I am back ~~

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

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?

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.......

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"

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...

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..

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!!