Today's plan...

Well it was gloomy and very windy today, but i got my hat and coat and dug my hiking boots out of storage and off i went on a 60 minute walk :=)

The it's off to work!

Top ten reasons Seniors should not go trick or treating:

10. You get winded from knocking on the door.

9. You have to have someone else chew the candy for you

8. You ask for high fiber treats.

7. When someone drops a candy bar in your bag you lose your balance and fall over.

6. People say great Shar-Pei mask and you’re not wearing one.

5. When the door opens you yell “Trick”…and can’t remember the rest.

4. By the end of the night you have a bagful of restraining orders.

3. You have to choose a costume that won’t dislodge your hairpiece.

2. You’re the only Power Ranger in the neighborhood with a walker.

And the number one reason seniors should not go trick or treating….

1. You have to keep running home to pee!

Happy Halloween

Hope everyone has a great Halloween! I'm working so i'll be handing out goodies at work :)

Grocery shopping day!

I'm finally getting better at cutting down on the groceries i buy. I managed to clean out the freezer and list what i had in there to use up. Also when i make most of my breakfasts i make a double batch to freeze and use on days when i don't have much time :)

I'm also making sure i know what is on sale at which store and stocking up on things we use.

Combine this with being willing to try new things and it's not only a win/win situation but also fun and healthy.

Do you have any tips for a novice?? Any great recipes that use lentils/beans and other low cost but healthy ingredients?? Would love to hear from you.

Managed to get in another walk today :)

A few things i'm doing in the next week:

Going to get my H1N1 shot

Stuffing envelopes to over 400 people with the newsletter i help to edit

Going to get my eyes checked and new glasses

Going to the Dr for a pap smear :)

Meeting up with my walking group

More yoga!

Oh and lest i forget going to work

This morning i went on a great walk and then got home to this :)

Thank you guys!

I have been given 3 blog awards in the last week :) I am humbled. Sorry it took me a while to reply to what is asked for the awards!

1. Sheilagh nominated me twice for the Gorgeous Blog Award :)

2. Stephen nominated me for the Honest Scrap award!

Thank you so much!

Six interesting facts about me:

1. I was born in Bournemouth, England

2. I love hot peppers and hot sauce, the hotter the better!

3. My toe next to my big toe is longer than all my other toes :)

4. I can always be bribed with chocolate!

5. I smoked from the time i was 13 years old till i was 33 and i smoked one pack of cigarettes a day. I quit cold turkey.

6. I love reading. Would do it all day long if i didn't have to work :)

7. I love watching 48 hours and cops.

8. I hope to be visiting Europe next year, need to visit my mother in Bristol, and Jen while she is still in Holland. Anyone who lives close i would love to meet.

9. I love to cook and wish i had gone to culinary school when i was younger.

10. I very rarely watch tv, but i love watching movies :)

Again thank you for nominating me. I have to say that everyone who reads my blogs deserves these awards and i'd love for you to post 10 things that people don't know about you.

Wednesday's questions!

1. Do you have a budget that you go by every month?? Any tips for those of us just starting?

2. What is your favorite, easy, homemade soup recipe?

3. Do you make sure to set aside some "me" time every week? What do you do to renew yourself?

4. Are you stressed? What do you do to try to reduce it?

5. If you eat meat what is your favorite?

6. Have you ever tried a pomegranate? Did you like it?

7. What was the last thing you bought?

That's all for this week!

Progress

Today we had a sit down meeting to figure out how to deal with housing so that we don't have to move. Luckily our Dr. has written a note saying how much stress my husband is having over the thought that we may have to move! We have a lot of people fighting for us and we are lucky to have so much support.

Thankfully my dental issues have been fixed for now. I will eventually have to get caps when i can afford them but for now it's o.k.

Went on another walk today and of course had to take pictures. Now you understand why i was under stress when my last camera broke. I love getting outside and finding beautiful things to take photo's of.

