In this week’s Weekend Warrior, an am happy to report that I had A Productive Weekend for a Change. I have done some cleaning, hosted a craft night, and went out to see a movie. I wanted to get a lot more accomplished than I actually did, but that is okay. Tomorrow is a new day!
Friday night was spent at home, starting the cleaning for Saturday. I experimented with Kalimotxo (cal-ee-mo-cho). It is popular in Spain, and Uruguay, according to the video my friend sent me to check it out. I tried 2 different wines, with Coke and Pepsi. My final verdict was if the wine tastes “sour” the Coke evens it out. The Italian Bardolino Doc is better with Coke. The dry wine from Romania Castel Bolovanu was a stronger flavoured wine, so I would recommend a dry wine with Pepsi, as the flavours seem to mix better, to me, even if the flavours seem to be fighting. I did not like the dry wine with Coke at all.
For the record, I tried 4 different combinations, but I only actually finished one glass of wine. I wasn’t in the mood for having a lot of wine Friday night. Maybe a total of 2 glasses if you combine it all. It was an experiment, to see if it was something that I liked. It was okay, but
Saturday was busy. Cleaning all day, in the living room and the kitchen. It took a while. I am happy to say that I even had time to sweep the floors. Then it was time to get ready for the craft night.
We were going to go through magazines and create vision boards. One friend was making a bucket book. It was nice to sit around the kitchen table, have snacks, and sip on a glass of wine. We caught up and talked about things. We worked on gathering art and words for our projects.
I had made a trip to the Dollarama for supplies. I got some different tapes, decorations, and papers. I had to buy a sketchbook for my project. I never got far enough to start any pages, but I had a successful gathering of things to put into it. I don’t have kids, but sometimes I like to do something nice for my friends. I had seen owl tote bags there, and they were $4 each. I bought 4 for us all to keep our supplies in. They were a hit! I kept the purple owl, and one of our friends didn’t make it, but I am holding hers here for her next visit. Now that I have done this, I am looking forward tot he next time.
Here are the bags I bought:
Sunday was busy with writing, and we went to see a movie. We went out to watch Annihilation with Natalie Portman. I have never personally experimented with drugs. That movie was a scientific trip if I was ever going to take one. I can’t say it was horrible, but it was kind of messed up. Now, for some unexplainable reason, I have the munchies…yup. I am having the side effects of being stoned after watching a movie sober. If that was what they were going for…mission accomplished. There were not enough Hazmat suits on the actors. I think the audience needed them also. It was an out of body scientific trip of a movie. I am settling for a glass of orange juice and some cheese. Then I am calling it a day.
What did you do this weekend? It was a total win for me!
#WeekendWarrior
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 37
This week I have not stepped on the scale, or measured inches. I did go to Zumba Monday and missed it Wednesday because of circumstances beyond my control. I hope to start going twice a week again starting Monday. The day I made it I had 5,187 steps. That might be the highest step count I have ever had at a Zumba class.
I mentioned that last week I was on the scale at the doctor’s office. I was up. I didn’t want to face it. Bahahahahaha! My chocolate chin is where it all went. I swear. I wasn’t going to put a number on it, but as I am sure that I lost half of it already, I can face it now. 😉 I had gone back up to 312 lbs. I knew things were bad, and not as bad as the worst, but I was right. Making small changes to ease myself back into eating more on plan than off plan is working. I am sure the 12 lb chocolate chin is 6lbs or even less right now.
If I don’t laugh at it, I will curl up in a ball and cry as I eat the rest of the Halloween chocolate and chips. I am going to have my Thursday glass of wine with some Smartfood Gouda & Chive popcorn. Maybe more wine if I want to, but not necessarily. I need to get back on track one meal, snack and day at a time. I am happy today that I made BigMac salad for lunch yesterday. It was SO good. I am probably having it for lunch tomorrow. I made a pot of chili tonight. I am trying. That is better than not trying, and I can live with that. I couldn’t live with a 12 lb chocolate chin.
