Countdown to vacation

Yesterday started out dreary but turned into a beautiful day. It was warm & sunny when we got home. We BBQ'd supper. I puttered around, started getting organized for my weekend away, did some laundry, spent a bit of time outside and got my weight workout in. It was a nice evening - busy, but no rushing around or stress.

Finally got around to taking my cat statue out to the garden.



Plus, I had two new fairies to add.



Because I apparently don't know when to quit.



Day Lilies have buds now.



And these are my three other little pea plants, that are growing in the flower bed (can't remember if I already posted a photo of these).



Last day of work and then I am off until next Wednesday. Happy dance over here.

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Daily Record
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Weight: 142.2

BF: Crumpet w/strawberry jam, coffee w/cream

Better now

Had a good night's sleep and starting to feel better.

By the end of the day yesterday, I was ready to collapse. My ears were ringing (well, they always do that a bit but this was the deafening high-pitched whine that tells me I need to slow down and get some rest). By this point, I was so tired I could have cried; felt I was on the verge of tears actually. You know how small children get over-tired and cry over nothing? Apparently I have not outgrown this tendency.

I had been trying to convince myself all day that I was going to go home and do a weight training workout. I'd just had 3 days with no workouts (Never mind that I was running myself ragged - there were no workouts! Perhaps I am a wee bit obsessed). In the car on the way home, I said to Husband that I was trying to convince myself to work out but wasn't sure I could do it. He said: You were busy all weekend. It's not going to hurt to take a day off. Sometimes he is actually sensible.

I confess, I was easily convinced to hit the Wendy's drive-thru for supper because I just didn't want to have to do anything. Took my fast food, plunked down on the couch and sat in front of the TV and watched two episodes of Gilmore Girls. I felt better after that, I have to say.

I decided I could manage a walk outdoors.

First, I went out to check on the state of my garden since it had been pouring down rain for most of the morning. I was excited to see my very first tomato blossom of the year!

Scotia Tomato


This is one of the plants that I started from seed. I wasn't sure how my seedlings were going to do this year, was afraid that they would die when I transplanted them actually. Normally, I start seeds indoors then I bring my mini-greenhouse out of the garage, set it up on the deck and transfer my little seedlings...Except when I went looking for my greenhouse this year, it was nowhere to be found. Though Husband says no, I suspect it must have been a casualty of his garage cleaning frenzy last fall (long story). So, I ended up keeping most of the seedlings inside until my little garden patch was created and I planted them directly there. Not the best plan, but so far things have survived.

However, the Scotia tomatoes did get treated a bit differently. I had started them in peat pellets, then they were getting big so I planted the peat pellets in bigger pots and placed them on the floor by the patio door. Then when they got bigger, I did move them out to the deck. So they'd already had some exposure when I transplanted them to the garden.

Most of my other plants are looking ok though, so I am cautiously optimistic.

One of my Cayenne Pepper plants also has a blossom.

Cayenne Pepper


This is one of the plants I bought at the nursery. It came in a packet of four plants. If all goes well, I am envisioning homemade salsa with my tomatoes and peppers!

My peas and beans also seem to be coming along.

Sugar Snap Peas and Kentucky Wonder Green Beans


After I checked all that, I did go for a walk. It wasn't the nicest night, but it did feel good to get some air and stretch my legs.



I was all tucked in bed by 10:00, I read for half an hour, then I passed right out.

I have to start getting packed and organized for my trip. That will be tonight and tomorrow night. Should be plenty of time.

Is it the weekend yet?

Seriously. I feel like I missed the weekend somehow.

I wouldn't say that I am a lazy person, I don't think. But where some people seem able to go, go, go, all the time, I find I need a certain amount of downtime. I have learned my limitations over the years, and those little extra sleep ins on the weekend, and a couple of hours just sitting down reading or watching some TV keep me from feeling overwhelmed.

This weekend, I feel like I hardly stopped. Husband woke me up this morning and I was very confused about why he was waking me up. Surely, surely, this must finally be the day that I can take it easy and relax?

No.

It's Monday.

I won't say it was a bad weekend, just jam-packed.

Workouts? No time. Eating? Well, I guess there's a bonus there - no time for between meal snacking, even if meals were not necessarily the best.

