Friday, December 31, 2010

Happy Birthday to me...

Yes, I am 38 today. :o)

I have had an awesome day, and been spoiled rotten with books and handbags, 2 of my favourite things! LOL

We went to lunch at Bliss Organic Cafe with our Mums. It is an organic vegan cafe. And the food is absolutely sensational!

Ross and I got a tofu burger and a vegan BLT that we shared. And I got a raw chocolate and fresh mint milkshake that was sooooo yummy and thick!




Tonight Em is coming over and we are having a quiet one to finish 2010.

Lots if exciting things planned for the next 18 months or so, and all will be revealed soon.

I hope everyone has an AMAZING New Year celebration and my wish for you all for 2011 is that you find and achieve your hearts desire.

xox

PS - I finished my Mug Rugs finally!









:)

Thursday, December 30, 2010

10 for 10 Recap

I had an awesome day yesterday. :)  It started with a walk through the Botanic Gardens with my mum. We both took our cameras and wandered around snapping away.




We finally stopped for a coffee and relaxed in the shade watching the ducks.

From there we stopped in at Cathy's house to pick up a gorgeous gemstone necklace and earrings that she has made for my Greatest Shave raffle. I will post a pic when I take one, but I tell you, it is stunning, :)

We spent the afternoon just hanging out at Mums trying to stay cool. It was really nice.

From there I made my way back to the city to meet Megan for a coffee. And by "coffee" I do not mean Gelati and Iced Chocolate... :)  I got there a little late and when I got there Megan was NOT playing Smurfs on her iPhone... LOL

We talked, and talked, and talked. Then got up to leave and talked, and talked, and talked... LOL It was such a fun night!

Today has been pretty restful. Quick trip to Spotlight this morning but other than that, I have done pretty much nothing.

I thought I had better do a round up of my 10 for 10 challenge. I have been avoiding it as I thought I had pretty much failed, but having a look I did okay.

1) Run/walk the Mothers Day Classic in May
Done. Ran the 4km in 38 minutes

2) Ride at least 3000kms
Nope. I stopped counting around the 1200 mark because it came so late in the year and I was injured so I knew I wouldn’t get there.

3) Finish the knitted blankets
Done. I finished in September.

4) Lose 30 kilos
I only lost 2.…


5) Be in a financial position to sponsor a World Vision child
Done - we have a 3 year old sponsor child from India.


6) Send at least one childrens story to a publisher
Actually I sent 2 off, one of them to 2 publishers. Both rejected, but at least I was brave enough to send them.

7) Run/walk the 12 km at the City-Bay in September
Nope - I was injured


8) Start my novel
Well and truly started. I am up to about chapter 8.


9) Go on an overnight hike (first stage of Heyson if funds permit)
Cancelled as I was injured. Tentatively re-booked for May 2011


10) Keep in touch with my interstate friends in the old fashioned way - by writing actual letters with pen and paper.
Sent a couple of letters. 

Not a bad effort.  Next week I will be posting my 11 goals for 2011. :)

100 Days of Gratitude


Day 44
Yesterday I was grateful for a great day. Everythig was brilliant and I was just generally grateful.


Day 45
Today I am grateful for chocolate. No particulr reason other than I love it and feel grateful it was invented. LOL


xox

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Xmas Wrap Up

Well, it has been a really good few days. Ross is back at work today, but I have until next Tuesday off, which is great (for me). :)

Xmas Day was spent with family. Often, this can be a trial, but it wasn't too bad. The kids were in a great mood and ran around like little nut-bags. They got water guns for Xmas so everyone got soaked. Considering how hot it was, no-one really minded. :)  The food was great - mostly healthy but lots of it. Ross & I got some new chickpea burgers that made us both a bit gassy. It was a bit uncomfortable (and smelly) but it meant we were still feeling really full and didn't eat dinner. LOL Note to self:- Never buy those chickpea burgers again...

Boxing Day we made our way down to the Bay for lunch with Em.  Em moved to Roxby Downs a few month ago so it was awesome to see her again. Glenelg was one of the only places open in Adelaide so it was insanely busy, but we still had a good time. Lunch was delish, and the company was great. Unfortunately she has already headed home so we have to wait for her next visit to see her again.

