my tree is a cat toy

so i put up my tree last night. i think it looks smaller than 3 feet but it's still cute. it's decorated all in gold. i decided to forgo the red bows because they looked kind of tacky and even though they are small were dwarfing the tree. i also wrapped presents while i watched biggest loser.

i also put up this wall decal i ordered a while ago. i have been scared to put it up for weeks, and with good reason. it was a nightmare. first i had to cut it up the way i wanted, then tape it to the wall to make it look alright, and of course the tape kept unsticking. then i had to take it off the wall, press any bubbles out with a credit card, remove the backing, and then try to apply this clear sticky paper to the wall exactly where i had it the last time. it kept sticking everywhere and generally annoying me. it ended up not looking perfectly straight but still beautiful in my opinion. here is a picture of the wall decal i bought. this isn't my house, but i will post a picture of my wall (and baby tree) soon. it's called "birds on a wire" and i set mine up to look exactly like this:


my cat, oliver, won't stop playing with the balls on the tree. i have spritzed water at him about 500 times thus far but it doesn't seem to be deterring him for longer than a few minutes at a time. he even runs away when he sees the spray bottle, but i think it just revs him up for some excitement that i'm not really providing. does anyone have any tips?

this morning i am at my mom's office, and i have another job interview this afternoon. yes, another one! and then my final "a-line" skirt sewing class tonight. it already is looking pretty awesome. maybe i will wear it tomorrow and impress my mother. it's so long though, i look like a farmer. hopefully we are shortening them tonight.

yesterday was another completely on plan day. marvelous! i am feeling very on top of the ball and accomplished. i just need to make it until friday and then i can slack off a little.

sewing day!

apparently it's supposed to snow a lot today. yikes! i hope it doesn't affect traffic because i have to be back to the city by 6pm for my sewing class. we are using the "amy butler barcelona skirt pattern" which looks like this:



i hope i can make it a bit shorter because i don't find that length to be very flattering. i bought a red and black patterned fabric last night at fabricland. i have to say, their selection of cotton fabric was really ho hum. unless you wanted a superlame christmas inspired design. can you imagine? maybe for pajamas or something, but not a skirt.

today i am lazy again. i woke up to swim at 6:30, and then suddenly it was already 7am and too late. what is going on? i went to bed at 11pm last night too, which is quite early for me. i love staying up late. i love sleeping too. what a conundrum, you see. conundrum: do you like that word? i do!

last night we made personal pizzas with multigrain flat out wraps as crust. i also went to the polish grocery store and bought two kinds of delicious salami. i went in to get tomato sauce and then forgot all about it, so we had to use bbq chicken sauce as a base. it turned out extra tasty. my pizza had green pepper, red onion, tomato, zucchini, mushrooms, light mozza cheese, and both kinds of salami. i always thought salami was really bad for you, but it's only 2 points per 1 oz. which isn't that bad because it's not that heavy.

i am having the rest of the salami today for lunch in a flat out wrap with lettuce, tomato, mustard, green pepper, red onions and mushrooms. wrapped up though too. it's huge! longer than my foot! i don't know if that's true or not. ;)

zzzzzz zombie

do you ever have periods of time, i mean days, where you are just tired? that's how i feel right now. i got home from buffalo and just wanted to veg on the couch. that's not unreasonable, because i didn't get home until 7:30pm, after a long day of shopping and driving. i watched gossip girl and last week's biggest loser. boy, do i ever dislike vicky! not only does she say mean things, but then she smirks about it too! like what she said was a real great jab... it was just mean, not clever! i don't want to think about her anymore or steam might come out of my ears.

this morning i was going to get up and swim but decided to sleep for longer instead. i am tired and lazy. i figure as long as i don't eat over my points, a few days of non-activity isn't going to turn me into a pile of mush. this week is so busy, too. tonight is date night, since tomorrow i have a sewing line (we are making A-line skirts), and thursday is book club. the book is divisadero, by michael ondaatje.

that's all for now. make sure you scroll down to read about all the yummy food i got in the states.

