Should auld acquaintance be forgot?

As a proud Scottish women new year wouldn't be complete with a drunken circle of people with crisscrossed hands singing our national poet's famous poem: Auld Lang Syne.


Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne?


Hogmany, New Year, was traditionally a bigger holiday in Scotland than even Christmas! My Grandparents and parents tell me that when they were young everyone would open their front doors at midnight and literally streets of people would wander to and from their neighbours' houses, "first-footing" with a bottle of plonk to pass round. (See alcohol is my heritage - I knew it wasn't my fault).


These days we hardly know our neighbours, and certainly don't like them enough to give them booze (bloomin' tax on alcohol)


And for a long time I always worked New Year - so I was never really that bothered about it. This year I'm off and going to my best friends house for a party. My parents are going to a dinner/dance and my brother is off to his mates to, and I quote; "get absolutely smashed" (heritage!!)


I am looking for to the party - namely because I have a beautiful slinky dress which I totally rock! (its a size 12 ECK!!)


And also because I am looking forward to putting 2011 behind me.


Broken relationships, the loss of family members, financial problems, general pi$$ ups....


Don't get me wrong - there has been some incredible highs: Graduation, Getting my Job, finding new friends, THAILAND, moving out, sparks of romance....

I've learned a lot this year - about myself I mean. I can be totally selfish sometimes, despite also being generous. I am too hard on myself, I analyse things way too much and sometimes I don't think before I open my mouth (or set my fingers wild on a text or facebook post...)


But....I also learned that I am surrounded by some of the most amazing people on the planet, my family and friends, and i am lucky to have every one of them in my life. I've learned to try and relinquish some control over everything, to stop panicking, to stop and breathe and just enjoy the here and now. 


I want 2011 behind me, not because it was the worst year of my life, but because it was a significant year of change and I am excited to see what new lessons and adventures and friendships and experiences 2012 will bring!


So in the wise words of Mr Burns: 


And there's a hand, my trusty fiere!
and gie's a hand o' thine,
and we'll tak a right gude-willy waught,
for auld lang syne.

Good luck for 2012 and I look forward to talking to you all soon!


Happy New Year to all!! xxxxx

Festive Season: Sparkles, food, family and the flu!

Hey all!

I hope you've all had an amazing Christmas and are enjoying the rest of your festive season!

This is just a quick note to let you all know that my Christmas has been amazing! Not only have I spent time with all my friends and family but there is also a new romance on the horizon :)

Remember that leap of faith I talked about?? It involved a phone number on the back of a reciept - my sober, him sober...

So far we've had 3 dates and its all looking very well! A stone ago I would never had had the confidence to give a guy my number, especially a guy as good looking as this one. Fingers crossed it may continue :)

So anyways at this point in time I am very ill with the flu and therefore bored! On the other hand I just bought 4 dresses in the boohoo.com sale - and I know I am going to look amazing in them all :D

All that glitters is not gold!

Hello all!

Yes this is another Christmas lovers blogger's blog! I can't help it - its just such a super time of year! and I don't care if your a scrooge - as Fred (Scrooge's nephew) proudly states: "I have made the trial in homage to Christmas, and I'll keep my Christmas humour to the last. So A Merry Christmas!"

This weekend was up and down. We had the WeightWatchers of Inverkip (my old class) Christmas night out at the KipMarina Chartroom restaurant. I decided not to drink, partly due to expense and partly due to just not feeling the need. I also choose carefully: prawn cocktail to start, salmon main (I really love salmon) and chocolate mousse pudding. With diet lemonades the whole evening.

The best bit about the night was looking and feeling amazing, alongside other women who know exactly how I feel and what I am going through. (See the group mug shot above - great lassies - brilliant laugh). I had on my graduation frock - which fitted a lot better than at graduation. I felt amazing, I looked amazing and it was a wonderful feeling. I didn't need alcohol to feel confident, in fact I felt so confident that I took a leap of faith...which depending on the outcome I'll disclose at a later date - so watch this space!

Saturday I went shopping with my Dad. I wanted to spend time with him because Saturday evening we were having a memorial for my uncle who died through in Australia earlier this year. He has a daughter too - Katie, and for all I try I cannot to begin to image life without my Dad. So I dragged myself out of bed at 9am to go shopping with him.

The memorial was lovely. All the family gathered together and we scattered Uncle T's ashes on the river Clyde, as were his wishes. We all came back to my parents house and indulged in nibbles and I had a cider or 2.

