Hi everyone,

I spent an awesome night with good friends last night. One, J, eats what she wants at night but watches during the day. K is a marathon runner (found out she qualified for Boston on her last run last night that was pretty cool) she watches what she eats like a hawk.....ticks her off I think....she'd like to eat more and thinks she deserves too with all the training she does. D has been at the weight battle as long as I have though she wasn't caring too much last night.

I ate my protein and bread before I left the house and then had a salad (no dressing) while I sat through great laughs and conversation as the stories of our lives rolled around the table sometimes as cumbersome as a lop sided melon but mostly more like a kids dropped bag of marbles. Nothing like a good giggle.....or ten.

I arrived home WAY after my bedtime to find my beloved still awake and a kid or two so we all climbed in our bed to watch the previously recorded (love PVR) Big Brother. More laughter, a good snuggle, great banter with a teenager or two..........life is pretty darned good from this angle. Perfection, is just 50 lbs away.

Cheers
Mary

Yesterday was a great day.
Spent it with my three girls.....visited my parents, took them shopping, they had lunch of their choice....Sky wanted California Sandwich (anyone live in Toronto and been there?).........funnily enough it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be......she ate, I ignored. We went to the movies where two of them went to see The Devil Wears Prada and the youngest and I saw RV. Even the smell of popcorn didn't get to me. :)

From reading some of the other journals I guess I'm suppose to write down what I am eating. :)

Breakfast
Eggwhites fried in non-stick pan with mushrooms and onion
2 slices of Body Wise bread

Lunch
2 slices of Body Wise
3 slices of Ziggy's extra lean turkey
1 tablespoon of some crappy white stuff that is growing on me (alternative to mayo)
a bit of French's Dijon mustard

Snack
1 med Royal Gala apple......just love those

Dinner
3 oz of BBQ chicken breast
8 oz of mixed baby greens
a bit of some non-fat italian dressing....PC I think

two caffeine-free diet coke
and 2-3 litres of water at least


Wasn't hungry later so no snack.........might have been the wonderous storm we had come through or the fact that I got up at 5:30am yesterday and by the time soccer was over and we got home I just went to bed.

Usually I would have two servings of fruit and veggies in a day instead of one....I think the sandwich I brought for the day changed all that. Was much easier to bring than a salad and sooo much better for me than California Sandwich or Burger King (what the other two lovelies chose)

Cheers

So here I am......how ever many days later and still hanging in there. I noticed a difference in a body part yesterday morning......made me smile all day and resolve to keep on going.

My family is hanging in there with me. I made them pasta last night while I had my big beautiful spinach salad with moist tender chicken breast. I was caught watching my daughter Kailan eating it (must have had a look of envy on my face).....so she said.......have a fork full and get it over with.....then daughter Sky said.......ya mom......why don't you have some.......Kailan said it with all of the best intentions.....Sky on the other hand sounded like she was sitting on the right hand side of the devil....we all laughed......they had their pasta and I had my big beautiful spinach salad.

I'm off today to paint a clients kitchen.

Best day......yesterday.
Worse day........Friday at Wonderland.........I did give into temptation and got some ice cream. Loved every spoonful, felt great eating it.....felt great when it was done....still feet great actually.

CHeers
Mary

Hi Mary -- just replied to you over on the diet buddies. Sounds like you are doing well with the low carbs - I choose to go the low calories -- balanced with everything else. Its slow but its working.

I smiled when you mentioned Wonderland -- I was there once in 1981 -- my one and only trip to Toronto. I was supposed to go there three years ago and visit with a couple of friends but that damn SARS thing prevented me from going -- geesh.

Anyway I love reading your journals -- you are so upbeat its nice to see. Remember that as you develop friendships here they are good for when you need to vent -- venting does wonders!!!

Cheers from the west coast of Canada

Nothing exciting to report today.....oh......I lie. We went to our local firework display last night. In our tiny little town the volunteer firefighters put on fireworks every July 1. Due to weather problems they couldn't do them then so they went off last night. We always get there about 30 minutes early or so......the children in the house willing to be seen in public with us dwindles each year so we only had the youngest, Lou, and a friend of hers with us....it's pretty cool to sit on that hill and watch all the kids run out the last bit of their days energy........as it gets dark some of their parents are hot on their trail draining into tomorrows energy just to keep them in site........I'm so glad I'm over that stage.....mostly. :) The fireworks, as usual, were awesome and I think pretty outstanding for small town Ontario. As we enter the park a couple of those firefighters (don't know why they are not barechested and oiled up.....opps...it is a family night) ask for donations to help pay for the night, which we're always happy to do. Even with their shirts on........it's sometimes worth the price of admission just for that! I don't know how much they collect but they keep coming back so it must just about cover their costs.