slaughterhouse

sew i didn't finish my dress in sewing last night but it's ok. i put in one sleeve. i have to go back and finish the rest some other time. here is a bit of an nsv. my sewing teacher made ice cream sandwiches for everyone with homemade strawberry ice cream. at first i wasn't going to have one but really, denying yourself pleasures like homemade ice cream is not living, it's deprivation. so i took one, ate the ice cream from the middle and threw out the cookies. they were just chips ahoy or whatever. yah good tasting, but available to me whenever i want so i'm not really depriving myself of anything there.

when i got home i cleaned up a little, and then did the denise austin power yoga plus video i got at the library last week. i wanted to feel stretched and relaxed. i find that my posture feels improved every time i do yoga or pilates and i really like that feeling.

this morning i got up early and had a 4-mile run. it wasn't the best. i tried a new route in order to spice things up, but my right shin was bothering me. i am going to have to stay off it. i'll ice it tonight and see if that helps. i find it doesn't hurt if i just run for 10 minutes at a time on the dreadmill, only when running longer distances outside.

this is totally unrelated, but i live right by a pig slaughterhouse. not joking. one of the main streets near my abode is sort of an off ramp from the highway, and when i turn on it (on my bike... going to work or whatever) i often see a) a giant truck full of pigs with their snouts poking out of holes snorting at me or b) the same truck heading the other way but empty. if you wanted to know, pig slaughterhouses don't smell too good. also i have heard the poor little piggies screeching before. my writing style can be flippant but i am really bothered by this. i really don't eat much pork - maybe a pork chop once in a while at my parent's house. i think that if i lived in close contact with other animals, i would be hesitant to eat them as well. like chickens or cows.... how do farmers do it? seeing those poor little snouts... heading for death... sad.

it bothers me. lately i have been bothered by something else. there is this crazy woman who begs for money and food by my work. she is really crazy - always sobbing hysterically and sitting in the pouring rain even when their is an awning nearby. sometimes i give her food. she is in her twenties but looks older due to the harsh elements. anyway, i just noticed this week that she is six months pregnant. i can't stop thinking about it. how did she get pregnant? what is going to happen to that poor baby? was she raped? was she forced to sleep with someone for money or drugs? it's very upsetting. i think these things happen as a result of poor family situations. i am lucky to have nice and supportive parents. :(

on that note... in addition to my regular workouts, i've been doing 100 situps a day in order to prep myself for bikini weekend. normally i do 80 situps, maybe 3-4 times a week. i went to this same cottage around the same time last year and i was 127 pounds. some of my pictures from that time are flattering, although i remember feeling really... what's the word... um... well i wished my stomach was flatter and that the sides of my stomach were tighter. although that was my lowest weight to date so i felt pretty good about myself. this year is definitely a huge improvement so i'm looking forward to taking some comparison shots.

today for lunch i'm having a tuna sandwich with light mozzarella and tomato slices. the tuna is clover leaf lemon and pepper flavoured... delicious. :o)

some random thoughts

first thought: this morning whilst riding my bike to work, i was really reminded of the weather on vancouver island. it was humid and foggy, but not hot. i miss victoria. my grandparents used to live there but not anymore as they are all deceased. it's weird how times and places and people in live change. yes i am very deep. the point is victoria is a wicked city.

second thought: last night there were crazy thunderstorms. the lightning was so bright that i think it hit the ground right outside of my building several times. my cat oliver was so scared, he was doing the snake walk haha. somehow his legs disappear and he slithers on the ground to some hiding spot. maybe he thinks he is safer being so close to the ground. anyway it looks ridiculous.

third thought: my mexican dinner was a huge success. for me anyway. i was really impressed with myself. my boyfriend liked it too, but he's not as familiar with mexican-type food as i am. he said, "what is this mushy hunk?" about the refried beans. ha! the best part is i have leftovers for lunch today.

fourth thought: i drank way too much white wine last night. normally i am a red girl, but i wanted something cool and refreshing. i think it kind of made me toss and turn in the night and i am not feeling that hot today. not hung over at all, but whenever i drink too much, i feel overly sensitive.

fifth thought: i still got up and hit the gym because i am hardcore. i did three times ten minutes running on the treadmill with arm weights in between and then stretches and 100 sit-ups of different varieties at the end. whenever i do arm weights and look in the mirror at the gym i feel like a real beefcake... you know when you are lifting weights and right after your muscles are kind of plumped up (in a good beefcake way). it always makes me think about being a female boxer. i am sort of tuff, i could do it maybe. i am way tougher than any other girl in my immediate circle of friends/family. kapow!