Sunday, chilled with my family, had chinese, a baileys and watched A Christmas Carol (hence the quote). The good version with Patrick Stewart!

It was an amazing weekend and I spent all of it with family, which made it extra special and just makes me more excited for this weekend.

My presents are wrapped, my cake ingredients bought, my 2 days annual leave have been ok'd which means I finish on WEDNESDAY this week!

Could I be happier? Not on your Nelly!

Tis the Season to be Jolly....

....and after the week I've had and weighing in as STAYING THE SAME I am one jolly person!!

You may have guessed that I am feeling a little better today :D Between the hot water and honey, the MAX strength beechams, an early finish from work and Tim Burtons Alice and Wonderland I believe I am cured!!

oh and the ice cream....for medicinal purposes...the sore throat....honest!

annnnnd it is getting so super close to Christmas I am just getting so super excited it is unbelievable! TBH its not the food and drink which gets me all in a tizzy, but this is the 1st year in over 5 years that I will be off my work on both Christmas, New Year and the time in between! In my old job people still required you to assist them, Christmas doesn't mean someone can miraculously walk or get their own clothes on if they couldn't do it before. And don't get me wrong people still need social workers over Christmas - it can be a painful and depressing time of year for many.

but...I am just a baby social worker....which means I am NOT ALLOWED to do duty over the festive period. Next year I probably won't be so lucky SO I am happy to take advantage of my new job situation and enjoy my holiday.

More than anything else I am looking forward to spending time with friends and family this year. Living apart from them, so far away, has really hit home to me how much I love the people in my life. So although I am happily making Christmas puddings, cheesecake and other festive treats, I'm not too fussed about eating them, its who I am eating them with that is going to make all my Christmas wishes come true :D

I am SICK!!!

Yeah I have the bloomin' cold!

I was so determined to be really good this week. I made some really sensible choices at my meals out and only had alcohol the one night (albeit ALOT of alcohol, but still only 1 night)

Sunday I was still feeling pretty rough, and had cursed myself once again for over-indulging on the liquor at the weekend! In fact, I'll tell you something, since I have lost weight I CANNOT handle my drink at all. And for my friends who read this blog, yeah as in I'm even worse than before!

One of the reasons I cut down!

However, by Sunday night - and more clearly at 4am Monday morning - I realised that my ill feeling was not a 2 day hangover, but in fact an actual illness.

So I'm sorry diet but its comfort food all the way!

I am not a good sick person. Some people just get on with it when they are sick, some accept defeat and die quietly. I am neither - I am a whinger! I will moan, and complain and go on and on about how sick I am.

So here I am....at home, early from work for 2 days in a row (I still go in - then go home....its a guilt thing) typing this blog from behind a mountain of tissues and endless cups of tea, plus any kind of comfort food I can get my hands on.

Tonight I had sloppy joes, and I am going to have ice-cream. Yes I know I have the cold, but there is method to my madness.....it makes me feel better :)

So no exercise this week, no tracking, its all gone wrong. I'll still get weighed tomorrow, no point in not going, may as well see what the damage is. But the virus is to blame for any gain...not the alcohol, or ice-cream, the virus!!

On the plus side = Christmas is a week on Sunday :D

Christmas food blog...and a weekend update!

 

I missed Friday theme blog...because it was a party weekend!

So to fill you in I had my Christmas night out with the work girls, which is resulted in me being extremely drunk and going AWOL. In my drunkenness I tend to just decide it is time to go home. Which I did lol!

However, I had a really amazing night out and really got to know the girls a bit better! Had a beautiful dinner in the Treehouse restaurant in Ayr. I choose the fruit starter, Salmon main and a toffee shortbread pudding. The last was a point killer, along with the gallons of bacardi I consumed, but I was good with my 1st two choices. I genuinely enjoyed the meal and the same changes in my choices mean that there was some level of damage limitation.

 Then last night I joined friends at the Athena restaurant in Glasgow. Having never had greek food before I did a quick search on WW E-source and discovered Mussaka = very bad! However, grilled meats = very good! So I had a spinach and goats cheese starter, chicken skewer main (see photo) and cheesecake for pudding. No alcohol as I was driving (and dying inside). Again the pudding was a treat but I am hoping my semi-sensible starter and main choices meant that I should be able to absorb some of the damage!

