Recent Posts
So over the weekend I got a slew of messenger posts about a reunion and I thought, let me just see who all is on OFF. . . It was nice to see so many of those that posted and made me feel like family for a time in my life are posting, but there are even more not here, some of which are FB friends, which is one of the reasons I stopped posting here, because it was almost redundant to come there and be there and my life was busy. . .
so how am I?
I am busy with my family who has grown and continues to grow, I now have 6 grandchildren (this for those not privy to my FB posts), 2015 found me with two new additions, my son had his bonus child (others were almost 10 and 8 when baby brother was born), my youngest daughter, had her first child, who lights up my world with her smiles and curiosity. This year is the year of weddings, my youngest daughter got married Easter weekend and my oldest daughter will be marrying Thanksgiving weekend. All my children now have their life partners and are doing well, my oldest grandchild, Sammi, graduates from HS the end of this month. . . I turned 60 last June and I have recently begun a new journey, one that will hopefully help me deal with the loss of my brother, almost 3 years ago, a loss which I suffered in silence over, a loss in which I resorted to old bad habits and for which now finds me at a weight I never thought I'd return to, and it has caused me a great deal of shame.
I've been trying to do something about it, but to be honest this past winter my back did not cooperate and lots of tests later, I wound up going to a chiropractor who has helped and I am walking at least 6000 steps daily, mostly over 10000, but committed to the 6000 so as not to set myself up for a case of the "eff it's" What I can say is my pouch still works, but my weight does not want to be shed and it's really sad to me. Also, the end of 2014 found me with emergency surgery due to a twisted bowel related to my RNY and the hiatal hernia that my surgeon had fixed in 2007 when I had my RNY, did you know that they come back (hiatal hernias)? Anyway, it was scary and the worst part of the scary was that the place I choose to have my surgery abandoned me at my time of need, which was very disconcerting, since I choose them because they said they would always be there for me, well seems the great surgeon, whose name I will not speak of, not my surgeon as she moved to Kentucky years ago, said my situation was too complicated for him to want to handle. The surgeon who took on my case, told me this after the fact and was unbelieving that such a thing could take place, as he said, even if I leave this practice, you shall always have someone within this practice to step up and take over and that is and should be the way of things. . . obviously, I survived and am glad that I went to the hospital when I did because it could have been a whole different outcome, so please if you ever experience a sensation of severe pain in the stomach area, do not ignore it, as it can very well mean the difference of life or death in our circles. In spite of my regain and aches and pains, I am healthy, still make healthy choices most of the time, just seem to be lost with how to eat and be losing weight, I currently eat about 1000 to 1400 calories and have gained over 40 lbs., it is no joke when it is said that fat cells are hungry to regain their plumpness, there has now been proof in the medical fields that is the case. My friends who have had the gastric sleeve seem to do very well, RNY is what it is and works well if you adhere to what you are supposed to at least 90% of the time. I got lost due to my grief, but I have not given up on reclaiming the numbers that make me feel good, and no, this is not a numbers game, but I do know how it felt to be at a better scale number and I am determined to at the very least, give it my best to get back to that place.
I have to go now and want to give a shout out to my old friends here and say, glad you're still doing what you need to!
With kind regards, Laureen
My Mantra is that I do not determine my success by the number hanging in my closet, nor will I let the scale determine that success either. . . It is through trial and error I will continue to grow and succeed. . . Laureen
"Success is a journey, not a destination." Ben Sweetland
Good afternoon, everyone:
I am on target today. I completed another custom colouring book, called "LETTING GO", for a client and there is a huge pot of home made "Stuffed Green Pepper" Soup simmering on the stove. I had darkly browned prime rib bones and made a good bone broth then added 1 1/2 pounds of lean ground beef, a cup of cooked rice, 3 chopped green peppers, 3 cups of diced fresh mushrooms, fresh garlic & diced onions plus one of my last quarts of home canned tomatoes.
