~~ They're leaving the nest, sew it's time for a trip - or two - or three...~~ D~'s bag ~9/22 ~~

DMGeurts said:

Overall - it was a wonderful Thanksgiving and a great Black Friday!

Click to expand...

Excellent!

DMGeurts said:

Today - it's back to reality for me... even though I usually take Saturdays off from working out... I took off Wednesday due to working early and I took off yesterday because of waking up so early for BF... So, I will be working out today and back to being cautious about what I eat/eating clean/and working out. I've been in a funk since coming home and I really need to obliterate it asap!

Click to expand...

I hear you on the post-Disney funk. Even though we both have trips coming up really soon, the funk still hit me for a few days. And that break from our daily schedules can throw things out of whack for a lot longer than just the time on the trip. (Plus I had an extra week and half of being sick.) So now it's time for no more excuses. Time to get back on the horse in the morning and train for the Rebel Challenge. I'd rather be sore than sorry. Sorry to blather on your thread but I'm needing some accountability at the moment.

Terkina said:

Sounds like you had a great Thanksgiving. Bummer that the stores at East metro was closed. Sounds like you still had a good Black Friday.

Here they've had bad Black Friday deals all week. I say bad because the deals that they had was not great deals. You really had to know what the prices normally are to know what was an ok deal and what wasn't. I found one good deal. It was crampons on 53% off. So I went to the mall. It was crazy with a lot of cars and inside there were a lot of people. I went to the store just to find out that they didn't have the crampons I wanted. They said they had them last year, but they hadn't had them at all this year. Well I told them that I just have to buy them from the Internet then. So I went back home and bought the crampons on the stores Internet shop.

In Norway they complain that people don't shop in the stores anymore because they buy stuff on the Internet. Well you have to buy stuff on the Internet because the stores doesn't have that great selection of stuff. And it goes much faster to order stuff online than to ask the store to order it for you. And some stores even say they can't order stuff for you. So it's no wonder people buy most things online now a days.

Click to expand...

We did - it was small, but it was nice.

We did have a good black Friday... I love going out in the middle of the night with the girls - it's something we've only just started to do (last year was our first year ever black Friday shopping), but I think it's something we will continue.

What is a crampon?

I understand - it is much the same way here... Most times - the internet is so much cheaper.

Wood Nymph said:

I guess I said it wrong - sorry to confuse you. The baked ahead mashed potatoes that I made that one time were made from real potatoes that I mashed by hand. They also had cream cheese in them, which might be what my family didn't like. They prefer the mashed potatoes that I make fresh, just minutes before serving dinner. But I gave up trying to find a "bake ahead" version that they would like. Maybe a better recipe would work.

I'm glad you found so many good bargains. I have no idea what I am going to buy most people.

Most of the stores around here were open 6pm to 10pm (or 11pm) Thanksgiving night and then open again at 9am (or 8am) on Black Friday. I think the merchants generated a lot of good will by giving Thanksgiving back to the families again.

And the pushing, shoving and general mayhem of early Black Friday hours was causing too many problems for the stores in prior years. Their employees probably hated Black Friday, too.

Click to expand...

My bad for misunderstanding... I just LOVE potatoes so much - I cannot imagine anyone not liking them in any form. LOL So I assumed maybe you used instant (Josh tried instant on us one year... No way... LOL) My recipe is potatoes (of course), sour cream, cream cheese, butter, minced dried onions, salt - and I think that's it? For some reason, this year - they turned out incredible... I don't think I did anything differently though.

Yes - we did find a few good deals - however, like I said - most of the deals were for US. LOL Thankfully we did get a start on Josh though - he is sometimes so difficult to buy for.

Most of the malls in our area were open all night long... Which was why I was so shocked that this mall was closed. I was only irritated about it because it was such a long drive for us to get there, and then a long drive for us to get anywhere else... But once I gave it some thought - I decided it was a good thing, because then those families were able to enjoy Thanksgiving together. So, kudos to them - and every other store - who chose to put Thanksgiving first - I wish they would go back to that.

For what it's worth - this was the first Black Friday I haven't worked in 10 years - and while it was nice to have it off, it is my FAVORITE day to work all year, it's just so much fun! We are so busy and it goes so fast!

sewdisney said:

Oh, I love Farkel! It is such a great family game! So glad Gus was able to come over.

Yeah for Josh making the pies! I was so surprised when you wrote that he didn't do that! He's a good guy!

