Hi everyone. It's late for me. It's another gloom and doom story, but wanted you all to know what's up.

Today was busy getting last minute things done before Christmas Eve, and planned on spending tomorrow cleaning and doing wash. I knew DS was coming home from the hospital so she must be doing better. I stopped by the NH and she didn't look good to me, and I told the nurse - she said that sometimes it takes a lot out of people when they are transported - she should get some rest so I went down the hall to visit my Aunt who is also in the same facility. My other sister stopped to see my DS (Cathy) and said that she ate some applesauce but wouldn't drink any drink with thickener in it (that's all she's allowed right now). So, tonight about 8:30pm my DN calls to say that Cathy is headed back to the hospital because her temperature is up to 102.9. My DN just arrived at the hospital (1 1/2 drive for her) and will keep me updated. They will probably have to give Cathy a feeding tube as this time as she really could aspirate. Just to let you know, I'm not that wonderful of a sister. If I was, I wouldn't get so frustrated thinking that the rest of the family including DN think it was my sister and I's job to go to the hospital this week. Yes, I'm on vacation and live close and didn't mind doing it, but my sister and I are the only people besides my DN and my Mom that even visits Cathy. Yes, I do some things for my sister, and would for any of them - but the little that I do it nothing compare to the lack of quality of life my sister has with having MS. If I was so wonderful, I would do it without feeling sorry for myself at times. I'm feeling terrible that I'm not up there now, but my DN is the only one that can make decisions for my DS and should be there. She'll update me if she's turns for the worst. Please keep her in your prayers.

Shennie: Hopefully your DBF will get you something nice, and before Christmas.

Hey all you native New Yorker's (NYC) the subways will be back tomorrow from what they said on the news this evening!

Star: Glad your back girl!

Julie: WTG with the WI!

I'm doing okay, but not 100% POP. How can I drink all that water and still do my shopping, grocery shopping and errands?

Well, Hi to everyone else. Have to go back and read the post in more detail so I can see how everyone is doing.

Hugs to all and good night, Sy

Sy - your DS AND YOU are in my prayers! One of my dearest friends was diagnosed with MS a few years ago - she is nowhere near as debilitated as your DS, but I know what a horrible disease it can be. I cannot imagine being in your shoes right now. :cry:

Deets - believe it or not, ;) that pic shows me at nearly my highest weight ever. I'm just getting back on track after a looooooooooong fall off the WL wagon. I'd like to lose, oh, not quite a hundred pounds from where I am right now. I'm trying a different tack than before, though - I'm not setting any middle-of-the-road goals, I'm just trying to take it one day at a time and see how it goes. :)

Morning chicks!

Bre - LOL - cork flu = hangover, wine goggles = how things look after some wine - (at least this is what I think Carmen meant when she used the phrase wine goggles). I think you'll enjoy the Mrs Pollifax books. They are a series, but you don't have to read them in order - there are some returning characters, but it won't stop you -- it'll just make you want to read the earlier ones.

Fiona - what a lovely family! We used to do that every year - had a family pose with my dsiblings -- quite interesting to see the change in hairstyles as well as weight going up and down (me) every year. . .

Deets about the cheat --try to decide how much you'll have at the beginning, then enjoy it. I bet you'll be fine after two pieces. And I'm with you about being a LAWL weinie - who'd else bring a salad to a fried chicken party??

Sy - my heart goes out to you -:hug: I'd say it's perfectly human to feel the way you do --sometimes, it's the actions that count, not the emotions behind it.

Hugs to all,
Julie

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Morning Chicks....I suppose several of you are not on here today and are getting ready for tomorrow and Christmas Day....

Sy - :hug: My prayers are with you and your DS. What an awful time for you. I know you are strong and you have your DH for support.

Bre - Did you say "triple chocolate, walnut brownies":?: I am so there, please PM me with your address;)

FI - What a great family picture! Your DD is adorable. Saying that your DH wants to slim down rings a bell for me. As my DH went to the doctor last week and she gave him a 1500 calorie diet. So on Janurary 1st we are both getting back with our programs. She also told him he has to exercise.

My foot was really sore last night. I think I put too much pressure on it yesterday.....I'll be alittle easier on it today.....Geez, my poor DH will have to prepare for our Christmas Eve family party almost by himself. But he really wanted to have it, even though I told him I wouldn't be much help:mad:

Hey to all of you - talk to ya'll later....
Hugs

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Merry Christmas Eve, Eve (DS told me that this morning :D)

Bre~ glad that you were saved ;) the TO that I do is 6 oz of protein, 2 cups of veggies (but if I get hungry I will do more veggies) 2 lites and 4-6 oz of juice 4 times a day.

Fiona- cute pic. How old is DD?

Deets~ DS goes to a parochial school and they had a rule this year that no one can say happy holidays. The Christmas pageant this year was “there is no Christmas without Christ” The kids sang all of these new songs no one had ever really heard about Jesus’ birth. It was so beautiful. A lot of my Sunday school kids were complaining about Christmas being on Sunday and them having to go to church and interrupt Christmas present time. I explained to them: how would they fell if they had a birthday party and everyone stayed at home instead of going to their party and even more so just bought presents for themselves instead of for them. It brought it to light for them, that is why I am so excited about the birthday cake idea from Katie!
Eat a salad before the pizza and you should be full by 2 pieces. Then give yourself some time to know you are full before going for the 3rd piece. You won’t even need it.

