Weekend Warrior #61 It is time to Catch Up!

Weekend Warrior #61 It is time to Catch Up!

Hello, Weekend Warrior fans! It is time to catch up. It seems like I blinked and a month went by. I have been busy. I will go over some highlights from the last month. This way it will be organized, and it will be like we are catching up after a break. 😉

Four weeks ago I was invited to a Jack & Jill bridal shower. It was for a couple that I met at work. They no longer work with me, but the friendship has continued. My husband & I introduced them to the world of Dungeons & Dragons. We taught them the basics, and they formed their own gaming group. Every once in a while we get together, and it is always fun to hang out.

My friend and I were both invited, so we planned to go together. We planned some Bachelorette style gifts, as neither of us really knew what to get, and we wanted to bring fun presents. The bride to be had told me once she wanted to host a passion party. If you know what that is 😉 then you know the gifts were couple related. I will say that I did get them some dice, but they are not for D&D.

Off we went way out to the Boonies to a place I had never been before. The bride to be wanted to know if I needed directions. I googled it. I knew what highway and what house number. It was about 40 minutes outside of the city, at her parents’ place.

It was a potluck. I brought cheese and crackers. I also brought a “deconstructed” which means build your own taco salad. My friend is a vegetarian. This way he could have the salad without the meat. We ate, and then they opened the gifts. There were a lot of nice gifts. The gifts my friend and I brought definitely stood out, and were memorable. 😉

We then took pics with the couple and headed home. I found in the last 3 weeks with so much social activity on Saturdays, I was really tired on Sundays. Other than Happy Writing Chat on Twitter & Facebook, I did very little and rested up.

The second weekend was a lot of fun. The Bride to be extended an invitation to go to the Bachelorette party. I have not had a lot of invitations of this sort, which made me decide that I really should go. I asked my friend if he was going to join us, and he agreed it would be fun. So we met at the gaming venue downtown. It is called Unplugged, and it is a place to go play board games. There is a $5 cover, and they have a limited snack/light meal menu. As it was the first stop of the evening, I opted in for Mozza sticks. I will vouch for them having the second best Mozza sticks in the city, right after Houlie’s Pub. The Mozza sticks there are amazing.

We played a game called red flag. The idea of it was to take 2 white cards to make a dream date description for whoever’s turn it was. The second round was to place a “Red Flag” card, which was something that was not a desirable trait. Things like he rescued an animal on tv, owns a unicorn or looks like Ryan Reynolds were examples of white cards. The only two red cards I remember involved swiping through tinder amidst intimate relations, to put it politely and the other one I remember was a hoot. Compulsively licks doorknobs. Hilarious. We had enough people there that once we all had a turn, it was time to go to the second stop of the night.

I really wanted to try Unicorn Lemonade at Boston Pizza. That ended up being where we went. I had the regular, non-spiked version, as I was driving until I went and picked up the hubby after work. I ordered the salmon dinner, and some people had food, some just drinks. When I had finished eating and had 2 Unicorn Lemonades, I snuck off to get to get Roy from work, so I could pass off the keys and have a few drinks with the ladies. I do not drink and drive. Ever.

I had some draft at the start. I really liked it. Black Horse Premium Lager is a good glass of draft. I had 2. It is brewed in Newfoundland. I then got my favourite cocktail. I like to have a Long Island Iced Tea when I am out having some social drinks. I had 2 of those, as well. I got invited to have some shooters with the ladies, and I was game. I kept up pretty good for being a decade older than most of the gang. We went to Dooly’s. It is a pool hall. It was close to Boston Pizza, so that also worked in our favour for the floating party.

We played a few theme games, had novelty straws and pins. We even got tattoos. LOL, the temporary kind. I got the one that said, “Bride Tribe”. It was gold and stayed on for almost a week. One of the bar staff joined us and got a tattoo. I then fist bumped with him for the rest of the evening. The next day I “confessed” to my husband about the tattoo. I got a look until I revealed it was a temporary one. I am full of surprises, and I think he might actually believe it by now.

We did more dancing than playing pool. There was a jukebox that someone picked really awesome music on before someone else changed it to hip hop. Different genres & generations happen everywhere. Another thing I noticed that set me apart from the generation of the rest of the party was the dancing. I didn’t grow up with access to music videos like the generation behind me. I was very entertained when they got together and they all knew the moves for the songs. I couldn’t match it, but it is fun to watch people dancing like they are in the music video.

My husband didn’t stay at the party, he had to work the next day. I was able to hitch a ride with one of the designated drivers and actually helped her navigate from the passenger seat when I could. I am not from the city originally, but I have learned quite a few street names and areas. I felt useful, and that was good.

Last weekend was the wrap up of the three-weeks of wedding activities. They did it! They tied the knot! I was surprised at how quick the ceremony actually was. I got a little lost on the way there, but it was okay. The bride looked beautiful. The Groom looked happy. They marched down the aisle to “The Imperial March,” in keeping with their Star Wars theme. The save the date card & invitation hinted it would be a part of their day. They served Breakfast for dinner at the reception. They entered the reception hall to Weird Al singing “Wrecking Ball” I knew as soon as I hear the accordion that it was a Weird Al song. It made me smile.

After the first dance, I had to run out to get my husband, again. He needed to eat, and I desperately wanted to change clothes. The shoes I had on were cute but awful. I also was having trouble with the compression pantyhose. One pair I have is really uncomfortable. The other seems better, but I didn’t need that colour that day. I tolerated them for as long as I had to.

I did have some wine at home. I wasn’t driving any more at that point. Roy drove us back, and we signed the card in the parking lot. We went in. I had a rum and coke and hit the dance floor. I requested a few songs and mingled. It is what I do at parties. 😀 Roy got to meet some of the guests. The bride and groom were both happy that we both made it there for the dance. I had a shot of tequila with the groom and switched to water. I know it is important to hydrate when I am drinking, so I make a point of making sure I have water. The week before I refilled the Long Island Iced Tea glasses with water and had it in the middle. I like to drink socially, but I don’t like to go too far. It isn’t good for me to be not in control, I just like to have a few now and then. Other than my once a week wine, that happens almost every week for review purposes, to expand my own wine tasting skills, I actually don’t drink as often as I used to. I have to think about my health, and I have to be smart about it. Sometimes I will skip wine week, and go for 2 or 3 weeks without any alcohol. It depends on what is happening, and what the budget is. It might seem like I had a lot in the last few weeks, but it was out of the ordinary.

I did leave a wedding present when I found out where they were. As I was saying goodbye to the bride and groom, I told him I hoped he liked the gift. He thought I meant the gift from two weeks earlier, and his reaction was priceless! The laugh was worth it. I got them a Star Wars themed present, and lovebirds themed ornament. Since their guestbook was a painting of a tree with lovebirds, I thought it was a fitting combo.   I hope they liked it, and also that they have opened it by now. Otherwise, I may have spoiled a surprise, but it was a week ago, so it isn’t like they haven’t had a chance to open the gifts.

Finally, I can recap this weekend. I started to get serious about cleaning. I hosted a small BBQ potluck for a few authors. We happened to time it so they could watch the write your book draft in an hour webinar, and while I cooked on the BBQ, they watched the presentation on my laptop on the patio. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon, perfect for an outdoor BBQ.

We talked about the Kit Sora Flash Fiction contest, as 2 of the 3 Author Amigos, one being me, have already entered some of the contests. The current pic for the contest is of a woman sleeping in a nest, with eggshell pieces around her and pink feathers around her shoulders. We talked about story concepts. I then drove the other two authors home and started back at the cleaning. I have company coming soon, and it cannot be put off any longer.