That night we headed to Thebarton to the West End Brewery for their annual Xmas Lights. It is always packed in the lead up to Xmas but going on Boxing Day was a good plan as there were a lot less people there. We had a really good night and have decided to make it a Boxing Day tradition.

Yesterday was Ross's last day off. The weather was great so we got out the bikes and headed out for a ride. I can't remember the last time I went riding for fun rather than just to get somewhere. We had no destination and no timeframe in mind. Just us and the bikes.  We ended up down at Seacliff where we stopped for ice cream.  We slowly made our way home along the foreshore.  By the time we got home we had done 27kms. Not a massive ride, but the longest I have done since I hurt my Achilles.

When we got home we celebrated the ride with a couple of drinks...


The Achilles held up really well which us great as it means I can get back into the cycling without having to worry that I am doing damage. I am really pleased about this as I have something to train for (which I will share details of in the new year) so I know I can get started now. :)

The rest of me didn't fare as well. It has been too long since I have gone riding and it hurt.  My butt bones feel swollen today! LOL  I was so exhausted when we got back I feel asleep on the couch. I pulled up okay today though - other than the swollen butt bones that is... LOL

This morning I headed to the Gym. Now that felt weird. It has been forever since I have been in a gym. Since the ride went so well I decided to see how walking up a slight incline went. I have only walked on flat surfaces for months.  I set the speed at a moderate pace and did a couple if stints at 1% incline. Not a lot, but something. My Achilles was fine until towards the end where I felt it starting to pull. Not hurt, I could just feel it. I stretched it out afterwards, and went for a short bike ride. When I got home I took some anti-inflammatories and iced it. Now it feels pretty good. A little tight, but pretty good.

This afternoon I am watching Sex & The City on DVD, and will be doing a little sewing later. Very relaxing. :)

100 Days of Gratitude - Day 43
Today I am grateful that I was sensible enough to follow the Physio's advice and look after my Achilles. The fact that it is clearly healing is incredible, and I am starting to see there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

xox

Monday, December 27, 2010

Xmas Lights







100 Days of Gratitude

Day 41
Yesterday I was grateful for the fact that Em has family in Adelaide so she HAS to come back for visits and I get to see her!

Day 42
Today I am grateful for a patient husband who is going on a long "test ride" with me to see how my Achilles holds up on a ride over 12kms :)

xox

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Merry Christmas

















100 Days of Gratitude - Day 40
Today I am grateful for my gorgeous neices and nephews who make days like today absolutely perfect.

xox

Friday, December 24, 2010

Merry Christmas!

I missed Question Day yesterday... Oops. :) I'll do it today.


1) How do you celebrate Xmas Day?


2) What are you hoping Santa will bring you?


3) Do you enjoy the Xmas season?


4) What are you having for Xmas lunch?


5) Is there anyone you wish you were seeing for Xmas that you aren't?


I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their comments and support this year and to wish you all a very

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!


100 Days of Gratitude
Day 38
Yesterday I was grateful for my MIL for picking me up from work since I had several bags of groceries I wasn't looking forward to taking home on the tram.


Day 39
Today I am grateful for the last day of work!!!!


xox

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Daily Quote

Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling.
            -- Margaret Lee Runbeck


I can not WAIT for this week to be over. This is by far the suckiest week to work in Finance (equaled only to the week before Easter). Thankfully only 3 more days left, but they will be long days...

Last night I was so stressed when I left here, all I really wanted to do was run. I just wanted to run and run and run. And of course, I can't...  I did have my camera with me though so I decided to see if I could clear my mind by taking photos. It worked. :)





100 Days of Gratitude - Day 37
Today I am grateful to be living in a beautiful city where I can easily go somewhere new with my camera.

xox

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Thoughts on Fat

I was in the city the other night waiting for a tram to go to Ross's work Xmas dinner. While I was waiting for the tram a young girl came up and stood near me (I say young but she was probably in her early 20's, that's just young to me). :o)

Anyway, this girl was dressed kind of like Abby from NCIS - goth-ish with a bit of flair if that makes sense. I was watching her (not in a creepy way, in a people watching way) and I noticed that people tended to avoid her. They were walking around rather than past, and not stopping nearby if that makes sense.

This girl looked quite happy. Content. She also seemed to find amusement in peoples reactions to her. Like her outfit was doing its job of keeping people away. Almost like she was using it as a barrier of sorts.

