Well, since it is technically the beginning of winter on December 21st, and we have lots of ***** on the ground with below freezing temps -- I guess we should start a new WINTER thread here ...


And, it's a nice time to start it -- just a few days before CHRISTMAS too! We put up some decorations today, including my Christmas Clock (a nice gift from our nephew). DH picked up some last minute gifts and I added a few finishing touches to the tree (which he decorated).

Our dinner is all planned: an untraditional one of "eye of the round" roast beef with winter veggies, with pumpkin pie for dessert (as that is DH's favorite). Have a few healthier snacks planned along with some not so bad ones for the guests.

Just have a few more gifts to wrap tomorrow and last minute tidy-ups before the big day. We had an easy dinner tonight: I had chicken wings. Time to go rest up for tomorrow now; maybe do a puzzle or read a bit.

Hope you all are almost ready too. Just in case we don't hear from you before then, have a great weekend and a ...

MERRY, MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!!!

MERRY, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!


Hope all our Canadian friends from coast to coast are having a wonderful celebration ... We had some more ***** fall today, but the temps were mild; which was esp nice for those travelling. A friend gave me a beautiful snowflake necklace as a gift today; very pretty.

I also received a nice snuggles blanket; great for when I want to put my feet up to do a puzzle and some reading. I'll be toasty warm this winter. We had a great time with good friends today; it's always nice to spend this day with others. Had more than enuff food; lots of good leftovers for us to eat for a the next few days (just have to re-heat them). Nice to give the cook a break too.

Have a great week everyone ...

Hi Rosebud. Sounds like your Christmas was wonderful. We received a snuggie blanket for Christmas. I fell asleep on the couch all wrapped up in it last night. I ate way too much but I'll try to do better in the new year.

HI ISABELLA ~ yes, you are correct -- they are called "SNUGGIES". Ya, I ate lots of salty-sugary stuff; but some of it was healthy stuff too. I tried a bit of everything. I made 3 kinds of goodies with lots less sugar & almost no flour in any of them, which really cut the calories in them too (each batch only had 18-24 so there wouldn't be too many left over either). Then, we ate leftovers for lunch (ham) & dinner (roast beef) yesterday, but I am well back on plan today.

I received some nice compliments from all my guests that they could tell that I have lost more weight & inches (esp noticeable on my face & arms); that is a great non-scale victory there too. Makes all the hard work & sacrifice well worth it ...

Glad you are enjoying your celebration time too.

Rosebud, when people notice the weight loss it's great. So many times someone will lose 10 pounds and no one will even notice. So that's wonderful that your guests gave you that great compliment.

Someone told me I looked so much better fat. Grrrrr...what's with that? I told her I wasn't better fat and I had nothing to wear and I was not feeling good at all. I wish people would keep those kinds of thoughts to themselves.

Hey everyone... sorry I haven't been around much. My Granny passed away in mid December so I spent a bit over a week in Saskatchewan with my family there. She passed peacefully, in her sleep and she was 99, she was ready (she told us that several times). She was an amazing woman and we're going to miss her but I think we're mostly ok with it.

Christmas was busy as all get out... enjoying the lull of normalicy before new years I had my own little christmas miracle... I weighed 10 pounds less then I thought I did on Christmas morning... LoL. I hadn't been on a scale in weeks and Saskatchewan is the land of meat, potatoes, gravy and real butter... on EVERYTHING.

Rose - Glad to hear people noticed.. that's so rewarding.

Isabella - They're just used to seeing you that way.. they'll get used to it, your opinion is the one that matters the most.

AHHH, ISABELLA ~ it's likely true that they were just used to seeing you that way, but I understand how you feel. I have a few people making good comments, but there have been more not so nice ones -- like, "Sooo ... what are you gonna do about all that loose skin?" Daaah!

I'm not where I want & need to be yet. When you lose a lot of weight like I have, there are some side-effects. Before, I was insulted for being so fat; now, I'm being insulted becuz of too much loose skin. I feel like we are dammed if we do, and dammed if we don't.

I haven't even told you the worst things some have said; and I'm shocked sometimes by some people's endless nerve. They should just mind their own business!!! I've worked so hard over the last few years. I used to cry all the time about my weight; now, they are making me feel bad all over again. I see people staring at my loose skin; but what can I do, or say? I can't make it go away, like poof! And of course, they are all bringing up surgery! Here we go again ...

I wish they would keep their opinions to themselves too. Do they think I can't see? I wasn't blind before, and I'm not blind now. To me, they should be happy for my success. Like you, I feel so much better now; I'm much healthier -- and I know I will feel even better with some more lbs & inches off yet ... so, on I go!

Oooops ... sorry for the rant, but this is so annoying! OK, I'm ... But maybe it's good that I got that off my chest -- phew! Now, I can move on with peace again ...


HI AUNTY ~ CONGRATS on that great Christmas surprise: down 10 lbs ... whoohoo!!! I'm so glad for you and my NSV's too! Sorry about your granny's passing, but she's at peace now ... Oh, and you're right: people will just have to get used to the new me, and I will have to try to find some better camouflage techniques, I guess ...

Have a great weekend fellow Canucks; and keep warm ...

HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE


Hope you all have a nice evening rushing in a new year -- any resolutions for 2012? I have a few: continue on my good health journey. I want to see more inches & lbs gone this year. Still tweakin' and workin' it ...

What a difference a day makes; it was nice and mild today @ only -4 C, so we went up town shopping for groceries and paid one bill. Boy, was it busy up there -- some people were getting ready for a few parties.

Have a good one, eh ...



....... .......

Rosebud and Aunty, yes, it's because they were used to me this way. But I do get some of the other seemingly mean comments from time to time. I think some people just don't think.

I was sick over the New Year celebrations but feeling much better so I'll send you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR'S hug.

I'm having trouble getting hyped up about losing the weight this time around. It may be because I can't get out and walk and jog like I did before. My feet just won't allow it right now. I'm using my exercise bike which is not as interesting as walking outside.

The weather is up and down here, too. We had a snowfall for Christmas which stayed most of the week and then we had another snowfall January 1. Last night it poured rain and today it froze again at about -1 or 0 C. I don't know what to put on when I go out.

I have made only 1 resolution for the New Year and it has nothing to do with fitness or health. I think I know I should be doing that anyway. I've resolved to learn how to sing 25 new hymns from my church hymnal. There are so many I don't know. I have them picked out and a timeline for learning so we'll see how that goes.

Keep well and warm.

ISABELLA ~ glad that you are feeling better. That's an interesting challenge: to learn more hymns. I have a nice big hymnal I bought; and I just love singing my favorite songs from it now & then. I've been trying to learn new ones as I go along.

Someone said that resolutions too often have a negative slant, and that making new goals is a better idea -- so that is what I am doing this year too ...

I had to go put dinner on & that's all over now, but I wanted to add that you can still do stuff indoors; and just continue on your plan as you have been doing. It isn't about perfection, but perseverance, and the long-term.

Maybe you could pick up a second-hand treadmill, if you like to walk & run ... have you ever tried one out? I would try one out first; as I bought one and found it too difficult for me. Thankfully, someone else owns it now that can and is using it; a nice, family man who wanted one badly.

Hey ladies... I was sick over new years too but it was self induced I won't go into detail

Isabella - That's a lot of hymns! Very ambitious You go girl - LoL.

Rosebud - Are you guys getting that storm thats supposed to be going through? Sounds nasty.. we had rain here yesterday!

I made a resolution years ago that I would never make another resolution so a goal sounds good. Before my Granny passed I told her that I was going to run a half marathon... I better get on that!

HI AUNTY ~ no, we didn't get any storm yet; must have missed us -- although we did get some ***** during the night. It has been milder today (around -7 C); and we had some more light ***** during the day, which has stopped now. We have big sliding doors in the front of our house, and it looked like feathers floating gently through the air -- very pretty really.

Just stayed home and did light housechores today & laundry, etc. ... the usual boring stuff. DH is watching DUKES OF HAZZARD re-runs; and resting from the snow-pushing.

Think I'll do some reading until dinner-time; keep warm ...

Aunty, I must have missed that your grandmother died in December. So sorry for your loss. I know you and your family will miss her. When my grandmother died (many years ago) it felt as if the bottom fell out of the family.

The sun is pouring in my back patio doors and sitting here with the wood furnace keeping everything hot it seems as if it is a summer day--until I look out the window, lol. We've had serious snow down since New Year's Day and have had several snowfalls since so I don't expect we'll see the end of this for a long time yet. It's about -3 this afternoon.

This week has been good so far. I feel as if I'm right on track with eating and exercise. I know it's only Monday but Saturday and Sunday were good, too.

HI LADIES ~ we have really mild temps today (around 0 C); and with that comes some more of this: *****, of course. The temps have been going up & down a bit; but we are lovin' the milder days. DH would probably say he likes that without the snow though, but then it wouldn't look like winter out there, would it?



ISABELLA ~ Both our wonderful grammies are gone to heaven (for some time now). We miss them a lot, of course. I was very close to my maternal grandmother (who was wise & kind & generous & loving) from the time I was a baby, but I look like my paternal gram & her mother too ... BUT, when our mother passed away, it felt like someone had knocked out the support beams that held up the house (or like the lead goose was picked off & the flock was left scrambling). The kids (and their spouses) seemed to splat all over the place -- it was tres weird. She was like a matriarch of the family -- she was strong & smart & talented; and when she died, the dynamics of the family changed drastically. So, I definitely know how you feel. My Father tried to step in & help as best he could. Over time, the kids have healed and moved on. It took a while (with some collateral damage along the way); but hopefully, they are all much stronger now.


My eating & exercise are going well this month too. The changes I made to our Christmas plans really helped a lot this year. I enjoyed the day; and there was very little leftover but good healthy stuff mostly. I tried a bit of everything; and DH & the birdies gleamed up the rest.

Have a great week & keep warm out there ...

This is coming on tonight, January 12 on CBC TV. The Nature of Things will be airing the program "Programmed to Be Fat." Might prove very interesting. If you miss it you might be able to watch online at CBC.

http://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/epi...to-be-fat.html