And it snowed in the village!

I've had the Christmas village set up for a few days, but it hadn't snowed yet!  :)  Meaning, I hadn't added the snow to cover up all the wires etc.  But today...it finally snowed! 

The first few pictures are with the lights on...then with only the lights for the village.  I noticed a few spot lights have burnt out, so I need to go battery shopping...:)

Enjoy!

Hmmm...I think I need to paint the walls blue.....I'd had a beautiful sky background then!!!

Wedding Scrapbook

These are the first few pages of the Christmas present I'm making for my brother and his wife...they were married in August.  I still have several pages to go, but they're planned out and now...it's just time to get them all done before Christmas!  If you'd like a closer look, just double click on the picture!

The paper on the right corner of the picture and the three circles on top, was the paper off the cupcake holders (they had cupcakes rather than a wedding cake) smart crafting eh?  :)  :)

Enjoy!

Proud momma!

Last night was Carinne's "Evening of the Arts" for her school.  Her school choir performed, and I  did exactly what Carinne said not to do...I sat in the second row, right in front of her!  It was funny as she tried so hard not to look at her mom!  I was so amazed and thrilled with how well the choir performed. Kudos to her choir director LeeAnn!   A beautiful rendiition of "Thankful"  check out Josh Grobin's version if you like!  Several more songs were performed, including a beautiful"Alleluia"  with the group finishing with a smash up of "The First Noel" and "Canon in D" (taking a que from Glee).  :) 

I am so proud of my beautiful daughter.  She's come a long way from the days where we'd listen to cd's and she's sing and spin...yes spin...she was a spinner!  LOL  I have videos of her singing, "Up on a Housetop" as loud as she could, and spinning in continious circles.  I'm amazed she didn't crash into something.  "Spinning" was something she did for years, and I've just realized she doesn't do it anymore.   I kind of miss that.   My little girl is growing into a beautiful young woman with an amazing voice. 

I can't wait to hear them again, and again. 

Who would have thought?

That I'd have to eat MORE!  I had a great workout yesterday with Amanda, and Jo took some time to go through my food journal to see what's happening with my dietary habits!  :)  Mostly good, I think, less processed (don't we all!), and just more calories!  We have it grilled into us that less is better!  To lose wieght you have to eat less.  Jo is teaching me it's not about that...that's why so many of us are "stuck" at our current weight levels.  It makes sense, but it's really hard to wrap my head around; especially all the time I spent with Jenny Craig, and Weight Watchers was about eating less, and exercising more.  According to Jo, my new guru  :), the opposite is true...the more you exercise, the more you need to eat! 

We are bombarded with commercials, ads, and media telling us fat free is the way to go, eat less, eat salads all the time, "don't eat that you'll get fat".  I worry about my daughter who already says she doesn't "have" to eat because she's worried she'll gain weight.    That was me in high school...I think I ate an apple for lunch and only supper at home with my family.  Look where it got me 27 years later

I consider myself  to be educated;  I know all about the  Canada Food Guide, I know what's good for you and what's not good for you.  I know we all need to cut the processed, and eat clean fresh food.   But still it's a challenge, when one is working full time, to plan and have all the right stuff on hand.  Maybe it comes down to the fact that change in itself is hard, it's always easier to take the short cut.  Eating is one facet of our lives where taking the short cut just doesn't work.   And really, doesn't my body deserve the best kind of fuel. Hard for me to wrap my head around that  I know it, but do I really deserve it?...but that's another blog post. 

This morning I was packing my lunch to take to school,  not enough...add an orange...that's only 40 calories...add a yogurt...that's only 30 calories...alright add a Fibre One bar...that's 140 calories. okay, add 1/2 cup  of  almonds...380 calories..yesh!  When you eat the good stuff, unprocessed stuff....it's a lot of food! 

I'm trusting Jo on this one; I have faith in the plan, it really is kind of amazing, someone is telling me to eat MORE!  But I'm on it!  :)  Faith and trust, Jo!

Now I remember!

It was a really long day at school today.  It's been crazy busy, and then adding the trips to the gym into my schedule...really, I'm tired. 

But at the end of the school day, I had a moment...just one little moment, that yes, I am making a difference!  A young lady came in needing only 2 credits to graduate...not a problem...except, wait, she's 20.  Not eligible for regular high school funding.  Instead of regular fees, she would be required to pay adult fees...three times the regular school fee.  There is no way she can afford to pay it.  Quick call to our principal, "Can we do something?"  And the answer was yes if I was willing to do my part !!!!    The smile on this young girls face was amazing; her eyes lit up, and  she was so happy that she will be able to graduate and have a high school diploma!  Sometimes we forget that the little things we do for those around us do make a difference. In the day to day runnings of the school I rarely have these moments, and today I am thankful, as I made a difference in a young girls life!

Yay, a scrapbooking day!

Well not really, a whole day, but an evening!  I was able to get four pages done out of my brother's wedding album (his Christmas present), and it felt great to finally get it started.  I'll post some pictures once I get it done.  It felt really great to get back in my room and do something crafty. 

I did have a good workout with Jo today.  I have to keep the long term goal in mind, and sometimes it's really hard.  I almost didn't go today, feeling like a wanted to have my own pity party...should I go???  should I go????  What finally did the trick was remembering the white shirt I had seen a lady wear at a party I went to...classy shirt, beautiful fabric...loved it...but there's no way I can wear it now, the tummy just isn't there...YET!  So off I went....felt good once I was there...how come it's so hard to get out the door?  I know I'm healthier, I know I"m stronger...can't wait for the scale to say the same thing!

