crazy week coming up!

good morning. this week is going to be crazy. let's start at the very beginning.

monday: today is my two year anniversary (with my boyfriend). exciting! we are going somewhere or doing something but it is a surprise. i love surprises! i made him a scrapbook with photos from our year together and love quotes on fancy paper. the "glitter stack" of cardstock. i am fairly certain he doesn't read this blog so the surprise won't be ruined. ALSO, today i am definitely (i think) going to hear about one of the jobs. for some reason, instead of being excited about it, it has turned me into a nervous wreck. all weekend the hamster wheel in my brain was whizzing around at a thousand times a second. as soon as i woke up in the morning, no matter how early or how late i went to bed the night before, i was up because i couldn't stop worrying. i need to calm down.

moving on. tuesday: actually this day is nice and chill. i have to clean my apartment, bake the festive meringues, and watch the season finale of the biggest loser. nice!

wednesday: i am hosting my book club's holiday potluck party. so far i have made the chocolate clusters (amazing!), the no-bake holly cookies (interesting but a bit weird... they look good anyway), and this morning i made the teddy graham marshmellow chocolate bark. it is cooling in the fridge right now. i am planning ahead. so that's going to be really fun. i'm "bringing" a shrimp ring to the potluck. "thaw" - it doesn't get any easier than that. it even came with the sauce.

thursday: my boyfriend's work party. it's also a potluck, and a kris kringle gift exchange. luckily we already got our gifts. funny how everything can be stress free with a little planning and organization. except waiting to hear about jobs! gah!

friday: i am going to a bachelorette party. then finally i can relax. in a heap, on the floor.

my weekend was pretty good in terms of exercise, but not that great in terms of eating. i saw the sound of music (the musical), and had another sewing class where i learned to make a men's tie. it is so adorable and the best thing i've made so far. on saturday i went for a 40 minute swim and on sunday i did 2.5 miles on the treadmill, 20 minutes of which were running. so far... no bum pain.

my goals this week are a) try to eat sensibly while still enjoying myself. it's fun time and i'm going to try things don't get to try everyday. other things like store bought cookies and chocolates... i don't need. b) try to get some exercise in everyday. today i am going to walk to and from the library, and hopefully get a swim in. that would be the ultimate. c) drink and be merry, but don't drink too much. maybe i will pace my alcoholic beverages with water. 1 booze 1 water. or is it 1 booze 2 waters? d) get enough sleep. this is probably the key for keeping the other goals. when you are tired it's hard to think sensibly.

and finally, here is a picture of my coolio wall decal, and one of my little weenie christmas tree. the lights aren't on in this picture, so it isn't looking that festive.

boring bob

i feel like a bit of a boring bob lately... you know, not much to say, not much going on. of course that will all change next week when my life turns into a crazy madhouse with events almost every night. not that i'm complaining. it's better than being a social hermit.

yesterday i was on plan all day, and managed to get in a 3-mile walk on the treadmill at night. my boyfriend is a teacher, and through his school board i got a discount on magazine subscriptions to "shape" and "fitness" and my first shape issue came in the mail yesterday. love it! i like reading the success stories, as well as the recipes and health tips. i am not that into the exercise routines... they always look so complicated even though they probably aren't. that wouldn't make sense.

when i got home from work last night the fire alarm in my building was going off. it is so loud everywhere: in the underground parking lot, in the stairwells, in the hallways, and in each individual unit. it was so annoying. i decided to escape and go grocery shopping. it was still blaring when i returned. luckily i bought ear plugs at the grocery store which muffled the sound slightly. there is a new "phase 2" condo that went up beside mine and people have just started moving in. i guess one of the units started to flood (water pouring in through the heating vents) and that's why the alarms were going off. i had to walk up 10 flights of stairs to get to my unit, and then down 10 to go to the gym. good exercise? thankfully the elevators were working again when i left the gym.

did anyone watch gossip girl last night? chuck bass was looking really good in his angry state. normally i'm a nate type of girl, but this episode was all about chuck.

i'm listening to a new audiobook: "drop dead beautiful" by jackie collins. i have never read (or listened to) anything by jackie collins before and i am very surprised by how sexually explicit it is. shocked, actually! it's a pretty good story though. lots of juice and drama. last week i finished listening to "little earthquakes" by jennifer weiner. that was my first book by her, as well, and it was alright but nothing special. it was read by the author who was speaking too slowly for me.