Like most people on here (those who have not abandoned the site for Christmas temptations) I am not being uber strict on myself. Its a party season - and good food and drink goes along with the season! I will enjoy it - but at the same time I don't wish to undo all the hard work so far.

As for my ideal Christmas dinner. Well this is am interesting question for me as I am not a huge fan of roast dinners, never one for meat with potatoes and veg any time of the year.

So for starters i would have a prawn cocktail. My favourite bits of the main meal is defo the roast potatoes and roast vegetables. Although I'd be happy with chicken or fish, rather than turkey.

Desert - would be all deserts. I am going to make another baileys and white chocolate cheesecake. I also love millionaires shortbread and trifle. Pretty much any pudding to be honest.

I like a wee baileys at Christmas as well. Although I have rather enjoyed being almost alcohol free the last few weekends - and my hangover on Saturday reinforced this again. Going to have some serious thinking about maybe trying a t-total period.

Anyways I am looking forward to Christmas very very very much! I am off the whole way through and am genuinely excited to relax and spend time with friends and family. Last night was an awesome dinner, relaxed, grown-up and pleasurable in every sense of the word. Friends make the occasion - and Christmas is no different!

Merry Christmas Everyone - I hope you have the time of your life!!

A blow to the positivity!

I haven't had a night out in 2 weeks, I have stayed within my accumulated daily and weekly pps the last 2 weeks, I have been to the gym 3 times the last 2 weeks and the only remotely naughty thing I did in the last 2 weeks was have a small portion of chips and curry sauce from the local kebab place on Saturday night!

Well...it wasn't the ONLY naughty thing I did at the weekend....lets just say the dating is going well and we'll leave it at that shall we. Don't want this to become a smutty blog (although that may boost the readership somewhat.....hmmmm?)

Anyway the point is imagine my utter disappointment, my dismay, my complete shock at my weigh-in tonight...

I stayed the same!!!

and the first person to say "at least you never put on" gets struck from the friend list quicker than you can say "look on the bright side".

Now, I had a good 20min rant to my leader about my points, about how hard I worked, about how good I had been. She told me not to worry, that sometimes the body has to catch up. Lower my carbs, up my protein and see how next week goes.

Oh yeah except I have my work Xmas night out Friday and a friends birthday night out Saturday at a Greek restaurant....no problemo boss!

This was followed by a rant, in the car, to myself, where upon WW and all its wisdom was F'd and S'd and C'd all the way home.

Now I am home, and I have re-read my blogs, as well as some threads about what the best greek food is for pps. Plus I have decided to swap my pate starter Friday night for melon balls...kill a few pps right there and then.

Also I am not going to drink Saturday night either...it allows me to come home and see my family before heading back to work on Monday, I don't really need it as the main focus of the night is the meal, and at the end of the day this is important to me so I have to give it my all!

And finally I am going to keep running, I am going tomorrow night, maybe squeeze one in at the weekend, and I'll be booking for Monday and Wednesday next week again!

As the irrefutable fountain of knowledge that is Dori from finding Nemo says: "just keep swimming, just keep swimming!"

Exercise mojo is back :D

Well guys...the proof is in the pudding! Oh wait, shouldn't say pudding on a WW blog...ok it's on the treadmill!

My recent bout of positive mind, positive body blogs have put a spring in my step because not only did I start my new running programme last Thursday I actually went back. Sometime the second session is harder than the first! Its great to be motivated to begin with, but keeping it up is a pain in the backside!

But I dragged my wee butt (it is actually wee...I have never had an **** , my jeans fall down constantly!!) down to the local fitness suite again tonight. Despite the pitch black and torrential hailstones! I did my 20min walk/jog...which will over the weeks build up to a 20min full jog :D

Never fancied myself a runner...but there you go!

Also after reading cookie_lou's blog (a fellow online WW), I decided to take my new positive attitude to my 27pps. To be fair cookie only has 26!! Her blog was great, as she explained how tiny changes allowed her to shave off those 3pps a day without feeling like she had to give things up! So this week I endeavor to do the same. So far I have actually been ok for pps, but I have relied on my weeklies to top me up every day. That is fine the last couple of weeks, but literally from now till 2012 (and a few weekends beyond) I have social engagements galore! Which is fantastic as I can't wait to get out there with my stone lighter body...but its going to use up my weeklies!

 So i need to get into staying at my 27pps a day! That is this weeks mini goal, along with 2 more treadmill sessions!