G'day all,

I cannot believe how often we are starting a new thread I think it is great, nice to have lots of interesting posts to read.

It is now 3.30 in the afternoon and I took dh into hospital this morning for his operation some time this afternoon. It is amazing, he is on the same floor as I was though nor quite the same bed!
The nursing staff remembered me (not sure if that was good or bad, I did get a bit cranky ) and marvelled at my recovery.

An overcast day here today, I am listening to Andrea Bocelli, Tuscan Skies, whilst I am posting, what a magnificent voice he has.

Glenda I haven't been wanting to ask how your non-smoking was going, nothing worse than getting nagged about it, I am sure all the ex smokers here can relate to that so pleased you are doing so well and regard yourself as a 'non-smoker' now. I agree it has been the hardest thing I ever did but so pleased I did manage to do it. I had to laugh at you wearing the shirt in enemy country, live dangerously, I say

Maria Yum how good are you!!!!!! Well done making the cookies without eating any.
I am fascinated about your dh going off deer hunting, I thought that only happened in the movies. Probably a stupid question but why does he go deer hunting, is the skin used for anything, do you eat the meat?
I know in the country here, farmers go kangeroo shooting because of the damage they do and also their meat is good to eat, very lean. I think the skin is used to make stuffed toys as souvenirs and the testicles are made into money pouches. Another must have item

Peggy ST you make me feel a bit guilty, I don't do any cooking for Christmas. It must be very hard to resist all the temptations, good for you to have a good loss of 1.5 pounds. Yes I'll be sticking to the fake tans the alternative is not good and of course it can literally be deadly if you have a meleanoma.
DH and I have both had our 'body' photographed at a skin cancer place. You return every year or so and then they compare the moles etc. if any have grown. It is a bit pricey but a good way to keep check.

Peggy your sing a longs sound great. Here in Melbourne they have Carol singing in the Botanic Gardens on Christmas Eve. Many of our singers and choirs participate and it is such an event that it is televised nation wide. I always watch it and hope to be able to attend in person this year. DH is not that keen (and now is not able to anyway) but he knows it is something I would love to do, so I might just go on my own.

slavika Your tree sounds great, is it a horkin big one???

I am off to improve that rating of mine playing canasta, I seem to go up and down a bit , but it is fun.

Cheers all
Maria

Maria I am glad your dh made it through the surgery o.k. When does he come home and your nursing duties start? I hope he is a good patient for you. Oh Slavika now I know that it is Horkin. Well Lucky the dog is a horkin big dog. And he will be truly lucky if that is still his name when he goes home. He is so goofy. I am not used to a dog that can put his head on the kitchen counter and get into the garbage. Yikes!! I tell him he better be good or it is the SPCA for him. Went for a walk in the dark last night and it is so pretty to see all the Christmas decorations and lights. They look so much better at night. Have to run and get ready for my "job". See you all later. At the rate you all are chatting it will probably be another new thread. Have a fun day.

Maria/Yum: Good for you! You made it though the cookies! You should be proud!

Glenda: Dont blame you for counting the days, as its a huge accomplishment to quit smoking. I think I counted days for at least a year. Good for you on the loss! You can do it with out smoking!


PeggyST: Bet you are happy to get all the christmas chores done. I have a little bit of before hand cooking and I will get this done over the weekend and freeze it so I dont have to do to much the weekend before.
Congrats on your loss!

Peggy: Yep sounds like that dog is a Horkin!!!! Sounds like you had a great weekend and got lots of shopping done.

Trudy: Thats a good idea to have one day on the weekends for yourself.
I going to have to try that. Cuz you are right DH can heat up left overs.

Slavika: HORKIN???? I never heard of that before. Actually I like it better! Glad your tree came out ok. Did DH come out from hiding yet?

Ann: SOunds like the concert was a success! What hoiliday do you do in the Spring? Easter?

Maria: SO glad to hear your DH is doing good. How long will he be in the hospital?

Best get busy. Had to much fun laughing at the HORKIN.........

Hi all just wanted to post this it was sent by a friend hope you like it.

