A friend sent me this lovely poem ~ how appropriate for me ...

THE ROSEBUD
--------------

A plain and simple Rosebud,
A flower of God's design.
I cannot unfold the petals
With these clumsy hands of mine.

The secret to unfolding flowers
Is not known to such as I.
The flower that God opens so easily,
In my hands would fade and die.

If I cannot unfold a rosebud,
A flower of God's design,
Then how can I have the wisdom
To unfold this life of mine?

The solution is rather simple,
Trust God every moment, every day,
And look to Him for guidance
With each step along the way.

For the pathway that lies before me
Only my Heavenly Father knows.
Trusting that He'll unfold the moments,
Just as He unfolds the rose ...

ROSEBUD

HI FRIENDS ~ I'm back again to check in for the day. I felt pretty good today and got a lot of walking in as it was shopping day. Meal wise, I stayed on plan, but we did have a wee St. Hallow's Eve's treat today. DH got some Smarties, so I told him to go hide them in the TV room; that's my candy treat for the year.

I usually only ever have sugar-free candy; so I told DH is verging on sabotage with his candy. All in all, it was a good day; the rain held off til tonight, so that was nice for us. We forgot a few things, so we make another trip this Friday when Dh goes for therapy. Tomorrow, we get a day to take it easy and rest my feet; as they do throb after these trips.

VAL ~ you are correct that canned beans do have some sodium in them, so I guess you are just gonna have to learn how to prepare and cook dem old bagged things ~ LOL!

PURPLE ~ hope you are feeling better too! DH and I played games last night and I won the series 2-1 ...

MO ~ miss your company; hope you are well.

That's all for now; take good care, my friends ROSEBUD

Evening!

So I've gotten stuck with the truck a dozen times or so in town. We got a crazy amount of snow in the last few days and only a few routes are plowed.

Other than that.... I went to my sports therapist again today. and did 15 minutes on my stationary bike only to find out it's still too early to excercise without pain. I'm going to try again on saturday!

im going to bed, nite all! happy halloween :P

HI LADIES ~ Just a quick run-thru ...

Had a good day; went ski-walking tonight in the cool, crisp air. The sky was clear and full of stars; they seemed so close that you'd think that you could have just reached out and touched them. It was beautiful!

We stayed home and did stuff around here; mostly housework and cooking. Of course, I went out a few times and fed my birdies (a nice little walk). We didn't get as much snow as expected, but the wind was cold this afternoon. By tonight, it had calmed completely, so I decided to get those ski poles out, and I really enjoyed the walk.

Well, that's all for tonight; I'm off to bed now, but I'll do personals tomorrow ~ so, take good care; your friend ROSEBUD

HI THERE ~ well, we got into town and picked up the birdseed and a ladder, finally one came in; it wasn't the one we ordered, but it will do the job. Dh didn't feel like making another trip and paying another $40 bucks to get a different one; funny, how the price changes when you get to the store ... hmmm?

Now we can get our TV antenna hooked back up for the winter, and tomorrow morning, we are going to start on the Christmas lights; I just want to change the color of the bulbs on the building. We'll put the tree and other lights up at the end of November, but now he can do it without hurting himself.

DH went for his final physio session today; the therapist says he is pretty happy with how he has done his exercises. He will always have some limited range in that shoulder, but doesn't have any more pain now; but, the therapist has warned him to knock off the over-strenuous stuff ~ LOL!

PURPLE ~ hope your trip to your parents goes well and you have fun; you are lucky to have them so close to you. Yes, I can sympathize with your Dh about hitting a plateau; I think it will move in time after his body adjusts a little. I know, for me, I had to adjust my eating a bit ... I needed to streamline.

Now, I am trying to stay away from those extra unnecessary carbs that sneak their way into my house via DH ... LOL! I gave him a wee scolding this morning; really, just a gentle reminder. The biggest thing is to just keep going and follow my plan, even if I make a mistake. As someone else said, this is good practice for maintaining, later on.

