Holiday blues...


Well Christmas has come and gone for another year. In the week that I had company here I gained 9lbs. HOLY CRAP! back on the diet today! AND THE TREADMILL! I feel so disgusting!

I made an appointment to get my hair cut today! I'm really
nervous. I haven't had my hair cut in close to a year...and it was just a trim. This is me now. My hair is sorta of frizzy cause I just blow dryed it.
So I'll take another pic tonight of what I did. I might even get a streaking kit and streak it. But....I will probably wait until just before vacation to do that. Or might actually pay to have that done!...... FOILS!

Well I'm off to make my son his PB&J and me my salad! CIAO!

...its Christmas eve..

Hello. Its Christmas eve. I've been so busy with company and shopping that I haven't had time to post my Tempt My Tummy Tuesday. Will do so as soon as the company is gone. Just wanted to say MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY HOLIDAYS to everyone!

one more sleep....

I'm getting really excited, nervous, you name it... Doug is coming home tomorrow and it has been 17 days since we've seen him. Its been really hard. Thankfully I've been busy with dayhome and my dad came yesterday and he's keeping me company. Almost got everything ready for the company. Have to clean Austin's room and change the bed, make some tarts, chilli for dinner, an apple crisp. And maybe even some chocolate chip cookies and skor bar. MMMMMMMMMM.....so stay tuned tomorrow for YUMMY recipes and Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays. I might even post more then one recipe. MMMMmmmm.... I can't wait. Love baking and love eating it afterward I think the most... he he....SO BAD FOR THE DIET!.... Until tomorrow. Enjoy the season and have a great night!

and the countdown begins

2 sleeps until my dad comes. I'm very much looking forward to having Christmas with him. Its been WAY too long. Probably the last Christmas I've spend with my dad was back in 1995! WAY TOO LONG!


4 sleeps until Doug comes home. And with him will be his sister and his mom. I'm excited for them to come. Neither of them have been to our house and we've lived here for 2 years!

7 sleeps until we can open presents. FINALLY it will be over with for another year!

62sleeps until we board the plain for Dalas, 63 sleeps til we leave Dalas and go to Miami and get on a boat for a whole week in the Caribean!!! I CAN'T WAIT!

I'm in the process of knitting my self a tanktop/camisole type shirt. I can't wait until its done! I'll post pics for sure!

We went on a kindergarten field trip today. Interesting.... 5 kindergarten classes with 15-18 kids in it each. We went to the gymnastics club. The kids had a blast so I guess thats what matters.

Other then us having sore throats and runny noses all is good right now....I MUST stay on track next until at least the 24th. Then I can take a few days off. THEN BACK ON TRACK! I'm hoping for at least 10 more pounds lost before vacation.....Well I'd take 10 but I'm aiming for 20! Wish me luck!

weightloss

Well today is better then yesterday. I guess... I still feel exhausted, even after 8 hours of sleep. I still fell overwhelmed with day to day things. I want someone else to do them for a change. But this morning I got up and go on the scale and I'm down 1lb. So thats a plus. Just have to keep at it. Only 40-50 lbs to go! Depending what size I am at 150lbs. Last time I was that small I was a size 11/12 so we'll see. Well I'm off to put children down for naps and then onto the treadmill. A few jokes for the day!



very much needs alone time

I'm with children 24/7. Either mine or someone else's. My boyfriend is gone for 14-20 days out of a month and when he is home we have 'family' time. I try to get away even if its just to the grocery store at least once when he is home, but thats not what I want. I want to be able to lay in bed on a Saturday or Sunday and sleep in. I want to be able to read a book in the middle of the day without constant interruption. I want ONE, just one, day a week to myself. Hell I'd take a few hours that I could leave the house or lay on the couch without interruption(and I'm not talking about after Austin is in bed, cause I can't run up to the store or do anything) To be able to go to the bathroom without having someone follow me down the hall and ask what I'm doing. I want to be able to go crawl in to bed at 5pm if I'm not feeling well. I want to be able to clean the kitchen and NOT turn around two minutes later to find my clean counter has been used as a dumping ground for my son's toys, crafts, and shit. I don't want to feel like I'm a maid first, mom/friend/girlfriend last.