Awesome that you found the black skirt that you love - what a great way to start off the holiday season!

I am so amazed that you worked out today. Most people (myself included) would say, "It's my normal day off so I won't work out today"! I hope you get out of your funk soon - it really is no fun. Listen to all of the people here on the DIS - You are doing FABULOUS and don't let your head tell you otherwise!

So glad you had a good Thanksgiving!

Have a great rest of the weekend.

Click to expand...

Yes - Farkel is such a great family game... My in-laws used to be on the front page of the Farkel website, not sure if they still are? Farkel is a huge family event in Josh's family, we play it almost every time we are together. The girls started playing it when they were little, and now Gus is hooked - he wants to play every moment he is here. LOL He might be getting a Farkel game for Christmas?

Yes - I just had to work out... My brain has been in the wrong place... I was doing really good right after I got home from WDW, but then on Wed this week - I am not sure what came over me? But I was literally eating anything and everything - paying no mind to any of the consequences. Sadly - by the day after Thanksgiving, my stomach was a mess. I had to step back and shake it off. It's amazing how just one day can make a person feel better... One day (yesterday) of eating the way I am supposed to, and my stomach is no longer throwing fits, it makes such a big difference. Sometimes it's just so hard to refocus... I dug out my Primal Blueprint book and also my Wheat Belly book, and started rereading them... Reminding myself of the reasons I eat this way in the first place. It's been helpful. Then I went back into my diary on MFP, to 2014, which I was losing the best, and I think I figured out what I've been doing wrong... So, I am working on that too over these next few weeks. It's never easy - we just have to keep going. (I am mostly telling that to myself here... LOL)

We did - I hope you did too!

Same to you!

huggybuff said:

Excellent!

I hear you on the post-Disney funk. Even though we both have trips coming up really soon, the funk still hit me for a few days. And that break from our daily schedules can throw things out of whack for a lot longer than just the time on the trip. (Plus I had an extra week and half of being sick.) So now it's time for no more excuses. Time to get back on the horse in the morning and train for the Rebel Challenge. I'd rather be sore than sorry. Sorry to blather on your thread but I'm needing some accountability at the moment.

Click to expand...

OKaaaaay.... We need to get together on our January dates too... If we are there together TWICE - we must meet up... It would be horrible if we didn't.

I'll be out there running with you... Since I did 5 miles on Thursday, I'll just do a few today... but enough to get out there.

YOu can do this - I know you can... It's been super helpful for me to dig out a few books that really resonate with me and the way of life I choose to live... Maybe you can find something like that to help you refocus?

No worries about blathering in my PTR... I do it all the time. LOL

*****************************************************************************************************************************

I worked out right away yesterday morning - it was just what I needed to do, and I am glad I did it. Again, it just helped me refocus and remind myself of what is important in my life.

I ate well all day and it really helped my outlook, I was able to stick to the Thanksgiving leftovers that were good for me, and stay away from the other stuff. I could really tell a difference in my stomach yesterday vs. the day before.

I worked in my sewing room for most of the day - I was able to get a lot done, and that was helpful.

Then I came downstairs and watched a couple of Hallmark channel Christmas movies... Swoon - they are so cheesy, but I like them anyways.

I played a game of Sorry and Farkel with Allison and Gus... That was fun.

Today, it's supposed to be my "long run" day... but I did that on Thursday - so I'll just get out there today and do a few miles. Something... enough to get me out there.

Then I will work upstairs again for a while... I am hoping to finish this week's custom order - or darn close to it.

Tomorrow, BFF and I are headed up to see my dad... I was supposed to go this weekend, but with not being able to work at all on Wed/Thurs/Fri, I just couldn't clear out my schedule until Monday.

I hope you all have a great day! Prayers and good thoughts go out to all of you!

D~

Sounds like yesterday wasn't so hectic for you.
I hope you have a great day with your dad tomorrow.

I had to google to find out what the english word was for what I shopped and I found out it was crampon. You may call it something else in the USA because today when I google it again to find pictures I got UK sites. Well anyway here is a picture of an example of what crampon can be. Common for them all is that you put them on your shoes so you get spikes under your shoe so you can easier walk on icy roads. Crampon exist in many sizes and can look different. These is similar to someone I already have. You get a good grip on the ice so you don't fall so easily when it's ice outside.

And here is a picture of the ones I bought on the Internet on Friday

DMGeurts said:

OKaaaaay.... We need to get together on our January dates too... If we are there together TWICE - we must meet up... It would be horrible if we didn't.

Click to expand...

Unfortunately I'll be on the other coast. This runDisney event is at DL.

DMGeurts said:

YOu can do this - I know you can... It's been super helpful for me to dig out a few books that really resonate with me and the way of life I choose to live... Maybe you can find something like that to help you refocus?

Click to expand...

I'm not sure what it was, but I woke up with a new plan....to go back to WDW in April and do the inaugural Dark Side Challenge! Nothing refocuses me like trip planning! I'd been having MAJOR FOMO over this event and I guess my subconscious was working overtime on it too. So I did get my run in after doing some preliminary pricing of hotels and airfare.

I'm so happy you and your stomach are doing better. Great that you can go back and see what you used to eat vs today and make those changes. I'm sure you'll feel even better soon!

DMGeurts said:

I worked out right away yesterday morning - it was just what I needed to do, and I am glad I did it. Again, it just helped me refocus and remind myself of what is important in my life.

I ate well all day and it really helped my outlook, I was able to stick to the Thanksgiving leftovers that were good for me, and stay away from the other stuff. I could really tell a difference in my stomach yesterday vs. the day before.

Click to expand...

I'm glad to hear that you are back on track again.

Terkina said:

Sounds like yesterday wasn't so hectic for you.
I hope you have a great day with your dad tomorrow.

I had to google to find out what the english word was for what I shopped and I found out it was crampon. You may call it something else in the USA because today when I google it again to find pictures I got UK sites. Well anyway here is a picture of an example of what crampon can be. Common for them all is that you put them on your shoes so you get spikes under your shoe so you can easier walk on icy roads. Crampon exist in many sizes and can look different.

These is similar to someone I already have. You get a good grip on the ice so you don't fall so easily when it's ice outside.

And here is a picture of the ones I bought on the Internet on Friday

Click to expand...

Sadly - we are in a winter storm advisory, and woke up to 3" of new snow - with 7"-10" predicted, it's supposed to snow all day today through tomorrow night, and if we already have 3", I suspect our totals will be higher than 10"? So, bff and I rescheduled with my dad for later in the week. I did talk to him yesterday and he was in MUCH better spirits... I think I had caught him in the midst of a nap the other day?

Crampons... We call them "ice grippers" or "ice cleats"? I do have 2 pairs of these now - both for running - well, with running on the snow/ice in mind, but I am not sure how well they work for that? I guess I am going to find out. LOL

huggybuff said:

Unfortunately I'll be on the other coast. This runDisney event is at DL.



I'm not sure what it was, but I woke up with a new plan....to go back to WDW in April and do the inaugural Dark Side Challenge! Nothing refocuses me like trip planning! I'd been having MAJOR FOMO over this event and I guess my subconscious was working overtime on it too. So I did get my run in after doing some preliminary pricing of hotels and airfare. :

I'm so happy you and your stomach are doing better. Great that you can go back and see what you used to eat vs today and make those changes. I'm sure you'll feel even better soon!

Click to expand...

Sigh - you've only told me that now like 6 times... I swear my memory is going fast! As soon as you said it I was like "Doh"... Yah... Ok - maybe I'll remember now? LOL

Eeep.... I love your new plan!!! That would be awesome!!! So, did you book it?

You know - I've been struggling with this for a year +, and it's just been really frustrating... Going back through my journals on MFP (granted, I journaled sporadically, at best) - I was able to remember how I was eating back then and what I need to adjust. Hopefully, I've found what will work for me again?

Wood Nymph said:

I'm glad to hear that you are back on track again.

Click to expand...

Thank you Sue... I feel like it's a constant battle... On track... off track... coasting along on cruise.... It's always something new and challenging, it seems. It's never easy.

********************************************************************************************

Not a whole lot to update from yesterday...

I did go for a "run" if you want to call it that? It was more of a run/walk thing. I decided, rather than driving in to town twice, that I would just run here... it was 32°, but the windchill was a lot colder - and it was really raw on my lungs. I am not sure if I will be able to continue to run during the winter? I may have to stick with walking (which is better than nothing) and pick it back up in the spring? I have not decided yet... I will keep trying - but I cannot get down on myself about it. I know it will be harder to pick it back up in the spring if I don't do it much this winter, which is a little frustrating for me - I don't want to lose the progress i've made either.

After my run/walk - I came home and got ready to go to town...