YES, I just love the ski-walking becuz the poles give me more balance and security. I don't worry about falling as much, so I can even walk faster without hurting myself. Your arms get a workout at the same time, so you burn more energy; but I have to watch it in the beginning, or my right shoulder gives me a bit of a complaint (like today).

VAL ~ hope your knee is better soon; yes, you do have to go slow at the beginning, albeit you do have to keep using it to keep it mobile. I do light exercises for my knee as well, and I am starting to see some improvement now. I haven't had those horrible stabbing pains in a while now; oh, it still collapses on me, but it's just not near as painful as it used to be, and that's a great kind of improvement to have ...

Sounds like you guys got quite a dumping of snow up there; my sis in FLIN FLON is getting snow this week too, I think. They forcasted some for this week, but we only got a sprinkling that is gone now; they are calling for some for next week now, so maybe Dh will have time to get the lights up before the big snow falls ...

DH is listening to some new jazz records he picked up today; I picked up a couple of light exercise tapes, but I haven't got a look at them yet. I have to go for the gentle stuff right now, but everything should help. I'm gonna order that ERGOMETER this week; I almost forgot about it ~ LOL!

Well, this is getting pretty long, and I have to go put dinner on; so take good care of yourselves and have a great weekend ~ your friend ROSEBUD

HI LADIES ~ well, we've had some really lovely weather the last few days; I think the weatherman went on holidays, becuz his predictions didn't match reality at all. We decided to go shopping on Saturday and for a drive to the lake so as not to miss the fall days that have finally showed up in November. That's why I didn't get in to post; I was exhausted and went to be earlier than usual, but I did get my walks in.

We still have no *** out there, so DH and I changed those bulbs to red on the building today; him using his new ladder (he was kinda like a kid with a new toy; it was so cute). He's going to try and tackle that TV antenna tomorrow, but they are calling for snow (let's hope that they are wrong again ~ hehe)!

We spent Saturday evening playing games and I won the series 4-0; so Dh said he'd better not play anymore games, cuz if he lost five in-a-row, he would never be able to live down such a "skunk" ~ LOL!

PURPLE ~ glad you are feeling better; hope your trip to KENT goes well. I do the same as you; make double meals ahead and freeze one for those days when I don't feel my peak. Tonight, we had roasted chicken with lots of veggies (turnips, carrots, onions, celery, new potatoes); I eat more veggies and less potatoes; DH the opposite (a potato lover). He eats lots more veggies now that I changed our menu; but he says he doesn't mind that.

I eat fruit daily, but he doesn't like fruit unless it is in a pie; and I don't make many of them these days; his favorite is pumpkin and so I will make the next one at Christmas for him and I will have pumpkin custard instead. I still have lots of turkey left from Thanksgiving in the freezer, and I really like to use that in soups best; Dh loves that too.

Dh wants to know what GAMMON is; he thought that it was VENISON (which we call it here in Canada). I think MUTTON is lamb; I looked it up and my dictionary says it is what we call a leg of HAM; is this correct? Sometimes, I make a roast of beef, ham, or pork for sandwiches too; I try to find one that is as lean as possible. I like this much better than that store bought stuff, which has a ridiculous price.

On Saturday night, we had something different; it was kinda like SLUVAKI but not on skewers. It was lean, pre-seasoned pork tenderloin which I put on a hot grill and then simmered til tender. I served this with cauliflower, broccoli, and a veggie mix of carrots, corn, and beans; with a few small potatoes. DH really loved this, so I know we will be having that again sometime.

Dh just brought in our spare television set, so that I can watch my exercise videos when I like in our den (or livingroom). I'm trying to find more things to do during the winter to keep my activity levels up indoors.

Well, that's all the news here for now; we have just been doing stuff around here getting ready for all the snowfall that will be coming sometime soon. Everyone expected it earlier, but I am loving it that it is delayed; as long as it is here for Christmas, I am happy. So, take good care, my friends; talk to you again soon ~ ROSEBUD

HELLO FRIENDS ~ I just put a load of laundry on, and dinner in the oven; so thought I'd pop in while I am waiting on all that. It's really cold and damp out there right now; not comfortable to go out in at all. DH just has to set up my VCR and I'll be all set to try out some of those exercise videos that I picked up.