Food was good yesterday.......easier as I was at a clients most of the day....where I'm off to today. I just love a client who is not afraid of colour. :)

Cheers
Mary

What was I thinking............Oh I know....why don't I make you guys fajitas for dinner? lol....bet you all thought I had one or two didn't ya.......nope.....did have a spoon full of the beef stuff with onions and broccoli (I know......that's what my kids thought too.....what the heck is the broccoli doing in there?)

Worked hard yesterday in my clients kitchen.......doing such a great job she's hired me to do over her bedroom and paint her office and hallways too. She should wait until I install those kitchen cupboards doors though.....last night I saw that I painted one of my hairs into it. Dang. Had to dig it out , sand it flat and start all over on that one. :) Note to self.........must think less about food and more about the task at hand while doing mindless painting.

I had my weigh in this morning and am down to 217 must figure out how to change my weight thing in here.

Cheers everyone.
Mary

Hey Mary --- must tell you I love reading your stuff --- its like you are sitting down talking to all of us. And putting more effort into our tasks at hand rather than thinking of food (horrors :help: ) helps too --- just need to figure out how to do that myself LOL.

Ok girl we gonna watch you fade away I will be right behind on the scales but willing to catch up.

Like the name of your journal. Yah, I sneak a LOT of veggies in those dishes, too.

hey, I found you! So glad you've got your journal up and running :) I will be popping in to cheer you on :cheer: :cheer: yeah , like that! lol. congrats on the weight loss!! your menu from last week looked great.

My beautiful daughter, Sky, had a party last night.......though she was quick to say it was not a party but a gathering of friends....at her age a party means a lot of un-invited guests that can cause trouble. Sky, made her grocery list (had planned to do the shopping but I was out so I did it), got the tent out and set it up with a little help from her s-dad, washed all the furniture, started the BBQ (on her own.....very big deal), cooked dinner, and made sure all of her guests had enough to eat and drink. As it got dark I was fully expecting to hear my name called out to get the bon-fire going....so you can imagine my surprize when I looked out and saw it roaring away without my help. :) It was about that time that our youngest daughter came running through the house to get supplies for smores......what the heck was Lou doing out there......they hate each other! When I questioned Lou she said that Sky had told her it was ok. Hmmmp. Sky is off to the University of Guelph in a couple of weeks.....could she be thinking she might miss the pesky little kid? So here I am smilin a little and oddly not too sad......she's independant, beautiful, smart, funny and well received where ever she goes AND she is being nice to younger siblings, she's going to be ok that one. :) She's just woke up and now is in the kitchen getting breakfast ready for those still sleeping in tents. Good hostest.

On the food front I've been exceptionally good. Thought about having ice-cream on Friday night.....talked about having ice-cream......didn't have any....had an apple instead while everyone else had ice-cream. Everyone is very proud of me and I'm proud of me too. Today is my mom's 83 rd bday..currently in my fridge I have almost $100. worth of the best chinese food around....it's one of her favorite things to eat and she hasn't had any for many many months so as most of her kids, grandchildren and great grandchildren gather around her today to wish her bestest of birthdays we'll also be munching on chinese food......don't worry I ordered plenty of Chop Suey.....no chicken balls, deep fried shrimp, rice or other fantastic tasting foods will pass my lips. :)

Cheers
Mary

P.S. Joanne...so glad you like to read my journals.....they're fun to write.
Greek girl........did you come across my friend patty yet? VBG
Sbraun...thanks for stopping by!

Mary --- I am so pleased to see you write about the kids. Isn't it wonderful to realize they are growing into wonderful young adults. I am so incredibly proud of my son -- he will be 26 next week (how the heck could that happen??).

I hope you made out well with your mom's birthday celebration -- hmmm Chinese is my mom's favourite too. Once she has recovered from her surgery we will have a Chinese food feast. Actually on the long weekend we have several Virgo birthday's in our family -- so my brother's girlfriend (she is a professional chef) is putting on a huge feast for everyone -- sighs some of her stuff I can't avoid.