I had a few returns from Black Friday, and then I purchased 2 bins to pack away my Grandmother's China... I was very happy with the size we chose, I was able to fit everything in those bins without it being too heavy.

Then - I was planning to store the China in the closet under the stairs in our office... but while i was in town - Josh trashed the office looking for his winter boots. So, Allison and I decided that this was a good time to organize the office... It's been needing to be done for a long time... So, we spent our afternoon cleaning and organizing - we were able to get a good chunk of it done, and I am very pleased with our progress!

Josh made hamburgers on the grill for dinner last night - they were delicous!

Then I sat on my tablet for the remainder of the night.

This week is a little crazy! I was supposed to go to my Dad's today - but we are in a winter weather advisory. We woke up this morning to 3" of fresh new snow and the possibility of 7"- 10" before the event is over... But, they are saying it's supposed to snow straght through tomorrow night, and if it keeps up like this, it will be a lot more than 10". IMO. Thankfully Josh was able to get his snow blower on to his lawn mower yesterday, just in time for snow to fly.

Anyways - I rescheduled with my dad for later in the week. I did talk to him for quite a while yesterday and he is in much better spirits... I think I caught him mid-nap the other day?

So, I will be working like crazy early in the week, so the latter part of the week, I can do other stuff.

V has a college visit on Thursday....

Headed to my Dad's on Friday...

Which means - I'll be working Mon/Tues/part of Wed in my sewing room.... And probably the weekend too?

*************************************************************************************

I almost forgot... January trip update

I booked our town car service yesterday - well, I think I did. It's a company I've used before - but not for several years, and I didn't realize I had to pay them when I booked - which is fine, but I didn't have my info with me... So, I cancelled and went back a page... So, I *think* I booked it - the page said I booked it, but I haven't received a confirmation email yet... I'll give it a couple of days.

Also... I have a plan for saving the remainder of the $$ for our food and U/S costs... And I am pretty proud of myself for this idea. I was really stressing about it and now I am much more relieved. I wish I could tell you all about it - but I can't, so you'll have to trust me.

We are getting very CLOSE... I will be making FP selections very soon here (remember, I have to make them at 30 days, since we won't be staying at a Disney resort this time)... Most of my suitcase is already repacked.

I am hoping to find the time to make myself a Harry Potter UPB for our U/S day.... This is going to be iffy though... But I would HATE to go there and not have anything to carry... I definitely couldn't carry a Disney bag - especially if we are dressed up in HP stuff. Hmmm... may have to make this more of a priority, now that I think about it.

Anyways... I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! Prayers and Pixie Dust to all of you!

D~

DMGeurts said:

I did go for a "run" if you want to call it that? It was more of a run/walk thing. I decided, rather than driving in to town twice, that I would just run here... it was 32°, but the windchill was a lot colder - and it was really raw on my lungs. I am not sure if I will be able to continue to run during the winter? I may have to stick with walking (which is better than nothing) and pick it back up in the spring? I have not decided yet... I will keep trying - but I cannot get down on myself about it. I know it will be harder to pick it back up in the spring if I don't do it much this winter, which is a little frustrating for me - I don't want to lose the progress i've made either.

Click to expand...

It's really hard to run in the winter. I found that anything below about 22 degrees was almost too cold for me. But whenever I could manage to force myself out the door, it usually felt great. For the most part I have switched to long, fast walks at lunchtime. It is a great break from my office, too.

You have to make a HP bag for Universal. There is no way you couldn't coordinate with your outfit.

I imagine that running in the winter would be hard. Sorry to hear about the winter storm watch. Hopefully it clears up soon and you can get to see your dad. It's suppose to be almost 50 today. Eventually we'll get snow.
I worked Thursday, Friday and Saturday. It wasn't as crazy on Thursday as it's been in that past. Friday was busy all day long. We'd had a power outage in the morning and we were on back up power most of the day. We couldn't do phone contracts or photo orders from sent in from the web site. I had to call Fuji on saturday to get that fixed. I did buy a 40 Samsung tv to replace the 32 inch on I currently have. It's still in the box.
Have a good day and stay warm.
Liz

Loved seeing your Run photos on FB! Gobble til you Wobble- <3!!! Sounds like you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Time for the uber busy Christmas season to begin... Charity begged to put up the tree and decorations yesterday, but we just had too much to do to unpack from our trip and get ready for this week. I must admit though..I am so ready for Christmas. I have the music going at my desk already.