WELL, the morning started out fine, we got the antenna wire back up and the TV hooked in again. Dh also got his giant, eleven-foot, wooden Cross back up (I had to go help as it kept falling down on him); and some of his friends asked him to put it back up this year.

He had accidentally knocked it down with his trailer a couple of years ago, so he put it back up, but against the building this time (it's safer there); and that should brighten things up for sure. He just has to put the clear bulbs in now, as it started to rain on him and he got totally soaked right down to his skin ~ LOL!

We try to get as many things done in November as we can; we want to get an outdoor Christmas tree for the yard again this year; it looks so pretty, and it's nice for the kiddies next door too. My plan for this Christmas is to just have a nice Christmas dinner and only one treat this year, so as to avoid any problems this year.

I am already receiving Christmas emails getting ready for the season; people seem more enthused about the holidays this year. I think it has been a tough year for many people for various reasons, so I think they are looking forward to a time of celebration. As soon as the Thanksgiving stuff goes, out comes the Halloween stuff; and that was all pulled down, so now all the Christmas stuff is up in all our stores.

WELL, I guess I'd better go check on that dinner; to see if it is ready. Dh is miffed cuz our little furry baby went to get him to come to dinner; guess he was laying down for a nap. She has an internal clock, and she won't let him miss anything important, esp meals ~ LOL ... she is sooo smart!

HELLO TO PURPLE, VAL, MO, and all the lurkers out there; yes, I know that many people come by to read; I wish some of our past newbies would come back and post now and then. Maybe they lose interest after awhile; I like coming here, so I try to make a point daily or every other day, at the least.

TAKE GOOD CARE EVERYONE; talk to you late ~ ROSEBUD

Good evening everyone!

So - I have a confession... I've been avoiding 3fc because I actually went up a few pounds at my last weight in. I had been sick/nasueated and unable to exercise..but I was still losing weight faster than when I could exercise/eat right and it kinda freaked me out.

anyways by the time the halloween candy hit my house I stopped passing by every single treat out there because I saw it as 'well I'm losing too quickly as it is anyways'.

I've still lost weight in the last month since I was grounded from exercise and got stuck with an MS flare so I've succeeded over all

Rosebud did you order/receive your ergometer? Sorry I'm having a brain fart.. what does that measure? I'm paying more attention to exercise infomercials because I want something new to do for the winter too. I believe Flin Flon got snow before we did in Thompson... but we may have got more of it later on....there was a 3 day blizzard a few weeks ago that did away with fall completly.

Purple I hope you are well and that your friend is doing better too - hopefully she got on the steroids and saw improvement! I'm really blessed that way.... I have never been hospitalized because of MS. I guess you could say mine is mild! We have smarties in Canada too and I hope your TN didnt get a chance to set in!

My knee is slowly getting better too - I dont always have to wear my tensor for support for support. I think the best way to imagine the weather here right now... is to think of Siberia. My workplace actually has our own customized fur lined ear flap style winter hats too. A lot of automotive companies are in town now to start their extreme cold weather testing of vehicles. Anyways I hope you take your time to rest up after your trip and come back when you feel well enough




Today was a big day at work - a new airline expanded to our city and held a fancy smancy 3 hour reception/4 course meal. This particular company does the most arctic flights in Canada - they travel all over Nunavut, the northwest territories and Yukon, as well as my city now. It is a big deal because for the last few years one company has had a monopoly. It was my first day back at work full time so instead of mingling I just sat down and saved seating for my peers.. I wanted to jump right in but also didnt want to scare strangers with a tipsy 23 year old (it was a dry event) coming after them. hee hee

it's past my bedtime. so off I go! Have a great week ladies and take care.

