Today Sucks

For some reason - today sucks !  If you are wanting a motivating, positive post, now is probably the right time to click off this page - no motivation or positivity here - you've been warned ...........

A & K are working and I had the whole day (well nearly the whole day to myself) and what did I do - sat at home crying - for no particular reason except I felt like that was all I could do.  I felt the anxiety well up in me.  I felt scared about going to the shops.  I was having hot flushes.  I felt cr*p.

I did all the washing.  Changed the sheets, washed and hung them out to dry.  I got dressed and I went to the shops because there were groceries that we needed.

I thought that I had this menopause thing sorted - clearly I was wrong.  Today I am not doing well at all - the anxiety, the fear, the hot flushes, the tears - they are all part and parcel of going through menopause.  Maybe I need to go back to the dr and have a look at changing the medication - or maybe it is just a one day glitch - will see how I feel tomorrow.

Why are there so many stupid people in shopping centres now ?  Why do they walk along and then JUST.STOP ?  And then turn around and give me a dirty look because I nearly ran into them ????  Move to the side if you want to stop and chat with your friend !!!  Some of us know what we want and where we want to be - if you want to dawdle along, that is fine - but move to the side and don't take up the whole walking area.

Why do so many people let their children run around uncontrollably ?  I understsand you think that your little darlings are just the best little kids you have ever encountered - but not everybody thinks the same as you.

My days of little children are over - I don't want to go out and be subjected to kids screaming their heads off  while being ignored by their parents.  They are your children - as much as you may want to disown them - you can't - deal with them.

Sorry there is  no Thought for the Day today - I read a few and it just doesn't feel right to post any of them !!!

Have a great day !!

Today is a New Day

Today is a new day.  Today is Friday which means that it is Team Friday with Stacey-Lee at Get On With It Already, Things I Know with Miss Cinders at Saturday Morning Ogre Mum and FYBF with Grace at With Some Grace - why not join in with any of these lovely ladies and find some new and exciting blogs to read ?

Today I know that I haven't been able to finish either of the challenges for November for #bacnov3030challenge or #operationMOVE - not for want of trying - but because my body betrayed needs to heal itself.

Today I know that I am learning to love and accept myself more and more each day -  for who I am and how I look.

Today I know that eating a good healthy range of foods means that I have more energy to sit on the couch doing nothing but let my body heal and don't suffer from the 3pm slumps anymore.

Today I know that cutting sugar, wheat and dairy out of what I eat makes me feel so good. (Does this mean I will never eat these foods again ?  No, but it does mean that I have learned that when I eat these foods I don't feel that great and so eating them on special occasions is allowed, even encouraged, provided I can deal with how I feel afterwards !!!!)

Today I know that tomorrow I have my 5th appointment with the osteo in 2 weeks and I have to stay confident that he can help me.

Today I know that even though my 'baby' is 20 yo, she still wants her Mom when she is sick.

Today I know that our car just clocked over 200,000kms and we are probably going to have to start looking for a new one.

Today I know that last night I went to a camera class and learned even more about my camera - I am planning to have some more play dates with it this weekend (especially as A is working on Sunday).

Today I know that I need to be more diligent with my gratitude journal - it is a journal that I NEED to make the time to 'write' in every day because EVERY DAY there IS a list of things that I am grateful for.

What do you know today ? 

How are you preparing your body for the Christmas on-slaught ?

 

 

TFTD : An essential aspect of long term success is not being afraid to fail in the short term.

(This is totally for me today - I know I shouldn't look at an injury as failure but that is mostly how I feel !!!)

 

Too Late

Who knew I would need to phone and book dinner on Christmas Eve before 20th November otherwise we would miss out and the place would be fully booked ????????

Oh well, now I know for next year - start looking earlier than the beginning of November and make arrangements before 20th November !!

Due to the size of our family, we have always 'shared' my parents on Christmas Day.  One year with us and one year with my brother and his wife's family.  On the years that my folks have come to us, we have our BIL, SIL, nephews and girl-friends as well.  Last year things were different and it was just the 5 of us - which was great - we didn't eat too much and we didn't have left overs for days afterwards.

This year my folks are going to my brother and extended family and so we thought we would go out to dinner on Christmas Eve.  That was we wouldn't have left overs for days on end and the three of us would just mooch around at home - enjoying the time off work.  The problem is I never thought we would have to book before 20th November !!! When I rang to book for 5 adults I was advised that they were fully booked - BUGGER POO BUM !!!

So we did the ring around of hotels and we had to either pay $150 each (not going to happen) or go with a normal carvery and seafood buffet (I'm guessing the difference is - no crackers, no Christmas pudding, possibly no mince pies) for $75.  K wasn't fussed about no crackers - she, quite rightly, pointed out that we could have crackers at home on Christmas Day (as I can Christmas pudding as I am the only one who eats it so maybe I'll just buy a little one all for me !!).  When I rang Dad this morning he said he didn't care about crackers and hats (especially the hats as they look funny on him !!!) the main thing is that we are all together.

Next year I will be better prepared.  Now to see if I can find the Christmas presents that K is wanting !!  A has asked for a 6 pack of beer and I have already got my present (Nikon D5100) !!  As we don't do Kris Kringle or have littlies in our family, I just need to find the multiple photo frame that my folks want, choose some photos to go in there and I am done !  (Apart from A because I can't just give him a 6 pack of beer no matter how many times he tells me that is all he wants - but what do you buy for the man who has EVERYTHING ??????????)

I am feeling a bit like the Christmas grinch - I am not putting up a tree this year and really can't be bothered with all the Christmas Hoo Haa (which is why I want to go out for dinner because I can't be ar*ed cooking !!!!) but I have noticed that without little children around, Christmas just doesn't have the same feel to it.  We are not religious people and to be honest, I am just happy to have a couple of days off work !!

Linking in with Jess for #IBOT.

TFTD : When you give it your best shot and you miss, it's not seen as a failure.  Instead, it's just another opportunity to step up to the plate and do it better next time.

Things I Know

Linking in with Stacey-Lee for Team Friday, Miss Cinders for Things I Know and Grace for FYBF today.

Following on from my post yesterday, I know that if I listen to my osteopath and my trainer I will be back training sooner than if I listen to my head (may have something to do with all the training/studying they have had/done compared to me - not sure, just saying !!!)

I know that I have given my back until the end of the weekend before I will even tackle going for a walk on Monday after work.  Depending on how that goes will determine what my next step (pun totally intended) will be.

I know that I am TOTALLY proud of K for the work that she does with SES - especially the last two nights from 6pm-2am with schoolies.  She came home absolutely shattered at 3am this morning after the incredibly sad death of a 17yr old girl who fell from a balcony onto the pool deck at Chevron Renaissance.  What a waste of a young life - when will these kids get it ?????

I know that I am looking forward to catching up with a friend tomorrow, firstly to give her a reflexology treatment and then for us to go out and have a good old fashioned chin-wag catch up - it has been months since we have got together and I know we will have a good time.  Our stomach muscles will get the best work out - laughter !

I know that I am happy with how my eating plan is going.  I feel so much healthier and my energy levels are so much better - why would I change it and go back to eating the cr*p that I was eating ?  Well, I'm not.  I am going to continue with this, with an exception, if, on the odd occasion, I feel like eating something with wheat, dairy or sugar (like on the weekend), I am going to have it - and then see how it makes me feel so I can gauge just how often I can (or can't) have it. 

I know that it is getting closer to Christmas and I am no closer to doing anything about it than I was 6 months ago.  Having said that, I have at least been thinking about what we are going to do, which is a step closer than not having even given it a thought - so I suppose, in that respect, I am just a teeny tiny bit closer !!!

Have the best day ever - take care and look after yourself.  If you know anyone coming to schoolies from inter-state - please, please, please tell them to take care and look after each other to prevent another tragedy from happening.

TFTD : You are the author of your beliefs.  You get to write and edit them continuously.  And it's really important to tend and maintain your belief in your awesomeness because when you feel terrible, the people you care about suffer too.

Thankful Thursday

Today I am REALLY thankful for two people in my life ...................... my osteopath and my trainer (bet you thought I was going to say A and K didn't you ???)

While I am thankful for A and K, these past 10 days I have had occasion to visit my osteopath 4 times and my trainer zero times - none, zilch, not at all, nothing !!!  Why ?  Because of my stupid back injury from Warrior Dash.  Not that I am slating Warrior Dash here because I'm not - in fact we have all agreed that we will be doing it again next year.  I am lamenting the fact that maybe I should have been fitter before I tackled it and thus prevented my back injury !

The bottom line is that I have a back injury that I need to manage it properly to start with so that it doesn't hinder my training down the line. 

My osteo has been great - managing to see me and doing some dry needling, which, as painful as it is, certainly does aid and hasten the recovery process. 

My trainer has been great because he totally 'gets' my injury - he keeps telling me to rest up and give it a chance to recover so that I can get back to training sooner, even when I am chomping at the bit to get going NOW.  I feel very frustrated at not being able to do anything except get home, cook dinner, get the washing done, hop on the computer, play with my camera and crochet some more blankets.  I WANT TO TRAIN but I am learning (slowly it seems !!!) that if I go back to training too soon, it will mean that I will be out of action even longer.

So for the above two people, I am truly thankful - for their care of me and for the help that they have given, both physically and mentally, in helping me to understand that sooner isn't always better.

Now if my head would just accept this and buy into it 100% and stop playing mind games that go something along the lines of

"The longer you leave training, the more unfit you are getting."
"The longer you leave training, the less you are going to want to start again."
"The longer you leave training, the more you are going to battle to keep your weight under control."

then  I should be great !!

Today I am also thankful for going to my cupboard this morning and pulling out a pair of size 12 3/4 pants from Katies and having them fit me comfortably enough to wear them to work without feeling like I am going to get cut into two !!!

Linking in with We Heart Life for Thankful Thursday - so why not pop over and share some blog love around with everyone ?

Have the best week ever !

TFTD : Act as if it is impossoble to fail and it will be.

Happy Anniversary Dad and Mom

Yesterday my folks celebrated their 52nd wedding anniversary.  52 years of being married to each other, and still the best of friends.  In this day and age I truly feel that this is a huge achievement.

This photo was taken a few weeks ago on my Mom's 75th birthday.

They are a total inspiration to me.  They have provided such a stable family life for me and it is only as I have grown older that I have come to really appreciate all that they did for me while I was growing up - and how much they continue to do for us.

I love you both so much Mom and Dad - wishing you many more happy years together !

Linking with Essentially Jess for #IBOT

TFTD : Hard times will always reveal your true friends.
(I guess this means that they must be true friends because they have certainly had their fair share of hard times !!!!)

Warrior Dash 2012

Warrior Dash Queensland 2012 has come and gone and we did it !!!  Not the greatest time but for us it was never about the time - it was about the challenge and the fun of the event !!

We left home on Friday after work and decided to go the back way to Kilcoy to miss the Friday afternoon traffic into and out of Brisbane along the Gateway/Bruce Highway.  Great idea - we just kept moving the whole time so while it may have been a bit longer (km wise) it was definitely quicker than the other route.

We had lots of rain on the way up and it was raining quite hard when we got there - not the best start to an obstacle event !!!  We had dinner at one of the two local hotels, Stanley Hotel.  It was a good meal and well within what we were allowed to eat.  We had a lazy start to the day as we were only in the 12 o'clock wave.  K and I were really organised with our food, having made smoothies before we left home which we took with us.  We had also packed some frozen fritattas, nuts, shredded coconut and some 70% chocolate in case we got hungry during the day plus plenty of water to drink.

On our way to the event it was spitting with rain but that didn't do anything to dampen our spirits - we were all there to have a great time !!!!

We managed to park in the second car park and walked across the hill to the start of the event.  We got our numbers and then dropped our bag off and went and joined into the next wave - we had no idea of what the time was or if it was our wave and they had no clocks around for us to check - nobody was checking people as they started so we figured we would start rather than standing around in the rain.

Well it was quite different to The Stampede.  The obstacles were more challenging and the walking in between was more up and down !!!!  Man some of those hills were killers !!!  Luckily A had his ventolin with him this time and used it half way up the first hill.  There were fewer mud obstacles (although more mud between obstacles) - at least the last obstacle helped to get the mud from the previous obstacle off !!!!

The rain meant that there was more mud than there should have been and so it was quite difficult going up and down some of the hills because of the mud and slipping and sliding.  At the bottom of one hill I landed up sliding down the last 6-8m of the hill on my butt as it was so muddy and I was worried about hurting my knee if I tried to run down and slipped.  Unfortunately I think that was the first injury to my back !!!!!

The second was when we climbed up one side of an obstacle and had a straight fall down the otherside - I hung down as far as I could but I couldn't move my hands to the lower rung and so dropped about 4-5' instead of 2-3' - that was when I knew I had done something that my back didn't like !!!!!!

I was a little indignant when a lady went passed and said "You can get them to come and pick you up if you don't want to finish" - Don't want to finish ?????????????  Not bloody likely - I was going to finish this event no matter how long it took.  A and K were amazing at keeping me going and encouraging me along the way.

The second to last obstacle was 3 mud pools - each having a longer slide to get into them.  Managed those all fine but got out of the last pool, took about 4 steps and both feet shot out from under me and I landed flat on my back.  It took me a while to get up from there and with help from A and K I managed to roll myself onto my hands and knees and get up from there.  Of course all I wanted to do was get out of there but the good thing was that I wasn't the only one that it happened to.  I was clearly luckier than the lady who broke her ankle at the same obstacle !!!!

The last obstacle was a mud pool that you had to swim across and make sure to stay under the barbed wire that was strung over it !!!!!!  I battled to get out of there but in the end we made it !!!!!!!!  I certainly felt like I had accomplished something when I finished !!

We went and collected our bag and then had a 'shower' - well we actually just stood in front of a water truck along with I don't know how many other people and tried to rinse as much of the mud off as we could. We decided to try to save our clothes and shoes this time as it is going to get rather expensive if we have to buy clothes and shoes for each of these events !!!!!

By this stage my back was absolutely killing me so as we walked back to the car A went ahead to see if he could move the car closer and save me some walking but there was such a traffic jam that he couldn't even move so by the time we got to the car we all dried off as best we could in the rain, took our wet pants off and sat in towels on plastic packets in the car !!!!  It took us over 1/2 hr to get out the car park and we were all so pleased to get back to the unit and be able to shower !

When we were waiting in the car park K said "So, are we doing this again next year ?" and we all said a resounding YES !!!!!  I have bruises all over the place, put my back out rather badly and have sore arms and legs but I can't wait for the next event to come around - it was so good !

Joining in with Jess from Essentially Jess for #IBOT !

Have the best week !

TFTD : In the end, it is important to remember that we cannot become who we are capable of being, by remaining exactly where we are.

Cranky Pants Day

Today is officially Cranky Pants Day (yes I know some people will be celebrating Melbourne Cup but I don't get it - maybe because I am from South Africa and the closest we ever got to a horse race was The July - maybe because I am not a fan of horse racing - whatever it is, I don't get the hype over a horse race where majority of the horses aren't even from Australia !!!).

Today I am cranky.

Yesterday I wasn't.

Yesterday I was motivated to do what needed to be done.

Yesterday I went shopping after work - spent what I could have put as a down payment on a new car on some fruit and veg.

Yesterday I went home and got above veggies chopped up and roasted while A cooked the chicken on the Weber.

Then I made the breakfast muffins that we needed or suffer the consequence of not being prepared for breakfast or lunch this week.

By this stage it was after 8pm and I still hadn't done my #bacnov3030challenge so off A and I set with the dogs.  44 mins later we were back home and I sat down at the table with some papers to catch up on a few things that I wanted to have written down instead of running around my head with the proviso that I was going to be finished by 10 and in bed by 10.30.

Liar, liar pants on fire - I eventually got up from the table at 10.40 still having to shower and get ready for bed so it was closer to 11.15 by the time I got into bed.

At 2am I was still awake - not because of A's snoring but because I was so over-tired, I couldn't sleep.  I had a lot of time to think and analyse what I was doing wrong.  I know my timing yesterday was way out - I don't normally do my exercise so - normally I get home and get out and then worry about dinner after that - THAT is what I need to do in future !!!

I have now set an alarm for 9pm that shouts "GO TO BED NOW" !

I feel like absolute cr*p today.  When the alarm went off I couldn't believe it.  I nearly cried.  I snoozed it three times before dragging myself out of bed.  All I can say is thank goodness the big meeting with the bank that was planned for today has been re-scheduled for Friday - I couldn't have handled that !!!!

Today is Cranky Pants Day.

Tomorrow will be better.

Linking in with the lovely Jess at Essentially Jess today for #IBOT

TFTD : You have to be courageous and wise enough to know that if what you are doing is not producing the desired results, you must take different actions.

Going Well

Yesterday we had a great day - shopping - as a family !!!  We got into the car in the morning and K said "I feel just like a little girl again going shopping with my Mom and Dad" - we all laughed !!!  Told her she was welcome to drive and we would go with her but she was happy to be a passenger !

First stop was to Parklands where Lifeline was having a $2 sale.  We managed to get some clothes which was great.  It was a totally different experience for us - seeing people snatching armfuls of clothing and then off into a corner, going through and trying things on, then putting what wasn't suitable back on the tables and taking another armful.  Anyway, we got what we needed as well as a bag big enough to put clean clothes and towels in to change into after Warrior Dash.

Our next stop was the Lifeline shop where we managed to get 6 pairs of shoes (which is enough for 2 obstacle races !!!) plus two caps, one hat and a pair of sunnies for $50.  So, we are all set for Kilcoy - watch out, the M Family is on it's way on Friday after work !!!!

The rest of the day was giving my opinion on K's shopping - the bag she was getting for $20 from Meyers because she had to use a Meyer's voucher ($100) from Christmas the year before last.  The only problem was that we were at Robina and, while they had two in stock according to their computer, they didn't actually have any she could buy because they couldn't find them !!!!!  But, Pacific Fair had an actual bag on their floor so we went across there and got it.

She was also looking for a dress for her work Christmas party - they are having a Masquerade Evening and she needs a dress (and shoes and bag of course plus accessories !!!!) for the night.  We found a couple that she liked but they didn't have her size or she liked it but I didn't - so nothing finalised on the dress.  This has to be a 20yo logic -

K - Hey Mom - do you like these shoes ?
Me - Not really - when are you going to wear them ?
K - To the Christmas party
Me - But you don't even have a dress yet - how can you buy shoes when you don't have a dress
K - Oh yes - maybe I won't get them
Me - (to myself) - You think ????

We got home and A was going out with his brother to see someone who was down from Darwin for the Pan Pacific Masters Games so off he went.  This meant K and I were free to watch the Breaking Dawn Part 1 DVD to complete our Twilight recap that we started a little while ago.  He got home at about 4.30 and as soon as the movie was finished, he and I took the dogs for a walk.

This was a big thing for me (thanks to Tracey at Bliss Amongst Chaos and her 30/30 challenge for November) because normally if I have spent some time on the couch, I find it EXTREMELY difficult to get up and get exercising.  There was no way I could drop the ball on the 3rd day of the challenge !! I do believe I will get back to the point where I am in the habit of exercising - every - single - day - so even when I have a rest day I can just walk with A and the dogs.  He is wanting to exercise more and I am trying to help him do a little bit at a time.  Hopefully we will get there with him as well as myself !!!

This morning I had coffee/water with my dear friend from Colours of Sunset.  We were going to go for a walk but due to inclement weather down the coast we just met for a catch up and a drink.  I had such a great time.  I was a little late because, after a slight change in arrangements, I thought I would be able to get a short run in.  And I did.  With some great times.  6:12 for the 1st km, 6:15 for the 2nd km and then the last 1.3km I was a little stuffed and landed up averaging 6:21 for the whole run.  BUT, I am not knocking that - for me it is a good time even if the run was shorter than normal.  What I hadn't factored into my time allowed before I had to leave, was time to cool down AFTER my run !!!  So with ceiling fans going fall blast and me dashing under it when I could, I managed to get there about 5 mins late.  We had a great time anyway - well I know I did and I hope she did too !!!!! 

After that I had a couple of things to do - then came home, had some fritatta for lunch and spent a few hours on the couch catching up on blogs/FB/twitter (which all seem quite quiet this afternoon which is good !!!)

A just called to say he is finished work and on his way home which is great as I wasn't expecting him for at least another 2-3hrs !  K will be home from work just now and we will be making some more fritatta and breakfast muffins for us to have next week.

I hope you have all had a great weekend and that the up-coming week isn't too stressful !!!

Have a great day !

TFTD : You don't need a reason to help people.

A Great Place

Linking in with Stacey-Lee from GetOnWithItAlready - what place are you in right now ?  Not physically - but emotionally and mentally ?  Are you where you want to be ?  Are you close to where you want to be ? Or is where you want to be not even on the horizon for you ?

I didn't realise just how directionless (I think that is the word I am looking for) I was until I looked back over the past few months and realised that apart from a couple of events and a holiday to NZ, I really was just marking time.  No concrete goals to aim for.  Just marking time.

I was thinking about myself recently and realised that now I have direction - I have goals I want to achieve and I am following specific paths to achieve those goals.

1.  I committed to the LEANing Challenge with We Are Slimming
2.  I committed to Tracey's 30/30 challenge for November at Bliss Amongst Chaos
3.  I am involved in research for a book that involves all different areas of my life
4.  I committed to Kate's #operationMOVE for November at katesaysstuff (which I am doing in conjunction with point 2 above)

Looking now I see it is just 4 points - which to my way of thinking previously - was a bit piss-willy - really, all I could come up with was 4 ??????  But now I realise that maybe the smaller the number the more chance I have of achieving them - I tend to be an all or nothing kind of girl so often would tackle a million lots of things at once and then burn out without finishing most of them. 

I can't tell you how different I feel on the LEANing challenge  - no sugar, no wheat, no soft drinks, no dairy and I feel fantastic.  My energy levels are up and I feel so much clearer in myself (not sure that is an expression but that is how I feel !!!).  Yes, it takes a lot of preparation.  Yes, it means I have to be more organised.  Yes, I have to have a plan.  But, between K and I, we are doing it.

My newest 'sweet' - 70% cocoa chocolate

My child who is normally a grumble bum about most things that don't revolve around her - has become (for now anyway) a helpful, considerate, thoughtful young adult to have around the house.  She has been amazing - so much so on Wednesday night she came and sat next to me with her computer and said "Let's do a menu plan for next week so we can get the shopping done and we know what meals I'm cooking and which one's you are cooking." - as I said before whoever has swopped out my child, please don't swop her back anytime soon !!!!!

It looks like A might be getting a bit more interested in exercising and eating healthy food.  He has been for a run for me one night and was going to run last night but into our walk he was light-headed and didn't feel well so we walked home and I just went for a run by myself.  I hope that our good habits start to rub off on him - he used to be so fit and healthy.

Next weekend we have Warrior Dash at Kilcoy - I am hoping that it will be just as much fun as The Stampede. Tomorrow we are going op shopping to find clothes and shoes to wear because once you are finished, the bin is really the only place for your clothes / shoes !!

I am choosing to embrace the positives.  I will acknowledge, then let go of the negatives. This is the time for me to look after ME.  It is the time for me to accept that I may not get to be the weight that I think I should be but I can still have a healthy body - one that I nurture and nourish and treat with respect - not only with how I dress / look but how much I exercise and feed it.

I am off to have my next lot of water - have the BEST day that you can and I hope that your weekend brings you whatever it is that you need !

Also joining in for FYBF with Grace from With Some Grace - hop over and meet some other bloggers !

TFTD : Success is not a skill, it's a persistent attitude

Happy Birthday Mom !

Dad, A, K, Mom and myself

Yesterday my Mom celebrated her 75th birthday.  We are very blessed to have her living just 5kms around the corner given that we come from South Africa and had to leave my folks behind when we left in 2000.  They applied for a Parent Contributory  Visa (at a cost of $65,000) and came over to live here in 2006.  Those 6 years without having them around, except when they were on holiday, was tough.  I used to talk to them every day when we lived in South Africa but we couldn't afford to do that once we moved here.

My Mom, who up until 2000, had only used golf ball typewriters and very slowly upgraded to an electric typewriter.  She didn't 'do' computers.  I told her she was going to have to learn as I couldn't afford to phone her every day but at least we could mail every day.  She was very hesitant.  She was scared.  She didn't like technology.  Luckily my Dad was reasonably computer literate so he started to teach her.  We lived with them for the last 2 weeks before we moved here and every night we would sit down and I would try to show her what she could do.  She didn't like it but she knew that she was going to have to master it.

She made copious notes of what to do at every single step and yet still she managed to battle to do it.  Dad would have to log on and get everything to the point where she just had to type into the body of the mail.  12 years later she can log on and send her own mails - she is very proud of this fact and I am extremely proud of her for learning this new skill at the grand old age of 63 !!

When we were growing up, my Mom worked at the University of Durban, for the engineering students running a bookshop for them.  She finished work at 1.30 every day to make sure that, after year 1 and 2, she was always at home when we finished school.  I don't recall that she ever did anything with us when we got home as we normally dashed in from school, changed and went out to play with the other  kids in the neighbourhood.

What I do remember are the cakes and scones she used to bake - they were as light as anything and so yummy.  Her chocolate cake was to die for.  Sadly here the flour seems to be quite different and so she doesn't bake much anymore.  She still makes milk tarts and I can never have too much of that - it is delicious and I am so glad I have mastered the art of making milk tarts that taste just like hers.  I guess that happens when you have a great teacher.

There is nothing that my Mom can't sew / make / knit / crochet.  She has amazing skills when it comes to these crafts.  For all the years we were here and they were there, she and my Dad would make, and then sell, table cloths, placemats, aprons, library book bags, cushion covers etc at craft markets each week and this was their "Sew To Go" business - their logo was a map of Africa, a map of Australia and the route of the airplane !  Every year they made the trip in July for 4 weeks - I used to absolutely hang out for those 4 weeks of the year.  After they left to go back home, I felt like I had lost an arm or a leg.  One of the happiest days of my life would have to be the day they were accepted to immigrate to Australia.

My Mom has knowledge she doesn't even realise.  When I start a knitting / crocheting project, she is the one who checks my needle size to make sure my tension is right - I am getting better at this but only because she is such a great teacher.

We bought new doona covers ages ago and they have been in the cupboard ever since.  We put them on the other day and they doonas never seemed to stay put in them because they were a bit big - no trouble, she altered them so that they fit so nicely I would love her to do our other doona covers !!!  Any sort of bag or holder she can make.  If anything breaks / needs to be mended, she is our go to person - not because I can't do it - more because she is so much better at it than I am and more importantly, she LOVES to help us out.  I would say that at least 5 days a week they call to see what they can do for us and sometimes I have to make up things for them to do !!!

She has a heart of gold.  There is nothing she won't do for others.  She has done such a huge amount of knitting / crocheting for charity I think she should get a medal.  But she doesn't do it to get a medal - she does it because she wants to make someone else's life better - even if it is only a handmade jumper in winter.

They feed wallabies in their back yard.  I cannot imagine how many kilos of carrots she has cut up for the wallabies that visit.  They all have names and some of them are so tame, if there is no food in their bowl (because she won't leave it out as it dries out so she brings it in after they leave each time !!) they will tap on the door to let her know they are there and there is no food there !!

When she comes to visit Alfie and Rosie love her to bits !  (Yes, they do love everyone who comes to visit but sometimes I think my Mom gets an extra special welcome when she comes)  They buy them bones when they are out and love to spend time just watching them either playing in the Broadwater when we take them down or jumping up and catching the water when A has the hosepipe out.

Mom, you are an amazing woman, who I am proud to call Mom.  I know that there is going to come a day when you won't be here anymore and when that day arrives, it will be too soon. 

I love her more than she will ever know even though I tell her every time I see her but I don't know that the words I say can convey just how much I do love her.

For those of you who still have Mom's with you - I hope that you love, appreciate and validate them while they are still here.  For those of you whose Mom's are no longer here, I believe they are still watching over you.

I am so glad that you had such a great birthday Mom - you deserve nothing less.

I am hoping to link in with WeHeartLife for TT but there is no post there at the moment because I am so thankful that my Mom is who she is and she has helped make me who I am today.

TFTD : Happiness is the vehicle we travel in, not our destination.

A Good Week

This past week has been a good week for me, not a great week, but a good week nonetheless.

I changed my eating plan and, for the next 30 days, am following the LEANing Challenge with We Are Slimming.  This first week I lost 1.8kg which I am really happy with.  The few kgs that I picked up while on holiday in NZ in August seem to be stuck with glue and I have been really battling to get them off.  It looks like they might be coming off now.

This eating plan is very much like the 500cal/day that I did a few months ago except that you can have more than 500cal a day !  No dairy, no sugar, no carbs, no wheat, no soft drinks (which is killing me I have to be honest !!) BUT I am enjoying the food.  It just means that I need to be more organised and better prepared as it isn't that easy to grab food on the fly. (Bugger, just remembered I left the avo to go with my lunch at home !!!)  Oh well, at $2.50 per avo, it just means I can save a bit of money as I won't have to buy avos as soon as I thought I would !

The one downside of my week has been very little exercise - mainly because last week the weather was really cr*ppy and then on Friday when A and I were taking the dogs for a walk, I hurt my knee.  Iced it Friday night and spent a lot of Saturday on the couch icing it.  The good thing is that on Sunday it felt so much better that last night we went for a 45 min walk without it twingeing at all.

I am hoping to go for a short run tonight (weather permitting) before we fetch my folks to take them out to dinner for my Mom's 75th birthday tonight.

I would like to put a call out to whoever swopped my child, can you please not swop her back - ever - and I really do mean - ever !!!!  This child (young adult ?) that I have that is helpful, considerate, patient and  understanding is so different from the grumpy, cranky pants wearing child that normally resides in our home, and I would dearly love her to stay forever (or am I just living in cloud cuckoo land ?)  I guess I will just be grateful for however long she stays !

I have committed to a new challenge with Tracey from Bliss Amongst Chaos for the month of November - 30 mins exercise per day.  I know that all the people I have spoken to about training etc have advised me about how rest days are just as important as training days but I have figured that, if on a rest day I only just go for a walk with A and the dogs, it really isn't training, it is just getting out there and moving my legs and surely it won't hurt ?  So if you are up for it - join it - the more the merrier !

Linking in with the lovely Jess from dairyofasahm for #IBOT for the very last time on this blog - good luck with your rebrand Jess - I am sure that your readers will follow you !

TFTD : The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss and have found their way out of the depths.  These people have an appreciation, a sensitivity and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness and a deep loving concern.  Beautiful people do not just happen.

Man I Hate Detoxing !

On Tuesday I posted about making decisions.  Last night I made one of them - to join the LEANing Challenge with We Are Slimming.  I had already paid my money but then, after getting the manual and menu plan, went all sooki and didn't know if I would do it.

I had three days of L&E this week anyway, so thought I would give myself a couple of days to look at the manual and decide.  Well, I didn't so much read the manual and skim through it, mainly because I find manuals boring to read and picked up bits and pieces about what I could and couldn't eat.

So, last night being the last day of L&E, I figure I am going to either have to go and do some serious food shopping or else it was going to be another day that I fluffed around eating whatever I could lay my hands on.    It was K's turn to make dinner so as soon as I got home from work we made a shopping list (for me and for her because heaven forbid she should actually have got all the ingredients for dinner before 6pm on the night she is going to cook !!!) and off we went.  Well $140 and 4 grocery packets later we were home.  She asked a gazillion questions about how to make the chicken with mushroom and asparagus sauce that she had chosen to make inbetween us getting home and me dashing off to get de-haired !

Her recipe says 20 mins prep and 25 mins cooking time.  I get home just over an hour later and she is still getting it together to go into the oven !!!!  But, once it was done and we ate, it was actually bloody nice - probably her best effort so far.

I had a quick look at the menu plan for today - some mexican taco for breakfast - well that ain't going to happen now is it ?  No way I am getting up earlier than 6am to bloody cook breakfast.  So I made do with a glass of OJ and a handful of nuts !

I was a little better prepared (although not by much) for lunch and had prawns and avo/tomatoe.  I nearly had a heart attack - $2,50 for an avo - and they recommend an avo / nuts every day (for the good fats of course !!!)  Anyway, it was actually quite tasty although I only ate half of it - thought that at that price I had better ration myself with how much avo I eat - I can quite easily sit down and eat a whole avo with a little bit of salt and a sprinkling of pepper !

For dinner we had a really nice dish called paleo pancit - (have no idea what the name means except that a paleo diet is one using raw food - I think - don't quote me on it in case you get sued for wrong information !!!).  I changed it slightly as it should have had chicken, pork loin and shrimps - but we only used chicken as the others were too expensive !!!  With grated carrot, cabbage and onion.  Throw in some crushed garlic, soy sauce, chicken stock and fish sauce - bloody nice it was and it made an absolute mountain of food.  So I have frozen it for another 3 meals each for K and I - gotta love things you can take out the freezer and don't have to cook from scratch every night !!!  Oh yes, and start it all off with some coconut oil !

This eating plan is pretty much -  protein, non-starchy veg, some fruit and fats - no dairy and no wheat / carbs.  Drinking is water - tea - coffee - with almond / coconut milk if you want.  Well I don't drink tea or coffee and while I try to drink at least 1L of water a day (Mon-Fri anyway) my drink of choice is Pepsi Max - well not for the next 30 days it isn't.  My drink of choice is now WATER !!!!!!  I know I can do it because I have done it before but man it is so bloody hard.

I started with a headache at about 11.30 this morning and it has gotten progressively worse over the course of the rest of the day.  Detox - I HATE YOU !!!!  Of course, if I didn't feed my body with all the cr*p that I have done in the past, I wouldn't have picked up the weight and I wouldn't be trying to lean my body down so I do realise that I am totally responsible for having to do the detox - it just doesn't make it easier.

I was all set to run this evening after work but by the time I got home there was no ways I could manage to get out there and run - not feeling the way I did.  So instead I got started on dinner because the plan was to make the breakfast muffins tonight and, as they freeze well, just heat them up tomorrow morning.  Well after doing dinner there was no way I was going to start all over again making egg and bacon muffin thingies so change of menu and we are having coconut smoothies for breakfast instead.  On Saturday I will make the muffins and freeze them to be used during the week.  I will also  be making some frittatas to freeze and use during the week.  I just need to be organised and I can do this provided I can get rid of this bloody headache before then otherwise I am going to be swanning around on the couch feeling very sorry for myself and watching the World Series games that we will have taped during this week !!

And, because detoxing isn't bad enough, I have a dentist appointment tomorrow morning !  I HATE the dentist (probably more than the detox !!!) and have put off going for more years than I care to think about but, given this is the year I am taking myself out of my comfort zones and starting to take care of me, I thought a check-up was in order.

Linking in with Grace from With Some Grace for FYBF and Stacey-Lee from Get On With It Already for Team Friday.  Wishing you all the best weekend possible !!

TFTD : There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond your control.

Thankful Thursday

Linking in for the last time with Kate from katesaysstuff - I have had a great time linking up for TT with you - thank you so much for the time that you spent on this !

Today I am thankful for the CPAP machine that A hired for the past month.  Tomorrow he has to give it back and we have an appointment with the thoracic surgeon on Monday to find out whether :
(a) we need to purchase our own machine
(b) there is another option that may be less expensive and still do the same job

The same job would be - NO SNORING !!!!  It has been a month of bliss (mostly) during the night because even though I haven't been sleeping very well, while I am awake tossing and turning, I haven't had to listen to him snoring - SHEER BLISS I tell you !  Yes, sometimes the nose thingy-ma-jig is not in correctly and I can hear all this hissing but a small (well small compared to what I used to do !!) nudge is enough to get him to turn over and realign it to where it should be.  Occasionally I have had bursts of air on me - which during summer might not really be a downside !!

Have the best Thursday ever and take care !

TFTD :  There are seven billion people in the world.  Don't waste your time by letting one of them ruin your happiness.

Decisions Need To Be Made

Things have been going along fairly much unaided by myself recently.  Life happens.  Exercise happens.  Eating happens.  Relaxing happens.  But I feel like I have had very little control over it - mainly because I chose to step back and just let it happen.  And I have enjoyed it.  I have enjoyed the pressure that I have taken off myself to always be doing / organising / accomplishing and just let myself be.

But now the time has come to stop and make some decisions for what I want to do moving forward.  What path do I want to follow ?  What do I want to achieve ?  How am I going to get there ?  How am I going to make sure that I keep a good balance in my life ?  (None of these are work related questions - they are all ME questions about my health and fitness.)

These are questions that I am contemplating this week because I now feel motivated enough to tackle them and I want to get on the path that is right for me.

{Insert photo of pathway in here if I had one and wasn't too scared to pick one off Google images !!}

So, as soon as I have made the decisions that I need to make, and once I have heard back on some challenges I have been looking into, I'll be ready to go.  Until then I will continue to run and exercise and eat the best that I can !!

Have the best Tuesday ever !

Linking in with Jess from Dairy of a SAHM for #IBOT

TFTD : Don't cry over the past it is gone. Don't stress about the future it hasn't arrived.  Just live in the present and make it beautiful.

Team Friday

Linking in with the lovely Stacey-Lee from Get On With It Already for Team Friday because it has been a while since I blogged on a Friday (in fact it's been a while since I blogged three times in one week !!!!!) but work is a little less frantic and so I have found I have a little more time to breathe !

My exercise is starting to get back to where I want it to be - it isn't quite there just yet but I am working on it.  Thanks to Kate from katesaysstuff and #operationMOVE - I have been moving more than I would have had I not joined in which is fantastic !  It was just the motivation that I needed to get moving.

Some nights I go for a run and then when I get home  go for a walk with A and the two dogs.  I have learned that I can't go for a run then hang around waiting to go for a walk - my legs don't like that and neither do my knees - they battle to get moving for the walk after a break like that.  But it is all good !

Last week I did a couple of runs - one was just over 5kms - no walking - which I was really happy about.  Another run was only 3.7km but my pace was 6:36/km which I was EXTREMELY happy with - now to build up my distance and my pace.

What I plan to do is some nights run for distance and other nights run for pace - at some point it has to all come together, doesn't it ????  And, if it doesn't, I guess it isn't all bad - at least I have been exercising in the meantime.

Last night I joined the LEANing Challenge which starts on Monday (but it may be Tuesday or Wednesday before I get started on it) so will keep you all informed on how I am going with that.

Right now - LIFE IS GREAT - things are going well at home, with my family, with work, with my life and I am all sorts of grateful for that !!!!

Have the best weekend you possibly can.  I am looking forward to a picnic with K and the two little girls that she babysits on a Saturday down at Burleigh - after an appointment with the osteo who I know is going to rouse on me because I haven't been kind to my body !!!  Sometimes it just won't listen to me !!!!!!

TFTD : Regularly having fun is a key factor in having a happy life, people who have fun are twenty times more likely to feel happy.
{I wonder if that is why we were so happy at the 7's rugby on Saturday - it was so much fun ?????}

Thankful Thursday

I didn't have a post planned for today - in fact, I never have a post planned.  In just about every instance, I sit down when I have a few minutes and think "What can I bang out today ?" and that is what I blog.

I haven't had much to blog about lately.  My exercise is coming along, albeit slower than I would have liked BUT I am OK with that - now - I have realised that something is better than nothing and if that something is not as fast as a previous something, that is OK too.

What I have figured out is that I need to have a goal - I need to have an event that I am training for because running 3 or 4 times a week with no goal to aim for, is starting to suck big time.  So, that is one thing that I do need to look into.  The fact that we have entered Warrior Dash in November sometime doesn't count as A and I will do that together and I will be way fitter than him and so will have slow down to his pace which is totally fine because for too many years he slowed himself down to my pace when it came to anything exercise related.

Last week ProBlogger Training was on and at one point I went all "Oh no - why am I not going to that" and then I took a step back and realised that I didn't really want to go anyway.  Firstly, I don't do social events well - in fact, I am pretty hopeless at them.  Secondly, my blog is just that - mine.  I don't have to compare myself or my stats (whatever they may be) to anyone else in the blog-a-sphere.  Yes there are blogs that are WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY more successful than mine - good for them - may they continue to grow and prosper.

This blog was never about becoming famous / well known / or anything else - it is merely a place where I can ramble on about what has been happening in my life.  Sometimes it connects with someone who can relate to it and they feel "Geez, thank goodness I am not the only one that feels like that / has done that / has had that done to them" and that is GREAT.  I am happy if something that I say on here can help someone else in some small way.  Would I like more followers ?  Yes I would if it meant that what I was saying was helpful to more people.  But, at the end of the day, I realise that I don't have many pearls of wisdom to throw out there so if people read and comment - great, if people read and don't comment - great too and if nobody reads, that is also fine.  This is more of a record for myself of where I have been and what I have achieved and if I can help someone alone the way, all the better.

So, for today, I am thankful for my little space in the blog-a-sphere.  I am thankful that I am running my own race (literally and figuratively).  I am thankful that I am not getting my knickers in a twist over the race that other people are running because it is their race to run.

What I am not thankful about is the fact that the lovely Kate from katesaysstuff is passing the Thankful Thursday baton to someone else.  It has been wonderful linking up for TT when I have but there are new adventures for her to tackle and someone new will be at the helm for TT from next week.  The good thing is that she will still be around and isn't leaving altogether !!!

TFTD : Don't be scared to walk alone, and don't be scared to like it.

Bed Etiquette

For those of you who have been following my blog for a while, you will know the issues that I have with sleep (or lack of sleep) depending on how A's snoring is going (or not going) !  Now I have a new dilemma and I am hoping that someone out there will be able to help me with this - how do you know when you have taken up too much of the bed ?

For 24.75 yrs we had two single beds pushed together to make a king size bed (I like my space especially in the summer when it is just too hot to be lying skin to skin).  This meant that I always knew where my bed stopped and his bed started so when I was being greedy, I knew because clearly I was 'over the line' !  We would often play the 'cutting off body parts' game i.e. any bodyparts over 'the line' were fair game to the other person to cut off using their hand as an imaginary saw.

We have always had two doonas because I CANNOT stand the gap that resulted when we tried to use one doona/blanket.  A few years ago we bought two double doonas to replace the single doonas we had always had and they are even better - some nights we use one doona for both of us and some nights we each use our own depending on how hot or cold I am feeling.

When we were in NZ on holiday recently we stayed at Radfords Motel in Te Anau and the bed was one of the best we have ever slept in outside of our own.  I meant to ask the owner what type of bed it was before we left but I completely forgot so had to email her.  It was a Sleepyhead bed so we went and had a look at them over here.  We couldn't find the specific one that we had slept on as it was a commercial model but we did find one that we both liked that had separate pockets (can't remember the technical name they used) but basically when I move A doesn't feel it and when he moves I don't feel it which is great because I have often wondered about my tossing and turning being disruptive for him (stupidly given he continues to snore anyway so clearly it doesn't keep him awake when I toss and turn !!!)

This is the mattress we bought

Our new mattress was delivered a couple of weeks ago and it really is very comfy BUT the predicament I find myself in now is that I don't know where the middle of the bed is - so where does my half finish and his half start.  Now I am sure I take up more than half the bed even though he is bigger than me.  I even find that I move my pillow over and we land up both sleeping on the same side of the bed with my legs stretched out to the end of my side of the bed (sort of right angles to my body).

Does anyone else do this ?  Or am I the only one who worries about how much of the bed I am taking up ?  I guess it isn't an issue for him because he hasn't complained about it.  When we had the two single mattresses there were a few occasions when I lay so far across on his bed he got up, walked around the beds and went and slept on my bed but he hasn't done that as yet with the new mattress.

Do you share your bed equally or does one of you hog the bulk of the bed ?

TFTD : When you begin to value yourself, others will also.  How you treat yourself teaches others how to treat you.

Quick Hullo

I just had a look at my blog and see that I haven't posted since 28th September - how did that happen ?  How did two weeks go by without a post ?  How did I not realise that it was two weeks ?

Quite easily I guess given that is what happened !!!!

Bottom line - work has been chaotic.  Accounts lady at our plant in Inala went on leave - over month end - nice one GM of that plant for authorising that without checking who would do her work when she was away.  So I went up three of the five days the first week - only to get there and find that the receptionist's Mom had had a stroke the day before and so she was off as well.  So between trying to do the accounts and cash sales and cover reception and get home at a reasonable time to be able to exercise, I felt a bit like a headless chook.

The second week was even worse because it was my month end and I have 6 companies to close - all the while trying to get up to Inala to get that work finished so that I could finish my work.  Our management meeting is on Monday morning and luckily I have managed to get those financials all finished - just the last of the tax accounts to balance, 2 BAS statements to be reconciled and I am done for another month - YAY !!!

In the meantime one of the guys who works with us got a phone call to say that his brother had just committed suicide so he took off to go and help his family.  The funeral is tomorrow so will be going up to Toowoomba for that.

Months ago my folks were out and about on their travels and saw some chenille yarn and called me and I got them to buy me 30 balls - I have started making blankets with this yarn and it is soooooooooooooooooo beautiful to crochet.  Last night I stayed up until about 12.45 because I wanted to keep crocheting !!!!!!!  I have asked them to keep an eye out for more when they are out and about - it is so soft.  I know that some baby somewhere is going to be happy to have that keeping them warm.

Today K got an sms to go out on an SES call - she is very excited about going to look for a 57yo in the rain - please let her be safe wherever she is and whatever they are doing to find this poor person who is missing.  I am very proud of her decision to join the SES and help others in times of need / trouble.

We did get a new mattress but that is a whole other post !

To all those bloggers at the ProBlogger Training Event - have the BEST time ever !

TFTD : You were given this life because you are strong enough to live it.

Random Things I Know

I was very sad to see that Dorothy is giving up Things I Know but I totally understand the reason why - it takes a lot to run a linky and when you have as much on your plate as she does, it is totally understandable.  I hope that someone else will be able to pick this up because I do like having to think about what I know each week !

This week (randomly) I know :

- that if I don't get my eating under control no matter how much I run / plank / go to PT sessions, the weight / cms will not move

- Maltese McFlurries are not as nice as Hot Fudge McFlurries (I may or may not have found this out when I had a Maltese McFlurry for dinner last night)

Mine didn't look anything like this !!!!!

 

- snoring can be stopped with a CPAP machine (Hallelujah !!!!)

This is pretty much what the one that A has looks like

 

- the same CPAP machine may, at times, be more annoying than the snoring - which, last night, resulted in A going to sleep in the loungeroom until I woke up at 5am from a horrible horrible dream that I haven't had for many many years and I ran through to the lounge, woke him up and got him to come back to bed and hold me tight

- waking up stiff in the morning is not because of the new mattress but rather because of the exercise that I have done the previous night (sorry mattress for wondering whether to send you back !!!)

- being held accountable through #operationMOVE and #ausplank has got me moving more times this week than I possibly would have moved

- my running times are improving every time I get out there and pound the road - this makes me happy !!

- my Fit Journal would probably work better if I wrote down EVERYTHING I ate instead of only the healthy food I ate (although I did list a Maltese McFlurry for dinner last night - thank goodness nobody other than myself - and my family if they were so inclined - get to see this !!!)

 

- that I am soooooooooooooooo looking forward to this long weekend.  Not that we have anything exciting planned as yet.  A may still have to work tomorrow - not happy Jan - but we are waiting to hear for definite on that sometime today.

- maybe go on a whale watching trip I can convince A that it is a good thing to do, if we do get stuck into the garden and need a break

- sometimes Dads forget what was like to be 20 and 20 year olds have no idea about anything that doesn't involve them or isn't about them.  Sometimes I wonder if there will ever be peace in our family again or will I be constantly playing peacemaker.  At least it isn't as bad as it used to be when the only way to get them to be nice to each other was to threaten to leave !

- it is good to have lull days at work because I know the storm is going to hit next week and then it is going to be bedlam

Have the best weekend ever - and if you are lucky enough to live in a state celebrating the Queen's Birthday on Monday - ENJOY !!!!  And Happy Birthday to the Queen (even though I know this is nowhere near the date of her actual birthday - it means a holiday for us and I am soooooooooooo totally grateful for that) !!

TFTD : If you settle for just anything, you will never know what you are truly worthy of

How are you doing in the planking challenge ?

Well here is the first table for the planking challenge - some of us keep improving, some of us go up and down and some of us have had other commitments and have missed a couple of days (which is fine - honestly - you can either plank more than once a day to catch up or just continue when you can).



Planking Challenge
Name	17-Sep-12	18-Sep-12	19-Sep-12	20-Sep-12	21-Sep-12	22-Sep-12	23-Sep-12
Aroha	2 x 30 sec	1:00		1:15
Bek	0:32	0:46	0:50
Kate Y	1:02:07		0:40	1:07:08
Kylie	0:23	0:34	0:35	0:35
Lee	0:35	0:40	0:45	0:45		0:50	0:55
Linda	0:59	1:10	1:25	1:18	1:26	1:30	1:31
Lyndal			1:07	1:10	1:05

To all the lovely ladies who are taking part, I want to say a big thank you for holding me accountable for this daily challenge.  There have been times when I have got as far as my bed before I remembered that I haven't done my plank and so I dropped and given my body the benefit of a minute plus change of planking - and got into bed with my core muscles aching and me feeling like I have done something that, in the long term, is going to help my body be the best that it can be.

Just in case you were wondering why

we are doing this daily challenge

 

To anyone who wants to join in, you are more than welcome - just drop me a line and I will add you to the daily (mostly) reminder that I send out and you can send your times back once you have done and I will add you to the spreadsheet.

Have the best week ever !

TFTD : When you truly love yourself, you don't have enemies.  They may hate you but you are too  big to hate them back.

Random Things I Know

Linking in with Dorothy from Singular Insanity who this week has some great tips about linky parties (thanks Dorothy - sorry I don't use your button but I have tried with a few linkies but all I get is some letters and no button - I am totally challenged in this department !!!!)

These are things that I know this week :

- if the weather stayed like it is always on the Gold Coast I probably wouldn't appreciate it so I know I am grateful when the cr*ppy weather that we sometimes very occasionally have, arrives (Thanks Badger for the reminder !!!!)

- the man I married will qualify for seniors discount next year but that doesn't make me old

- people can be knuckleheads but that doesn't make me a knucklehead

- I am motivated by being held accountable for my exercise and am more likely to get out there when I don't feel like it because I have made the commitment to someone else

- next week I am going to get my fit journal started

- this weekend A wants to tackle the garage to clean out and tidy up - if he does that I will concentrate on the kitchen and the kitchen cupboards (what I really want to do is go whale watching on Sunday morning !!!!)

- make a cup of coffee using a coffee machine is more trouble than it is worth (imo - but that may be because I don't drink coffee but honestly, can't see the point in taking so long and then just drinking one cup of the stuff.  I hope I haven't bought a white elephant !!!!)

- I love this saying and am thinking that is definitley what I want to be (the unicorn not myself !!!) - especially today !

 



I hope today flys by - I don't know how much of it I can take !!!!

Have the best Friday that you can !

TFTD : Forget it enough to get over it, remember it enough so it doesn't happen again.

Thankful Thursday

Linking in again with the lovely Kate from katesaysstuff for Thankful Thursday

This week I am thankful for the fantastic weather we are having on the Coast.

The glorious sunshine that we have every day. 

The warmth that comes from the sun (because sometimes - not often here - but in other places - it is sunny but as cold as buggery !!!). 

The joy that the sun brings to me.  While I don't like being hot, I hate being cold also.

The pleasure of being able to sit in the sun and read my book for 30 mins on Sunday (yes, I know it is bad for me but tanned fat is so much nicer than white fat - sorry Mom !!)

The rain that we had the other night that filled up our pool and our tanks just a little !!

The cool nights that make it pleasant to snuggle up under the doona.

Why can't we have this weather all year around ????

What are you thankful for this week ?

Pop over to Thankful Thursday with Kate and share your thankfulness !!

 

TFTD : Sometimes in our life good fortunes come early, sometimes they come late, but they always come.  And, they're always right on time !

Our Holiday in NZ - August 12

I completely forgot about posting the link here to our absolutely fantastic holiday on the south island of NZ - sorry - I know I said I would.  Then, given how long it took me to get it all loaded up (the photos were a major mission so I hope you enjoy looking at them) I had just about forgotten all about the holiday !

For an honest recap of a great holiday in NZ - pop over to here.

This was our itinerary :
Gold Coast - Christchurch
Christchurch - Fox Glacier (via Arthur's Pass)
Fox Glacier - Wanaka
Wanaka - Queenstown - Te Anaeu
Te Anaeu - Dunedin via Invercargill
Dunedin - Christchurch
Christchurch - Hanmer Springs via Akaroa
Hanmer Springs - Christchurch
Christchurch - Gold Coast

Have the best day ever !

TFTD : Family is not about blood, it's about who will hold your hand when you need it most !