Tomorrow is yoga which i am definitely looking forward to. Even though i was a little stiff the day after doing it last week :) At least i know i'm working it!

On my walk...

What a beautiful day today, nice and warm i didn't even have to wear a coat :) My mouth isn't

sore and i'm feeling on top of the world!

Hang on little guy, summer will be back soon!!

Not again!!

I'm having issues with a tooth! Not the same one as last time, but the one next to it :(

So i'm phoning the Dentist this morning to see if i can get in.(just phoned and i have an appointment for this afternoon) I also have a pizza and bowling event to run this afternoon but if i can get into the Dentist i'm just going to have to cancel going to the pizza party.

Since i'll be missing the pizza party that i was going to walk to i'm going to go for a nice long walk after the dentist.

Why is it if it's not one thing it's another??

How did my weekend go? Well it was interesting, however the food was not the best! The meetings were held in a retirement home and i have to tell you the portions were really small. In fact when i got home i made a really good filling dinner of lentil stew and brown rice :) And i didn't complain because i actually like smaller servings but these were even really small for me!

And what was the meeting about?? Self-determination and diversity.

Weekly goal update...

Last weeks goals:

1. This weeks schedule is a little crazy. What else is new! I'm going to take time to enjoy where i am each day. Chillaxing :)-I did do some chillaxing this week!

2. Keep up the walking. This should be easy as i have lots of meeting and i can walk a fair bit.- i did get some walking in but not as much as i would have liked.

3. Look up some new recipes- I did and i tried a couple of new things, have more coming up this week.

4. Keep taking leftovers or homemade food to work. I'm enjoying this a lot more than frozen dinners and there's way less sodium.-this i did, i can't remember the last time i took a frozen dinner to work.

5. I won't forget question day :)- I didn't :)

This weeks goals:

1. I want to sit down and change things up a bit with my menu planning and eating.

2. Keep de-cluttering. I've done great so far, but i need to keep going! I actually cleaned out my big freezer and some drawers this week.

3. Walk or other exercise. MUST DO MORE :)

4. Need to sit down and tweak my budget.

5. Make sure i'm taking my meds when i should be. Lately i've been forgetting them in the morning and i end up taking them before bed. I must do better than that.

How did you do with your goals last week and what goals are you aiming for this week??

More busy days ahead....

If i'm not around too much this weekend don't worry :) Today i'm working, tomorrow and Saturday i'm at a board of directors retreat and Sunday i'm working again.

Then on Monday i'm putting on a Halloween pizza and bowling party! Good times for sure, but very busy. The entire weekend i will be trying to eat as healthy as possible, and doing the best i can with the choices that are presented to me.

Yesterday was my second Yoga class. Wow they do make it look easy, but to do it?? Hard!! I thought i was in 1/2 decent in shape, NOT. I'm going to have to start doing some major work to even start to be in shape.

Still no "s*#@" here, you know that white stuff :) Shhhhh.... don't say it out loud you'll jinx it!

Hope everyone's having a great day.

Question Day Again!!

Sorry i forgot to do this last week. So i bring you this weeks question day :)

1. Do you eat a nutrition/fun bars for example luna bars etc?? What's your favorite?

2. Do you wear socks to bed??

3. Besides going to the bathroom :) What's the first thing you do in the morning?

4. Do you have a nickname? Care to share??

5. What is your favorite frugal/cheap trick to save money??

Have fun!!

A beautiful day for a beautiful walk :)

Tomorrow i have major running around to do. The only walk i will get is on concrete to a meeting. Then i'm helping someone clean their house all afternoon!!

So today i thought i have to get out into the woods :=) Hope you enjoy these pic's the leaf is hanging by a spiders web, and this little fellow was playing with a squirrel round and round the tree!

Weekly goal update...

Since i missed it last week when i was still feeling sick i figured i'd better do it this week :)

These were the last goals i had made and an update on how i've been doing:

1. Keep eating healthy as it will help my body heal. - I did and it did.

2. Plan some menu's as this saves me stress and time :=) - Still would like to do more but i'm further ahead of it than when i was sick

3. Get out and walk. Yes, i've been doing this a lot!!

4. Relax, Rome wasn't built in a day and neither will i be able to change my body in a day. Just take it one day at a time. Part of this was only weighing in once a month and so far i love it. And yep i'm just taking babysteps.

This weeks goals:

1. This weeks schedule is a little crazy. What else is new! I'm going to take time to enjoy where i am each day. Chillaxing :)

2. Keep up the walking. This should be easy as i have lots of meeting and i can walk a fair bit.

3. Look up some new recipes

4. Keep taking leftovers or homemade food to work. I'm enjoying this a lot more than frozen dinners and there's way less sodium.

5. I won't forget question day :)

What are your goals this week??

Have a great week guys

Busy, busy!!

Yesterday i made turkey noodle soup from the turkey bones, today i made split pea soup with ham hock :) My house smells marvelous!

Between doing that and going for walk and then working it's been a really busy few days.

Alex goes home on Monday so i'm trying to enjoy my time with him when i'm not working!

I don't know whether i mentioned that i put the scale away for the month of October but i'm loving it. I'm eating great and really enjoying my food without going overboard. I will weigh in on November 1 and then not again for another month i think.

It is really cold here and it feels like there will be snow any day. They've had it close by but so far we have escaped it.

Have a great weekend and now i'm going to try to catch up with my blog reading.

If you were in my neighbourhood today...

And you heard someone singing loudly off key, and you followed that voice and found a women singing her lungs out and grinning from ear to ear, that was me :)

I loved my walk today.

My best brekkie yet :)

And you know how i love my brekkie :)
I decided to make banana/peanut butter french toast with sugar free maple syrup.
Oh my!! I'm sitting here moaning and eating it slowly just to savour the flavour.

2 slices whole wheat bread
2 egg whites
1 ripe banana 1/4 sliced rest mashed up
1 tsp ground flax seed(don't have to have)
splash of milk
sweetner to taste
cinnamon
1 tbsp peanut butter heated slightly in the microwave.

combine all but the whole wheat bread and the peanut butter.
dip bread in the mix then put in a non stick sprayed pan. Make sure to brown it before trying to turn it.
When brown on both sides serve with sliced banana from the rest of the banana and 1 tbsp peanut butter warmed and drizzled on top and then the syrup :)

Today i went to my first yoga class :)

How did i like it?? Loved it. The leader called it therapeutic yoga.

I love all the stretching and breathing and the music :) I will be going again next week for sure!

So for exercise i did the yoga, i walked to a secondhand shop where i bought a size 10 jeans, yay!! Then i was off to a pharmacy to get some eyedrops for the hubs. After that i walked to another second hand shop to get another oriental tea cup (no handle) that i love for drinking my green tea.

I bought one last week and loved it so much i knew there were a couple left so went back for another one :) And then i finally walked to the bus station to get a bus home.

Now i'm chillaxing with the hubman and watching a die hard movie.

Thanksgiving update

Yesterday i tried the Canadian Maple brine that was sent to me from Epicure which is a Canadian company :)

They have not paid me or asked me to give a favourable review. However, that being said it was one of the best turkeys my family has ever had! It was moist, and had a wonderful flavour. I will definitely do it again for Christmas. Next time i will take the suggestion to add maple syrup to the olive oil and spice rub. Hey i'm Canadian what can i say??

Unfortunately i haven't got many pictures of Alex as he hates his picture being taken but i got one in and i'm hoping to sneak a few more this week :) He still hadn't got his luggage which was why he didn't want to have his picture taken.

And snuffy lay on top of the freezer watching all the goings on during dinner!

A cold day!!

This morning i went on a nice long walk. I've got to burn some of those calorie off. It was that cold that i actually put my winter hat on.

Come along for a walk with me: