Tucson Quilt Show

I think I lost weight this weekend just because you can't have food in the area of the quilts at the Tucson Quilt Show.  I appreciate this rule as I wouldn't want some child to send some food onto my quilt that I was showing.  However, it makes it inconvenient when one who is working the show gets hungry and it is an hour until her break.  However, I obviously survived and probably ate less than I would have at home. 

It was a great show.  The Tucson Quilters Guild has around 600 members and only members are allowed to enter quilts into the show.  I really don't know how many quilts we had but it was probably around 250 or more.  They were beautiful.  I entered my Daddy's Ties quilt as a memory to my daddy who died 6 years ago this month.  It was made with his ties, his scarf and his handkerchiefs.  It is for my mother as soon as I can get it to her.

I am tired but it is a good tired.  Back to work tomorrow.  Hope everyone has a great week!

New Years is heres

I wanted the title to rhyme but I'm not sure it makes any sense.  Oh well, I don't always make sense either.
The doctor put in another ml today giving me 4 mls.  We are doing this very slowly but I can eat way too much food before I can feel it.  I wouldn't have had a band put in if I could do it on my own so this is frustrating.  At least I did not gain over Christmas.  Way too many good foods in the house.  Have managed to remove most of them (and not by eating them). 
I'm down from a size 22 to a size 16 and it is nice to be able to shop most anywhere.  I'm in a size large rather than 2XL also.  Yeah.  And you now what, my feet are not as wide as they used to be.  Interesting fact, huh.  I can wear size medium rather than wide width.  Only problem seems to be with the clothes.  They are not shrinking with me and since it is illegal, not to mention a bit cold, I'm having to be creative in getting new clothes.  Checked the second hand store today for a black skirt but they didn't have one that fit.  I did find one on sale at Coldwater Creek, of all places, for a price that I deemed "not over the top" and bought it.  I'm trying to stick to staple type clothes so I can still wear things and change them up a bit. 
I pray for all of you a good new year and I wish for you to pray the same for us as we are being audited by the IRS for 2008.  Ain't life grand!



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Weathering Thanksgiving and the weather

It was a wonderful Thanksgiving.  We spent it in Albuquerque with all of our children, grandchildren, parents and Paul's sister and boyfriend.  We (meaning me) ate too much but God is gracious and I still managed to lose a pound at the doctor today.  We had a wonderful 80th birthday party for my mother the Sunday before Thanksgiving and saw many old friends as well as my brothers and their wives, a niece and her children and a great nephew.  So good to see everyone.  I am working on Christmas Day but will have family here so am looking forward to 2 days before Christmas and 2 days after Christmas off.
There is a new doctor at the bariatric center.  She is very nice but is still learning where the port is placed.  She tried today but after all was not done she knew when to stop and let the more experienced doctor put the fill in.  They only put in one ml so now I thing I have 5.5 ml in.  This is the point we had problems before so I am praying everything will be okay this time.  On liquids again but at least I usually lose on those.  Just for two days, then mushies for two days and then regular food.  I find that I can eat my salad at work and then I don't have to keep some in the house that Paul can't eat them.  He is allergic to lettuce and other fresh fruits and vegetables so we cook the ones we eat at home.  We make it work.  All in all a good several weeks and the future looks wonderful.  May  all have a great week and more and may God bless you in all ways.

Same song, second verse

It actually could be the third verse but I've lost count.  After three weeks with no saline, I had gained 4 pounds.  However, things seem to have healed so we added 3 ml of saline yesterday.  So far, so good.  I'm on liquids until Friday, then soft foods until Sunday.  I hope they had something soft at the wedding I'm going to in Phoenix this weekend :)
Had a great time today.  Went with a friend to "Shop Hop".  What this entails is going, in a week's time, to 9 quilt shops in the Tucson area.  We drove from Northeast Tucson to Green Valley to Sahuarita to Benson to Sierra Vista and back to Northeast Tucson and then home.  I had already gone to the three shops on my side of town which my friend will hit tomorrow.  The last one I'll go to on Friday on the way to the wedding in Casa Grande.  Then my name goes in a drawing for 9 big baskets (1 from each shop) and also for the grand prize of a Brother sewing machine.  I got some fabric I'd been looking for and lots of goodies from the shops.  I'm tired but it was a good day, despite having liquids all day.  Back to work tomorrow........

Back to Square One

So we are back to Square One. Paul told me that at least it isn't Square Zero where we've been before.  I spent the last 3 days throwing up so when I went in to see the doctor, he said that there was too much inflammation so he took out ALL of the saline in the band.  It has to stay that way for three weeks and by then the inflammation should be gone and we start over with the fills again.  So, I've been on liquids for several days and at least today everything stayed down.  At least I'd lost another 3 pounds.  I'll have to watch my intake closely because it will be easy to over eat.  At least, the band is still in.  I read that they have recalled this particular band because of a problem with the tubing stretching, however, they are not replacing any that have been put in already.  It seems that they do not believe that there is a problem with leaving the ones in that have already been put in.  More things to continue to think about.

Ups and Downs and Downs and Ups

We had a great time in Massachusetts visiting my brother and his family.  We went and saw the change of the leaves (amazing how that happens up there) in New Hampshire and Maine and saw the ocean harbor in Newport, RI.  It was too windy to take a harbor tour so instead we went shopping.  Got some great fudge and some souveniors to bring hom.  In New Hampshire we went to Keepsake Quilting, a great quilt shop, in an area that is beautiful with a lake that has a name I can't pronounce (Lake Winne?????).  We went to a Shaker village and got lunch, the chicken and dumplings were awesome.  Checked out the museum/shop and was amazed at the workmanship of the items they made.  Then we went to Kennebunkport, Maine and found Mabel's Lobster Claw where I ate an entire lobster (just the meat, really) and shared a piece of peanut butter ice cream pie with chocolate sauce on it (four of us shared it so by doing that we scared away the calories :)).  Had a wonderful time.  Had no problem with eating.  Stopped when I could tell I was full.  THEN....I came back to work on Monday.  I'm not sure if the stress of work and pace is so fast but I ate lunch (soup and cornbread from home) and I guess I did not chew well enough but it did not stay down.  Monday night I stuck to small stuff and some cereal well soaked in milk and everything was fine.  Then again on Tuesday at lunch, I ate a few bites of fish and squash and realized that it was not going to stay down.  I was right.  Tried to drink a smoothie and it didn't work too well.  Drank a Starbuck's Vanilla Frappacino very slowly and it seemed to be okay although my chest was hurting some.  Tried some jello and that was the end.  It all came up.  I managed to keep my medication down before going to bed.  I'm taking it slow today and thinking that the esophagus is very irritated by all of this up and down activity and so I'm going to try small amounts of liquids today.  Luckily I'm off work and plan to sew and quilt today so that is possible.  Hopefully I don't have to go back and have some saline taken out.  It is definitely interesting the issues that having this lapband can bring.  I'll just deal with them in the quest for the land of the lost weight.  God bless your day today.

Let's try again

Went in to the doctor today and had gained a pound.   I knew that I did not have enough constriction and we talked about it so the doctor added one ml of saline.  That give me 5.5 mls in.  So far, so good.  Big bummer tomorrow as I will be on a plane most of the day going to Boston to see my brother and his family.  Having just liquids all day may be an interesting feat.  We'll see how it goes.  I can see it now, "Could I have hot water please, hold the tea bag, I don't need it."  Then I put one of these soup packets in and I have soup.  Should be a fun time.  I'm really looking forward to going.