Canadian Winter Thread!!!
 

Hahah... I started the winter thread! This can go either for the winter or just for Dec, whichever you guys like.

So... how's the Christmas shopping going?

Btw Cinm... I LOVE your puppies! I want them ALL.

Ok... here's the last few posts from the other thread....

Justwant2Bhealthy
Rosebud




Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 4,301

S/C/G: 30/22ish/18





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Ms. Green ~ glad you found us Canadians over here ... come back and tell us more about yourself; just chat away ...


Monday was a long day for me; didn't get home til 4:30 pm. They found 2 polyps which they removed right away, so I had to stay on liquids for another 26 hours so they could heal up (as one was a big larger than the other). Was sure hungry by Tueday night. I ate pretty good for the rest of the week, but a few too many nuts tonight. Will try to learn something from this and do better in the future ...

We got dumped with ***** too the last 2 days; with lots of blowing winds too, but now we feel nice and cozy warm. The snow acts like a nice cocoon around the building and DH piles it up high. I did the front porch myself the last 2 days; good exercise and fresh air.

We got our Nativity Creche up and our candle lights; but I have to put something in my Snowman as the winds knock him over. I'm thinking of birdseed, which I'll feed to the birdiers after Christmas ... Well, we can't get sand around here right now; it's buried by snow ...

Hope all our Canadians friends have a wonderful weekend ... Rosebud
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Yesterday, 10:10 AM #55
Aunty Jam
Gotta run!




Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Alberta, Canada
Posts: 413

S/C/G: 185/*ticker*/135

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Hi Ms. Green glad ya found us.

Seems Canada is quiet lately!

Rosebud - Hope you've healed up and are feeling better!

Cinm - I wish I could have a snow day!

JJ - I am so glad you weren't a back yard breeder... I have a really hard time holding my tongue when I meet those people... ggggrrrrrrrrr! I love my mutts and I wouldn't trade them for anything... but I hate those people who are intentionally breeding those "designer" dogs... labradoodles, that's not a breed! That's a lab/poodle cross! And people who charge hundreds for mutts? Have they been to a shelter lately??? (Sorry.... I get a little carried away)

Jojo - Well, I weighed myself... :sigh: 148, I'm up 3 pounds from where I've been sitting for months. I'm disgusted with myself, 145 isn't my goal weight... why was I letting myself sit there??? And now I've gained? ACK! I didn't get sick but I did stay indoors as much as possible. It's finally warmed up here to -8 today but it's really windy.
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THE LAST 15 POUNDS GONE BY CHRISTMAS - Start Oct 5/10

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Yesterday, 10:41 PM #56
Jojo381972
We Can Do This!




Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Posts: 420

S/C/G: 238/220/146

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Welcome green5! How's the weather in Newfoundland.

snowboundchick, good to hear you are mentally doing better.

JJCanada, I'm so happy to hear you didn't have to pay! How was it this week?

Cinm, how is the new shred video going? 2 snow days already. That's crazy! We had a dusting of snow thus far, and it didn't stay on the ground. I'm not too upset that we haven't got much yet. It rained today instead.

Rosebud, I hope you are feeling better from your surgery. I can't believe you also got so much snow as well. Good to hear you got to shovel some of that white stuff. Maybe you can make a snowman soon.

Aunty Jam.. don't be so hard on yourself, hun. I know it is frustrating, but just keep at it. I think it is harder when you have less to lose. I've heard that you lose at a slower rate. I'd love to be at your weight right now.

---
I've been working out alot at the gym, and last Sunday I ate too much at my parents. I then have ate out both yesterday and today. I feel like I've gained weight, and I'm worried about getting on the scale in a few days. I have to get back into my groove. I hate eating out cause I get off track at times. Old habits die hard. I hope everyone has a great week!
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Today, 09:53 AM #57
Aunty Jam
Gotta run!




Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Alberta, Canada
Posts: 413

S/C/G: 185/*ticker*/135

Height: 5'5




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Aw Jojo thanks... you're sweet. I think a part of me needs to be disgusted with myself... I've let myself stall, indulge in junk and be lazy. I need my arse kicked I think.

Hubby got a job offer in Texas... wouldn't that be a hoot! He had to turn them down, we just can't go.

Hey... we need a December thread!!! Wow this November one is short!
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Now keep going! :D

hello fellow canucks,

Hope you are all doing well. Winter is on it's way...brrrr!

Hey JOJO, once again I didn't have to pay. I was only down .2 lbs but it was still a loss. I heard the pot is at about $350...I had better get to trying harder. Cuz I know I can do it!!

Oh I hear ya, Aunty Jam!! I think right along the same lines you do about back yard breeders. I've even met a few who didn't care at all that their girls were whelping entire litters of blind puppies. I was furious to say the least!!!

Cinm...let me know how the shred is going. i was planning to get it as well but I cheaped out that day and haven't looked since.

Welcome to green5!!

Hope Rosebud is recovering nicely:hug:

JJ - It's people like that I want to beat with a large stick... ggggrrrr!

I have some goodish news... weighed myself this morning and I'm back to 145. Yay :) So now I can concentrate on moving forward.

Wow.. it's slow! Everyone else in Canada must be frozen! Here's a funny to get you laughing and maybe thawed out a bit.

WINTER Poem


It's winter in Canada
And the gentle breezes blow
Seventy k an hour
At thirty-five below.


Oh, how I love Canada
When the snow's up to your butt
You take a breath of winter
And your nose gets frozen shut.


Yes, the weather here is wonderful
So I guess I'll hang around
I could never leave Canada
Cuz I'm frozen to the ground!

Have a great day...

Hi All! Hope you are all well!!
I'm sort of at a point where I need a plan because I don't have a plan and I can't get anywhere without a plan. So I'm going to be working on that over the next week.
Sorry we've just gotten over the chicken pox, colds, flu like symptoms and I'm trying to finish off a quilt for Mickey who turns 6 on Tuesday but his party is Sunday.

THANKS AUNTY ~ for starting up a Winter Thread for us; you read my mind! I was just thinking last night that I'd better get in here and start a winter thread and was wondering if you all thought winter was here or not? I know for us it sure it but some people don't have any snow yet down south ... anyways, you started it for us and that's great!

BTW, I LOVE THAT POEM -- it is sooo very Canadian indeed ... and funny too! :lol:

Yes, thanks everyone, I am recovered from my surgery; back to eating solids and feeling good again. I can't recall if I told you here that my best PC got a bad virus and crashed on me, so I am now using my old one which is very slow. It takes about 30 minutes to do each post; after reading that is ... :dizzy:

I have to pick my times well; and do my emails which take a whole night as well. We have been busy too; doing some more Christmas shopping this week so I can get my gifts out in the mail and have to work on my cards as well to get them out this week.

We had :rain: one night last week and that ruined my MARY & JOSEPH in my nativity scene, so DH picked up a piece of plywood and his friend cut them out for me; and it took me an entire day to draw them then color them in. Got finished at 12:30 AM the other night and boy was my arm and shoulder throbbing from all that but they turned out even better than the first time. I will takes some pics this week too ...

I got the last of my candy cane lights up this afternoon so our outdoor display is totally finished now and it looks great with our snowman out there too. Yes, we do have more than enuff snow and some people have built as many as 3 snowmen, but ours is actually made of plastic and has a light inside of him ... I picked him up for $1.00 at our local second-hand shop; gee, I love that place ... ;)

Sorry, it has been so slow for us but it is winter and nearing Christmas which is a very busy time for us Canadians. We are having friends over again this year and I picked up some meat pies and Scotch shortbread today; plus a few goodies that I found so far. All our gifts for others are bought now. I have to find a few things for DH; all the things he suggests are huge or way too expensive so I'll just make my own list ... :lol:

Hope you all are having a wonderful weekend ... Rosebud :flow2:

You are very welcome Rosebud ;) It was the least I could do....

I haven't had the greatest start to the week.. :( I didn't get my long run in yesterday because when I got downstairs to the treadmill my husband reminded me that he asked me to help him clean the basement so I ended up doing that instead :( I can honestly say I really don't give a flying fruit about the basement! He's the one who wanted to have a New Years party, he can clean it!!! Then this morning I just ached all over, I've run out of some meds and thought I'd be ok without them... guess not! I'll also be working over time this week and maybe next... I'm not sure how I'm going to have time for Christmas shopping let alone working out!