Recap...Friday, get home from work, Husband checks phone messages and tells me we've been invited to a potluck on Saturday night, I should check in with the hostess about who is bringing what. If I had been thinking, I would have said maybe we should skip it because we've got a lot to do, but I was preoccupied with other things so just filed it away in my brain. Spent the evening trying to put the spare room back together (because last weekend I decided to move things around between basement and spare room but didn't have time to finish), plus trying to pack away winter clothes an bring out summer clothes, but finding that a lot of my summer clothes from last year are too small (even more than I expected) which was a) depressing, b) a logistical challenge bcs I don't want to have all the small stuff hanging there in my closet taunting me, but I also want to get the heavy winter stuff put away and I only have so much storage space.

Got to bed later than I had hoped, and then had a hard time falling asleep because my brain was buzzing.

Saturday - up early bcs I have a 9 am appointment at the spa to get waxed, buffed & polished for summer. Have toast and coffee, and off I go. Home again by 11 am, ate some yogurt, washed some dishes and did some cleaning, then out again with hubby to run a few quick errands and hit the grocery store. While we are out, Husband decides he is hungry (because he hasn't eaten anything yet - he crawls out of bed, stumbles to the computer and forgets everything else), so we ended up out for lunch (I had a club sandwich) and then we got groceries.

Then went home, made myself more coffee and started making Vietnamese Spring Rolls and Garlic Peanut noodles, while Husband started some cleaning. Then off to our friends for supper. We had a good time, I had a little taste of everything but not a huge amount all together. We ended up leaving around 8 because Husband was also sleepy (though in his case it was because he'd stayed up too late the night before). So we went home and did some more cleaning. I forced myself to stop a little earlier so I could sit in bed and read for a half hour or so before sleep.

Husband woke me up around 8 am yesterday. Got up and made coffee and an English Muffin, then started in on cleaning again. Husbands parents were arriving in the afternoon, so we were being a bit more thorough than usual. Plus I had been waiting for a sunny day when I would have time to take the litter boxes out side for a good cleaning and let them dry in the sun - I've read that letting them sit in the sun can have a disinfecting effect, so I like to do that during the summer, but this was the first chance I had.

With all this cleaning talk, I'm sure you are thinking we must never clean our house, but we were trying to get some extra things done, in addition to being more thorough with the regular cleaning because we had company coming. And maybe I don't have the most organized approach because it just seems to take forever - possibly because I get easily distracted, so I'm usually trying to do 3 things at once.

Anyway, Husbands parents arrived in the afternoon and we mostly had the house put back together by then. But I don't really relax much when I'm playing hostess either so it didn't really feel like I had finished, you know?

Husband's parents were up and on their way first thing this morning (heading to Ottawa), and now I am trying to get through my day at work but I'm having a hard time concentrating.

This coming Thursday, first thing in the morning, I will be taking the ferry home to NS and staying for the weekend, so now I'm thinking of everything I have to get done between now and then. When all I really want to do is curl up in a ball and go to sleep.

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Daily Record
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7:15 am: crumpet w/strawberry jam, coffee
9:00 am: coffee
11:00 am: yogurt
1:00 pm: matsaman curry & rice (leftover)
4:00 pm: Fibre1 bar

Weigh In: 142.6 (-1.5 lb)

I suppose it's time to - briefly, at least - get back to the whole reason I started this blog: to help me with my weight loss efforts.

I was feeling a need to take a break from posting about it every day. My lack of progress has been stressing me out, the pressure was getting to me. Granted, this is pressure that I have put on myself, but I was starting to feel rather beaten.

So I shifted focus. I gave myself a bit of time off. Which is not to say that I have been ignoring my goals, just...I don't know, easing up and being a bit kinder to myself? I have still be doing my workouts. I have not been counting points or calories, but I have been keeping track. I have been trying to make mostly good choices, but not beating myself up if I don't always make the best choices.

I am not sure where I go from there. The next couple of weeks are going to be a bit hectic for me. I think that means I will stick to the same plan - try to make the best choices I can, but don't stress when I get it wrong, and get in my workouts when I can. I will be away for a few days, so likely I will miss some workouts.