Hello my Dear Friends

I am so sorry l haven't posted in weeks, But l am still around and still working on getting to my goal.

Thank you for all your prayers about Eric's eposode with getting away from me, Yes l was really upset about it, and l took a break from the net for awhile. But the reason l haven't posted is cause l was hit by a car while crossing the street. I am ok now and healing, but it was scary for awhile. I ended up in the hospital with 3 broken ribs, a broken arm and a concusion. So l have been very sore and with only 1 arm it is very hard to type, sitting up has been very painful so as much as l wanted to come on and let you know l was ok, l just didn't have the strengh. I really can't type for very long as it is still hard, but once this cast comes off and 2 more weeks, and l get the strenght back in my right hand l will be posting m ore. As for my goal l am still about 4 lb's from it but until my Doctor says it's ok to workout again l will just have to wait. DH's boss was so nice, with me in the hospital for 4 days and then recouping at home and we have no family here to help, he told DH to take as much time off to deal with Eric and me. So he finally went back to Work yesterday and l am getting Eric to scghool, and his programs are all up and running still. Well l have to run now but just wanted to let you l have missed you all and hope to answer your posts soon, Keep up the good work ladies on your goals and remember your all dear to me.

Love Mo

DEAREST MO ~ am so sorry to hear about your accident, but I am so glad to know that you are OK now! Yes, that would be such a scary thing to go thru; not something I want to experience either. Take your time, and heal well; and thanx so much for letting us know what happened.

I was praying for you and yours, and wondering, 'What on earth happened to MO?' I thought after your scare with ERIC that you lost interest in coming here. BUT, I'm so glad that you will be coming back to see us now and then; we all missed you as well. Say hello to ERIC and your DH; glad his boss was so considerate and accomodating!

VAL ~ an ergometer is a exercise machine that can be used for the arms or feet sitting on a chair; I am going to use it for my arms, just to burn energy indoors during the winter months. It only costs about $40, so that isn't too bad; I have to order it thru SEARS. I know they have big fancy electric ones too, but I don't need one that elaborate.

Don't be too hard on yourself about a few pounds; been there, done that. You can get that back off in no time; and that could be partly water gain as well. I had a few smarties for Halloween and then made DH hide the rest in his special cupboard. Glad you are feeling better and got back to work full-time this week. Sounds like things are movin' and shakin' up there in Thompson, Manitoba.

PURPLE ~ glad your trip went well; I know it is hard to find places that serve healthy foods on the road. I wish more would offer better choices; but you can get back on track; and likely won't notice too much of a difference overall anyways. YES, our venison is deer here; but we also have moose and caribou as well. Moose is more common up north and deer down south.

Hope your DH is feeling better soon too; mine is pretty much back to health, but tonight he has been sleeping as he thinks that he is coming down with another cold or flu too ... oh well! He's also a bit down cuz one of my uncles has a shadow on his lung; DH hopes it isn't serious, so we sent out prayer requests today for him and his family.

WELL, we got blasted with fierce winds and snow all day and tonight as well. I went out to fill the feeders and had to come back in to get a hat and mittens, cuz those northern winds were terrible. I managed to make another trek out and filled them all for my little birdies and one chipmunk; they were all chirping away ... like they were saying 'Thanx, we needed that!'

I kept on plan very well today, eating more fruit for snacks and we had piles of veggies with steak + mushrooms and onions. I now only have one very small potato and DH has one a bit bigger; I have been cutting them down over time. So more than half my plate is a variety of low-cal veggies.

Today, I did some laundry and housework; and made DH his Blueberry-Oatmeal muffins with bran (low-fat); very healthy and a good snack for him. He doesn't like fruit, so I make his favorite snack which is muffins. I put some of them in a container in the freezer; and he can just take one out and nuke it for about 45 seconds to have with his coffee.

ANYWAYS, this is getting pretty long and it is already past my usual bedtime, so that's enuff gabbing for tonight. Take good care; so nice to hear from you all ... your friend, ROSEBUD