Today is my ninth day of the pre-op fast.  Here are things I am sick of: shakes, the sound of the blender, salad, water, not having dinner with my family*, not going out to dinner with friends**, having to prepare my lunch (salad).

Also.  Who thought having WLS the week of Valentine's Day was a smart idea?  Actually who even considered the consequences of it?  Certainly not I! ***

I have to admit I haven't really been suffering from the diet, until yesterday.  Luckily (not) I came down with a cold on the first day of my little adventure.  I guess I'm getting better because my appetite is back!  Crap.  
Yesterday I ate a salad big enough to feed a family of four.  No kidding. I was too embarrassed to even photograph it.  Then I went out and did two tiny little errands.  When I got home I fell into a digestive coma!!  I slept 3 hours on the couch, with a dog for comfort... literally paralyzed by roughage.

 Here is what I have to deal with:  Newsday cover today.

The Chew  All chocolate day!

And this is what I get!  This is today's.  Yesterdays was much bigger!   :-(

*  I tried waiting until dinnertime to have my salad.  Not a good idea.
** Can't remember the last time we went out to dinner with friends.  Can't afford little luxuries.
*** OMG!  Chocolate here(as in the media)!  Chocolate there !!  Chocolate everywhere but for me!!!  :-(

A New Topic WLS

Tomorrow is D Day -21.  On February 20 I'm having Sleeve Gastrectomy  Surgery.  Yikes!

I've reached this place by 25 years or so of slow, but consistent weight gain.  I've also been diagnosed with sleep apnea.  I'll go back to that story in another post.  I'm not a binger, never ate an entire 1/2 gallon of ice cream, or a whole cake.  Although I must confess to demolishing entire boxes of Mallomars once a year when they first appear in the fall.  At least I think they "first appear".  That's when Walmart puts up an end-cap display.  Those guys really know their marketing...

So.  I'm going to record my journey for the benefit of others who may be considering the surgery and so I remember because I tend to forget what I had for breakfast by dinner time.

But!  That's not going to be happening anytime soon.  As of tomorrow DD-21 I will know EXACTLY what I had for breakfast, a protein shake, lunch a salad with 6 ounces of protein, dinner, a shake, and before bed another shake (If needed!!??)  Also allowed 2 apples, also, if needed!!!

I'm not very confident of my ability to stick to this.  I realize that it is a requirement for the surgery, but if I could eat like this I wouldn't be in this predicament in the first place.

Here is a photo of what I fondly call The Last Breakfast

Two eggs, American cheese, two slices of home made gluten free bread.  Guess I can put the bread machine down in the appliance grave yard.  :-(

Any given Monday.
It's not quite a whole year since my last post but Google said use it or lose it so here I am!

 I don't have time to do a post justice.  I have to get ready to leave for Monday K&B at Panera.  My ladies expect me at 11 straight up. It's a really, really big group.  It's grown in the two years from a base of about 6 people to almost 20 on any given Monday and over fifty on our Ravelry group.  Yikes!  What if everybody showed up one Monday?!?!?

  It's impossible to chat  with everybody, actually it's kind of hard to hear the person next to you due to the elevated decibels of the group.

I kind of surprised that the Panera hasn't invited us to leave.  We are unruly ladies with yarn.  Oh!  Maybe they are afraid of our sticks????

Craft Projects - Yarn Covered Hangers at Exploring Womanhood's Heart of the Home Channel

Craft Projects - Yarn Covered Hangers at Exploring Womanhood's Heart of the Home Channel

I've been thinking about making these things for DECADES! I actually don't NEED them because the ones my M-I-L made for us 20+ years ago are just fine, thank you. The yarn is probably a polyester and will out live all of us! But, back to the hangers. They are great. Seriously. Clothing will never slip off of them and obviously the things last forever! I should take a picture of some of mine. Just as soon as I find that damned camera.

I've sadly neglected my poor blog.  I'm back, but only because I found cute stuff and need a place to put it.  Ah hemmm:   I have Earned Knitting Badges from the KSA.  Knitting Scouts of America.  Or something like that.  Anywho:  I deserve these because I qualified for each based on many hours of hard(ly) work, sincere dedication to my craft and other stuff.



“MacGyver” Badge (Level One) – The recipient must demonstrate clever use of a non-knitting tool in a knitting-related scenario. For instance, using the tray lock switch on the aeroplane to hold my knitting bag.



  
The “I Will Impress You With My Math Prowess” Badge – The recipient is a whiz at substituting yarns and calculating gauge, can space increases and decreases evenly and is fully comfortable with the basic math encountered in all knitting projects.  Whiz may be a tad too strong, lets just say I do, on practically every occasion substitute, change, ignore and otherwise mess with and or screw up knitting instructions while on many occasions finish with a mostly recognizable work of "artful" knitting.



    
 Proselytize Knitting Badge  Earned by knitting in public, engaging total strangers in conversations about knitting, (attempting to) teaching people to knit
 

 
The “I’ve Knit Items With No Conceivable Practical Application” Badge – Recipients are those “special” campers who have knit items which somehow missed the mark of their intended application. There are probably more who are deserving of this badge than one would expect.  I have nothing to add. other than admit that I've earned it...