I'm sure you will find time to get a HP bag completed. Especially since I can't wait to see what you create.

Hey D! I am all caught up now from this past weekend!

I hope you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! Black Friday sounded like a success for you guys! Congrats on the race as well - I loved your outfit!

DMGeurts said:

We are getting very CLOSE... I will be making FP selections very soon here (remember, I have to make them at 30 days,

Click to expand...

How exciting how fast this trip is coming up!

DMGeurts said:

I am hoping to find the time to make myself a Harry Potter UPB for our U/S day....

Click to expand...

That would be so cute!

I think you will be able to run with "ice grippers". Ulf has running shoes with "ice grippers" that you can't take off because they are made into the running shoes. He says the shoes had a good grip.

How great that you found 2 bins to pack away your Grandmother's China in. It's good to have it safely packed away when you're not using it.

Sounds like you and Alli did a good job organizing the office. My craft place really need some organizing and cleaning, but I keep postpone it because it is going to be a huge job.

Do you still have the grill outside or do you have one in the kitchen as well? Here people has packed away the grill for the winter.

I'm glad to hear your dad is in better spirits. I can't belive you got more than 10" of snow. We have about 4,5 inch of snow, but it doesn't feel that much.


YAY! for booking the town car service for your January trip. I'm crossing my fingers that the booking went through and that you get the confirmation e-mail.

DMGeurts said:

Also... I have a plan for saving the remainder of the $$ for our food and U/S costs... And I am pretty proud of myself for this idea. I was really stressing about it and now I am much more relieved. I wish I could tell you all about it - but I can't, so you'll have to trust me.

Click to expand...

Hmm I think I hear bag auction coming

January will come fast. It's 1st of December tomorrow. I can't believe it's Christmas soon. I still have some Christmas gifts to buy. Luckily I know what to buy I just have to get it done.
I can't believe you have already repacked.

I really hope you get the time to make yourself a Harry Potter UPB. It will look so great with your Harry Potter outfit.

Today I packed away my sunglasses. I won't be needing them until late January

Jumping back in to all the TRs. SO glad you had an amazing Thanksgiving. My SIL, 2 aunts, and cousin went with me to one store Thanksgiving night and then I went to 5 more stores on Friday (DH had to be at work at 5:30 am so I was awake anyway). I'm not sure I could do it every year but I definitely did save a lot of money.

I have a quick Target question for you...can you buy Disney gift cards at Target with Target gift cards?

All caught up here! Now on to reading your TR now that you've almost finished it.

I'm really excited to see if you manage the HP bag. As you know I'm a big fan but I did carry a Disney bag when I was there in February. I did see a lot of Disney clothing so it wouldn't be that weird to wear something Disney there.

Finally, I am all caught up. Took having a sick day off from work today.
I have never heard of crampons or ice grippers. Probably because it would be a waste to carry them for maybe the 2 days of ice we have.
Your Thanksgiving sounded nice. We did do some black Friday shopping on Thursday. We were able to get a few items. On Friday, I got to shop at Les Schwab for a new car battery since mine was dead. Not exactly what I had in mind.
Hope you have a great week.

I am having technical difficulties this morning... So, please hang tight while I continue to edit this post.

Wood Nymph said:

It's really hard to run in the winter. I found that anything below about 22 degrees was almost too cold for me. But whenever I could manage to force myself out the door, it usually felt great. For the most part I have switched to long, fast walks at lunchtime. It is a great break from my office, too.

You have to make a HP bag for Universal. There is no way you couldn't coordinate with your outfit.

Click to expand...

Yes - I am starting to agree with you... But I will see how it goes and try to get out there on the *warmer* days. At least for a walk, or something. I think it's really great that you do your walks on your lunch break! That is an amazing commitment to yourself and I admire you for it!

I know - I"ve added it to my list... My HP outfit is completely purchased, so I just need the bag. Oh - take that back... It's not completely purchased, my "bow lady" is working on my HP bow now. So, it's on it's way.

Clio said:

I imagine that running in the winter would be hard. Sorry to hear about the winter storm watch. Hopefully it clears up soon and you can get to see your dad. It's suppose to be almost 50 today. Eventually we'll get snow.
I worked Thursday, Friday and Saturday. It wasn't as crazy on Thursday as it's been in that past. Friday was busy all day long. We'd had a power outage in the morning and we were on back up power most of the day. We couldn't do phone contracts or photo orders from sent in from the web site. I had to call Fuji on saturday to get that fixed. I did buy a 40 Samsung tv to replace the 32 inch on I currently have. It's still in the box.
Have a good day and stay warm.
Liz

Click to expand...