I had my Hot Chocolate Protein drink for brekkie, later a yogurt, lunch was 2 hard-cooked eggs mixed with a bit of mayo and lots of chopped green onions, just eaten with a spoon. Snack was a banana w/peanut butter . Tonight will be soup for me PLUS a grilled ham & cheese for JB. I have an orange for before bed and all day I have been drinking my water. My weight is standing still, but I know, through many years of experience, that my body is wavering and will eventually let go of more weight.
I was out the first half of the week in short sleeves but it went down to almost freezing yesterday and the high winds are darned cold! JB is at Dan's house, they are working on Dan's truck. Derek is prepping for his night shift and I am all alone here...man,m is it ever quiet!
Now I need to get a new ink roll for my laser printer to get this last book finished (printed and bound). Poor Derek will have to help me with that. Naturally I run out of ink just when I have so much to be printed. I have designed a Vertical Banner for my COLOUR ME HAPPY books as I will be presenting workshops at the two conferences that I am attending, May 27-29 in Toronto and the following week, June 3-5 in Niagara Falls. Now I am designing handouts for each lady participating..so I do need my printer.
Mentally, I am planning what to pack...yes, all the usual conference stuff, props for our club's presentations, 3 bankers boxes of archives to be given to the Archivist in Toronto to store...Oh! I can hardly wait to see my car trunk empty again!
But, most of all, I am planning my wardrobe. No one has seen me at the BPW Conference for a year and I am down 48 pounds...excited. Then I am wondering WHY? Do I need others' approval of my appearance? WHY do we worry about how OTHERS think of us?
For me, it is because of a lifetime of "feeling fat and ugly" and I would love to experience how it feels to FEEL pretty. BODY IMAGE is a very delicate balance of reality and self-honesty. I think that the bottom line is really to FEEL COMFORTABLE IN MY OWN SKIN. I need to word hard on that.
We are just coming here on that day and posting back and forth all day. Lots of the oldies are invited and they are already saying yes. So just make sure you pits that day and check the posts throughout the day.
Linda,
I had to have a scope to see if my ulcer had heeled up in the stoma and it did! But the kicker is I still have to stay on the medicine for four months. But that's a ok with me!
Carla
Is there a link to the information? I am most unlikely able to attend but I will live vicariously through all of you!
We have been talking on the Over 50 Forum and would like (love) to invite you to join us on May 31 for "Reunion Day"... I've included all of the members from then and now and if you know more please include them too. Just come on either on that day or that week and say hello. We want to know how you are all doing. If you need help to get on the site just ask. We talk about our old members frequently and remember you vividly. Please invite anyone else that you may know also. It would be great to see a bunch of the old group together again!
Carla,
I admire your adventurous spirit. When we lived in the big house, we would fix the back yard up as a campground and put our tent up (the only time it ever was used) and the kitchen screen up (I made DH buy a screen thing for cooking) and we would camp out with the kids but as soon as things settled down, I would go inside and leave DH and the grands. I am not an outside person and other than hiking for fossils or other rocks, I am not motivated to go do out side things. Now, when the weather is nice and the flying insects are gone (in AR, that's like a week in the fall), I do enjoy going out.
Today we are going down the mountain and watch our grandson graduate. I bought him some shares in a couple of companies and we are giving him some money so he will be happy. When he turned 16, DH started a investment portfolio for him and we bought bought him stocks and paid for him to spend an hour with the stock guy we use. An hour isn't enough time but he did learn that holding on to good stocks can make you a millionaire real fast and the investment guy told DH that our grandson sure did ask the right questions. Plus, the kid has saved every dime he has made on the farm and birthday and Christmas money so we think he will do well. I cannot believe my grandson is graduating and that he has a girlfriend and is headed off to college.....I am old. All of My husband's grandkids are out of school and married with kids and two of the grandkids have kids so he is a great/great granddad....I know...sounds rough.
Well, today my biggest goal is to drink the water and stick to the meal plan. Today was egg day so I made us scrambled eggs with mushrooms, bell peppers, and nutritional yeast....we had rye bread toasted with a little almond butter on top. Lunch is three bean soup. I mixed pinto, northern, and those cranberry beans together with more pinto than the others and cooked them all day in the crock pot. We had them for dinner with shrimp and okra but today, I am going to cook them down to make a nice thick soup....and we'll throw in some chia seeds.
I have been looking forward to dinner all week. My grandsons and brother in law went trout fishing and they caught a ton of trout, some bass, and I think they have some cat fish too and we are going to have a fish fry after my son graduates this evening. I have made potato salad and a pumpkin roll. I am taking rolls that I have rising now. I cannot wait...hushpuppies...yeah!
Well, that's my diet and social plans for the day. I am going to try and get some walking in while I am down the mountain...it's real flat down on our farm so I don't have to struggle as much to walk outside as I do up here with all the freaking hills....we live on top of a huge hill and it is so uneven to walk.....
Ladies, have a good day and drink the water, eat the veggies, and go absorb some sun's rays....even if it is for only a short time.
Good morning Carla, Trish, and those to come.
Carla...sorry you left the hospital with a headache. Those are the worst. How did the scope go did you get results yet? I think your hand moved over a key or two. I couldn't make out the last of your sentence but I think you said your brother was moving in with you. I can commiserate, I am a private person and love company for a few days but then I want my space back. Hope this camping trip gives you the break you need.
Trish...sorry about your bursitis, I know I misspelled that. I get shots in my knees and they usually help quite a bit. Pain anywhere that is weight bearing is not fun. Hope you get you 6,000 steps in. I have been forgetting to wear my fit bit the last couple of days . Your post reminded me to get it off the charger and put it on. I wi**** would turn cold here. We had a cooler day yesterday and again today but cooler is mid 70's. It will be going back to the high 80's by tomorrow. With our humidity that is brutal and its May.
Nancy....I boiled some eggs this morning JB style. I put in as many as the pot would hold. I have an easy method for boiling eggs. I place them in enough water to cover them by about 2 inches. I let them come to a boil then cover and turn off the heat. 10 minutes later they are perfectly cooked. No green ring around the yolk, which is a sign of over cooking. You are supposed to drain them and place them in a bowl of water with ice in order to make them easy to peel. I don't usually do that step. Even though they always cook perfectly I still test one before I pour out the ho****er.
Today I will take it easy. I have a book to finish that I am slow to get to. It is a faith based book. My faith is important to me but this book is a little too heavy on faith and slow on plot development. There are too many preachy parts and the characters, or one character in particular, seems to be evangelizing all the time. I think you show your Christianity by the life you lead and no amount of preaching will make you credible if you character says otherwise. Action not words.
I need to clean the patio furniture but it looks like it might rain so I may get a reprieve. Guess I'll go and see what the day brings.
Later
Good Morning Carla and OFF,
Carla, you are a brave woman. My idea of camping is Residence Inn, by Marriott. Last year, I got a cabin at a campground while Colleen and the kids camped in their pop-up. I hated having to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, coz I locked myself out of my cabin one night. Not good.
I work up early coz my bursitis in my hip is bothering me. I got a shot for it a few weeks ago, but it didn't seem to take.
My food has been so-so. The weather took a turn toward the cold yesterday, and I didn't get my walk in. Must get back on track.
My exercise goal in 6,000 steps today. Weather be damned.
Latest on my friend, Adrian, is that he's having a skin graph done this week. He has been through the wringer. It's been three weeks since he was rushed to the hospital. Thanks for praying, and thinking good thoughts. He's only 41, has two little boys, one in school, and the other 3 years old. His wife had WLS at the same surgery center I did. I got to know him when we both volunteered on an overnight with the homeless at our church back home. In the winter, our church, and several others, open the doors to take in the homeless overnight on the colder nights.
Must scoot.
Hugs,
Trish
Albert Schweitzer
