Golf day

At the lesson yesterday I worked on my stance, grip, swing and connecting the ball squarely but still hitting it under to skim the matt...
Unfortunately, I got to be in a lot of pain by the end of the lesson in my left foot. It seems the shoe is too narrow and I can feel the ball of my foot crumpling up and cramping. I was really bummed about it on the drive home but the thought struck me. It's still early enough in the afternoon. I can head to Nevada Bob's and get those Calloway's...it should be okay...I got my bonus...I certainly can't play a round with my foot hurting like that. It will be miserable...they were only $10...I can do this...without too much guilt. That is all what went through my mind. So I drove to NB's and tried on the Calloway's but I did not get them. They creased in a funny spot on my foot when I stepped and I was just not convinced I needed to be so 'stylish' on the course. People might think I'm a real player. I decided to go with an athletic shoe rather than the traditional looking shoe. They are very comfortable! They are going to be the best runner I have in the closet for awhile! Best thing is they were on sale. It was a better discount than the Golf for Gal’s discount. They were regular $99.99 but got them for $69.99. So, I looked at the tops I had been eyeing before. I bought myself a long sleeve white zip shirt. I love it. But it was expensive. It was $89.99 but I got 10% off. I've been baad. But I love the things I got AND I wangled myself a free shoe bag! I told the salesman and the manager about the shoe bags I saw at the Golf show and the manager knew the one's I was talking about and he said they didn't have any but offered this one. I said how much? They said no charge! Lucky me!















I was really rough to start today. The three ladies I played with were quite nice. My scores were really high. I got some 4 and 5's on the par 3's. But a few 5’s and 6’s and a 7.
I got better on the back 9 which is backwards for me usually. I started to get decent drives off the tee at the 10th hole. That's when I had the hot dog and a Smirnoff Ice...
I had some really nice chip shots with the 9 and 7 iron. The 5 played well for me on a couple short holes when I need it where they are tho
The first tee is the hardest because EVERYONE is there watching and there is a big water hazard right there. I think I lost 2 balls right off the bat there.














Water vs Wine (This one is for Pamela!)

It has been scientifically proven that if we drink 1 litre of water each day, at the end of the year we would have absorbed more than 1 kilo of Escherichia coli bacteria found in feces, in other words, we are consuming 1 kilo of Doo Doo. However, we do not run that risk when drinking wine (or rum, whiskey, beer or other liquors) because alcohol has to go through a distillation process of boiling, filtering and fermenting. WATER = Doo Doo WINE = HEALTH Free yourself of Doo Doo, drink WINE!!! It is better to drink wine and talk Doo Doo than to drink water and be full of shit.There is no need to thank me for this valuable information, I am doing it as a public service. Have a nice day...

Husband daycare

The joke below reminds me of an incident I had a work last week. I saw one of the file clerks who does not work for our department, at our mail cubby holes and it looked like she was delivering mail. She had a bunch of interoffice envelopes on the counter. A few minutes later I notice all of our interoffice envelopes were gone! She bloody well came and cleaned us out instead of going down to the mailroom like I have to whenever we run out. She’s closer to the mailroom for crying out loud! I charged down to her department and said ‘Henrietta, what’s the big idea of taking all of our interoffice envelopes!?’ She was shocked and she said but I left some! I said no you didn’t! She said I did, I did. She insisted on showing me and walked back to my department and she went on and on about how she left some and ‘BUT YOU HAD SO MANY…” As it turned out there were a couple left but they were shoved way in the back and one would have to bend right over and dig back there to find them. I had to explain to her the point is, you can {bloody well}go down to the mailroom yourself, just like I have to get your interoffice envelopes! But you had so many! She went on again. She kept going around in circles like that and I had to leave. When I got to my desk I thought to myself…Bill Gates has lots of money – should I just go and help myself!? Geeze I just don’t understand how people can think like that. “But you have so much…”

Young Conservatives...

A young woman was about to finish her first year of college.
Like so many others her age, she considered herself to be a
very liberal Liberal and was very much in favour of the
redistribution of wealth. She was deeply ashamed that her father
was a rather staunch Conservative, a feeling she openly expressed.
Based on the lectures that she had participated in, and the
Occasional chat with a professor, she felt that her father had for
years harboured an evil, selfish desire to keep what he thought
should be his. One day she was challenging her father on his
opposition to higher taxes on the rich and the addition of more
government welfare programs. The self-professed objectivity proclaimed by her professors had to be the truth and she indicated so to her father. He responded by asking how she was doing in school. Taken aback, she answered rather haughtily that she had a 4.0 GPA, and let him know that it was tough to maintain, insisting that she was taking a very difficult course load and was constantly studying, which left her no time to go out and party like other people she knew. She didn't even have time for a boyfriend and didn't really have many college friends because she spent all her time studying.

Her father listened and then asked, "How is your friend Audrey doing?"
She replied, "Audrey is barely getting by. All she takes are easy
classes, she never studies, and she barely has a 2.0 GPA. She is so
popular on campus; college for her is a blast. She's always invited to
all the parties, and lots of times she doesn't even show up for classes
because she's too hung over." So her father asked his daughter, "Why
don't you go to the Dean's office and ask him to deduct 1.0 off your
GPA and give it to your friend who only has a 2.0. That way you will
both have a 3.0 GPA and certainly that would be a fair and equal
distribution of GPA."

The daughter, visibly shocked by her father's suggestion, angrily fired
back, "That wouldn't be fair! I've worked really hard for my grades!
I've invested a lot of time, and a lot of hard work! Audrey has done
next to nothing toward her degree. She played while I worked my tail
off!" The father slowly smiled, winked and said gently to his daughter,

"Welcome to the Conservative party."

It's All Good

Hi everyone! Thank you for your comments. It is a great feeling to be read isn’t it? For me it’s kind of like getting a letter in the mail or having a package delivered. It’s a little something to look forward to and I thank you all. (Am I sounding lonely?)

Special Hi, to Karenna, and Pamela and Suzanne. Hice to hear from you again Jeremy! And I must not forget my regulars, Tom and Jess. And that’s another little perk isn’t it? To be mentioned in someone else’s Blog. Well, in a good way I think.

It was a good day today but I’m sorry it is not in the fitness/nutrition kind of way. But it was good! I scheduled half the day off work today to have lunch with 2 girls from work It was nice and leisurely. We each had a glass of wine and had a nice girl chat. I miss those. After lunch I went shopping for shoes. I am a very difficult shoe buyer. (They are either too ugly, too high. too open or too strappy). I went to 4 stores and in the 5th one I found I some and they were 15% off. And wouldn't you know it, I needed a purse to go with them (the salesperson suggested).

They are beige. She saw my purse was black and suggested that maybe a new purse to match the shoe and they are also 15% off.
The one I liked was the last one in stock so she invited me to inspect it first and I saw a couple small blemishes. It is real leather. I asked for a discount and she said she could give me another 10% to the 15%. I said sure and she attempted to get the marks out. No big deal I thought. Its not any worse than I will probably do to it over time. To top it off I got a free beach bag.

My shopping was cut short because I had an appointment at 3pm for a hair cut.

Tomorrow is the Swing Clinic at the driving range and the weather is expected to be rainy. No worries, the range is covered and heated – but outdoors. Sunday the weather is supposed to be great and I have my first round of golf of the season and my first with this new ladies club, Golf for Gals.

Maybe I AM becoming a bored housewife?

Happiness Is - a stocked wine cabinet.

Let's get Interactive!

I have the second of three appointments for my root canal on Monday. I will be talking to my dentist about tooth whitening and what she recommends. I would like to hear from anyone that might read my drivel, what they use and would recommend. (thank you for your responses…)

Lets play: What’s in your ‘fridge! (comments welcome. I can take it.)



















I am cooking shredded beef in the slower cooker this afternoon. Just one way I keep myself busy - a hobby of mine if you will. Just trying something new when I know no one's supper will be sacrificed if it doesn't turn out! I'm hoping it does turn out well andI will freeeze some until Aaron and Bill are back and I will send some to my ex-husband - to feed our wonderful son on lacrosse nights.

And other useless information:
· Heavy cleaning for 45 minutes burns 250 calories for a 155 lb person.
· Elevated blood sugar levels may increase your risk of memory loss as you age. Regular exercise and a healthy weight help you lower your blood sugar levels.
· According to the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation, today’s children could develop heart problems as early as their 30s unless they improve their eating habits and exercise regularly.
· For families with a history of food allergies, it is safest to avoid feeding high-risk foods such as nuts, seafood and egg whites to a baby under one year of age.
· Osteoporosis fractures occur in 25% of men over 50. Both men and women need to make sure they are getting enough calcium in their diet.
· Weight training is a great way for women in their 20s and 30s to maximize their bone mass and minimize their risk of osteoporosis after menopause.
· If you have low energy levels, you may be suffering from iron-deficiency anemia. But before adding an iron supplement to your diet, check with your doctor since too much iron can cause indigestion or constipation.
· If left unopened, a full freezer will keep food frozen for about 48 hours in a power outage. Count on 24 hours for a half-full freezer and only about 4 hours for a fridge to keep food safe.
· Two chocolate chip cookies have the same amount of fat as five cups of cooked brown rice.
· Only 42 percent of Canadian men and women are physically active.

Fancy Feet:

Today's Quote:
The grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for. - Allan K. Chalmers

Last but not least...heeerre's GRUMPY!

Jen's new toes

So. Here are my new toes. It was not an unpleasant experience on the whole. I'm not all gaga over it like some ladies do. It sure is different seeing paint on my toes - dark colour no less. Shame they are always covered by socks and slippers...


The most important thing I had to do today was get kitty litter. Petcetera was all out of Nature's Miracle kitty litter but after some effort they put me on a list to call when it comes in. I will have to check to see if Bosley's got theirs in, tomorrow after the driving range.

After that I went to the ethic grocery store - Sandhand Market - which I've driven by many times and recently seen ads for. I was looking for nice fresh whole wheat pitas and I found them! They had a lot of quantity and it was the same brand as the donair place we discovered in Marpole. They also have fresh Naan we will get next time we cook a curry.

I bought some coarse sea salt ($1.99), some fresh walnuts and some wuuunnnderful dates. The guy in the store sold me on them. I asked if the walnuts were fresh (NO, I didn't say 'are your nuts fresh?') and he said in his accent, SURE YOU TRY ONE, so I did. Nice. He said what's really good, is you eat the walnut with the date over there on the counter. He had an open box of dates on the counter for buying like a box of matches or, remember you used to get chunks of chocolate at the counter (penny candy)? The date was divine by itself but with the walnut it was a really natural pleasant treat or dessert. So I bought some! A nice box only $3.99 and the walnuts were less than that at $1.99 a pound. I thought I would take them in to work for Food day.

I feel really pleased with myself that I got my run in today before breakfast and before NOON! ha ha. I think I missed lunch altogether, though. Can I make up for it tomorrow?

Tomorrow is the driving range and a second chance at kitty litter. I also have a diabolical plan to use the slow cooker tomorrow. And it aint BFL friendly.

TTYL friends.

Pictures!

Tiger in a box



Where's Lucy?


Lucy Up on Top


Aaron and Kevin - this is a shot for their album cover


Me and dad at Easter dinner

All waxed up and ready to go

But perhaps that should be "…and no where to go".
Had my bikini and eyebrows done today. Must be just for me because Bill ain't around to enjoy it! They are having an April sale on pedicures and as I'd never had one I booked an appointment. $10 off.

I don't want to turn into a bored housewife but it’s kinda looking that way. Give me strength to resist the chocolate and wine.

I'm going to tidy the house tomorrow. I can't stand being in that mess all by myself. Cats are messy you know! Lucy tracks kitty litter all across the hardwood floor, and this morning I woke up to Tiger's throw up on the hardwood in the kitchen. So it’s not just me! (To be clear: It’s been years but when I throw up, I do it in the toilet.) Tiger leaves the little clumps of ginger hair and you can't see Lucy's because she's black but she is shedding now too - I see it in the Swiffer Vac filter. (She didn't shed when she was younger.)

My pedicure appointment is at 2pm Saturday so I am planning on going for a run sometime before that, shower and head over there. Tidy the house when I get back. Sunday I'm planning on going to the driving range and hitting a bucket of balls.

Abundance
A week or so ago I got one of those 'feel good' emails from my mom. It was about a mother saying good bye to her daughter in the airport. It was a family thing to say "I wish you enough". The mother was very sad at the daughter’s departure and a stranger asked why did you wish her 'enough'? The mother goes on and on saying "I'm getting old and fear this may be the last time I see her so I wish her enough tears to ….I wish her enough hugs to…I wish her enough pain to…enough money to…"

I know this is meant as a really nice heartwarming email but why settle for enough!? I kept saying to myself. Wish ABUNDANCE on people and yourself. There is abundance for EVERYONE. We are not being selfish for wanting this for ourselves or the ones we love or strangers we have never met. It is the Way of God and the Angels that our every need be met. We have the power to create our own abundance - in all things. All we need to do is open up and ask, know that we deserve this and expect it.

Bill and I came together through Divine Intervention, we firmly believe. It is so special to be with a man that is spiritual minded. He has taught me so much. We have many great conversations about God, Angels and Fairies and the Universe. I am no Bible thumper but I have an unshakeable faith in God.

Today's book selection: The Abundance Book by John Randolph Price.

Need something else to read. Look what I just came across.

www.coryholly.com

Have a look at the Articles tab. There’s enough there to keep you busy and motivated in your fitness and health quest.

Now - I digress:
http://www.canada.com/topics/bodyandhealth/story.html?id=9145bab2-c938-40e8-86d0-73722adc7e19

Today's Lesson

Okay that was kind of funny today. Tracker people teaching each other grammar and how to spell. I've never seen a larger group of lazy spellers - except perhaps high school students.

Today's lesson started with Loose and Lose. That is a difficult one at the best of times and I am guilty of that one, but my peeve - and I see it ALL THE TIME on Tracker is when people use the word THEN when they are comparing things - the proper word is THAN.

I shall borrow an example from another lesson that was being preached in another thread: Whole foods are better THAN bars and shakes. I suppose this error comes up mostly because people say what they think they hear.
I am no English teacher or grammar expert (but granma was always on our case) but I really do try to speak and write correctly - unless I am intentionally doing it. My hardest lesson is IT'S and ITS. I still don't have it right to this day.

I had a good LBWO today on my new plan. I had extra time and energy so I ran 10 mins on the treadmill at 4.0 mph and 2.0 incline.

I am struggling with what to make for supper tonight as I am alone. I made a balanced Tomato Fiesta Soup (has ground turkey breast in it) last night for supper and there are 3 servings left over but I'll save those to take for lunch to the office. I think there is a frozen hamburger patty in the freezer. It might even be a homemade turkey burger.

Today's food intake:
Meal one:
2 Colonix pills
Colonix psyllium fibre drink (does not taste too bad)
RTD shake 230 calories 40-40-20 balanced

AM Snack
Eggbeaters
MRP bar 170 calories, 40-40-20 balanced
1/2 pack of soy nuts (one pack 95 calories)

Lunch
Oven baked chicken, mushroom tortellini with rose sauce (not balanced)
Chocolate mousse, 148 calories

PM Snack
Shrimp & dip, 100 calories
and the other 1/2 pack of soy nuts

8+ glasses of water so far

Today's 40-40-20 Recipe:

Chocolate Mousse
Calories: 148
Carbs: 14g
Protein: 14g
Fats: 3.3g

1 1/2 cups 1% cottage cheese
1 cup dry curd cottage cheese (aka pressed cottage cheese)
1/2 cup 1% milk
1/4 cup light cream cheese
2 Tbsp light sour cream
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup cocoa
1/4 cup Splenda
1 pkg fat free Jell-O instant chocolate pudding
1 cup ultra low fat Cool Whip

In a blender combine both cottage cheeses, milk, cream cheese, sour cream, water, cocoa and Splenda.
Blend on medium-high speed until smooth (about 4 minutes).
Pour the mixed ingredients into a medium bowl. Using a hand mixer, mix in the pudding powder until Mousse thickens (about 2 minutes). Gently whisk in the ultra low-fat Cool Whip.

Let chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving.

When chilled, divide between 7 serving dishes (3/4 cup per serving).

(I have frozen them and they thaw nicely in my cooler lunch bag and is ready to eat the office. The mousse freezes too hard to eat directly from the freezer, so it needs thawing time in the fridge or cooler bag)

(if you don't have dry curd cottage cheese where you live, you can simply strain it in a sieve in the fridge for a few hours and towel dry - just make sure it is dry)

Bonus Recipe:

Strawberries and dip
Calories: 89
Carbs: 8.9g
Protein: 8.8g
Fats: 2.1g

1/4 cup 1% Cottage Cheese
1 Tbsp low-fat sour cream
1 Tbsp Splenda
1/2 cup strawberries

Using an electric hand blender, whip the cottage cheese, sour cram and Splenda until smooth.
Serve the strawberries with the dip.

Hello Sports Fans!

Again, it’s so nice having my blends check on me. Everything is fine. I guess I'm just adjusting to the changes in my life. My Significant Other was here for the long Easter Weekend and we had a really good time. My son, Aaron, is now back with his dad for two weeks so I am all on my own again. That's what I'm talking about when I say I'm adjusting to the changes in my life. I guess it is constant change. But it is not a bad thing. Aaron's dad just lives a minute away by foot in a neighbouring townhouse complex so I see him whenever he's forgotten something and you know how often that is when you have a 12 year old! The S.O. will be out again for the May long weekend May 20 - 22. We bought him a really skookum travel bag for his golf clubs so he will be lugging them back and forth from Calgary. I'm going to reserve a tee time for us for May 21st.
Have I mentioned that I joined a lady's Golf Club to help me spend my spare time and make friends - and keep active? Golf for Gals provides the opportunity to play a short round (Twilight) after work on Tuesdays and Thursdays and they have Saturday tee times too. I also get to go to seminars and specialty lessons. There's a swing lesson coming up in May I'm going to sign up for. Last July my S.O. and I golfed for a day up in Kelowna and really enjoyed it so we intend to do a lot more of it and make our vacations golf holidays.
On the Fitness front, I recently had my Body Fat professionally tested at my gym and I had a program put together for myself. Firstly, BF% came in at 25.13%. She did a 10 point caliper test. That sure is nothing to be excited about but it is better than I was back in Aug. 2004!


Aug. 30'04 Oct. 18'04 Apr. 6'06
Cheek 14 11 12.5
Chin 15 13 14
Chest 28 23 20
tricep 28 24 24
Subscapular 23 17 15
Midcostal 25 13.5 15
suprailiac 19 15.5 15
abdominal 20 15 18
suprapatellar 21 19 17
midcalf 24 18.5 22




Total:
217 169.5 172.5
% BF 29% 25% 25.13%
BF Weight 40.7 lbs 33.6 lbs 34.5 lbs
Lean Body Mass 99.8 lbs 100.9 lbs 102.7 lbs.




Height 5'4" 5'4"
Weight 140.5 134.5 137.2
Surface Area 1.7 1.68 1.68
Shoulders 41.5 41.5 42.5
Chest 37 35.75 36.5
Bicep 12.2 12.25 12.25
Waist 30 28.75 30
Hips 39.75 39.5 39
Thigh 23 22.75 22.75
Calf 15 14.75 15

Okay, now I see quite a discrepancy in the Lean body mass above over the three measurement periods. The tests were all done by the same lady but she does seem like a bit of an airhead to me. I don't see how the LBM at the highest BF% can be less than the other two LBM's. at lower BF percentages.

I decided to get a program put together for me because I feel my body really needs a major change up in routine. I had been re-starting at the beginning every time and I feel my body was just really used to it.

So now that Easter and all the chocolate that comes with it is done and over with I should really have a chance at achieving my goals. My S.O. is gone for 5 weeks so I won't have the Friday Pizzas dragging me down. All in all eating should be much lighter simply because I am not inspired to cook a lot of food or things that may be more complicated or serves 4 people. Also with Bill gone I really have nothing to do but concentrate on me.

Now that is something quite different - concentrating on me. It is really funny how when I'm alone there doesn't seem to be pressure to clean or tidy, cook, prepare for up-coming week. It all just seems to be a bit more…relaxed. And I’m not saying I’m living in a pile of filth! I am more on top of things. After all, if I’m looking at a mess now – it’s gotta be MY mess now, eh? Okay, the kitty litter that is tracked along the floor isn’t my fault (its Lucy’s!) but somehow, I have the energy and certainly the time now to deal with it right away and not groan and put it off until I’m in the mood. (i.e. weekend, with glass of wine in hand.)

God, The Universe and the Way Things Work Out
I am not a ‘religious’ person per se but I am quite spiritual. I have many examples from this weekend alone of Divine Intervention or The Way Things Work Out- fully attributable to God, the Universe, Angels or Fairies. When you are ‘in tune’ to these, things just go your way…I was SO looking forward to may hair cut on Monday but my S.O. recorded the appointment time wrong in his PDA. (we think the time might have been adjusted due to Daylight Savings Time but that doesn’t matter) We thought it was 11:30 but in fact it was 10:30 so the girl didn’t have time for my cut and colour but at least Bill got his hair cut. (he really needed it!) The silver lining here is that I am OFF THE HOOK having to go see Bill’s hair stylist now! I can go back to my regular girl without guilt. Now that Bill is in Calgary I’m certainly not going to go downtown by myself for a hair appointment. She’s good sure, but not worth the trouble of me going down there on my own when I don’t get a lunch or dinner out of the deal from Bill.
Back tracking a little to Sunday – Aaron, spent the day with a friend. Conversation came around to summer day camp where they met a few years ago. He mentioned the week-long destination camp he has gone on every year. His dad was there, we talked about it and I said I would love to get more info from you if you can get it. He had a camp brochure right there and said it was extra and I was welcome to take it. My heart is so full that I can make it possible for Aaron to go to this camp with his friend for a whole week this summer. He told us exactly which week he attends and it is very likely they would be housed in the same cabin. Aaron is going to have a ball! I registered him on line – we’re just waiting for confirmation. It’s only because my S.O. is now working and we will be completely solvent in the next month that this is possible. I wouldn’t normally be able to afford this. Things are certainly looking up for us and I am so thankful. www.camppotlatch.com.
I was looking forward to a good LBWO today on my new plan but I didn’t have my runners in my gym bag or in my locker at the office, so I couldn’t work out. Instead I returned some slacks (that fit awfully) to Sears Catalogue desk on my lunch hour. I felt gassy and grumbly – really uncomfortable - “down there” all morning so I thought I would go home to see what I could do about that. I had a little bit of relief but as I was sitting down to lunch, the door bell rang! I had a delivery and I was home to receive it by coincidence (or Divine Plan!). I am expecting a few items delivered to the house but TODAY – it was my Colonix order! Yipee! I was also home when my son called me on my mobile phone to say that he forgot his homework and if I had a break coming up could I deliver it to the school? Isn’t he LUCKY his mom was home and I was able to find it and deliver it on my way back to the office! I also seized this opportunity to deliver the 3 bags of clothing to his school that help to offset the cost of his school camping trip coming up in May…life is good when you believe…