I think it is time to look at a new NSV. If you are new here, that is a non-scale victory. I admittedly love chocolate. Chocoholic, right here. I can make chocolate treats on the plan. But I am thinking about something bigger. Bolder. Goal achievement status.
I keep seeing commercials that catch my attention. Something I saw tonight made me think I need to get focused, and I think I found my next reward. I am not going to have to only go to twoville for this, I am going to need to be in onederland. That big.
More than one goal. As if I am just working for the big one, I am not going to make it. If I set the goal too high, I will fail. I know it. I can plan clothes shopping trips as I need them in the short term. I am also gearing up to start wearing more makeup. So those things can be small goal rewards. This may have to be the end of the journey prize! What on earth am I planning?
Well, I think it is time to set my sights on some other forms of chocolate. The inedible kinds. There are chocolate coloured dogs. I want a dog. We aren’t ready yet…sad, I know, but it is a major decision, and I want to be sure that I am 100% ready for the responsibility of taking that dog home. I now have an idea. How do I make it bigger?
BLING! I make beaded jewellery, and I am working on my website to launch it. I am not expecting it to be an instant source of income (although I wouldn’t have a problem with that), but I rarely make jewellery for myself. Bigger. Have you figured it out yet?
Diamonds, my friends. I am going to talk to my husband and set some realistic goals, and buy myself some diamonds. But not just any diamonds. For this plan to work, it has to be chocolate diamonds. I want Bling rewards!
I might be too far into the wine to be rational at this point, but I don’t think so. I am planning to up my game and work hard for something tangible. Something that won’t affect my blood sugars, and won’t cause me to be morbidly obese anymore. I have been saying that I am worth it, and it is high time I start planning to show it. So there you have it. I am setting the chocolate bar for myself, 😉 and you know what? I am looking forward to saving up for something really special.
#TrustYourGut
P.S. I am on time with this one!
I was so busy this past weekend that I am writing this on Monday after work. It was totally another Hulk Smash weekend win for me! Super busy, unable to attend everything I wanted to do and lots of fun!
I had company Friday night. As they are not fans of Halloween, I spent the evening with them instead of attending my friend’s annual Birthday Halloween Bash. I am a fan of Halloween, and I made up for that Saturday. My company was more rarely able to visit with me, so I spent a quiet night at home, entertaining. We made supper and shared a bottle of wine. It was nice.
Saturday. Oh my goodness, Saturday was a little messed up and a lot of fun! My time management skills were a little off. My guests had a 5 AM wake up call, and I went back to bed after they hit the road. I slept in as long as I could and got up to run errands. I needed to buy ingredients for the One-Eyed Deviled Eggs I was making for the parties. I made regular deviled eggs, sprinkled some smoked paprika on top, and then garnished them with a slice of pimento stuffed green olive and red pepper pieces. They were supposed to look like One-Eyed Devil…ed Eggs. I will share a pic, and you can tell me how I did. I thought I did a good job.
One-Eyed Deviled Eggs
There was a NaNoWriMo kick-off event that I just could not swing. I had two other parties on Saturday, so I had to pick the ones I needed to go to. For social obligatory reasons. As I will be mostly an author/hermit for the month of November, writing my NaNo book. I will have NaNoWriMo friend time in November. As it should be.
I went to the first party late. It took more time than expected to make almost 2 dozen One Eyed Deviled Eggs. Then I had to get into costume and do my makeup. I will let the cat out of the bag, now. I am dressing up as a Leopard this year. I have a nice leopard print two-piece outfit, that can be worn anytime, and in fact, I wear it as an outfit or separately off and on. Paired with other clothes, of course. The top goes with jeans or dressier pants, and the skirt can be worn with usually a black solid dressy top. For Haloween, I am wearing the outfit. I did not manage to find or make a tail, so I am just not going to talk about it. That is what I will say if I am asked, “I don’t want to talk about it.” It should make it awkward if someone pushes the issue, and I am planning to make it that way. Like there was a terrible accident, and I don’t want to talk about it. I do, however, have my own cat toy. 😉 Just for fun!
I use a product by Lise Watier called Magnifix that is a makeup fixative spray. It is made with white tea, it is also paraben and alcohol-free. I was told to get it for my wedding, and it is a wonderful spray to have. I spray it on after finishing my makeup and use the cool air low setting of my hair dryer to dry my face after spraying it on. It does a wonderful job of keeping my makeup on, except for my lips, and well, there isn’t a lipstick I have tried that doesn’t wear off over time. I am getting brave enough to look into some lip staining products.
The second party was with colleagues that are friends. By then Roy & I were hungry, so we showed up with One-Eyed Deviled Eggs and pizza to share. Roy didn’t stay long after the pizza was gone, but he came back for me at the end of the party. It was fun to hang out with friends from work outside of work. 🙂 I had a great time. I learned that Tequila doesn’t make my clothes fall off and that I have a stop signal when drinking it. I was drinking it for the first time as the only alcohol for the evening. My last drink didn’t taste good anymore, so I sadly dumped it down the sink before leaving. I switched to water at that point in the evening. I was tired yesterday, but no headache as I had managed enough water to chase. It is important for a Diabetic to snack when drinking, and for everyone to rehydrate when drinking. And check with your doctor first if you are on any medications before having drinks, just to be sure that there are no side effects. Better safe than sorry.
It’s time to let the cat out of the bag. I am facing Halloween 2017 as a Leopard. I went online for makeup ideas and then bought the supplies. The first run was a blast! I will be in the same costume tomorrow. I may change it up a bit, but the foundation of it will be the same. Time to settle in for the night. I am going to have to be up early to recreate the same kind of look for the day tomorrow.
Happy Halloween!
Hello everyone! I am kicking back and putting my feet up in a hotel in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada. I have just finished a weekend of helping my friend out at a craft show, with her knitting and her daughter’s crocheting. It is an annual show, called Windfall Fine Art & Handcraft Market. I have worked at other craft shows myself, and I have to tell you, this one was a little different.
The show is hosted at the St. F. X. Campus in Antigonish, in a section of the arena. There is an admission fee for the customers, and that is donated to the local Charity that donates part of the proceeds to the local hospital. The part that really stands out for me was that there was a place for vendors to go and take a break. Not so big of a deal by itself, until you find out that there is a snack table with hot and cold drinks, biscuits and cheese, and sweets there for the vendors to take as they wish. It is also run by donation, and all of the proceeds from this and the raffle go to the same charity. There are donated gifts from the vendors that they sell tickets on, which is what the raffle is for. I did not win a prize.
We left on Friday. I took a 4 day weekend, and am using up 2 vacation days to be able to be here. We booked a room in a local hotel. I wasn’t sure about it, but it has been a pleasant stay. The hotel is under new management, so there are things that could be improved upon, but these things did not make the stay unbearable. The bed was good, there are enough pillows and towels. It is clean. I have been comfortable here.
We got some groceries to have food during the weekend at the show and at the hotel. I am getting ready to make some microwave popcorn to enjoy while watching the brand new Star Trek Series Discovery. I am looking forward to the show.
We ate at a local favourite restaurant tonight. It is called The Snow Queen. I knew there was one near Mother Webb’s Restaurant, but I was not aware that there was one in the town of Antigonish.
I was impressed by the food. I got the pan fried haddock in lemon butter, garlic mashed potatoes, and a small house salad. I was in the mood for a treat, so I had a chocolate milkshake with it. I really enjoyed it. The piece of fish was large, the potatoes and salad were tasty, and the milkshake filled the glass twice. I felt like I had a haddock Thanksgiving dinner. It was very good.
One of the highlights for me was seeing a few relatives today. They didn’t realize I was in town so it was a bit of a surprise for them. I was happy to see them and to have a few minutes to catch up. If I come back again next year we may plan more than a short visit. The
The other nice memory I have was of a little girl this afternoon. She was about 3. Her mother had picked up a mandala vest, and I told her that I was impressed that she knew what it was. She did because she had previously bought one for her daughter, who had outgrown it and it was time to get her another one in a larger size. She got her daughter to try some on and then was deciding on colours. Her daughter was spinning and hugging it and just looked so thrilled to be getting a new vest. The whole event was simply adorable.
Well, it is time to pop the popcorn and enjoy the new series opening shows. We are going to get to see episode 1 &2. I did buy 2 bottles of wine today, to bring home. It was a fine way to finish the weekend.
What did you do this weekend?
This weekend is jam packed with so many things to do that I cannot possibly do them all. I started off on Saturday with going to a few yard sales. I found some great deals! I got a Pampered Chef Meat breaking tool, for cooking ground beef. (I was SO happy when I found it, I have wanted to try one for a while. I hope it is as good as I think it will be. I am fighting the early stages of carpal tunnel in my wrists, and anything that helps me do more in the kitchen with less aggravation to my wrists is a good thing.
I found a Rankin Family cd, bought the DVD of Love, Actually, a movie I am interested in watching. I bought a new to me Guy Gavriel Kay book. He is a Canadian Author, and I have read other books by him.
After this, I bought a cheeseburger to go with my coffee as this yard sale was in support of a local SPCA. We also visited the dogs and cats that were available for adoption. One of the cats I really liked was adopted by the end of the day. Good news for that beautiful tabby.
The next yard sale was in a parking lot and had several vendors. I found a set of 4 margarita glasses, and my new wine glass, aka a Thundermug. Hee hee hee. I will probably not use it for wine, I think it would hold a whole bottle! It sure got a laugh out of the lady I was buying it from! I do like beer mugs for other drinks, and it will hold a lot of GGMS over ice, the way it is supposed to be enjoyed.
The third yard sale was a moving sale. We were nearing the time of day when they start closing the yard sales by then. I found a little stand alone cabinet for my Master bathroom. It is wooden, with a door, and three shelves inside. It has flowers painted on the door. For $10.00 I consider it the deal of the day! I was able to find a few jewellery display stands there too. I was very pleased with my purchases yesterday. Then we did some more shopping when my husband was done his overtime.
We went to the Scott’s Nursery, the local year round gardening store. I wanted peppermint plants. I bought six different types,( Spearmint, Pineapple Mint, Strawberry Mint, Chocolate Mint, Berries and Cream Mint, and Moroccan Mint). They will be transplanted into their new clay pots today, and distributed around the mini home in an effort to keep bugs from wanting to be inside my home. It does not seem to have any effect on the housefly that is buzzing around. Time to buy an actual fly swatter, as the flyers are not packing a big enough punch against this stubborn pest.
I am working on a gift for someone very special. I have taken the week off from writing my book, and I am hoping to have it finished in that time. So I will write here when I get a chance, but it may be minimal because this project is going to take a lot of time. I will also post about the finished project when it is completed.
I have to run out to the Freddy Beach Market, which used to be called The Northside Market. I am visiting a friend there briefly and getting some ground beef. We get it there once or twice a month. It is a farmer we buy it from, and they are there every weekend. My friend owns a yarn store and is branching out with a table at this market. I hope it works well for her.
So other than missing out on a free movie downtown, and going to a bar to see an up and coming band with a friend, it has been a really busy weekend so far, and it’s not over yet. We will be going to see Despicable Me 3 tonight, and I am looking forward to it. I love the Minions! And there is supposed to be an evil villain dance off in it too!
Why does there always seem to be more things to do than there is time for on the weekends? What did YOU do this weekend?