sixth thought: tonight is my last sewing class. i hope i get everything done in time. and then i hope i continue to make things outside of class.

seventh thought is today's menu:

fiber one with almond butter

pc multigrain oatmeal with flax, cinnamon, pumpkin, 1/2 banana and blueberries

fat free yogurt

vanilla protein shake

leftover mexicano

plum

fat free yogurt with blueberries

cocoa mole larabar

ahoy matey

i am in a much better mood today. last night i went back to the sewing studio and got caught up. i finished putting in the zipper, and sewed the tops of the shoulders and the sides of the dress together. now i just have to add the sleeves and do the trim (i think). then i cleaned my entire apartment. bathroom, kitchen, dishes, den, living room, vacuuming, laundry, bedroom, on and on and on. i like going into the weekend feeling ready to relax. weekends are for relaxing not cleaning.

i was going to go running again today, because i can't go for my usual saturday long run tomorrow because of the everlasting wedding, but then i remembered yesterday's run and how it wasn't fun (rhyme) and my right shin has been bothering me (maybe a splint) so i thought a couple of days off would be the best medicine. there is no point exercising if you don't enjoy it.

yesterday at the library i was getting the new book club book (valley of the dolls), and i saw a yoga/pilates dvd, so i got that too.


it is power yoga plus by denise austin. i did it this morning and it was alright, except denise austin is kind of annoying. but who isn't at 7am, really. she kept saying weird things like, "show me that happy face and smile"... don't you think that's weird? 1) who is smiling? 2) the lady in the TV can't see me! at least i hope not.

it was 20 minutes of yoga and 20 of pilates. my problem with this type of exercise is that i am not that flexible. i never have been. i can remember being in dance class as a young girl and practicing the splits every day for years before i could actually do them. i can't touch my toes... maybe my legs are long. denise austin's legs looked kind of stubby to me. anyway. it was alright. the pilates was more vigorous than the yoga. some of the balancing yoga moves were difficult but not impossible. denise austin's voice is kind of baby-talky though, and i kept thinking of rude things and grossing myself out. if you know what i mean. i hope you don't.

oh, and happy 4th of july to my american friends. i am going to celebrate by eating a twinkie. just kidding! relax.

bad mood betty

i am in a poo mood today and i know why. i'm not getting enough sleep and because of that am irritable and because of that am letting little things bother me. like the following:

1) last night at sewing i made an annoying mistake. the back of my dress has four different parts. top left, top right, bottom left and bottom right. well i sewed top left to bottom right and bottom left to top right, then had to rip it out and start all over again. then i could only put in half the zipper at the back. normally this wouldn't annoy me that much but we have to have everything done but the sleeves by next class, which is the last, which means i am going back there tonight after work. i don't want to go back and sew more tonight (whine whine whine), i just want to go home and relax and clean up my apartment like i do most thursdays.

2) it is raining. it feels like for the past month, it's been raining every day. can't it just be a dry, sunny heat wave? come on mother nature.

3) this morning i went for a run and i hated it. it was the worst thing ever. normally i enjoy exercise but not today. i was going to go four miles but when i hit the street that means if i turn around now it's only three miles, i took it. so three miles... better than nothing yes but where is the motivation?

4) yesterday i bought this new pantene product - it's supposed to keep your hair straighter for up to eighteen hours, or something like that. anyway the highlight of my crap run this morning was thinking about how straight my hair was going to be today. so i get home, and the bottle isn't in the bag... why you ask? because there is a HOLE in the bag and it must have fallen out yesterday on the subway or something. ggggaaaahhhhhhgabanoosh!

so that's that. in other news that is happier, i've rented season two of "big love," that show about polygamy, and it's really good. of course every night i get sucked in to watching just "one more episode" and then it's past twelve and that's not really helping my need of sleep. i hardly ever watch tv and only have a week before the dvds are due back. luckily the place i rent from gives you the whole season for $7-10 instead of only episodes one to four.

now more happy news, on saturday i am going to the wedding of the century. there is a brunch, then a church ceremony, then a reception and all the rest. i think it starts at 10am or something ridiculous. it is a big italian wedding with 500 guests or something. i don't even know 500 people!

today on the menu is:

oatmeal
grapes
frozen raspberries
fat free yogurts
banana
larabar
blah blah blah.