Cheers

Nothing exciting to report...eating good, feeling good...........thoughhhhh.....I am a little excited about some stepables, Herniaria Green Carpet, I ordered for my brand new random cut flagstone walkway!! I was hoping they'd be in by now so I could pick them when I go to get Jase from work (20 year old son)....but alas they are not so it will have to wait until Thursday.

Tomorrow Sky, Kailan and I are off to do some back to school shopping on Queen St. in Toronto....I just love that area and always look forward to shopping with those two girls good thing we have a budget and they know what it is........I suspect it won't stop them from trying to go over budget though....after all they are girls and do love to shop. My plan is to pack a lunch in a cooler for me and they can get what they want.......though I'm not going to be sitting in any one of the great restaurants down there watching them eat......there is only so much a mom can do. :)

I have a chef in the family as well, Joanne, my eldest son is a chef though he seems to be pushing more paper around these days with a lot less time spent in the kitchen. How long is your mom expected to be recovering?

Cheers
Mary
P.S....Weigh in day tomorrow........oh boy!

Hi there Mary,

Today is my first visit to your journal and I just love the way you write. Its as if I am sitting here listening to a story unfold in front of my eyes.

I am happy to see that you are doing well and enjoying your journey. Keep it up and best wishes on tomorrow's weigh in!

Shannon

Hello littlebeetle? That just made me smile....something I'm sure I've heard one or two of my kids say while out in the garden. :) Glad you like my writing...I enjoy doing it.....though some days I don't seem to have the same passion as others.

I had a great day yesterday......started off with my weigh in......now down to 212. Then the girls and I were off to Toronto......that silly Kailan......she was at a sleep over......those girls never slept a wink. She brought 3 friends along with her to shop....and as darling Sky (who, of course, never ever, pulled an all nighter) perdicted they were cranky and all shopped out by 1pm. We still dragged them around the city though.......serves them right.....what the heck were they thinking? They all slept over at our house last night and managed to stay up until after 11......must help to be 13/14. Kailan has soccer practice tonight.......yes she is trying to get out of it.....I'm such a mean mom.....it's a team sport.....your team is relying on you.......yada yaddda yadda. We'll see who wins this battle.

Well I'm off to see a potential new client...a new build too......yummy. I also put in a call to a local architect today that is advertising for an assistant.......even yummier.

Cheers all

wow ! I love your style of writing - very full of positive energy :D

Your doing wonderful :up:

Oh boy..........I'm sooooo excited!!!
The architect called me last night and even after speaking with me for 20 minutes or so he still wanted to see my resume!! :)

Ok ..........so Kailan won the battle..........but not the war.

Yesterday was a good eat/drinking day....had no more than I should have though I think my water may have been down a bit. I had to take our dog, Emma, to the vet......they wanted more blood and some urine as her blood tests have not come back very good. Very low protein count and her liver isn't functioning as well as it should. She's a yellow lab, has epilepsy and is at the bottom of her life expectancy so the above results aren't shocking but it still hurts the heart. She's still a nutbar so I think we have a ways to go yet. On a good note I went to pick up my ground cover for the walkway and plan to start on that stuff today. Some of the stones I have to lift and put more screening down......the step up from the walkway to the front porch is just a little too high.......good for the thighs but not very good for when I'm in my 70's so best to fix it now.....getting to 46 was a snap.....so 70 can't really be that far ahead......can it?

I think it's date night tonight.....time to leave the kids to fend for themselves and take time out for us. Kailan has a soccer tournament this weekend, Jase is in rugby finals this coming Wed. AND I'm going out with those great friends again on Monday or Tuesday. Yup.....life is good.

Well I must get onto my excel and quote the new build.......with any luck I'll be slugging coffee for the architect soon. VBG

Cheers all
Mary

Look at that.........I made it to page 2!!!

LOL welcome to your second page!!!!! See its cool and its fun --- I will keep fingers crossed for the job -- sounds really great!!!!!!!! I couldn't design my way out of a paper bag. A couple of years ago I was painting the outside of my house -- I wanted to so badly to avoid the "what was she thinking" comments when it was finished. Instead I got "what was she on?????" it was horrid --- funny thing is the new people still have the colour LOL -- and they bought it that way!!!!!!!!

Sounds like you have a great weekend planned -- -I am spending the day at a spa tomorrow -- getting the works.

The eating sounds good --- just take care of your darling dog -- its just not easy -- we love them sooooo much. I just lost my golden a couple of months ago. Cherish every day you have with him.

Joanne

YA Mary!
Page two always is exciting. I was so happy to watch my stars under my name change color *grins* I love being an Elite Diettalker and so on.

Sounds like you have a busy life! Enjoy it. How many children do you have Mary?? What are their ages? I love their names.

What are the plans for date night??? I am heading out with my sweetie on a dinner cruise tonight with some friends!!

Enjoy your day :)

Shannon

Shannon.......you didn't go on a cruise from Harbour Front did you? :) We went on one July 1st and it was horrid.....maybe it's just me......hmmm well it did rain...lol.....food sucked....I remember thinking......gee this would be a good place to come on a diet because the food isn't worth going back for more.
We have 5 kids ranging in age from 9 to 29.......the oldest is married and has one cute, sweet, funny little girl.

No date night out.......I realized that Lou was having a friend sleep over and I promised to sleep in the tent with them......good thing they decided not to do that as I was achy and sore from working on the front walkway yesterday afternoon. We had a date night in instead and ordered a movie in.....Syianna (I know I spelled that wrong)...very interesting movie.

Joanne.......ahhhh you must have had one of those houses that while we're driving Lou would mutters from the back seat...'mom....did you see that house.......what were they thinking'.....lol.....she started to take an interest in what I do a few years ago........I'm hoping for my own in house architect. :)

Must go and wake the masses.....just because it's Saturday doesn't mean they get to waste a day sleepin............I'm so very mean.

5 KIDS!!!!!!! Yikes and a full time job -- where do you get the energy??? I am not worthy LOL.

Yes my house would have fallen into that category :o I had a designer come to measure for blinds etc. She asked what was I thinking (did I tell you she was blunt LOL). What happened was I wanted a green house -- instead of being a lovely rustic green it ended up as minty green (blech) and the trim -- oh my goodness the trim -- was Christmas Green -- I threatened to paint the garage doors red and make it a true Christmas house LOL. It was an expensive mistake -- but I found a lovely beige for the trim and it toned the green down -- I am still not happy with it even though it isn't my house -- I drive by and shake my head.

On a better note when I had a designer in earlier this year to help with my window treatments (I hated the ones that were here). He wanted to get a sense of my style (???). I was quite pleased when he declared my living room elegant -- I have to admit I did a good job in there -- but I haven't changed the paint colour LOL.

I had such a great night out last night with aforementioned good friends. We went to a place called the Book Shelve in Guelph. Had dinner, tried to see the movie that was playing there, An Inconvient Truth, but it was sold out, then spent quite a while in the bookstore part looking for good reads for our bookclub. We then went shopping for purses........I am cursed for a purse.....been looking for months for the perfect black purse.....I'm sure I've set the bar too high on this one......but so be it......when I do find it, it will make it all the more special. Lots of laughter over various drinks at Tim Hortons.....nothing like great friends.

Then my evening headed straight for the toilet. My beloved called me on the way home to tell me that my mom was in the hospital, once again. I had myself a wee lone pity party on the way home.....it was in full swing when I realized that crying at this time of night was only going to have me looking like a blow fish come morning.....I hate being right sometimes. And not any morning........I had a 6:45 appointment with a client and then had very very cool interview with the architects......I'm sure I'm way under qualified but have made note of the fact that if I want to work for an architect as an assistant, I must learn power point and photoshop......saying I was a quick study will probably not work this time. We'll see.

My dear mom had a stroke last night.....I picked my dad up after my job interview and headed to the hospital where mom spent most of her time stareing at the ceiling or sleeping. The specialist wasn't much help other than to confirm that she did have a stroke and that we would have to wait and see how she progressed. It has been a very long tuff road with her these past few years...she's just turned 82, dad will be 84 in a few weeks....I don't see her coming home after this. He's been very brave and taken on so much.....we'll see. While I was washing her face this afternoon she did make eye contact and say...'Oh, Mary, your so good' ........I told her I had a good teacher....then she wanted to know who the teacher was and looked confused.......oh well it was just a moment....but a good one. :)

Food intake was good today....dispite being out for most of the day. I stopped at Longo's where they have a huge salad bar and put myself together something healthy. :)

Weigh in tomorrow........HUGE paint job starting tomorrow, mom stuff.......it's going to be quite the week.

Cheers
Mary

I am so so very sorry to hear about your mom - my thoughts and prayers are with all of you :hug:

Hi Mary,

I am thinking of your family and hope that all is working out. There is nothing worse then stress over a family members health.

Glad to hear that things are busy otherwise. How did your interview go??

Are you ssaying yuo took the Harbour Dinner Cruise here in Kingston???

