Trash The Dress

There is a new obsession for brides and photographers alike called "Trash the Dress"

It's a day after the wedding photo shoot where the Bride gets 'down and dirty' in her wedding gown - in some cases completely ruining the gown!

Here is a picture below I took off of a website called Trash the Dress dedicated to this very concept 

And another... this one is most definitely TRASHED

Now I'm all for photography that is artistic and expressive, something unique and a tad risque is always fun too but... trashing your wedding dress? I just don't know that this is something I could or would ever do...

I get the idea behind it, you wear it for one day and then it's shoved in a garment bag in your closet for years and in this day and age Daughters typically don't wear their Mothers (or Grandmother's) wedding gown anymore but... I just don't think I could burn the dress that I fell in love with for my wedding day... I just don't!

I am however pretty turned on to the idea of having a photo shoot done with me in my dress the day after - or sometime after the wedding. Something with a magazine - editorial feel that doesn't scream "Bride to be" but rather a dramatic, sensual, look at my beautiful dress type shoot.

Something like this would be my inspiration

I want to know what you think - would/should you trash your dress??

When It Rains... It Pours

Today is one of my favorite types of days, it's raining outside (a warm spring rain) making everything that has recently greened up look so beautiful and the newly bloomed flowers smell so fragrant... everyone is feeling the slow pace due to the weather, I have a large cup of wonderfully aromatic chai tea at my side and I can't wait to get home and relax underneath a warm blanket and read!

Call me crazy, call me zany, but I love spring time and I LOVE rain!

I have nothing against a hot summer day in the sunshine, but there is something about the rainy days of spring that make me feel just right about ... well everything!

Some days are made for porch sitting and lemonade sipping and that's great, but days like today are made for couch snuggling and tea drinking... one of my favorite combinations and the very reason I cannot wait until my shift is done so I can do exactly that.

I only wish I had a fabulous pair of rubber boots like these to make my way through the puddles in:

And of course a nifty umbrella:

Coincidentally I found this online and I actually own one exactly the same!

Let It Rain, Let It Rain, Let It Rain!

Confessions of Crazy

Have you ever heard that if you can draw a perfect circle by hand it means you are crazy?

Well I just wanted to let you all know that I am most likely crazy - I'm not claiming to being able to draw the perfect circle but I am admitting to the fact that I randomly draw circles on my note pad all day long at work. Why? I do not know... Crazy? Most likely...

I just wanted to put that out there.

Beat It

After spending my long weekend camping in the beautiful surroundings of the mountains in Kananaskis I'm not having an easy time adjusting to work today (or the early morning wake up call from my alarm - in fact I think I'm still half asleep)
I had such a great weekend with the family and our friends and I definitely can't wait for the next trip! :)

One thing about my weekend that wasn't so great was my diet, I completely fell off the wagon (Again!) and it was horrible.
I brought some veggie burgers for my meals and thought that would work out for me just fine but being my first camping trip without meat it turned out not to be, I slipped up and ate a few pieces of beef kabob - my first taste of beef in over a month! Then I had a hot dog... then bacon for breakfast... then another hot dog at lunch, pork kabob for dinner, more bacon at breakfast, and a smokie the morning we left... I overdosed on red meat after being off of it for one month.

The saddest part is I didn't even really want to eat it, it was just there and easy. I had my veggie burgers one night but they just didn't appeal to me the next day as much as the pork did... the fact that I am blogging about my latest slip up isn't really related to eating the meat itself, I gave myself a break for the weekend and I knew I would slip. The point of this is actually the fact that I felt sick after eating and I still feel sick today.
It's almost as if I can still feel the meat sitting in the pit of my stomach as it gets digested... gross...
And I'm not saying the thought of it makes me sick, it's the fact that IT has made me feel sick.
I feel sluggish and heavy, bloated and disgusting. (Oh and I also decided - what the heck might as well eat pizza while I'm at it so we had some last night - and no it wasn't vegetarian NOR was it white meat topping)

I'm honestly glad I did slip up because now I am able to feel the difference in my body.
Even last week I had chicken a few evenings in a row and that even made me feel heavy. It wasn't what my body wanted but it was there so I ate it anyways. That seems to be my problem, those types of food being there that make me decide to consume them even though it isn't what I really want.