I ended the day by calling my father to wish him a Happy Father’s Day. We had a nice chat. I know that I am lucky to still have both of my parents still married and alive. We don’t always see eye to eye on everything, but we are family, and that is what matters.

Well, I think that catches us up. It is a long one this week, but I had to fit in a lot of fun adventures. I hope to get back on track with these being weekly entries again, now that I am up to date.

How was your weekend? Have you attended any weddings where something memorable stuck with you? I’d love to read about it! People have so many ways of personalizing their weddings now that it is really neat to find out what others did. One of the most memorable things other than getting married during Hurricane Earl for our guests was that we had a candy bar as well as an alcohol bar at our reception. It was very popular with our guests.

 

Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; Part 41

Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; Part 41

 

Trust Your Gut is a series of stories about real people with weight issues, and complications arising from those issues.  It will explain what the person is facing, what their options are, what they have decided to do to take action, and why they chose the path they are on.  Each person’s story will be based on truth, so it won’t all be happy, but it will be real.  The goal of this series is to get people talking about options that are available for people who have weight issues, on either end of the scale.  If you would like to contribute to this series, there is a contact form linked on my Homepage for this blog.  I know there are people out there that want to help people like them; as I do.

 

The names here may or may not reflect the person’s real name.  If someone wants to remain unknown, we will choose a different name for that person’s story.  The goal is to help people, and anonymity is a valid personal choice for contributors.  I will use a person’s name only if they give permission to do so.

This week I am pleased to share another of my own stories.

Here is  Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; Part 41

I have so much going on in the next 48 hours I was almost not sure what to write about. I figured it out, just now. I am both attending a potluck and hosting a 2 hour long party tomorrow. So I thought about it, and this week I am going to write about how to handle those situations.

I love a good potluck. I love food. Especially food that is not good for me, because that is what makes it so good, right? As a person that loves to eat, a potluck can be really dangerous.

How do I handle it? 

First of all, I am going to only fill my plate once, unless there is so much that I need to visits to try all of the things. Inevitably I will get full. The goal is to be sensible, and comfortably full.

How am I going to manage that?

One trick is to not be ravenous when you show up at a potluck (or at a party.) You can prep for this at home, if you are home before going to the event. It will be a little harder at work because I can not whip up something healthy and filling like a smoothie an hour before I go.

The second tip is to make something that you know is a healthy choice for you. I am bringing BigMac Salad. I know I love it so there will be something for me to eat. People at work are always looking to see what I am eating for lunch if it is not an ordinary looking meal. The salad is a meal that has had a lot of curious people asking about it, so I am bringing it for them to try tomorrow.

The third thing is to use common sense. You don’t have to eat ABSOLUTELY everything that is there. Be picky about what you put on your plate. If you have to try the brownie (I hope there are brownies) then just have a small one. If there are other salads, start there, and fill your plate with the healthy food first. My rule of try one of every colour of candy in the bag and walk away is not exactly the best rule for the potluck, but it does help me in other situations, to have a sample, not the whole bag.

I chose 7-9 pm with my Municipal Liason for NaNoWriMo for several reasons. I will need down time after work. I will need scramble time for final party preparations. I will need time to eat something for supper (I made that tonight, I will have leftovers tomorrow for supper, right after work). I also picked that time and made a plan as to what we will have for the party refreshments.

I took control of the party so that it is not a free for all with junk food and meals. Timing means snacks. I will provide some of them, and those will be decently healthy choices. I bought a box of clementines, and some cheese and crackers. Nothing extravagant, but a little better than ordinary. I got fancy cheese. It was on sale, and I will cut the cheese (LOL!) tomorrow when I get home from work.

With these few tips, I may go a little off track tomorrow, but I take comfort in the fact that I am planning ahead to make sensible choices. I will not need weeks to recover from going way off course, it will be nothing but a minor detour that I can easily find my way back from.

How do you handle the temptation to indulge too much when you are at a party or a potluck? Do you have any other tips or tricks that can be shared? If so, please feel free to comment below.

#TrustYourGut

Weekend Warrior #61 It is time to Catch Up!

Weekend Warrior #41

Friday after work I got the car. I do that sometimes. I get my co-worker to drive me to where it is parked, and I call it “Grand Theft Auto” even though it is my car and I have the keys, and my husband knows I am going to use it. I have to go and get him at the end of his shift at his work, so I don’t usually get the car on other days unless there is a reason I need it.

I found food and then went to Shoppers Drug Mart. Again. This makeup thing is starting to get a little serious. I got a fourth mascara and a blending sponge. I had found out that I was sold the wrong type of facial toner, so I bought the correct one and I got a double glow facial mask, that I tried Sunday. I am only supposed to use it two times a week. I will let you all know how I do with it. The skin care is Vichy, I like their products. I got another eye makeup remover, too. I do not like the ones I have. The products that I bought that are wrong for me will be offered to a friend that might be able to use them. I am thinking about a new Blog category. It is not going to be weekly, it will likely be monthly. I am thinking Makeup Monday (coming soon!) will be what I call it. I will then review different products, and maybe I will be able to do that in an official capacity when I launch the website.

I have had so many thoughts relating to the website this weekend, my head is spinning. I am going to work on it this week, with the million other projects I have on the go.

On the way home, I stopped in to see friends. They had told me not to buy a photo box for taking pictures of my Treasures aka Bling for the website. They had a DIY version, and they wanted to show me how to make it. I am sure I can make it, but I am still not sure how it will work. Once I have the box, then I will have to work on optimizing the pics from the camera I have; or find a new camera. I am watching the cell phones to see what one has the best cameras. I will be aiming for a new phone in 2018.

I stayed for a visit with my friends. We had a lovely evening, just chatting about makeup, cats, NaNoWriMo, and my book writing. My friend has gone a little further than I have into the land of makeup, and I appreciate learning all that I can.

Saturday was a slow start to the day. I got to sleep in, which was nice. I did a little work on the social media and got ready for a party.  I am a Member of the Fredericton Science Fiction Society (FSFS). It mainly consists of a core group of friends that used to have official business meetings, and now just plan potlucks and events.  I brought the ingredients to make your own big mac salad with me. People liked it. There were other treats and pop to drink.  The Christmas FSFS party has a Ferengi Swap, for gifts. We also had a trivia contest, and a Sci-Fi themed ‘Pictionary’ game. It was a lot of fun, even though somebody I am married to didn’t want to do anything. LOL! Majority ruled!

I sometimes go swimming at these parties, as they are held at a hotel. This year I would have had to go alone, so I chose to stay with the group.  We had a fun time, and there was a door prize that was not actually a door.

Sunday I continued with my challenge, and then participated in an online chat with the Happy Writing Group, both on twitter and facebook. I have been learning how to use twitter with this chat, and I think I am getting the hang of it.

That wraps another weekend up nicely in a bow. What did you do this weekend?

#WeekendWarrior

 

 

Weekend Warrior #61 It is time to Catch Up!

Weekend Warrior # 15

Here we are at the end of another weekend.  I have been non-stop busy since the last edition, and am hoping things slow down (just a little) for the next few days.  I write this because I am feeling a little drained of energy.

Friday night was so long ago, I honestly don’t even remember what I did.  That is how busy the week was.  Saturday I slept in a little and got up to volunteer for the Boston Terrier Rescue Canada group. BTRC is run completely by volunteers, and they do whatever they can to raise funds.  I was working in a canteen at a local cat show.  The SPCA was hosting it and asked us if we would like to help out to split the profits between the two organizations.  The message went out late in the week, and I picked my time slot, and off I went.

Let me say, first of all, that I am really proud of myself for looking at all of that food, and ONLY buying an apple.  I paid for it and enjoyed it.  I ended up with pizza to take home, and it was supper.  It has been a while since I had to stand on my feet for a few hours.  Although I was glad to have a chair for a couple of necessary but short breaks, I managed OK.  I do have nerve pain in one leg and I have finally figured out that my hip flexors are the root cause.  If it comes down to it, I tough it out, but I can be in a lot of pain while I am doing so.

 

What does a person do when they go inside the Cat Show after the volunteering is done?  Well, if you are me, you look at EVERY cat you can see, and you buy new cute little socks with cats all over them.  I wanted the cute change purse too, but I am on a budget and that means I can’t always get everything I want.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

My new kitty cat socks!

I bought something practical.  I can always use more cute socks.

Today is Sunday.  I slept in later today, I needed it.  We had been invited to a friend’s house to play board games.  It was set as a potluck.  I decided to make His & Hers Lasagna.  His lasagna is traditional.  Mine is THM Lazy Lasagna.  No noodles and yes it has spinach.

 

He helped me with the prep and assembly.  I made some guacamole dip and we brought Nacho Scoops for that.  It was good.  The best part is that there are leftovers of the lasagnas and the guacamole.  So I have lunches prepped for the week right now!

We played Cards Against Humanity first.  After supper, we played Ticket To Ride, Europe.  It was a lot of fun, once we all knew what we were doing.  The board game looked like this when it was all over.

Ticket To Ride Europe Game

Ticket To Ride Europe Game

It was a busy weekend.  I didn’t get a lot of cleaning done, but we got the prep cooking started for the week.  That’s a wrap for this weekend!  What did you do?

Weekend Warrior #61 It is time to Catch Up!

Weekend Warrior #2

 

It is Sunday.  I am gearing up to do all the things I haven’t done yet this weekend that are on my weekly list.  That is not to say that I have been lying around on my couch until now, either.  I have been out and about this weekend, spending time with friends.  That is important, too.

Friday night I was invited to celebrate a friend’s birthday, hosted by a mutual friend.  I need to make sure that I eat, and that I keep it healthy.  I made deviled eggs, Big Mac Salad, with regular meat and soy meat options, and I made dessert.  We played board games and just dance.

This was my second time making deviled eggs.  They were a hit both times, so I think it may become a potluck staple for me to bring.  They are on plan.  People like them. Win win!

The salad is a version of a THM recipe.  It can be found easily online.  The soy meat was for the vegetarian of the group, and he got the leftovers since it was his birthday celebration. The THM plan is not big on Soy products, but I wanted my friend to have the full Big Mac Salad experience.  So I improvised, and everyone seemed to like the salad too.

Dessert was an adventure.  I made Rainbow cake in mason jars.

I made Unicorn Rainbow Dip for a cake topping, and of course, added rainbow sprinkles.  I probably won’t be making this cake in mason jars when I make it again.  The dip was amazing, and not too sweet like icing would have been.  I think it would be wonderful for cake pops.  I made it the night before, and let it set in the fridge overnight.  This was a quick assembly after work on Friday.  It took longer to make the deviled eggs.  My friends added dips and loaded potato skins and bruschetta and deep fried pickles to the table.  It was a lot of food for a party of 4.

Yesterday I wanted to spend time with another couple that my husband and I are friends with.  We went out for supper, and back to their place to watch some movies on Netflix.  I had not seen the John Wick movie, and they all rewatched while I saw it for the first time.  Now I can be ready for the newly released sequel, that we want to see as a group if we can plan it that way.

I was busy, and now I am scrambling to play catch up before Monday rolls around again.  I am still working from lists.  Some things get done, and other things carry forward to the next weekend.  It is time to crank the tunes and get some chores done.  I have a few hours to spend on that, and then it’s time to get ready for another week at the day job.  Until next weekend, when I become the Weekend Warrior again.  Although I was more of a warrior of the social scene this weekend, there is still some time to make progress on the chores, if I hurry!  Time to Bounce the House once again!