Home

I am sooooo glad to be home! It took forever to get here, it seemed...we were late leaving Regina. I was held captive by the JYSK store there. Found a few neat accents for the house, and a couple of practical things, too. I found a brown basket with leather handles to house hair stuff in my bathroom. When I had a cupboard to hide it in, a power tool caddy made the perfect container for all the junk, but it didn't look very nice sitting out under my new piano leg sink! I have no idea why the shopping is so good in Regina, but I was able to find things I have been searching for in Winnipeg for ages. A Peugot pepper grinder and a Rubbermaid closet organizer in the right size are the first things that come to mind, but there were more, trust me! I have turned into a shopper this year - it must be that the styles available tickle my fancy, because for the longest time, I couldn't find a thing I wanted to buy! Now? Everything appeals to me! LOL

The carpet installers are chomping at the bit to get in and do their thing ...and of course, Rick is going out of town this week. We have to lift the carpeting and underlay, clean the floors thoroughly, add a few screws here and there, remove the baseboards, and paint the house before the carpet goes in. Hmmmmmm what are the chances it will be done at the very last minute before the installers arrive? No wonder I have a sensitive digestive system! There is a knot the size of a football behind my belly button when I think of all the work to be done! I like to get things done ahead of time, and although Rick always gets things done, it is always at the last minute. Oh the stress. But I have decided on the colours for the house. It is just a matter of where to put them!

Now, about the food plan. I was way off track this week, partly because I over estimated the amount of points in foods, that I have later found out weren't as bad as I thought. Who knows what the counts were, really? I guess the tale will be told in a couple of days when I hit the scale for my weekly weigh in, but with the amount of salt in restaurant food, I am not holding out any hope whatsoever. One tasty item we indulged in was called War Wonton Soup. Good? You betcha! It had the usual wonton dumplings, plus shrimp, pork and shrimp. The broth was not oversalted, but sooooo tasty. Not overspiced at all. So, there is something reasonable to have in a Chinese restaurant that won't kill ya!

Onward and upward. I haven't unpacked yet, and my tub is calling me for a good long soak. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend - if you aren't busy, wanna come help pull up broadloom?

Out of the blue...

these little individual packages of cheese just peeled themselves, and jumped into my mouth...all four of them. Sigh. Breakfast at hotel buffets will do that to me. Along with the whopping texas toast, scrambled eggs, and ham? I think I will have to drink water for the rest of the day! It was very good, and I was very hungry. A lethal combination, especially after indulging at Ankor last night...mmmmmm good! Blew the FLEX there, and the rest went this morning.

Regina is growing so fast. If someone would have told me that I would end up sleeping in a Hotel on South Railway years ago, I would have been mortified. But as it happens, it is now called Saskatchewan Drive, and the hotel we are in is quite nice. Very spacious with the all important king bed! It is interesting to see how the city has changed. Still familiar, as I think it always will be...I don't think you ever forget the streets of your childhood. The streets that took me to my first school outing to Palm Dairies, the streets that I learned to drive on.... Even though there are grander buildings standing now, in my minds eye, I still see the greengrocers where we are now parking our car. How quickly time flies when you are living your life - funny, but I never seem to notice it as much anyplace but here. There is a thread that will always draw me back, and good friends that make me sad to leave.

~August 16~I found out tonight that the little packets of cheese weighs 21 gms and has 80 calories. So, two pieces equal 3 points. Not as bad as I thought, but still not something I will repeat anytime soon! After a year of not indulging in a little cheddar? It was soooooooo worth it!

What a job...

Rick has been slaving out in the hot sun for three days now...one to wash the deck, one to stain the deck, and now? He is working on the bench and chaise. Once it is all done, I hope we will have time to relax a little. The next yard project, is to get the flower beds ready for spring planting. I have one flower box this year that is just lovely. I am going to repeat the plants next year, if I can find two more window boxes, I will be good to go.

As a dutiful wifey, I am providing good food for the worker bee. Tonight we are having pork chops and yams, with a tossed green salad, and yes, I think I will make that man a good dessert. I can always send it home with Vince to keep us on the straight and narrow.

Today was weigh in day, and not one ounce lost. Hovering is what I seem to do best these days. I stepped up my intake of veggies, tried to remember to eat my oils of the day, and added a bit more dairy. I go up and down with water so at least I have lost the 'puff' that I had at the beginning of the week. What an ordeal the weighing in part of this program is! The food issues? Not a problem most of the time. For that reason alone, I am going to stick to this, but good grief, shouldn't I be losing an ounce or two?????? I have recalculated my points, I have counted every mouthful. I don't use my activity points, though. No one would believe two old people expend so much energy doing laundry anyway!

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHH

Wednesday Morning, another day in the neighbourhood....

so much for a restful vacation! Today we have to go and buy all the stuff to organize three closets. More mess and conniption. Oh joy.

The frig is bare, but when the kids came for supper last night, we did okay pulling from the pantry...pork chops browned then baked in a pineapple sauce, basmati rice and ginger carrots. I made Jocey's Rice Pudding for dessert, and it was tooooo good.

1 cup of milk, brought just to boiling with 1 cup of cooked rice
In a separate bowl, whisk 2 eggs, vanilla and cinnamon or nutmeg, and two packets of sugar twin. Add 1/4 cup of well rinsed plumped up raisins. Add 1/2 cup of the hot milk to temper the egg mix, then put the egg mix in the pot with the rice and milk. Bake in the oven in a bain Marie for half an hour on 350º (I take my pot, and put it in the frying pan with about an inch of water. I have pots with stainless handles, though...it wouldn't work so good with the plastic handled ones!

That is all there is to it. Of course, I served it with a little blob of real whipped cream, Pete's treat! Usually, we have a spoonfull of cool whip.If you get the low fat egg nog on sale, use that instead of the milk, and skip the whipped topping all together. Or not!

Don't know how much more holiday

I can take. One whole week has gone by, and it seems like a minute but feels like a month. I am dog tired. Yesterday, we discovered that wasps were residing under our deck...of course, it was after we all sat down to dinner, and they started to dive bomb us until we relocated to the dining room! So, tonight, with every inch of skin covered, Rick attacked the nest with this neat foam stuff. Quite the picture. Work gloves, hoodie, facepiece from a gas mask! Exactly what a well dressed exterminator wears to crawl under a deck armed with a can of foam and wicked intent! First you plug up the hole, then you stick the nozzle in the nest and smother the little buggers. Worked like a charm. We bought three ways to kill them, just in case. The foam, bug spray for the stragglers, and a wasp trap for the tree. No such thing as overkill when you are dealing with insects!