My New Beginnings

Finished Two Quilts

2011-12-03T04:11:00.000-08:00

I finally finished my husband's fishing quilt and also a small rag quilt I made for my great grandson. He is two and so I put some animal prints on it to help him learn words. I wasn't sure I liked it until it was finished and now I am happy with it. I haven't taken a picture of it yet so I can't post it but I will. Bob loves his quilt and it's very warm and soft. I used fleece on the back of it and also used Warm and White batting in it. It was a bit heavier to finish it but it really doesn't feel exceptionally heavy but feels wonderful. Right now Chloe (our Bichon) is sleeping on it. Bob laid it on the floor for her to lay on. She isn't feeling well. She started acting not like herself around 5 last evening. She didn't eat her dinner, just laid around all night. She woke me around 2:30 to go outside and when we came back in she headed to the living room and the quilt. I gave her a dose of the anti inflammatory her vet prescribed and I am hoping she will start to feel better. It's been pretty cold and damp here the last week and that kind of bothers her arthritis.

I am planning to go to our Christmas Fair at our Fairgrounds today. It's the largest one in Southern Oregon and usually there are plenty of things I find interesting. I just hope I can find some gifts there for Christmas and not just things I want for me.

Last night we watched the Oregon Ducks play against UCLA and I am starting to really get into football. I hate to admit that since there are already football games on in our house whenever one is televised. I usually just watch the Super Bowl but I do enjoy watching the Ducks play. I was in the process of fixing dinner (pork chops) when the game started. I had forgotten the game was last night. I mentioned that if I had remembered the game we could have just had pizza so we wouldn't have to miss anything. That's all I needed to say. The Ducks were ahead in the second quarter and Bob left to go pick up a pizza at Domino's. We live farther away than they will deliver to us so we have to go pick it up. Not really great diet food but all I had was two pieces and they were small because it was a medium pizza. Sounds like I am trying to justify here doesn't it? I didn't lose any weight this week but I am still going to the gym 5 days and week and this week I had some really great workouts.

Well, I am up way too early so I am heading back to bed now for a few more hours of sleep before I go to the craft fair. Have a good day all..
Blessings..

Rainy days

2011-11-19T09:02:00.001-08:00

I haven't been posting much lately. I think it's a combination of things that are causing me not to be on blogger much. Most of it is that since I had my band removed I don't feel the same connection to the other banded folks out there. Also, I am trying to keep in control of my eating. I joined Weight Watchers the other day and I love the new program. I try to read the blogs I follow even if I don't post myself. And I try to comment on blogs I read so people know that what they are writing is being read and appreciated by someone.

I am trying to catch up with my quilting projects and it's going slowly. Also I am planning my Thanksgiving meal. We are having several friends over for dinner and I love entertaining. I feel like the hours in the day are just going by so fast I can't get things done. Maybe I need to organize my time better.

Yesterday my hubby and I went to Costco to pick up a few things and as we left it was snowing pretty hard outside. When we got out in it we found that the snow was very large and wet. I was soaked by the time we got in the truck. It was short lived but fun while it lasted. We don't usually get much snow here where we live. Maybe once or twice a year and it's usually gone by the end of the day since the snow turns to rain and it washes away. But I always enjoy looking out at it.

Well, I guess I need to get myself together and start my day. Have a good weekend everyone.

Another New Beginning

2011-10-21T15:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I had my surgery on Monday. I meant to make an entry sooner but I've been catching up on sleep all week. I am feeling great today. I hope to get back to the gym starting Monday and maybe do some time on the treadmill or the eliptical. I am surprised to say that I am not starving all the time. I guess since being banded for 3 1/2 years my stomach has shrunk quite a bit. I am eating the same amount of food as I did while banded and hopefully I can keep it up so my stomach doesn't stretch out. I must say, I have had no heartburn or reflux since surgery. I stopped taking my acid reducer pills the first day. I like the fact that what I do eat goes down to my stomach and doesn't come back and hour or two later. I didn't think I would be happy about not being banded but I am.

I don't know if I will have any other weight loss surgery. I will have to wait six months to a year for my esophagus to completely heal anyway. I am hoping to keep on top of the weight I've already lost and if I do opt for another surgery I may go for the vertical sleeve.

I'm still here.......

2011-10-01T11:03:00.001-07:00

I have been lurking off and on reading your posts. My hubby and I have been at the coast and fishing for salmon. He did something to his back the day before we left for here and so he's been in a great deal of pain and only just started going fishing the last week or so. Nothing caught yet. Two of our friends came yesterday and went fishing with him and one of them caught a 28 pound salmon. Darn!! Poor Bob, he just doesn't have any luck with salmon. In 8 years of trying he's only caught 2 of them. We are with 2 couples and they've each caught several already. I haven't been out fishing with him this time because Chloe (our pup) had an episode of being sick when we first got here and I had to have her vet fax over a prescription of her pain meds to the vet here. I've been trying not to leave her alone for very long if I can help it.

Isn't this a pretty picture for Fall? I found it several years ago I think online at a magazine website. Well, I have a date for my surgery scheduled. It is on the 17th of October. I am trying to keep a postive outlook and it's helping me to accept it. Also I am thinking that God has a plan for me and this is just a part of it. I hope all my followers are doing well and enjoying the autumn weather where they are.

We bought a fresh tuna last week and brought it back to our campsite and canned it in half pint jars. We got 25 jars of fresh canned albacore. Yummy! I haven't tried it yet but our friend also bought one and canned his and we tasted it and it's the best tuna I've ever eaten. Sure beats Chicken of the Sea. LOL Several people who are camped here by us brought fresh produce from their gardens and shared them. I roasted some tomatoes the other day from a recipe I got from Cathy at Wives with Knives blog. They are delish. Also we got loads of bell peppers, zucchini, pears and corn. We've been eating so well here. Fresh corn on the cob and sliced tomatoes every night. Oh so good. Well, time to take Chloe for a walk now.

My appt with the surgeon

2011-09-09T04:56:00.001-07:00

Well, my hubby and I went up to see the surgeon yesterday and I had my list of questions for him in my hand. I was a little surprised that he didn't have us come into his office for the meeting. We were just in the examination room. I was so glad my hubby came because he had his own questions that went along with the ones I had asked. The doctor said the reason he needs to remove my band is because my esophagus isn't working the way it should. It isn't moving the food down through the band. Also, the band is smaller than the bands currently being used and since it is smaller it is like there is restriction even when unfilled. He said the newer bands when unfilled are like no band at all. It sounded to us (hubby and me) like the band has damaged me and should not have been used to begin with since there was a choice then for a larger band.

I explained that I felt as though the last 2 1/2 years of what I've gone through was a waste since I haven't lost weight and just bounced up and down a few pounds here and there. He indicated he totally understood how I feel. He is also a lapband patient and knows how I feel about having to lose my band. It's like a part of me is going away. Like the friend inside me that kept me from being hungry all the time and helped me lose almost 100 pounds won't be there anymore.

As for replacing it with another band or the vertical sleeve, he said it would take time to heal before he would consider another surgery. He feels the larger band would be the better choice and if we go with another surgery he could see how things look at that time and try to go with the vertical sleeve but if there is too much scar tissue he would just go with the larger band.

My husband asked him how he likes his band. He turned to me and said, "how do you like yours?" I said, "I love my band" and he indicated he feels the same way. So now I have to wait for the call to go for my pre-op and soon I won't have my lovely little friend anymore. I am saddened by this but I am trying to keep a positive outlook. I am thinking of going to a Weight Watchers meeting and getting the info on the newest Points program.. I am a lifetime member so I don't have to pay registration fees. Right now I can't eat much fruit because of the band. In fact I ate one grape a couple of days ago after dinner and the next morning a piece of it came back up. It never went through the band. So I am looking forward to being able to eat pineapple again and watermelon and other fiberous fruits and veggies.

I was so grateful my husband came with me. He was my rock and his being there kept me from turning into a crying mess.

Hot Weekend......

2011-09-04T07:26:00.000-07:00

Wow! Our temperature was up in the 90s yesterday. We aren't used to such heat here. Especially since we just spent a week at the coast and it is so cool there. It was also my birthday and hubby and I tried a new restaurant in town called Blackbird Bar and Grill. I wanted to go somewhere I don't always eat. The atmosphere was great, quiet with jazzy piano music playing. The front of the place has a full length bar and small tables across from it. There is a little bay window in front also with a built in cushiony bench and small table. My hubby wanted to sit there. It was really cozy. The actual dining roon was in the rear but it was still pretty neat where we sat. We had Bruschetta as an appetizer. Wow! It was yummy. It had artichoke hearts on it and my picky husband ate it and loved it. Boy, was I surprised. I ordered Jambalaya for my main course. I love it and haven't eaten it in years. It was fabulous. Better than any I've eaten before. I couldn't eat it all so I have a carton in the fridge for today.......yeah!! Then for dessert, since it was my birthday, I chose chocolate creme brulee. I am telling you it was so rich and smooth. YUM!! What a delightful dinner. When they found out it was my birthday, they gave me the dessert at no charge. We were really surprised when the bill came and it was only $53. I had a couple of glasses of wine and my hubster had 2 beers too. We thought it was pretty reasonable. We will definitely be going back there.

My appt with the surgeon regarding the removal of my lapband is this week on Thursday. I am compiling a list of questions I want to ask about the whole situation. I am really glad that my husband is coming with me so he can be my moral support and backup if I choke and don't ask any questions. I don't know what will happen I just am hoping that whatever the outcome is, I am ok with it. I have to call my insurance company tomorrow and inquire about their coverage for conversion if the band fails. We shall see.

Not very promising news..

2011-08-19T05:29:00.000-07:00

Well, I saw the doctor on Tuesday for my latest fluoroscope test. This time he had me meet him in his office first and he attempted to show me the films from the last tests. I had only previously seen them from an angle as I was being filmed. He wasn't able to get them to play on his computer. So we headed down to the hospital for the test again. When I got in position he turned the television so I could clearly watch. When I drank the liquid I saw it flow down my esophagus and then it stopped at the band. He said, " it's still doing the same thing" You could see it barely trickling through the band and move on toward the stomach. I asked him if this is what it had been doing the past times. He said it had. Now, I am no medical person in any stretch of the imagination but, if the band is not filled, the liquid should go right on through. Unless there is some sort of obstruction. So what is going on? Then he said, "I am going to have to remove the band" I asked if there was any alternative measure and he said no. He said he would have his girls in the office contact me and set up an appointment for the surgery to remove it. I was stunned. I was on the verge of tears and couldn't talk without starting to cry so I just agreed and went home. Of course as soon as I got home and tried to tell my husband I started bawling like a baby. This band has been a part of my body for the last 3 1/2 years and my dream of losing weight was quickly coming to an end. My husband being much more calm and analytical said, "wait a minute, why is there no other options for you? Why can't he replace it with the larger band or something else?" My thoughts too but I was so upset I couldn't talk to the doctor. Also, I don't even know if my insurance would cover another surgery. But it should be looked into. So I calmed down and my husband said to tell them when they call that we want to talk to the doctor and we need some answers or we need a second opinion. Well, it just so happened that when they called to schedule the appointment for surgery, I wasn't home. My husband talked to the girl from the office and explained our feelings to her. She said she would talk to the doctor and call us back. So now I have an appointment with my husband going too, to speak with the doctor about what my options are and to find out what cause this to happen and whatever other questions we come up with. It's been difficult to keep this off my mind. My brother and sister-in-law got here the same day as my test so that is helping me a bit. And we have workers here replacing windows in our house and residing it so that is also a distraction. I am hoping this has a good outcome for me and not more dissapointment.

Saturday morning

2011-08-13T08:09:00.000-07:00

I've been doing really well since the 5 day pouch test. It has gotten me back on track. I have lost 8 pounds and feel good. After being gone for a month on vacation and no exercise it felt so good to get back to the gym. It took me a few days to gain back the strength and stamina I had before though.
Yesterday, I went to Costco and bought meat for when my brother comes next week. I got tri-tip roasts, baby back ribs, pork chops, filet mignon and we have lots of fish in the freezer already. We smoked some of the Kokanee that we caught at the lake. I really like it smoked. My pastor's wife told me they eat it on Wheat Thins with a smear of cream cheese and then a piece of the fish. I tried it and loved it. I haven't eaten it this way since the pouch test. Tuesday is my next barium swallow. I am hoping things look better this time but if not I will ask the doctor to leave the band in rather than remove it and have nothing. I don't know that my insurance company would pay for another band or another weight loss surgery.

We are having our house resided next week also. They will replace several of the windows while they are siding it. The windows we have now are quite old and the new ones will be dual paned. We replaced three in the front of the house and they've made a big difference but the bedrooms all have the old style with built in storm windows over them. They are quite heavy and difficult to clean.

Today is the last day of our county fair and we are going with some friends. There is also a Skandinavian Festival north of here and we thought about going there too. But I think we will go to our fair since it's closer and our dog needs to be let out to go potty every two to three hours. She has had 2 bladder surgeries and is getting older and just can't hold her urine.

It's very quiet this morning. Hardly any cars going down the street. It's overcast outside and the sun should burn through in a couple of hours. I think I will have another cup of coffee now. Have a good weekend everyone.

Day 4

2011-08-05T07:54:00.000-07:00

Today is day 4 of the 5 day pouch test. I've done really well so far. Yesterday I got in the car to go to the gym and once I got off our street onto the main road here in town I noticed all the interior lights were on in the car. When we were at the Jamboree this past weekend the passenger window quit working in an open position. My hubby decided he would fix it instead of paying someone else to do it. He had taken the panel off the door and was planning on fixing it when I got back from my workout. Well, I continued to the gym, thinking that maybe after I turned off the engine the lights would time out. Not so, I was afraid that when I came out 2 hours later my battery would be dead. So I turned the car around and came home. My hubby went to the garage for a little while and then decided it was over his head. He went to the auto repair he has used before and they did it for $50 plus the part they needed. I am so happy to have my car in one piece again.

Today I get to eat ground meat. I am drooling in anticipation for an angus burger from Costco. They are fully cooked and you just microwave them or you can also grill them if you like. They are so good..............yum.

Catching up with my life again.......

2011-08-03T13:27:00.000-07:00

Back from my vacation. It is always nice to get home. I decided to try the 5 day pouch test. I've never done it before and I felt so bloated after our trip. I did gain a few pounds, 4 to be exact so I decided to try this since it's supposed to get you back to where you were after first being banded. I'm on day 2 and went back to my gym for my workout today. It felt so good to workout and sweat. I came home and gave my Chloe a bath. Now I am getting ready to go out and pull some weeds. I am trying to keep busy so I don't get tempted to eat something. The first two days are liquids only and I keep seeing recipes or pictures of food in magazines and online.
I spent yesterday doing laundry and emptying the food and other things out of the RV. I still have to clean it but I won't be doing that today. While we were gone the passenger window on our tow vehicle (my car) came off the track or something. My hubby is in town now trying to get it fixed. There are so many things to catch up on when you've been away. I had the mail stopped for 30 days and it took a while to sort through it. I have a whole stack of magazines to read now.
I also need to finish a couple of quilts that are almost complete. Better get out to that garden now.......have a good day everyone!

I am still around.......

2011-07-23T08:39:00.000-07:00

I am still around, I just haven't been posting. We have been at a lake, camping for the whole month of July. Hubby goes out fishing in the morning and again in the late afternoon. I am ready to leave. I am soooo bored. The mosquitoes were really aggressive when we first got here. They have decreased in the last week. We've had several friends here for a week at a time so it's not too bad. Last week we had rain most of the week and dreary weather. Now it's so pretty again. I have read two books and I know it sounds like a nice relaxing vacation but I feel like all I do is wash dishes and vacuum the motorhome and pick up and put away things. Not to mention cooking all the time. The last few days were better because we made group meals with two other couples so I didn't have to cook the whole thing. Tonight we are making smoked baby back ribs and baked potatoes. One of the couples will be bringing corn on the cob. I took a picture of the lake with the moon over it the other night. Our wifi is so overworked here that I can't upload it until I get home. Next Thursday we are leaving for Sweet Home, Oregon for the Oregon Jamboree . We've gone for the last five years and it's so much fun. We have met lots of new friends waiting in line to get in each day. I have been reading all the posts I follow and even commenting on them when the computer doesn't make me wait too long. I hope everyone is having a good summer and I hope the areas suffering from the heat get relief soon.

My Next Rag Quilt

2011-06-16T18:51:00.000-07:00

Here is the latest rag quilt for my Sis-in-law's new grandson. I am working on the last one for a little girl yet to be born. Finally I will have one done before the baby is born.

I haven't been working very hard on getting these done. I am ashamed to say I wish I devoted more time to my quilting. I go to the gym 5 days a week and when I get home I start with my housework and then I make lunch for my hubby. Before I know it it's time to make dinner and I haven't worked on my quilt. I guess if I worked on them every single day I would get sick of sewing. I don't know. As it is I love it, when I do it.

I am feeling a little sorry for myself today. I am watching the scale creep up a few pounds and my jeans are feeling a little tight today. I workout hard when at the gym everyday I am there. I still use a small salad plate at dinner and yet, I feel as though I am gaining weight. I am thinking of rejoining Weight Watchers. I have until the end of August before I see my bariatric surgeon again. At that time it's any ones guess what he will decide. I only hope there will be an improvement in my esophagus and maybe he'll decide I don't need my band taken out and maybe he will even adjust it a tiny bit so I can have some restriction again. I haven't written my blog in about a month. I just read everyone else's that I subscribe to. One of the blogs I read is
Can't Wait to Lose it.
Jacquie had her lapband removed today and it was replaced (if everything went as planned) by a vertical sleeve. I hope she is doing well now, I believe her surgery was early this morning.
I don't know if I should consider this type of surgery for myself if I have to have my band removed. I will have to wait and see.

Our weather has been so nice this week. Sunny every day and warm but not hot. Today I kept hearing meadowlarks singing all day long. Beautiful. It's pretty quiet outside now. They must be eating and getting ready to call it a day. My hubby went fishing today with a couple of his buddies. He also went on Tuesday. Today they went to a lake and Tuesday they went to the ocean. He caught a couple of lingcod and some black bass. Today he gave what he caught to one of the other guys. He doesn't eat fish and I only eat it occasionally so he doesn't keep most of what he catches. Well, I need to get back to the sewing machine and sew some more before "So you think you can dance" comes on. Good night all.

2nd rag quilt

2011-05-27T15:24:00.000-07:00

Here is the rag quilt I have made for my sister-in-law's grandbaby. I have two finished now and I am in the process of trying to find a box to mail them in. They live in Nevada. I still have two more to make. She is being blessed with 4 grandbabies this year. Two boys and two girls. These are all flannel and so soft. I am currently cutting the fabric for the third one.

I am trying to eat right and not have any between meal snacks. It's hard to do since I have been getting hungry between lunch and dinner each day. If I keep busy maybe I won't go looking for something to eat. And if I am really hungry I need to find something healthy to eat rather than crackers or pita chips. I always look for something quick and satisfying. Since I have no fluid in my band for 8 months now I am finding I am slipping back into old habits. So I am trying to only go for something that will nourish me and hold me over until my next meal. What are you all planning for the Memorial Weekend? We don't have any plans this weekend. The forecast is that it will rain all weekend except Sunday. We've lived here in Oregon for almost 9 years now and this has been the longest winter/rainy season so far. I am so ready ( being a Southern California girl) for sunshine and warm weather. But you can't beat the green here in Oregon. I love it.