If I were ol' Santa, you know what I'd do,
> > I'd dump silly gifts that are given to you.
> > And deliver some things just inside your front door,
> > things you have lost, but treasured before.
> > I'd give you back all your maidenly vigor,
> > And to go along with it, a neat tiny figure.
> > Then restore the old color that once graced your hair
> > before rinses and bleaches took residence there.
> > I'd bring back the shape with which you were gifted,
> > So things now suspended need not be uplifted.
> > I'd draw in your tummy and smooth down your back
> > till you'd be a dream in those tight fitting slacks.
> > I'd remove all your wrinkles and leave only one chin,
> > So you wouldn't spend hours rubbing grease on your skin.
> > You'd never have flashes or queer dizzy spells,
> > And you wouldn't hear noises like ringing of bells.
> > No sore aching feet and no corns on your toes.
> > No searching for spectacles when they're right on your nose
> > Not a shot would you take in your arm, hip or fanny,
> > from a doctor who thinks you're a nervous old granny.
> > You'd never have a headache, so no pills would you take,
> > And no heating pad needed since your muscles won't ache.
> > Yes, if I were Santa you'd never look stupid,
> > You'd be a cute little chick with the romance of a cupid.
> > I'd give a lift to your heart when those wolves start to whistle
> > And the joys of your heart would be light as a thistle.
> > But alas! I'm not Santa, I'm simply just me,
> > The matronliest of matrons you ever did see.
> > I wish I could tell you all the symptoms I've got,
> > But I'm due at my doctor's for an estrogen shot.
> > Even though we've grown older this wish is sincere,
> > Merry Christmas to you all and a Happy New Year!
> >
:lol

Karen

boy he didn't stay in for long! Last night was his operation and 2 hours later he rang me . I couldn't believe it. The operation only took 30 minutes or so.
He wasn't quite so chirpy this morning when I went to pick him up. He has a plaster cast on for 2 weeks and then some other cast affair for another 4 - 6 weeks. Hopefully it can come off for the wedding.

Karen loved your poem, if only...........

Lily don't you go working too hard, it is christmas coming up, you have to save your energy

Peggy your story about the dog is the very reason I had little dogs

Hope you are all well.
Cheers
Maria

Karen I loved your poem. I am going to send it on.

Karen - How true! How true! If I could, I would give everyone these things too. But, you know, life right now is so much fun even with everything sagging and changing all over the place! When I was young (not that everything was in its proper place even then) I was so stressed over EVERYTHING.

Maria - every once in awhile I get a feeling that we have different way of life in some things. When I have had surgeries, usually for the feet, we are out-patients and my husband waits for me and then takes me home. It sounded as if you dropped your husband off. And deer-hunting. This is such a popular sport in this part of the world. I am sure there are many differences, but usually I am just amazed at how similar we are.

Ladies, life is just so sweet when you are doing well on WW and so depressing when I am not. Last year I weighed 15 pounds less but was on my way to eating my head off and gaining it and I WAS SMOKING! Now I am bypassing a bunch of good stuff this Christmas season, still up 20 pounds, but I am not smoking and going the other way. I have always thought it was funny how differently you feel going down at one weight than when you are going up and are at that weight.

Ann - your concert sounds just lovely. I agree--you are the only ones who would know if there were a mistake. The audience just hears the lovely music.
Glenda

Hi Everybody I went to WW yesterday and got weighed in. My weight stayed exactly the same as last week, 153.6#. I sure would like to be back to goal or even a couple of lbs under by the time I leave on holidays in February. I always seem to manage to come home with more "weight" then I left with, and I don't necessarily mean in my luggage. Maria Yum stick with your weight loss program and this time next year you will be looking and feeling just like you want to. I lost about 40# with WW. It never comes off as quickly as we would like, but if we work at it, it does come off. Have you always lived on a farm, or is this something new for you?
Everybody you know I think our threads are "shorter". I was sort of looking at some of the other threads and they also are going to the next "page" after about 15 posts. We used to go about 30 posts. I wonder if this "new system" is designed differently?
Karen I loved the poem, a friend also sent it to me in my e-mail.
Maria how's your patient doing? Is he able to hobble to the bathroom?
Glenda I think it's all about us feeling in control. When we are losing weight we feel more in control than when our weight is going up.
Went to the dentist early this morning and he thinks the implants are ok. I don't have to see him until the end of January. He gave me one of those tooth brushes with just a "few bristles" and I am to brush the tops of the implants with it. I told my husband for someone who hardly has any "natural teeth" in her head I now have three tooth brushes. One for my natural teeth, one for the denture teeth, and one for the implants.
Later in the morning I did my usual shopping/lunch with my friend and had a great day with her. Talk to you all tomorrow. Night

G'day all,

Beautiful day here today. I have just been to the markets for some fruit and veggies. Cherries are the best around Christmas and that is what I am snacking on right now


Glenda You are right I did just drop my dh off because he was staying in overnight or possibly 2 nights. Outpatients is when you do not stay overnight, had that been the case, I probably would have waited for him, I think
I am surprised that deer hunting is a sport, kangaroo shooting here is not a sport, farmers consider it a necessity to keep the numbers down in order for their farming to be viable.
You are right, every now and then there are very big differences in the way we live but mostly it is all very similar.

Slavika What happens if you use the wrong toothbrush for the wrong teeth, sounds all a bit complicated to me but then I am a simple person .
You must be doing well though if you don't need to come back till the end of January.
You are absolutely right about the feeling in control bit, now that I am walking again, I feel so much more positive and in control of this weight loss saga.