I know I'm on the verge of depression. I've felt the cloud hanging there, waiting, for a few months. I need to do something about it. Every time I talk to Doug about it all he says is there is nothing he can do and to go to the doctor. WELL YES there is something he can do. He can damn well get out of bed before noon(when he is home) and take his son somewhere. He can do a friggen load of laundry. He can clean up the kitchen after dinner.

I want to feel like a person again. I don't think I've ever been me. I've always been daughter. Do what mom says or deal with the silent treatment for weeks at a time. (worse punishment ever) Moved out of home to another city in a different province with my boyfriend. I went from dutiful daughter to dutiful girlfriend. I don't think I've ever had a chance to be me. To be young and foolish. To party with my girlfriends. I did party a bit, don't get me wrong, but it was always under the watchful eye of my boyfriend.

I don't know what to do anymore. I fell lost, confused, and overwhelmed with life.

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday!


Welcome to our first Tempt My Tummy Tuesday's! Thanks {mis}adventures
for the great name. I was having a brain fart. So this week in preparation for Christmas I
thought I would make something Christmasy. What better then shortbread. And I must say they turned out AWESOME! Here we go!

Granny's Shortbread (yes, this is a family recipe.)
1 cup cornstartch
1 cup icing sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1lb butter
candied cherries(cut in half)

Preheat oven to 350*F. In a large bowl beat butter until smooth. Then add the remaining ingredients. WARNING: turn beaters on slow or you will be covered in flour, icing sugar, and cornstarch. Mix well. It may take a few minutes to get it mixed together well. It might feel sticky. If it does add a small amount of flour until it no longer feels sticky and is able to be rolled into balls.
Roll the dough into small balls and place on cookie sheet. Place half a candied cherry into the center of the ball and press down slightly.
Place cookies in the oven and bake for about 8-10 mins. Please check them regularly so they don't burn. Back until lightly brown on the edges.


Let cookies sit on the cookie sheet for a few minutes so they don't crumble when taken off. ENJOY! mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm


BURRRRRRRR!!!!


So this morning I got up with a plan! A plan to finish the cat I'm crocheting. A plan to make shortbread cookies. A plan to finish the scrabble tile pendants I'm making. A plan to RELAX!

So far I've worked on the cat and pendants. Had breakfast and tea. Its SOOO COLD here today! I'm sure there are colder places but its -32C but feels like -42C with the wind chill. YUCK!

I'm starting to feel the "grey" descend. I hate this time of year. Doug always works extra so he can take some time off. Stress from finding the right gift for each person is taking its toll. I'm
sure I'm not the only person that gets into this mood. I just know that in the next few days I will be dealing with monster child cause he misses dad. We are working on day 10 today and that is normally about his limit. We still have 8 days to go!

So if you like my buttons that have been added to the blog you can thank {Mis} Adventures over at http://thismommasmisadventure.blogspot.com She made them. I can not for the life of me figure it out. GRRR!

So I have decided that on Tuesday's I will bake something and take pictures and post the recipe with pictures. Then if you want you can make and comment on how it turned out! Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays! Stay tuned to tomorrows post for the yummy recipe!

So here is a picture of a scrabble tile pendant I made. It does not have the bail on it yet as I'm not 100% happy with it. Here is why. The glaze I used has yellowed and it shows on the tile. I think this one particular tile looks okay because of the picture I used. Check it out. Let me know what you think....

Don't forget to come back tomorrow for something yummy!

Canadian winters....


So this morning I got up with the plan that we would go to town and do some Christmas shopping only to find that its windy and snowing. This DOES NOT make for a nice drive into town. Its not much snow but the wind blows it across the highway and makes it hard to see and causes these huge snow drifts. Here in Alberta we don't have many trees so the wind blows....and blows ....and blows.....

Its also -17C out! YIKES! Truck won't start with the remote so I have to brave the cold and go out and start it. :(

So I made the decision that I would check the weather forecast to see what they were calling for tomorrow. MORE SNOW!!!! AND EVEN COLDER!!!! Tomorrow they are calling for -30C.... :( :( :( :( ...

Ok, so if I want to get ANY shopping done this weekend it has to be today!

Just curious I start looking at peoples pics that they had added to www.theweathernetwork.com and found some interesting photos from Ontario...MAN AM I GLAD I LIVE IN ALBERTA! lol... These are just from the past week.
These people will have to dig out a maze so their horse can walk around the field.

"Sorry I was 5 hours late for work Boss, it took me that long to dig out the truck"


"I can't come to school today, my house is snowed in"

I guess these people won't be BBQ'ing any time soon

That bird house has quite the lean on it....


"He's still on vacation...."

Kids say the funniest things sometimes. Or say things that 5 year olds should not be saying. Like....


"That's convenient"
"I'm incapable"
"You're making me cranky mom"

And the funny thing is he knows when and how to use certain words and what they mean. He's only five.

I currently have a day home and take care for 4 kids. Austin gets pretty upset some days when they are all here cause the two 5 year old girls tend to play together and leave him out. Today they were all playing and the girls were play ring-around-the-rosey. WELL....Austin decided that he didn't want to do that and that they should all play cars. The girls didn't want to so he threw a little fit. So I told him to play with "bob" cause he would like to play cars. Now, "bob" is one of Austin's imaginary friends. Austin just looks at me and says "Bob is still on vacation, he's on a beach and had to take a boat to get there". Now where did that come from?

Things have been a bit hectic around here. Preparing for Christmas and family coming is hard. I also have to do it all by myself. Doug went to work on the 4th and won't be home until the 22nd. I hate his job! But there is really nothing I can do. It really sucks. I just have to suck it up and get everything done. Shopping, wrapping, preparing for guests. At least a few people have decided not to come so we don't need to find someplace for them to sleep. I thought it was going to be so jam packed with people in our house.....

My weightloss has not been going very well this last month. I really need to get back on track. The eating hasn't been too bad which is probably the reason for not gaining. But I still need to lose. I've been sitting at 193 for the last few weeks. I really need to get down. I'm hoping to be at least 170 by cruise time. HOPING!!! Thats 20lbs in just under 2 months. I can do it. I just have to get at it. Exercise everyday! AND STICK TO THE DIET! I really am trying but stress some how makes everything go caput!

So tonight, instead of exercising, I spent 3 hours trying to make a button for my blog. I could NOT get it to work. GRRRrrrrr!!! Its very frustrating. Especially when you are following very specific instructions and then.....nothing! Oh well I'll get {mis} adventures to help me in the morn....OR WAIT!!! SHE CAN JUST MAKE ME ONE!!!! since she's an expert at it! ;)

New Blog

Hello everyone. My friend and I have started a new blog about arts, crafts, and general fun decorating. We are currently doing the countdown to Christmas and a blog giveaway. The more followers the more fun. Come check us out. Sweet Maple Creations.


Nothing really else new going on. I've been of the wagon for 3 weeks now. Between syatic nerve issues and being sick I haven't been able to really exercise. But tonight I'm getting back on the treadmill. I've done so well. 25lbs lost in the last year. most in the last 6 months. So as soon as I go shopping its back on the diet and back on the treadmil. I have to get back up to running again. I want to run a 1/2 marathon or something in the spring or at the latest next fall. I'm excited and its such an accomplishment.

Going on a carribean cruise in Feb. I can't wait. And after we get to spend 2 days in Miami. I have approx 3 months to continue to lose weight. I could easily lose another 30lbs. I need to keep on it tho. I'd be happy with another 15-20. its a constant battle and I need to keep on it.

any advice? I'll take any advice anyone wants to give. As long as its positive.

wowza

ok so it's been super long and i'm not even going to use the shift key or upper case letters. its late and i just want to say hi and let everyone know how things are going.


i've been doing some things to try to lose weight. i've lost 12lbs in the last month and a half. i'm pretty happy about that. so this is what i've been eating....

breaky
3 egg omelet with veggies and a small piece of fruit
OR
a protein shake made as instructed except only 1/2 the amount of protein powder

snack
1 protein bar

lunch
a salad, no dressing(although I have a small bit) with veggies and meat(chicken, turkey, salmon, or tuna)

snack
a handful of low sodium nuts(almonds) and 3-5 whole wheat triscuts

dinner
rice, veggies, and a palm size amount of meat

snack
yogurt


so this is what i eat daily and it seems to be working. i've also been trying to do this couch-5k running program on the treadmil. currently on week 4 but i haven't run in 4 days so i may have to go back a week.

but thats about all thats been happening other than halloween, birthday planning, and xmas presents......