Enjoy your day and stay strong *S*
Shan

:) There are so many Harbours in Ontario aren't there.......though we were in Lake Ontario it was Toronto's Harbour Front that we cruised from.

Thanks all for you good thoughts and prayers n stuff.

No new news with my mom yet today.

Thanks
Mary

Hi Mary so sorry to hear about your mom -- its just so hard as they age. You make sure to take care of yourself during this time.

Thinking about you

Hi Mary,

Hope you are holding up okay!!

You are on my mind.
Shannon

Hey Mary! :]

:hug: Just visited your journal for the first time- just wanted to let you know that I, too, am thinking about you.

Joanne- oooohhh, a son who's 26?! I'm 21! Hahahaha, just kidding, I have a wonderful boyfriend- I just love hearing mothers talk about their kids though. I wonder if my mom ever talks about all of my siblings and myself! :laugh:

Stay strong Mary!

Hi ladies,

Everything is good......or as good as it can be. We're set to have a meeting with mom's doctor this Friday to decide what is best. She wants to go home to die in her own bed....dad's on side, I think most of the kids are on side so I'm sure that is what is going to happen. We'll have to get in 24 hr care which she can afford.....so I think it's all good. She has recovered quite well from the stroke but as she is continuely losing weight it puts more stress on her heart which is what the doc is thinking is going to get her in the end. For now she's in good spirits and looking forward to spending some time in her own bed. Kinda weird to be having a conversation with your mom about dying, with the wheres and what not. I told my son, Jase, (FCU girl....he's almost 21 and starting his second year at university....no girlfriend....do you like rugby players?) that I'm in a good place with all this.....not feeling panicky, no sense of impending aching loss....., 6 kids, 13 grandkids, 6 great grandkids....lots of laughter, tons of food.......she's had a good run.

To top it all off..........I lost almost another 5 lbs.

Thanks for thinking of me girls.
Mary

Mary I am glad your mom is going to hopefully go home. You have a great attitude and that will help. This isn't easy no matter how well you prepare. Do the best you can for your mom, your dad and yourself. Unfortunately I have too much experience with this so if you want to e-mail me I will send you my addy.

So. There I was......standing on the steps of one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen and thinking.....damn.........why didn't I finish highschool and go to university? Oh ya.....now I remember.....I had my first son when I was 17......that could be a good reason and quite frankly I really didn't give a you know what about school when I was in it way back then. Thought that there was WAY too much living to do outside of school and time was a wasting, I hit the ground running .....having Micheal wasn't part of the plan then and while I choose not to raise him he's a good part of our lives now.......and then I kept having fairly decent jobs land in my lap......there never seemed like a good time or reason to do so.

It was awesome......for anyone who has been to The University of Guelph as either a student or visitor knows what I'm talking about. The place is awesome.....lots of green grass set between some awesome architecture. Sky's residence was built in 1931 (I think that's what the t-shirt I bought her and her room mate says) has some cool green stuff growing up the front of it.....was wishing not for the last time today that I had brought my camera with me.

Beautiful stone steps, towering ceilings and windows......a decorators dream...her room was painted a pretty decent colour too and looks great with the bedding we bought for her. We're so very proud of her, my beloved and I, proud of both our university, money sucking kids. Jase choose last year not to live in residence and maybe missed out on some stuff but he was two years older than Sky when he went last year and didn't think residence life was something he was into anymore. So now they are both at Guelph...which makes it easier to get them back and forth for the important reunions of their friends.......oh no....they don't come home to see us....well....depending on what's for dinner.....maybe. :)

As I stood there in her room, looking at this beautiful creature that had come from me who was now facing a whole new world of excitement, challenge and knowledge.....I thought......why am I not crying.....shouldn't I be crying? Hell no........I tend to save the weepy parts for the end of things......not the beginnings......like when I watched what was probably her last dance performance this past June (Sky has competed in dance since she was 5)....then I cried .....I cry for the things that will no longer be and this new stage of her being has just begun. Ok so I'm weepy now.....but I'm sure it's just re-visiting the dance stuff. :)


On a mom note.........she's being moved to rehab sometime this week....hopefully in the hospital that she is in and then will be going home. Sky and I saw her Friday, after we spent the whole day wondering around Toronto.....first to Kensington Market and then a walk through The Beach area, she was in good spirits and very happy to see us. I'll go again tomorrow for a vist as well.