The patient is doing well, in fact I feel he is doing too much work. He was on a telephone hook-up for 3 hours this morning and has worked most of the day. I am using his computer and told him to go away, he has now fallen asleep on the lounge Well he will not listen to me but when he wakes up maybe he will agree that he did do too much.

See ya all
Cheers
Maria

Slavika and Maria - I know you are right. You just feel better when you are in control.....so seldom are we in control of anything in our lives. This Christmas thing is such a HARD time to even maintain, let alone lose weight. Like today, we had a breakfast at one department. I am eating with a friend at Eskimo Joe's (have you seen the t-shirts), have an after-work drink-thing with people in my office. My solution is that I skipped the breakfast thing and sent the others so I could cover the office. Will see how the rest of the day goes. I know I can do "okay" if I just don't "open the floodgates." Wish I could be a moderate person, but I don't think I trust myself at all.

Everybody doing okay? I read cookie recipes yesterday, but could not ever in a million years make those cookies without eating them. Congratulations, Maria/Yum! You are my hero.
Glenda

It wasn't too difficult not to eat the cookies. or I say, not as difficult as I thought it would be. After freezing them, they became out of site, so they are out of my mind. I am not a sweets person anyway. It is harder for me to resist cheese and crackers or potato chips.

Hunting here is a sport yes, but it has a serious side too. They have special hunts to reduce the deer population in our State Parks because of deer overcrowding. The deer eat all the vegetation, and then not only do they suffer, but also the other wildlife that inhabits the areas. Also the farmers of course do not want to lose out on crops. While we were in Southern Indiana camping last week, it was nothing to see a herd of 20 in a field eating the corn. I wish it were possible that we did not HAVE to thin the herd, because I do so dislike hunting, but, it is a choice of death by malnutrition, and road kill, or hunting. Something eventually does kill them. The predators that deer have are coyotes. Thats about it around here.

We are getting closer to the big day. I am having Roast Turkey again. THis time I am thinking of cooking it the day before, and slicing it cold. Having sort of a buffet with nice breads and fixins.

Have a good day all

Glenda I am with you. I have been reading cookie recipes too. I know that if I made any of them I would eat at least half of them especially the broken ones. They don't have any calories, right? I really don't expect to lose over the holidays but I sure hope that I don't gain. Slavika how do you keep track of which brush to use for each thing? You need a third hand. Maria how is the patient doing today? Hope he is minding his nurse. I was with my friend last night. She just had your surgery on her other foot. She had the last one done in the summer. She was on crutches and I was hoping that I wouldn't accidently bump it. Iam going to decorate the tree now. See you all later, Peggy. Maria Yum where were you camping?

Hi Everybody
Maria Good, it sounds like your DH is doing ok and that's the main thing. Now the toothbrush thing. It's hard to get them mixed up LOL because the one for the dentures is as hard as a toilet bowl brush and the little one is sooo small that it could only be used for cleaning implants or between braces and stuff like that.
I had my hair cut this morning, a little shorter than usual as I don't want to get it cut again until just before we leave on holidays. When I got home I made 5 dozen blueberry perogies and maybe will try to make 5 dozen more tomorrow morning. At 2:00 was the kids Christmas Concert at their school, that was fun. I'm just going to have a tuna noodle thing for dinner tonight and made a boxed dessert. I think this evening (DH will go to the school concert with our son) I will just park myself in front of the TV and relax a bit. Tomorrow, we have some errands to run. In the evening we are going to a late dinner with DH office staff. Boy sure are a lot of opportunities to eat!!
Have a nice evening everybody.

We were in Friendship Indiana, down close to Madison. My husband belongs to the Muzzleloader Association that has a range and we went there for a few days.

Hi: Well last night we had caroling in the park. Had a group of about 40 people and a whole caravan of golf carts. Also One of our residents has a trailer for a big Harley, so he took off the sides and some people rode on that. We had a great time and gave a little Christmas Spirit to some shut-ins.

Was invitied out for lunch today, and tried to be prudent with my choices. I just want to maintain over the holidays. I can't believe that I will have enought willpower to lose. I get tempted by nuts and chips rather than the sweets.

I've had to bake cookies for the programs here in the park. Found an interesting recipe in the latest Family Circle magazine. It uses a Vanilla Cake mix, and peanut butter and peanuts. Very rich. When it is almost finished baking, then you take it out an sprinkle crushed reeses Peanut butter cups over the top, put back in oven and bake until the candy melts. There wasn't one left after the concert. and we have another program this monday nite. I'm playing the piano for this one. So am baking them again.

Maria: Glad your dh is doing well. But sounds like the typical impatient man wanting to do more than he should. Cherries- Yum.

Finally getting to read a book just for pleasure. I enjoy Elizabeth Peters, Amelia Peabody stories. They mostly take place in Egypt. And always a mystery.

Hi everyone. Karen loved the poem. Talk to you all tomorrow.
Ann