HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM THE GRAHAM FAMILY. PETS WELCOME THIS YEAR IT SEEMS. HEHE
HOPE STEPHAN DOESN'T MIND HIS CAT IS ENJOYING HIS thANKSGIVING DINNER. HEHE


We had a nice small family dinner of turkey, corn, mashed potatoes w/turkey gravy, rolls, and the surprise dessert I made special for my hunny! Cheesecake pudding pie in gramcracker crust! I had ONE piece and the kids each got a small one and the rest, Pattrick happilly topped it with the home made whipped topping I made. hehe He LOVED it!!

Tonight I made a wonderfully tasty cassarole using most of the left over turkey with a can of cream chickened soup abd styuffing, It was rather good. Patrick LOVES stuffing so these are going to be high on the priority list being put into our food storage. THe go to meal hehe Nothing like being able to break out meals that bring smiles to peoples lips and evoke those wonderful memories. It isn't about stufing food down your mouth .It's what associated with that food that makes the experiance as a WHOLE the reason that we eat specific foods over others. Now to just help these food be healthier and contribut to geting us to the life and healthy that we are seeking. Truly wanting to attian and live  by what we hae learned, It is a never ending lesson., Thankfully there is so much that we can do and so many paths that wil get us to freedom. For al those that have advice and suggestions to help on this journy, woulf be greatly appreciated and a blessing. Haveing as many that desire to help can ony benefit us all! Can NEVER have too much help! Take bits and pieces from some and a tad from anothr and create a plan that works specifically for you. That's the glory of having friends and knowdge. Learn from them See if any advice they offer can be of help to yuo, and if so, then run with it! Add it to your store of knowledge to help you win in thi game of losing!!! That's what it's about. Winning!! Winnging good health. WInning self confedence. Feel that FINALLY you are able to gather from here and there and able to make your own path and plan. Nothing lik any other persons. For each   one of us must find our own way to health. To the life that we have dreamt about since before they slid us into the surgery room. Gathering Knowledge so we would have a better understand o how to proceed. 

Keep listening to those that have gon bofore., Those that made i, and those that struggle, but stil trying, then thiose that have reverted back to their old life. They are a fountain of information. Learn, listen, read. Then go yiur own way and find you healthy body. It's waiting for you and it is SOO worth the exercising the changing eating to a healthy life long committment.

 I thank all those people that have stood by me and with me. That have reallly been there and showed me their wonderful experiance and how they charted their own course to success.. I thank them dearly. I hpe I can pass on what I've learned to those following after.

God be with you and keeep yiu all! Just keep pushing forward and looking ahead to that healthy goal! All of us wil one day be sitting therer singnig "Combya my love" with arms linked and swinging from side to side. hehe

A nice photo of my sweet Kaleb sleeping in his daddy's place. hheh

This afternoon  I spent it browsing for formal dresses for the ball my husband and I will be going to the first of the year. I have already choosen my gown....


This is the shrug/faux fur coat I'm getting...

http://www.dillards.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=301&langId=-1&storeId=301&productId=502542194&Ntk=all&Nty=1&splashlink=header_search&Ntt=faux+dur+coats&N=1000410&search.x=17&search.y=10&searchUrl=%2Fendeca%2FEndecaStartServlet%3FNtk%3Dall%26Nty%3D1%26splashlink%3Dheader_search%26Ntt%3Dfaux%2Bdur%2Bcoats%26N%3D1000410%26search.x%3D17%26search.y%3D10&R=03366039

For some reason the copy & paste didn't work right on this one.

I'm getting very excited about going to the ball. Though I'm anxious to buy the dress so soon. I need to since it has to be shipped to me, but I don't want to buy it so early since I'm still losing weight and I plan on being nearly 20 pounds lighter by the time the ball rolls around. I'm not sure if having it taken in that much will keep the shape of the dress. Ya know?? I LOVE the way it looks and want it to look like that on me, not altered and not looking the same as it does now. Something to think about.

I just fell in LOVE with that coat! It's soo soft and elegantly simple. I think it will go beautifully with the dress and my husband's dress uniform. He's gonna look soo sharp. Go him! hehe

I went today and tried on dresses to see how I looked in the different styles. I choose a dress that was off the shoulder, to try to get an idea of how it looks for me to have bare shoulders. I did actually really like that dress and so did my husband. It was a cocktail dress and I thought very flattering.


This is the off the shoulder dress~~~~

I thought it looked very flattering.



This full length formal gown is similar in color to the gown I chose online. I wanted to see how it worked with my skin coloring. What do you think????

I thought the roching was very nice on helping to draw attention from my middle and flattering. I think the color looks nice on me as well. I haven't decided if I'm going to wear my hair up or down.



This is how it looks from the side. I really do like the gathered look. The under slip was slit on the other side to above the knee and was very cute and flirty!
I'm VERY self concious of my fat arms above my elbow (also above my knees), and was even considering going with a long sleeved shrug or jacket to help cover them. I am hoping that by the time the ball rolls around my arms will have slimmed down.

Now I just need to get a clutch and shoes. I was thinking silver. White would stand out too much, and black is too dark. I think silver to match the silver detail on the front of the dress would be very nice. Whatch ya think???

My neighbor was kind enough to give me some clothing her in-laws were getting rid of and one of the dresses was a Donna Karen....

Here I am wearing a size 14 Donna Karen!!!! WHAT?!?! I know that designer dresses run smaller, and I was soo excited to slip that dress on. It just made me feel slim and pretty! It helped to motivate me and keep me moving in the right direction as well. I'm hitting my goal of 150! Then I'm gonna hit 135! My belly is soo big, I need to lose it, it's keeping me from actually being able to go down in pants sizes. My thighs are swimming in my pants, yet my belly is just flopping around there, hanging. UGH!! 

In the bag my neighbor gave me were Louis Vuitton purse, Donna Karen, and Fossel!! I had to make sure she didn't want them. I couldn't just keep them! I mean those are some EXPENSIVE pursees. The Louis Vuitton purse was sold for $800!! It's in PERFECT condition!! (you can see it in the background in the dressing room shots of me in the dresses) She said she wasn't a purse collecter and I was welcome to them. I feel soo blessed! WOW!! I never DREAMED I'd own a designer purse, let along THREE!!!  What a wonderful thing to happen. How lovely and wonderful people are. Yeah for great neighbors. hehe

So this evening after getting back from window shopping and trying on dresses, I went out back for a bit and showed the photos on my phone to my neighbor and she thought I looked really nice and agreed that the blue dress color looked nice on me. We each then had to pick up the dog pooh in our yards (they have two dogs) and I went in side to make dinner and sat down for a bit and just felt achy and icky and felt sickness coming on me. Sure enough, my whole body started to ache. I asked Patrick to please fry up the hamburger for soft shell tacos and to rinse it well before returning it to the pan. He diced up veggies to put on it and even made the kid's plates. It was soo nice of him! I could only at half of me (the tortillas were SUPER large hehe), and cleaned up the food. Went up stairs to take my daily meds/suppliments and some cough medacin and the stuff seriously knocked me out while just SITTING in my bed! I don't recall it even hitting me! I just sat down on the bed and BOOM! I was out! I woke up at midnight and took some more and decided to post a bit of my day.

I have not felt like eating all day. I had thought perhaps that was what was causing me to feel ikcy. but it's the coming on of the flu/cold. I am praying it is NOT strep or tonsolitise. I generally get one of those in the first of the year and end of the year. Yeah me...NOT!! hehe I had thought I dodged the bullet when the kids and Patrick were sick weeks ago, but it seems not. It was merely building up in my body. hehe I took some fever reducer since just sitting was making me sweat! lol Yeah for modern medican. I'm soo thankful!

I have to get laundry done tomorrow since I put it off since Thursday, there iis about three loads of clothes I need to wash and fold. yeah for laundry room being upstairs with the bed rooms! HEHE

Today was a PERFECT weather day! 71 degrees! It could stay this temp ALL winter. I'd be a happy camper! hehe I can hope ya know! lol I have a feeling when winter hits, it's gonna slam us..HARD! UGH! Not looking forward to that.  Hpefully no tme soon! Giving thanks for the blessings I had this day and for the wonderful life and chance to get back to health and happiness. Life is worth living, when living is life.