So from here on out I vow to myself that after feeling the difference in myself I will not be eating red meat again. Next camping trip I am going to be WAY better prepared and stick to my guns.
This week is going to be my detox week, I'm going to elimate all meat from my diet this week and try to cut out my dairy too so I can get back to normal... at least somewhat!

My Favorite Things (at the moment)

Taking a cue from my fabulous cousin Ricky (check out his blog here) I've been inspired to blog about a few things that I absolutely love and cannot live without and a few things that I love and wish I could incorporate into my life more!

1. Cooking & Baking - I LOVE anything to do with creating food. I never used to and was actually quite afraid of cooking but once I moved out on my own and had to fend for myself a whole new side of me emerged; this new me had a yearning to learn anything I could on techniques and flavors and recipes. I would spend hours watching the Food Network and trying to duplicate the tasty dishes that the pro's were serving up, I would scour the Food Network website daily for ideas of what to make with what I had on hand, I spend my extra pocket change on cook books and would read them cover to cover like a novel!

Becuase of this love I have a few things that are my kitchen must haves:

A good quality chefs knife (and sharpener)

Fresh herbs & spices

Good cookware

Cookbooks

My favorite cookbook is actually a beautiful collaboration of my Grandmothers (handwritten) recipes that were put together for me as a gift from my Mom and Auntie for Christmas. It is my most cherished item in my whole house!

2. Tea - I used to be addicted to coffee and would drink up to one pot a day (and that would consist of my liquid intake, shame on me for not drinking water!) But after getting pregnant and eliminating caffeine from my diet completely for those 9 months I couldn't bring myself to drink it like I did previously and replaced my habit with tea. I've always loved tea and it has always reminded me of my Grandma & Grandpa 'Nick' as it tea was always followed with every meal so before it was always a sort of comfort for me to have a cup. Now I start and end every day with a cup of tea. I love most kinds but my favorite is Chamomile, I bought the most wonderful loose leaf chamomile tea from the Farmers Market a few years ago and sadly have never came across it since! I do enjoy the chamomile citrus tea from Mighty Leaf (below).

3. Camping - there is something about spending a whole weekend (or longer) living mostly outdoors that I just love! It is so refreshing to take a break from the daily routine and shut off the cell phone and spend some quality time with your friends and family. We go every long weekend of the year and any other time we can fit it in, I really do look forward to those times the most and it's no doubt my favorite thing about summer!

4. Yoga - there was a time when me and mom had a routine of going to yoga 2 or more times a week together and I have to say I have never felt better in my life! We went to Hot Yoga in Calgary and the combination of the poses and the heat of the room were amazing. Unfortunately, and for some reason I don't recall, we stopped going and returned to our lazy un-motivated state and we often sit and reminisce about it and one of us will throw out a 'we should go next week' but so far next week hasn't arrived...

5. Painting - I am no Van Gough but I do enjoy painting with acrylics. I am however a perfectionist when it comes to my work which creates one problem and I am also impatient which creates another, I tend to start projects and don't finish them because these two contributing factors.

A few years ago I started a painting for my mom that was supposed to be her Christmas gift - it never got finished. And I do admit it was turning out pretty good but as I was in the process of painting the birch trees I got frustrated and quit because they weren't - in my opinion - good enough and I 'didn't want to give my mother a piece of S#!T' for her present...

Anyways I would love to get back into this hobby!

6. Reading - I have always loved reading, I will read anything and be content with it from cook books, magazines, novels, poems, you name it! There are times where I fall behind and don't pick up a book for a few months and then other times where I devour a book in a matter of days! Fortunately my Mother in Law has a love for reading as well and we have begun to trade books as we finish them which has helped me keep up. I recently finished reading Envy by Sandra Brown which was very intriguing!

7. Lulu Lemon - Maybe it's being a Mom, or maybe I'm just using that as an excuse to be lazy but I practically LIVE in my Lulu Lemon pants!! They are by far the most comfortable and wonderful pants in the entire world and I think everyone should own a pair! I am also lusting after one of their hoodies so I can complete my ensemble!

8. Crafts/Scrapbooking - I started scrapbooking after Aiden was born and I really enjoyed it. I decided it would be a more personal way to create a Baby Book for him. Also for our wedding I decided I wanted to make our invitations and programs myself and I was quite pleased as to how they came out as well - I definitely don't give myself enough time to do this more often (as the Baby Book hasn't been touched since 2008) but I am hoping to get into it again and finish off at least what I've started for Aiden!

9. Wine - I won't say that I am a connesuir or anywhere close to that status but I do love my vino. It adds the perfect touch to dinner or desserts and there are different kinds for every occassion/dish that you could imagine! We have a wonderful family member who makes home made wine that is not only delicious but dangerous (we are after all from Saskatchewan - we know a thing or about strong beverages) and I do have a favorite that I was introduced to at a previous company luncheon - Ripassa. It is a wonderful red wine with rich berry notes, vanilla and hazelnut scents with a hint of oak. (Plus it is at a great pricepoint of around only $20 per bottle)

Thats all I can think of for now but perhaps I will add more later!

What are some things that you LOVE?

Getting Over the Hump-day

I am thankful that today is Humpday... although I feel as though it should be Friday at this point, as this week has somehow managed to drag on relentlessly, to my dismay it is not...

Do you ever find yourself annoyed by your day? For instance I am quite annoyed with every day this week, I am tired of answering phones at work and talking to people who don't listen or care or just doubt that I am listening or that I care and I am getting frustrated from other's frustrations.

Like the transferrance of energy, these angry and rude customers calling in day after day and week after week are slowely wearing me down. They somehow manage to transfer this anger and frustration through the telephone so that I go home feeling that way myself despite not having anything to be angry or frustrated about.
I really believe that in life you get what you give, I always try to be decent to others and treat them with the same respect I in turn would like to receive. Unfortunately not everyone is like this and there are always some Debbie Downers in the bunch but overall I would like to say that when I give "happy" I get "happy" and it's nice. This week however there hasn't been any transferring of "happy" and I really just want a break from it. Maybe it's because I didn't get a full weekend off and I am now paying for it or maybe it's my monthly 'friend' who is deciding my mood at the moment but either way I just want to go home, lie in bed and read a book while leaving everything and everyone (mostly everyone) outside my closed doors.

I must say I am thankful that this is a temporary position, although I very much enjoy being around everyone I work with and it is a really good environment I definitely don't enjoy Customer Service... although I have come a long ways from tearing up at the first customer yelling at me because he wasn't happy with his services - I definitely don't feel that I am a good fit for being the "Go To" person.
In some ways I think I'm like a sponge and any negativity or anger that is presented to me is sucked in and I take everything personally so that at the end of the day I am so overwhelmed that I feel like breaking down at times.

This is one reason I am so happy to be going to school and creating my own path. One comment my Massage Basics teacher made was that "In the last 40 years of doing my job I have never had anyone leave my massage table unhappy, and that in itself has made my career very satisfactory" and really who would leave a massage unhappy??? A statue perhaps... but no person I know would and that is a refreshing thought.
I very much look forward to starting this new journey and hopefully it will be just as rewarding and satisfying as I think it will be.

Making a House a Home

I don't know what it is but coming home to a clean, organized house makes everything so much better ... or is it just me?

I had a one day weekend and I decided to spend my Sunday cleaning, despite the beautiful sunshine outside and the color I could have added to my pale vampirish complexion I spent roughly 8 hours indoors doing what most people despise and cleaned.

I honestly really enjoy cleaning, it relaxes me and once I'm finished I have a feeling of such accomplishment and pride that it's so worth it - and trust me with a toddler and a puppy running around with free reign it is hard to keep things tidy (albeit that it never lasts very long...)

A tool I recently bought and absolutely LOVE to use is my Shark handheld steamer from Canadian Tire.

It's great for cleaning anything and everything and you don't need any chemicals at all which is a bonus and great for anyone with kids, plus the steam naturally kills bacteria and germs on surfaces! 

(I really want the steam mop too...)

A little trick for hard water/soap stains in bathrooms is to scrub the surfaces with fabric sheets that have already been put through the dryer (that way the oils are out) and it will remove the stubborn spots.

Plus you can't go wrong for getting a 2 in 1 use out of them!

For kitchens a really good "Green" cleaner is lemons - they naturally disinfect and if you mix the juice with water to dilute it you can use it as a spray or sprinkle baking soda in your sinks and rub the halved lemon in it and scrub the sink down - it will scrub just like Comet but a more natural version.

Another thing I love about cleaning is de-cluttering my space. For some reason we seem to randomly collect things in our house that nobody seems to know (or wants to admit) where they came from in the first place, I emptied 3 garbage bags of this random "junk" lurking in the corners of my home and taking up precious (limited) space from us. I also filled 3 garbage bags full of donation items (mostly clothing) to get rid of.

I am attempting to include some sort of "de-junking" routine into my life at certain intervals - I've decided each season change I will go through my closet, junk drawers, knick knacks, ect and remove anything that I haven't used or looked at and that way I can keep everything I really need and want and nothing that I don't. (I have a confession to make; we've lived in this house almost 1 year and I still have unpacked boxes in the basement that I don't even know what the contents are! Obviously I haven't missed them...why are they there???)

I have come to the point where I realize I don't need so much "stuff" anymore, I want only what is necessary in making my house a home and nothing more. It's really refreshing to get rid of things that you don't use (or even like!) and make room for something else that you do - or just make room for the best thing of all.... space!

One thing I've added to my home after many failed attempts from my mother to get me to do so is plants.
I am not a green thumb, in fact I have no green anything - including maternal instincts towards the leafy ones, as I've admitted several times to D I am a bad plant mom... I have limited knowledge of what a plant needs and I seem to be missing the gene that my grandmother and mother had to let plants thrive in thier homes.

I was given two plants... one almost died, one half died... maybe they were attempting suicide I'm not sure?
I also bought two more plants... may they rest in peace as neither have made it to this day.
And a note for all my other non-green thumbs out there, those self watering bulbs do NOT work!!!
So as I try to revive my poor plants back to life I do admit that I really like having them in my home, one day... in the future... I think I would really like to have a garden... but that's a goal I will reach in good time (and patience and knowledge and....well more time)

So all of these things are my attempts at making this place we call home actually feel like one, if we are going to be stuck here I don't want to feel stuck I want to feel like it is our sanctuary... our comfort, ours.
If anyone has advice on how I can achieve this better please do tell!!

S-not Fair

This week the weather has been so wonderful, a heat wave has arrived that would make most of our summer temperatures ashamed! It's great... just great... because of course I have spent the last week INSIDE, sipping tea and killing forests daily with the tissues I use to blow my nose on.
I'm sick. Which isn't surprising for me as I always seem to catch something everytime the weather changes but SERIOUSLY... it just isn't fair!

Not only is my son subjected to settle for playing in the back yard (our lame excuse of one anyways) because I have no energy to take him to the park but once again my promise to walk my dog has gone out the window for another week...I hate being sick!

I have however concocted a few recipes out if it that tantalized even my tastebuds which are slacking at the moment.

I made myself a cup of tea: (big whoop yes I know keep reading)
I used 1 cammomile tea bag
1 lemon zested, and half of it's juices
Combine with boiled water and let steep for a few minutes
(add honey if you like a sweeter tea)

This is a tea press/tea pot which is great for loose leaf teas

I bought mine from Ikea for around $10

The added lemon REALLY helped my sore throat! (And it totally kicked ass over that disgusting Neo-Citran crap although my little man refused to drink it and said it was 'yucky water')

Then I decided to get crafty with more of the lemons I had and made a yummy chicken discovery!

In a baking pan I spread out chicken wings (with skin) but you could use any type of chicken
Add:
1 cup of orange juice
1/2 cup of white wine (or blush)
A dash (or more) Franks Red Hot Sauce
freshly ground pepper
seasoning salt
1 lemon zested, then cut into slices and lay over top of chicken
Bake at 350 celsuis until cooked through and skin browned

It was really good and the combination of citrus juices added a really yummy kick to the chicken!

I have another recipe that was given to me as a cold remedy and it's awesome!

Ingredients:
4-5 skinless boneless chicken breasts
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 lemon, zested & juices squeezed
3/4 sprigs of fresh chopped thyme
3/4 sprigs of fresh chopped dill
Freshly ground pepper & salt
2/3 carrotts, diced
2/3 stalks celery, diced
1 med. yellow onion, diced
1 cup peas

In a large soup pot poach the chicken breasts on med-high heat. Use enough water to cover the chicken.
Once cooked remove chicken and place in bowl to cool, then shred pieces.

Return to soup pot and turn heat to medium, if needed add more water depending on how much broth you like (and if you are using this for a cold remedy the more broth, the better!)
Add bay leaves, garlic, ginger & vegetables to the soup pot (with reserved water from chicken) and cook until vegetables are tender (15 min or so).
Add seasonings and shredded chicken to the pot and simmer for 20 minutes.
If desired add rice or noodles to the soup at the same time you add the chicken back in.
Enjoy!

Now if only I had someone who would make me this soup right about now.... hmmmmm...

Mothers Day Maddness

Happy (Belated) Mothers Day to all the Mom's :)

Yesterday - Mothers Day - was my second year participating in the Forzani Mothers Day Run & Walk, I'm proud to say I finished 5km in 39:01! I beat last years time by FAR (I don't know exactly but it was over an hour so I kicked last years time!

I had forced myself to do the best I could and I am glad I did, I really pushed myself and considering I haven't been to the gym or on a treadmill in months I would say I did pretty good! I want to keep active to beat my time for next year, that will be my goal.

I'm really feeling the 'burn' today and it's burnin' all over!!
Muscles that I was not even aware that were used running hurt and I just want to be in a nice hot bath for a couple hours followed by a massage for another couple hours... but seriously it feels awesome, the high you get after achieving something you didn't think you could is amazing! I really feel pumped to get back into working out even if that just means walking my dog more often and doing free weights and ACTUALLY using my elliptical at home. I feel like it's time, now that I'm focusing on my diet and nutrition it only makes sense to balance everything out by incorporating exercise into the regime!

My gift for Mothers Day was just what I wanted... French Women For All Seasons by Mireille Guiliano so I can delve into even more French tips and tricks for staying slim and living better!

I'm so excited to get into this second installment of the French Women books as I really enjoyed the first one and despite that the facts are pretty common sense it helps to give you some direction and planning tips to incorporate into your life. (Plus Mireille's narrative is an enjoyable read!) After all the way we eat now adays isn't really common sense for our health as we base our meals around convenience more often than not.
So now I am entering phase 2 of becoming more French (haha) lets see where it leads me.

Today I am trying a new soup, I'm a bit nervous about whether I will like it or not but I'll give it a go anyways. I tested out a recipe for Summer Borscht by Barefoot Contessa on Food Network's website (which I recommend visiting for recipe ideas!) but I altered it a tad as I just used what I had on hand so I subsituted champagne for blush wine and did not add yogurt or sour cream (no sour cream to the soup base - only as a topping) and used water instead of stock and no lemon. It smelled good and I do like beets so I'm optimistic it just... I don't know; i hope it's looks decieve because purple creamy soup doesn't really scream YUM to me and I hope to be proved wrong! I will let you know how I make out...

I'm really excited because tonight we are having dinner (a belated dinner for my Mom & Aunt for Mothers Day) and I'm baking a rhubarb strawberry crisp - so good! And they are all fresh fruits too MMMmmm!! However I have no clue what my dinner menu will be yet so... I'll have to do some planning for that...

My mouth is watering already! (I think that is something we should take into consideration for ALL meals... if you are eager to eat it that should tell you it's worth the indulgence, if the thought of it doesn't spark any enthusiam at all you're not eating properly)

In the famous words of Julia Child 'Bon Appetite!'

Walk Your Butt Off

... I have a dilemma ... this morning as I pulled on my jeans and did the dance to get them up and over my bum something bad happened... the belt loop I was pulling on ripped!

I concluded that either:
a) I'm abnormally strong today
b) My jeans were wearing out...
c) I gained weight

As much as I'd like to say one of the former, I know it's the latter... despite my change in diet I have gained back the inches I'd lost in my bum (because that is where my inches go...) and at first I was all "WHAT THE HELL, HOW DID THIS HAPPEN????" but then I remembered that something else has changed in the past little while too... my job. No longer am I on my feet moving around all day, I now sit at a desk for 8 hours 5 days a week. And as I recall after 1 week working my last job I had lost almost 10 pounds because of the switch. So regardless of the fact that I'm eating much better my body hasn't been compensating for any of my calories as it was used to doing only a few months ago.

Although it's not a noticeable gain I am worried for one major reason... if these pants are tight, my butt will (once again) not fit into my wedding dress and then I will be screwed!!!
So because I have no choice at this time I must get moving... my plan of action is to walk everyday which I should be anyways considering my poor puppy has been deprived of this thanks to me, and ocassionally I plan to do some yoga! I love yoga, it's amazing, especially hot yoga! A-MAZING!!
I will literally be walking my BUTT off in the next few months... wish me luck!!

Without You

How is life supposed to go on when somebody you love has gone?

How are you supposed to be yourself when someone who shaped a part of you is no longer around?

How are you supposed to love the same way when you know how fragile time can be?

When a scent trails by and it reminds you,
When a dream dances in your head and you see them there,
When the things they loved hurt you in their memory,
When occassions come and go and they are not there to share in the joy...

I thought it was supposed to get easier as time passes and you greive less for the one who has gone... I don't believe that is true anymore. I think you just get used to the pain inside your heart.

Not a day has gone by since my Grandmother passed that I don't think about her, some days I've even thought about going to visit her only to remember she wouldn't be there... some nights I cry, other nights I want to... some days I wake from dreams where she was there and it makes my heart ache more...
the holidays that passed last year were empty for me... holidays are for families and last year our family was not complete.
There is a gaping hole in my heart... a hole that will never be filled.
I cherish every memory and every item I have that was once hers or her gift to me.
Her life was a gift to me.

As my wedding approaches I can't help but be sad for the fact she won't be sharing this momentus day with me...I miss her so much...and I know that I always, always will.

Finding My Inner French Woman

I finished reading F.W.D.G.F. last night, I was sad to be done it but I'm eager to get Mirielle's other books now!

Do you ever feel, after reading a really good book, that you are almost in withdraw of having that "reliable, old friend" to go to for comfort?! Well I do, I feel like I need Mirielle's number so I can call upon her for advice!

If I haven't already said this a million times this book is definitely on my recommendation list!
I believe we all need to learn how to eat properly and this book delivered the perfect amount of narrative story that you can relate with as well as great advice on how to change your ways little by little to reach a higher sense of pleasure from food and the ability to maintain your health, happiness and hunger!

Once you make changes in your diet and start giving yourself indulgences that are WORTH indulging in your body will no longer crave the empty caloric crap you were once consuming.
If you want chocolate, coffee, ice cream, pastries... at least have the ones worth eating!
High quality products are usually richer and therefore you won't be over indulging in them as you would with a chocolate bar from the grocery store or a pint of ice cream a la Bryers.
Experiment with baking when you have the time, show yourself the difference between the ho hum foods you're used to and the great tasting kinds that are out there for you to explore!
Have fun with food and most importantly ENJOY it!

A few French things I am going to implement into my diet/life are:

Eating (homemade) soups 2-3 times a week
Limiting meat to only 1-2 times a week
Drinking more water (ensuring to have one glass at the start of my day and one at the end)
Going to the market weekly for FRESH food
Making sure I get 30 minutes of walking (or another type of exercise in) at least 3 times a week.

Don't deprive yourself and don't get down on yourself for enjoying something that you do everyday just be sensible and start giving your food more attention.

So go out there and try eating like a French woman for a day, or two or three!
Please share any yummy discoveries along the way...

P.S. I have still not eaten any red meat! :) I feel skinnier and Derek even said I look like I've lost a few pounds! YES!

Lost & Found Poem

I found this poem that I wrote a few years ago and I thought I would post it!

thoughts bleed from my mind

and my nimble fingers apply them to paper

the ink is my blood

as it trails evidence that i was once here

what i thought, felt and observed

lies here in the pools of what was

and now you see it

you see what i felt

and perhaps you wonder

what wound caused the blood to fall

Get 'Er Done!

Here we are in May...Only 96 Days until The Big Day! Thankfully my list of To Do's is getting gradually smaller and I finally finished the invitations on the weekend and will be mailing them out tonight! YAY!

Finish invitations

Do address labels for invitations

Mail invitations

Find B.Maids dresses

Get Groomsmen to go for tux rentals/fitting

Find Florist

Choose flowers

Buy/rent ceremony decor

Purchase guest book

Put together the D.I.Y. stuff

Decide on favors for the guests

Buy favors & put together

Book meeting with officiant

Discuss rehearsal, timeline of ceremony, ect.

Get undergarments for dress

Book final fitting

Find attire for flower girl & ring bearer

Pick out flower girl accessorie

Get ring bearer accessories

Confirm ceremony songs

Confirm any special readings for ceremony

Create list of songs for reception (first dance, ect.)

Confirm with DJ music, lighting, ect.

Discuss with photographer on photo options and locations

Provide a guest list to M.O.H. for shower/stagette

Create wedding day program (rough draft)

Finalize program

Create program

Start writing vows

Decide on make-up & hair for the big day

Choose a friend or stylist to create the look

I seriously am in a bit of shock that it's already May... this year is going way to flippin fast!!

Anyways I am cracking down on myself and hopefully I will have a lot more done after this weekend. Mostly I want to make sure I have the flowers, favors, undergarments, guestbook and programs (paper bought & finalized layout) all checked off my list by Monday! My M.O.H. is coming down this weekend to help me get some things finished so between the two of us (and a bottle of wine) we should be able to crack down!

Defining Determintation

I've been thinking a lot about my choices to be vegetarian and while I still have not eaten any red meat I feel I am slightly wavering on my decision... it isn't really the fact that I miss it, I can't say I really even think about it that much or feel deprived at all. I have made a definite decision that I am going to continue eating white meat and fish and I am debating over whether or not I will on occassion eat red meats... which wouldn't be very often if even at all. I find with myself when I decide to cut something out of my diet I tend to want it even though I am not hungry for it so I am hoping that by saying I can have it to myself I won't anyways...

I do feel really great lately with my diet taking it's new form, I did have chicken last night for dinner. Bought fresh and organic from the Farmers Market!
I felt good about buying it knowing it was from an ethical farm, organic and free reign. I also bought some fresh rosemary and baked the chicken with that, nothing smells better than fresh herbs! :)

One thing I have to admit is that I am not feeling full throughout the day, I notice that in between meals I am starving so I'm obviously not getting enough fibre or protein to keep me satisfied. I will have to look into that and figure out what changes I can make so I don't feel like I'm going to wither away by dinner time!!

On a sour note I totally binged this weekend, girls night on Friday left me chowing down on white cheddar popcorn, ice cream cone and a glass of wine. When I'd already broke down and gotten me and little A cheese pizza for dinner... I felt horrible later on! And very bloated... you would have thought I'd learned my lesson but no... Saturday night we watched movies as a family and again I over ate... this time on candy and another ice cream cone.
Sunday I was better, ate a proper breakfast, had a mini lunch and our hearty chicken dinner with baby bok choy, spagetti squash, mashed potatoes and freshly baked foccacia bread. For dessert we had a saskatoon berry tart (also picked up that day from the market!)
So although I had my first weekend breakdown it's okay, I'm not perfect and I don't expect to be turned around 360 degrees opposite of where I was in less than a months time.
I think I'm doing pretty good after all!

This week I have to be good to myself though, Sunday is Mothers Day and I'm doing the Mothers Day Run with my family and friends and little A! This is my second year doing it, I'm hoping to do better than I did last year but either way it will be good for me to pound the pavement.
I also feel ready to start up another goal, another integrated part of my diet and lifestyle is that I want to walk more. Not only for me but for my poor baby Harley who has been deprived of his walks for awhile and lets face it, letting him run in the field behind the house for a few minutes a day does not equal a good walk's worth of exercise!! Plus little A needs some more time outdoors too and it couldn't hurt for me and D either... no more couch potatoe family here!!