It's definitely different... Hot in the summer - raw in the winter... But I do want to keep trying. Even if I go for a run and end up walking most of it - I still want to get out there and enjoy the season some how - it's so pretty.... Well - until after Christmas, that is. LOL

SOunds like your weekend was interesting for sure.... And a little hectic too. Contrats on your new TV!

You too - thank you!

oopsiDAISY said:

Loved seeing your Run photos on FB! Gobble til you Wobble- <3!!! Sounds like you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Time for the uber busy Christmas season to begin... Charity begged to put up the tree and decorations yesterday, but we just had too much to do to unpack from our trip and get ready for this week. I must admit though..I am so ready for Christmas. I have the music going at my desk already.

Click to expand...

Hehehe... Thanks! Congrats on booking your trip - I was following the conversation while I was working out - but I forgot to reply. Still a little bummed that we weren't able to overlap - but so glad you have a trip coming up. Are you part of the FB group yet? If not, I can add you.

Yay... I hope you get your tree up soon - we may do ours this weekend? Not sure? We usually do it Thanksgiving weekend - but we did not do it this year.

I know - I have Christmas music going all over the house right now. I love this season!

ljcrochet said:

I'm sure you will find time to get a HP bag completed. Especially since I can't wait to see what you create.

Click to expand...

I hope so... It's on my list... I have one more side project to complete this week... I have Lara's stocking to do... THEN I can' work on my HP bag - which I have NO idea what I am doing yet?

FantasiaMagic said:

Hey D! I am all caught up now from this past weekend!

I hope you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! Black Friday sounded like a success for you guys! Congrats on the race as well - I loved your outfit!

How exciting how fast this trip is coming up!

That would be so cute!

Click to expand...

Yay!!! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving?

Thank you - I had fun running it, and as you all know - I think I enjoy the fact that I get to dress up, just as much as the running itself. LOL

I know - I can't believe how fast it is coming!

Terkina said:

I think you will be able to run with "ice grippers". Ulf has running shoes with "ice grippers" that you can't take off because they are made into the running shoes. He says the shoes had a good grip.

How great that you found 2 bins to pack away your Grandmother's China in. It's good to have it safely packed away when you're not using it.

Sounds like you and Alli did a good job organizing the office. My craft place really need some organizing and cleaning, but I keep postpone it because it is going to be a huge job.

Do you still have the grill outside or do you have one in the kitchen as well? Here people has packed away the grill for the winter.

I'm glad to hear your dad is in better spirits. I can't belive you got more than 10" of snow. We have about 4,5 inch of snow, but it doesn't feel that much.


YAY! for booking the town car service for your January trip. I'm crossing my fingers that the booking went through and that you get the confirmation e-mail.

January will come fast. It's 1st of December tomorrow. I can't believe it's Christmas soon. I still have some Christmas gifts to buy. Luckily I know what to buy I just have to get it done.
I can't believe you have already repacked.

I really hope you get the time to make yourself a Harry Potter UPB. It will look so great with your Harry Potter outfit.

Today I packed away my sunglasses. I won't be needing them until late January

Click to expand...

That's good to know - I will try running in them.

We didn't end up with 10" of snow... More like 4" this time... Not sure if we are supposed to get more today/tonight? I thought it was supposed to go through tonight?

I have not received and email from the town car company yet, so I am pretty sure it didn't go through. I will book it again.

I know - it's crazy how quickly time is going by... I knew it would go fast between trips, but this is crazy fast!

I am really hoping so, my friend Monica offered to let me borrow her Chip and Dale bag for this trip - so I don't have to try and make that one too... So, I think I am going to take her up on that one, it will make my life easier, for sure. Then I will have 2 new themes for this trip in January.

I wear my sunglasses all year - the snow is always so bright. But I suppose, you don't get much daylight in the winter anyways.

IowaTater said:

Jumping back in to all the TRs. SO glad you had an amazing Thanksgiving. My SIL, 2 aunts, and cousin went with me to one store Thanksgiving night and then I went to 5 more stores on Friday (DH had to be at work at 5:30 am so I was awake anyway). I'm not sure I could do it every year but I definitely did save a lot of money.

I have a quick Target question for you...can you buy Disney gift cards at Target with Target gift cards?

Click to expand...

Welcome back!

It sounds like you had a good black Friday!

I believe you can.... I've always applied my Target GCs to my Disney GC purchases - so you should be able to.

Pluto0809 said:

All caught up here! Now on to reading your TR now that you've almost finished it.

I'm really excited to see if you manage the HP bag. As you know I'm a big fan but I did carry a Disney bag when I was there in February. I did see a lot of Disney clothing so it wouldn't be that weird to wear something Disney there.

Click to expand...

Welcome back!!!! Hehehehe....

I am going to try - it likely won't happen until I am on Christmas break... but I will get it done. That's good to know - then I won't be out of place if I wear Disney stuff (but I won't - you all know me. LOL).

OregonMomToWDW said:

Finally, I am all caught up. Took having a sick day off from work today.
I have never heard of crampons or ice grippers. Probably because it would be a waste to carry them for maybe the 2 days of ice we have.
Your Thanksgiving sounded nice. We did do some black Friday shopping on Thursday. We were able to get a few items. On Friday, I got to shop at Les Schwab for a new car battery since mine was dead. Not exactly what I had in mind.
Hope you have a great week.

Click to expand...

Yay - glad you were able to catch up... I hope you are feeling better.

Glad you were able to get some black Friday shopping done - bummer that it wasn't a fun purchase.

You too - happy to see you back!

**************************************************************************************

Yesterday was just a really great day, in general.

I decided to be brave and weigh myself - I've been really down in the dumps over my weight gain this year... As it turns out - i am down 6lbs from BEFORE I left on my trip. So I am super happy about that. It really helps my mood - sadly. I also worked out and in general - I ate really well. I am starting to feel a lot better and my outlook is so much better.

Then I worked all day long! Phew! It was crazy - but I finished last week's order, and today I'll move on to this week's. And a side project.

I made spaghetti/ravioli for the family for dinner last night, and I had a leftover hamburger (no bun) and fried cabbage... It was good.

I sat on my tablet for the remainder of the night.

Today... I am back to heavy lifting. I've only lifted once since I left on my trip - so I am a little nervous for it.

I also joined a new fitness/eating program.... It's something that one of my good friends recommended to me... I am a little unsure about it and excited at the same time. As a rule, I don't like spending $$ on fitness programs - I feel like there is enough info out there to learn without having to pay for it... but she had a good code to pass on to me... And I really admire her body composition - so I went for it. Hopefully this will be what i need to sail through the holidays this year.... It seems that I try something new every December (WW then Primal then Whole30), and it's very helpful to me, and gets me excited all over again. And thankfully - this program is based around whole and natural foods - so right up my alley. I am excited to get started.

I will also be working all morning.

V has a Dr. appointment this afternoon.

Then it's dinner...

And bed....

Along with more snow and driving in it...

I hope you all have a wonderful day - Prayers and good thoughts go out to all of you!

D~ <---- Who is done with edits now...

Good morning, and congratulations on the weight loss! That's great! I am working on losing some weight and was very excited to find that I actually lost weight over Thanksgiving week instead of gaining. Yea! I've been doing pretty well with eating better and drinking more water (I'm down to just one of those mini cans of soda per day!) and trying to exercise as my energy level allows. I'm having surgery next week, though, so that's going to set me back in terms of exercise because I won't be able to do Zumba for a few weeks. But at least I can keep eating right.

DMGeurts said:

I decided to be brave and weigh myself - I've been really down in the dumps over my weight gain this year... As it turns out - i am down 6lbs from BEFORE I left on my trip.

Click to expand...

That's awesome! I actually gained 4 pounds while I was there, ugh! No idea how I did that with the amount of walking you do in the parks. And since I came home with a cold, I haven't gotten back into my exercise routine yet. I really need to start up again!

Last nights dinner sounds really good.
I hope the new fitness/eating program works out well for you.

It's a great idea to borrow Monica's bag for your January trip.

The snow isn't bright here when the sun is gone (from 21st November to 21st January) but as soon as the sun is back the sunglasses are needed because in the beginning the sun is very low on the sky so it's really difficult to see where you are driving. From 21st January I use my sunglasses more and more as the days goes by and the sun stays up longer and longer.

I am not sure what FB group you are referring to. Is there a WDW Oct 2016 group? Anywho...I would love to join!

D~, I am so glad to be back on the Dis. I hadn't realized how much I missed my Dis-friends!