Learning to live my dreams not trample on them

Lurker1972

Need to fully catch up on your diary, but having read the last few posts.......well done you -debt free & 2 stone lighter!!!

Now to read it all & see how you did it......

gilligansyle

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SH:bdaycake:

DON'T WORRY, ITS FAT FREE AND CALORIE FREE!

:beer::beer:

savingholmes

Thanks Lurker and Gill

Lurker - feel free to read - some was budgeting and belt tightening :money:- and some was a pension refund is the short version. Dieting was 1400 calories a day - now with exercise thrown in!:j

Today has been good actually. OH couldn't sleep so got up really really early and put up my new gazebo swing seat - it is gorgeous! :jHe also put up the table, parasol and 4 red chairs we bought the other day. :jHe also had a friend round who helped him fix his brakes and the roofer came round and sorted out the hole in our roof. We shared the day rate with a neighbour :money:cash in hand which worked out well (our share was £100) to have a roof tile put back on, other tiles re-cemented and the kind of guttering/gully on the roof cleared out of rubble and rubbish - put this way I didn't recognise it and was looking for what was missing :rotfl:. And he and the kids cleaned up the house before I was allowed to get up!:cool:

DS brought me porridge and coffee in bed and they had both made me a cake in the shape of a butterfly - inspired by last weeks' cake - I will try and post a picture in a few days...

OH had bought me some extra pressies which included colour changing solar lights which shone beautifully tonight.:beer: He also cooked lunch before we went to my favourite national trust property - where we started with drinks and naughty food - and then had a nice walk. We went to the carvery for tea. We then came home and lit the fire pit and cuddled up on the swing seat... which is an improvement marriage wise!!;) We let the kids toast some marshmallows on the fire too...

So despite everything it turned into one of my better birthdays... He'd also bought me some books but they are not my taste and he's forgotten that I can't read at the moment... (no concentration and can't cope with not knowing what happens next - hormones still messed up). They'll probably end up in hampers later in the year :money::rotfl:He also bought some candle holders for outside which was nice... and I'd snuck in some pressies I bought some size 14!! denim shorts for our holidays, a size 12!!! top and a nice scarf... OH kindly wrapped them up from the kids... They'll be good for our holidays...

So having now got outdoor table, 4 chairs and a swinging seat (as well as our existing fire pit) and solar lights - really hope we get the weather to match. :beer:

OH is talking of digging a patio area behind our shed which would be fab - I suggested that since he keeps getting roped into working parties with friends at work - perhaps he could try and rope someone in to do the same for us and dig out the area for the patio - and then put a nice pattern of paving stones down - in return for food and drink!;) Let's hope that it actually happens, and then I can not only have my operation, and be off all of August hopefully enjoying the sun on my new patio area!!:D

Hope you are all having a good weekend

savingholmes

My posts seem to be getting longer and longer - sorry about that...:o

My OH had bought me a fab card that lit up and said I was the love of his life :smileyheaand a mug calling me the perfect wife. I've offered to get it out every time we have guests or have a row:rotfl:

OH is going to see some friends of ours tomorrow night with a DD younger than ours- so I have a bag of kids clothes to give them that I've held on to for them since xmas :cool: for them- but I will try and convince DD to give a bit more away too - perhaps toys as well as clothes as she still has too much especially since she's just had a birthday....

milann

Hi SH

Happy belated birthday - sounds as if it was a good'un!!

I have been busy making a wedding cake for a dear friend (she has lived with her now dh for 22 years and finall decided to get hitched LOL) - it was only sponge and 1 teir - I didn't tot up the cost but it won't have cost much more than £20 even with the board and box - she was absolutely made up with it. I made 4 figures of her/dh and her 2 kids out of roll out icing and piped all the features and hair. It was very labour intensive but the actual cost of ingredients wasn't much at all. Its ages since I've done anything like that and really enjoyed doing it. A cheapish pressie which would have cost a bomb in the shops. And my friend ended up buying me a mega bunch of flowers and a gorgeous M&S necklace as a thankyou - bet they cost more than I spent LOL. That cake you did was brill - especially for a first attempt.

We're going away at weekend too - only to Cornwall in the caravan but I'm looking forward to it - just need to order some more of that gorgeous weather we had a few weeks ago.

Sounds as if the house is taking shape. Dds room sounds lovely.

I'm so pleased that work are more understanding of your illness. A friend of mine who is in her 60's had the 'op' last year and made a great recovery - I think the secret is taking it easy afterwards.

I have managed to lose 9 lbs - I visited the doc last week for more HRT and I was very worried that he wouldn't give me any more as he keeps threatening it. He was pleased that I've lost 'a bit' of weight but my blood pressure is up. I managed to convince him to give me more HRT but he wasn't too happy and only agreed to do so if I re-visit next month to get my BP and weight checked again. I HAVE to up my exercise and drop my food intake or he will take me off them for sure this time. I am worried that I'll go back to what I was like before a bit like you were - aneamic and no energy. The consultant had mentioned the 'op' to me but because I'd had a lot of surgery in the past 5 years agreed to try other options first. So I have my incentive - I have been eating very sensibly and am upping my exercise, although I haven't made it to the gym for a while.

As part of the therapy the kids at work do - we use a big exercise ball with them. I have been trying to work with one child in particular who enjoys bouncing on the ball and I have been doing an intensive interaction by imitating the bouncing and giving eye contact with this child - and doing it in a far more energetic way than I would even contemplate previously. I am surprised just how much energy this uses. My whole body ached afterwards. It is apparently very good for destressing and increasing core strength. Even when I'm still as he's running around the room as he's a want to do - I've been sitting on the ball rather than a chair using my legs to balance. I reckon an hour a day of this will help burn a calorie or two might as well take advantage of every opportunity LOL . I suppose I'd do even better if I Blew the one at the bottom of my wardrobe up and actually used it instead of storing it LOL.

Sorry I've not been about as much as usual but I'm trying to limit my time on the putera bit - it was becoming very addictive:0

Have a lovely holiday.

Milann

savingholmes

Hi Milann - thanks for posting... sounds like you have being doing well on the exercise front... The balance ball sounds good... I agree with you it will make a big difference to your weight and your figure

I made it to the church, the gym and did some gardening all in one day.... I also played with my fire pit and my new swing seat.... My arm seems to suddenly be rapidly improving... Hope it keeps up...

savingholmes

Well quite pleased - :jso far today have halved my tramadol :jdespite exercising at the gym - including doing machine weights with my arms - and pruning and weeding in the garden... I didn't take all my cocodomol either...

I have of course also packed the dishwasher several times and done most of the washing but OH did make dinner which was good:T - and look after the kids including a guest while I went to the gym. :THe's out tonight - and has been able to drop off half a boots worth of stuff at a friends for their use with their little girl - helping empty my study... :rotfl:

Things still on my hit list to do

1) Buywhiteboard and pens (£6) and put up in the kitchen so can share tasks better and make OH more aware of them in the first place!;)
2) Get OH to sort clean washing and get everyone to put theirs away
3) Get someone to clean the outside of front door - I've offered the kids a couple of quid to use as holiday money if they get it in a fit state to paint- they are now arguing over who gets to do it:rotfl:
4) Paint the front door
5) Take some stuff back to B&Q (curtain tie backs £12 and wrong colour paint - didn't like tester colour £13) and get some special white paint for the garage door instead...:cool:
6) Use roller as per neighbour's suggestion to paint garage door (might get OH to do this on the grounds of height... it would be easier for him as he would have better reach) - wish me luck!
7) Need to get our bedroom back under control, clothes seem to be multiplying around the place again!:o
8) Still need to sort the utility room
9) Need to sort my study
10) Need to sort boxes in the garage
11) Agree date to meet up with a group of 6 friends the week the kids go away!:T Kind of a belated celebration of my birthday... Have mooted the idea with them - they've all agreed in principle - now just need to fix a date :cool:
12) Get everything washed, ironed??, sorted for the holiday - buying any missing items.... like travel plugs - with the extra complication that the kids are away the Monday-Friday before we leave on the Saturday!!:eek:
13) OH planning to dig out the area behind the shed for a patio... Will also need to order a big skip and new paving and cement etc but would be great for recuperating on after Op... This would be fore after our holiday...
14) "Need" to put together a plan paint and decorate the whole house:eek::eek::eek: Been here 5 years and barely touched it...
15) Resist temptation to buy car before September or to replace carpet and sofa in lounge.... :money:
16) Continue getting fit and health as a family
17) Cancel National Trust membership - and rebuy if needed thro !u!dco
No pressure then

savingholmes

Today's been okay. Worked from home. Agreed kids holidays off school in term time so that was a result. Panicked for an hour and half trying to find something - and thereby worked out I could bin half the stuff I've been carrying around from work... It had fallen down the outside of the settee...

Took 6 less tramadol so far today (ie only took 2). So hoping may be off tramadol in the next few days... May then only need to focus on coming off cocodomol

Really hoping ash cloud doesn't wreck our holiday - doubt our insurance covers for that....

DS went to air cadets tonight - sounds like he will get some fab opportunities out of it. Subs are £8 a month but that includes their uniform and insurance. He may even get a chance to fly this year which would be fab - for a week away at a cost of about £30. They do HNC and Duke of Edinburgh Award and all sorts with them so it sounds quite good. Apparently they took a load of kids orienteering last weekend for 6 hours... sounds like the kids will have slept well after it. he's going with a friend so hopefully that will make it easier. My friend has agreed to drop off and we've agreed to do the pick ups...

savingholmes

hi guys - my arm is understandably painful this morning - but at least it didn't wake me up so hoping that I will be able to come off tramadol still. It will be interesting to see what impact if any I have from that...

I nearly took 4 of the wrong tablets last night by mistake which would have been fatal so I have now moved all of my "old" tablets out of the medicine cabinet into a different medicine box that we only store old stuff in to prevent the risk of accidents. I had 2 tablets that sound very similar but aren't.... That was scary

The little girl that we gave DD's things to the other day was delighted - and had the things all out of the bags and all round the room in no time and announced she was keeping them all! Bless! But it did include little fake fur coats and sparklely trainers as well as beautiful dresses, skirts etc. But we are so blessed too in everything that we get given. I still barely buy a thing for her... DS on the other hand we now have to buy for which is a real shock !!

Well need to try and wake up properly - have to go to another site today....

I paid off my credit card bill last night - so that's the holiday officially paid for but you can tell on the overdraft impact unfortunately that we are still overspending....

milann

SH - sounds as if you are very busy - when do you go away? Make a bit of time to relax too LOL

It's brill you are getting off the tablets little by little

Have a great holiday

Milann