Posts by suzenf

Hey Connie,

We managed to salvage our carpets - honestly, no mould or smells!  we actually lifted the carpet loose and put a couple of buckets underneath to prop it up off the floor and then used a couple of large fans and  ran a dehumidifier solidly for about 2 days...it worked!  Of course we then had to get a carpet fitter in to fix it down again, but much better than having to replace the whole thing....

I hope you and your mom can find some time today to remember your dad together, enjoy some good memories...i still think of mine, (and kind of talk to him silently!) every day...as you said, it's not easy.

Lucy, hope you are doing okay too, I know the hurt is still very strong at this stage, for you.

Hello to anyone else who is checking in, but not "chatting to us".... Tammy?  You doing okay?

Lucy, Heartfelt sympathies being sent to you and yours at this very difficult and sad time - I hope you are holding up okay? 

Kind thoughts going out to all you other lovely ladies out there as well....

I am doing fine, not losing weight mind you, but just focussing on being happy and spending time with family and friends for now.  Like many of us, I have a few personal issues to deal with at the moment, but i am taking the saying 'God only gives us as much as we can handle' message to heart to help me through....

I am not American, but will definitely use Thanksgiving to be appreciative of all the blessings i have in my life, and try not to dwell on the tough stuff!!!

Woahhh...I just re-read that...hope it doesn't come across as a big downer - that's not my intent :)

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Suz xx

Hi everyone,

Have been a stranger here for several months, but have had a nightmare summer.  Hope you all don't mind the long, sad story that follows.....basically i left Bermuda on July 24th on what was to be a birthday weekend in New York with my hubs and daughter.  We had been in the city an hour when a phone call came from my sister in Northern Ireland saying that my parents had been in a car accident that morning and both in hospital.  I immediately booked a flight to fly overnight, arriving there on the Saturday morning.  Mum had been released from hosp after several hours, she had some pretty bad scratches and bruising but no broken bones or internal injuries.  Sadly it was a different story for dad...the impact of the crash was on his side of the car and he battled several serious injuries for over 5 weeks in hospital (3 in intensive care). He lost the battle and passed away on August 30th.  In the middle of all this, my daughter had been complaining of blurry vision, and we put it down to a bacterial infection to begin with.  She tried drops but things got worse. Eventually took her to an eye clinic over there in NI where they discovered she had seriously high blood pressure and admitted her there and then.....she stayed in hosp for 5 days but thankfully after the first 24 hours they had her bp under control and just kept her in to run tests etc.  She has been fine since....

We arrived back home this week, and are trying to get caught up on our own lives again.  Daughter was due to start college in brussels but due to all the chaos, stress and strain she is taking a year out and will finish her degree back at her university in england next year. I will be happy to have her home with me for a little while.

Otherwise I am fine....weight has been up and down like a yo-yo. I had days where i hardle ate a bite, and other times I stuffed all sorts of junk into my mouth.  Weighed this morning and was happy to see I havent gained - thats something!!

Hubby celebrates his 50th tomorrow - we are going out for dinner with 2 friends.  Hope I can relax a bit and enjoy it!!!

Good to be back!

Suz  

Sue - Praying that the news is good for your mom - Take care 

Suz xx 

Hi Lucy - great to see you back, but sorry to hear you have been dealing with some rough situations.  I guess we are have all approached that stage in life where elderly parents are cause for concern.  My mum turned 81 on June 25th and my dad will be 85 in November.  Both have had their ups and downs lately, and I feel guilty now, more than ever, that I live overseas and dont get to see them as often as I would like.  Plus I feel like my sister has to shoulder most of the "responsibility" for them.....never easy!

Happy 4th holiday weekend to all you Americans!!  Have a great weekend....

Bye for now,

Suz

Jas,

I seem to remember when you first joined this group that our stats were somewhat similar.  Sadly for me, it now appears that for every pound you have lost, I have gained a pound!!! I am back over the 190 mark....and you are creeping down closer to my goal weight of 179!!!!!  Still....I am not kidding myself here...no-one but myself to blame!!

Ha ha Connie....you are definitely the comic relief of this group! 

Catch you all later....gotta go clean up the huge dusty mess the AC company is leaving behind....arghh......

Bliss!! MIL free zone here at home, lol.  Seriously, visit was all fine, but like all guests, it is soooo nice to have the house and your time to yourself!!  Came back from NYC yesterday and now getting my daughters room ready for her return from university TOMORROW NIGHT!!!  Can't wait to see her...her birthday is Sunday and she has just told me that she has 'a few of the girls' coming over to hang out and can i please get in some snacks / burgers etc.  Will be lovely to have her and her friends hanging out with us - I miss all of that!!

Connie, how's mum doing?  Bless....hope she is feeling better especially on her birthday!  Tammy - have heard of that Alli - is it a pill?  Sue - i feel your pain with the state of your house!  We are renovating our apartment in NYC and it is ONE BIG MESS right now.  On top of that our central AC died recently and we have a huge mess here in BDA too......walls being channelled as i write! ugh......

Must run for now....but hoping you all have a great weekend!

Suz 

Hi all!  Week 2 of MIL's 3 weeks done now....is starting to draaaagg......but happy to report no major fall outs.  I spend a large chunk of time with her, but also now disappear to my room to read or be online when i feel like it.....figure we both need the space.  And it turns out my hub has business meetings in NYC next Monday - Wed, so we are all going up there on Saturday, and MIL will fly home to Ireland direct from there on the Wed night.  I am Sooo glad for the change of scenery and hope that will help the last few days go by faster!!!!

I am still sitting "Up" that 3 - 4 pounds from a few weeks ago -  no more added on recently though, so guess thats okay considering we are entertaining a "guest" and eating (and drinking) more than usual.  I feel ready to get back into better habits after NY next week....a couple of weeks off has done me good, i think.

My daughter is in the middle of her year end college exams now, only 2 more to go.....think she is doing okay.  Funny how we worry for them! She will be home on the 13th ----- I CAN'T WAIT  

Weather here in BDA has been wonderful lately - in fact I am up early waiting for the AC repairman to come....its that time again, and my bedroom unit died on Monday when we switched it on for the first time this summer.  Typical.....

I think i mentioned before this is BDA's 400th anniversay and we have the TAll Ships heading our way.  11-15 June is big weekend event with all those beautiful ships in the harbour, open to the public, street parties, concerts etc.  I am really looking forward to it.  My hub has been lucky enough to be invited to a dinner on board the German tall ship - not me tho - its a business thing, bummer!!

Well ladies, I must admit that i havent been reading the posts on a regular basis, and hope you are all okay.  Also hope you dont mind that I single out Connie for a special shout out - I did see your GOOD NEWS on the man front - CONGRATS and enjoy!!   

Well, I hear a van pulling into the driveway, AC man is actually on time, lol......gotta run

Bye girls!!

Suz

I'm here!  MIL are I are both still alive, lol.  Everything is going fine (so far) - it helps that weather has been warm and sunny EVERY day since she got here!  Makes life so much easier.  Plus we just had the long holiday weekend, so I had hubby around to take off some of the strain!!  Plus, we were quite busy socially so time flew by.  It's Tuesday, 8.30am, and she is out on the porch drinking coffee and having a cigarette (did i mention she is a smoker - hate that!).  But she is very good and makes sure she distances herself from us so we dont have to deal with the smoke etc.  I am "catching up on some email correspondance" (ha ha, didn't want to say I am having some alone time on the computer to talk about her to my online friends)   Anyhow....surviving okay so far.......

Our holiday weekend was lovely, marred at the beginning by news of some daylight shootings here on the island - very disturbing.  This is a very unusual occurrence for us and the whole place is horrified that gun violence has infiltrated society....hope the powers that be can get a tight reign on this immediately, and not allow it to escalate further.  One person died.....