i think that is about it. oh, apparently tomorrow there is a 40% sale at banana republic. on everything except one specific line. i am definitely going. normally i don't shop there because of the prices. whee!

tis the season!

hello friends. tis the season to be busy which i why i forgot to post today. until now! and i've been lacking in the commenting department as well, but i plan on catching up today and tomorrow. all of your blogs are waiting in my google reader!

yesterday i stuck 100% to my eating plan, even with my boyfriend tempting me at night. i didn't put one bite in my mouth that wasn't planned and it felt so good. except when he was eating in front of me. that's old news (yesterday) and i don't care about it anymore. having one great day under my belt makes it so easy to do well today.

today i bought my very own (and first) christmas tree and decorations. canadian tire had a great sale. i got a pre-lit 3-foot tree for $9.99, 60% off regular price. and a package of mixed gold decorations for $9.99, 50% off regular price. and some small red bows to jazz it up a little.

my big plans tonight include setting up my tree, and watching biggest loser. last week evil vicki actually showed some emotion - can you believe it?

hmmmm, what else? i am having a love affair with tea. it's so wonderful and warm. and it's perfect for tasting whatever you want to taste with no calories. peppermint, pumpkin spice, sugar cookie, vanilla, gingerbread... etc. i even have a flavour called "chocolately chai" which is heavenly and really chocolately.

another busy day

today is another busy one! so, here is a list:

1) my interview yesterday was alright, nothing special. the position is a maternity leave 1 year contract with no benefits, and i'd rather have something more permanent if i can help it.

2) i finished my finance article, but not without having to completely revise my topic after interviewing a mortgage broker.

3) i had a great, long swim of 2250 metres.

4) for dinner i made this salad concoction of stuff i had in my fridge. and then in the night i wasn't feeling so hot and i threw up. the salad was kind of gross but i ate it anyway... i tried to make my own dressing, that was the problem. i probably won't be eating tuna, or raw spinach for awhile... :o(

5) today i am going back to the burbs to work at my mom's office.

6) it is also her birthday - hooray! so i'm going to pick up flowers on the way.

7) book club tonight. i didn't finish the book and won't have time to. :(

8) but today my boyfriend comes home - he was away at a camp all week. :)

9) this morning i ran day one week two of the couch to 5k since i knew i wouldn't have time to later.

10) this morning i made the MOST DELICIOUS oatmeal ever. i brewed a cup of gingerbread spice (a christmas tea) and then used that in the regular oats instead of water. it was unreal. and i added some sweetener, 1/4 cup all bran, and 1/3 cup 1% cottage cheese for a giant delicious bowl. and only 3 points!

i see the light

this week i am very busy. not so much at work but in my home life. i am throwing myself a birthday party on saturday and am really anal about a) having a spotless, immaculate apartment (who am i, my mother?) b) providing drinks and a delicious spread c) looking hot and fabulous and d) being able to accomplish everything without feeling stressed at all. the pressure is on people!

i made myself a to-do list at the beginning of the week and am crossing things off as i go along. the list includes EVERYTHING i have to do... from cleaning the bathroom, to buying plastic cups at the dollar store, to finding a new party dress, to shaving my legs, to windexing the giant window/doors to my balcony, to cutting up veggies for a veggie platter, to losing my above-maintenance extra weight. there are about fifty other things on the list. not kidding.

last night was my sewing class and it was fun. we talked about using patterns and then cut them out and pinned them to the fabric and cut out the fabric. when i got home (at 9:30!) i cleaned my entire bathroom and did an inventory of the party supplies i already have. it doesn't help that on friday i am going to a different birthday party. getting my friend a present is on my list of to-do things!

anyway that's boring. my boyfriend told me last night that he booked our tickets yesterday. we are flying out on the last sunday in july and coming back the next sunday. i am really excited. and i really need a vacation!

this morning i did a 4-mile run around town, then came back to the condo gym for some arm weights and sit-ups. i am still following my plan of breakfast being the biggest meal of the day, then lunch, then dinner. it's working out well for me... since i am so busy in the evenings this week i don't have time to think about making anything exciting for dinner. the protein powder is still working in my favour... this morning i made one with 1/2 banana, unsweetened almond breeze, and frozen mangos and peaches. tropical yum!

