Weight Change, Oh My!! :)

Hey Ya'll,

My scale finally moved down a bit, but anything down is good, right??  I also decided to weigh myself in the flesh so to speak & I found that I weigh 198.6!!  I have always weighed myself with my pj's on & I found that with them on I weigh 2 lbs more!   But since I have always weighed myself with them on, for the time being I will keep my blog scales at the higher weight, since I always have my clothes on at the Doctor's office as well.  But I know in my heart that I am technically 2 lbs less than what the scales on my blog show!!!  So yea for me!!!  :) :) :)  So technically I am in onederland, but I will not broadcast it until I am officially there with my pj's on.

Yesterday I spent ALL DAY doing laundry!!  I had 10 loads to do & since I didn't start until about 3:30 pm, I didn't finish until 3:30 am!!  So it was 4:00 am when I got to bed.  Unfortunately, it was about 6:30 am before I was able to GET TO SLEEP!!!!  Then my DH woke me at 11:35 am, so I had maybe 5 hrs of sleep, but not really as I continued to wake up throughout the morning.

But get this, I was just about to get to sleep at about 6:00 am, when all of a sudden a loud whooshing sound started!  It was my Bi Pap Machine.  Somehow the hose came disconnected from the machine causing all the air to just gust out of it!!  The thing is, I was laying peacefully on my side not tossing & turning at all, so I have no idea what could have caused it to pull loose from the machine.  However, this has happened about 3 times in the past year, & if I didn't know any better, I would think I might have a ghost playing with me!!  LOL  So that took me about another 30 mins or so to get back to that place where I could fall to sleep again!!!  Arggggh!!

Oh, & before I forget, last night, my DH made us a small dinner.  He made some Mashed Potatoes & barbecued us some Prime Rib.  This was before we remembered that I am not supposed to eat dense meat like Steak for the first 6 months!  So I ended up eating about 1/4th of the meat before it dawned on me I can't eat it.  But it went down easily, no problems.  But I will not eat anymore of it even though it tasted great.  Here is a photo of the plate.  Now I want you to realize that this is a full sized plate, not a small bread plate or salad plate!!  This is the kind of servings my DH gives us.  Of course, we don't have to finish it!!  Thank god!

What do you think?  Looks good doesn't it?

So, today I am going to paint another of the Roses in my Mom's painting.  Then I will only have one left to paint.  This will of course, take me at least 4-6 hours!!!  Like I said, I am not a fast painter.  Anyway, I guess I better get started or it won't get done!  I will leave you with a few more of the photos that I took the other night on our walk in one of our town's neighborhoods.

Check out the Reindeer looking out of the window over the garage.  I will post a closer view in the next photo.

Here is a bit closer view of the Reindeer.

Thought this house was nice.  Pretty without being too over the top (although I like over the top).  :)

The kids always likes this one.  Anything to do with Candy Canes & a Snowman.

So I guess I will end this for now, till next time.

Aloha My Friends  :)

Welcome Breanne :)

Hey Ya'll,

I was going through my follower's as I had noticed I had a new one & I was trying to figure out whether or not I had welcomed each & every one of you.  I know that I welcomed at least 90% of you, but there are a few that I am not exactly sure what your blogs are, so I am not sure if I said welcome or not.

Then, I noticed Breanne's picture & I am not sure if I ever welcomed her.  So just in case I didn't before, I would like to wish a belated welcome to Breanne (Lady Lap Band)!  If I am just now saying it, I would like to extend my apologies.  And if there is anyone else that I have forgotten, please let me know so I can welcome you too!!!

The problem is, most of the time, when a new follower kicks in, it shows in the upper left corner of my follower's, so it is easy to figure out who the newest follower is.  However, occasionally the site likes to mix the newest one into the mix & it is much harder to figure out who the newbie is!!  But I do try very hard to figure out the newest person & acknowledge them. 

However, sometimes when I pull up the photo to get the information as to what your blog is so that I can follow yours as well, it only gives the information as to who you follow, not your actual blog name.  Luckily, sometimes I find where you may have left a comment on someone's blog, then I can trace it to your blog.  Does this make sense?  Anyway, I am sure that there are at least a few of you that I have not welcomed & I would love to hear from you so I can remedy it.

So, sorry for the long winded story as to why I MAY have missed saying welcome.  Breanne, I would like to say welcome & "welcome to my nightmare".  :)

Aloha My Friend(s)  :)

 

Welcome Danise :)

Hey Ya'll,

I just noticed that Danise (The Whole Band Family) has joined me as a follower!  For those that haven't started to follow her blog, it is extra special in that she isn't the only one in the family that was banded!  Her Husband & oldest Son also was banded within weeks of each other!!  How remarkable is that?  So if you are interested, please check out her blog!  So...."welcome to my nightmare".  :)

A Shout Out To CeeJay :)

Hey Ya'll,

I just noticed that I had a new follower.  I want to say welcome to Cee Jay (My Lapband Journal).  I started following your blog last night as well! 

I want to say that I will be thinking of you on Tuesday morning when you go in for your Surgery.  So, "welcome to my nightmare".  He he he.

Aloha My New Friend  :)

Another Dreaded Quiz :)

Here is a quiz I found on another blog & decided to copy & display it here.



Last Movie I Saw In A Movie Theater?   300 (yes it WAS that long ago)

What Book Are You Reading?   A Breath Of Snow & Ashes (Diana Gabaldon)

Favorite Board Game?  Monopoly

Favorite Magazine?   I don't have a favorite magazine

Favorite Smells?   The Ocean, Freshly Mowed Grass, Babies, Rain, Melon, Christmas Cookie Candles by Yankee Candles

Favorite Sounds?   Water, The Ocean, My Grand Children Laughing

Worst Feeling In The World?   Disappointing Someone

First Thing You Think of When You Wake?   It's Too Early!!

Favorite Fast Food Place?   McDonald's, In-N-Out, Taco Bell, etc, etc, etc,

Future Child’s Name?   I'm too old to have another child, but my daughter's name is Christa.  If she had been a boy, his name would have been Brian

Finish This Statement—“If I Had a Lot of Money,”   I'd let my DH retire so we could travel the world, & I would help my parents financially.

Do You Drive Fast?   I rarely drive more than the speed limit, but if I do, it is rarely more than 10 mph over.

Do You Sleep With a Stuffed Animal?   Does my DH count?

Storms—cool or scary?   Cool

What Was Your First Car?   A Triumph Sports Car that was as old as I was that my Dad gave me.

Favorite Drink?   If I still drank, it would be CC-7 or Kamakazi

Finish This Statement—“If I Had the Time, I Would…”   Crochet more things, Paint more Paintings & read more Books.

Do You Eat the Stems on Broccoli?   What the hell is Broccoli?

If You could Dye your Hair Any Other Color, What Would It Be?   Some shade of red (my DH loves redheads)

Favorite Sport to Watch?   The only sport I watch is NHRA Drag Racing, I love to watch the Funny Cars & Top Fuel Dragsters

What’s Under Your Bed?   A couple of storage boxes with blankets

Would You Like to Be Born As Yourself Again?  Yes..

Morning Person or Night Owl?  Definitely A Night Owl

Over Easy or Sunny Side Up?  Over-medium, please. Not too firm & a runny yolk.

Favorite Place to Relax?   In my office reading everyone's blogs.

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor?   Vanilla, but if it is Hagan Daz, I love their Butter Pecan



Aloha My Friends  :)

New NSV & Pictures :)

Hey Ya'll,

Not to much to say right now, but I did want to let you know about a new NSV!  Last night my DH & I drove to another neighborhood so that we could check out their Christmas Lights on our evening walk.  It was a fairly big block & I wasn't tired at all, nor was I in pain!  Of course the block isn't on a hill like ours which made it easier for me to walk it, but I am sure that I could have walked it at least 2 times!!  Which means that my stamina is finally building up!

This neighborhood is notorious for their Christmas Decorations.  Almost every home decorates & most are in themes like Disney, etc.  Unfortunately, we got there a bit early & not everyone was home yet from work so only about 1/2 of the houses were lit up during our walk.  But I did remember to take my camera & I got a few good shots in!!  So I will post these pictures today (at least some of them).  So all of these pictures, I TOOK!!

Now I am not very religious, but this Nativity scene was impressive to look at.

This man brings his train to this street & charges $3 per person to ride it slowly around the neighborhood.

This is the same train moving.  I blurred the photo (I'm sorry) but I thought it made a cool effect.  If you bring it up to full size, to the left of the photo in front of the train, it kind of looks like fire.

If you look closely, you will see a dark figure standing next to the light post, that is my DH.  He patiently waited for me to take pictures, moving back & forth across the street numerous times during our walk to get the photos that I wanted.

And last but certainly not least, a Hawaiian themed setup.  See the Mele Kalikimaka in the background?  Remember, that means Merry Christmas.

Well folks, I will leave you at that!  I will post more pictures that I took later.  I need to get to work on my Mom's painting.  It is my painting day!!  Till next time.

Aloha My Friends  :)

Are Your DH's As Exasperating As Mine???

Hey Ya'll,

Are your DH's as exasperating as mine???  He does things that either pisses me off or just bugs me to death, then says "you love me".  Which I do, but boy it can get old sometimes.  He just can't help himself!  He just has to pick on me, or pick at me until I give him the reaction he wanted (or at least a reaction), then says his line "you love me".  But sometimes he just goes too far & he realizes it & says maybe I should quit while I am ahead.  I say, "you think"?

Like today, we went to Carl's Jr for lunch.  It was the first time I have eaten at a fast food place since my banding.  I chose the 2 Cheese Enchilada plate with beans & rice.  I ate about 1 1/2 of the Enchilada's & the beans (the Enchilada's were small & not very full).  My DH ate the rest as well as his lunch.  Then we split a Vanilla Shake.  He ate all the Whipped Creme on top & I had about 1/4th of the Shake.  Boy did it taste good!!! 

Anyway, I had the cars radio tuned to a station that plays Christmas music all month.  Which I only get to hear when I am in the car.  On the way home, my DH changed the channel back to HIS PREFERRED STATION, which I hate!  He knows this, but says that he can't stand the constant Christmas music.  Like I said, he is a Grinch big time!  So he says, "you love me".  Which of course drives me up the wall!  So!  Does anyone else have this kind of problem?

So, now I have to get to work on the taxes.  :(  I will leave you with some Christmas photos (most are not mine) from the Internet.

Pretty impressive Tree isn't it?

This photo IS MINE!  I took this on our drive to Reno after the 1st snow fall of the season.  This was at the Rest Area at the summit.

Isn't this Snowman cute?  I am a push over for cutesy Ornaments like this.

And the Hawaiian Ornament.

Till next time.

Aloha My Friends  :)

Off To The Dermatologist I Went :)

Hey Ya'll,

I had to go to my Dermatologist's office today as I wanted to have her check me out again before the end of the year (for Insurance reasons).  I am glad that I did.  She froze off another small pre-cancerous spot on my left cheek as well as did a biopsy on a mole next to my right knee.  I will get the results next week.  But I am expecting the results to be good.  Too early to worry about it right now anyway. 

Unfortunately, I had to drive all the way into Sacramento to see her.  I hate driving to Sacramento!  The traffic is horrible.  On a good day, it can take an hour to get there, but if there are any accidents, etc, then it could easily double.  She is the only Doctor I still see in the city.  All the rest are closer to where we live.  But I really like her, so I keep driving to see her.

Once I got home, my DH & I went for our walk.  This time we walked before dark, which I hate as too many people see us.  I prefer to walk in private.  However, although it was still cold, it was a bit warmer than it would have been had we walked when we normally do.

Then I went to work painting the 2nd of 5 Roses for my Mom's painting.  If I must say so myself, it turned out pretty good.  So I am hopeful that the other 3 roses will turn out well too.  There are 3 different styles of roses in the bouquet.  Two buds at the top, two that are in full bloom in the center & a single full bloom facing forward on the bottom.  I will post a photo once the painting is done.  I WILL have it finished in time to give to her for Christmas!!!  I will, I will, I will (insert stamping foot)!

Here are a few photos (not mine) for the Christmas spirit.  Since I can't send everyone a real one, here is a photo of a greeting card. 

Merry Christmas to all & I hope your New Year is just what you want it to be!!

 

This Ornament almost looks like a cookie with a hole in it!

I would hate to have to pay their electric bill!!  If you check out the very top, it kind of looks like a well lit crown.

And last but not least, the Hawaiian Ornament.

I guess this is all for tonight, till next time.

Aloha My Friends  :)

Hey Linda!! :)

Just a quick shout out to my newest follower Linda (Linda's Bandwidth Holiday Edition).  I have been following your blog as well.  Thank you for checking my blog out.  The more bandster friends we have the better!!  So, "welcome to my nightmare".

Aloha My New Friend  :)

My Day :)

Hey Ya'll,

How is everyone doing today?  Has everyone finished their Christmas shopping?  Well, I started working on the tax prep again today (boring).  So tomorrow I will continue painting on my Mom's Vase of Roses.  Tonight we had a great dinner out with our daughter Kat & son Russ.  We went to PF Chang's.  They have one dish that I love!  It is also Kat's favorite dish so we always split it.  In the past, we could always finish it off at dinner.  But tonight, I ate less than half what I normally would have ate, so I brought the rest home for lunch tomorrow!!  And one of the nicest parts of the dinner was, Kat refused to let us pay.  She wanted to treat us!!  It is so great when your kids grow up & want to give back by taking you out to dinner!!

After dinner, Kat & Russ had to rush off to meet our oldest daughter Christa & our grand kids as well as my brother's children.  They always have a photo taken for Christmas.  So this is our annual Christmas picture being taken tonight.

While they were off getting their pictures taken, my DH & I went for our nightly walk.  It is getting so cold that & am going to have to go buy myself a full face mask for our walks!!  It has been dropping down into the 30's for our walk.  We live in California people!  We are not used to temperatures this cold!!  So we are not prepared with the proper outerwear.  I used to have the warmest scarf to wrap around my neck, but I haven't been able to found it.  I will continue to look but if I am unable to find it, I will be purchasing a new scarf as well!!  LOL

This just hit me as funny!  Here I have been complaining about how I wish I lived in a cooler environment, then it cools down & I am complaining!!  But seriously, if I had the proper outerwear, it wouldn't bother me so much.  I would rather bundle up than be unbearably, uncomfortably hot because you can only take off so much!!!

So with this, I will leave you with a few more photos of my Christmas Decorations.  One of them was a gift to me from my BFF last year.  I can't wait to be able to light it up!  It is a red Christmas Candle with a nice gentle scent which is great as I can't be around really strong scents due to my allergies.

Our mantle with some Xmas Decorations, lit up with Xmas lights.  Sorry they are a bit blurry.

And the same photo with the flash on.  Not nearly as pretty, but at least you can see it!

And the decorations on top of my Digital Piano.  The red candle is on the right side in front of the reindeer.

A closeup of the decorations on the left hand side.

And the decorations to the right.  The candle is on the end in front of the reindeer.  I believe it is a homemade candle.  Like I said, I can't wait to light it up.  I always light the candles on Christmas Eve when we have a big family gathering.

So that's all for tonight.  Till next time.

Aloha My Friends  :)

Hello To Nikki!! :)

Hey Ya'll,

Just a quick shout out to my newest follower Nikki (To Be Or Not To Be...Fat Is The Question).  Welcome!!  I see that you are stationed in Hawaii with your DH & Step-Daughter.  You are sooo lucky!  In case you haven't guessed, I LOVE HAWAII!!  Anyway, I will be checking out your blog this evening!  Oh, I noticed that you got a cover up tattoo, it's gorgeous.  I have a very large tattoo as well, but it is on my leg, I have pics of it in my blog posted on Sept 20th.  My 35 yr old daughter thought that I was Nuts!!  LOL  She is finally getting used to being seen with me in public with it!

Anyway, I just wanted to welcome you & say I will be checking out your site as well.  So, "welcome to my nightmare".

Aloha My New Friend  :)

Holy Crap!! I Almost Had A Heart Attack!! :)

Hey Ya'll,

Well my DH & I just got back from our evening walk.  While we were walking, we were deep in conversation & not paying attention to what was coming at us, when I suddenly heard a small sound.  I thought at first it was a bird or something.  About a second later, something shot right past me, brushing my pants leg as it passed.  I let out a shriek (the neighbor across the street putting up his Christmas Lights probably thought I was nuts)!  From the sound I had heard, at first I thought it was a bird.  Then, when it ran past me, I thought it was a mad squirrel.  But after a second, I realized it was a cat!!!  It wanted me to pick it up, but my husband would have said no.  I could see a collar on it so I knew it belonged to someone.  So we just kept walking, & it followed us for a few houses.  But when you aren't expecting something like this...all I can say is, it really got my heart pumping!!  LOL

Well, not much else to say right now, so...till next time!

Aloha My Friends  :)

What A Bummer :(

Hey Ya'll,

Sorry for the bummer title, but that is how I felt this morning when I woke up.  We were supposed to get a small amount of snow here overnight.  I was up until 2:30 am & it was trying to snow then.  It was mixed snow & rain so it wasn't sticking as it wasn't quite cold enough yet.  but it was supposed to get cold enough by 3 am.  So I had high hopes that by this morning there would be at least an inch of snow on the ground!  But alas, it was not to be!  So I am not able to post any pictures of the first snow here in years!!!

A quick update, I just spoke with my DH & he said that we actually did get a very small amount of snow, but it was gone before I woke up!!!

Since I painted yesterday, I will be working on pulling our tax information together.  This will take days if not a week or two.  So this is the time of year that I hate!!!  But it has to be done. :(  I hate taxes.  They are time consuming & tedious work.  My DH used to do them, but gave me the honor of doing them every year, about 15 yrs ago!!  Now all he does is complain that it takes me so long, but at least he doesn't have to do them!

Anyway, I guess I better get going, or they will never be done!!  So here are a few Christmas photos I found on the Internet.

Is it too much to ask for some snow?

Pretty colors.

And we don't want to forget the Hawaiian Ornament.

So until next time.

Aloha My Friends  :)

Copied From Judi's blog, "Stories From The Road"

Hey Ya'll,

I was reading up on some of the blogs that I have gotten behind on & came across this short quiz from Judi's blog, "Stories From The Road".  I thought it was an easy one to complete, so I copied it.  My answer's are in black.

Tell Me Your Christmas Story.........

Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate...
Hot Chocolate

Favorite Christmas Carol...
It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas & White Christmas, among many others



Favorite Christmas Movie...
The Holiday & Christmas Vacation, among many others

Whats On Top Of Your Christmas Tree...
An Angel

Whats Your Favorite Christmas food...
German Chocolate Cake made from scratch & Ham


Whats Your Favorite Christmas Memory...
My Favorite Christmas Memory is from when I was about 10 yrs old.  My Grand Parents surprised all my Cousins, my Brother & I with bikes.

Hope you all enjoy this!

Aloha My Friends  :)

It Might Snow!!! :)

Hey Ya'll,

Just wanted to post a quick post to update today's activities & what we expect for tomorrow.  First of all, I made the executive decision to not put up the Christmas Village this year, & DH supported me in this.  And after looking at countless photos of Roses, I painted my first Rose today for my Mom's painting.  It turned out pretty decent I believe.  I plan on painting a Rose every other day, which would put the painting being finished by the 14th....hopefully.

Since I was painting a good part of the day today & we walked a hard walk last night, I decided not to walk tonight.  I promised my DH that we would walk tomorrow night.  I hope I didn't make a mistake.

We have been getting a Winter Storm Warning here advising us that we are supposed to get snow, even here in the valley!  The snow is supposed to go as low as sea level with at least a trace of snow & up to 3 inches.  As far as I can remember, the last time we had snow this low was the Winter of 1990!!  The year that our family moved up to the Northern California area.  So if we do get snow, I will try to get some photos of it!  We get it so rarely here.  We normally have to drive up into the Sierra's to play in the snow.  I advised my DH he might want to drive the 4x4 to work tomorrow instead of the motorcycle as the news is saying the traffic & roads may come to a stand still, but at the very least treacherous, as we are not prepared for snow this low at all!!

Anyway, I just wanted to say, yippee!!

Aloha My Friends  :)

 

What A Night!! :(

Hey Ya'll,

I've got to tell you, I didn't have a good night last night!  I think that I mentioned in a prior post that I am a night owl.  I can't go to sleep until late at night.  I have been in this pattern for about 3 yrs now, & I can't get to sleep before at least 1 am.  But it is more like 2-3 am most nights.  Last night was even later!  I didn't go to sleep until about 5:30 am but I kept waking up due to the pain.  I have some Spinal problems as well as Fibromyalgia, & Nerve Problems, etc, etc, etc.

Last night I was having pain like I haven't had in a long time.  Finally it dawned on me about 6 am, that I had forgot to take my Vicodin!  No wonder I was having pain!!  I had taken all my other meds, as well as my Fibromyalgia med, but I didn't take the Vicodin.  So, by early morning, I was having pain all over, not to mention the pain from my stressed Port site!!  So I got up & took the Vicodin & finally, about a half hour later, I began to fall to sleep as the pain was subsiding.  So I finally got to sleep around 6:30-7 am & then I woke up at 11:15!  At least I got SOME sleep!!!

Yesterday, I had planned on finishing up my Christmas Decorations (the Village Scene) & to paint some more on my Mom's Rose Painting.  But I didn't get to either one!  I had forgotten that I hadn't decided on what colors to paint the Roses, so I spent all day researching Rose's & the different colors.  I am still not 100% decided, but I have it narrowed down.  So I will be painting today.  And I am not sure if I will put up the Village this year.  It just might be too much for me this year.

Last night my DH & I went for a walk.  We walked a different route which was great going, but coming home was all uphill!!  About half way home, my Port site started to hurt a bit, so we had to slow the pace down.  And, last night was the coldest night so far!!  We didn't start our walk until 9 pm & it was COLD!!!  The overnight temps were to drop into the freezing level.  Which it did, as our pool turned on to circulate the water to keep the pipes from freezing & bursting.

By the way, when is the Incision sites supposed to start itching??  Anyway, I need to get to work on the painting, so I will leave you with some holiday photos I found on the Internet.

And for you puppy lover's out there, isn't he cute?  All he wants to do is chew up everything in your house!!  But they sure are cute when they are little!

And the Hawaiian Ornament.

Well ya'll, I better go for now.  Till next time.

Aloha My Friends  :)

A Quick Post :)

Hey Ya'll,

Just a quick post to say that today I am finishing up my Christmas Decorations.  But first I had to make a quick (did I say quick?) run to Bed, Bath & Beyond for some more Votive Candles in the Christmas Cookie scent (my favorite).  Then I had to make a stop at Staples to buy myself a food journal (which was a nightmare, as it is right next door to one of the busiest COSTCO'S in the area, on a narrow two lane street), as my Doctor warned me that they would be asking to check it the next time I was in!!  LOL

Now that I am home, I will try to do some painting on Mom's Rose Vase today.  Then finish putting out my Christmas Decorations.  I only lack putting out the Christmas Village.  But right now, DH is asleep on the sofa in the adjoining room, so I don't want to disturb him!!  So, I will leave you with a few pictures that I took last night of our Christmas Tree, etc.  So These Are My Photos!!! LOL  Not some I found online!

This is of my almost Antique Bookcase (@ 33 yrs old) lit up without any lighting in the room & without the flash.  If you make the photo larger, the lights kind of looks like brightly lit birds, because of the way they are distorted!!

Same photo with flash & the lights on.  Sorry for the clutter on the Bookcase, I forgot to declutter it before I moved the Sofa in front of it to make room for the Tree.

A small ceramic pre-lit Christmas Tree that I usually place in our Bedroom.  But decided to place it here instead so more people can see it.  Again, no lights except the Christmas Lights in the room.  The light you see coming through the window is the Christmas Lights that I put up the other day (causing me all kinds of grief).

With the flash on.

Our Christmas Tree!  Only lit by the Christmas Lights & the flash on the camera.  Sorry, I haven't wrapped the presents yet, so the Tree is bare of gifts.  You can't tell, but the Tree topping is an Angel that my Mom gave me about 35 yrs ago!!  It still lights up!

And here is the Tree with the overhead light on.  I prefer it off as it doesn't show the pretty lights as well.

And last but certainly not least, the Hawaiian Ornament of the day!!

Well, I better get to work.  Till next time.

Aloha My Friends  :)

Thanks Tina!! :)

Hey Ya'll,

I just wanted to say welcome to my newest follower Tina (Losing It!).  I have been reading your blog off & on all day trying to get caught up to date with it.  Thank you so much for responding to my question regarding my Port.  I really appreciate any information I can get, especially from those that has had problems like this.  Reading your blog, I don't know how you managed to stand the extra long wait to get banded!!  I really feel for you.  You really had to jump through more than your share of hoops to get your band!!  Congratulations on your 93 lb loss to date!!  So, "welcome to my nightmare"!!

Aloha My New Friend  :) 

"Welcome To My Nightmare" Hehehe!

Hey Ya'll,

Well as you know, yesterday I overdid it putting on the Christmas Lights around my windows & moving some furniture around.  I was really concerned that I may have flipped my port.  As the only pain I have is right at the port.  This morning it had stopped hurting, but now that I am trying to put up some more decorations, it still hurts if I bend over.  I am trying to bend as little as possible, so I am letting my DH help me decorate the Christmas Tree this year!!  He will decorate the bottom area so I don't have to bend more than necessary.  He is absolutely thrilled with this.... NOT!!  But he will do it so I don't continue to  hurt myself!  So I am currently putting up my decorations.  This will take the rest of the day I am sure, as I take my time on the Tree!

My Mom's painting is almost dry enough for me to paint some more on it.  I will probably start painting the flowers tomorrow.  Now, I am NOT a fast painter!  I will probably take 4-8 hrs to paint just one flower.  If I am lucky, I can manage two.  But when I paint, I rarely get that much accomplished.  As I said before, I am a beginner in painting.  I only took up Oil Painting about 2 yrs ago!  And in that time, I have only completed 6 paintings!!  But each one gets better than the last (for the most part anyway)!!  Here is a photo of my last painting.  It is a Butterfly for my friend Nadene.  Now remember, I am new & this is the first time I have painted something other than a seascape type of painting.  So try not to laugh too hard!!

So, I guess I will leave you for now with some more Christmas cheer in photos!  I didn't take these photos.

This scene probably only looks good for those of us that doesn't have to deal with snow!!

Ok, only a dog would allow this to happen!  A cat would wake up & tell you to piss off!!  LOL

And here is the required Hawaiian Ornament!

Well, I guess I better get back to work!  My break is over.  :(  Till next time.

Aloha My Friends  :)

Welcome Melissa!! :)

Hey Ya'll,

I just wanted to give a big shout out to Melissa (Rockin With The Band)!!  Always glad to know others are interested in what you have to say.  I have been following your blog for a while now as well.  Hope you have a great weekend.  So, "welcome to my nightmare".

Aloha My New Friend  :) 

Questions To Experianced Bandster's

Hey Ya'll,

Sorry for making so many posts in one day guys, but something happened today/tonight & I am a bit concerned.  I was hoping to get some feed back from those that have had the Band & to see if anything like this has happened to them.  I am not sure if it is something I should bring to the attention of my Surgeon or if you think it will pass.

Like I was saying in the earlier post, today/tonight I was putting up some Christmas Lights around the 2 front picture windows.  In doing this, I had to bend a lot as well as apply some pressure in order to force the push pins into the wood to anchor the lights.  I also moved my Love Seat from one side of the small conversation room to the other.  Now remember that I didn't attempt to pick up the Sofa, I just pushed it along the hardwood floor.  It isn't very heavy as it is not a sleeper sofa.

By the time I finished for the night, my Port Site area was in a lot of pain.  It subsided after straightening up & relaxing for a bit.  But every time I have needed to bend over after this, it has hurt like hell for a while.  I am not sure if it is my imagination or not, but it appears that I can definitely feel the Port.  At first, I thought that the Port area was swollen, but now I am sure that it is the Port I am feeling.  Should I be able to feel it so soon after Surgery?  My Surgery was only 2 wks ago.

So, the million dollar question.  Do you think that this is something I should be concerned about?  Or should I just watch it & see if it gets worse (or not any better at any rate)?  I am just concerned that I might have flipped the Port.  The other possibility I can think of is that I over used or strained the muscles around the Port, as I have noticed that in the past, if I bent too much, the Port would hurt like this.  But I thought that I was past this kind of problem.  So if any one HAS had their Port flipped, if you could tell me if this is the same symptoms you had that would be great!!  I welcome all opinions.

I will leave tonight with only 1 photo for you.  This photo is mine.  I took it last year.

I hope someone can help me.  I am afraid to call the Doctor's office but I don't want to mess myself up either!!

Aloha My Friends  :(

I Am Sooo Pissed At My DVR Machine!!! :(

Hey Ya'll,

I hate to start out a post this way, but I am really pissed right now!!!  My DVR Machine decided to DIE today!!  It had at least 30 hrs of my favorite movies saved on it & that is not including the regular programming I had saved on it, that I HAVEN'T WATCHED YET!!  So they are sending me a new DVR.  I should get it by next Tuesday or Wednesday.  But I have lost all of my saved programs & movies!!!!!!!  Can you tell I can't stand to be without TV???  It just drives me up the bazooka!!!

I mean, I am glad that I am getting it replaced soon, but I really can't go without TV in my office!  It is too quiet & music isn't the same for me.  Music is great in the car while I am driving, but at home, it must be the TV.  Not to mention that I am missing some of my programs that are not being recorded for later viewing!!!  No one will want to come around me for a while!!  I am a raving maniac! LOL.  Even my DH is doing what I asked without a fight & is putting up the Christmas Tree.  I'm sure just to get my mind off of the frigging DVR!!!  Well, I am sorry that I just went off on a tangent here!  It just pisses me off.

Ok, so DH is putting up the Tree & lights as I type.  Earlier, I put up some lights on the inside, around the 2 large front windows.  This is the first time I have put lights up that can be seen from the outside at this house, & we have lived here for 9 yrs!!  I have meant to do it every year, then didn't.  So they are up & the neighbors can now see lights!  Now they won't think that we are scrooges!!!  Only my DH is! LOL.  The funny thing is, we bought a bunch of lights a few years ago that DH was supposed to put up on the exterior of the house.  Well....they are still in their original, unopened boxes somewhere in the garage!  Never opened, never used!  I have about 1-2 more days of putting up the decorations, then I am done.  But the hardest part, except for the Tree Ornaments, is done.  Unfortunately, it takes me at least a 1/2 day to put them on, I am sooo picky as to how they are placed.  No one even offers to help as they know I like them a certain way!!  But they have helped in the past & I think that they are just using my Type A personality as an excuse to not have to help!!  LOL

I am in a slump as to my weight loss.  It is now crawling down!  I am sooo close to onederland that I can taste it!  I really want to lose those 3 lbs badly, & keep them off!  I think as Cara & Gen suggested in a comment, that I am not eating enough calories nor drinking enough water.  There are days that I do drink enough water, just not on a daily basis.  I am getting the right amount of protein so far, but not the calories.  I will try to do better.

Well, I guess I will go for now.  I just wanted to rant a little about my SUDDEN LOSS today & let you know that I AM putting up my Christmas Decorations!!  I will take pics when I am finished & post some.  Just so you don't think that I forgot, here are a couple of Christmas pics to enjoy!  Remember, I didn't take these pics, I found them on the Internet!!

Some people just have more time on their hands than they know what to do with!!  But I love it!  Just so that I am not the one putting them all up, nor taking them down!!  LOL  In fact, we have a whole neighborhood near us that decorates like this, & most of them keep in the Disney theme!  It is definitely impressive.  We may take a drive over there & walk that neighborhood one of these nights.  If we do, I will try to remember to take my camera & see if I can get some decent pics of them.

Nothing but bright colors, yea!

And for those Dog lover's out there, here is a Hawaiian Dog!  Isn't he cute?  He got lei'd.  :)

And last but not least, we have got to have a Hawaiian Ornament to check out.  Just sorry the pics of them didn't turn out better.

Well, I guess I better go for now.  I will try to catch up on everyone's blogs tonight.  Till next time.

Aloha My Friends  :)