I'm headed to Saskatchewan either the week before or the week after Christmas... we're selling Granny's house since she's moved into the home. It's going to be depressing going through the place and throwing stuff away, I'll probably want to keep everything. What an amazing woman my Granny is... she was 98 and still in her own house. Partly because it took us quite a while to convince her she shouldn't be! LoL

Snowbound ~I think the ones that succeed most have a plan, although planning can be work, and who likes work? lol :)

I always think of this saying .. "If you don't have a plan, plan to fail".

Very true, but not always easy.

Here's to plans :)

:wave: HOWDY 2 ALL OUR FELLOW CANUCKS OUT THERE ~ are you all buried in ***** like we are up here? We have had a continuous snow-blowing windstorm for the last few days; just enuff snow to bank up the house though and the rest blew over to the empty lot across the road ... ;)

WOW, AUNTY ~ 98 years young and still in her own home; that is awesome! She must be something else indeed. Hope your trip is OK and not too sad; maybe keep some momentos to bring home with you. How about a picture collage; they are nice too. DH just did some pics up of his grandparents recently ...

:tree: BTW, I suggested that Mr. Rockerfeller make up a new Christmas list; and he is thinking about it as we speak ... :lol:

We had a bit of :sunny: today, and they expect some more for tomorrow, so that would be a good day for this week's groceries, I think. I shovelled some of that snow off our front deck today; doing that for extra exercise. Ate well today; better than yesterday -- am going for an average here ... ;)

Our laneway is a sheet of ice, so we have to pick up some Rock Salt or something; the ice pellet stuff we picked up last week just isn't working here. Maybe it is too cold as the temps have dropped lately too; it feels very cold here now ... :brr:

DONNA ~ hope you find a plan you like; anything special you are looking for?

:wreath: Hope you all are having a good week out there; keep warm, eh .... Rosebud :candy:

Good morning fellow Canucks!

I've been away for a few months, but am back and back on plan.

I gained about 5lbs and then lost it again and now am finally in the 160's! I've had my goal date revised to April 6 as I sat in a holding pattern for almost two months!

I went to Mexico for the first time...had an incredible time and will be going back annually if possible!

I had an almost full back tattoo (60lbs down reward) done almost three weeks ago...love it and can't wait for more.

I promise to start coming back more regulary as I find that this forum helps me stay on track and also gives me some great inspiration!

Cheers,
Tamara

^Welcome Tamara! Great to hear you are getting back on track. :welcome2:

Aunty Jam, I love that poem! Soo funny and true. :D
Your nanny sounds like an amazing woman. I was very close to my nanny as well. Best of luck in Saskatchewan and getting in your workouts. :hug:

Rosebud, I can't believe all the snow that you got! Wow! We didn't get a lot, but at least there is snow on the ground which makes it a white Christmas. It has been very cooold here lately. I'm having a hard time adjusting to it. :dizzy:
Good to hear you are recovering well from the surgery.

Snowbound, I hope you find a plan that works for you and the family.

JJCanada, how was your weigh in this week?
--
I'm getting used to the new WW program, and trying to adjust accordingly and hope to lose more weight this week. I'm slowly losing half to one pound over the last few weeks, and it is a bit frustrating. I need to start tweaking my diet and writing everything down again. Hope you all have a great weekend! Keep warm! ;)

Oh JoJo...my weigh in this week was terrible. Anything I'd lost was back plus .2lbs. It is TOM so I'm hoping that's it. But I also do know that I have not been very good lately, so what can I expect!
Next week is the final weigh in and I'll not be getting the pot. I know that for sure. Another girl has lost 10 lbs and I'd never catch up to that.
I can only blame myself for this, since only I have the control here. Control??? What's that???
Welcome Tamara. You've come a long way already! Keep up the good work!
We had a bunch of snow here, but not like our London neighbours...they were snowed in!!

Hi girls - I am still here. I kinda disappeared for a couple of weeks but I am back. Work hasn't been great lately so when I get home at night I basically just crash.

Just trying maintain until January. Then figure what plan I want to be on and just do it.

I finally have most of my shopping done I think. There's not that many I have to get for so that helps. Xmas is a hard time of the year for me the last few years so I will be glad when its all done. Xmas isn't all that fun when you spend it alone. I make the best of it or at least try to. I'll have the dog with me this year so at least something else will be in the house with me that is breathing LOL

We had a cold snap down here last week but now tomorrow back up to +11 and tons of rain starting sometime tonight. Just enough to make tomorrow miserable. Hopefully people will stay home and I won't have to go outside in the mess.