I also want to thank everyone for their nice comments about my lapband troubles. It makes me feel so good to know I have friends out there in cyberspace.

Doctor

2011-05-25T19:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my appointment with my bariatric doctor. I was his first patient in my town. We chatted a while and I told him I didn't want my band removed if I have a choice. At least it gives me some restriction and without it I would have none. I asked him if there are many people who are having the same experience that I am having. He said that there are alot of people who are having the same experience. Most of the ones having the experience have the same size band as me. It is smaller than the ones being used today and they are finding the smaller band is causing more slippages, erosions and esophagus dilations due to the band cutting into the esophagus. He also told me he wants me to take another upper GI test in three months. I agreed to it. He also mentioned a test where they measure the muscle tone in the esophagus as I swallow liquid to see if I have a normal response. It was alot to take in and I am not sure if or when they will do that test. He never mentioned replacing the band, if it needs to be removed, with the vertical sleeve. He did, however say that he could replace the band I have with a newer band. But we will wait and see how things go.

I finished my second rag quilt this week. I plan to mail off the two I have completed to my sis-in-law so she can send them to her two grandbabies. I am going to start on the third one tomorrow. I will download the picture I took of the newest one and post it tomorrow. They are quick once you start piecing them together.

Not good news......

2011-05-03T18:10:00.000-07:00

Well, I went for my Upper GI and was very disappointed. The doctor said, "there has been no change" What???? No change??? He said there had been no improvement in the last 3 months. He told me I had two options: to wait another 3 months (which would mean 10 months of waiting)or have my band removed. I am so bummed!! I just stood there stunned. He asked me if I wasfrom out of town and when I told him I was from Roseburg he said he is opening a new clinic in Roseburg starting this month on the 24th. He told me to call his office and schedule an appointment for the 24th and we would discuss it then. I did just that, but I am worried about what will happen now. Please think good thoughts for me or prayers are so appreciated. I feel like two of the three years I have had my band have been stuck in a holding pattern over this problem.

Rag quilt finished....

2011-05-01T07:53:00.001-07:00

I made this rag quilt to give to my sister-in-law for one of her four new grandbabies being born this year. I am a little late since 3 of them have already been born. I wanted to make something that would be quick to make and yet be soft a nice for a baby. I am so happy with how this turned out. I just have to wash it to make the fringe show up. I just need to make another one for a boy and then two girl quilts. I have the first girls quilt cut out and realized I don't have enough of the fabric I wanted to use so I will be making a trip to Joann's after church today and hopefully they have some matching fabric. This was made with flannels and each square is 8 inches with a 7 inch piece of batting inside the sandwich. I made it 6 rows of 6 squares and I love the size for putting on the floor for baby to lay on or play on and so soft and warm too. It only took me a couple of days to make start to finish.

Yesterday we walked at one of our parks for the March of Dimes marchforbabies.org. It was a considerably smaller turnout and administration than I had been used to when I lived in the Los Angeles area. But it was fun, none the less and we participated in a fund raiser of the very best kind, for babies. I had recruited all the ladies I workout with at the local YMCA and only two of them showed up. My hubby and his friend Rich also came along. It was a short walk of 3 miles and it took us an hour to get back to the starting point. They were cooking hotdogs and also had free ice cream. We got home before noon and had the whole day to do whatever. I worked on my quilt.

Tuesday, we are going up to Eugene with our friends and taking our motorhomes. There is a new Cabella's opening on Thursday and our fellas want to be there for the opening. Actually, friend Rich has one of their credit cards and has an invite for the day before the opening so I guess we'll be there on Wednesday. We are going on Tuesday because I have my appointment with my surgeon for the upper GI that day. I am hoping this time I have healed enough to have him start my fills again so I can start to lose weight again. It's been a long 7 months without restriction and I have gained about 9 pounds back. I am eager to have that not hungry feeling again.

It's a beautiful Sunday and I am off to go to church now.........God Bless all.

Fender Bender......ugh!!

2011-04-26T08:47:00.000-07:00

Friday morning I was attempting to get to the gym at an earlier time than usual. An old friend of mine, who I worked with back 20 years ago, lives here in my town and goes to the YMCA also. She does a workout class at 9am on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. She has been after me to give it a try and I decided to try it last Friday. After my shower and a container of protein shake I headed for the gym. I think I was feeling a bit rushed and was maybe driving a little faster and less safely than I usually do. I usually take a short cut on my way to the gym, thereby avoiding the busy intersection and 4 way signal. I headed down the street I take and there was another car in front of me, as I came down a slight hill I noticed a woman on the side of the road down on the ground. I thought something was wrong until she stood and I realized she was weeding. I only was looking at her for a couple of seconds but when I turned back the car in front of me had stopped to make a turn into a driveway. YIKES!! I slammed on the brakes but still hit him. Thankfully, he wasn't hurt. My car had no damage at all, his not so lucky. His whole bumper will have to be replaced at the very least. The man was very kind and invited me into his work (where he was making the turn to) to exchange information. He is a CPA and his office was quiet and private. I thanked him for being so calm and nice to me after I plowed into him.
I debated whether I should go on to the exercise class or go home, I went on to exercise. I was glad I did. When I got home and told Bob what had happened he said "sounds like you were in a hurry and that short cut you always take is proof of that, but accidents happen and that's what we have insurance for" I knew he would be ok with it. He was only concerned with whether there were any injuries.

A friend of mine is getting started on quilting now also and couldn't get her machine threaded the other night so I went over and helped her with the threading and showed her how to wind the bobbin on the machine. It hadn't been used in years and was a bit stiff and hard to get going. I suggested she take it to be serviced before trying to make anything with it. She took it in Monday morning and called me when she got home to tell me they had a Singer Featherweight machine. I have one that was my Mom's and I believe she bought at a Goodwill store in the 1960s for about $10. It is in great shape and I love it. Well, she asked if I would go with her and see if it was worth the $399 the store owner was asking for it. I said I would go and our husbands tagged along. Her husband tried to get her to buy a new Janome machine for about the same price and the same size with quilting attachments ie: walking foot, freemotion quilting foot and so I tried sewing on each of them. Although the Janome was a perfectly nice little machine that also had several different stitches built in, but that Featherweight sewed like a little dream. There is just something about those little machines. They just are so smooth. Needless to say, she got what she wanted and was sewing on it all day yesterday. She called me again to thank me for coming with her to the store. I am glad she is a member of the Featherweight Club too.

A Touch of Spring

2011-04-21T07:54:00.001-07:00

Here is a shot of my tulips that I planted last fall. The picture really doesn't do them justice. Of course the fence is there to keep the deer from feasting on them. So far it has worked.

I went to a new doctor last week. Since moving to Oregon 8 1/2 years ago I haven't had a Gynecologist. I have been seeing my General Practitioner for my girlie tests each year. I decided I would find one and go and I did. Well the doctor I chose is very thorough. She tested me for my vitamin D and also wanted me to have a bone scan. No problem. I worked at Curves about 5 years ago and each year they had a bone scan offered to their members for a nominal fee and as an employee I was able to have it for free. When I was tested the "doctor" who administered the test (which by the way was of my index finger)told me my bone density was like that of a teenager and also told me to stop taking my calcium because I could end up with calcium deposits on my bones if I had too much calcium. Well, I didn't stop taking it but my DEXA scan results were shocking to me, to say the least. I have thinning bones. I don't have Osteoporosis (yet) but I am on the way to it if I don't take action now. She said I had two options. The first was medication taken once a week and the second is a supplement that contains the mineral strontium, which has been proven to regrow bones. I am going to try this method first since I don't want to have to take any prescription drugs if I don't have to . What they will do is retest me in 6 months to see how I am doing. Also, my test for vitamin D came back low as well. It is pretty common for people living in the Northwest to test low in vitamin D but I have been taking supplements for several years of 1000 mg a day. Mine came back at 40 and 50 is normal and 60-100 is optimum. Sooo, since this also contributes to your bone density I am now going to be taking 5000 mg a day plus the Grow Bone supplement which also contains some vitamin D.

Last night I was scanning the internet reading up on bone density and what can cause you to lose bone and one of the things I read is weight loss can cause bone loss. It said if you lose 20 pounds not only do you lose weight but you lose muscle (which I knew) and bone. Well, I thought about the amount of times I have lost 20 pounds in my lifetime and the fact that I've lost nearly 100 pounds in the last few years and it makes sense. Also, when I was have the reflux my surgeon had me taking Prilosec twice a day and last year I heard on the news that Prilosec can cause calcium to be leached from your bones. When I heard that I stopped taking it. I wonder if it affected my bones while I did take it. Check back here in 6 months and see how I am doing.

Next week I go in for my upper GI and possible fill of the band. Fingers crossed for good results.

Weekend plans messed up.......

2011-04-17T09:48:00.000-07:00

We went to coast with another couple to join a camping club for a weekend outing on Thursday. We planned to stay until Monday and hoped the weather wouldn't be too awful. We arrived on Thursday a little after noon. The park we were in was very nice and has it's own lake. The first night of the campout was Friday. They had a little gathering in the clubhouse at 4:30. We were to bring "light snacks" and something to drink. I made Jalapeno Poppers from the recipe I got from my sister in law. They were a big hit. If you want the recipe here it is: Jalapeno Poppers 1 pkg of Jimmy Dean Sage Sausage 1 pkg (8 oz) of cream cheese 1 cup of parmesan cheese Fresh whole jalapenos Cook the sausage until crumbly and done and then add the cream cheese in small chunks. Mix them well and then add the cup of parmesan cheese. This makes a huge amount so you can freeze what's left for another time. Cut the jalapenos in half lengthwise and remove the veins and seeds. This will keep them from being really hot. Lay them on a cookie sheet fill the cavity with the sausage mixture. Preheat the oven to 375 and cook for 30 minutes. After our hors d'oevres time was about over I went back to our motor home to get our dinner plates and silverware for dinner. When I walked in, Chloe (our Bichon Frise) was standing in the middle of the floor not moving and her head was looking down. This was odd so I spoke to her and she didn't respond. I walked over to her and bent down and spoke again and put my hand under her chin to lift her head. She screamed like in pain. I couldn't imagine what was wrong with her. I had only been gone about an hour and she was laying in the recliner when I left. She then walked over to the front of the couch and laid down. I laid beside her and tried to sooth her and pet her. Then I reach up and got my cellphone and called Bob to come back quickly. When he got there she was still laying in the same spot . She would scream out every few minutes. It seemed as though maybe she had fallen and hurt herself. We stayed with her a while and then decided she was OK and went to eat our dinner with the group and then came back as soon as we finished. She screamed most of the night so neither of us got much sleep. Bob stayed with her and told me to get some sleep. I was in bed but couldn't sleep. We decided to bring her home to her own vet, since they are open on Saturdays. I gave Molly, our cat her thyroid medicine before we left and carried Chloe to the car and sat her on my lap. After driving about 30 minutes she seemed really uncomfortable and Bob stopped so I could get out and get into the back seat with her. She was more comfortable there and laid on the seat next to me. We drove straight to the Vet's office. They took her in right away and the vet checked her thoroughly but wasn't able to xray her because she would need to be sedated and wouldn't revive in time for us to take her before the office closed. He checked her legs, her neck and moved everything all over and she never screamed. He put her leash on and had me walk her through the office and down the stairs and across the parking lot and back and up the stairs and she did all of it with no problem. She did slow down and start limping a little on her right leg though. She has arthritis in that leg and was diagnosed a few years ago. So what he decided was to give her a shot of a non steroidal anti inflammatory and some of the liquid medicine she had been given before for me to take home. She started acting better within the hour. We went home and both of us took a long nap and she did too. Bob went back to the coast last night and I stayed home with her to make sure she was alright. She seems to me fine now. She ate her dinner and in fact is still sleeping now. I went in to see her a little while ago and she is sprawled out on her bed. She just now got up and went outside to do her business. She seems fine. The whole time I was at the coast it was raining. It isn't raining here at home but it is still cloudy. Bob called this morning and said the sun was out there. I hope it comes out here too. I need to go out and take pictures of the tulips I planted last fall. They're beautiful. They are in a fenced area out front because deer love to eat tulips. They actually could jump the little fence that is around the planter but so far they haven't. I guess there is plenty of food around for them to eat. Bob will probably stay there until tomorrow since we already paid for the 4 nights there. The people I did get to meet were very nice and I am looking forward to the next camp out so I can meet the rest and spend some fun time with them. It's kind of nice to have the house to myself though. It's so quiet though, but I can watch whatever I want on television and I think I will work on one of my quilts that is ready for quilting. I will put it on the frame and start the process today.

Weekend Hike.......

2011-04-12T07:24:00.000-07:00

We went on a hike on Saturday with our group from church. Here in Oregon we have the most beautiful places to hike with foliage, waterfalls and rivers. Amazingly beautiful. I took a few pictures on my way. We had a great time and afterward we all piled into the church vans and went to one couple's home for a barbecue. They fixed skewers of chicken breast chunks with shrimp alternating and other skewers contained pork chunks or beef chunks. They all had been marinated and tasted amazing. The rest of us brought side dishes to go with it. We were all very hungry when it came time to eat after our hike. It was a mile long over a path in the woods and a stream running alongside it. Absolutely gorgeous. Some of the shots I took don't look real, they look like paintings.

My quilt frame working finally

2011-04-04T20:32:00.000-07:00

April......blooming flowers and color everywhere

2011-04-02T06:25:00.000-07:00

We just had two glorious days of warm sunshine and now it looks like it rain. In fact the ground is wet so it rained during the night. We have a restaurant in our area that is also a bakery and it is vegetarian. It's been opened a couple of years and their food is great. I went there for lunch with an old friend yesterday and we even sat outside in the sun. It was awesome. Today our Farmer's Market opens and they (the restaurant) sells their wonderful breads there. I think I will hop in the car and head over there and see what they have for sale. Last year I was able to buy some great salad greens that were grown locally and had all kinds of unusual and spicy greens mixed in. They were organic and delicious. I love this time of year. Also I planted 40 tulip bulbs last fall and they are all up and two bloomed this week. Bright pink. I can't wait until they all bloom so I can take pictures and share them. I am about to be finished with Bob's fishing quilt top. I have one boarder to add so it's long enough to cover from the top of his head to his toes. I received a DVD in the mail this week from my dear friend Alice who lives in Virginia. She has the same quilt frame that I have and hers came with a DVD. I can't figure out why mine didn't, but it didn't. So now it's ready to go. Just have to put the machine on it and the layers of the quilt and go for it. My quilting friend, Lori is coming over Monday and is going to put her new quilt on it and give it a whirl. I am excited. I should throw some fabric and batting on it and try it out myself. I wouldn't want to put my quilt on it until I feel more confident at quilting on it. I may just do a stitch in the ditch on the fishing quilt. I noticed today that one of my followers stopped following me. I don't know why it bothered me but it does. Silly isn't it. Maybe this person (whoever it was) decided she or he wasn't interested in my banter anymore or was looking for something else. Oh well. I myself have dropped some of the blogs I've read over the years too. I learned from one of the blogs I read that if you plan out a weeks worth of menus in advance, you can save money by not going out to eat, and also save calories since when we go out we tend to eat more or the wrong things. I liked the idea since I don't have to wrack my brain and stand in front of the pantry or the freezer hoping some terrific idea will pop into my head. She also said she keeps the weekly menus and that way she can repeat weeks and not have to try and come up with a new menu every week. It worked really well for me too. I added in a new recipe one night that I had been wanting to try and another night we had friends over for dinner and got to smoke some ribs that we bought late last summer. They were so yummy! I also sat and made a list of all the meals I usually make so I don't leave any out. I really liked doing this, I glanced at my weekly menus and made a shopping list up based on what I needed at the store for the meals and it made it simple. I have also started to freeze meals. When I make meatloaf, for instance I make two and freeze one. Or with a casserole I put it in two containers and only cook one so the other is ready to be cooked and eaten anytime. I can't believe something so simple took me this many years to try. I should have done this when I was working full time, but then I didn't have the time to even think about doing this but it would have saved me so much time. Well, that's about all that is new here. Have a good weekend everyone..............

3rd year bandiversary........

2011-03-26T17:01:00.000-07:00

Well, it's 3 years today since I got my band. I never thought 3 years ago that I would still be fighting with my weight. I am, however, very grateful to have lost the weight I have lost. And I know I couldn't have lost it without the help of the band. I have about 6 weeks left until I go for another upper GI. I am hoping (praying) that this time I will be healed and the doctor can give me a fill.

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. It's been sunny and showering all afternoon. I worked a little on Bob's quilt that I am making. I am making a pot of chili for dinner and we are watching "Uncle Buck" with John Candy. That movie is a classic and I just love it. I laugh at the same places every time I watch it. It's nice that it doesn't get dark early any more. My tulips that I planted last fall are growing and several have buds on them. I am so anxious to see the colors on them. When they bloom I will take some pictures and post them.....well, the chili timer is going off.........

Missed an important milestone.....

2011-03-20T08:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my blogoversary and I missed it. Well, at least I didn't let too much time go by before realizing it. I have been doing this blog for 3 years now. I don't take as much care and time with it as some of the better blogs I follow. I sometimes just think I have nothing of interest to say. In fact even when I do post sometimes it isn't of much interest. :) I am coming up on my Lapband anniversary too and I hope I can remember to post on that day. So much has happened in the last three years. I have lost nearly 100 pounds and I have had complications with my band and I have done some traveling and lots of camping and also learned how to quilt. I still have a love of collecting recipes and cooking them. I have learned so much from all the blogs I follow. I want to thank you all for being so creative and also for teaching me various things along my journey in life.

I have expanded the blogs I follow to include foodie or cooking blogs, quilting and crafting blogs, all kinds of weight loss blogs, and a few that I just find interesting. Here's to another year, and hopefully I can reach my goal in this year and resolve my issues with my band.....

Hello, Monday...........

2011-03-14T13:25:00.000-07:00

Just got back from my workout at the gym. I decided a couple of weeks ago that I would do my workout on the elliptical first and then the weight machine circuit. I was doing it in reverse order and some days I just couldn't do my 30 minutes on the elliptical. I was too tired from the weight lifting. So now I do it in reverse order and some days I can do 45 minutes on the elliptical.

My hubby put my quilting frame together on Friday. Now I need to put my machine on it and try quilting on it. I am a little intimidated to try it. I only have one quilt ready to be quilted and I hate to try it out on that one for my first try. I might take one of the prayer quilts we make and use that as my trial quilting project. It takes up one whole wall in our spare bedroom which is now my sewing room. We moved the bed to the computer room so that is now our guest room/computer room. Now I have excess stuff I need to give to Goodwill and find a place to store the remainder of it. I feel like I am constantly whittling down my belongings and it's driving me crazy. But they say if you haven't used something for two years you should give it away. It is really crazy hanging on to things that I don't use, I know, but some of them are very dear to me. Is anyone else facing this same problem? How are you handling it?