July 4, 2009

Well today was uneventful. All I did was mow the lawn. It turned out that it was trying to storm. Didn't amount to anything as usual. So I took some pics. Nothing spectacular but it'll work...
The weird clouds from the storm

A sunflower about to open. Can't wait to take pics of it when it does open....

July 3, 2009

This was a flower just growing in the grass at the park. No idea what it is.

Some moss growing on the tree.

This picture was taken from laying on the ground under the tree. I love looking up at the trees.

what a week...

This week I had a new baby start at my dayhome and its been a week from hell! She is 1 and has screamed pretty much all day everyday. At the moment she is quiet because she is asleep. Good thing she naps twice a day! So here is a few pictures I took yesterday.
A canola field. Took the picture while driving by. Want to stop and get a good one....
Not sure what this is. Saw it sticking up in the bushes at bootcamp so stopped and got a picture on the way home.

July 1, 2009 HAPPY CANADA DAY!

Today I just sat on the couch all day until it was time for dinner and to head to my hike for bootcamp. I took these pictures on the hike. Enjoy!
Southern Albertan cactus.... had to go off the beaten path to take this picture
Just some grass...
I believe this is the seeds of a milkweed plant...
This is the highest and longest bridge of its kind and it is a 100 years old this year.
A dead tree...

June 30, 2009

So this is the last day of the month. I've made it a whole month so far with a picture a day. I'm very proud of that. I tool approx 150 pictures today. Sometimes I get in the mood and I take TONS of pictures. Here are just a few of the ones I've taken.
The little spider friend that I found. Never seen a spider that looked like this.
A nice farm picture. Love this one!
The crop duster plane that kept making rounds and would tilt just enough for a good picture on the way by. I think he must have seen me taking pictures.
My version of the Bakerella cupcake burgers and fries. http://bakerella.blogspot.com/2009/06/fast-food-fun.html

One of Teresa's little pansies in her planter baskets. I love pansies!

June 29, 2009

Ok so I took alot of pictures this day and just picked the few I liked the best. So here they are! A pinecone. Thought it looked neat in the grass. Not like everyone has walked over them a million times in their life but have you stopped and 'looked' at one....

The little man-made lake that we have our bootcamps at.

A rock. Kinda looks like craters on the moon....

A dragonfly

June 28, 2009

Our crazy pooch Zoey. She is American Bulldog/Boxer. Great dog! Very smart but acts like a retard most of the time. The half wilted sunflower Austin picked in the empty lot. Thought the picture looked kinda cool.

June 27, 2009

Austin fooling around. Being a goof ball.

Cool clouds. Kinda like the ying yang symbol....

June 26, 2009


no time to post

So with me doing bootcamp I'm out of energy by the end of the day and don't feel like playing on the internet. But I will catch up on photos. So here they are. Newest picture first.....



June 24, 2009

June 23, 2009

June 22, 2009


night flowers

So after all afternoon of shopping and no pictures taken I decided to go out side at 10pm and take some pictures. These are a few of the ones I took.








A day with friends

We had some friends come over for dinner and to help install a few things. New screen door. New above the stove microwave/range. Both look awesome! We have a great dinner too. Steaks, corn on the cob, home made potatoe salad, and for dessert home made apple pie!!! YUM!


After dinner we took the kids for a little walk and found some horses near where we live. Very tame and friendly. So we let the kids feed them some grass. So my first picture is of them. "sharing" the grass. LOL.
When we got back from our walk I walked around and checked out my flowers and found that my clematis was almost blooming. Late but better late then never. And there was a dragon fly on it so my second picture is of a dragon fly.