short and sweet

today's menu:

quaker weight control maple brown sugar oatmeal
1 T pecans on top
1 fat free yogurt
1 cup red grapes

coffee with milk

100 calorie pack of quaker maple brown sugar oatmeal squares

fat free yogurt
1 T ground flax
1 cup green grapes
sprinkling of fiber one

tuna steak in a wrap or perhaps on a bun
spinach salad

exercise:
3 x 10 running, arm weights, situps... (i am going to do this now). and sewing tonight. we are putting in zippers. :)

feels like friday

but it's only thursday. starting this week my work has been doing "summer hours" which sounds like a nice idea because on friday you get to go home at 1pm (sweet) but you have to make up the time on the other days which makes for some pretty long, tedious days.

last night was sewing class. trust me people, i am not a good sewer although i am improving and practice is the only thing i can do. last week we didn't do any sewing and this week i was expected to serge my fabric and i forgot how to thread the machine. not the serger, whoever can thread that crazy machine is a genius, but the regular machine. i felt like such a dumb dora. but it turned out okay. i serged around the edges of all my fabric and by the end felt very confident about my serging and then i made darts in the top of the dress, which is basically sewing triangles into the fabric so that it fits around your body. like the pleats on a pant, although who wears pleated pants i don't know!

this morning i ran 3 x 10 minutes at the gym, and did arm weights and sit-ups in between. short but good workout.

i am reading this book about running. "the real woman's guide to running," by liz yelling. it's alright. it talks about how to get started running (if you don't run), and how to go longer and faster if you already run. i like that it is all geared to women. it talks about what you need for summer and winter running, what to eat, what to expect... there are event training programs for 5k, 10k, 1/2 marathon and marathon races, for beginners, and for seasoned runners.


i am also reading "remember me?" by sophie kinsella, author of those shopaholic books. i love reading chick lit, especially in the summer. :)


speaking of summer, it seems that this summer i am obsessed with fruit. it's nature's candy and it's sooooo good. i love it all (except melons... bleh). today i am eating raspberries, blackberries, cherries (with my breakfast), a banana and a peach with my lunch, and an apple for a snack. mmmmm fruit.

blah blah blah

last night was my book club. you can see the book in the posting below. this book was awesome! it was about this young man in the 1920s (i think) who joins the circus. it is very exciting and descriptive... the idea of a traveling circus is really interesting to me. our next book is the 1966 classic "valley of the dolls" and i'm really looking forward to reading it.

last night after my book club i came home and ate leftover birthday cake. why? i don't know. i should just throw it out. i didn't get home until 11:30 (late!) and i hadn't been home all day long, because i had to finish the book in time for the meeting. i had two glasses of wine at the restaurant and maybe that's why i thought the cake was such a good idea. 1) it didn't even taste that good (but i can recall it tasting amazing at the party) and 2) it make me feel too full and like a giant tub of blob which is not a good feeling either. i am going to commit this feeling to memory and the next time i want something like leftover cake, try and remember how it didn't really do it for me.

today is another long day because it's my sewing class after work until 9pm. when will the madness end? just kidding. i don't mind but my apartment is très sale. thankfully i do not care (yet) because i am not having any parties this weekend :). and i can clean tomorrow. or friday. or whenever. who cares? not me.

today i got up and went for a quick 4-mile run. i didn't wear my hrm, but when i do wear it, i assume it's accurate. i mean, why wouldn't it be? the heart rate goes up when i go up hills or work harder, so i assume it's giving me the correct calorie burn (p.o.m.) but maybe it isn't. i guess it's not a bad thing to be burning more calories than i think i am, right? i've heard that people burn roughly 100 calories per mile, but i do have really low blood pressure. does that matter? and you know, to assume makes an "ass" out of "u" and "me." i know, i'm so funny...

i think my body hates extreme amounts of sugar! blah blah blah...

hooray it's friday!

i love fridays, but who doesn't? people who have to work on the weekend, that's who. thankfully, i am not one of them. 

last night i did four miles on the treadmill and then went to tap. my run wasn't that great, but tap was fun. i've started doing this new super stretching routine after any cardio and it's really making me feel good. lots of leg stretches, side stretches, back stretches, some push ups, some yoga moves like the downward dog. my hamstrings are SO inflexible. i can't even touch the ground or my feet with my legs straight. i took yoga last winter and liked the flexibility it gave me but thought that the class was sort of boring. not the class itself but doing the same sun salutations over and over and over again. switch it up! anyway i really need to work on flexibility so i need to keep doing these super stretches when i work out. incorporate it into my routine, you might say. 

so i've decided to take another sewing class, i think. it starts in march and is 4 sessions.... and is "how to make a pencil skirt." doesn't that sound awesome? i think so. i should sign up fast to claim a spot, since there are probably only six spots. hmmmm. i am also taking a photoshop course in march. too busy? maybe baby. 

i got up this morning and did 60 minutes of interval inclines on the treadmill, then stretching of course. today was supposed to be a day off but i woke up early with energy and thought i might as well. today was friday weigh in and i gained a WHOPPING 0.2 pounds which is a great maintenance amount. wow — i could not spell maintenance for the life of me. i had to google it. i kept putting maintainance then maintainence... you maintain but go through maintenance AHHHH. now that i'm analyzing it they all look wrong. and i'm babbling barbara too. 

tonight i'm going to some bar on king street for one of my university roommates birthdays. not my scene but c'est la vie! should be fun anyway. and today's menu:

pre-walk: 

1/2 fibre source bar

post-walk: 

1/2 fibre source bar

1/2 banana

breakfast: 

1/3 cup oats with

1 T slivered almonds

1 t splenda

1 t cinnamon

2 T milk

1/2 banana

2 T PB2 peanut butter

lunch:

chicken teriyaki lean cuisine bowl

carrots and lemon dill hummus

snacks:

fat free vanilla yogurt with all bran sprinkles

red seedless grapes

dinner:

not sure, maybe soup and perogies

picture time and another list

today is a busy one, so it calls for another list:

1) my review of dinner is in the comments of the post before this one.

2) here are pictures of my pillow (that i made in my sewing class):
this is the first picture, but i don't think that the table did it justice.


so i took another against this audrey picture i haven't hung up yet


then i wanted to show how well the fabric matched my couch (and it's from the walmart clearance bin too)


3) i am taking another tap class which starts tonight. i love tapping! tippity tap tap *jazz hands*

4) i got home before my boyfriend last night, so thought i would have time to finish my carmen electra strip to fit workout video. for those that are interested there is a "main" part which has cardio and works the whole body, then there are three mini target sections, for legs, arms, and abs - they are about five minutes each. anyway, i wanted to do these mini sections before he got there but he caught me. and then started taking photos of how "cute" it was. (it wasn't.) one benefit of working out to a video in the privacy of your own home, is that you can wear whatever you want, including your fuzzy slippers, striped socks, and napoleon dynamite "liger" shirt.


5) guess what toronto girls? if you look in your dominion/a & p grocery flyer, you'll see that tomorrow (friday) they are going to start selling fiber one bars in canada. i'm excited!

6) today i'm eating:
tea
weight control maple brown sugar oatmeal
coffee
all bran honey bar
clementine
granny smith apple
leftover dinner (1/4) from last night, but for lunch
and for dinner, i don't know. since i'm tapping i don't know how rushed i'll be.

fit but not going to strip

good afternoon to you. here are the latest scoops in a list format:

1) my sewing class was great. i learned how to use different kinds of sewing machines, how to thread a machine, how to wind a bobbin, how to pin things, cut fabric, use a fancy iron, and make a pillow. my pillow looks great and not to boast but i think it was the best in the class. why? well, there were only six of us and also, i took my time. i didn't rush through the stitches. less pressure on the foot people - slow and steady wins the pillow race in the end. so i forgot to take a photo of it this morning, but i will.

2) i walked home, got home and my foot was freezing. i made oatmeal and tea and it was delicious. then i vacuumed my entire apartment. i love having a vacuumed apartment because it's all some sort of fake wood and i hate anything crunching beneath my feet.

3) this morning, as you can see by the new exercise panel on the right hand side of the page, i wanted to get up early and do a long incline switching walk on the treadmill. to do that i have to get up at 6:15 am. but i didn't get up until 7 am. so... i did the only workout video i have. carmen electra fit to strip! before you get too excited i only have the second workout dvd in this series, and it doesn't include any stripping. this is the fitness dvd, that is designed to give you the body you want to strip with. it's actually a good video and a good workout and right now my bum hurts.


4) i have a date tonight and once again, by date i just mean my boyfriend is coming over and we are going to make dinner and do some smooching. i love these dates. except he always wants to eat poutine. he would eat poutine every night if he could. granted, i am not worried about calories or points as we make a very low fat version (low fat mccain fries [the pink package], reduced fat mozzarella, and swiss chalet home style powdered gravy) but still. how much poutine can one person eat? i think i need to work on my chef skillz. skillz with a z.

5) today i'm eating:

before fit stripping:
1/2 banana
tea

got to work:
coffee
1/2 banana

and then:
2 melba toast rounds

and then a breakfast snack:
weight control maple brown sugar oatmeal (seriously this is addicting)
fat free source yogurt

and later i will consume...

for lunch:
lean cuisine mango chicken curry

and a snack:
a fat free vanilla source yogurt

and for dinner:
anything but poutine

grazing

it's quite a snowy snowfest here today. last night i got home and went right down to the gym. good thing because ten minutes later it was packed and there would have been no hope for me getting a treadmill. there are these two girls who work out together all the time and it annoys me a little. why? because i like to work out alone, and it is not a big gym, so two people doing the same thing for an extended period of time means that no one else can do it as well. like two girls chatting while walking on the treadmills for an hour means that no one else can use the machines. there are two floor mats for stretching, so same thing. maybe if i had a workout "buddy" i'd be singing a different tune.

i got up early this morning to walk on the treadmill because tonight is my sewing class. yahoo! it's three hours long, and teaches you the basics of using a sewing machine. we are making pillows. i am very excited to start my new hobby of being a skilled sewer who can make her own clothes. in time in time.

last night after working out i planned to take a shower and then make dinner, but i was so hungry when i came upstairs that i just started grazing. too bad. i didn't eat more than i should have but i like having an actual meal... grazing just is not as satisfying. now time for some serious tcb (taking care of business) at work.

i had to bring all my food to work today, so here goes:

pre workout:
1 slice sprouted grains toast (1)
1/19

post workout:
tea (0)
1 slice sprouted grains toast (1)
2/19

breakfast:
clementine (0.5)
coffee (0)
maple brown sugar oatmeal (2)
4.5/19

lunch:
salad (0)
can of tuna (3)
dressing (1)
almonds (1.5)
raisins (1)
11/19

early dinner:
weight watchers bagel (2) - yes, i found them in the Longos in the PATH basement BCE place.
rustic veg. and potato soup (3)
clementine (0.5)
yogurt (1)
17.5/19

probably popcorn later. :)

oh, and i brought my shoes to the shoe maker - it's going to cost more than i paid for them to fix them! they have to replace both heels, and they are adding better soles so i don't slip again. $50 for heel replacement alone! gad zooks! the shoe repair man said that the heels were brittle - but the leather is good, so once i get them fixed they will last a long time. it's worth it because they are very unique.

boring but tired

i know it's boring but i'm tired today. i had book club last night and went, even though i didn't finish the book. i drank a "mulled wine" which tasted like a winter holiday. mmmmm. it is red wine with spices, served hot. it came in a little clay decanter. i just wanted to say decanter.

afterwards my boyfriend came over and brought me.... wait for it... a sewing machine! yippee! i have always wanted one. it is his mom's old one from 1982 (not joking) but it looks good to me. there is something to be said for older machines and their quality as well. i am taking a learn to sew course next week - it's just one day and the basics... like how to thread the machine, making a pillow, spooling (whatever that is), etc., so i should be on project runway by next season or so, showcasing my fab designs.

tonight i am going to the gym and watching biggest loser, which i taped. already the ending was spoiled for me. although, i really couldn't care who gets the boot at this point. i heard there was a big fight and house drama. don't tell me!

today's menu:

pc blue menu cinnamon multigrain oatmeal (2.5)
small banana (1)
yogurt (1)
4.5/19

fruit (1)
5.5/19

lunch:
turkey sandwich (6)
soup (1)
12.5/19

snack:
apple (1)
peanut butter (1)
yogurt (1)
15.5/19

dinner:
sol cuisine burger (2)
spinach (1)
cheese (1)
19.5/19

and a snack too maybe baby.