now to get on with thursday! (i am actually happy it's thursday not friday, because i need tonight to do more party prep.)

a lot to do

well, i'm back at work. hooray! am feigning sarcasm or what? maybe. i'm actually happy to be back at this work because at least here i get to sit in a nice chair instead of being a skilled labourer (painter) all the live long day. i am almost done painting, so no pictures yet. i want it to look somewhat decent before i take any shots. i have one more coat of green to do in the bedroom, and touch ups of course. and i made the mistake of painting part of the kitchen yellow, which really should be grey like the living and dining room. i changed colours at a corner, and it looks really tacky, and it's going to bother me until i fix it, so i'll finish everything tonight.

i have so much to do at work it's crazy. my immediate boss is away on business for more than a week, so i have to pick up that slack as well as get caught up on the stuff i missed during my three days off. all i really want to do is leisurely go through my emails and catch up on blogs, haha. hopefully i can read some at lunchtime today.

yesterday i went for a five-mile run. i am really digging these five-mile runs outside. it's great because even if you want to stop, you are still so far away from home that you might as well keep going haha. i got caught in the rain halfway through. i sort of didn't like it but it sort of made me feel super hardcore - like "so what nature! take that!" haha. anyway...

this morning i woke up early and did four miles (walking) on the treadmill and four miles on the stationary bike. i much prefer working out in the mornings.

today i'm eating:

lemon source yogurt, the dessert kind (1)

regular instant oatmeal with added flax and all bran (3)
1 cup frozen berries (0.5)
(4.5)

pc blue menu microwave dinner - shrimp whole wheat pasta something or other (5)
raw carrots and baby tomatoes with hummus (1)
(10.5)

another source yogurt (1)
3 little almond biscotti (2)
(13.5)

dinner:
green beans (0)
veggie burger (4)
salad (3)
(20.5)

maybe something else too. :)

happy days are here again

almost the weekend! i feel like i really need a weekend. last night i was go go go until bedtime. on the way home from work i had to return a movie and pick up my white winter jacket from the dry cleaners. also stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few things. then i came home, clean clean cleaned, made peanut butter banana pecan muffins (see recipe below), made dinner, went to the post office to pick up a package, went to my tap class for an hour, went back to the grocery store to use that coin machine (i had a lot of coins) and then home for zzzzs. so very busy.

friday is weigh-in and today i weigh 118 pounds, which is down 0.2 from last friday, which is great maintenance, considering i ate two of the homemade muffins last night. i didn't exercise this morning because i needed a break, and i do not want to feel tired tonight as i am going to the hawksley workman concert.

so i ordered more PB2 peanut butter. for those of you who don't know it's powdered peanut butter that has 75% less calories and fat than regular peanut butter. and you can choose the consistency of the peanut butter by adding as much water as you want. for example, there are times when you would want a thick peanut butter (like in a sandwich) and there are times went you would want a runny peanut butter (using it as a delicious dip). so in the box was this recipe for PB2 and banana pecan muffins, but it called for things like white flour, sugar, vegetable shortening, eggs, etc. i thought, how can i make this healthier... and here is the recipe. they are very delicious and surprisingly pretty fluffy.

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup PB2
1 T baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup splenda
4 egg whites
1 1/3 to 1 1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 3)

preheat the oven to 375 degrees. blend (with a spoon) the flour, PB2, baking powder, and salt together in a mixing bowl. mix in the chopped nuts. in a second bowl, cream (with a mixer) the applesauce and splenda together until light and fluffy. add the egg whites 2 at a time and beat well. mash the bananas (with a potato masher) and then blend them into the liquid mix. add the wet ingredients to the dry, stirring just enough to moisten; about 20 seconds. spoon the batter into a greased (spray like pam) muffin tin and bake for 20-25 minutes or until done. makes 12 muffins.

per muffin: 152 calories, 5g fat, 4g fibre

muffins with 1/2 cup chocolate chips instead of pecans:
144 calories, 3g fat, 3.5g fibre

muffins plain (no pecans or chips):
120 calories, 2g fat, 3.5g fibre

i calculated these calorie amounts myself by just adding up all the ingredients and dividing by 12.

happy weekend everyone. apparently it's going to snow starting at noon another 20-25cm. that's a lot... :o( boo hoo hoo.