An early Friday

Kind of sort of!  We have a short week this week, due to Remembrance Day, and a day-in-lieu!  Yay!

Had the weirdest experience at the gym yesterday.  I was sitting on the floor putting on the runners and had a "charlie-horse" in my stomach.  Was weird!!!  Went away after awhile...I continued on with my workout...but felt my stomach muscles all night!  Weird!!  Still feeling it a bit today but nowhere as bad as it was last night.  Today is rest day...probably much needed!  :)

I'm getting a little frustrated with my lack of weight loss...grrrrr....but I'll keep going!!!

Another day, another dollar!

I got some really good news at school today, we're are raking in the credits!  yay!  The hard part to swallow is that more than 2/3 are coming from me.  My I knew I was doing a copious amount of marking, and now when I see it in black and white I have total confirmation!  I'm not crazy!!!

However, I was able to get relatively caught up thanks to my fabulous principal, who came in on Friday to help bail me out.

I was a good girl on the weekend, and went to the gym...Amanda kicked my butt.  I have never felt so dizzy at class.  I had to bail on the stairs, which is not how I like to roll.  I kind of felt guilty about it once I got home, but later when I could barely get up off the kitchen floor (I was yes, cleaning), I realized it's okay to say, it's too much.

Tonight is another TRX class, hoping that one goes a bit better.  It's going to be a busy couple of days with report cards, parent/teacher interviews and gym time...but I'm on it like a dirty shirt...and yes I have laundry to do too!  LOL

A hard one

I wen to TRX class today with Amanda at 1pm...first thing I shouldn't have done was had Cheerios for breakfast...not enough...then had a sandwich at 11:30...not enough...thought it wasn't enough so had some almonds following....too much!  When will I finally figure the food part out???? 

Off to class I went, in a huge rush, as I had to pick up Jean-Luc from a birthday party...get there...and I got my butt kicked!  Yes, I did...I had to bail on the stairs...apparently Saturday's and stairs go together!  Who knew?  I have discovered the trials of being 44 are bad knees.  I did the stairs a few times, but I had to ask for something different...irks me that I couldn't make it grrrrrrrr.  Everything seemed hard today...I'm hoping it means I am using different muslces and they're protesting a bit.

For the rest of the day I have been cleaning house and putting stuff away...I got down on my knees to snap the plate back on the bottom of the fridge...almost couldn't get up. :(  I was sitting tonight, watching "Horton Hears a Who" with the kids...could barely get off the couch....what will ache tomorrow????..hmmmmm.....perhaps some Ibuprofen before bed would be a good thing!

Beautiful

I was watcing "What Not to Wear" tonight, and there was a woman on tonight, who was close to the same age as I am.  She had never thought of herself as beautiful.  Stacy and Clinton had to force her to say, "I'm Beautiful!"  As I was watching this, I had tears rolling down my face.  I have NEVER looked in the mirror and thought I was beautiful  Not even when I was the perfect size 7 and 117 pounds, not on my wedding day and certainly not since.    It makes me sad to say this.  I know I have looked "okay" and "nice"  but not beautiful!   Why are we so hard on ourselves?  I know I am a strong woman, the last few years are a testimony to that.  But I can't say it.

I am working hard at making the outside beauitful in my own eyes.  It's a lot of hard work, and hopefully I will start to have some rewards soon. I often wonder why I'm sabotaging myself.   I know the inside is beautiful.....at least that's what I hope others around me see -- the real me, not the one I see in the mirror.

I am trying hard get there.......

And surgery it is

But, I just don't know when yet!  I went to the surgeon for my appointment this morning; nice lady!!  She said I'll should have surgery in the next two months, depending on of course, howe busy the hospital gets to be!  I am hoping before Christmas...or after Christmas.  As you all know how much I love Christmas...and why be off when I can paid to be at home recooperating :)

I still go into surgery with some trepidation...it's been a long time...16 years in fact, but I NEVER want to face a gall bladder attack again. 

On another note, will be going to the gym tonight...kids have music lessons at 7, so off I'll go!  :)  Darn shouldn't have eaten those cookies for lunch!  :)  At least they were home made with oatmeal and coconut...right?????

Another day

Well, I realized it's been almost 7 months since I posted anything on my blog and mostly it's because I haven't  scrapped much...so  I'm changing gears.  I'm thinking I'm going to try and use the blog to relate a bit of my experiences at Jo Dumont's Fitness Training Center.  Or Jo's!  I have been going to Jo's since mid-August.  I don't think I've ever lasted so long going to a workout center.  Have I lost tons of weight?  No.  Have I lost tons of inches?  No.  Have I increased my fitness?  Yes!  Which is I guess what counts.  We had a TRX class tonight, and while I'll never say a class is wonderful and that I actually enjoy it; I felt really proud of myself tonight.  I had to break a time or two on my planks...but I didn't quit!  I told Jo tonight my goal was to be able to do a certain type of plank..because Robert can't do it!  So the goal has been set!

Sometimes it's really frustrating as I have so much weight to lose, yet the pounds aren't coming off.  Diet!  I need to start tracking again :) Yes I do.  I am hoping I can get measured tomorrow...hopefully I'll see that some of the inches are making their way off!