ARRRGH!

I think I have bitten off a bit more than I can chew.  I have several craft projects on the go (I hear ya, Chris!) with the plan to give them for Christmas presents.  I guess I never said WHICH Christmas!

I am making a quilt as a gift for a dear friend for which I purchased fabric and pattern from the Australian Quilt Convention on Friday (which had some amazing quilts on display).  Cut it out and started mapping out the quilt and I hate the combinations.  Too busy.  So I guess I'll have to go and buy some plainer fabrics to break things up a bit.

After much faffing around from the supplier of the kit I have started a cross stitch for another friend.  She sews but doesn't hand sew so I'm hoping she will like this.  If I ever get it finished!

I'm knitting a throw for the Mermaid who loves the one I made for us.  This should be finished by her birthday in August.  Hopefully!

Then there is the crochet throw I'm doing for us and the candlewicking quilt I'm making for the guest room.  Not to mention the Japanese table runner I have earmarked for ANOTHER friend but haven't started and the various quilts I'm planning for Two and Three and their partners.

Tomorrow is our 38th wedding anniversary.  We both forgot last year as it was just after Dad had died.  First time ever!  We won't be spending money on gifts but plan to go for a drive to scout out potential wedding options for Two and Mads.  Lunch out and a pleasant drive.  Bliss.

After I came home from the AQC on Friday I had a migraine.  I don't get them that often but have been getting more of late. I took the tablet the doctor prescribed which stopped the worst of it in its tracks.  Felt a bit blah on Saturday and then on Sunday I had TWO back to back.  Not very nice at all. Still feeling a bit fuzzy and every so often I feel as if I'm getting another one.  Himself wants me to see the doctor but I don't thinks there's much he can do.  I think it's stress related exacerbated by a dicky neck.

We got a phone call from One on Saturday night.  He managed to chop the fingernail off his left middle finger and it was "pissing blood, Mum", I told him an ambulance probably wasn't really necessary but a hospital visit was.  Ebs drove him and they patched him up then sent him to the bigger public hospital on Sunday.  They were there at 7.30am as instructed and he finally got to theatre 12 hours later!  A skin graft and plastic surgery and he will never have a proper nail on that finger again.  He says his next purchase will be a butcher's chain mail glove!  And I think he was really annoyed at missing out on the delicious dinner he had prepared.

Brother in law is doing well.  The surgeon is happy with him and he is booked for his liver surgery mid may.  Mother in law is begrudgingly accepting my help.  Himself is slowly getting gentler with his dealings with them.

Getting old has whiskers on it.

Goodnight!

And so life goes on...

I know it's been a while.

The thing is nothing really happens around here.  We sort of lurch from day to day.

The whole Lite n Easy thing went by the wayside.  Himself decided it was too expensive/he could do as well on his own and, well, that was that.  The frustrating thing is that had we stuck with it I would be so close to where I wanted to be.  Noone to blame but me, I know.

A friend bought me a copy of Pete Evans' Going Paleo as a thank you for helping her out when she had a hip replacement.  I have always leaned towards this way of eating (although I do think Pete is a bit too out there for me ... too much hippy stuff!) and Ebs' step father was actually told to eat this way by his oncologist!  I am having a read of the book and will see if I can convince Himself to at least give this a go.  Which will mean he has to stop buying bread and popcorn!  At least until I've weaned myself off these foods.  I know he would do anything for me and wants me to be happy but I wish he would actually hear what I am saying to him sometimes instead of assuming he knows what I'm trying to tell him.

On that front, we are now dealing with his ageing parents and the inevitable consequences.  Like me, he hasn't had a particularly good relationship with his parents and is now having to deal with the ramifications of this.  I have noticed a significant deterioration in my father in law but Himself just sees the cantankerous old bugger he's always been.  I am trying to explain that he needs to be a bit more gentle and patient with both his parents.  My brother in law has been diagnosed with bowel cancer and has had surgery which means he cannot drive my mother in law to the shops. I have taken on that role (Himself would kill her within 5 minutes) which is challenging.  My father in law is crippled with arthritis.  He can barely walk and has had numerous falls but insists he can still drive! Needless to say there have been many discussions on that issue.  My inlaws don't seem to understand that "just driving locally" is still unsafe when your ability to react to anything on the road is next to nothing.

We had a bit of a win with Dad's taxation dramas.  We only had to pay the ATO $102,000!!  It's a year next week since he died.  Hopefully we will get all this stuff sorted within in the next 6 months. Mind you, we are dealing with a Hong Kong bank and hell might freeze over before we get the funds from them.

On a brighter note I am really enjoying learning new crafty things.  I have given crocheting a go (never learned to as a child), still doing some candlewicking and quilting and have a few different projects underway.  I am making a few things as gifts for friends.  The materials aren't that expensive but they are time consuming and I'm sure the recipients will love what I'm making for them.

And with that I shall go and work on a blanket I'm knitting ....

Fat Brain

Yesterday was our second weigh day.  I lost another 1.2 kgs taking my total loss to 4kgs. Himself has also lost weight.

The problem is that my fat/diet brain is starting to play games with me.

I think that as one puts on weight one manages to avoid looking in mirrors or really seeing what is there and therefore is blissfully unaware of how bad the situation is.  Once a decision has been made to address things then the mirror is a constant in the scheme of things and a constant reminder of how bad things actually were.

It took me over 12 months this time to get to this size and it's going to take quite a few months to rectify the situation.

Unfortunately, I want it all NOW!

Also, this is so unlike any 'diet' I have ever been on that I feel it can't possibly be working.  I don't feel hungry.  I don't feel deprived.  I have no cravings (apart from wine but that's a whole different issue!).

We are really happy with Lite n Easy.  The food has been fantastic and when there was a small problem with Himself's recent order (a leaky yoghurt, squashy kiwifruit and crushed egg - suggesting poor packing or handling) the customer service was outstanding.  We are going to lunch at the club tomorrow to say goodbye to some friends and I am really resenting the fact that I will have to eat sub par (haha - it's a golf club!) food when I would rather my lite n easy lunch.  I will see if I can get away with something very light and then come home and enjoy a decent lunch.

We are still struggling to get used to this whole retirement lifestyle.  We need structure and focus in our lives.  At least we are aware of this so gives us something to work on.  I just hope that Himself gets into a better frame of mind soon as he is very down.

Early days ...

First week down

It's been a week since we started on Lite n Easy and weigh in day.

Himself has lost 1.8 kgs - he seems very disappointed but what can you do!

I lost *drum roll*  2.8 kgs .... gotta be happy with that.  I know it's mainly fluid and all that but I'm taking it.

Dinner last night was the salmon pasta again for Himself and I had the spaghetti carbonara.  I had read reviews canning this because it had too many mushrooms.  It was OK.  I would have preferred more mushrooms and less of the meat.

Breakfasts and lunches continue to be great.  The best thing about this is that I am never starving or stuffed.  And I don't have to think about what to eat, what to buy from the supermarket and whether or not I can have anything else to eat!

So, verdict after the first week? Absolute winner.

Cool change ....pleeeeease

Well we have had some horrible weather.  It's been in the high 30's low 40's and muggy. Yesterday Melbourne and some of the inner suburbs had some spectacular storms and rain but we just got the heat and humidity.  Last night we had a brilliant lightening display that lasted several hours but no rain.

This morning it's still warm and muggy.  It's trying to rain but we have been promised a cool change with heavy rain over the next two or three days.  I can't wait.

All this isn't helping the sleep situation.  In the past I would have downed several wines so getting to sleep wasn't as much of a problem.  Last night I took another sleeping pill but woke through the night cos of the heat and that wasn't a pleasant experience at all.  Drowsy but hot and sticky.  yuck

Yesterday we went to look at a new car for Himself.  He currently has a Holden Cruze in a diesel and he's never been happy with it.  While petrol prices are coming down diesel is still up there and now that we are doing lots of short trips the economy isn't there either.  So come February he will be taking delivery of a spanking new Mazda 3.  Apart from freaking about the cost (which is normal for him) he is very excited.

It took longer than expected to get the sale done so by the time we got home it was way past lunch and I was hungry and grumpy and hot.  Not an attractive combination.  Lunch was smoked beef, tomato and chutney sandwich and went down very well, I must say.  Breakfast was cereal with two pieces of toast and vegemite.  I had one slice at breakfast and the other later in the day.  Dinner was honey soy chicken which, again, was delicious.

Breakfast today is bacon, egg, tomato on toast and was lovely.  I kept the second egg and slice of bread for later.  If I'm not hungry the dogs can share the egg!

Best get a wriggle on. I'm catching up with a friend for coffee shortly.

Day 4 dinner and Day 5

Day 4 dinner was beef and red wine casserole:

It was delicious.


I have been having trouble sleeping lately for a variety of reasons and last night I succumbed and took a sleeping pill.  I take one every couple of years!  I had a good night's sleep and was reluctant to get up and walk the dogs but remembered that the forecast for the next few days is a bit grim so I bit the bullet and off we went.  I'm glad I did as I feel better for the walk, the dogs appreciate it and it does my soul good to know that I did something I said I would.

Came home to breakfast which was beans and bacon and cheese on toast.  Two slices of toast and I only had one.  While I was having breakfast our order arrived.  THREE eskies today!  This is because Himself has extra snacks, a lot of which are frozen (they are like mini meals).  All I can say is I'm glad I'm not on the same allowance as he is or we wouldn't have enough freezer space!  As it is, a lot of stuff was thrown in the bin and the dogs will be eating well over the next few nights!  Wasteful? Perhaps but eating icecream is not going to help our efforts and the container was less than half full.

The beans were OK.  They weren't the same as the baked beans you get in a tin ... they seemed like a different variety of bean.  Not a breakfast I will be hankering to have again but maybe once in a while for a change.

An old friend came down and we went for a walk along the beach and then had lunch.  We went to the local Coffee Club and the menu has kj counts so I was able to get a rough idea of what I'd eaten.  I chose a salad with beetroot, feta and walnuts.  The walnuts were scant, if there at all.  When I got home I decided to have the lunch from Lite and Easy which was chicken and cashews.  It was delicious.  I figured that by not eating the second slice of toast at breakfast and foregoing the apple and orange I haven't done too much damage.  Plus the extra walk. I don't want to become too pedantic about this (which I have been known to do which is why any programme that requires counting my own calories or points or carbs or whatever doesn't work for me) but this is week one and I want to get a good feel for it.  One of the reasons we chose this is that it does give us flexibility to eat out now and again.

Dinner tonight is Chicken Tikka Masala and I will be microwaving.  Snacks are aforementioned fruit, some crackers and a fruit cookie.

This has been a short Lite and Easy week due to the order stuff up at the beginning.  Tomorrow is Week 2 Day 1.  I shall continue to write about our experiences but not necessarily every day.  This is as much a tool for me to look back on and I don't think I need to keep repeating myself.

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A few days ago I bought some Milky Feet.  I have used this product before a couple of years ago. My feet are very calloused and I wanted to give them another treatment.  I'd forgotten how dramatic the results are!  Next time I will do it in Winter when I don't have my peeling feet on display in sandals!  It does do the job, though and the new skin is lovely and soft.  It's just that the peeling process is rather gross!!!!

Lite and Easy Day 3 review and starting Day 4

 Day 3

This was lunch.  The soy chicken tender with an Asian salad, peking bbq sauce in a wrap. Himself's wrap was broken so he ate it like this:

This was mine as a wrap!  You can see from the above shot how much you actually get in the wrap and it was delicious.

Dinner last night was a butter chicken.  The chicken was really tasty but I wasn't happy with the texture of the rice.  It could be because I tried heating it in the oven.  Next time I will microwave and see if that makes a difference.  Himself had the Tasmanian Salmon Pasta and loved it.

I had the chocolate cake with my iced coffee and it was fine.  The ciabatta with tomato bruschetta was also tasty

My after dinner snack was breakfast's kiwi fruit with the golden raisin mix and, again, a pleasant way to end the day without feeling deprived or stuffed!

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Day 4

Breakfast this morning was a toasted muffin with ham, cheese and tomato popped under the grill.  I read in one of the many reviews I found when researching Lite and Easy that someone complained about having to prepare their own breakfasts!  I wonder how they thought they would get toast.  Or eggs.  Or grilled cheese. I must say, I love the little bit of effort it takes to put some of the breakfasts and lunches together.  It adds to the whole enjoyment of eating the meal and I think enhances the feeling of being satisfied as the brain registers the preparation and anticipation of the meal.

And it was really nice:

 I had walked the dogs this morning and was meeting a friend for coffee (I had black tea *polishes halo*) so didn't have the cereal that went with breakfast.  That may well be my after dinner snack for a change this evening.

Lunch was a hamburger.  The hamburger patty was frozen and I zapped it for a minute as per instructions.  It didn't come out grey and soggy as I expected and was really tasty.  Again, a small roll and a small patty but more than adequate with a slice of beetroot, tomato and baby spinach leaves.  No photo ...a) I was hungry! and b) I think we all know what a hamburger looks like.

A red apple completes lunch and I have a cinnamon oat bar and popcorn for snacks later and an orange left over from breakfast.

Dinner will be tortilla stacks for Himself and a beef and red wine casserole for me.

Yesterday afternoon we sat down and worked out our menus for the three weeks starting next week (we have already ordered tomorrow's delivery).  I think we will save time by doing this on a monthly basis and I will know the orders are in. As Lite and Easy operates on a 4 weekly cycle this works well.  Our credit card will only be debited before each order is delivered and we can change our orders up to 11am on the day before deliveries.

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Himself asked me if I felt any different.  We both agreed that we are feeling a lot less bloated and uncomfortable.  I just can't wait until the weight starts to shift and I no longer cringe when I catch sight of my reflection in shop windows.  

I didn't get this overweight overnight and I know it will take time to change.