Then, in a couple of weeks, when I am back to my regular schedule I can re-assess. But in the mean time, brace yourselves for more garden pictures, cat pictures and who knows what else. :)

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Daily Record
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BF: Muffin & coffee
Snack @ morning meeting: 1 chocolate chip cookie, grapes (the cookies were not good, so it was easy to stick to grapes after trying one cookie)
Lunch: 2 slices multi-grain bread with hummus, more grapes
Supper: Spring rolls, Pad Thai from Thai Hut

A Garden Story, Chapter Five

The Live Garden Ornaments

Of course, the best things in my garden are not plants...They are Fabulous Felines!

This seems to be Fred's favourite spot. I've seen him curled up and napping here on sunny afternoons. See that plant next to him, with the pale purple flowers? That is a Catmint. And the cats are not at all interested in it, so don't let anyone tell you that Catmint is the same as Catnip.



I've noticed in the evenings, Fred likes to sit out by this tree. I think he enjoys the view of the wild outside the fence; he is usually looking off in the direction of the empty lots and the trees. Most evenings, if I'm out there at the right time, I'll see our herd of deer out there.



George likes to try out different spots. Though, he does like to crawl in under the bush by the gate. The bush has grown in so much it's hard to get a picture of him in there now. It's actually hard to see him when he's in there (You can see a picture from last year here). P.S. Did you notice in this first photo, you can see Fred in the background, in his favourite snoozing spot?





This is Fred discovering the new catnip plant I got on my trip to the nursery on Sunday. He made a beeline for it, soon after I had set the tray on the ground. It was funny to watch him sniffing around all the plants until he found the right one. Good nose on that cat. He loves his catnip.



This is Fred going in for a taste test.



Who? Me? I am just a Fabulous Feline, minding my own business. Nothing to see here.



Later on, I was working on my vegetable garden, putting in the new plants. The tray was sitting behind me, and Husband was sitting on the ground chatting with me (rare event - Husband does not often venture outside, he must have missed me, what with me spending so much time out in the yard lately). George came along and took his own little nibble of the catnip plant, but I didn't realize until Husband said something. The camera was out of my reach, and by the time I got it, George had moved on. But both cats had nibbled on the plant before it even got in the ground.

A few years back, I had a pot of catnip on the deck all summer. It produced lots of little seeds and we ended up with quite a crop of catnip growing under our deck for the next couple of years. Last year I tried digging some up and moving it directly to the garden, but the cats pulled it out before it had a chance to establish any roots.

I had three catnip plants in the garden last year, bought at the nursery, and I'd hoped they would spread, but they never had a chance to go to seed. Fred & George kept them well trimmed. I was hoping to get three again this year, but there was only one left.

I have a pot with catnip growing on my kitchen windowsill, started from seed. So that will end up in the garden eventually. Plus, I found one growing in the gravel by the deck last night, so I dug it up and transferred it to a little container. It is now on the windowsill as well. I'll give it some time to get established and move it to the garden as well.







My garden, like everything else, seems to be designed with my cats in mind. :)

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Daily Record
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Weight: 142.7 lb

BF: Kashi Granola Bar, PC Yogurt & granola
Lunch: 1 cup Basmati rice w/leftover green curry sauce
Snack: Yogurt w/raspberries & coconut
Supper: Salad, White Chicken Chili

Workout: Burn & Firm Pilates DVD

A Garden Story, Chapter Four

Closer Looks

Taking a closer look at a few things today. Because you absolutely must know every detail about my garden. Plus, I am determined to stretch this series to 5 days. No, I don't know why. I just am.

So, the red flowers here are new, just planted this spring. Asiatic Lilies from the Superstore garden center. The big mess of green leaves is a patch of some kind of lily - they are orange. They were one of the few things that were actually in the garden when we moved in. I had to dig some out this year because they have been spreading a bit every year and they were starting to take over. And let me tell you - these suckers are not easy to dig out. They really do not like to let go.



And a close up. The new red lilies add a little splash of colour, until the orange ones bloom.



These purple irises came from my neighbor. The first fall that we were in our house, she was separating her bulbs (thinning them out?) and she asked if I'd like some. I think this year I am going to have to dig them up and thin them out a bit as well. I love these flowers though - I think in the garden, purple is my favourite colour for flowers. They really seem to stand out against the foliage and house.

As an aside, my neighbor has an outstanding garden. Obviously she has been working at it for a long time and it is beautiful. On the weekend, Husband came out to see what I was doing. Looking around, he commented that aside from our neighbor, he thought we had the nicest garden in the neighborhood. That made me feel good!



My mother-in-law gave me a trellis one year, so then I had to find something that would climb it. I ended up getting this honeysuckle. Originally, I had this in front of the house, between the two windows. It had a hard time the first couple of years, being nibbled on by the deer. Last spring, when I was redoing the gardens, I decided to move this around to the side because I wanted to put other plants out front. It's been doing quite well here, though this year it is rather crowded by the irises.



Back behind the irises, there is a patch of comfrey. My sister dug some up from the back yard at home in Nova Scotia and brought it over a few years back. This has gone through a similar transition - was in front of the house, got eaten by the deer. Last spring I moved it and I cannot believe how tall these plants grew. It is also spreading, so I may have to dig some up. Not sure the best time of year to do that?



The comfrey plants always make me think of my grandmother. I grew up in a two generation home, with my grandparents right next door. I have memories of my grandmother, out working in the gardens. Also, she was into natural remedies and I remember comfrey being one of the things she would use.



And this is a little patch of violas in front of the cat door. I just love the little splash of colour there. These things pop up all over the place. I suppose someone who prefers a tidy garden might not like that, but I think it's great.




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Daily Record
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BF: Muffin, coffee
Lunch: Corn & Black Bean salad, cottage cheese
Snack: Vanilla yogurt w/raspberries & coconut
Supper: Green Curry Chicken & Basmati rice, a wee bit of ice cream for dessert

Workout: Treadmill session - 1 hour

A Garden Story, Chapter Three

Accessorizing the Garden

My collection of garden ornaments has been growing slowly over the past few years. Every so often, I see one that just seems to belong in my garden and then I must have it.

I first saw this plaque on my trip to Whitehorse in 2006. It was my last day there, and I'd already done plenty of souvenir shopping. I wanted to bring it home, it appealed to my sense of whimsy, it fit in so well with my other garden ornaments...But it was quite heavy and I was concerned about lugging it all the way home. So, reluctantly, I walked away.

Last spring, browsing around a local store, I found another one. This time there was no hesitation. Disclaimer: This is actually a photo I took last year, because I didn't think to do a closeup again this year. But it's in the same spot this year, by the front step under the rhododendron.

This is not the first ornament I added to my collection, but I'm starting with this one because, to me, it seems like an invitation to explore the garden.



This one may be a little hard to see. It was found at one of the stalls in the Saint John City Market. I think it was before I even had a garden. But I liked it. My parents were visiting for the weekend and we were being touristy and shopping around.



These next two came from the SuperStore, though not the same year.

The first one is sitting by my little Bog Rosemary plant. I got this plant I think four years ago now. I saw it at a garden center, then I went home and looked it up (forget the exact name of it now - Blue Ice Bog Rosemary? Something like that. It gets pink flowers). According to what I found, it should survive the winter here so I went back and got it. After the first winter, I thought it might be dead. But I left it alone and started seeing little bits of green here and there. I pruned it, fertilized it, and gave it some time to see what would happen. It's been looking better and better every year, so I'm glad I decided to give it a chance.



In the background here, you can see 3 trellises close together. I wasn't sure whether I was going to get my vegetable patch or not this year, and I was determined I was going to plant something, so I have 3 little sugar snap pea plants growing in my flower garden.



And this one from another little Saint John shop. I love her wings!

Back behind her, you can see one of two little lanterns (the second is under the other forsythia bush, in one of yesterday's photos). They came from a dollar store, I had three but sadly I broke one. In the past I have used them on the deck with candles, but this year I decided to put them in the garden.



Last summer my parents came for a visit and we went to King's Landing Historical Settlement. In the gift shop I found this little bird bath. I saw in when we first got there, and I thought "This belongs in my garden." I thought about it for the afternoon, while we toured around, and on the way out I decided to buy it.



And I am now realizing I forgot one, probably because it is sitting on the hearth by the fireplace. I am not going to take it outside today, because it's pouring down rain. But you can see it here. Looking back at those pics, which are from last year, I can certainly see how much some things have grown and bushed out. Guess that's why I didn't think much about pruning last year - things really grew like crazy this year!

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Daily Record
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Weight: 143.4

BF: Muffin & Coffee
Lunch: Corn & Black Bean Salad, cottage cheese
Snack: grapes, yogurt & granola
Supper: Multigrain breaded Tilapia filets, salad, fries

Workout: Weights

A Garden Story, Chapter Two

We now resume garden tour. I meant to post pictures of each garden last night, but forget these two. Guess that just shows how tired I was.

I really have not done much to this first one since we moved in, other than edge and mulch. I'm not crazy about the plant in the middle, but the deer never chewed on it so I can see why it was planted. One of these days I may move it to the bed out by the road.

An anecdote about this one...I once fell through the lawn, right by that tree. This was before we had the fence and I used to take the cats out in harnesses. I was walking up to the tree to attach Fred's leash so he could lounge and I could do work around the yard, and the ground went right out from under me. In an instant of panic I managed to throw myself backward and land on my butt on the edge of the hole. I landed hard and my back didn't feel right for a couple of weeks after. It was pretty scary, having the ground give out like that. It was a fairly deep hole too, though sloped, and ending in big rocks. Now every spring I tend to explore the yard quite gingerly at first.



This next one is sort-of brand new. The first fall after we moved in, my parents came to visit and my Mom brought little roots from the lilac bushes at home. We planted them at the edge of the lawn. Eventually I added other plants along the edge, to make a bit of a division since the lot next door is empty and growing wild. I went and scavenged rocks to make a bit of a boundary. When we put up the fence, everything was all squished up against it, though my lilac bushes finally started to thrive once they were safe from being deer food.

Our friendly landscaper asked if we'd like them to fix that up and make a proper bed out of it, since they would have the equipment there to make my little vegetable patch anyway. They dug up all the plants, cut out a new bed and replanted everything. It definitely does look better now, and I no longer have to worry about the lilac bushes growing into the fence - they have lots of room. You can just barely see them at the far end - with all of that green, they do tend to blend in.



Cats in the Garden
Putting up the fence was great, because it gave me a deer-free space and eliminated the frustration of trying to figure out what I could plant that would be safe. I have researched plants that deer supposedly will not eat, I have bought plants that were labelled as deer safe, and more often than not, the deer still ate them.

But the best part? My best garden pals can come and go freely, hanging out with me while I putter around the yard.







This corner is a little wild. Must prune that forsythia bush this year. Once the fence went up, it grew like crazy and I didn't give it the attention it deserved. It's done flowering now, so I must get around to giving it a trim. There's one on the other corner that is in the same state. Again, these are from cutting that my Mom brought. Little pieces of home.

Also, note the little garden ornament under the bush. I finally brought out my garden ornaments this weekend as well. They do add little finishing touches. If you look closely in yesterdays photos, you can probably find them. But have no fear! I feel a garden ornament post coming on for tomorrow!

In the meantime, check out my wild ones.





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Daily Record
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Weight: 144.1

BF: Muffin, coffee w/cream (Must stop doing the muffin thing before it becomes a habit)
Snack: grapes
Lunch: Greek Salad(made @home last night), multi-grain bread w/hummus (Salad was pretty good, it held up overnight in the fridge. Bread with hummus was really yummy, had two slices which was maybe more than I need? But I have these little pre-portioned hummus packets and it's too much for one slice of bread. I feel satisfied, but not stuffed though, so maybe 2 slices is ok).
Snack: grapes
Supper: BBQ Chicken, Corn & Black Bean salad

Workout: 1 hour treadmill session

A Garden Story

Photos of the vegetable patch, The Bag Lady asks. Never fear - I am obsessed with my gardens. If I'm not working in them, I am taking pictures of them. So, as things start to grow there will no doubt be pictures.

I think I am done the bulk of the work now though. There will still be weeding and watering and so on, but the planting is done. And I am tired...

Warning - what follows is many pictures of gardens. If that's not your thing, or if you are on dial-up, I apologize right now.

When we first moved into this house, 6 years ago now, there wasn't a whole lot going on in the gardens. I never would have expected to be a gardener, but having grown up in the country, a few years of living in apartments left me longing to grow things. I quickly discovered that we did not have good soil - it's pretty much sand and clay. And even more difficult, the deer eat just about everything you plant.

Eventually we put up a fence. We knew we wanted some sort of enclosure for the cats, and if we were going to do that, then I wanted to enclose at least some of the gardens as well. Last year was the first full season of having enclosed gardens and it is absolutely amazing what a difference it made.

I also put in a lot of work last spring, fixing up the beds. So things have really been transformed. Maybe that's where my obsession with photographing the garden comes from. Last spring, I took photos along the way, documenting my progress. I also wanted to keep track of what I planted where, and what time of the year certain things would start to grow, bloom etc. I created an online album and pestered friends and family - Look at my garden...Look what I did today...Look how things have grown!

So things were in pretty good shape this year to start with. We have a landscaping company that takes care of our lawn (because I can only do so much and Husband has zero interest in any kind of manual labour). This year we asked them to do the mulch for us, because we are hoping they would have access to a heavier mulch that the cats would be less likely to track all over the house.

The mulch was done last week, and things are now looking very nice and so far it does seem like the cats are tracking in less than they did last year. Which is nice. Because they made an awful mess last year.

This is now things are looking now...



Rhododendrons in bloom...



Out by the road. I don't really do much with this, mainly because it's such a pain to work on the side of the hill.



This side of the house seems to be the most sheltered and sunniest spot. Things grow really well here.









This is the front of the house.



My little vegetable garden.





And I have lots more, which I was going to post, but it's getting late and I'm really tired. So, I'm thinking they will have to wait - I can spread them out over the next couple of days.

It's Friday!

Weigh In: 144.1 (+ 0.4 lb)

So I was as good as my word last night and I passed on the Tostitos. I was worried that the open bag would be sitting around the house all weekend, tempting me, but it disappeared into Husband's computer room and it looks like he pretty much finished it off. Which is not a good thing for him, no one needs to eat almost a whole bag of Tostitos in one evening, but at least I don't have to worry about them.

I also spent about two hours out in the yard, planting things in my new vegetable patch, then I came in and did a short weight workout. So overall, it was a pretty good day.

With the weather being so warm, and our office having no air conditioning, I'm thinking I may start experimenting with salads for lunches during the week. Normally, I like my salads to be freshly made, but I've been thinking about options and I have some ideas.

Of course, any day now, everyone else will decide it's too hot, drag out the portable air conditioner, turn it on full blast, and then I'll be back to wearing sweaters and freezing (that's what happened last summer). I suppose then I will be happy for the hot lunches.

Anyway, just came in from another gardening session. I'm getting close to having it all planted I think - it's not a huge area, so I will probably finish it off tomorrow. Then I will be all on pins and needles waiting to see if things grow.

Now I am off to relax for an hour or so, then I'll be ready to sleep. Have a great weekend everyone!

What a beautiful, beautiful day. The sun is shining, there's a light breeze...Ah...Too bad I had to be at work all day. Want. Vacation. Now.

So, those Lime Tostitos I was talking about...

Sunday, we made BBQ chicken for supper. I had a bag of multi-grain Tostitos kicking around (from my sister's visit a few weeks back) so decided to make our favourite Black Bean Salsa to have along with our chicken and salad.

Very tasty it was, however the multi-grain Tostitos really don't stand up to the Black Bean Salsa that well, they tend to break.

We had salsa left over and Husband wanted to get a different bag of tortilla chips to go with. I was hoping for those Baked Scoops as we've tried those before and liked them, but could not find any in the store. So I stood there looking at the shelves trying to figure out what to get. Husband said "Just get the Lime ones." I said: "But I'll eat those." He said: "Well that's good."

Sigh.

But I'm thinking...

I can't have any.

They are a favourite of mine, and once I start I find it hard to stop eating them.

So better not to start.

People don't use the word "diet" much these days. It's all healthful eating, lifestyle change, eating clean, moderation. All good things by the way. But I think for me, right now, "diet" is the better word.

I get the whole idea that "diet" is temporary and restrictive and you have to know how to eat healthy for the long term and maintain once you reach your goal. All valuable stuff. But I have been trying to do that. I have been trying to pay attention to what I'm eating and do the moderation thing. I don't seem to gain weight. But I don't lose either. Problem is, I find it too easy to make excuses.

The word "diet" (as in: "I am going on a diet") implies something more strict. Which is probably what I need. Because I am not being strict enough with myself. If I want to lose weight, I can't be eating Hint of Lime Tostitos just because they are there.

I convinced Husband on Tuesday night that we should save the salsa & Tostitos to go with our White Chicken Chili (being defrosted from the freezer) for supper - which was supposed to be last night, but was postponed to tonight. Because I figured we didn't need that along with the fries on Tuesday.

But. I am thinking I can't have any. Especially after last night. The Lime Tostitos will still be there in the store to be bought for another day. So I'm thinking...a scoop of Black Bean Salsa as a garnish on my White Chicken Chili, and I will be good to go.

That is the plan and I will let you know tomorrow how things went. Don't you just love a cliffhanger ending?

:)

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Daily Record
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Weight: 144.7!!!!!

BF: Coffee Shop Muffin, coffee w/cream
Lunch: Cocoa-Coconut Chili, Mini Babybel cheese
Snack: Apple
Supper: White Chicken Chili, topped with Black Bean Salsa

Workout: Weights

Plans. Changed. Again.

Scale! Ack! Talk about a kick in the butt.

Plans! Ack! Why do I make them?

Okay. I gave myself a stern talking to this morning with regard to Lime Tostitos (briefly mentioned yesterday). I had my plan of attack ready.

Then Friend calls saying she is having a BBQ tonight, 7:00 if we want to come. This friend always has so much food...And those of us attending her dinners usually bring more food...

Honestly, up to me, I would have said no. Midweek, so I have to get up for work tomorrow which means I want to be tucked into bed no later than 11 PM and BBQ doesn't start until 7 PM. I have a cardio workout to do today. It's not even that nice out. All overcast and everything.

But since I am part of a "we", I figured I should check in with the other half and he wants to go. And I'm completely winging it as we will be stopping on the way to find something to throw on the grill.

So now. Plan out the window. Need whole new plan.

Sigh.

Part One of Plan - straight home from work to get in a quick treadmill workout (DONE)

Part Two - well, try not to stuff myself silly.

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Daily Record
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Weight: 144.0 (+0.9 lb)

BF: Yogurt & Granola, coffee w/cream
Snack: Fibre1 bar
Lunch: Rockin' Moroccan Stew
Snack: Cherries
Supper: BBQ...?

Workout:

Boot Camp Day 2

Well...

I wouldn't say today was better, but I'm hanging in.

I think I mentioned last week that we tried these Multi-grain battered Tilapia fillets and I wasn't crazy about them. Husband said he wasn't crazy about them either. Fine. I won't buy any more. But we'll finish off the rest of the box.

So, heading home from work Husband asks what is for supper and I tell him we are having the Tilapia Fillets again. My plan is we will have them once a week until they are gone.

So then we had to stop and buy a bag of frozen french fries because if he had to "eat that God-awful fish" he wanted something [that tasted] good to go along with it. I had been hoping to get away with just veggies, which would have been ok with me, but if I was cooking fries, I couldn't not eat fries, know what I mean? However, according to the Nutrition info on the bag, one serving is not terrible. And other than that my day was good.

Aside from the bag of Lime Tostitos that also made their way into my house. But that is tomorrow's story.

Know what this is?



It is a freshly dug bed that will become my little vegetable patch. We arrived home today to find the landscaping guys finishing up. I have been wanting this for a while. Now I just have to plant stuff!

And, just because they are so cute, here are the Fabulous Felines again for your viewing pleasure...






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Daily Record
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Weight: 143.1 (- 0.8 lb)

BF: Vanilla Yogurt w/strawberries & shredded coconut
Lunch: Cocoa-Coconut Chili (From Eat, Drink and Be Vegan)
Snack: Cherries, Kashi Granola Bar
Supper: Multi-grain battered Tilapia fillet, fries, cabbage salad w/Asian Sesame Dressing

Workout: Weights