I am still doing the TOPS thing which is helping at least keep me from gaining. We have our Xmas potluck this week and gift swap so that should be fun.

Hope everyone had a good weekend. Time to gear up for Monday again...

Alannah

:wreath: HAPPY SNOW DAY ... to all those who are in the same ***** path that we are; yes, the snow squalls have returned with winds much more fierce than last week. The snow is now banked up to our windows in the front ... LOL! (I should take pics) We are keepin' warm though. I have a confession to make -- I actually prayed for snow ... hehe ... :rofl: ... no snowballs please!

:welcome: BACK, TAMARA ~ good for you getting back on track and realizing what a fab tool this site is; I really find it helps to keep me on my toes too. I don't worry if I do well for 90% of the time; it all averages out for me over the week. I think persistance and perseverance are more important than perfection in this life journey back to good health; and you are doing great!!!


JJ & ALANNAH ~ same goes for you too; just keep on, keepin' on ... this time of year is hard on lots of people, esp with all the food celebrations and junkies every where you look. Sometimes, I just close my eyes and keep on walkin' ... I pretend the stuff is not there!

ALANNAH ~ you are not really alone; we are here for ya -- we are real, live people and I always try to check in here on the holidays to talk to those who are home at that time. Maintaining is a victory too, you know -- that's as tuff as loosing: just consider this good practice for the future ... :hug:

JOJO ~ hey, a lb is a lb -- take it! Glad that you are settling in with the WW program; that's half the battle sometimes: finding a program that works for you, I mean!

Well, the temps have really dropped here too, and I seem to be having a harder time adjusting to it this year too. Maybe it is my age or maybe it is just a lot colder a lot sooner this year -- that is what DH thinks, and I think he's right on ...

We've had to put the thermostat up a bit this year, but I wanna stay warm. We got our cards and gifts out in the mail over the weekend and today. Glad to get that done. Got DH his big present on Friday and a couple smaller ones too; he is tickled green ... ;) Now, I just have to get stocking stuffers and some last minute munchies for the guests: things like nuts and the like -- am trying to keep things healthier this year.

Hope you all are having a good week despite the weather -- some places still have hardly and snow; and some places are getting dumped on. A friend in North Bay said as of last week, they still had hardly any snow; same with Bolton area. Seems the right side of the province is getting most of it.

:tree: Bundle up good & warm; and have a great week everyone ... Rosebud :candy:

Hey everyone :wave:

Tamara - We need pictures of the back piece... if your uncomfortable with that at least tell us what it is!

Rosebud - I've heard you guys are having horrible weather out there... stay safe! We're having a storm too but the worst of it is a bit more north the we are.

JoJo - I wish I had lost a pound!!!

Would love to stay and chat with everyone but break time is over :( I am SO unmotivated today.

AUNTY JAM ~ hey, you didn't FAIL; you just learned what doesn't work for ya -- that's all ... ;)

Yes, we have had even more ***** this week; sure looks pretty around here and there's lots of work for the SNOW FAIRIES. The best thing is that the temps have warmed up a bit with the snow; this is a lot like the weather we used to get in Southern Ontario when we were kids -- I don't mind that at all. We were in a kind of SNOW BELT AREA north of Guelph; now we live in a place where it's a snow belt area everywhere (in the north) ... :lol:

Got some more shopping done; pretty well ready for Christmas now. Hope you all are too; take good care and have a wonderful weekend ... Rosebud :candy:

Thanks for the good thoughts girls. I'll get through the holiday - I always do!

We are still cleaning up down this way after the big storm last monday. NB flooded pretty badly. I was ok as I live at the top of a big hill but I have friends who were evacuated and have several who have lost vehicles and such cause they were literally driving along and then boom the road disappeared and their car was filling with water and would float dowwnstream somewhere. There are still over 70 roads down here that are gone. And now I believe we have a snowstorm coming in the next couple of days too so these people will have even more to deal with. Places flooded that were not on a flood plain too. The devastation is amazing.


We had our TOPS Xmas party/potluck this past wedensday and that was fun.

Today I might go visit a friend and also get my wrapping done. Shopping is done other than a few groceries and thats mostly the basics like bread and milk. Nothing fancy.

Hope you all are having a good weekend and try not to stress too much this week!

Alannah

Haha... Thanks Rosebud. But it sure feels like a fail :( I also discovered a 10 pound weight on my scale only weighs 7 pounds. How wonderful.

^Keep your chin up. Tomorrow is a new day!

Hey Canadian Ladies!

I hope you all are looking forward to Christmas. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2011. I am very proud to be a Canadian, and very appreciative to be in Canada this year during the holidays. Here's to another great year of weight loss and getting healthier, one day at a time.

:hohoho::newyear:

http://img.amazon.ca/images/I/51F63C...500_AA300_.jpg

:wreath: MERRY CHRISTMAS to all our fellow CANADIANS!:wreath:


Seems that we weren't the only ones who have been busy this past week; I did get to come in for a few minutes to read one night only. I hope you all had a wonderful celebration whether with family or friends. We had some good old friends over this year again and we had a marvellous time ...

I did a lot of the preparation ahead and I'm glad I did; I still felt a bit sore by late Christmas Day and Boxing Day so I just stayed home that day to recupe. I'm just not up to three celebrations in a row, I guess. ;)

On Boxing Day, I called up the family to chat when I figured their celebrations would be coming to a close too. We have had many good blessings this year and we are very grateful too.

Now on the food front ~ I did have some treats -- trying to have only small amounts at a time as my snacks, but keeping to my meal routines pretty well. I'm glad that they are becoming so engrained in my daily life. I sent a lot of the goodies we received (like boxes of chocolates, mints, etc) to my SIL's Boxing Day Christmas party -- I made up two spreads: one of smoked mini-sausages, 4 kinds of cheeses, and olives; on the other, an assortment of all kinds of chocolate goodies, cookies, and candies. Phew ... glad to get rid of most of that to those who can eat them and not be concerned.

DH kept the few cookies that were left over and his own munchies which he can eat by himself (he is very thin and active). I froze the leftover turkey and stuffing to make some healthy stews/soups down the road. We had only a light sprinkling of snow here and there; and some lovely warmer temps -- which was really nice for our guests to travel. The :sunny: was out for a little while this AM and later in the day for a few minutes only.

:tree: Have a great holiday in-between-week and get lots of rest (for those who can and don't have to work, that is) ... Rosebud :candy:

Hello fellow Canadians. Just thought I would pop in and update you all as to what I have been up to. I started a new job Dec.1. Still not sure if it is a "keeper", but it's a job for now at least. We also went on vacation in Hawaii for a week, which was heavenly. Wish I was back there now.

I started Weight Watchers On-line yesterday, so I am trying to get back in weight loss mode. I only lost 6 pounds in 2010, which I guess is better than gaining. Guess I was practising maintenance! lol!

Hope everyone is doing well and recovering from the busy Christmas season.

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all our fellow Canadians ...


How do you all celebrate New Years? Or do you? DH and are just staying home and we have our lights on; had some nice music on. Our neighbor bought a bottle of wine for him & his wife -- we have some here too, not sure if we'll dip into it or not??? DH is watching comedy movies right now -- until the big hour comes ... (Crocodile Dundee; which he watches over and over cuz he loves it so much);)


I had a blue menu burger for dinner with a salad; trying to eat even better this week. I am having a few nuts as my snack for tonight. We got rid of most of the leftovers; just a few crackers left and the rest DH can eat.

Hope you all had a nice Christmas and are bringing the new year in with peace and joy too ... ttyl ... Rosebud :D

Thanks Jojo, I appreciate the kind words.

Just popped in to say hi, I've been really sick so I haven't been doing much. Hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Years.

HI AUNTY ~ hope you start feeling better real soon; get lots of rest. We had a wee cold; not too bad though, so just took it easy this past weekend. Hope you had a nice holiday though ...

JUDY ~ best wishes with joining WW online; many people here say that they like doing the online better than going to the meeting and it is supposed to be cheaper too. Lucky you -- spending part of your holiday in Hawaii; then you have to come back to the cold. I went to Mexico many moons ago; was over 100F almost every day and then came home to winter temps ... but it was fun!


We had some really warm temps here last week and even had some :rain: for a few days, so that melted a lot of our snow; but that will leave room for the rest of winter's snow now. The temps have gone down now so we have a sheet of ice in our laneway; had to lay down mats on the ice so I could get into our car to go shopping today. It was :sunny: and clear all day which was perfect for shopping.

Hope you all have a wonderful first week of the first month of this new year ... Rosebud :flow2:

Happy New Years Canadian Chicks;
Just wanted to stop by for my six month drop in.... I got very busy with school and was not able to use the internet (too slow) at home so I neglected to check in when I did have a chance.
It would seem my dh is right on board with me now. We take our little vitamin regiment in the morning and he is v.cool with no chips in the house. I think it was a result of the need for a liver cleanse after the holidays! lol Too many glasses of wine and baileys and coffee!
Our holidays were SO relaxing. We stayed close to home and put a ban on christmas gifts!! It was excellent. No holiday shopping, no credit card stresses, no poorly thought out gifts and best of all...the time we spent with the family was awesome! We just donated four hams, and eighty pounds of potatoes to the Friendship Inn, and cash to the YWCA.
So my goal for this week is a ban on alcohol and more water. If the spirit moves me, I will go for a cross country ski.

Happy New Year's everyone!!

GEAT- what a great idea!! I love the idea, I think I might have to do that next year!

We had a pretty uneventful Christmas, I worked right up until Christmas Eve and then my oldest son got strep throat (my middle boy had is prior and his swab came back positive) so we were under quarantine for 3 days, so all that stress of rushing around and getting brunch and dinner read for my family just evaporated! It was quite wonderful but we missed the family.

Eating wasn't too bad but I still gained but I'm also back on a exercise routine and I'm going to calorie count. i'm just taking it one day at a time!

Donna - Hope your kids are feeling better soon, and we are on the same boat... taking it a day at a time. It's really a good one to be aboard.
Rosebud - I am jealous of the warm weather you are having. I can't remember a colder winter in Sk. But again, I say that most winters. We are out of the deep freeze for now. fingers crossed.
AuntyJam - feel better!!

I am going into town today armed with gym stuff and my xc skis just incase. I have my first class of the semester tonight and am v.excited about it. It's the last class of my degree and then I just have the thesis to write....woot. I think I am going to get my arse in gear this semester b/c I'll never get another leave from the school board so I've got the make the absolute best of it fitness wise. So off I go chickies- everybody have a wonderful day.

Gosh we had 7 inches of snow in the last 24 hours. Crazy stuff!

:wave: Nice to see more of our friends coming back now that the celebrations are over ... we had lovely :sunny: again today, although the temps have dropped a bit and we had a light sprinkle of ***** the last 2 days. We needed it to cover that ice though ...

DONNA ~ Hope your kiddies get well soon; that's no fun over Christmas holidays ...

TAM ~ we gave more to charity and others this year too; bought less for ourselves as well: no debt for us either ... :D

Went shopping Mon & Tuesday; stayed home today and did housecleaning and stuff around here. Just relaxing tonight; made a banana loaf for DH snack this week: had some ripe bananas to use up. Ate well today; think I'm back on track now.

Hope you all have a nice week ... Rosebud :flow2:

Good morning Canadian Chicks!
As soon as I finished writing my post yesterday about bringing my skis to the city- a colleague up at the uni posted on their facebook: Anyone want to xc ski today? So I took the opportunity and went for a ski. It was perfect! Had a delicious coffee afterward and I'm excited for my next ski. Maybe today.
Donna - 7 inches of snow?? My word that's a dump of winter!
Rosebud - I love love love banana loaf. De-lish. All my bananas seem to get eaten before I can bake with them. Apples on the other hand seem to get left on the counter.
Have a wonderful thursday chicks!
Tam

Snowed in! We are getting someone to come and dig us out tomorrow. Until then I guess my husband and I only have a bottle of wine and each other! Well we have more than that but those are the important things tonight.
Like a fool I tried to shovel some of the road today by hand and immediately after I went inside the snow blew back in. I can only guess what I must have looked like. Most people out here on farms have quads or tractors to clear their roads. I had my little broken snow shovel and was talking happily away to the horses as I shovelled. It was a fruitless effort but a bit of a workout I guess.
Anyways I hope everyone is doing all right and having better weather than the prairies! I also fervently hope that I haven't cleared the Canadian room with my presence. (Like so many parties...) lol

Yup, we have had 35 centimetres...I got stuck on my way back from shopping and some kind peeps pushed me out!

Yep, thatsa lotta ******* ... we had a storm like that in December -- it snowed for a few days in a row and by the time it was done, we had snow drifts up to the bottom of our windows; then it moved down south and my SM sent up some pics from their area (Wasaga Beach) and the snow was up to the windows of bungalows there too ... :lol:

TAM ~ not2worry girl, we don't get spooked that easily -- we're tuff 'ole Canadians here, after all ... ;) If we can brave all this cold, we can brave most anything, I think! :D I can recall DH and I doing the same thing -- how were we supposed to know that it was going to snow for a whole week?

TEA2 ~ I hope that system isn't coming our way; you can keep it out there, thanks ... :^:


I put on a nice plump chicken for dinner tonight with loads of veggies: onions, carrots, celery, turnip, green beans, broccoli, yams, and small new potatoes. My, it smells nice in here -- can't wait ... Just having a quiet weekend at home as the temps have dropped here; down to -17C this AM but with some lovely :sunny: it came up quite a bit for awhile. Now that the sun has gone to sleep, it is getting chilly :brr: in here again.

Hope all our fellow Canucks have a great week coming up; keep warm Chickies ... Rosebud :flow2:

Sounds like we've been having the same weather! We had 28cm over a day and a half (just 1.3cm short of a record), it's stopped for now but starting tomorrow we're supposed to get another 15cm :( My car is dead so I've been driving hubby's 4x4 truck thank goodness! It's lifted up a few inches so we have good clearence but the tires are a bit sucky. We haven't gotten stuck yet, cross your fingers. My husband loves it... literally he says "Oh look! A snow pile!" then he'll drive right into/over it. Hah... boys and their toys.

Hope you guys are keeping safe.

I tell ya girls, I'm having one heck of a time getting on track and setting a routine and menu plan. The kids have been sick pretty much non stop, not hard I guess when I have 3, sometimes 4 in the house. First the chicken pox went through and then strep throat and now the doc seems to think it's mono. My oldest has had it the worst, with fevers, sore throat, neck and swollen lumpynodes, he's also got a funny voice. My middle boys just has cold symptoms with the funny voice.

There's no school today, luckily my brother could watch the two oldest today with his two and my little went to daycare.

Sorry to hear everyone's been so sick Donna! That stinks! I really hope they get better fast.

I'm still not back on track but theres a new X-Weighted challange starting on the 15th. I did it last year and it was excellent so I plan to do it again this year :) If anyone wants to join me google X-Weighted and find the official site... it's a Canada wide challange that is completely done online. Theres great prize incentives, lots of knowledge and online support. I've signed up to be a mentor this year since I successfully completed the challange last year and met my goal weight. Bit nervous about that but I'll just do the best I can.

DONNA ~ oh dear, that's terrible -- am sending up some prayers for your kiddies again; they sure need 'em ... hope those docs are helping them out with some good meds too! :hug:

What kind of plan are you looking for? Something easy and simple? Portion plans are pretty simple -- you just eat a healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus some small healthy snacks in between; no calorie or carb counting.

The main thing to focus on is portion sizes of healthy whole foods and some quick snacks, which are so easy as most stuff today have the portion sizes mentioned on the packages. Many good snacks already come in portion sizes like Jello SF puddings, jello, fruit cups, yogurts, and fiber bars, etc. The Portion Plan is one of the easiest plans I know of and it fits right in with a family situation too.

*THE NO-DIET DIET * ~ here's a synopsis of the simple Portion Plan ...

You just take your favorite meals and make them as healthy as possible. For example, have a bowl (1 cup) of any whole grain cereal or porridge FOR BREAKFAST with a coffee, if desired. If hungry, you can also have a slice of toast too (but I just have the 1 cup cereal). Once or twice a week (ie weekends) you can have an alternate breakfast of choice like an omelette & toast; OR a medium wg bagel & PB, if you like.

FOR LUNCH, you can have any lean meat sandwich & soup OR sandwich & a salad (ie tuna, salmon, chicken, turkey, lean beef, ham, etc.) Plus a drink like tea, water, or 50/50 juice as mentioned below.