I am really missing my daughter these days, expecially because I know she is feeling stressed and homesick.  Her year end final exams start next Monday and I know she is anxious.  It also doesnt help that she told me she is losing sleep, due to worry over the exams and some pending serious dental work she needs to address when she gets back home next month.  (I don't want to go into details but just say that she deals with some medical issues and that is causing premature damage to her teeth)  I think it all built up and "got to her" over the weekend.  Knowing it was a holiday here, and she was missing out on fun family time probably didnt help either.  I feel bad for her....but she is a little fighter!! 

Having just ate and drank my way thoough the weekend - wont even go near scales this week.........not gonna worry about any of that for a while!

Suz

Thanks Aly and Tru....your encouraging words were very welcome today.  I know it probably seems like MIL stress would be a good reason for my wavering....but I honestly dont think so.  I certainly don't feel it, but perhaps I am wrong?!!  Hopefully some of it is TTOM related....

Keeping busy today, vacuumed (Sp?) the car, swept around the porch, changed my bed clothes, and I will head to the supermarket shortly....gotta get that fridge stocked up (healthy stuff, of course!!)  Ha ha, MIL might have to be on a low-cal eating kick with us, whether she likes it or not

Actually, I think we generally eat very healthy meals, my problem lately has been the "in between snacking".  Easy solution I suppose - JUST DON'T BUY IT!!!

I have cheered up since this morning! 

Not so sad Suz xx

Ha ha Connie - figure there's no point in me cleaning TOOO much... I will let her earn her keep, lol  (Just joking!)

In a hurry today - will check in again later!  Have a good day everyone,

Suz x

Cleaning seems to have been the subject of recent posts - gotta say there is nothing like house guests to get me moving, ha ha, mother in law is coming to visit next Wednesday for 3 weeks, so the spare room is having its annual ovehaul, lol!!!  Next will be the bathroom, fridge, etc. etc. etc. 

And I need an ovehaul too.....boo hoo....weighed yesterday and I was UP this week........

Suz

Hey girls,

Connie, very well done!!  And Tammy, hope this weekend is not too painful for you..

I weighed in today, back up to 189.6, exactly where I started just over a week ago - argh!  However, I am not surprised, all my own fault and I know what I have done wrong.  Day time is fine for me, but then I am eating too many calories late at night....not measuring my portions, or counting the calories carefully enough...

Here I go again.....sigh.....but won't be beaten by this :)

Morning all! 

Jasmine, best of luck with your surgery (is it for carpal tunnel by any chance?) My mother-in-law just had that done a few weeks ago!  Hope the recovery is quick and relatively pain free.....Is a maxi dress, the long flowy style?  (I was only early teens in the 70, and in the UK so the name isnt too familiar).

Ha ha Connie - I LOVE Gordon Ramsey, and enjoy watching all his shows....and yeah he is really mean, makes for better TV I suppose!  Although I have a friend of a friend who saw him in London (she is an attractive young woman) and upon seeing him she said out loud, directly to him, "Oh, hello Gordon, so lovely to see you".  Gordon assumed he might have known her and replied, "so sorry, do I know you?  But I have forgotten your name or where we met before".  Friend said, "no, sorry, I just wanted to say hello, we never met before".  To which Gordon replied, "oh, F*** Off then!!  True story.....

So we spent some of Saturday and all day yesterday cleaning up outside, reckon I burned a few extra calories - but what did I go and do last night after eating a heallthy dinner of grilled Wahoo (local fish) rice and salad --- scoff some icecream...followed by a couple of chocolates that were still in the fridge from Belgium.   WHY? LOL  

Adarana, I love raisin bran muffins and when my daughter was younger and I drove her to school every morning, I got into the bad habit of stopping off at a local bakery to pick up coffee and a muffin on the way home - every day!!  And I wonder how I ended up being 200lbs!!!!!!

Suz x 

Congrats jas....well done!!!!  I weighed this morning also, and have gone from 189.6 to 188.4 since returning from my trip this week.   Shall we see if we can keep this downward trend going???? 

Hope you are all having a lovely weekend...hubby and I are spending time cleaning up outdoors, power washing the patio's etc.   Summer is on its way :)

Suz xx