least it doesn't hurt. Luckily, the dentist has a cancellation for this afternoon so hopefully it will be okay over Christmas but I guess I`d better start saving up for a crown in the new year.

Nothing else exciting on the go for me . . . hope everybody else is having a great day. :yes:

:wave: HI LADIES ~ we ventured out today to pick up a few things (mostly fruit and veggies) and a couple of small gifts that were on order, so we are mostly done for this year. I did manage to get some walking in too, but we really had to be careful with so much ice everywhere.

HI MEOWEE ~ I had a filling of some type fall out on me about a week ago too; gonna have to try and find a dentist to look at that soon. One dentist here is only open two days a week and it takes awhile unless it's an emergency. I haven't had much luck at dentists; hope I have better chance this time. This one didn't and doesn't hurt either, thankfully, so I should be OK until I can find somewhere to go. Sorry, that you are still having trouble with your back; hope it heals up soon. Prayers ascending for you ...

HIYA PURPLE ~ I am grateful that you are willing to share some pointers with us; and so much interesting info too. Yah, it really icey here and in MEOWEE'S area as well. Gonna have to get DH to pick up some rock salt for our back porch area (we forgot today; drats). ;) Memory gets very distracted these days.

We have trucks here that put sand on our roads, but even still, we had a frightening SKID-OUT today; I didn't even look! DH went part way up a hill and tried to turn left, but the road was so icey, that we just spun and started skidding and sliding backwards down the hill ...

Thank GOD, our angels were looking out for us today, becuz no cars came over that hill or they would have hit ME right on. Good thing that DH didn't panic, but he had to work fast and hard to get us out of there; it is a main road and usually very busy. It was very scary for me, becuz traffic comes down the hill on my side, and they can't see us until they are already on the top of that hill. I can't tell you how many times I have asked DH not to go that way. NOW, he has promised me that we won't be going that way again this winter! I won't be driving with him, if he ever goes that way any time ...

HI TO NUMPSTER and VAL ~ have a great week ladies ...

Bye for now :hug:ROSEBUD:hug: