Happy New Year

well friends, 2011 is almost over.  it has been quite a year.  in some ways, i guess i'm glad it's over.

• in january i had triple bypass surgery
• in february i fell down the stairs
• in march my husband turned 50
• in april we celebrated our 29th anniversary
• in may i started using an Insulin Pump and started blogging!
• in june i went away for the weekend with a group of very close girl friends
• in july i celebrated 7 years smoke free!
• in august i had a relaxing, 2wk holiday doing absolutely nothing
• in september, my grandson started SR Kindergarten, with less drama than last year
• in october we rode on my families float in the fall fair
• in november i got a clean bill of health on both my eyes and my ticker!
• in december we celebrated Christmas with family and friends

2012 has potential.   i don't normally make resolutions, and i probably won't this year either.  i will, however, continue to own my diabetes, and advocate more.  i hope to participate in my first diabetes walk this year, and am working on volunteering at my local Canadian Diabetes Assoc. office.  i may be doing Grocery Store tours, teaching newly diagnosed Diabetics how to read labels, and make healthy choices.  i will continue to work on getting my A1c under 7.0

And so to all my readers, i wish you health and happiness in 2012. 



my Christmas gift from D

well Christmas is over.  everything has found a home.  all the wrapping paper and boxes are outside at the curb waiting for the Garbage Man to pick it all up and dispose of it.  my goodness how fast it is over. 

this time last week i didn't think i would be ready for it, but apparently i managed.

we had a wonderful Christmas.  it's weird not having little ones waking us up at 5am.  with just myself, my husband and a 22yr old at home, there doesn't seem to be the urgency any longer.   we got up around 8.  made coffee, my daughter checked out her stocking (the last of my kids to get a stocking!), and then we went to my other daughters for breakfast.

there it seemed a little more like the "old days".  my two grandchildren were hyped up on the candies Santa left in their stockings.  the house was alive with noise and excitement!  Cameron was so happy that Santa brought him his PSP, and Aubrey was a little overwhelmed with it all.  she wasn't sure what to make of all the gifts! 

after breakfast we came home and i started getting everything together for dinner.  i tried hard to convince everyone that Chinese Food would be a great thing to have for Christmas dinner, but in the end i cooked a turkey and all the fixings!  we weren't all here though.  my son and daughter in law were missing.  it was their turn with her family.  they were missed.

boxing day was spent at my sister's place with her family and my parents.  we all (all 9 of us) travelled to her house, and spent the day opening gifts, enjoying each others company and stuffing our faces with more delicious fare!

bg's were not looked at too closely, as i was celebrating the fact that this time last year, i wasn't sure what was going to happen and didn't really know if i would be here this year.

last year, at this time, i had just found out that i may need to have some surgery.  i had some issues with my heart, and had been suffering angina attacks for about 7 months without being aware that that was what they were.  i was not allowed to work, because it was thought that the stress may cause me to have a heart attack and i was told to just "relax and bake pies for my Doctor"!  funny lady, she is!

and so this Christmas, D kind of took a backseat, and i celebrated being able to spend another Christmas with my family.  being able to watch my grandkids open presents.  the look of excitement and wonder on their faces.  seeing the love in my husbands eyes as he watched his family.  the laughter and the memories of Christmas' past that we shared.  the new memories created.

oh yes, D took the backseat, and he stayed there, pretty quietly and let me have this gift.  for that i am thankful. 

today he came back and let me know that it was a short-lived gift, but thats okay with me.  i can handle it, cause i've got everything to live for!!

tired is just a word, it doesn't define me

oh my.  how tired can one person be and still function? 

it seems to me that i am literally walking around in a state of semi-sleep.  the last couple days have been FULL.  i couldn't pack any more into them if i had tried.  busy, busy, busy. 

i am sure the sandman has been around a few times, sprinkled sand in my eyes, and left the scene.  problem being, all it's done is made my eyes itchy.  i keep checking my BG's 'cause it sometimes happens that when my sugars are high, my eyes are all itchy.  nope.  not the case this time.  numbers good. 

i have decided that i am not cooking (for fear of falling asleep at the stove) and we are opting for Chinese Food instead.  mmmmm. 

i am actually trying to convince my family that Chinese Food would make a lovely Christmas Dinner.  not sure if i will  have the time (or energy) to shop and cook.  so somethings gotta give, and i'm pretty sure it's gonna be dinner.

anyway, before i head out, i will leave you with this......





nostalgia, the ghost of Christmas past

with Christmas just around the corner,  there is so much going on.  i need to make a list of my lists!  on one list, ~write out cards, ~buy stamps, ~make sure all addresses are current, ~mail cards.
on another titled "THINGS TO BUY", ~turkey, ~stuffing bread (wonderful stuff!), ~cranberries, ~turnip (yes, we love it), crackers (the kind you pull).  and on yet another is the list of people to buy gifts for, and, of course what to buy for each one on said list. 

it is at about this time, that my mind starts to slip.  it happens like this.  i start doing one thing, and then think "oh, i should do...."  and off i go to do whatever it was that i thought of at that moment.  it seems i leave behind me a trail of half completed things, and i think i'll never be ready!

i go shopping and realize, once i have fought for a parking space, located a quarter(yes we have to "pay" for our carts here), and entered the store, that lo and behold, i have FORGOTTEN THE DAMN LIST!!

and so, whilst drinking a soothing cup of tea (laden with sugar to ward off that low blood sugar that is lurking around), i allow my mind to slip in another direction.  i am recalling Christmases past.

the first Christmas that i actually remember, i am around 5 years old.  oh the excitement!  it's hard being good all year and then waiting to see if Santa brought what you asked for.  we spent this particular Christmas at my grandparents house.  busy days leading up to the event, visiting relatives, playing in the snow, loading up on treats (pre-diabetes days!). 
Christmas Eve arrives and after a full day, bedtime is upon us.  i'm sure i drifted off to sleep with visions of sugar plums and all that.

little did i know that my mom and grandparents had gone to midnight Mass and left my dad in charge.  as i slept in my cozy bed under the eaves (it was a two-storey with sloped ceilings) i was awakened by, you guessed it, hooves on the roof!!  i swear it!!  i heard the clippity clop and the heavy footsteps of the fat old man getting out of that sleigh!  i lay there, tense under the blankets, listening.  i knew that if i wasn't sleeping, Santa wouldn't come.  and yet, he was here!!!!

after what seemed like an eternity, i crept down the stairs and peeked around the corner.  and there, under the tree, were presents!  what seemed then like tons of them!!!  and my dad was sound asleep in the rocking chair.  oh my!!!

i scampered over to the tree and started to rip open gifts!  i sound incredibly greedy, but remember i was only 5.  it was at about this time that i heard a door open, and i thought Santa was back to catch me!  turned out it was my mom and grandparents returning from Mass. 

oh what i would do for a picture of the looks on their faces when they saw me!   the commotion woke my poor father up, and i remember him looking around in bewilderment probably thinking what the...!! 

there i sat, surrounded by gift wrap, opened presents, and a feeling of awe! 

"Look!! Santa came!!!" 

each Christmas, after i open gifts from my loving family, i am reminded of those 3 little words, and 4 others.

GOD BLESS US ALL

help a D-sister out, won't ya?

Twitter.  almost everyone i know is on Twitter.  i am on Twitter.  i don't really understand Twitter.  i read everyone's updates, and occasionally i comment, but i still don't really get it.  i finally got a Blackberry.  it is my daughters old one, but hey, at least i can now send a BBM and even a voicenote!  the other night my daughter added Twitter to my phone.  interesting.  i told her "i must be old" she laughed, and said "no, not old, just not Twitter savvy".  i swear it makes my head hurt trying to keep up and understand all that goes on!  things pop up so fast!!  i am pretty sure Simon was not referring to my update the other night, but how was i to know?? i said i was low, he mentioned pecan pie.   and hash tags?  what are they? why are they? and how do they work?  i am definitely up for a quick lesson from any of you out there that Tweet. is there anyone out there that can help a D-sister out?

in the mood

in keeping with what i said in my previous post, i am adding a few pictures to get me in the Christmas spirit.

it is snowing as i do this so that is definately helping!!  hoping you can see that in the picture!

not sure why it's sideways but...

some of my snowman collection

again, not sure why this one is sideways, it wasn't when i picked it

he is the keeper of the masses, looking down on all the rest LOL!

if you aren't in the Christmas mood, hopefully these helped get you a little closer to it! 

Let the Countdown Begin!!

in honour of Christmas, my font is green.
silly i know, but i need to do something to get me in the Christmas mood!

last saturday, i went to a Cookie Exchange.  it was fun, i suppose.  there was a gift exchange game, where everyone got a Christmas Tree Decoration.  the gift i picked was a cute little snowman, which fits in with my house.  i collect snowmen, so there are quite a few of them hanging out here. (pics to be added later) 

the treats we exchanged were supposed to go in the freezer, however, there are none left to freeze.  oh, and it wasn't me that was eating them!!

my house is decorated, the outside lights are on, and there is a dusting of snow, but it still doesn't feel Christmas-y. 

saturday is my one day off from both my jobs so i am hitting the malls and getting this shopping done!  this afternoon, before i go to work, i am going to get as many Christmas cards done as a i can.

sunday afternoon my two daughters, my grandson and i are going to see a play.  it is Sleeping Beauty and it is an "audience interactive play designed for all ages".  not sure how much fun an almost 6yr old boy will have, but we'll see! 

afterward i hope to begin baking.  this time treats will hit the freezer, and i might even try making a few things with Splenda!  i don't normally eat alot of sugary sweetness at Christmas, i am more of a savoury type person.  however, after getting my A1c down to 7.0, i think i might treat myself a little!

next weekend we have a huge annual neighbourhood Christmas Party to go to.  i am really looking forward to this!  good friends, good food, and a few drinks!  some wonderful Christmas carrolls and lots of laughter!

i think i'll be ready for Christmas, and i usually work really well under pressure!
in any event, the day will arrive whether i'm ready or not!!

LET THE COUNTDOWN BEGIN!!

Kim 7.0

7.0  

that's right  7.0

 i was at my Endo appt yesterday and both he and his nurse had huge smiles on their faces.  when asked what i thought my A1c was, i replied  "oh, 7.2?"    nope, wrong.  their smiles were bigger than that. 

7.0.   i don't think my A1c has ever been that low. seriously! 

and my tryglicerides, and my cholesterol are all fabulous! 

my blood pressure was 117/50.   considering i normally suffer from "white coat syndrome", that's cool!

way back, when i first started seeing this Endo, he asked me if i liked to cook.  of course, i said yes.  he asked me if i had tools in my kitchen.  tools like knives, and bowls, and mixers, and such things that helped me cook.  yes, of course.  well he then likened my pills for high blood pressure, cholesterol and thyroid as my tools.  tools that help me look after myself.

yesterday, before he left the office, he commended me on my numbers and reminded me to continue to "use my tools".  '

i told him i would, faithfully!