The diet hit the dirt on Friday as Sky and I decided on a Mexican cafe......the food was very good and then later I had some pizza AND ice cream. Since then I've been very good.........ya know........I didn't feel very good after I had the pizza and the ice cream.....was stuffed and decided that I would rather be feeling a wee bit hungry then stuffed.

Well I've rambled on too much here.........if you've made it this far then I thank-you.

Cheers
Mary

Good Labour Day....made excellant food choices!

We started the day off by getting the pool ready to close...and then it started to pour....there was something a wee bit funny about standing in the pouring rain while power washing the pool cover. (yes I know it should have been done in the spring.....very long story) I managed a trip to the city to pick-up my dad and go visit my mom. She's ready for re-hab just waiting for a bed......I think if it takes too long she'll just go home and hire someone private.

Then I hurried up the high-way and met the rest of the family to go to the movies....we went to see Accepted.........way too funny. I just love to hear my beloved laugh.

Huge work week for me.......must go get ready.

Cheers
Mary

LOL Mary this is your journal you can ramble on as much as you want - heck you can ramble on anywhere. I know I personally love your writing -- I felt like I was standing with you on the steps in Guelph. One of our instructor's sons is going there also -- not sure what year he is in 2nd or 3rd -- heading maybe to medical school.

Glad you made good choices -- and quite honestly I prefer to power wash in the rain -- then jumping into a nice warm shower. I find power washing the most satisfying chore.

Cheers

Joanne!!! Jeff told me that the power washer is broken!!! Now what! Doesn't seem right.....lol

Well today was my weigh in and I've managed to lose another 2lbs. I can see that 199 and at the same time it seems sooooo far away. That will be a huge deal for me.......it's been many many years since I was under 200lbs.

Well I must go and see about bugging some kids.....it's too quiet.

Ok.........so the power washer isn't broken as Jeff thought............he just blew a fuse. :)

We all had a great weekend.....drove to Guelph to watch Jase's rugby game even though he wasn't playing due to an injury.....hopefully he'll be able to play next Sat. After Jase's game we went to Sky's and picked her and her roommate up and went out for a late lunch to celebrate Lou's 10th bday. Brought Sky home for the rest of the weekend. I miss her. Yesterday we went into Toronto to take my dad out for his 84 th bday.......mmmmmmmm we went to the Manadrin.......I was very good......for Saturday's lunch out I had grilled shrimp with mixed salad greens (dressing on the side)....oh it also had spicey walnuts......never had them before......they were awesome...and I don't want to know how many calories they had........I just enjoyed them and that's all I want to know. :) Yesterday at the Mandarin I had chop suey and some spicey beef........no desert.

Tonight we celebrated Lou's actual birthday with her chosen menu of Spagetti, garlic bread and tons of chocolate cake that the poor kid made herself! I had ton's of broccoli and some BBQ chicken breast.........I love spagetti AND garlic bread AND chocolate cake with vanillia icing......had none. All this sacrifice better be rewarded with a dip in the scale this week I want to see the back side of 200. 199 would be nice.....don't ya think!

My mom finally has a room-mate.......she has MRSA so was in isolation for the past 3 weeks....yesterday she was moved to a room with another woman recovering from a stroke with MRSA.....so at least now she has some company inbetween visitors. Mom is currently waiting for a bed in rehab and has been waiting for over a week......they say that the MRSA has nothing to do with the wait...........but............(insert little rolly eyes here)

Cheers

Hi Mary,

Where in the GTA are you? I live in Brampton. :wave:

My stepfather was recently in the hospital and had the added joys of dealing with hospital aquired pneumonia, MRSA and a UTI. Wheeeeee! I hope your mom recovers soon.. How have the nurses been with her?

He started out at Credit Valley, then went to Toronto Western and then to Scarborough Grace.

Corinna

Hey Mary -- LOL earlier this spring I thought I had blown a fuse with our power washer -- turns out I needed to pull the trigger to make it work - whodathunkit?? LOL Only made that mistake once.

Sounds like you had a blast this weekend --- nice that you got to see Sky -- its tough when they start leaving us. I only see my son about once a month -- he is so busy with his new life not much time for mom --- I like that he is so independant, he had some rough times after his dad died but came through the other side pretty darn good.

Sorry about your mom's MRSA -- my sweetie works in one of the local hospitals and so many wards are closed down because of that -- well they refer to it as VRI -- just a pain. Had my own experience with hospital infections -- not good at all.

