Hey Everyone!

What is everyone doing for the holidays? I'm going to my parent's house. They are surrounded by farms - it's reeeeally relaxing! My 3 sisters will be there (2 live in NY, 1 in Ohio) one with her boyfriend, one with her girlfriend and one with her cat! One of my sisters had surgery on Monday, so she will be in recovery. It's supposed to be a quick recovery though! She had a rod put in her leg about a year ago to help her with her hip problems. It was taken out on Monday. It's pretty cool! She has been dealing with problems with her hip since she was 12, this surgery seems to be the first thing that has worked! So far so good!

What are everyone's holiday traditions? We eat a lot Christmas Eve night (not me this year!!)... then Santa puts our stockings on the ends of our beds in the middle of the night. Then one of my sisters (always the same one) wakes everyone up around 4 in the morning and makes us open our stockings together... tries to convince us to do presents that early :P. Then we open gifts and lounge for a while. Then my mom or I make breakfast for everyone. More eating, playing good stuff! Really exciting, huh? I'm definitly going to try to get my mobile sisters to walk to the neighbors to pet horses!

Red - I figured that I ought to take down the recipes anyway - because although they are low-calorie, they are comparable to regular cookie. Eh :P well I posted them to the recipe area of the site! I figured you didn't really mind... and hey, we wouldn't want this to turn into the Oprah/recipe thread I can't believe they didn't feed you on your trip!! That's nutty! I love the story of how you found Nozomi! That is SO sweet!!

Ha ha Stage! I think THAT'S funny (the whole thing with your hubby). What does tongue and cheek mean?

Beautiful pictures Joy! Thank you for sharing them!! What were you feeding those birds?

Curly - you ROCK!!

CBETA - I always miss you when you haven't written in a bit!! I'm glad to hear that you have such great plans for the holidays!

Apple!! You're almost there!!!

Hello Fish hope this week eases up for you!

Okay, I was just telling my boyfriend about this thread and the challenges. He wants to know if it is ever anyone's challenge to jump up and down?

Talk to you later!!

Ees

Oh Joy! I just looked at some of your other pictures! You take beautiful pictures and I LOVE your gardens!! You are so talented!!

The stuff they feed the birds with is a mixture of honey, water and condensed milk (sweetened variety no doubt) Apparently it is very very sweet. They also get some nuts and seeds later in the feed session, after they have done the tourist bit and let everyone ooooh and aaaah over them. The park has a 'feedometer' which sort of gives the number of birds. Theres 4 categories. Full house - means more birds than the people can cope with, then there is full flock, which means the birds extended family group and flock (immediate family). Now immediate family might mean 1000 or more birds. I can't remember the category that meant the least number of birds. Feel free to download them to your desktop if you wish. Actually that single close up of the bird drinking is better than the one I posted the other day.

No Desserts/Treats Day 8

No Chocolate Day 20- Doing the I can make it one more day happy dance.

For Christmas we will be going to my Aunt's Christmas Eve morning, to celebrate with my extended family. Food, drink(coffee!) opening a few presents, chatting with cousins I don't see very often. Christmas eve we go to my SIL's for Christmas with DH's family. Food, drink (alcoholic I'm not driving, and my MIL is there!) Christmas day is at our house. We will get up, the kids will open their stockings, we'll eat breakfast, then we'll open presents. My parents, two brothers and their wives, and my niece will be here for dinner. My Dad cooks! He's making prime rib for those that want it, and turkey breast for the rest of us. Along with other traditional fare.

Today is Day 18 of no wine - so far. The no choc challenge is toast, and the cake wasn't really that good. Neither was the chocolate that followed. Just not in the mood to be good!

Curly, Happy Birthday! Today is also Marble's birthday. Sagittarians or Capricorns? I'll have to look it up.

Red, it sounds like you didn't much enjoy your brush with luxury. Surely you'll be paid for the ensuing article? Bummer that they didn't at least find a broom closet with a lumpy futon and a bowl of noodles for you. And hey, they could have made you hitch hike to the station, so what's all the whining about? I'm pretty lucky, I guess, when I travel with hoity-toity groups I stay in the same places as them, although without the "upgraded" rooms and fancy-schmantzy meals with free booze.
As for Nozomi, she's a doll, and lucky to have found you. Some days I feel there are no coincidences, and that you were meant to walk by her little self at that precise moment, just as I was meant to walk into the Humane Society the day my funny little Lily arrived.
Now Red, you've done a good job ignoring my challenge of your split challenge. So what's the deal? Is it legit to subdivide a challenge after it's underway? Understanding these challenge rules is just too challenging some days! (If I keep using the word "challenge" it'll stop making sense. Try saying it quickly 10 times in a row. Challenge challenge challenge challenge...)

