Getting back to normal life slowly

Started back at slimming tonight. First time since I took ill after my birthday in October! 

Trusty old book dragged out

After all my sitting about, eating crap, munching on whatever I fancied I was expecting a rather large weight gain. I truthfully was expecting about 5 pounds HOWEVER I was delighted to see that I had neither gained nor lost. A Maintain. I am happy with that. Just need to spend some time tomorrow reading all the books again. Seems so long since I had to plan my eating. I think the last post I did before I took ill was about having to re-read the books which I never got round to doing. It was a taster night at Slimming tonight too based on Soup. It was due to the launch of the newest Slimming World book which is all Soup. I adore Soup! So I grabbed myself a copy.

My new Soup book

 There was one soup in it which I saw and tickled my fancy and then low and behold it was there for tasting! Cauliflower and Cheese soup. Very tasty though might be a bit heavy if you ate a huge bowlful. Anyways......back to it

on the mend with Flowers

Having been ill and off work and my usual social activities for the past 5 weeks its been nice to receive visits, cookies ( thanks Sharon) and flowers. Here is some of the lovely bunches of flowers I have received. Sadly there is not a picture of the cookies as they did not last long enough to be photographed!


The new in thing seems to be adding small cabbages to bouquets, pretty yet unusual. ( wonder if I can eat them afterwards)

I'm iIll again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously W T F! Since I stopped smoking almost 2 years ago I have changed my entire way of living. I lost weight ( still 2 stone to go), I eat healthier, I exercise............


.............. and O M F G! I am always bloody ill! This year has been a nightmare. Its started with bug after bug then Whooping cough for 3 months! NOW a bloody chest infection which seems to have taken a massive hold in my chest and won't leave! I have now had it 4 weeks! Been off work all this time too. I am starting to feel better now ( you can tell that as I am updating my blog) which I have not had the enthusiasm to do till today.I am OK as long as I am just sitting. When I move about, nip to the shops ( in the car) do the dishwasher, in fact anything that involves me moving I am left completely exhausted, breathless and coughing. 2 lots of Anti biotics later and my chest still rattles now and again. But today at lunch time I took a little coughing bout that sounded very familiar. SURELY not! I can't get that back again.Fingers crossed it was just a little choking coughing fit and nothing else. I am awaiting a chest X-ray but I imagine by the time I get that appointment in all will be gone. Anti biotics are also finished now so I am imagining its just a matter of time till I get myself built up again. Have to see the Dr again on Thursday/Friday. Hope to feel allot better by then.

I feel so guilty though cause now Marcus has it. He seems to be running about a week or so behind me. He is now also on his 2nd lot of Anti biotics. Poor wee man. 

Fireworks Night

                           Remember remember the fifth of November

                                Gunpowder, treason and plot.

                                  I see no reason why gunpowder, treason

                                          Should ever be forgot...

Fire works night is one of that nights I adore. For me it brings on the excitement of Christmas. Standing watching the fireworks sparkle red, green, gold, white just makes me think of Christmas lights on the tree, Christmas Decorations, The sparkle, the bling, the cold just makes me tingle with anticipation of getting my decorations out the attic!

Marcus and a Sparkler

Marcus with a sparkler

Bonfire with a Firework

Kelly and a Sparkler

This year however Marcus and I were poorly. Marcus just starting on the chest infection and me just finishing my anti biotics for mine. We did however head out on the Friday night to Sypnie. Its just out the town, smaller yet completely brilliant. We stood and watched the display then headed to Mikes work mates house for a BBQ! In November!" but it was great. Will be even better next year when Marcus and myself are fit to enjoy it and eat. Met a lovely lady there too who it seems is a teacher at Kelly's school! Small world up here right enough lol.

Halloween

Halloween in our house is normally one of the big holidays, next to Christmas its the one we celebrate. Marcus adores it so it was sad this year since Marcus and myself were ill. He managed his school Halloween Disco on the Thursday before but sadly never got out Trick or Treating on Halloween. ( which I will yap about in the next post)

Kelly as a Pirate

Marcus as Darth Vader

Marcus attacking a pumpkin man

Kelly with her pirate weapons

Our Pumpkins, Left to right, Mike, Marcus, mine.( Kelly's came later)

Kelly however, for a change, was WELL! She headed out to the local Youth Cafe Disco then she went out with her friends on Halloween. I imagine this will be her last year as she is a bit old now. We say that but 14 is still a baby really! Just people don't want teenagers at their doors after dark. She may manage another year if she takes Marcus out though.

Diet again.........

Having had my 40th Birthday celebrations I decided I need to get my finger out and start work on the next stone I have to lose. I hope to of lost it by Christmas. My plan is to get my head back into it but starting fresh. Pulling out my welcome pack books and reading them cover to cover. I have 2 of the last issues of the magazine to read and the new one is out too.

My books all looked out and ready to read

 I went though the books yesterday for inspiration and found some! Did my scrap booking and cut out some recipes to try. Sometimes I find it so hard and frustrating with meals. I like to cook 1 meal that we all eat and sometimes it just does not work. For example Spag Bols I adore! I could eat it daily. Marcus won't eat it at all and Mike and Kelly don't enjoy it that much. SO I am wondering if I should start to make meals for them and me? Its a pain in the ass but there is nothing worse than seeing them not enjoying the meal that I am scoffing.

Looking for inspiration

Some new recipes

 But for the time being I have found a few new recipes that we "should" all enjoy. Though I thought that last night and made a new Cheesy Pasta dish which is normally right up my street. I hated it, Kelly could not stand it, and Mike had 2nds! Trial and error I suppose

My well used pink folder that holds all my favourite recipes

Anyways, off to get weighed tonight. Expecting a gain after my birthday but will get going again tomorrow. Feeling crap today however, Achy bones, hot and cold shivers and sweats all thanks to my daughter who has had the flu/cold for a week. Also back to writing a menu. Planning is the key to this!

 Writing the menu is the Key to Success

Photos

Something I decided to do this year, and have done now a few times is GET MY PHOTOS PRINTED!!! As you may of seen I do love taking photo's. They are mostly the usual snap snap snap ones and nothing special BUT they are special to me.Each one is a memory in the making.  I had a panic a while back that if my computer failed ( as it has done a few times) I would lose all my pictures. Now I get them backed up onto a pencil disc and the ones that are most special are uploaded to Photobox and printed off. 

Empty album waiting to be filled

There is nothing I love more than sitting flicking through old photos and albums. It always brings back memories or makes you wonder when they were taken as you have no memory of them. In these days of digital camera's, mobile phones, ipads etc its so much easier to take pictures yet who will see them when they are stored on hard drives? How will my kids ever see them if my pen drive breaks SOoooooooooooo ..............

Trimming them to size and shoving them in

This year brought me to Photobox. My father is a professional photographer and uses it, which is where I discovered it. I now get them uploaded, sent out then I sit and enjoy trimming them to size and writing little captions beside each pic so in years to come we can look back at a nice book instead of purely just on-line. I also enjoy hunting to find nice albums though they are so expensive I try to start in the charity shops. I am on my 3rd album this year......

Ready for the captions

Should anyone want to try it please tell me! You will get 50 free prints if you allow me to refer you. Here is a linkhttp://www.photobox.co.uk/my/refer/new?osid=pukbs036  Please comment below, contact me on facebook http://www.facebook.com/KarenODonnell.nee.Williamson etc if you want referred x x Karen x x