Hi Corinna thanks for stopping by!!! I'm actually not in Toronto, I reside in the stunning rolling hills of New Tecumseth (Alliston, Tottenham, Beeton) it's just so much easier to say Toronto. That MRSA is a *****!! Opps..can I say that here? lol Hope your Stepdad is feeling better...too bad he had to leave Credit Valley......a good friend of mine was there after having open heart surgery earlier this year.........pretty awesome place to be. My youngest, Lou, was born there before all the renovations were done. My mom is at Etobicoke General which is hooked up to your Brampton Hospital I believe. My mom's hospitals of choice are Humber River and Finch.......she didn't get a choice this time......all ER's were packed. Makes it much harder on my dad to get to see her though he still drives it takes a lot out of him.

Joanne........does your sweetie have any insight on the damned MRSA that he would care to share? When mom was in Humber and had it last year they let her out in the halls to walk as long as she didn't touch anything.......this time they won't let her out the door. Very hard for an 82 year old woman to recoup when she can't take more than 10 steps at a time. :(

I just finished a very yummy stir fry with veal, onions, red pepper, zuccini, mushrooms, chilli powder, and tons of bean sprouts.......yummy. I made some for my beloved as well.....he has just gone upstairs for more food.......lol that's ok......for once he's not joining me in my pursuit of a thinner me and losing weight faster than I.....I hate it when he does that!!

Well sports fans.......tomorrow is weigh in day. I'm feeling good about it!! I'll let you all know how it goes.

Cheers

Ahhhh! I know I shouldn't complain about loss.........but just a little more would have made me MUCH happier......I was shoting for under 200. Oh well there is always next week. :)

Ohhh Mary -- so close you can taste it -- -careful we aren't sure how many calories are in that taste -- :laugh: I can hardly wait to be where you are -- sometime next year :)

Whew........wow that was quite the stay away. Not that I didn't THINK about posting here........I just never quite made it. :)

So as you can see I'm down under 200 and happy to be here. :) And now that I've done that........I'm planning on taking two weeks off......lol such a nut am I. I'm off to N.S. on Friday for a few days and then next weekend is Thanksgiving so I've decided that I'm not going to worry too much about how many calories or fat or carbs lobster has as I pig out on it this weekend nor am I going to worry about the same with Turkey, stuffing, pie, sweet potatoes and what ever else I make next weekend......but I will be good on the days inbetween..........well as good as I can be. :)

Cheers
Mary

Is anyone in need of size 18 tall jeans......I have black ones and a blue jean pair and a couple of pairs of capri's and I think there are two pairs of a light mustardy colour as well. I'm currently a size 14....which is well on it's way to being too large as well but 12's are too small.....for now. :)

I would prefer to mail these in Canada only so I'm sorry for anyone else that is interested in them the cost and hassle to send them anywhere else is not something I want to get into.

First come first serve!!

Cheers
Mary

Hey Mary what a wonderful feeling to have all those clothes that are too big!!!! I am hoping to get into 14 by the end of the year still a few pounds away. My 16's depending on the cut and style are anywhere from just right to a bit big.

Why don't you start a Clothing Exchange thread you never know who would appreciate an exchange.

Enjoy your time away -- I would dearly love to see the Maritimes even though I am probably the only person alive who can't stand lobster.

Good morning everyone and Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Canadians. :)

This weekend, so far, has been wonderful. My two university kids are home for the weekend AND happy to be here. Today is our turkey day, Jeff's family is coming, tomorrow I will take some of today's dinner to my mom and dad's for them. I won't call it left overs......lol...actually I'll put aside what I'm taking them BEFORE everyone has a chance to dig in. I won't go into all the details of what we're having today for those of you who are keeping on the straight and narrow but I will tell you that I plan on sampling every last dish! :)

I opened up my email box this morning to find a picture that my brother had taken yesterday of the Avro Arrow and my dad. Dad is 84 and was part of the crew that worked on the Avro. I didn't think he was going to go to the 'Special Preview' that he was invited to as a past employee of Avro but he did. The picture made me a bit weepy....there is the giant Avro in the back ground, a bunch of people we don't know and then there is my dad. Back to the camera, cane in hand, his old sweater and cap on looking up at something that he helped to build. Yesterday it was 49 years to the day the Avro was unveiled for the first time..........my brother said that my dad had mixed emotions about it all. 49 years is such a long time between viewings of something that had meant so much to him.

Yesterday I took my darling Sky shopping for a new winter coat...that girl has a new appreciation for her mom since she's been away at school. She even hugged me a few times....in public no less. :) We talked about many things, her concerns for her older brother (who is going to drop out at Christmas and get a job) and her younger sister who is almost as lost as her big brother in her first year of highschool. I told her that we need to be supportive......that they will find their ways......since he's going to be home again maybe they'll find them together. Just as I'm writing this I realize that Sky sounds more like the mom, or maybe I'm just maturing in my old age. :)
I even let her drive home (we had my hubby's smooth powerful car so we took the back roads)......the sun was shinning, sunroom open, the leaves are brillant right now and the conversation was awesome. She finally admitted that the university she is at she only chose because most of her friends are going there.......I got the 'what was I thinking' speech from her. She's way to artsy to be at a mostly not artsy school........so she is thinking of transferring next year and at the very least majoring in Art History which she can do where she is at. She then jumped to wanting to work with kids........and when I opened my mouth to say something she then mused mostly to herself that maybe she just needed to have her own kids and not work with them. Good grief. lol.........but not now she quickly added for my benefit......later....much later. :)

Well the sun is starting to rise here......I have a turkey to prepare......actually I have two.......ok......I have to tell this story too.

Earlier last week I went to one of our local IGA's and ordered a deboned turkey. The butcher knew what I wanted........the backbone taken out along with the breast bones but everything else left in tack. I got home Thursday night to find a message on my phone saying that they couldn't do it. So, Friday morning I went to my town IGA and ordered one........sure they could do it. So Sue (lady that works with the butcher) and I picked out a turkey, it was smaller than I wanted but beggers at the last mintue can't always be choosey. I went on my merry way paid for my other purchases and headed for the van. Once there I had a vision of my turkey being totally distroyed......I ran back into the store, back to where the butcher is to find him hacking my poor turkey to bits.......he was in the process of removing the leg bones....I got him to stop and then explained what I wanted. (silly me I wrongly ASSUMED that he being the butcher would have known what I wanted just like the OTHER IGA butcher did) Ok he says and then starts to peel back the skin on top of the turkey.........what the heck are you doing says I......your supposed to do that from the back!!!........then I started laughing.....said Oh God a time or two, tripped out the doors and made my way back to the van laughing and talking to myself about listening in the future when people tell me things (that aren't very nice) about our town butcher. Now what the hell was I going to do........well.........I drove to the next town to their IGA and talked with that butcher........right away he knew without me explaining (just like the first butcher did) exactly what I wanted. I paid for my beautiful turkey and headed off to work laughing all the way. I already had decided that I was going to buy the first BONELESS turkey as well...for some strange reason I felt responsible for not explaining it correctly to him and as it is MY hometown IGA.....they know where I live....lol Right now I have two turkeys in the beer fridge......one even looks like a turkey.....the other......sadly looks like a bunch of turkey body parts piled on top of each other and wrapped.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving to all those that are celebrating this weekend.
Mary

Great day yesterday......loaded up my plate with all the goodies and then couldn't eat it all.:laugh:

This morning I threw half of a very large pumkin pie in the garbage.....as I'm the only one left in the house that eats it......it had to go!!!

Today we're off to deliver dinner to my mom and dad and then we're going to the movies.

Oh ya.......I'm so very proud of myself......this morning I lugged a bunch of flagstone, I found on the side of the road a few weeks ago, around to the back and made a pathway through one of the gardens. I've wanted to do it for years and am quite pleased now that it is done. It's beautiful here with the colours in the forest out back......blue sky............warm air....fall at it's best.

Cheers

How cool is this......went off diet for 2 weeks, had my weigh in yesterday and managed to lose a pound anyway. :)

Last night my beloved and I went to a 50th bday party for a friend of his. We ate before we left as it we thought it was just a finger food thing......turned out NOT to be. It was at the St. George's Golf Club in Toronto.......food was awesome.....pre ordered for the table......so much for eating RIGHT before we left. I passed on most of it............I think I feel that one pound returning. :)

Cheers

Sounds like you have things under control Mary -- very cool. You must love being in Onederland --- I am still a long ways away but looking forward to being there some day next year LOL.

Loved the story about the boneless turkey --- I rarely deal with the butchers at the IGA -- I have the most delightful neighbourhood butcher within walking distance of my house. He is the old fashioned type that makes his own sausage -- butchers the meat etc etc. He knows us quite well and even questioned why I was there on Saturday buying ribs. I had to explain (explain??) that I forgot to take something out of the freezer. Imagine someone knowing what you actually have in your freezer LOL.

Cheers