It seems to me several of you are on the verge of completing challenges! Once I put my new instructions (thanks!) into action and try a split screen, I'll be able to scan through and see exactly who, but not right now.

Great news! Swingers clubs are now legal in Canada! Sometimes I wonder what the rest of the world thinks about us up here in Canada. Silly me! I almost forgot that the rest of the world is so very NOT interested in Canada and it's shenanigans.

Ees, the above "Great news" comment is a sample of tongue-in-cheek, in case you wondered. I'm not into group sex... And Stage, don't get freaked out.

Today I saw the doctor who did my deviated septum surgery. As I expected, I have to go back for a touch-up in the new year, since it's really no better than before the surgery. This time no general anasthetic, at least.

Since I've blown my sweets challenge anyway, I think I might break down and make my Christmas cakes after all. (Don't worry, Red, no recipe. But they are such good cakes even those who hate fruit cake gobble them up.) I make the cakes to give as gifts, but the danger for me is the way the batter seems to mysteriously migrate northwards from the bowl and scrapers...

Nighty-night, sleep tight, don't let those bedbugs bite!

Great news about the swingers clubs Carla! Perhaps DH and I will have to visit Canada soon? NOT, well at least not for that reason.

Happy Birthday Curly! Did I miss it being mention somewhere? I can be very obtuse sometimes!

Tongue-in-cheek= I don't mean what I'm saying, but I'm trying to be funny. AT least that's what I think it means?

Dear Carla doesn't feel bad, but she isn't doing so good either. No need to dwell further on the split challenge/semi-pause debate, I think I've got it now. (Although I did briefly consider splitting my chocolate challenge into milk chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate subchallenges Just to drive Red nuts.) I think I may just be restarting both challenges after Christmas, I simply don't feel like behaving right now. I still have one vino pause, I think. Gotta check on that...

Today we had a fairly mild (I thought) snowfall, and traffic was almost at a standstill. Of course we're not used to snow here in Canada... (more tongue-in-cheek...). The amazing thing was that at every intersection the drivers were being incredibly considerate and letting people into the flow of traffic! I couldn't believe it - I suspect the return of the body snatchers, and pod people at the wheel of all those eerily polite cars. It would all go so much better if everyone had snow tires on, but as a person who kept driving with a dangerous wheel bearing for the last 6 months, I guess I should just shut up. (I thought the noise was from the exhaust. I would have been so surprised if the wheel had fallen off! All repaired now.)

Zzzzzzz....

Wow. They are Sags just like me. Interesting why Fire signs have most of weight problems, or is it my statistic that is off....

CBETA, Fire signs with weight problems??! Don't be silly! That's as absurd as carla thinking she's going to "drive me nuts" because she wants to split semisweet and milk chocolate! I mean, really, I think I beat you to it on the crazy part...

ess,
I did not know someone liked my stories. I actually try to remind myself not to write long posts, but often I want to say so much....
Anyway, called friends trying to find out what to take to Tahoe, but their daughter got sick and they were driving back. They offered to stay in their place in that cabit, but it will not be fun w/o them, so we are not going.
Instead I will vouch to go to the gym tomorrow....On Saturday I will make sure to meet up with friends and have a get together...no gifts really. Russians do gift exchange just like for Chrismas, but at New Years. Yet not everyone does it among friends. Last year my parents bought a tool set for me, as it was something I needed to hang mirrow and pictures at my new apaprtment, this year they gave me a nice present for b-day I really do not feel like comfortable if they give me more presents this year. For sister and grandma, I've not planned anything, and for a few friends locally....well I bought electric tea-pot for close friends...that's all.
I've been feeling in doubt. Tomorrow, day before shutdown, will be an ultimatelly crazy day for me. So many things need to be completed before I leave..I am sure I am going to be at work late...
My simple resolution for the next week or so, be at the gym at least once every two days.... I think I can manage the food intake and water, but gym is what I need...

are you a fire sign?

Come on, now, you CAN'T say it doesn't show!!

isn't it strange?
fire burns all in it's way, but we fire sings have such a hard time burning?

red, what's "big 8/8 CB"...not sure what the abbreviation stand for?