My hubby is on a diet for the first time ever. It isn't really a diet, more like cutting back a little. But he hasn't lost any weight after 3 weeks and he is ready to give up. I try to tell him, tactfully, that he isn't really on a diet because he eats large portions still and isn't eating lower calorie foods. He has stopped drinking soda and drinks water only now. He also doesn't eat between meals and before bed like he used to. But he eats large portions mostly at dinner and isn't doing a lick of exercise. I told him he is consuming enough calories to maintain his weight and he needs to start walking or riding his bike or something. He says if he doesn't lose in another week or so he is quitting his "diet" . Men!! So stubborn. He really needs to take off weight. He is over 300 pounds and is diabetic. I worry about his health all the time. He is in denial and doesn't want to do anything about it.

Well, I bought some fabric to make some curtains for the kitchen window so I am off to get that make. Hope everyone is having a good Monday.

Cat Patches: I've Been Featured!

2011-03-11T20:19:00.000-08:00

Cat Patches: I've Been Featured!

Finally...........a completed quilt

2011-02-26T13:59:00.000-08:00

I finished this quilt this week. It is going to the Squares of Hope group at the church I attend. We make and give out quilts for members or someone they know of who is sick or grieving. The fabric was donated by someone in the church. We have received boxes and boxes of fabric. I chose these five prints that seemed to go together and made this rail fence quilt. The batting was also donated. It's a high loft polyester. Not my favorite because it's hard to sew and work with. But it is warm. And it will comfort someone who needs it and before it is given out our prayer team at the church will pray over it.

Now I have to get back to Bob's (my hubby) quilt. It's a fish quilt that he picked out the kit for at a quilt shop we went to last September. I want to get as much of it done as possible before I start another for the church.

All I have left to do is to make a label for this quilt.

2011-02-10T19:33:00.000-08:00

I am feeling much better this week than last. I have started tracking my calories on My Daily Plate or Livestrong.com and my exercise also. Just tracking the food I eat is keeping me on track better than just trying to watch it. It's a simple program to use and it's free. It already had hundreds of foods built into it. We were busy today and when I started to fix dinner our 84 year old neighbor came by and stayed a while chatting with us. By the time she left we were both really hungry so my hubby said "lets just go get something to eat". I really didn't want the temptation of eating out but I agreed. I suggested Carl's Jr since I could get a salad there. I chose their Cranberry, Apple and Walnut Chicken Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette. It was yummy and when I got home I went to their website and checked the calorie content of the salad. It was 318 calorie and the dressing was another 160. Luckily I only used half of the dressing so my dinner was well within my calorie goal for the day. In fact I am still under my 1200 a day goal by 215 calories. I may have a glass of milk or a sugar free popsicle later on.

I watched Jennifer Hudson on Oprah today and she has lost 80 pounds. She looks amazing. She is the new Weight Watchers spokesperson. I'm sure you've all seen her commercials. She had lots of her cousins and other family members on the program with her and they've all done well. In fact I think they said they'd all lost close to 2000 pounds together. Then they gave each of the audience members 3 one year free memberships to WW so they could each give two friends or family members a membership. I thought that was pretty cool. I've never heard of Weight Watchers doing anything like that before.

Monday I took a yoga class at my gym. I usually take a chair yoga class (which is for people who have never done yoga or have limitations or don't want to get up and down off the floor). A new spinning class started during the chair yoga class and I've been taking that. I was missing yoga so I decided to take a regular yoga class. Whew!! It kicked my butt!! I was sore for two days. But I liked it. I plan to take another one tomorrow. I feel so good after the class because of the breathing you do and the gentle stretching of your muscles. You really work up a sweat too. It's strenuous but not like any other workout I've done.

I am getting ready to watch American Idol. Tonight they start in Hollywood with the elimination process.

Not yet.............

2011-02-03T16:16:00.001-08:00

I was to go to the doctor on Tuesday for my upper G.I. to determine if my dilated esophagus had healed. The doctors office called me on Monday afternoon to tell me he wouldn't be available on Tuesday and they changed my appointment to Thursday (today). So this morning I went for my upper G.I.. Sadly, the dilation was better but not enough for him to fill my band. He said I would be in the same shape within a few weeks as I was before if he filled it. Now, I have to wait another 3 months. I am so frustrated. I asked him if I had caused this to happen by something I was doing. He said no, it was caused by my band being too tight for too long. I feel as though the last two years have been a total waste of my time with this band. I haven't lost that much weight in the two years due to this particular problem.

The original surgeon I had wasn't knowledgeable enough to take care of my problem (which I believe he caused). First, I think he should have placed a larger band than he did. I have a 4cc band. That doesn't allow much room to adjust. The most my band has had in it is 2.25cc and that was fine for about 6 months until I became so tight I vomited and then it swelled shut and I could barely drink for over a week until I got home from a vacation out of state and he unfilled me and sent me for an upper G.I. He decided to leave me unfilled a couple of weeks and then proceeded to fill me again, rapidly but now I had acid reflux and heartburn and would choke in my sleep. When I went bad to him he shrugged his shoulders and said he didn't know what was causing my problem. He implied that I just wasn't compatible with the band. Then he left the practice and moved to another town. For a few months we had no doctor on staff. A doctor from another town came in once a week and did fills and such. When I saw her she immediately removed my fill and sent me to a gastroenterologist for a scope test. So I was unfilled again. It took me three months to get my appointment. In the meantime, we got our new doctor at the bariatric center and I went back to him after the gastro doctor found no problem such as a slippage or something else. Our current surgeon is a lapband patient himself. When he filled me he wouldn't put as much as I originally had and I only had 2cc in my band. I went this way for about 8 months. I wasn't losing weight after a few months. I kept feeling no restriction plus I had killer acid reflux. I took Prilosec in the morning and at night and still had the reflux and heartburn when I drank water or any kind of drink with citrus in it. Plus, I had to sleep sitting up. I propped pillows behind me so I was almost upright and basically slept on my back.

When I went for my fill last October, my husband wanted me to tell the doctor about my sleeping situation. So, I did. If I laid down flat on the bed I had fluid or food come up into my mouth. I probably should have gone back to the doctor months before and told him what I was experiencing but I guess I was afraid that he would also say that I wasn't compatible with the band.

Now, he is saying if it isn't back to normal after another three months he may have to remove the band. I am so upset by this that I don't know what to do. I feel like a failure. Only I lost 97 pounds in my first year. I feel like now I am going to have to start counting calories again and dieting again after years of failing at that too. I pray that things go well now and I won't have to have my band removed. I am going to start really watching what I eat and continuing my exercise so at least I won't gain any more weight. Am I a failure, or did the doctors fail me? I don't know.

I apologize for going on about this but I want this documented in my blog so I can look back later and have it as my diary. Thank you all for your kind comments since I began this blog.

I am going to the church tonight with my quilt top. I am ready to place the batting and backing with it and quilting it. I am proud to have completed my first quilt top for the Squares of Hope at church.

Catching up...........

2011-01-29T08:41:00.000-08:00

We cut our trip a little short only because we missed being at home. Can you imagine? We visited siblings and had great fun with them. Then stopped in Las Vegas on our way back home to meet with some friends from home who were there for the week. We shared dinner and the evening with them. Bob wasn't happy in Las Vegas. It has gotten so overgrown in recent years that the traffic is horrendous and almost every corner has a traffic signal which takes approximately 5 minutes to change. So, you need to plan ahead to get through town or you'll be late for whatever you have planned.

I think he was tired and maybe not feeling too well. I wasn't happy about heading for home but I went along with it for his sake. All in all we did have a good time. Getting home of course is the worst. It means unloading everything from the RV and fortunately the weather here has been wonderful since we've been home. Like spring weather. We've had no rain and sunshine every day. It took me two days to do all the laundry even though I did laundry on the trip. But I washed everything including a couple of quilts we took and rugs.

Now to get back to finishing unfinished quilting projects. I took some with me in the RV but never once touched them on our trip. We didn't have much idle time so it didn't happen. I am ready to sew the blocks together for a rail fence quilt top to be donated to the "Squares of Hope" at church. It will be tied and prayed over and then given to someone who is ill or grieving. It will be my first quilt to be donated to that group. Our group meets on Thursday night so I hope to be able to take it with me this week.

Also, I am back to my gym workouts and that feels good. Tomorrow, I have my appointment with my surgeon to see if my dilated esophagus has healed. They will do another barium swallow (or whatever they use nowadays) to determine this. Hopefully, things are healed so I can get a small fill.

Have a wonderful week everyone.

Wednesday plans

2011-01-05T09:01:00.000-08:00

My cellphone says it's 37 degrees at home. Here it is warmer and getting even warmer as the morning progresses because the sun is shining. Yes, it was so nice yesterday and again today is to be sunny and even warmer. It got up to about 59 degrees yesterday, which to some people is cold. To use it is wonderful. We are really enjoying visiting our family. We've done a little shopping and lots of laughing. Today I am going to do a bit of laundry and show my SIL how to make the pillowcases I made. She found some really cute fabric at Walmart the other day when we were there. The Walmart here has a much nicer fabric department than our Walmart does. It should be a fun day. I don't know what my hubby is going to do though. Her hubby has golfing planned. I am sure Bob will find plenty to do. In fact his sister has a list of things she needs him to do. Her hubby isn't very handy around the house. She usually does most of the things but some she can't handle so Bob does them when he is in town. Yesterday she went to the doctor and he gave her the okay to start walking again. She is a little afraid of letting go and walking after 6 weeks of sitting down. So she is using a walker. I am hoping she will only need it for a day or two.

On Friday we are going south and meeting up with one of my brothers and his wife for a couple of days. They are full time rv'ers and he works in an RV park. He is working both days so we'll go shopping or maybe just relax in our RV until he gets off and then catch up with him. Back in September my other two brothers and their wives came to our house for a week and we had a great time reminiscing and laughing and just being together. This brother, my youngest, wasn't able to make it due to his job so I am looking forward to seeing him. It's been two years since we've seen each other.

I walked yesterday morning in the sunshine and it felt so good. I am not sure how far I walked but I walked at a pretty good pace and went around a huge block. It took me 30 minutes. I am going to walk again in a little while.

Monday, Monday

2011-01-03T06:31:00.000-08:00

Well, it's the first Monday of 2011. The holidays are all behind us and our futures look bright. Happy New Year to you all. I appreciate all the nice comments you have made on my blog. I feel like I have lots of friends I can share with and confide in on here. So it's back to getting fit for me and no more empty calories. Fortunately, I have still been getting my workouts in.

A couple of days after Christmas we loaded up our motorhome and our cat and dog and headed south. We are going to visit family we haven't seen in a while. Since we left home 7 days ago we've only seen one day of sunshine. In fact the weather has been nicer at home than in "sunny" California. We are in San Luis Obispo now visiting SIL and BIL. It's just starting to get light in the sky and from what I can see there aren't any clouds. Yippee!! We spent New Years Day with the family and had a nice time. Yesterday we did a little shopping and went to a Thai restaurant near here. It was very good. I had a chicken and veggie stir-fry and boy was that yummy. This morning I am going to the YMCA here to get in my workout. I haven't worked out since the day after we left home because it's been raining and I didn't want to go walking in the rain.
Chloe, our pooch has been limping for a few days on her front right leg. From time to time she injures it jumping down off furniture and I didn't bring her medicine (an anti-inflammatory) so the poor thing is just feeling awful. I may take her to a vet today if she doesn't show signs of improvement.
I don't know what is on our agenda for today but whatever it is I think the sun will be shining. That is a good thing. I heard on the news last night that it snowed in Southern California in places that never get snow. Lots of school closures so the kids will be loving it. Especially since today was the first day back to school after the Christmas break.
I have been watching what I eat and am feeling much better than I did in my last post. Hubby and I celebrated our wedding anniversary last week while on the road and we went to dinner and I had a pistachio crusted salmon dish. Oh, that was so good.
I brought my little Singer Featherweight sewing machine and some quilting projects to work on while we are traveling. So far I haven't taken them out though. Well, I am going to dress and go to the Y now. Have a good day all.

OMG!! I'm out of control........

2010-12-26T19:51:00.000-08:00

Well, Christmas is over and the leftover goodies are sitting on the counter in the kitchen. I didn't bake this year or make any goodies but I ended up with several "well meaning friends" giving me some. I did make some "Spiced Nuts and Pretzels" from the recipe I found on Cathy's blog. It's quite good but a little goes a long way. I am trying to avoid eating these things but occasionally, and that means practically every time I pass by them, I eat one. They consist of fudge, chocolate covered peanuts and a plate of assorted cookies. To be honest, I haven't opened the cellophane on the cookies. However, I have been eating larger amounts than I am used to eating and also making poor choices of what I am eating. Also, we went to friends' home for dinner yesterday and I made and brought a delicious Irish raspberry and cream cheesecake. It was pretty delish if I do say so myself. This morning I stepped on the scale because last night my jeans felt unusually tight in the waist and thighs. OMG! I am up six pounds. And that is 6 pounds over the high end of the floating weight that I have been maintaining for the last year. I miss that feeling of my band keeping me from overindulging in whatever I eat. I haven't dieted since I was banded. That was 2 years and 9 months ago today. I have just eaten what I wanted and my portions were so small that I just lost weight. Well, when the saline is taken out of your band your restriction is way down. In fact there isn't anything I can't eat. This is the most tempting time of the year for eating and drinking. And since I decided not to bake this year as it would be too much of a temptation I thought I would be alright. And I haven't attended any parties or celebrations so I thought I would be okay. But I feel so bloated and mad at myself, it's like I used to feel before the band.

I've also been a little lax with my workouts the last couple of weeks. I either have missed a workout here or there or just skipped going to the gym all together because I had to much to do. I have still been going though so I don't know why my weight jumped so fast. I refuse to gain back my weight and I have an appointment to meet my doctor at the lab for an upper G.I. on February 1st. If my esophagus is not dilated anymore I should be able to have a fill again. But if not then I will have to wait another 3 months. Why did this happen to me?? I know (through reading their blogs) quite a few lapband patients and I am the only one going through this. It will be two years in February since this ordeal began. I had a feeling of being stuck and whatever I ate wouldn't go down. Like the band got tighter or something. I was constantly sliming and having to spit in a cup as we traveled down the road with our friends on our vacation. Then I barely made it to the bathroom where I vomited (TMI) My throat immediately swelled up and I felt like I was strangling. That began the reflux I had which caused me to eventually sleep sitting up. I was taking Prilosec twice a day and still had reflux only the meds reduced the acid so the reflux was just liquid. When I couldn't seem to get on the path to lose more weight I went in for another adjustment. My hubby wanted me to tell the doctor what I had been experiencing with the reflux and having to sleep upright. As soon as I told him, he arranged for the first upper GI. At the laboratory I was placed standing up on a machine that was to xray my esophagus as I drank a liquid. I drank it and watched the liquid on the tv screen next to me and saw the liquid go down my throat and then instead of flowing past the band it made a left turn into a new "pouch" and only some of it went through the band. The doctor said, "that's what I was afraid of, your esophagus is dilated" meaning it had a bulge in it to the side. He immediately removed my fill and told me to come back in three months and he would check it again. What this means is I was overfilled. I was too tight. But now, I no longer have the reflux and I can sleep laying down again since this happened. But, I can also eat pretty much like I am not banded. The last time this happened (one year ago) it wasn't during the holidays so it was easier to not gain any weight. Now I am about to go on a month long trip and I worry I will eat badly and gain even more weight. So, I am thinking should I go on a diet or should I just watch how much I eat or what I eat? I hate being in this situation again. I thought I had this under control. So, there is never a cure for overeating other than willpower or a device such as the band which helps you to not eat so much. I refuse to go out and purchase larger sizes again. I just bought new clothes and I like the way they look on me. That should be enough to keep me from making poor choices when I eat, but then I would never have needed the band if I was that much in control of my eating. I am throwing the goodies in the trash tomorrow morning.

Well, I think my only way to handle this is to start counting my calories so I lose what I've gained and then hopefully I can lose a little before I return to the doctor for the next test.

Hopefully I have the willpower to do this. I am also going to pitch the goodies in the trash tomorrow morning.

Merry Christmas and here's to a better 2011

2010-12-23T16:13:00.000-08:00

I am wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Many of us have not had a very good 2010 and I hope 2011 gives you health and prosperity and much happiness. Enjoy your holiday and hopefully you'll be with family. I won't be, just hubby and me this year. We'll be attending a candlelight service at our church tomorrow night and then having dinner with friends at their home on Christmas day. I will post something in a couple of days but I'll most likely be reading your posts.

Happy Birthday Jesus!!

Where does the day go?

2010-12-16T16:57:00.000-08:00

Here are two king sized pillowcases I made. The fabric is flannel and it has white polka dots. The sleeve is a plaid. Sorry the picture doesn't show that. Maybe if you click it and enlarge it you can see it.

I made these two pillowcases for my two granddaughters. They are their favorite colors. I am also making one for Bob's granddaughter.

This is a mug rug. My first attempt at it. It is a little crooked but I will get better at it. Mug rugs are little placemats for a coffee mug or tea cup and has enough room for a cookie or two or a muffin.

I can't believe how fast the days have been going this last couple of weeks. I am trying to make these and other pillowcases to give as gifts and my sewing room doesn't have the best lighting yet. So I have to take advantage of the daytime hours when it's lightest. By the time I get home from the gym and running errands I only have an hour or two left of daylight. I need to get some better lights in the room and also I need to budget my time better. Well, I am going to go see if I can cut the next one out.

Pillowcase

2010-12-07T08:15:00.001-08:00

Here is one of the pillowcases I made a couple of weeks ago. I made them in flannel so they would be soft and warm. They are really comfy. I got them from a video tutorial on YouTube. Here is the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrYWCma9wgM It was so easy and turned out perfect. A friend of mine has made upward of 36 of them for gifts. I think she said she is giving them to everyone she's ever met. She is pretty funny and I think she is also driven. She is also making potholders for gifts. I am working on two quilts at once right now. One is the fishing quilt for my hubby and the other is the quilt for the Squares of Hope group to give to a deserving person through our church. They are made and prayed over and then given to someone who is ill or has lost a loved one or in need of comfort for another reason. We pour out our love and hearts into these quilts.

I haven't put out any decorations for Christmas yet and don't know if I will. My SIL is in the hospital and we may go down to California to see her. She had arthroscopic knee surgery a couple of weeks ago and ended up with blood clots in both lungs. She is expected to be released soon, maybe even today. We may go there for Christmas. We are still discussing what we'll do.

I've been reading so many new blogs by quilters and I wonder how they find the time to do as much as they do. I am hoping that I can someday make the beautiful quilts and other crafts they make. I am counting on "practice makes perfect" working for me. So far some of the little crafts I have tried look pretty much like a beginner made them. But I won't give up. They all are inspiring me to keep trying.

Have a beautiful day everyone.

Can't believe it's already the 3rd...

2010-12-03T08:08:00.000-08:00

I haven't even thought about decorating the house yet. We went to the coast for Thanksgiving. We spent a week there and had a great time. The weather wasn't the best but it was still good to be away and in a different place. We went with some friends and we both cooked our meal together and also had another couple from our church come and join us for dinner. The dinner turned out spectacular and we all had a great day. The guys went out in the boats every day and went crabbing. Three of the days we had groups of people (friends of ours from church) come and go crabbing too. I made a double batch of Paula Deen's Taco Soup to serve when they came in from the cold, wet bay. It was a big hit with everyone. I've included the recipe if anyone would like it. My hubby Bob loves it and asks for it about every other week. LOL. We throw a handful of Fritos in the bowl and a dollop of sour cream on top and stir it in......yum.

Taco Soup
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen
Prep Time:
15 min
Inactive Prep Time:
--
Cook Time:
6 hr 0 min
Level:
Easy
Serves:
12 to 16 servings

Ingredients
2 pounds ground beef
2 cups diced onions
2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans pinto beans
1 (15 1/2-ounce) can pink kidney beans
1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can tomatoes with chiles
2 (4 1/2-ounce) cans diced green chiles
1 (4.6-ounce) can black olives, drained and sliced, optional
1/2 cup green olives, sliced, optional
1 (1 1/4-ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (1-ounce) package ranch salad dressing mix
Corn chips, for serving
Sour cream, for garnish
Grated cheese, for garnish
Chopped green onions, for garnish
Pickled jalapenos, for garnish
Directions
Brown the ground beef and onions in a large skillet; drain the excess fat, then transfer the browned beef and onions to a large slow cooker or a stockpot. Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, green chiles, black olives, green olives, taco seasoning, and ranch dressing mix, and cook in a slow cooker on low for 6 to 8 hours or simmer over low heat for about 1 hour in a pot on the stove. To serve, place a few corn chips in each bowl and ladle soup over them. Top with sour cream, cheese, green onions and jalapenos.

Quiet morning hours

2010-11-20T08:41:00.000-08:00

I love the early morning hours when the house is so quiet. I can read or check emails and it's peaceful. No television going in the background and my pup snuggled against my right thigh. Sometimes I have Molly the cat laying in my lap, if I am not using my laptop. This morning I am listening to the turkeys outside. They come and pick up the bird seed that falls out of the feeder when the birds eat. Now they've moved on and it's quiet again.

Today is going to be a good day. I have a baby shower to attend at 11 and then another get together at 5pm. Plenty of time in between to do whatever I want. I finished cutting out my hubby's fish quilt and need to get started on it. We still haven't assembled the quilting frame. It's because the room it's going into has items in it that I need to either get rid of or find a place for. All the books I have are sitting in piles on the floor. I have gone in and tried to go through them and sort out the ones I don't need or haven't yet read. And some are my hubby's so I try and make a stack for him. Then I just get frustrated over what is to become of them and I walk out of the room. They used to sit on my bookshelf. Then my hubby decided we didn't have room for the bookshelf. So I moved them to the entertainment center that held our stereo components and TV. Then we got a different TV and stopped using the entertainment center so we sold it. Then I moved them to a dresser that wasn't being used. Then we gave it to friends who needed it. So my books are displaced again. Ugh!! Some of them I am thinking of selling on Amazon.com and others I use from time to time to look up things in them so I don't want to pack them away. It's times like this that I wish our house was bigger. Then we have some stereo components and old VCR's that we aren't using anymore. I need to either try selling them or giving them to Goodwill or Salvation Army. The sooner I get it done the sooner I can get my frame assembled.

We are planning to go to the coast in our motor home with another couple for the holiday. We will cook our Thanksgiving dinner in our roaster ovens outside the coach. Then we each will fix what we have decided we'll make and then we will have our dinner together. We bought 2 turkey breasts since we both prefer the white meat. Our friends also bought a whole turkey and will roast it as well. We should have plenty of sandwich fixings for after Thursday. Then the following day we plan to do some crabbing with other friends who come by. Should be a fun time. Hopefully the weather won't be too bad. The forecast is showing no rain until Saturday so I hope it doesn't change. I miss having a big family Thanksgiving, but with our family scattered all about and the older generation having passed on it makes it hard. I have always wanted to go away for Thanksgiving in either the motor home or by renting a cabin somewhere. So this will be a chance to do it finally.

I'm a slacker...

2010-11-16T06:31:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged in over 2 weeks. I have been lurking in the background just reading and not posting. I also found a few quilting blogs which I've been looking for and finally found. I have been working diligently on some quilting projects. The biggest one is a quilt for the "Squares of Hope" a group I belong to at church. We make and distribute quilts to those in need due to illness or family loss. They are prayed over by many of our members. It's very rewarding to know something you worked on is bringing someone comfort.

I am also cutting out a quilt for my hubby Bob that we bought in a kit at a quilt shop in Florence, Oregon several months ago. It's a fishing themed quilt. I hope it isn't too much for me. So far I am not having any problems with it.

I made some pillowcases out of flannel for our bed. I found a tutorial on YouTube and they are so easy and come out perfect. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrYWCma9wgM the tutorial is also for a cause but I only made a couple for us. They also would make great gifts. They are trying to get a million of these made and donated. I need to make some for the Million Pillowcase Challenge also. I didn't take pictures of them or I would post them.

So far I am doing well without my band being filled. My reflux has stopped and I only get heartburn at night. So I take a Zantac before bed and I am ok. I sure don't miss the reflux. I am watching that I don't eat too much. Since I was banded over 2 years ago I know how much my portions should be and I am following these. Now if only I would lay off the candy. I got some candy corn after Halloween at Walmart and I have been grabbing a handful while I am sewing. I need to throw them away since they are pure sugar. But I love them so. And they are only out once a year.

I still haven't gotten my quilting frame assembled. The room where it is to go has some boxes in it and about 40 books that were in a cabinet that we sold. Now I have no place to put the books. I am sorting them and keeping only some of them. I might sell the rest on Amazon.com as used books. Once I get the boxes and books moved my rack can go in there. It's a tiny room so there isn't much room to maneuver until I moved them out and right now I have no place to put them. If the garage wasn't so cold I would set it up out there but, no way. Well, I have to shower and take Chloe to the groomer and then it's off to the gym. Have a wonderful day everyone.

2010-10-27T19:55:00.000-07:00

Well, today was my first full day without my fill. I am surprised, in that I am stopping and feeling full at the same place I have been for the last 8 months. I hope this lasts. Thank you everyone for your kind words and encouragement. That's why I am glad I am a blogger. Bloggers are great people!

I also started to quilt a table topper I made for Autumn. I had to get out the book to learn how to use the Bernina Stitch Regulator and a couple of other things on my machine. I had a class the week after I bought it but then I went on vacation and had family come to visit. The only thing I have been doing is piecing the tops which just involves straight stitching. I think I need a refresher course. Maybe I'll just sit and read the manual. I also got a DVD with it, maybe I'll watch that again too.

It was cold and damp out today. No rain and no sun all day. Ugh!! I hope this doesn't mean winter is almost here.

Not what I was hoping for.........

2010-10-26T19:04:00.001-07:00

Well, today was the day I was to go for the test at the hospital. My doctor met me there and when I went in there were four people in the room. I stood on a tall machine and they slid an xray device to the front of me. Over to my right there was a television screen with a view of my esophagus. One of the technicians handed me a cup with a clear liquid in it. He said to take a big swallow of it. I took two. I looked to the side and could see the liquid roll down my throat and when it reached the bottom it pushed out to the side instead of going through my band. The doctor said, "oh no, that's what I was afraid of. You have a dilated esophagus. I need to remove all of the fill for 3 months" So there you have it. They put a pillow behind my head and laid the table back and before I knew it I was on my back. The doctor removed my fill and they stood me up again. Then they handed me the liquid again and had me drink it. This time it went right down. The doctor mentioned that he was surprised I was able to even eat. Now I know why it seemed like my food took forever to leave the pouch. It's because I had another larger pouch that it was being stored in. So the way I understand it is I had too much in the band and that is why this happened. Funny thing is a year and a half ago I had a similar problem and my band was even more filled then. So I have to be very careful over the holidays not to over do things and to keep on going to the gym so I don't undo all that I have accomplished so far. I am trying to keep a positive attitude over this whole thing. Maybe now I can sleep laying down again instead of having to prop pillows up behind me. I already feel better. I was getting little hiccups that would have liquid and food in them all the time. Since I went to the hospital that hasn't happened. I guess my doctor being a lapband patient himself knows what he's talking about. Thanks to all of you who made such nice comments on my last couple of posts. I love my blog buddies.

No fill this time......

2010-10-22T18:38:00.001-07:00

Well, when I went to the doctor yesterday he went over my case with me and I told him I have to sleep with several pillows propped under my head and that I still have heartburn and reflux. He said, You need another barium swallow. We need to find out why this is happening to you. It isn't normal. I asked what they would do for it if it was a dilated esophagus and he said he would completely unfill me (again) for 3 to 6 months to let it heal. I am so unhappy about this. So I have to go back up there (Eugene-75 miles away) on Tuesday and have the test. I know if they can find out what is wrong I won't have to go through this anymore. But I just don't want to be unfilled again for 6 more months. I guess I have no choice at this point. It's a wait and see for me.

I got my quilt frame. It's in 3 boxes. One is really heavy. We have them in the garage until we rearrange the room it will go in. I have to go back there to pick up the instruction manual and some templates they have for me.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

Yea!

2010-10-21T11:04:00.000-07:00

The store called this morning to tell me my quilt frame is in. I am so excited. Now I just have to make room for it at home and also learn how to use it. Can't wait to start quilting on it. I have to go up there to Eugene today anyway for my appointment with the surgeon for my adjustment. We already drove up there this morning to take a friend's daughter to the airport at 4:45am. Then we had breakfast and came home. My hubby went back to bed. I snoozed for about 30 minutes and then the store called. This is going to be a great day. The picture is what it will look like with my machine in it.

Second Chances...

2010-10-20T08:31:00.000-07:00

Got a call from the vet's office yesterday. They wanted to know if I had decided what I wanted to do with Sissy's remains yet. They said they couldn't hold her any longer. I was shocked!! I had already told them when I went in to pay the bill the morning she was euthanized. I asked them to take care of her. They had said they could have her cremated or I could take her and bury her. The cremation was $120. After paying the bill which was already $316 I decided I couldn't pay anymore. The next day I had all these weird feelings that I should have taken her and buried her here at our home. I was afraid it was too late. Now they called a week later to ask about it. I told them I'd be right in to get her. It was a strange feeling as I drove back to pick her up. When I got there they escorted me out to my car and handed me a box that was all taped up. I could feel the weight inside of my little darling kitty. When I got her home my hubby had already dug a hole in our back yard under a small tree. We placed the whole box in the hole and both of us covered it with the dirt. I felt better. She is home again where she belongs. I know her spirit or soul has already left her body but at least a part of her is here in her family's yard. I said a prayer over her little grave and came in to snuggle with my other two pets. I am sorry if this is a little morbid.

Tomorrow I have an appointment for a band adjustment. I have mixed feelings about it. I know I can eat too much now so I am not losing any weight but I worry that I will be too tight and have a problem again. The whole reason for getting the band is to have the control and that is why I decided to go for it. After all, I can always have some of the saline removed if I need to.

Loss of a pet...

2010-10-15T07:57:00.000-07:00

This week we lost one of our kitties. Sissy, the one on the right became very sick last Saturday. I noticed her hanging around in the bathroom of all places. She was laying in front of the toilet. As I got ready for church on Sunday morning she was still there in front of the toilet. I noticed a small puddle on the bare floor next to the rug. I cleaned it up and knew I had to take her to the vet. Only they were closed on Sunday and we were on our way to church. When we got back from church she was still there in the bathroom. She did move around a little and she was wobbly on her back legs. I thought maybe she had been injured somehow. I couldn't imagine how since she was an indoor cat and there wasn't much inside that could injure her. As the day went on I recalled how early Saturday morning I found a leaf on the floor that one of the cats had chewed from a Chrysanthemum plant that my brother in law purchased for me a few days before. I got to thinking, maybe the plant is poisonous to cats. I can never have fresh flowers in the house without having to place them somewhere high up that the cats won't get into them. These were not up high. In fact my sister in law placed them on the floor next to the television for a splash of color. They were so pretty and instantly made the room look like fall. As soon as I got home from church I looked on Google to see if it could be the plant. There it was, high toxicity to cats. Oh, no. Monday morning I picked her up and she felt cold so I placed her on my lap to warm her. She stayed there for a long time (not like her at all) The Vet's office opens at 8am so I called them as soon as I could and they said to bring her right in. I did, when they took her temperature it was below normal and they placed a hot water bottle next to her. The doctor came in and looked her over. I told her I suspected it was the plant and she wasn't entirely convinced that was the cause of her illness. She was 12 years old and that is pretty old for a cat I guess. I thought they lived to be 20 or so. Anyway, she said that they would keep her and hydrate her through an I.V. and do a blood test. I left and about an hour later the doctor called and said her kidneys had shut down which wasn't good. She said why not keep her on the fluids and see if the kidneys started to work again. I agreed. First thing Tuesday morning I got another call from the vet's office. They said she was no better and that in all honesty if she hasn't responded by now, she most likely wouldn't.

Well, this isn't how I expected my week to start. So sad. We all are missing her little face. Molly, our other cat keeps looking in closets and around doorways for her. But I think she has stopped now. She seems to know she is gone and isn't looking anymore. We aren't going to get another cat to replace her. Needless to say, the chrysanthemum is outside now where it isn't a temptation to our other cat Molly.

I'll be back......

2010-10-08T08:04:00.000-07:00

I haven't been on here all week due to having a visit from my hubby's sister and her husband. We've really enjoyed their company and while they were here we all came down with colds. Yuck!! I just got over one a few weeks ago. I'll catch up with everyone's posts after they leave today and also try to get over this icky feeling.

Out with September.......in with October

2010-09-30T06:47:00.000-07:00

This month just flew by for me. It must have been all that I did that caused that sensation. Starting with my birthday on the 3rd, and then my brothers and their wives came to visit. After that we went to the coast for crabbing and salmon fishing. Now we are preparing for another visit, this time from my hubby's sister and her husband. This must be vacation central this year. Just kidding, we love seeing our siblings and enjoy their visits.

When I got home from the coast I felt as though I had gained 5 pounds or more. I stepped on the scale and it was up 2 pounds. I got back on it this morning and that 2 pounds was gone. I am still amazed at how I am maintaining weight instead of gaining it. After years of slowly gaining back what I had worked so hard to lose, this just is so cool. I do love this band!! But, I haven't lost any weight in six months. I had my last adjustment (fill) in February. They say as you lose weight you need to get a fill because the fat (ugh, what a word) around the band goes away and then the band becomes lose again. I was reading one of the blogs I follow this morning and it's a fellow lapbander's blog. She wrote what she ate in a day and I was stunned. I realized then I am eating way too much a day and that is why I am not losing but just maintaining. Think I need to call the surgeon for an appointment. I mentioned it to my DH a couple of weeks ago and he said, "no you don't! You have to sleep sitting up now!" But I do that to keep my reflux from causing me to cough or aspirate during the night. Since I started propping pillows up behind me I sleep so much better. It's working so why shouldn't I get an adjustment. I wonder if I told the doctor how I am sleeping, would he say no more fills. I am torn. Then the other day my friend and I were talking and she said she thought I didn't need to lose anymore weight. My husband agreed. I don't want to be rail thin, I just want my BMI to be out of the obese category. How can I be "thin enough" if the charts say I am still obese? Lately I have had several people mention that I have lost even more weight. I haven't. I think your body just redistributes the weight and that is what they're seeing. Also, I am at the gym 5 days a week working out and that causes muscle mass and fat loss but I think I'll call and talk to the nurse at the surgeon's office and see if she recommends I come in.

He finally caught his salmon.............

2010-09-26T14:14:00.000-07:00

My hubby has been fishing for 6 years and finally caught a salmon. He was beside himself happy. Grinning from ear to ear. It was only 17 pounds but it was his and he is so proud. I am so excited for him. Now his life is complete. Now I have to wrap it up and put it in the freezer.

Winchester Bay Resort

2010-09-25T08:58:00.000-07:00

We went to the coast on Sunday and spent three days there with some new friends we've recently met. They had never gone crabbing before. We took them crabbing in our boat. The catch was plentiful. The first day we used chicken parts for bait. You can only keep the males and they must be a certain size to be legal. After our first days catch, 17 of them, we heard about a business there in town that would cook and clean them for you. We took them to be cooked and it saved us the trouble and mess of cleaning and cooking them ourselves. Then we just had to remove the meat from the claws and bodies. The second day we caught more still but the cooking place was closed when we got there so we had to cook them ourselves. Here are a few pictures we took of the process. This resort was sure nice. 3 days wasn't long enough to be there and I definitely want to go back again. The space we had was large enough for our motor home, our boat and our truck. And it's right on the bay of the Umpqua River and the ocean. I like to have melted butter with garlic in it and to sample it while removing the meat from the shells. MMMMM good!!

A visit from my family........

2010-09-16T15:49:00.000-07:00

We went to Crater Lake on Tuesday. We rented an 8 passenger minivan. It was lots of fun. We went to breakfast and then headed off to the lake. Once we got there we had lunch and took pictures. We got home around dinnertime. I had made the chicken in the crockpot. It turned out very delicious but a little too spicy for my one sister-in-law and my great niece. Here is the recipe I used:

Jamaican Chicken

chicken thighs and breasts

Adobo seasoning

1 onion finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic minced

4T soy sauce

1 cup ketchup

1/2 habanero chili chopped fine ( I used a jalepeno and seeded it)

chicken broth

Rub the chicken with the adobo seasoning and brown in frying pan. Put in crockpot and add other ingredients. I cooked it for 8 hours on low. It could have been cooked a little less because the chicken was falling apart but it wasn't dry. I made rice to serve the gravy over.

Wednesday we decided to drive to the coast and show our guests some of the sights along the beach areas. After driving for about an hour and a half we got to our destination only to have one of my sisters-in-law become very sick. She was stricken with a case of the flu. We decided to head for home since she was so ill. It took us four hours to get home because we had to stop every so often for her to use a bathroom. Poor thing looked so miserable. She also felt terrible that our plans were ruined but that is not a big deal. We were just concerned about her. She started feeling better that evening and today feels great again. We're hoping none of the rest of us catch what she had.

Last minute touches

2010-09-10T05:51:00.000-07:00

What is going on with me. I woke up at 4am and laid there for almost an hour awake. I decided I would just get up. Now it's almost 6 and I am getting sleepy again. I got most of the things done yesterday so today I just have to dust a little and put a roast in the slow cooker.

Bob and his friend came home with no salmon yesterday. But they said they had a fun time anyway. I guess that's what it's all about anyway.

When we were camping in July a couple we know came camping also and we all had dinner together a few times. The time she made the main course it was a chicken dinner made in her slow cooker. She said it was a recipe given to her by a friend from the Caribbean. She gave me the ingredients. I thought that would make a good meal while my bros are here but I don't know the amounts of anything. I wrote her an email and asked for the recipe. She called yesterday and said she couldn't find the recipe and would call her friend for it and email me. Well, I haven't heard anything from her yet. So.....I figure either she couldn't reach her friend or she really doesn't want to share the recipe so I may have to improvise. After all I do have the ingredients. Only hitch is one ingredient is Goya Adobo Seasoning and my brother is bringing me that since I couldn't find it anywhere in my town. He found it in a Mexican market in Nevada. So I will be making it another night this next week.

The weather is supposed to be better the next week. It's been raining for two days off and on. I'm not ready to have cold and rainy weather yet. Well, I think I may go back to bed for a couple more hours. Have a Blessed Day everyone!

My New Toy........

2010-09-09T05:32:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of my new sewing machine. It has a longer arm than the standard machines do. It's 12 inches instead of the usual 7. I am hoping this will make a big difference when I quilt small projects. The larger ones can go on the quilt frame (when it comes in)
I went to my class yesterday to learn how to use the features on the machine. I am loving it.

Today Bob and a friend went to the coast to salmon fish the river. I have lots to do as both of my brothers are now on their way here. One brother is coming from Kansas and the other from Nevada. They are both planning to arrive tomorrow. I can't wait to see them all. I haven't seen the Kansas group in three years. I also have a third brother. I wish he and his wife could make it but they said they couldn't. I tried to stress the importance of spending a little time together because you never know how long any of us have. It's been over 20 years since we all have been together. I plan to make the best of this visit. Lots of pictures and laughter and good times. I thought I would bake some peanut butter cookies for them. When we were kids and went to visit my grandmother (paternal) she always had a crock of freshly baked peanut butter cookies for us. I have her recipe and thought it would be a nice touch. She also used to make a chiffon dessert that she called Pink Puddin but I've never been able to find the recipe. I think it had a cookie crust and was made with Jello and whipped up and was a raspberry flavor. Does it sound familiar to anyone? Well, I guess I should get started with all I have to do...............

Busy week...

2010-09-07T08:53:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry I haven't written in a few days. I have been trying to get ready for my two brothers and their wives coming for a visit. They will be arriving Friday and Saturday. We haven't all been together in almost 18 years. I have a third brother but he and his wife can't make it this time. We're getting so excited for the visit. Whenever I am with my brothers there is laughter and reminiscing and such good times. They will be here for a week. I am hoping our weather behaves itself. My one brother has never been to Oregon and the other brother came in April and it rained all week. We plan to go to Crater Lake since they haven't seen it. I checked Weather.com and the forecast looks good.

Another reason I haven't been on here is that Friday was my birthday. Hubby Bob and I drove to Eugene and went to a sewing store to look at machines (not that I needed one). We bought (gulp!) the new Bernina 820 computer machine. It does so much. It even ties a knot and cuts the thread for you if you want it to. No kidding. Also my hubby wanted to help me out with my quilting and bought me a quilting stand. I don't have it yet, since the store hasn't received the new models yet. They were promised them in October. That will give us some time to make room for it. It expands from 5 feet wide to 10 feet wide as needed. This was quite an extravagant gift, he's very good to me. I'll take a picture of the machine and post it later today. I have a class at the store tomorrow to learn how to use the sewing machine. I have to bring it with me plus all the goodies that came with it. It' pretty heavy. Weighs 39 pounds. I guess now I have to start sewing my own clothes and all. NOT!! Well, I might attempt a couple of things, like something simple that nobody would see other than Bob. A nightgown or pajamas. I will hopefully remember all I learn at the class tomorrow. My other sewing machine is feeling pretty dejected I'm sure. I was loving it until I got this bright shiny and large new one. I haven't decided if I will keep it or sell it yet. I have a friend who has offered to buy it.

Winding Down

2010-09-02T06:38:00.000-07:00

The time is winding down on both the summer and my time for getting things ready for my brothers visit. I decided to make a pot of spaghetti sauce and meatballs and also to put some chicken in my slow cooker for the day they arrive. That way I can enjoy them all and not be stuck preparing food in the kitchen. My one brother will be arriving next Friday, the 10th and the other brother on the 11th. I am so excited. I tried to get my third brother to come but he and his wife can't make it. It's been over 20 years since we've all been together. I am a little bummed out over it but it will still be fun.

We had the carpet cleaned yesterday. Now I have to get all the little styrofoam squares out from under the furniture and put it back against the walls. I am hoping my sister-in-law will be okay when she gets here. She has asthma and we have 2 cats. They are afraid that they'll have to stay in a motel rather than here in our home. I am hoping the cat dander isn't bad in the guest room since they aren't in there that often. I am waiting until the day before they arrive and I'll wash the bedspread in there. Then I'll keep the door closed. My sewing stuff is in there so I'll be in and out working on my quilt. I haven't done any work on it in several days. I'm thinking I need to get in there and give a good hour a day to get it done. A friend I met at the gym who is also new at quilting has decided to try to quilt her own quilt on her machine after I talked to her about being the only one with a hand in making a quilt. I'm hoping she follows through. It's so rewarding to see what you've done so far and know that it's your own design.

Tomorrow my hubby is going fishing with a friend. I am hoping I can get down to the garage and tidy it up a bit. I am so embarrassed when anyone sees it. It's an eyesore. I love my hubby to death but he has such a bad habit of never putting things away after using them. Every time he cleans the garage it only lasts one day and then it starts to get filled up again with tools and anything else he has used. Every square inch of space is taken up with stuff stacked on it. It's so frustrating. Our house was built in the 70s and the garage was added on after the fact. So, when you look out the window in our door in the kitchen you see this disaster area called the garage.

I have been eating larger portions lately without even realizing it. I am thinking I need a slight adjustment of my band. It's been 7 months since my last adjustment and I haven't lost any weight since April. I am just maintaining. I still need to lose another 27 pounds to be at my first goal. I decided to be more mindful of what I eat and to not eat anything between meals. We are not supposed to eat between meals with the LapBand and I have kind of been snacking on nuts or pretzels or crackers and I think this is a bad habit. Those things are referred to as slider foods since they slide right through the band. So I am getting back to basics to see if I can break my plateau.

Rainy Day

2010-08-30T19:29:00.000-07:00

Today was a rainy day and was pretty chilly. It felt like an Autumn day so I made beef stew for dinner. It was comfort food and so good and warm. I didn't really get much accomplished today. I did some laundry and grocery shopping. My brothers will be here next weekend and I am trying to plan a few meals to have while they are here. I am thinking of using my crock pot for a meal or two. I'm checking out my Fix it and Forget it cookbook. If anyone has a suggestion on a meal for 6 adults and one little girl I'd sure appreciate it.

I didn't get any quilting done today. I did go into the sewing room/guest room and look at it. I keep wishing I had started with a bigger meandering (that is the freehand quilting style I am using) than I did. It's going to take me longer and I'll be using a lot more thread. Oh well, it is my first so whatever happens I think I am doing ok. I think it looks pretty good, regardless of how long it will take me to finish it. Tomorrow my friend who got me started in quilting and I might go to Eugene to look at the latest machine out by Bernina. It's a pricey Momma. I can dream can't I ? To tell you the truth, my husband wants to buy it for me. I sometimes have to hold him back. He is very impulsive and thinks nothing of spending a small fortune just to make me happy. You've gotta love a guy like that.

My First Quilt

2010-08-29T02:56:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted here in so long. I guess I have been busy with other things. Facebook for one, but even that has been fading lately. Most of my time is being spent on my quilting projects. I am quilting my first quilt. I decided to try to do it myself on my machine. It's going to take a while but I can claim it's mine from start to finish that way. I also bought fabric to make a table runner for Autumn. I couldn't find the fabrics I really wanted but I did get the seasonal ones in Joanne's. Also, a couple of weeks ago, my husband and I went up the coast to Newport to meet some friends for lunch and on the way home we stopped at a quilt shop. He came in with me and saw a fishing quilt on the wall. He said he would love it if I would make it for him. So I bought the kit to make it and some extra fabric to make it bigger. He's 6'4" and always needs a longer quilt. I also bought some fabrics that caught my eye in blue and yellow. They had about 12 different ones and I bought a half yard of 7 of them. I am starting to get quite a collection of fabrics for future projects.

In two weeks, two of my brothers are coming with their wives to visit us. One of them has never been to Oregon and is really looking forward to seeing it. I am hoping the weather continues to be as beautiful as it's been. I hope summer holds out a little longer and fall doesn't slip in. He lives in Kansas so he's used to different weather but I would like for the temperatures to stay like they've been in the low 80s or even the 70s is fine. We'll take them to Crater Lake for sure. None of them have seen it and if any of you come to Oregon, it's well worth seeing. It's beautiful.

I just reread my post and it's kind of boring so I apologize for that. I have been having a time with my reflux the last few days. Today we made ribs in a new smoker and I tried the rub the instruction manual said to make. It was soooooo spicy I could hardly eat them. Too much cayenne pepper. I got heartburn while I was still eating it. That is why I am up now in the middle of the night. GRRRRR! Next time I'll only use a tiny bit for a little kicked up flavor not a mule kick. Other than that the ribs were good.

Well I think I'll try and get back to sleep now. My cat is laying on my legs and purring.

So nice to be home.......

2010-07-20T05:35:00.000-07:00

I am home. We've been camping for the last 3 weeks and fishing. Hubby is fishing twice a day. Five a.m. and then he goes out again at around 3 or 4 in the afternoon and comes in around 8 or 9. A little much for me. Thankfully we have friends there so the guys go fishing and we stay in camp. I brought my quilting with me to work on in the RV but I reached a point where I needed more room so I packed it all up and gathered the laundry as well as the lists of things I needed at the store and from home and Chloe and I came home for a few days respite. So nice to be home. So quiet too without the TV going all the time. I love my husband dearly, but what he likes to watch on TV and what I like to watch are totally different. I got a lot accomplished yesterday. I went to the store and bought some paint and started painting the trim on the windows in our living room and dining room. It really needed it. I looks great. I will do the second coat today. We hadn't painted them since the windows were framed in because our cats are always walking on the sills. Since the cats are in the motor home with my hubby I figured, now is the time.

I am getting ready to go in and work on the quilt now. I made another table topper for a friend of mine for her birthday next month. I am in the process of quilting it now. It's about 1/3 done then I need to put the binding on and it's finished. I really am loving quilting.

I haven't been eating very well the last few weeks. Too much snacking. And I haven't been getting my exercise in either. So this morning I am going to the gym for a much needed workout. I just thought............I am taking a vacation from my vacation. Hmmmmmm!

Summer finally has arrived in Oregon.....

2010-06-26T08:25:00.000-07:00

It's so nice to have sunshine and warm to hot days. We went to a local lake here called Diamond Lake last week. We stayed a week and went fishing and had lots of friends come by as well as being with several other couples while we were there. This picture was taken at a pizza parlor near the lake. We had a great time and caught lots of fish. Next week we are having a fish fry with lots of friends from our church. It should be loads of fun too.

I've been off here a while again. I can't seem to get myself organized this year. Anyway, I missed the last class of my quilt class. It was Thursday night and I volunteered to work in the church nursery this past week. One of the little babies had a runny nose. Her mom assured us it was allergies and not a cold. Well after being with her for 3 days I got myself a full blown cold. On Thursday I came home feeling terrible and aching all over. I went to bed and missed my class. Now I have 12 finished blocks and no guidance on how to complete the quilt. I am going to go to the quilt shop and plead with them to give me a little info on how to finish it. I'm sure they'll be accommodating to me. I hope.

True confessions

2010-05-30T05:26:00.000-07:00

I have a question for all my followers with the band. Are any of you drinking carbonated beverages yet? It's been 2 years and 2 months since I had my surgery and a couple of weeks ago I got to craving a Diet Dr Pepper. I mean, I didn't drink diet soda much before but occasionally it just hit the spot, you know what I mean? When I had my consultation before surgery I thought the surgeon told me never again have carbonated beverages or caffeine. I drink decaf tea or coffee most of the time. Once in a while I'll have a half cup of the real thing but I haven't tried the carbonated stuff. Well, I broke down and bought a 12 pack of it last week. I tell you it tasted so good, but the burping and gurgling is really embarrassing. My hubby and I were sitting on our deck yesterday after planting a couple of little bushes in our planter and I sipped my Dr Pepper as we relaxed. A short time later I took another little sip and gurgle, burp, gurgle. The burps I could conceal but the gurgles you can't hide. He turned and looked at me like " What the Hell?? " It tasted awesome but I was just wondering if any of you have tried drinking them since surgery. I have a problem drinking water most of the time, it gives me heartburn. Also any Crystal Light products with citrus fruit in it gives me heartburn. It seems they all have some kind of citrus in them. I have been drinking skim milk on occasion and it goes down and doesn't cause heartburn and tastes good too. I also broke a cardinal rule recently and had a glass of milk with my meal. Oh, the good old days. I have gone astray, I know. What has gotten into me? Not only am I drinking the forbidden fruits but I am drinking while eating on occasion. I think I need a serious talking to. Tell me I am not the only one.................

Almost done.......

2010-05-25T14:53:00.000-07:00

I finished quilting the table topper the other night. I am now working on the strips for the binding to go around the edges. This is the part I don't think I will like very much. I went to the gym this morning for my two classes. Yesterday I woke up feeling exhausted. I showered and got dressed to go to the gym and felt so wiped out that I decided not to go. I had invited some friends for dinner and didn't want to cancel so I just rested in the morning and our two husbands went fishing so I vacuumed the house and went to the store for a few items I needed for dinner. The dinner turned out really good (Stuffed Shells, Antipasto Salad, and Cheesy Garlic Bread) and we even played some cards after dinner. It's so fun to get together with friends.

I have to get busy now and finish my laundry and then I have to go to the store for a couple of things for tonight's dinner. Taco Salad. Yum! It's so nice to be able to eat whatever I want even with the LapBand. I just can't eat the quantity I used to. And there are a few things I have trouble eating such as really fibrous foods like fresh pineapple or some pastas like angel hair. But most of my favorites I can still eat.

Quilting................

2010-05-23T08:11:00.000-07:00

I put my quilt top and the batting and the backing together yesterday and last night I began quilting it. I was a little apprehensive at first since I didn't want to mess it up and then have to tear out all the stitches, but once I got started I realized it is fun. Lots of fun. I am just doing a stitch that meanders back and forth and although it's not perfect (after all it is my first one) it looks pretty darned good. Once I finish it, I will post another picture of it. That is after I sew on the binding and it's done. I hope to finish the quilting portion this afternoon when I get home from church. I can see how people get the quilting bug. I find myself looking at fabric in fabric stores or quilt shops now and before they never really interested me. I am anxious to tell my friends at church that I started it. My friend Lori will be so happy for me. She has helped me when I bought my machine and also to pick out the fabric on this table topper. I hope you can see the quilting portion of the topper. I have only quilted around the floral outer edge so far.

Our weather has been crazy the last week. We went from having beautiful sunny spring days to cold, dark and pouring down rain. It felt like winter all over again. Native Oregonians say this is part of a ten year cycle. At least the native that I talked with last night. He said this weather would continue through June. Well, not much I can do about it. It sure is different than I have been used to for most of my life. Living in Southern California for the majority of my life I am used to sunshine most of the time and when it rains it only rains for maybe a day or two or a week at the most and then the sun is out again. But you can't beat the summers here. I temperatures are so much nicer. Usually in the mid 80s and SoCal of course is in the 90s and 100s a good part of the summer. We planted a new azalea bush with bright orange flowers. I am hoping it takes and the deer leave it alone. We were driving down our driveway the other day and 7 deer were crossing our yard two of them were obviously heavy with babies. Their bellies were just bulging. I love when the fawns are born each spring. The doe keeps them hidden for the first several weeks and then she will move them to a new location and that is when we usually see them for the first time. Lots of the time the doe will have twins and they are so darned cute to watch. She will be eating grass (or one of my plants) and they romp around and chase each other. It's adorable. One of my favorite things for sure.

Well, I need to get in the shower and get ready for church. Have a Blessed Day everyone!

Monday morning dreary.......

2010-05-17T08:41:00.001-07:00

Well, after 3 beautiful days of warm sunshine I guess it's time to "pay the piper" so to speak. It rained last night, in fact we even had some thunder and lightening. That is very unusual here. It is supposed to be rainy off and on most of the week. I am so ready for the rains to end but I know we really need it. After all that is how all those trees stay alive and thrive.

I need to get to the gym today. I have slacked off a bit in the last few weeks. Oh, I have still been going but I haven't really been applying myself all the time. So, I am determined to get back on my program of 5 days a week and working up to a sweat each of those days. My body is starting to get saggy and the skin is getting loose. So sad, but at my age I can't prevent it. I have loose skin even on my forearms. I am dreading having to wear short sleeves once the weather gets warmer. I wish I could just have all my skin pulled up and tightened. But, even with my skin being a little loose, it beats all the fat that was there before. I am still very proud of myself for all the hard work I have put into working out.

Tomorrow night I am going to a meeting at my church for a quilters group who make quilts for people who are sick. It's a prayer quilt group and the name is "Squares of Hope" I am eager to be a part of something so wonderful. I know a couple of people who went through cancer the last couple of years and they received one of these quilts. They said the quilt meant so much to them knowing it had been prayed over by the women who came together to make it that their healing was escalated and they recovered that much faster. Isn't that inspiring?

I made a pot of cauliflower cheese soup yesterday that was so yummy. I pack it into small containers and freeze them. Then I can just pop them into a bowl and microwave it when I am ready to eat it. I can't wait til lunch today to have my first bowl. Well I hear my hubby moving around so I have to get going and get to the gym. Have a good day everyone!!

My First Project........

2010-05-16T06:12:00.000-07:00

Here is my first project. It's a table runner. I still have to put the batting in and the backing but the top is done. I am so proud of my little quilt so far. I am wishing I had picked different colors. My friend Lori helped me pick them out and I like them only they really won't look good in my dining room. Maybe I can gift them to someone.
This is my sewing center that I bought. It's a Bernina machine and the table is custom made and also has a place for your serger (if you have one). The white table with my table runner on it is the cutting table. It opens to 80 inches. Both sides lift up and it also has drawers on the ends and the whole bottom has a shelf where items can be stored.

The next picture is an additional cabinet for storage of fabric or books or whatever I want to store in it. Isn't it nice looking? The lady who sold them to me also threw in a pair of left handed scissors, a rotary cutter, a cutting mat, a whole drawer of thread, about 15 bobbins, rulers and templates for cutting and other assorted goodies including Bernina manuals. I think the price was right at $1200. What do you think?

We did lots of work in our yard yesterday. Bob got two truckloads of bark mulch and we put it around all of our trees and bushes. We also put it in our garden areas. It gives such a finished look to your plants and it helps to keep the moisture in. I also put it around the tops of our container garden on our front deck.

Last night for dinner I made Pork Carnitas and also Pinto Beans. I was only able to eat one of course but it was very good. We had two really pretty days and the temperature got up to 80 here in our town. Today a little rain is in the forecast and over the next few days showers too.

The day bed next to this cabinet needs a bedspread. I hope to make a quilt for it soon. I haven't quite decided what pattern to make but my class in beginning quilting should help me to feel more confident in making it.

2010-05-15T06:46:00.000-07:00

I haven't been on here in a month. I have become very lax where my blog is concerned for some reason. I have still been reading yours but just have posted. My brother and his wife came and visited us for almost a week. We enjoyed their visit so much. Unfortunately, our weather wasn't the best. In fact it rained all but one day that they were here. We still had fun and spent many hours laughing and reminiscing childhood memories. I haven't taken any pictures of my sewing room yet. I promise I'll do that this weekend and post them. I am making a table topper. I also signed up for a quilt class at our local quilt shop. It's 12 squares, all different (so I can learn different techniques). They say in 4 weeks I will complete the quilt. I started to buy the fabric for it the other day. I picked out some beautiful batiks. They are such vivid colors and I can't wait to get started.

I've had a cold for the last week, and now Bob (my hubby) has it too. UGH! I hate colds. Last week we went to our local Farmers Market and I bought some salad greens from a local grower. They were so yummy, I ate salads every day last week at lunch. I plan to go back today and get another bag. We also bought a Japanese Maple and an Azalea bush with bright orange flowers on it. We planted the maple but not the azalea yet. We have to remove a small tree from the area first. I also planted some annuals in a garden area that we built out front. In order to keep the flowers we had to fence around it or the deer would feast on our plants. I'll try to get some pictures of that too. I will try to do better on posting and keeping up with the blogs I read.

I haven't reached the 100 pound point yet so I can wear my new pendant but the last time I weighed myself I was at 97 pounds. I have been fluctuating after each weigh loss. I go up and down two or three pounds for a couple of weeks and then I finally lose that weigh plus a pound. I only weigh myself first thing in the morning before I drink my tea. I keep forgetting and that is why I haven't weighed. My sister-in-law asked me if I was wearing the new pendant yet and I had to tell her not yet. She took home my old sewing machine since she didn't have one. It was about 30 years old made by Brother for Montgomery Ward. My exhusband bought it for me one Christmas. I never had a case for it or a table that it sat in. I did buy a tapestry case on wheels for it so I could wheel it around and keep it clean. My new (to me) Bernina also has one of those cases too. I have to take it with me to the quilt shop when I start the class. I am kind of rambling this morning. I guess I haven't blogged in so long that I have lots of thoughts racing through my mind.

A girlfriend of mine, who I've known since we were about 14 years old sent me an email last week and asked me about my LapBand. It's funny because when I was considering it, she blew me off and said she thought it was not the way to go to lose weight and she would never do that. So I didn't mention it again. Now she is considering it. We talked on the phone and I tried to answer all her questions. I told her the way I found out most about it was by reading LapBandtalk.com. I told her they even have a video on there of the actual surgery. She is seeing her doctor later this month for a consultation on the surgery. I wish her well and told her that I wouldn't hesitate to have the surgery all over again if I had it to do again.

Well, I am going to take my shower and get ready to go to the Farmer's Market. I promise to take pictures and get them posted of my sewing room and my garden area.

Sewing room

2010-04-08T08:16:00.000-07:00

Well, since I last posted my hubby and I went over to some friends of ours from church for Easter dinner. She is a seasoned quilter. I have wanted to learn quilting forever but never have. As we were sitting and talking about it her husband mentioned having seen a Bernina quilting edition machine in the paper for sale. It was to include a custom made table and storage as well as an adjustable cutting table. The asking price was $1200. My friend Lori said she would call the lady and ask the questions she knew to ask, better than I. She wasn't available to talk so she said she would call Lori back. After we had gotten home Lori called and said that it seemed like a great deal. The machine was in good condition and she also was getting out of quilting because of arthritis in her hands. She said she would include many of the items that she has and wouldn't be using anymore ie. cutting boards, rulers, rotary cutter, left handed scissors, extra bobbins and thread. Even some pattern books. Lori and I went to see it on Monday and decided it was a sweet deal so I bought it. The interesting thing is the lady selling the machine and I really hit it off. I mean I could see us being friends. We have similar interests and she was just so easy to talk to and Lori felt the same way. Last night hubby Bob and I went to pick up the remaining furniture and he and her husband hit it off as well. We sat there and talked with them for 2 hours before we loaded the furniture into our truck. There were hugs and she offered to help us with everything from putting the furniture together to putting a quilt together. They want to get together socially with us and with Lori and her hubby too. Now to decide which room we will set up my new hobby. Lori and another lady at our church have been making prayer quilts to give to seriously ill patients and I will be part of their group. I am very excited to get started. Now I have great equipment to get me started. Once it's set up I will take some pictures for my blog.

Oh, and by the way, I lost another 2 pounds. I don't know if I mentioned the pendant my hubby bought me last month. We went to the jewelry store at our mall and I needed to have a ring re sized because it was too loose. I also had my wedding ring cleaned and a heart with diamonds in it that he gave me for Valentine's day changed a bit. My birthstone is Sapphire and the heart had only diamonds in it. We had 3 sapphires added in place of 3 of the diamonds to make it more interesting. While we were there he mentioned the marquise diamond that I have from when he had it replaced for a larger one in my wedding ring. He has been wanting me to have it placed in another piece of jewelry. Isn't he the greatest guy? They had a special line of jewelry that was there for the weekend and maybe something there would interest us. They had a really pretty pendant with sapphires in it and an opening in the bottom that would accommodate the diamond perfectly. So we bought it and the next day I brought the diamond in. I decided this is going to be my 100 pound reward. I am now at 95 pounds and soon, I will be able to wear that beautiful necklace proudly. I will take a picture of it also and show it on here. Well, that is what is new with me. Now I have to catch up on all your blogs that I haven't read in about a week.

Happy Easter!!

2010-04-03T15:16:00.000-07:00

Wishing you and yours a Blessed and Happy Easter!!

Happy April Fool's Day....

2010-03-31T19:05:00.000-07:00

Do you celebrate April Fool's Day? Are you a practical joker? I haven't pulled a prank on anyone in a long time. When I worked full time it was more on my mind and people in the office did pranks and such. When you're retired and live with your spouse it doesn't come up. I guess if we were really jokesters then we'd think up some good ideas but, we aren't. I used to have a son-in-law whose birthday was April 1st. Now it is just a reminder that spring is on the way and soon the rain will give way to the sunshine and beautiful flowers.

Today was a mixture of rain and sun and clouds. Yesterday it poured pretty much all day. And they are forecasting no rain tomorrow just clouds and sun and then on Friday a new storm system is moving in from the Pacific. Oh boy!!

Sunshine Award

2010-03-30T18:00:00.000-07:00

Thank you Ronda~~I am so honored to receive this award~ I am inspired to think maybe I am giving someone else a little help in the struggle to lose weight.

SUNSHINE AWARD RULES

The Sunshine Award is awarded to bloggers whose positivity and creativity inspire others in the blogging world.
Once you receive one, then you:
1. Post the logo on your blog.
2. Pass the award on to 12 fellow bloggers.
3. Link the nominees
4. Let nominees know they have won this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to the person you received this award from.
I would like to nominate the following bloggers in no particular order & pass on the happiness :)
1. Judi http://judifromthismomenton.blogspot.com/

2. Jody http://jodyvworld.blogspot.com/
3. Amy http://amysgotaband.blogspot.com/

4. Angi http://angiandthelapband.blogspot.com/
5. Amanda http://amandakiska.blogspot.com/
6. MacMadame http://fattyfightsback.blogspot.com

7. Breanne http://ladylapband.blogspot.com/

8. _____ http://thinspiration4me.blogspot.com/
9. Libby http://libneas.blogspot.com

10. Kate http://tatersmamastakeonthings.blogspot.com/
11. Sonya http://mysouthernhome.blogspot.com/
12. "Ma" http://onyama.blogspot.com/

All of these ladies have been an inspiration to me through their blogs and they have helped me through trying times with the band and have been there through my victories as well! I have more I could have nominated but these 12 ladies we at the top of my list! Thank you all for your support and you are MY SUNSHINE!

I am back ~~

2010-03-25T08:09:00.000-07:00

Wow~time has gotten away from me the last couple of weeks. I have been doing a lot around the house. My brother and sister-in-law are coming next month so all the little things I have been putting off such as cleaning closets, organizing my pantry, and others I have been doing and my hubby is also on the bandwagon. He has finished most of the projects in our house which is awesome. He finished the closet he started 2 years ago and yesterday the carpet man came out and carpeted it so I loaded it with quilts and linens and paper products. That is stuff that was sitting out in the spare bedroom. You know the giant packages of paper towels and toilet paper from Costco? Well, now they have a home. He even added a cabinet in the garage for me to store platters and small appliances I don't use all the time. He is a good guy, I think I'll keep him. I did color my hair and I've been getting so many good compliments that I am happy I did it. I haven't taken a picture of it yet but when I do I will post it. I also have some other news about my weight, I am only 7 pounds from having lost 100 pounds now. That is the best news. The down side of it is the loose skin I am beginning to notice everywhere. Most of it is due to my age. My upper and even lower arms have crape-looking skin now. It's sad because I have some great guns when I make a muscle. Also my neck has gotten some loose skin and that is really bugging me. I guess it's just a part of the weight loss and getting old that I will have to live with since I don't have thousands of dollars to spend on a plastic surgeon. Oh well, enough of that. We've been having some really nice weather the last couple of weeks also. I have been working in the garden a little and planting and weeding. This is something I couldn't do before I lost weight because it was too hard to bend over and get up and down without getting exhausted. Now I enjoy the little bit of exercise I get doing these things.

Weather Change

2010-03-10T04:21:00.000-08:00

Well, our beautiful spring-like weather has flown. We had freezing cold yesterday with frost. Now it's raining so it must have warmed up a bit. I am up early AGAIN!! I was so tired I went to bed at 10pm. The dog woke me at 2:30 to go potty. I wasn't able to go back to sleep. I hate this because I am wide awake until around 6 or 7 and then I get sleepy and can't seem to get enough rest in before it's time to wake up. Oh Chloe, what am I going to do with you???

Well, I put a rinse in my hair on Saturday. As soon as I put it on (before I rinsed it out) I felt more like myself with the darker color on my head. When I got out of the shower and saw the color I was disappointed. It was so much lighter than I thought it should be. In fact it looked weird to me. I asked my neighbor for her opinion and she said it looked good but it was too light. Great!! I called the number on the box and the lady at Clairol said the temporary colorings aren't meant for hair as white/gray as mine. I need to use a permanent color. So off to the store I went and bought a kit in a similar color and this time I bought L'oreal Preference which I used to use before when I colored my own hair. I have to wait a few days so I don't damage my hair. Also, yesterday a lady from my church who is a hairdresser told me I should buy some 1o% volume peroxide from the beauty supply to use instead of what comes in the kit. Because I am not trying to lighten my hair color I don't need that strength of peroxide, if will just dry my hair out. Good to know. I did get lots of compliments on my hair though, so that was nice.

I think I will read for a while and see if that doesn't make me sleepy. Catch you all later. Have a terrific Wednesday everyone!!

Does she or doesn't she?

2010-03-04T20:28:00.000-08:00

I have been pondering something for the last month or so. It's my hair color. I colored my hair for years up until about 3 years ago. I decided I wanted to stop coloring it to see how it looked. So my hairdresser did a weave in blond and caramel with a brown base and gradually let it grow out. When it was grown out I kind of liked it, only I never really got used to it. I would get lots of compliments on it, but there were always the people who didn't recognize me because of the hair color change. I never could understand that, since people change hair color all the time and I still know who they are. Anyway, recently I have begun to feel more and more like I am looking older and the gray/white hair isn't helping matters. Part of it is the excess skin my weight loss is causing. Another is I feel washed out when I see myself in pictures. When I work out at the gym and see my reflection in the mirror I see my mother. Yikes!! I am not that old! Well, anyway I have mentioned it to a couple of my friends and they both said if it would make me feel better I should color it again. Herein lies my dilemma, if I start to color it I am back to my every three week merry-go-round of touching up the roots. Ahhh alas, I think I am leaning closer to it if only to see if it makes the image of my Mother not show up in my mirror. Don't get me wrong, I loved my Mom and she was a terrific lady, but I am not that old (yet). Well, there you have it, that is my confession of what I've been dwelling on lately.

I have been doing pretty well since my last fill, until a few nights ago. I woke up coughing and several times got a mouthful of liquid. I also had congestion in my lungs and after a few nights of not sleeping well I made sure that I didn't eat anything after 6pm and last night I did alright and wasn't coughing. So I guess I'll have to make sure I don't eat past dinnertime. I had some tea tonight after dinner and I am hoping it won't be a problem for me. I didn't drink anything all day and I needed some fluids so that is why I had the tea.

Avatar.......

2010-02-25T08:13:00.000-08:00

I think I must be one of the last people who went to see Avatar. I was told to see it in 3D if possible so I went yesterday. My neighbor went with me and we absolutely loved it. It was a delight for the eyes. Such beautiful scenery and colors and unusual creatures and insects. We both just kept thinking "how did they do that??" I think it will become a classic for sure. My hubby isn't in to sci-fi or fantasy type movies so he didn't want to see it. But after hearing us go on and on about it I wouldn't be surprised if he wants to see it now.

We just had a week of incredible weather. It was sunny and fairly warm (65) almost every day. Now the rain is back but it sure looks like the spring will be early this year. The trees are all in bloom and buds are forming. The daffodils are blooming all over town. They grow wild here. Along the freeway you'll see clumps of them and on hillsides too. The deer don't eat the daffodils or they wouldn't be so prolific.

So far I am doing well with my new fill of the LapBand. I am trying to eat more veggies and fruit. I have a problem with very fibrous fruits and veggies though. I have to cut them into really small pieces and hopefully chewing well will prevent problems. I want to try and eat 3 to 5 a day. I always used to do well with this theory but since my surgery it's been harder. They want us to eat solid protein first and then carbs, including veggies and fruits and starchy carbs last. Of course they don't tell you that many of the starchy carbs go down easier than anything else. We call them slider foods. Crackers, chips, even candy usually go down pretty easy, so long as you are going slowly. Sometimes I have chicken salad or egg salad on whole wheat crackers because they are easier to swallow than bread is. It's a process and also a learning experience. Have a wonderful day everyone!!

Finally, I got a band adjustment aka "fill"

2010-02-16T19:38:00.000-08:00

I saw my doctor today and he filled my band with .5cc . I am so happy. I haven't had enough restriction and hopefully now I will. I was told to have liquids only for the first 24 hours. I ate some cream of cauliflower soup that I made the other day. It is yummy. I didn't lose any weight between this appointment and the last appointment which was December 22. Last time I went in the doctor wouldn't fill me because I had lost 6 pounds. He was concerned about my acid reflux and heartburn. Today he saw I wasn't losing but asked me if I still have heartburn and I said I did but I am controlling it with Prilosec so he said "OK lets get you filled". I would have been happy with a tiny amount but since he chose to do .5 I was pleased. Since my 2 year anniversary is next month they gave me my lab sheet to have my blood drawn and took my picture. I got the picture in my email when I got home. I couldn't believe how baggy my pants were. I mentioned it to my husband and he said, "yes they are" Now wouldn't you think he would tell me it's time to get rid of those pants because they are too big now? Heck no!!! Well, I need to go through my closet and give clothes to Goodwill. Even some of my tops are super loose on me. I noticed at the gym today the shirt I was wearing was too big. That is such a good feeling. I need to go shopping for some smaller sizes. Oh yeah!!

I still wish I had lost more than I have, but I feel as though the last year I've been on PAUSE. Since my band was completely unfilled for 6 months and then it only had a small amount in it really kept my weight at a standstill. I guess I should be happy I didn't gain a bunch of weight back. When I was filled to the most I had before I still only lost one pound a week, which isn't much but at least it was steady and consistent. I am glad the Gastro doctor found nothing wrong and I am able to proceed. I have continued my exercise 5 days a week and I think that has really helped me. I am stronger than I have been in so many years and I feel fantastic.

Well, I it's time for American Idol so I will end this now.

A New Week Begins...

2010-02-15T06:39:00.000-08:00

Well, I was surprised by my husband yesterday with a small package. It looked to be jewelry. I was really taken by surprise. When I opened it I found a heart shaped pendant with 7 diamonds on it. It is beautiful. He really outdid himself. I was hoping for a card for Valentine's Day. I hope your day was as perfect as mine, not to say that I hope you all got gifts but that someone you care about was thoughtful and kind to you.

Our Pastor at church did a sermon on The Love Bank. He explained that if you did something kind, thoughtful or generous to someone, either your spouse or a family member or even a friend or a stranger, it makes a deposit in their Love Bank towards you. If you do something like get angry, or criticize, or some other negative act it makes a withdrawal from the Love Bank. It was interesting and made perfect sense. For the rest of the day we made it a point to be kind and complimentary towards each other. Not that we usually don't but it just brought it to the forefront that we should take the time to be more thoughtful and kind to each other.

The afternoon was nap time at our house as Sunday's tend to be. And then we watched some of the Olympics before dinner. We had leftover Chicken Enchiladas for dinner. They were delicious.

Today, it's back to the gym for my weight workout, the elliptical and Zumba class. Tomorrow I have an appointment with my surgeon for an adjustment to my LapBand. I cancelled my appointment last month because my band had gotten very tight so I didn't think I needed a fill. Now it's gone back to normal so I am going to see if he will fill it little. I haven't lost much weight the last couple of months and I've noticed I can eat a pretty large portion at times which is why I haven't lost much weight. Well, that's about all that's new with me.......have a good week.

Happy Valentine's Day..

2010-02-14T06:52:00.001-08:00

I haven't posted on here in a few weeks and I need to get busy here again. I have been doing lots of work around the house as well as some volunteer work for our church. I read the last post I wrote about my burning my hand on the pan I took out of the oven. It just started to peel this week. I thought it blistered the night I burned it but the next day the blisters were gone. Now my hand is all peeling and the skin underneath is new and not super tender like it would be if it had peeled right away.

I have been struggling to eat better. My band was tight for a time but is now back to normal. I am thinking I should keep my appointment for an adjustment and get just a small fill. I have been having heartburn still but can keep it controlled with OTC meds. I have to eat dinner early and remember not to eat or drink anything beyond 7 or 8pm. I have managed to lose a few pounds but I wish it was more. When I was filled last year I was losing a pound a week, which is not fast but was steady and if I had continued to lose at that pace I would be at my goal weight now. I still go to the gym 5 days a week and I know it has helped me tremendously with my strength and balance.

I am wanting to start to learn quilting but I can't seem to make time in my day to get started. I seem to be busy most of the day with other daily household things so I need to organize my time better. I went to a friend's home a few weeks ago and saw all the beautiful quilts she has made and I got inspired but I haven't done any more than that yet. She made a beautiful king sized quilt for their bed and it had trees on it. It was so lovely.

I am up earlier than I wanted to be this morning, Chloe woke me and of course she is asleep now and I am awake. I tried to go back to bed but was too awake to go back to sleep. Do any of you have plans for Valentine's Day? I don't have any. I bought my husband a beautiful card and I am going to fix a nice dinner but that is all I am planning. I doubt if he has anything planned. We'll see.

Well, I am going to try and catch up on some of your blogs now since I haven't read them in a while. Oh we do have a new baby in our family. My oldest brother's youngest son and his wife had their first baby on Friday afternoon. They named her Delaney Grace. Isn't that a pretty name? Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!

New Recipe, with an accident...

2010-01-22T13:29:00.000-08:00

The other night I was trying a new recipe. It was Chicken Parmesan. Also, I have a new set of pans. They are Calphalon Unison pans. I love love love them. You can put them in the oven and even the dishwasher (although I always hand wash my pans) Anyway, getting back to my recipe, it called for cooking the chicken for a couple of minutes on each side and then placing the pan in the oven for 6 minutes. Then you turn over the chicken and add your pasta sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan and return to oven for 6 more minutes. When it was done I took the pan out of the oven and put it on the stove. The chicken looked divine. I needed the burner the pan was sitting on so I reached out to grab the handle and move it over to another burner. OMG!!!! I forgot it was hot!!! My hand was burned really badly. Searing pain made me run to the sink. I ran cold water and stood there with my hand under the water. I couldn't believe I had been so careless. I walked around the kitchen with my hand submerged in a glass of cold water while I put the food out and got everything else ready for dinner. The chicken was delicious by the way.
After dinner my hand was really hurting so I took a washcloth and wrapped up two ice cubes in it and held it in my hand. It helped for a while and then the pain would come back. I sat there this way alternating between the water and the ice for 5 hours and still no relief. I was afraid I would have to go for medical help. I was getting so tired. It was after 11 and I usually go to bed at around 10. I couldn't imagine trying to sleep with my hand in a glass of water. I have a tube of lidocaine from when I had my LapBand surgery to use for my band adjustment appointments. I don't use it because it didn't seem to make a difference when I do. Well, I thought maybe it would help my hand. I got the cream and gently rubbed it on my hand. The pain was horrible but I kept it out of the water hoping the pain would subside. It came and went for about a half an hour. Then I noticed it was easing off a bit. Bob suggested putting something over my hand to protect it and we thought a white sock would work. He helped me put the sock on. It looked as though it was blistering. I figured in the morning if it still looked bad I would go to Urgent Care. Yesterday I got up and it looked really red and tight and leathery looking. But there weren't any blisters. Today it looks even better. I think I lucked out.

My hubby had an outpatient surgery today at the hospital. He had hernia surgery. We are both pretty tired. He had to be there at 6:15 this morning. We also took our next door neighbor to the hospital too. She was having a heart catherization at the same time and was going to drive herself so I said just come with us. She did. Her procedure was delayed because her doctor had an emergency. She isn't home yet so I don't know the outcome of her test. She had it done 5 years ago and had to have heart bypass surgery. She is almost 84 and in great health. She is active and exercises every day and also goes line dancing two or three times a week. I hope she doesn't have to go for bypass surgery again.

My band has been so tight lately. I am glad I didn't get it adjusted last time I went to the doctor. I don't know why it is but this is the time of the year that I got tight last year. Since I was filled more than I am now it really caused some problems. It keeps me eating smaller portions for sure. Also I have to eat dinner by 6pm and nothing to eat or drink after dinner.

Have a good weekend everyone!!

It's Friday Already?

2010-01-15T05:24:00.000-08:00

Boy this week went by fast! Last night I checked my Ipod to see if it was still wet and it appeared to be completely dried out. I turned it on and ...........it works!! I was so relieved. Now hopefully it will be able to function in all ways. I read of one person who said that he couldn't charge the battery once it had gotten wet. I still have most of the charge on the battery so I will use it today at the gym and charge it over the weekend.

I have an appointment next week for a Lapband adjustment. Last month when I went for one the doctor didn't want to give me one. He was hesitant because of the fact that my reflux came back when he started to fill the band again. He suggested I wait a few weeks. So I made an appointment for a month out. Now the last few days my band feels like it has tightened so I think I am going to cancel my appointment. I may just push it out another month so that I will have one if I need it next month. I have lost a couple of more pounds finally, now that I have a fill again. I have started to try to eat a little better. The good thing about my band is that I was able to eat what I wanted because I haven't been able to eat that much and still lost weight. But, I have decided that I need to be more mindful of what I eat. I am trying to get in more fruits and vegetables. Last night I made cabbage rolls since I was given a huge cabbage by someone. I had never made them before but remember them from when I was a child and I loved them. Well, Mister Picky wasn't thrilled with them. He is not a veggie eater and the cabbage didn't go to well with him. He loved the filling but not the cabbage part. I thought they were delicious. I got the recipe from one of the blogs I read but I can't remember who's blog at this time. Of course I made a dozen of these things and I could only eat one. He ate two. Now I need to find a home for 9 more. I hope they freeze well. I will eat one for lunch today and then freeze the rest. Or maybe give a few to my neighbor lady.

Do any of you watch American Idol? We've been watching it since the first season and I am hoping they cut short the beginning part where they show all the people who are auditioning just to get on TV. Some of that is okay but two months of it is a little much.

Last week we watched New In Town with Renee Zellwegger and Harry Connick Jr. Have you seen it? We enjoyed it. Thought it was pretty funny. Renee has quite a sense for comedy. Got our new Netflix movie yesterday. It's High School Musical. I haven't seen it and don't know if I will like it but I want to see what all the hoopla is about. My hubby wasn't too excited when I told him what it was. We'll see. I pop him some popcorn and he'll be happy.

2010-01-13T06:33:00.000-08:00

Well, the water line is going down in the Ipod but who knows if it will still work once the water evaporates? I could just kick myself for not being more careful. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.
Yesterday I had lunch with 3 friends at a fairly new restaurant in our area. They make the best bread. Oh it's delicious. Only problem is I can't really eat it because it's very dense. It is hard for me to get it through my Lapband. They sell several different flavors and they are all good. They opened a vegetarian restaurant where their bakery is. I had a cup of Butternut Squash soup and a small spinach salad. Very good. One of my friends ordered a vegetarian Reuben sandwich. She took it home for later as she was full after her salad. I'll have to call her today and see how she liked it. After lunch we stopped by a local winery so one of the girls could pick up her wine club wines. I had never been there before and was amazed at what a pretty place was just a few miles from my house. They built a cave that has beautiful inlaid tables made from wine barrels. There are sculptured figures on the stone walls inside and as you are walking in the cave they have scriptures on the floor from the book of Romans. It was very cold inside and it felt good to get outside to the garden area. It's been in the 50s the last few days which is pretty warm for this time of the year. Our area here in Southern Oregon has become quite the winery area over the last several years. We have several wineries and even a wine tour that takes in a couple of adjoining areas. I plan on checking a few of the other wineries out this year too. We didn't do any wine tasting during our visit but I'll have to come back and try some of their wines.
Today I plan to go to the Zumba class again. It rained pretty hard last night and now it's pretty quiet out there. I don't know if the rain is expected to continue today or not.

The Day Started Badly...

2010-01-12T07:03:00.000-08:00

I went to the gym yesterday morning to get back into my workout routine after not having gone in two weeks due to the surgery I had.

I had left my workout bag in the car over the weekend. On Friday I met a friend there to show her around after she joined and took the bag but didn't need it. I pulled the bag out of the back seat and wanted to check my Ipod since it had been a couple of weeks since I'd used it and the battery might be low. My towel was wet, "oh no" then I pulled the Ipod out and it was wet too. In fact it had water trapped in the screen area. "NO!!!!" How could this happen? My water bottle has never leaked before, or was it just the moisture in the air. No the towel was too wet to be just from moisture in the air. I tried the Ipod and it still worked. I felt sick. I know that when electronics get wet and then dry they can corrode. I love my Ipod. I had it a couple of years and it contains some of my favorite songs. I kept it in my pocket while I worked out on the weight machines. Then I thought maybe if I wear it on my arm like I usually do my body heat will help to dry out the water in it. I put it on my arm for my elliptical workout and I even listened to it then. Then I tried out the newest Zumba class which is designed for beginners in the class. It was still a great workout and I was soaking wet from head to toe after class. I came home and told my husband about the Ipod. He suggested using a hair dryer on low heat to try to dry up the water. I tried it for a few hours off and on. I Googled "what to do with a wet Ipod" The first warning they all gave is "Don't turn it on whatever you do" Great! of course now I am screwed! Since getting it wet makes any warranty invalid (not that I still have one) I read some of the suggestions. Several people said to place in a container full of uncooked rice in a warm place so that is where it is now. I just checked it when I woke up and it still has water in the screen. It appears to be less but we'll see. I am just sick about this. It's not like it cost me twenty bucks. I guess in the future, if it continues to work after this I won't leave water in my water bottle. Some of the suggestions said to carefully open the Ipod and attempt to dry the parts but I am afraid to open it. I guess I just have to wait and see what happens.

One Winter's Day

2010-01-07T13:51:00.000-08:00

I went to the doctor this morning for my follow-up appt from my surgery. All was well and I am back to normal. (whatever that is) It's been so icky out today. Foggy and dreary. No rain but just ugly and it's not even that cold. I think it's almost 50 degrees. This is when I miss SoCal sunshine the most. I took an extra vitamin D pill today since I haven't seen much sun of late. My Chloe is laying against my leg as I type this into the computer. I have been trying to get the house back in shape after all the decorating and rearranging of furniture for the holidays. I still have a ways to go but things are looking much better. I've been searching through the internet for a recipe this afternoon for a breakfast casserole or strata. Some friends are coming to the house Saturday morning and the guys are going to do some work and she and I will be going shopping. My hubby told them we'd go to breakfast first and I thought it would be nice to serve a breakfast casserole and maybe some fresh fruit. That way we wouldn't have to drive anywhere to eat and I could make it all ahead and just put the dishes in the dishwasher and be off. Any ideas for a quick easy breakfast to serve that way?

I have always thought it would be fun to get into quilting and several of my friends are quilting and my sister-in-law made a beautiful quilt for us for Christmas. I found a DVD with a little booklet titled Learn to Quilt at Joanne's Fabrics a few weeks ago. I haven't looked at it yet but it has some patterns included too. I thought starting out small would be smart. Even a square alone might be the way to go to get the idea of what I have to do so all the pieces come together right. I might pop it into the dvd player or even the computer and check it out.

My husband is napping. My doctor's appt was at 9 this morning and he went too because he is going to have some minor surgery in a few weeks. He stays up till about 2 or 3 am and usually sleeps til 9 so he was tired. Gives me peace and quiet while he is sleeping I have to confess. Usually the television is going and I like to have quiet once in a while.

We got a new Blu Ray DVD player just before Christmas and with it you can connect to the internet and download instantly from Netflix. It's pretty cool to download a movie when you feel like it without having to go to the video store. Of course the movies aren't all available for instant streaming but they do have lots to choose from. You can even download them to your computer and watch them that way. Our Blu Ray came with a wireless antenna but our livingroom is about 35 feet from the modem which is in our computer room so we couldn't always get the signal strong enough so we ran a permanent wire under the house to the room and then I realized that the wire didn't have the same kind of plug as the modem had on it. Sigh! So I went back to Office Depot and talked to them and they said you need a router. They said the router plugs into the modem from the phone company and then the wire plugs into the router. Easier said than done. I finally got it working after talking with tech support for close to 3 hours. Why is it that tech support employees all have foreign accents and are difficult to understand?? Anyway, it's working now and I feel very gratified that I got it working. I am the techie in this family. My husband can't even turn the DVD player on to watch a movie. Well, I think I'll have a cup of tea now and enjoy the quiet while it lasts.

Goodbye 2009............

2009-12-31T05:14:00.000-08:00

First let me thank you all for the nice comments you made concerning my surgery last weekend. I was not in a very good place when I posted that entry. It was my worst day since the surgery. Yesterday was a much better day. The arm they gave me the vaccine in has a huge red mark with a raised area. I think I had the maximum reaction on that thing. Today I don't feel nearly as congested and the coughing has stopped. Everyone says to me that they never get flu shots or any kind of vaccine shots for that very reason. Oh well, now I am protected (so they say). We had a quiet anniversary. We are planning to have dinner out tonight. Our friends Rich and Eileen are coming with us. It will be an early dinner and then probably come home and watch the ball drop in Times Square on television. On Friday we are going to a Rose Bowl party at some friends house to cheer on our team from Oregon. Sorry Ma, from What's New at My House I know you'll be routing for Ohio State but we have to support our state team. I am finally feeling like I can maybe go to the gym and do a little on the treadmill. I don't want too much time to pass between my workouts. I missed alot in the last couple of weeks due to running out to get things for presents or baking or whatever so I need to stay in the mood or I will find myself paying for something I don't use. I've done that many times before. I want to get my money's worth out of this membership. Our new newsletter from the Y says the Zumba classes have been expanded so they will have a class in the mornings which is when I go. Now I don't have to spend all afternoon there to get that workout. I think they start next week. Well, any resolutions out there? I usually have the same one every year but now it's a given so I think my resolution will be to be kinder to those less fortunate than myself. I try and do that anyway but this year I am going to do more. Maybe volunteer at the mission more or find another way to help. Seems like we just got into the millenium doesn't it? I wish all of you a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2010. Thanks for the support of my blog this last year and all your kind comments too.

Who would have thought I'd end up in the hospital...

2009-12-29T21:53:00.000-08:00

Well, on Christmas Day I baked two pumpkin pies and a Lemon Cranberry Bundt cake. I took them to our friends house to share with them and several people they had invited for dinner. My hubby decided not to come since he was down with a cold and didn't want to spread his germs to anyone there. At around 1pm just before I started to get ready to go to their house I started to get a stomach ache. I had awakened with the same stomach ache a week before and it lasted 4 hours. I had decided to wake my hubby and have him take me to the hospital because I was hurting so badly and was getting nausea with the pain. I took a shower and by the time I was dressed the pain started to subside. Well, when it came back on Christmas Day I thought oh no! I worried that it wouldn't go away. I went to our friends' house and as I sat there with them all my pain continually got worse. I started to feel nauseous again and decided I couldn't ignore the pain any longer. I apologized and left for home. When I got home my husband said he would take me to the hospital. When we got there I explained what was wrong and they sent me for a CAT scan. It showed my gallbladder was huge so they did an ultrasound and it showed lots of stones. The doctor on duty came in and said his recommendation was for me to stay and have surgery to remove it the next morning. He also said if I didn't want to stay over that night I could come back for surgery on Monday but in his opinion I'd be back before then with another attack. I agreed to stay. They gave me a shot of morphine to relieve the pain. It lessened the pain from a 10 to an 8. I was taken to a room and settled in at around 9pm. The pain started to subside by then. I had missed my Christmas dinner and the last meal I had was breakfast but I couldn't do anything about it. I went into surgery the next morning at about 11am. I was back in my room by about 12:30pm. I was amazed at how good I felt after surgery. The next day when I was released I was feeling a little sore and yesterday I was really sore and the arm the vaccine was given in is very sore. I also came down with cold like symptoms. I don't know if that was a reaction to the vaccine or what but today I felt terrible all day. I am hoping by tomorrow I feel better and can start to take down the Christmas tree and other decorations. When the surgeon came to sign my release papers he told me I may find that I don't have heartburn anymore since the gallbladder was removed. Since he told me that I haven't taken any Prilosec or other heartburn meds and I haven't had any reflux or heartburn. I am so happy that this might have resolved my problem. Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary. I don't know if we'll go out to celebrate. Bob is feeling better now and I hope by tomorrow I do too.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T10:57:00.000-08:00

I hope we can all remember the reason for this holiday as we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus. I wish for you all many blessings this year and next and I hope you make many happy memories and are together with family and friends. I look forward to continuing to read your blogs and sharing with you all next year.

Two days til Christmas

2009-12-23T07:40:00.000-08:00

Well, I went to my doctor yesterday for another fill. However, he didn't want to give me another fill at this time. When he found out I was back on the Prilosec since the last fill he said he would rather not. He said he didn't want to risk my getting sick again like the last time. I did lose 6 pounds in the 6 weeks since the last fill. I was pleased with that since I had gained 8 after my unfill. I am almost back to where I was in June. It's like I lost 6 months of my weight loss. Anyway, I am not overfilled at this point and can eat without getting stuck every time. The doctor also said to come back in two or three weeks and he would see how I was doing and reconsider. So I made the appointment for one month out. I am ready for Christmas now. My baking is done. I am , however going to make a dessert for Christmas Day. We are going to our friends house who just moved here to Oregon, for dinner. They also invited some other people from church who didn't have any plans for dinner. I thought that was very nice of them. We have decided to go up to the Portland area on Saturday to visit my grandsons and great grandson. I will bring all the goodies I baked for them and personally deliver them. I was going to deliver them last week but I got this cold and my baking also was put on hold. I don't think they'll mind getting the cookies and stuff the day after Christmas. Well, I need to start my day now so I can deliver the homemade baskets I made to some friends. I made Blackberry Jam, Santa Maria Style Seasoning, Chai Tea mix and two kinds of biscotti. Almond-Anise and Gingerbread. Then its off to the gym. I only made in there twice last week because of my cold. Did I mention I went to urgent care on Sunday morning? I already had what felt like a sinus infection and then the cold was moving into my chest. The last two years I've had a cold that did that and lingered for weeks until it finally went away. I got what is called a Zpack. You take two pills the first day and then one a day for the next 4 days. I have 2 pills left and my cold is almost non existent. I love Zpacks. I can't believe I suffered the last two colds I got. Have a good day everyone and if you are in the areas getting loads of snow, please be careful.

One Week and Counting.......

2009-12-17T07:22:00.000-08:00

There is precious little time to get the rest of my shopping and baking and mailing of packages done. I know, I know I'm retired and have no excuse for not being done with all of this. I did get my cards mailed yesterday so that's out of the way. I have a package to mail to my step-daughter and step granddaughter. It's not ready because my hubby (not that I am shifting the blame, mind you)wanted to wait to get the things we are sending them. Also, I ordered some goodies for them online and they haven't arrived yet but I am going to send them later when they do come. I send money to my grandkids since I have no idea what they want or need. They like that better anyway. I made my Chai Tea mix yesterday and Santa Maria Style Seasoning. I am also making two kinds of biscotti to go along with the chai tea and some other cookies and dipped pretzels, etc for the grandsons. I read a blog called The New Me and she said on today's entry that it would be a miracle if she doesn't gain weight in the next two weeks. But, she is working out 6 days a week. I think that fact alone will help her to keep the pounds off. I am struggling with the same thing. I haven't gone to the gym at all this week because I came down with a cold on Monday and was feeling terrible. Today I am feeling better and plan to go and work up a sweat. I am also going to start baking when I get home. I should be able to get the biscotti made today. I need to go to the Dollar Tree and see if they have any cellophane bags left to package the biscotti in. They have such cool packaging items there and the price is unbeatable. I already have my Christmas presents from my hubby. I told him I wanted a good set of pans and he instantly ordered them online with free shipping. They came on Tuesday. They are Calphalon Unison pans. If you go here you can check them out. We agreed not to get each other anything for Christmas since we usually get what we want during the year. But he has been bugging me to get some new pans for a couple of years now. I used them last night and I love them. They have 2 kinds Sear and Slide and they are all non stick and oven and dishwasher safe. I also bought myself a little gift of an electric tea kettle. It gets the water hotter than the microwave which is what I was using. I know now I have nothing to open on Christmas right? So he got a new camera for himself, that is probably what his plan was all along. lol I have an appointment next Tuesday for an adjustment on my LapBand. I need just a tweak here and there and I should be ok. I may regret doing it so close to Christmas but I wanted the soonest appt I could get.

Time to get my baking and stuff done..........

2009-12-10T06:28:00.000-08:00

I am sitting here with my notepad and pen making a list of the cookies I want to bake. I don't usually bake too many different varieties. Last year I made several kinds and mailed them off to my two grandsons and they were thrilled. Their mother had taken off to California just before Christmas and I don't even know if she baked cookies at Christmas. It made my heart feel good to be able to do that for them. I want to do it again this year but I'll be taking the cookies to them this time and will also see my great grandson again. So...I need to decide what to make. I also like to make special things in my kitchen to share with friends. I am making a seasoning salt this year. I got it from my sister-in-law a couple of years ago and I use it all the time. Along with a couple of varieties of biscotti and my chai tea recipe my friends will be happy. My friend Eileen who just moved here from SoCal has been baking since Monday. Now, I've heard her talk about her baking for years but I had no idea the extent she goes to every year. She bakes anywhere from 30 to 40 different cookies and gives them to everyone from the paper delivery person to neighbors and friends alike. I went to their house yesterday and she already has probably 15 different cookies made. She has this really old cookbook probably from the 50s or 60s and in it she has recipes taped on the pages that she has acquired over the years. I was really impressed and amazed. I also tried one of the ones she made and it was good. Well, I need to get back to my own list and decide what I need to buy to pull this all off.

