It's that time of year again.

YUP, it's that time of year again. I have started to have the xmas spirit this year. I am glad because last year I wasn't really into it. Chris' divorse was still pending, we still had too much furniture in the house to make room for my xmas decorations and I hadn't made any of my xmas baking stuffs because of my recent diagnosis diabetese.

This year , Chris is divorsed. We also rented a storage space to put most of his extra furniture with a few of mine. We have cleared a space for the xmas tree this year. In past yrs I had put it all up, downstairs next to the fireplace but given that we have to be with Luc all day upstairs, we really wouldn't enjoy it. So a place has been cleared upstairs so we can enjoy it all day. I also intend to do some baking. I have lost 40lbs so far and part of the reason is not depriving myself of my favorite things by using moderation. Last but not least, Chris' two children are coming for xmas. They live in Paris France and Chris hasn't spent xmas with them for the last 4 years. I am thrilled for him, it will do them all good to spend this time together. We unfortunately anticipate his ex wife of somehow sabataging their trip. She seems to enjoy trying to hurt Chris every chance she gets. So we will only allow ourselves to believe that they will actually be here when they step off the plane in Montreal. If that happens they will be here for 3 weeks. If they don't, we will have lost almost $2000 in airfare and theres not a whole lot we can do about it. So send good vibes our way, it can only help lol.

Today is my day out of the house. I look forward to seeing all the xmas decorations in the stores. Getting some shopping done and going to a resturant for supper. We will do our own tree decorating next week given Chris has to work all weekend. I need him to help me bring up all the boxes from downstairs. He already did the outside though, looks really nice. Our first snow has already melted but as soon as we have some more I will take a photo of the outside lights on the house. Snow makes it look so much better lol. We have 5 columns infront of my house so Chris wound big red ribbon around them so they look like candy canes.

I hope I get a few good gift ideas today. I am almost done with my family out west. We do a hat pick among us between the 4 cpls. We don't include the children though we all get alittle something for the 3 kids between us. Since we are all across the country, we try to pick something out of the Sears catalog so we can have it shipped directly to them. That way we save the shipping. Since it's something they gave us the idea about anyway, it's not big deal that they have to wrap it for under the tree. When that doesn't happen, well we pack a parcel lol. Luckily this yr, most is from the catalog.

Next week at the very latest, Chris and I have to get a photo taken . My sister was supposed to take an engagement pic of us but it was not from lack of trying that it didn't happen. It was either her schedule or ours that it just didn't come to be. I really wanted to have one done to put in my xmas cards this year. I just a trim with a colour touchup done yesterday so next week Chris and I HAVE to get it done. I don't care if its with a timer and a tripod or even the cam on the computer as long as its a pic I can live with lol. I have to mail out my cards soon and being a stickler for perfection it takes me time to do them all. I have this weekend to do my xmas letter that I include in all of them but the time consuming part is the envelopes. I do all the addresses in caligraphy. No not with a printer!!! I do them by hand! lol. I think it looks beautiful on a nice xmas envelope, kinda old world looking. I think it adds a personal touch and hey, I think I would enjoy recieving one of my cards in the mail looking like that lol. But that's just me.
Anyway..till next long winded post...enjoy this season. Even all the hussle and bussle. Be thankful to be alive and most importantly...I am easily pleased so what ever u get me for xmas will be absolutely GREAT! hehe....oxox

GIVING THANKS TODAY...by a Canadian

We have had our new guy for one week now. OMG! what a pleasure he is. It is like night and day from our previous client who just moved. I realize that in my choice of work, there is a reason all these adults need to live in foster care and over the years I have to had to deal with many different kinds of needs. Luc is an obvious high needs case all around but our previous border Martin, being very functional was a hand full nonetheless. He never appreciated anything we did for him and always wanted more using munipulation by any means. So having dealt with that for 10 yrs makes it that much more enjoyable to have a client that is the sheer opposite to that.
Ray seems really happy to be here. During his initial visit here he loved his room from the start, even was surprised when I told him it would be getting a fresh coat of paint before he moved in. Then when he finally did he was very pleased to help put his stuff away. I used that incentive to get him to purch alot of acumulated useless stuff even including a couple unmatched bedside tables he brought with him from his former residense. Frankly it bewilders me that they sent such delapitated pieces of crap. I think over time these clients with the help of the family they are living with could finance a few nice things of their own. I mean geez..

Ray has what had been discribed as his own comfortable tv chair...it's the ugliest feking chair I ever saw! I am telling you right now, it isn't going to live here a day past xmas. We did not paint and fix up a nice room to have it sharply contrastED with a 35 yr old wooden chair with brown/yellow coushins with a acordian fringe in same fabric stapled directly to the wood of the chair..my first thought was HOW AM I GOING TO REAPOSTER THIS MONSTROSITY!...I then decided a minute later that IT WASN'T GOING TO HAPPEN. There are many really nice reclining chairs in fake or real leather that aren't huge but really comfortable and even have a matching foot stool for 100$ or less then 200$. He is already looking forward to going shopping with us next month to chose one he likes. He has enough in his account for one in that price range and even if he didn't I would have bought it to finance it over time for him. We also got him different organizing tools for his belts and shoes and a sturdy coat rack for his packsac and winter coat etc...

He was so happy at the trouble we took to make his room special just for him. He is always smiling and even sings a few words here and there for no apparent reason lol. He likes to be helpful like shovelling the snow or putting a new role of toilet paper on the holder. He is so proud to help. Chris and I are constantly smiling at his perpetual thankyous and sweet nature. We will both enjoy and appreciate the differences in him that we hadn't previously witnessed in clients before. We also realize that the *honeymoon stage* will be over soon but for the most part I had known Ray to be of pretty good nature anyway. He has difficulty with his diction so we are getting used to understanding what he is trying to say at times but he repeats when we need him too.

All in all we have had a great week getting to know Ray our new client/border. It just reasures me 100 fold about the good decision I took in having Martin move after caring for him 10 yrs. Granted I will get less money for Ray. Thats the way it works. He is less difficult to care for but it's not only about the money..it is also about peace of mind and quality of life. Luc is much more work but it's more of a physical nature caring for him. I think I have found a good balance now with both clients. If we are able to buy a bigger home eventually I wouldn't mind having one or two more but that will only be if I have alot of room to do a good job and have a continued quality of life. I could not do this job without the enormous help and support I get from Chris. Takes a big man to accept this kind of homelife and to then become an integral part of my whole support system. I am such a lucky woman.

Today as I write this on the day that my american friends call THANKS GIVING....even as a Canadian....I have so much to be THANKFULL FOR......

HAPPY THANKS GIVING TO ALL MY AMERICAN FRIENDS!!

THIS FAT CHICKS FANTASY.....LIVED!!!!

Ok people get your minds out of the gutter. Although sweet, tender, moist and delicious, I am NOT referring to sex...although that could infact discribe my wonderfull sex life hehe.....I digress..

This summer while on holiday, my dad drove us a couple hours out of Regina to a small town where my dad grew up and where I was also born. There are still family there. One uncle has a farm close by and there is an aunt who lives in town alone and yet another uncle who's wife has run one of the local salons for years. She still does and ALSO runs the town bakery! She took it over a couple yrs ago and doing a great job. My aunt Terri has spunk if ever I saw it and is one of the sweetest ladies there is.

So we arrive in town and stop off at my aunt and uncles place. He later took us over to give us a tour of the bakery. OMG...just imagine the decadent aroma of fresh breads and pasteries. He shows us all the ovens and churning tools and how some of the stuff is made. It was really quite fascinating seeing how it all works in the back of a bakery and also how spic and span it was kept even after a full days work. The shop was about to close so once in the front...seeing all the yummy stuff behind the glass counter I was ready to buy some stuff before we left with uncle to go eat at a nearby resturant. Uncle would have nothing of it. He said we would come back after we had supper for some desert.

Let me just interject something at this point lol. Before leaving on vacation, Chris and I already had a talk about the whole diabetese thing. He is always my helper but he totally gets that holiday means holiday aswell so it was understood that I would be less vigilant with the control of my sugar/carb intake, just as long as I took my meds religiously.

So we have a great meal at the local chinese resturant where dad told us stories of that same place being there when he was a kid but it was like a resturant/soda fountain place then. How he punched one of the guys in the kitchen for being a jerk to his older but slower brother. (who died just a few yrs later) Dad was drop dead gorgous and the second youngest of 18.....YES...18 KIDS...and has never had a mean bone in his body.

Well supper is done so we head back to the now closed bakery. Even the store front windows are curtained over so you can't see inside. Uncle unlocks the door and we walk in. He then says...choose what ever u want for desert and anything to bring home with you...please take as much as u want..we have to refill the shelves with fresh stuff ...and IT'S ON THE HOUSE...

OMG! OMG! OMG!...at that moment I realized I was living one of my fantasies of being locked in a bakery hehe. I took in all the scrumptious pasteries, studdles, butter tarts, brownies, nanimo bars and so on and so on and so on...as my body wanted to go into sugar shock just looking at it my mouth watered like a starving man at a buffet. Visions of sugar plum fairies dancing in my brain as my pupils dialated enough to get a focus of Chris' face for reasurance to see him just grinning at me from ear to ear cause he totally understood and saying with his eyes...GO FOR IT...and the other thought..unspoken was,,,,you brought your pills right?

Let me reasure you all that although I could have seriously gotten naked and roled in all that stuff with glee. I infact conducted myself with class and decorum. I ate two different things there as my uncle is piling stuff in a huge paper bag for us to take home. Some of this, that, and more those there with a side of try these. Earlier when I was trying to purchase something..it was some nanimo bars...well he gave me the whole tray to take home...OMG IT WAS CHRISTMAS I TELL YA!!!!!

I thought I had died and gone to heaven...even checked for a pulse... it was beating alright....and my pancreas was in overdrive preparing for what it just witnessed.

So in closing, we had baked goods for days after. It was all delightfull but honestly just being there at that moment was a FANTASY LIVED!

PS...During my whole vacation, didn't lose an onze of weight...but...I DIDN'T GAIN ANY EITHER HEHE
PSS...In all though to date I have lost 40lbs