How much my holidays have changed since my surgery Oct, 2007. It is still oriented around food unfortunately, but I've noticed a change in the menu of my immediate family. SFs, Fat reduced, veggie trays, actually had a kettle of cooked greens!!! Only three people ate them besides myself, so I'm having Green Creamed on toast, Greens mixed with pinto beans (what's that smell), Greens in eggs, mashed pots, in chocolate cake, in splenda fudge.....of course I'm exaggerating, but am learning that a small pot of greens go a L O N G way! My kids kept telling everyone to try something they had made, and would look right at me and say, "Mom you can't, it has sugar." I did try a white chocolate buckeye......just so so, sickening sweet.
My DD makes the best iced sugar cookies, and left me a whole tray of "naked" cookies for me to have. Didn't have the heart to tell her that I still couldn't eat them. I did bite the head off of one of the snowmen and.......major eruptus foops. You can figure foops out!!!
Now something besides food. I had to work a split shift Christmas Eve and still was able to get up at 5:00 a.m. to finish my Christmas meal. I could sit on the floor with my l y/o GD and open presents with her, wear size 12 jeans, comfortably, without pulling them out of my neather region all day, chase my GKs around, go up and down the stairs, spend time with my family instead of propped on the couch exhausted and mad at myself because I was MO and useless, played a WII Doubles in Tennis and WE WON! One of the best things, my DH got me a really delicate looking red vest with sown in black see-thru sleeves. He said, "Nancy it is really nice to be able to buy you nice clothes again." Since I have been MO and tall most of my adult life, I have had to make almost everything I wear and my family couldn't buy me anything to wear.
Today I'm wearing hand-me-down jeans from my kids $39.00 (Once Bitten - Jessica Parker brand) size 12, undershirt and bra (36B-C) from Goodwill $2.00, underwear size 7s from Walmart $7.00 a pack, $12.96 (75% off) dress shoes from Elder Beermans, $44.00 vest for six dollars on sale, and a thermal sweat shirt marked down to 8.99. All of this is priceless to me because I wouldn't have been able to wear any of this last Christmas. This time last year, I wearing men's shoes, size 50 D bras, Five X stretch pants, Five X shirts and size 15 underwear!!! Couldn't find a 5X sweatshirt big enough to fit me.
The most amazing thing is that..........I'm ALIVE and was able to join in with rest of my family.
Just can't wait to see what this year brings me!!!! I'm very blessed!!!
It's so funny how food is the center of most holidays. But, now that its no longer the focal point you can truly enjoy the most important part of the holidays...family. You now have the energy and stamina to truly enjoy your family and friends.
