siblings – Seclusion 101 with AnneMarie

Daily Food Diary – Day 347 of 365

December 14, 2025December 14, 2025 by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 347 of my Daily Food Diary! 🤩

Yesterday, I had a great win! While I was making my mother’s Whipped Shortbread Cookies, my sister Lorraine called to discuss how to make … our mother’s Whipped Shortbread Cookies. 😂

There is nothing like having a random meeting of the minds with a sister to make a good day great.

A bonus win came from perusing my James Clear motivational email of the week, and coming across this gem..

“Do not merely think that you are going to become great; think that you are great now. Do not think that you will begin to act in a great way at some future time; begin now. Do not think that you will act in a great way when you reach a different enviornment; act in a great way where you are now. Do not think that you will begin to act in a great way when you begin to deal with great things; begin to act in a great way with small things.”

– Wallace Wattles from ‘The Science of Being Great’

It is so easy to feel insignificant and victimized in this day and age. I just love empowering quotes. We only get one life, anything that helps us live it in a proactive, productive way is a huge win!

My ‘December Wrap Up’ Daily Food Diary win for the day has become a proactive part of my life this year..

Learning to notice and appreciate the wins in my ‘day to day’ life.

Yesterday, sister Lorraine and I were discussing our chronic health issues and how the smallest glitch can kick off a downward spiral and how the smallest win can turn it around.

That is typical of life in general. Notice the wins in life and there are more wins to notice every day. 😁

Daily Food Diary – Day 347

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(3) crumpets (240)

(2) tsp butter (69)

(1) tbsp jam (50)

Supper:

(1) caesar salad (250)

(9) hot chicken wings flats (383)

(1) lemon tart (175)

Total consumed calories: 1269

Total used calories: 71

(30) min treadmill (71)

Total net calories: 1098

Net calories goal: 1208 – 1098 = 111 under 👍

That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! 🥰💞

Daily Food Diary – Day 297 of 365

October 25, 2025October 25, 2025 by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Daily Food Diary – Day 297 of 365

Today is Day 297 of my Daily Food Diary! 🤗

Today is a day that I have been waiting six months for. Today is the day, I post my Daily Food Diary for my sister Lorraine!

**You were right, Lorraine. It was the socks!**

I lost the socks this morning and I weighed in at 119.8 pounds ! I have not broken 120 pounds in the past two decades. But I have done it now. The last 4.8 pounds to my goal will be easy peasy!

Speaking of socks…

Should you be in the market for a good pair of winter socks, these are not built to fit anyone our size – unless paired with a solid pair of suspenders or pinned to shoulder pads – either way, they are still awkward.

Speaking of siblings, yesterday was my brother Pete’s 80th birthday. Jen and I saw him and his wife at my sister Jeanne’s 80th birthday get together last May. They are all (Pete, his wife Janice, and Jeanne) looking great and doing really well.

As the youngest in my family, I have always looked up to, admired, and tried to catch up to my older siblings. I never imagined that I would still be trying at this point! But here we are!

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(3) crumpets (240)

(2) tsp butter (68)

(1) tablespoon jam (50)

Snacks:

(36) oz water

(1/3) c hickory smoked almonds (186)

Supper:

(4) small battered fish fillets (520)

(2) tbsp tartar sauce (80)

(1) c air fried potatoes (250)

(1) c home made coleslaw (208)

(12) oz carbonated water

Total consumed calories: 1604

Total used calories: 492

(30) min walking (68)

(30) min aerobics (174)

(1 1/2) hrs cooking/cleaning (177)

(30) min light weights (73)

Total net calories: 1112

Net calories goal: 1223 – 1112 = 111 under 👎

That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! 💕🌞

**Butterfly House at the University of Alberta Botanic Gardens**

Home and Family

December 1, 2020December 1, 2020 by annemariedemyen, posted in family

We received the most amazing news last week! Dan’s sister Joan has decided that it is time to leave her paradise in Costa Rica and return to Canada. She has a beautiful home there on a stretch of land where her front yard is the Pacific ocean and her backyard is a fresh water river. She is looking at relocating to a couple of different area in Canada (both very nice) but I can’t imagine them stacking up to Costa Rica.

Regardless, we are both thrilled that she will be back in Canada. Joan is Dan’s only sibling and they have always been very close. I have several siblings (four sisters and one brother) but in some ways, I have more in common with Joan. She is far more adventurous and independent than I will ever be, but our core beliefs are very similar. We are “soul sisters”😊

We will both be glad to see Joan back in Canada and look forward to visiting her once she gets settled (and we gets this Covid situation under control 🙄). It may take a while but is exciting to have something to look forward too!