FOR DINNER ~ you have any favorite full meal ie baked lean poultry or beef, OR fish, etc with veggies and/or salad, small tators and/or yams OR brown rice; other dinners you can have like Spagetti and meatballs, Stew, Chili, etc. On Friday nights we have whatever we like for dinner like pizza & salad or a lean hamburger & salad. Whole Grain Pasta, Brown Rice, Potatoes, and beans have up to 1 cup cooked serving; same for porridge (large flaked oatmeal or natural cream of wheat, etc) or whole grain cereal too.

FOR SNACKS ~ Fruit for your morning snack ie a banana, orange, or berries, etc. You can have a snack in the afternoon and evening too: like fresh or baked fruit, yogurt, snack pudding or jello, cheddar cheese & 4 wg soda crackers, etc. Most desserts or snacks should be 1/2 cup each or a serving size.

FOR BEVERAGES ~ water, tea, coffee, diluted juices like pure cranberry juice once a day: 50/50, or milk (skim, 1%, or 2%), or diet sodas. You can have a drink with each snack and meal; and try to have some water in between that (1/2 to 1 cup).


AUNTY ~ that sounds interesting; I will take a looksee ... ;) Can't really blame your DH -- the guys up here just love the snow too. They can't wait to get their snowmobiles out as soon as some falls. The north calls to all those who love the outdoors: hunting, fishing (including ice-fishing), ATV-ing, cross-country skiing, and ski-dooing, etc.

The temps have dropped here a bit; we had :sunny: for a few days in a row -- that was nice. Today, we had some more ***** but I don't mind as so much of it melted a while back and it really helps to keep us warm up here. I can hear the winds howling through the furnace vents right now.

Have a great week, fellow CANUCKS ... Rosebud :flow2:

:wave: Boy, it's quiet here this week; hope you all are feeling better. I made some nice homemade chicken soup this week for our lunches and that really helped us to feel better. One of the secrets of Gramma's homemade chicken soup is putting a dash or two of CAYENNE PEPPER in it: now, just a few dashes per pot. That is the SECRET INGREDIENT in chicken soup that helps to clear up conjestion in the head and chest. When I roast a chicken, I save some of the broth for soup; and add in some of the roasted veggies and maybe some brown rice and/or pot barley too. Onions are another ingredient that also help to clear conjestion (got that from my Gramma). I make this soup a lot in the winter time.

Our temps have dropped down the almost -20 C tonight :brr: ; and we have a strong northern wind. They are predicting colder temps next week; hope it doesn't get too low. Best that we all bundle up and maybe even stay indoors during these cold spells as much as possible.

Have a restful Sunday, eh ... Rosebud :flow2:

We're sitting at -46C right now. I'm on the mend but I'm still having horrible neck pain and I'm not sure what it is because I've been having the neck pain about a week before the strep throat started.. I really need to start exercising again, maybe that will help.

I'm trying to get my husband to exercise more too as he's keeps hurting himself and I'm worried, he is 15 years older than I am so that makes a huge difference.

DONNA ~ oh my, that is super cold ... what brave souls you are all way up there. We got down to -25+C last night, but had lovely :sunny: all day today and that warmed us up nicely. They are predicting the -30's C this coming week, but I hope they aren't right or that it won't last long.

Sounds like the whole family could use some prayers for healing and strength right now; I bet that's so hard to take care of a sick family and home, and work on top of that. You must be another Canadian SUPERWOMAN; we seem to breed them in Canada. I wish parents didn't have to work so hard today, so that they could stay home to look after their families when they are young and sick. That was so nice of your brother to offer to look after the two older sick boys for you. Hope they are feeling better real soon.

We had Prime Rib Beef Roast with loads of roasted veggies, small new potatoes, and yams tonight for dinner. It was really nice for a cold, winter night; and have lots leftover for tomorrow and some for a soup as well.

We just stayed home today to keep warm indoors. I am supposed to go to the dentist tomorrow AM just to get my teeth cleaned but I wish they wouldn't make my appts between January-March; guess I am gonna have to remind them again ... :rolleyes:

We heard the south got some more ***** over the weekend. Hope all our Canucks are keeping toasty warm; and that you have a good week ... Rosebud :flow2: