Fish bowl and pad thai...

Its a bowl shaped like a fish...very cool! One more pottery class to go! She has some sculptures to paint next week and will pick them up later. I love that the things she has made are fully functional and can be washed, put outside, used for food etc. Tempting to hang it on a wall but I would rather see her use it! I'm hoping she will want to take another class in September when it runs again.
Lee
ps..I increased exercise and decreased food and didn't lose a pound this week...really discouraging..I should have sticked with what was working!

Positive changes

You may remember my 6 week challenge...just filling you in on my progress since the challenge finished a couple of weeks ago. I did lose 6 lbs and have lost a couple more since then. I am on a 12 week challenge at the moment as Zee is at the gym doing hers. I have taken it up a notch or two. I work out 6 days a week and on the 7th day I still walk. In addition to my morning workout, I just started doing a mini afternoon workout with the kids ...push ups, sit ups, squats and lunges...10 reps of each (and 10 lunges on each leg) x 5 and will jump up to 10 reps in a few days..just easing into it. All those exercises are included in my morning workout too...just not as many. I am eating really healthy food..watching calories, drinking green tea and water, lots of veggies and some fruit..not eating after 6ish. Things are going well and I think once I lose 20 lbs or so, I should notice a big change in clothing. I'm happy that it is (the end of) Feb and I'm not just beginning in April. I feel really good!

Jan 26, 2007

Can you believe that was the date of our first blog entry!! Wow we have come a long way baby!
Lee

Father Winter and Snow Princess...

Annie art...packy snow...on our house. She had recently made a mask at clay class and took some of the techniques and applied them here. I should have taken a picture of the very focused look she gets on her face when she does any art work!

Lee

Niagara Falls

It was so great to get away for a couple of days with Chris and Kate and Annie. For the past 2 years (this making it the third year) we have taken the girls to the Fallsview Waterpark in Niagara Falls http://www.fallsviewwaterpark.com/index.php . They enjoy hanging out somewhere warm! We stayed at the Crowne Plaza Hotel and it got terrible reviews when I looked it up but the price was so right. When we got there, we got bumped up to a double room with this view of the falls! It was such a thrill but then again, I am easily thrilled!

The day Chris took the girls to the waterpark, I went for a lovely brisk walk.

Icy from the mist.....right near the falls...

This is how close you can get! Its actually quite frightening! You can hear and feel the power of all this water...It made me think of Roger Woodward..the 7 year old boy that went over the falls. Listen to his story told by Stuart Mclean http://beemp3.com/download.php?file=5254913&song=roger+woodward+story It is amazing! I can't imagine going over the falls by accident and can't even begin to understand why folks would want to do it intentionally for fame.

This is an original structure from the first hotel at the falls...Clifton House. This is part of the formal garden. The Clifton is no longer there but this structure remains and in the summer, the gardens are beautiful. This is only half the structure..it curves around...I am standing at the middle point.

Check out the retro phone and buttons in the elevator. We had to take 2 elevators to get to our room...the first one was fine, but then a smaller, antique elevator to take us up to the top floor. Scary!

The girls enjoying the pool in our hotel.

Chris and Annie went to Ripleys Believe it or Not Museum. Chris in a chair that was made for someone huge!

Taking a break at Timmie's. By the way, our hotel had a Starbucks! Score!

And we all love the arcade! It is the final thing we do at Clifton Hill before heading for home.

Lee

More about tea.......

This is the 'tea pot' I got for Christmas this year...really a coffee press, but it works perfectly for making delicious pots of herbal tea. Lately I have been drinking more Green tea, but I have been spoiled on the lovely taste of the herbal tea mixes that I have been making. So I now throw in some herbal tea mix with my sencha green tea which makes it tastier and good for me! I have been reading about the incredible benefits of green tea. Just 2-3 cups a day can have a tremendous effect on overall health as well as providing cancer-fighting properties.

A big pleasure....

Ok I'm tired of saving, being frugal, buying things for the kids before myself....we are off to a hotel for a couple of days, where I hear you dont have to keep a woodstove going for heat, or feed any pets or even sweep or answer to phone!! I bought 4 of these 5 magazines this morning...Martha comes to my mailbox this year. I think $20 to bring me lots of reading pleasure isn't bad! Sorry environment and wallet! ptfpptfpptpttp! (raspberry at ya!) Lee

Puppy sitting

Everyone on board...where's Baxter? We are puppy sitting for our neighbours for a couple of days. Having a puppy in the house makes us appreciate our dog! I forgot how much work puppies are! Special thanks to Zee for offering to take Chelsea while we go to Niagara Falls..we will enjoy our little holiday more knowing she is in capable, loving hands! Chewing "dusty" my duster.

Lee

Lancet retraction

I'm sure you've heard or read about the Lancet's retraction on Andrew Wakefield's study linking autism to the MMR shot. He's being crucufied in the media....but fortunately there are still supporters of him who know the true story...check out the CryShame website... http://www.cryshame.net/

Look what we made :)

She is a little pig from the book "Sew me, Love me". This book is full of little animal projects...she uses recycled materials and so did we. I didn't increase the pattern size as I wanted her to be small but I really needed Annie's small hands to help out! I used all jersey thinking it might be easier to manage but it ended up getting all twisted as I tried to sew on the parts. (that could have just been me not knowing how to do it properly!) Not sure if it would have helped using non stretchy material....this is our trial one. Annie picked this pig out and helped me make her. Then got right to work with the glue gun and popsicle sticks and made a little bed and blanket. I think her name is Charlotte.

Lee

Tea for two..or three..or four..

Everyone is invited! I really enjoy a good cuppa tea and making it for others too. Right now I am drinking lots of green tea..its february and I feel in the mood to reap the health benefits of this tea..good for everything from blood pressure to cholesterol to weight loss:) Next is Earl Grey..its the "go to" tea for when I visit Zee or Kath. Now I totally associate friendship with this perfumy tea...and when I drink it at home, I think of them:) Regular orange pekoe is a favorite...its totally familiar and comfortable. Chai for when I want to spice it up a bit..a little spark of something different..especially great as a little treat when made with boiled milk and cinnamin sprinkled on top! I like "chinese" tea any time and we always make it in a pot and drink from little chinese tea cups. Peppermint and chamomile for anytime. We drink lots of tea!
Lee