It's still very cold here. But there is rain on the way and that will warm things up here. Yesterday hubby was out making sure our motorhome was not suffering any damage from the freezing weather. We have a little heater going in it and I think he even turned on the forced air heat last night. Luckily our tanks were empty so we didn't have a frozen tank which can damage pipes and such. Okay, back to the list now.

The tree is up....

2009-12-09T05:09:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally have my Christmas
decorations up. It's been 5 years since we've gotten them all out and I have so many since our last house was much larger that I am also decorating the bedrooms and baths. Last night we put our tree up. It's artificial and has the built in lights. It's always so fun to figure out which plug goes where on it. Hubby gets so frustrated and after much swearing and trial and error........Ta da!! It is all lit and looks stunning. Now I just have to decorate it. I went to a new decorator store in our town the day after Thanksgiving with my sister-in-law and we found what looks like grapevines wrapped on the tree they had on display. They had none other than the ones on the tree so they took them off for us and we each bought three of them. They looked so pretty on their tree. I can 't wait to get them on ours. I'll take some pictures once I finally finish. It better be soon because I need to start my baking too. I don't know how I did it all when I worked full time. I feel like I am being pulled in 5 directions at once. Part of the problem is going to the gym so late in the morning. I can't seem to get out of the house until around 10am and then I get home around noon. Just in time to fix lunch for Bob (hubby). Then I get sidetracked doing something or other and before I know it, it's time to fix dinner. I need to start getting to the gym at around 8. Well, the temperatures here have been colder than I've ever felt them since we moved here to Oregon. It is usually in the low 40s during the winter. Once in a while it dips into the 30s but it's been so cold this past week. Yesterday it was 12 degrees in the morning and only got up to about 30 here. Brrrrr!! Right now it's 14 degrees. We are getting a blast of air from Alaska and there are no clouds to hold the heat in. It's very dry as well. We usually have fog and clouds even if it doesn't rain but it's been sunny and very cold for the last few days. It's supposed to only last until the weekend. We got a huge cauliflower from someone at our church on Sunday. He brought in a truck full of them and cabbage too. I actually got two of them but I gave one to my neighbor. I made cauliflower soup yesterday. It was so delicious. My husband won't even try it. He is anti veggie. I told him it tasted just like the potato cheese soup I make but he wouldn't even try it. Oh well, more for me. I will freeze it in small containers today. Now I need to do something with the cabbage. Maybe stuffed cabbage. That sounds good, only he won't eat that either. Boy, the things I have to put up with!! LOL
I made an appointment for another fill. It isn't until the 22nd. I just need a tiny bit I think but I am doing pretty well otherwise. Need to finish my shopping and get the packages sent off today.

2009-11-29T05:07:00.000-08:00

Well, our guests left for home yesterday. I took down the Thanksgiving decorations and they are all laying on my dining room table now. I have to bring the boxes in that they are stored in and also bring in the Christmas decorations. I am doing some laundry today. We went to church this morning and after stopping for some lunch got home about 1:30. It is very cold outside today and overcast. Yesterday the sun shone all day but it was pretty cold. I am feeling a bit sleepy. I woke up at around 4:30 this morning and now I am pretty tired. I might have to take a little nap to rejuvenate myself.

On Friday we bought a Blu-Ray DVD player. My brother in law connected it to the tv. It was nice having someone else do that since I am usually the one who does that. We signed up for Netflix and our new Blu-Ray has a wireless connection so we should be able to instantly download movies for viewing. I have to check that out to see if it does work. Well I think I'll take a little power nap now. Hope you are enjoying your weekend.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T07:07:00.000-08:00

As I have a housefull of visitors, I haven't had time to post or even read your posts. I will try and catch up when everyone is gone this weekend. I wanted to wish you all, and your families a happy and healthy holiday. I hope you get to spend time with those who mean the most to you and that all your favorite foods are there for the tasting. I'll be back to see how everyone's holiday went. God Bless

Counting down to turkey day

2009-11-21T07:36:00.000-08:00

I decided to get most of my Thanksgiving shopping done yesterday to avoid the crowds that are always milling around the stores on the weekends and Thanksgiving week. Well, it seems that I was not the only person with that brilliant idea!! The store was crazy busy and it was difficult getting up and down the aisles. When I could get down an aisle there was always someone stopped in front of the items I needed. Sigh! Well, I managed to buy a Paula Deen ham at Safeway and then off to another store, that has lower prices for the remainder of the stuff I needed. They had a sign up over the turkeys that said $50 purchase gives you a free turkey. I kept stashing food items in my cart hoping I had $50 worth in there. I don't know why I didn't look at what I had in there. I had enough for two free turkeys if I had thought about it. Oh well, now to find a place for everything. I bought my potatoes and yams and also fresh green beans and broccoli. I am hoping the beans and broccoli will not be spoiled by Thursday. I guess I could cook them on Wednesday but any sooner and they'd be like leftovers. LOL My hubby's sister and her husband are coming up from California to spend the week with us. Also some longtime friends of my husband's are also coming up from SoCal to eat with us and will also be scouting out a house to move into and a job for the husband. They've been wanting to move to Oregon for several years and have decided that now is the time. So we will be 8 for dinner. I'm going to try a couple of new recipes I've gathered from the blogs I read and the rest will be tried and true ones.

I've been doing very well since my fill. I have had to start back on the Prilosec since I started getting heartburn within the hour of getting the fill. But I take one in the morning and then a Zantac before bed and no problems so far. I am feeling restriction and it's funny because before at this fill level I didn't really feel any restriction. I wonder why?

All the talk is about the new movie out "New Moon" I hate to admit it but I didn't see the first one yet. Maybe I should just get the books and read them first. Anyone recommend I read the books first or just see the movies?

Well, I need to get busy with getting organized around here. Refreshing the linens for the spare bedroom and such. Have a good weekend all.

2009-11-16T17:52:00.000-08:00

These are my two great nephews. This was taken last year but I love the picture. So I thought I'd share it again.

I went to the doctor on Thursday for my adjustment. I was scheduled for tomorrow but they called and asked me to come in last week instead since the doctor had to be out of town this week. I really like the new doctor. I told him it was comforting to have a doctor that totally understands when I tell him what I am feeling. He added .5cc so now I have 1.5cc in my 4cc band. He thinks that is pretty close to where I should be. Maybe just a tad more. I have to agree that I am feeling full eating smaller amounts and the hunger sensation is gone. I was filled to 2.2 originally so I could hardly eat anything. I got stuck at almost every meal and I got used to it since I was filled for 6 months before my problem occurred. I am so glad that he is my doctor now. I've already lost 4 pounds of the 8 pounds that I had gained. I am starting to plan my Thanksgiving dinner. We are having guests for Thanksgiving. My sister-in-law and her husband and a couple who are trying to move here from SoCal and their two children will be here too. I've been gathering some new recipes off some of the blogs I read as well as other sites I use regularly. I am fixing dinner now so I am going to cut this short. I need to get back into the daily posting habit again.

So close but yet so far.............

2009-11-08T07:21:00.000-08:00

I was reading the posts on LapBandTalk.com this morning and saw how some of the people in my group have had the same issue I've had over the last 5 or 6 months. I hadn't been keeping up on it so much because when I did read it, it seemed they were all doing well and I couldn't relate so I stopped reading it. I did keep up on one thread about the problem I was having but not my band mates from the month of our surgery. During that time many of them got close to their goal weights and have had plastic surgery. It's encouraging and yet frustrating to see the success stories when I still have so far to go. But it's also a little comforting to know I am not the only person who has experienced the reflux issues and who is now struggling to get back into the mode of losing rather than maintaining weight. I wrote on a post there this morning how my husband blurted out to me while we were at a friend's house, how he was disappointed in me because I was eating the darned candy we bought at Costco a few weeks back. He said, "all the money that was spent on your surgery (my insurance picked up the tab)and you are just throwing it away and eating candy" I never claimed to be perfect. In fact, if I wasn't as imperfect as I am, I wouldn't have needed the surgery to begin with. It really hurt my feelings, to have him say he was disappointed in me. He used to say he was so proud of me, and that he couldn't believe what willpower I had, and then to pull the rug out from under me that way it was just like a slap in the face. It hurt, and I'm sure he didn't realize how badly it hurt. He has no willpower at all and is in terrible shape. I think maybe he had put me on a pedestal as something special and when he saw I was just as weak at times as he is regarding eating, he felt let down or something. Does that make sense? Anyway, that happened a few weeks ago, but after he said that I quit eating candy and maybe I needed to hear it. Now I just need to refocus on my eating and start back the way I am supposed to eat with the band. Proteins first and then vegetables, and if I have room after that carbs.

Band Adjustment

2009-11-03T19:24:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally got a band adjustment yesterday. I got to meet the two new doctors at the clinic. They were very nice. The male doctor has a LapBand himself and and female is a new doctor from UCLA Medical Center. He thought we should proceed slowly with my fills. So he started out putting in one cc. He commented that my band is only 4ccs and that is an old band. I asked him why he thought they would put an old band in me? He just shrugged his shoulders and I said maybe they were trying to get rid of the old stuff. He nodded like he agreed with that. Anyway, I am doing well and it really isn't much restriction yet but I go back in two weeks for another fill.

I bought a pair of Ugg boots from Whooga and they came last week. They are so comfy and warm. I love them. But they are huge, I feel like I am wearing a shoebox on each foot. LOL And they had a terrible smell when I first got them but it has faded now and they aren't making my closet smell. I think it may have been the dye they used that smelled. They sent me a questionnaire for customer satisfaction and one of the items was the smell, so they must get lots of complaints about that. I am happy with them though.

The weather has cooled off here. We had some rain over the weekend and now it's been sunny but in the low 50s. I think it's supposed to start raining again later this week. I am eager to start losing weight again. I am just thankful that I didn't gain a bunch of weight and have my clothes stop fitting me. That would have been very depressing. Have a good day everyone.

2009-10-21T15:44:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry I haven't been on here in a while. I haven't been doing anything too exciting. I need to keep up my blog I know, I want to be able to look back and see my progression toward my goal weight.

I have only 2 weeks left until I go for my adjustment of my band. I am so looking forward to it. I am fighting the urge to eat candy. We went to Costco last week and bought 3 huge bags of candy. We needed them like a hole in the head. I have managed to resist them for the last 3 days. Before that I did eat some. I have stepped up my workouts at the gym so I don't have a weight gain when I go for my adjustment. I have gained about 5 pounds and don't want to have to lose any more than that. It's been 5 months since my band was unfilled and I don't want to beat myself up for the weight gain so I am trying not to think about it. Once I am adjusted again things will turn around.

The weather has started to turn cooler and we've gotten some rain. I love the fall weather and the changing of the leaves. I get the urge to cook comfort foods and soups and such. I love to make and eat soups. I can't seem to read the blogs on here without copying at least one or two recipes to keep and try later on. I bought some fresh veggies today at the farmers market. Tonight we are having grilled chicken breasts on salad. We love these and I can load up on the fresh veggies for my own salad since hubby is picky and only likes the basics in his salad. I got some red bell peppers and avocado and zucchini, mushrooms and of course the usual cucumbers, green onions and tomatoes and lettuce. Yummy huh?

A Light at the End of the Tunnel.....

2009-10-12T20:35:00.000-07:00

Friday I got a letter from the Bariatric Center advising me that a new surgeon had been hired and would be starting to accept patients the first week in November. I got on the phone right away and called to make an appointment. I will be seeing the gastro doctor on the 27th of October so I wanted to get an appointment as soon after that as possible. They gave me Monday, November 2nd. I am ready to get back on my program. I have had the last 5 months of non restriction and have strayed off my eating program. I have gained a few pounds but I think my exercising daily has helped me from back sliding too much. I am eager to meet the new doctor. He is from North Dakota and has been a bariatric surgeon for 10 years. He will be handling all the LapBand patients according to the receptionist. I just hope that when I have my adjustment I don't start having the reflux again. I guess I will have to wait and see what the Gastro doctor says. Well, I have to get off here so I can get to bed early tonight.

Beautiful Autumn

2009-10-11T05:36:00.000-07:00

The weather has been so beautiful this week, and

the leaves in our town are turning such beautiful shades of red, orange and burgundy. And all the browns and golds are there too. Our oak tree stopping dropping the acorns that we were being pelted with the last month and now the leaves are beginning to fall. This drives my hubby absolutely bonkers. He is constantly out there blowing the leaves onto the lawn and mulching them with his riding mower. And as soon as he finishes a gust of wind blows down a thousand more leaves. Ah, such is Autumn. Maybe that is why they call it fall. Yesterday we took down the dining room light that has been hanging in the now living room and hung a track light fixture that you can shape to your liking. We bought it about a year and a half ago. I was so happy when he said he wanted to do that. I don't like to nag him about all the things that still need to be done so when he gets productive I just go with the flow.

Our printer is on the blink. I sent a recipe to it the other day and when I went to the computer room to pick it up there was a message on the printer that said "INK SYSTEM FAILURE" I followed the instructions on the HP website for the model we have and still no luck. So now I guess I will have to get it fixed. I don't know if computer repair places also fix printers. I hate to just buy a new one since this one isn't very old and it's a blue tooth 4 in one printer. It's also a photo printer. Darn!! We don't use it overly much so I don't thing it's worn out. Oh well, guess I will call around and see who will fix it.

I am sitting here and it's ten minutes to six in the morning. I've been awake since 2:35 when Chloe woke me up. These pets of ours have been terrible about waking us the last few weeks. Once I am awake it's hard for me to get back to sleep, I start thinking about things I need to do and start making lists in my head and before I know it an hour or two have gone by and I just get up and wait to get sleepy again. I am now starting to feel sleepy so I am going to end this for today. Have a wonderful day everyone.

Test day .............

2009-10-08T04:50:00.000-07:00

I had my scope test yesterday and while they had me they decided a colonoscopy would be in order also. I was long overdue for that so I didn't balk when they said they wanted to do that too. I hadn't had one before and was told the prep was the worst part of the procedure. That turned out to be the truth. They did the gastro part first and then the colon part. I was laying there and the doctor and nurses were there and getting ready and I heard them talking and realized they were doing the colonoscopy. I thought "oh no!" when one of the nurses realized I was awake and said "you're almost done". It felt like no time had passed at all and I had been sedated and didn't realize it. I wasn't groggy or anything. I was amazed at how alert I felt and how I had missed the whole thing in just about 30 minutes or so. Anyhow, the tests both turned out good. No ulcers or problems in my esophagus or stomach, so why did I have acid reflux? I have to see my doctor in three weeks to discuss the next course of action. Three weeks??? Man, this is taking so long. One thing I have discovered is that my reflux seems to be gone now. How can that be? Gone as fast as it came and I don't know what caused it to begin with. I didn't take my Prilosec for two days and didn't have any reflux. Maybe whatever caused it has healed. I guess the doctor may have an answer for my questions. I am just anxious to get my band refilled and start losing weight again. But I am thankful that both tests had positive results.

2009-10-02T22:19:00.000-07:00

Well, Autumn is here in Oregon. We are expected to get some rain this weekend. Then it should be partly cloudy and in the 70s next week. Little by little the weather is changing. The days are growing shorter and it is staying dark later each morning.

I finally heard from the Gastroenterologist and my appointment for the scope test is next Wednesday. Wish me luck. I am hoping they find very little or at least something they can treat. I am so anxious to get another fill. I find it very hard to be unfilled and able to eat almost everything. I am still restricted a bit. In fact, yesterday I ate a chicken breast for lunch and didn't chew well enough or take small bites. You see, that is one of the pitfalls of no fill. I can eat fast and take larger bites again. And this leads me to eat too much. Well, getting back to my chicken lunch, it got stuck and was painful. I hadn't felt that feeling in a few months. I dealt with it for the whole afternoon until I finally was able to bring up a large piece that was causing the problem. I am sorry to be so graphic. I am ready to be filled and restricted again so that I can finished this journey I began a year ago March. I just finished watching FastForward. It's a new show on ABC on Thursday nights. I recorded it last night and I like the show. Have any of you watched it? It could be another Lost. I have been hooked on that show since it first started. Well, I think I'll turn in now. Good night!

Fast week.........

2009-09-25T05:24:00.001-07:00

It's amazing how fast this week went. We had a couple of days of close to 100 degrees. Yesterday the temperature was only in the mid 70s. I think it is supposed to be about the same today. My hubby went fishing at the Coos River along the coast yesterday for salmon but came back empty handed. Today he just left to go fishing at Diamond Lake with some guys from our church. They are fishing for trout today.

It sure is feeling like fall isn't it? I need to get my fall colors out and start to decorate the house. I love this time of the year.

Last week I saw a gastroenterologist about my reflux. She is scheduling me for a scope test, and a colonoscopy, UGH! Both ends at once!! Anyhoo, I am still waiting for them to call me with the appointment day. It's been a month since I had all the saline removed from my band. I am holding steady and haven't gained any weight but it's not easy. I think the exercising daily is keeping the pounds at bay. I am anxious to get this over with and find out what's up so they can fill my band again and I can start losing again. I know if I were DIETING I would probably be losing but I am used to eating what I want with the band and it's hard to get into the mentality of counting calories or carbs again. I just need to eat the amounts I did when the band was filled and then I'd probably lose weight. However if I could be that dedicated maybe I would never have gotten fat and wouldn't have needed weight loss surgery. So it is what it is. I am doing my best at this point.

My friend that just moved here from California is coming over today and we are going to paint a couple of resin turtles that she has. They will go in our gardens when they are completed. If they turn out fairly decent looking I will post a picture of them. Maybe I'll plan a nice lunch for us. I have no idea what to make, maybe a salad. I have been wanting to get a panini press. I love those sandwiches and I think they are less fattening than grilled sandwiches generally are since you don't need to butter the bread with the panini press. At least I think you don't have to.

Well, I am ready to go back to bed for an hour or two. I've been awake since 2am. Chloe woke me up to go outside and I couldn't get back to sleep. Now it's almost 6am and my hubby is on the road to the lake and I am feeling very sleepy. So that is where I am going now.

I'm Back.............

2009-09-20T08:28:00.000-07:00

My brother and sister-in-law left yesterday morning. They had planned on staying until this morning but Joanne felt like she needed to leave yesterday. She gets a little anxious when she is away from home so they headed home. We thoroughly enjoyed the visit with them. Had lots of laughs and reminisced our childhood memories. Went to the coast and visited an Olde Town in Florence, Oregon and also went to Grants Pass and took the Hellgate Jet Boats. The weather was perfect for getting soaking wet in the boat. It was in the 90s. We had a chance to be together again after not seeing each other for nearly 4 years. I hope they come back like they promised. They really loved it here. They live in the desert near Las Vegas. Very hot and dry. The unfortunate part is I didn't get many pictures. I will have to capture their pictures off Facebook when they post them. Also our friends from California that bought the house here came home this week. Their other house sold and they have moved up here and are working diligently to unpack all the boxes sitting in their garage. We had a nice dinner with them last night at the local steak house.