Sy~ just saying how much it touches you to see your DS in pain, shows how wonderful of a sister you are….stay blessed.

Star~ :hug: hope you feel better

I am so glad that this is my last day of work for the year, we are cutting out early too, there are probably 50 people on the entire University campus today so no on will notice.

Going to lunch with DBF (he starts vacation today) I am planning for a nice little chicken Caesar salad (with red wine vinegar for the dressing) I hope I can stick to that because I am sure he will order the greasiest fired thing they have. All the water helped me and I am back into the 158’s but I guess December goal is out of the question, huh? I’ll be buying more weeks again I see.

I just wanted to say Merry Christmas to all of you in case you wont be here later in the day or tomorrow!

And, yes, I totally know what I am cheating on and then back OP right away. Today my girlfriend and I are having a party with our families and we will have pizza (1 slice) for lunch and a coffee drink at the mall. Tonight we are doing take out Chinese (her) and Indian for the rest of us. I usually get the tandoori chicken without sauce anyway, so thats not too bad. I will have one piece of appetizers my DH orders and that should do it for me. When I say "cheat" at Christmas,that just means Ill have a bit of dessert or a cookie...Im not planning to throw this out the window, just LIVE for a day, sensibly, but with enjoyment. I had WI this morning, down .4 to 134.8!

Hi Star! I'm here with ya! There are no vacation days when you work with family, lol! (Although I do plan to take off as early as possible to get some last-minute shopping taken care of.)

Shennie - DD is five (and asks almost daily when she gets to say she's five and a half!) :dizzy:

Deets - sounds like you've got a great plan in place. Good for you!

I was down another pound this morning! That's 7 pounds closer to optimal hotness since I started keeping track. It helps that I happened to get on the scale that first time on a day when I was at "point zero", so I only worry about reaching that next "point zero" on the scale. I also want to share that I'm giving up on any short-term goal setting other than making the best possible choices TODAY. After "playing" at LAWL for over a year, I've finally come to accept that short-term goals only stress me out and make me MORE prone to "cheating" (another word I've elminated from my diet vocabulary). I know that the LAWL plan works for me when I'm willing to work it, and when I reach a point where I feel like I need more structure, or that I'm slipping more often than I should, I know I can go back to it. But for now, what I'm doing seems to be working and I'll stick with it! :goodscale

WTG Deets!!

Sy- You are NOT a bad sister. You are great. I can really understand how you feel on this one. My grandmother lives across the street from us, and she is in very poor health. We help to take care of her, and get to feeling the same way that you do. I get tired of all of the trips to the Dr. and emergency room. I get tired of doing her shopping (she is very picky), and really tired of being accosted about not going to church, having too many dogs, being forced to spray the morning glories in our yard because She hates them, among many other things. She wears a call box around her neck in case she falls, and it automatically calls me when the button is pushed. I get tired of sprinting across the street all of the time for false alarms. The number one thing I am tired of.....whenever she calls and I do not answer the phone, she leaves this voicemail, in a very feeble, shaky little grandma voice "Oh, Katie, you little ****, I know you are there!" Now don't go thinking that I am some big martyr, because my parents do ten times what I do for her. But, I do know how you feel Sy. We feel guilty for getting tired of it all, we feel guilty for not doing enough (whatever enough really is), and we feel guilty that we cannot do something to make life better for them. All I can say is put your guilt on hold. You are doing the best that you can with what you have, and your DS will never fault you for it. What you are feeling is human, and it is entirely okay to feel that way. You have a Merry Christmas, I will be praying for you and your family.

Deets- I'm with you. Without Christ we would not have Christmas in the first place. I will have a great time at the cabin, and I will post some pics when I get back!

Shennie- If my kids could have a sunday school teacher like you , I might take them to church. LOL Hope you have a great Christmas.

Star- Hope you foot gets feeling a lot better for Christmas! Enjoy all those gbabies!

Merry Christmas to all of you, see you in a few days!!!

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Duh.....
 

I get to leave now as a Christmas present, so have a Merry Christmas Eve Eve everyone.

If my DSL is working at home I'll chat with you all later this week.

May you all have all the Blessings of Christmas:hug:

oh and Katie, I realized who your youngest DD looks like.... the little girl off of it's a wonderful life who says "every time a bell rings, an Angel gets is wings" they were playing it in the lounge and it hit me.

The "vomit bug" has left youngest DD. She started feeling better around dinner time last night and is up and running today. We are off to have our picture taken with Santa.

I love that I have 10 years of Santa Claus pictures framed and out to look at. I am afraid, though, that youngest being 10 I am getting close to the end of those. My oldest DD quit the pictures about 3 years ago. My 13 year old son agreed on the condition that we have lunch at Chili's today!:lol:

I hope each one of you have a Merry Christmas and a lighter New Year!!:)

Andi