It got me thinking...

In a way I am like that. Although I don’t use clothes as my barrier and I don’t find amusement in it. I use my fat as a barrier. It stops me from getting close. It gives me an excuse to remain at a distance. But it doesn’t make me happy.

Whereas this girl was making a conscious choice to stand apart from the crowd, I make an unconscious choice to do the exact same thing every single time I open my mouth and shovel food into it.

There are so many reasons why I am fat. I eat my way through sadness, use food as an emotional crutch, prefer to sit on the couch to exercise… But I have never before considered that this was yet another reason. I may not like it but it keeps me protected. And I like to feel protected.

The thing is, I am missing out. I often say I have never missed out on anything because of my size, but is this true? I use it as an excuse to avoid certain things.

And I don’t want to miss out anymore…

How do I break the habits of a lifetime? Especially at the moment when I am still fighting the residue sadness from the depression I have gone through this year.

I need to give this some serious thought and try to find a way to break through the other side…

100 Days of Gratitude

Day 35
Yesterday I was grateful for generous friends who are happy to pick me up so I don’t miss out on our weekly catch up.

Day 36
Today I am grateful for…. Ok, I am struggling today. Today I am grateful for chocolate. I know it shouldn’t but some days it just makes me feel better…

xox

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Weekend Recap

The weekend started Friday night with Ross's works Xmas dinner. We went to Goodlife Organic Pizza at Glenelg. I love that restaurant. The pizzas are great. I got to meet all of Ross's workmates and their partners, and we had a really fun night. We walked home which was really nice, although the Achilles was a bit tender when I got home.

Saturday morning was spent at Harbourtown. Emma and I were volunteering at the Camp Quality gift wrapping stand.


The morning started slowly, surprisingly being only a week out from Xmas, Harbourtown was surprisingly quiet. But we did get some customers as well as some very generous people who were happy to donate without getting any gifts wrapped.

From there I made my way to my Mum's to pick out the quilts for my Worlds Greatest Shave Raffle and also to auction on Ebay.


This is the raffle quilt, valued at approximately $500, made by my Mum! It is a bit bigger than a single bed quilt, but not quite as big as a double. The applique was done by hand. I really hope that whoever wins it loves it.


This one I will be auctioning on ebay in the New Year.  It is valued at around $300.  It is a large lap quilt.  I really hope I get a buyer! :)

This morning I was up early with a whole day stretched out in front of of me. I love days like this where I have no plans and no responsibilities. It started out on the couch with a good book. After a couple of hours I was itchng to get out, so I grabbed the camera and hopped on the tram to Glenelg to take some snaps. I spent about an hour or so wandering around taking photos. My goal for the next year is to expand my photographic horizons and start taking photos of things I wouldn't normally. So I started just shooting whatever I walked past. I ended up taking over 100 photos (love digital) and a few of them turned out okay.





When I got home I pulled out the sewing machine and got to work on my Mug Rugs. They are nearly finished. Just some hand stitching to do to stitch down the binding and they will be finished! I am very excited. It's been ages since I have finished something I have sewn.

Now I am watching Sex & The City (season 3), blogging, and admiring my new red and green Xmas nails. :)

A great weekend.

100 Days of Gratitude - Day 34
Today I am grateful for true days off. They are so rare that I really do appreciate them when I get them.

xox

Saturday, December 18, 2010

100 Days of Gratitude

Day 33
Today I am grateful for my Mum. For everything she is and everything she does. I love you Mum!

xox

Friday, December 17, 2010

Musings

Daily Quote

Do you want to know who you are?
Don't ask. Act!
Action will delineate and define you.
- Thomas Jefferson


This is just rambling thoughts today.  Something that has been on my mind a bit lately that I need to muse over.

I have this person in my life who confuses me. Let's call her A. I don't really like her. I don't know why exactly, she just gets to me. I can't not see her as she is the wife of one of Ross's good friends. I try and avoid as much as possible, but these things are just sometimes unavoidable.

The thing is, she is perfectly nice. She is a good friend to Ross, and has been quite supportive of my Worlds Greatest Shave efforts. She has never been nasty to me or anyone I know. But I just get this vibe from her - you know. I can't really explain it. Just that despite appearances, I feel as though she is looking down on me and it really irritates the crap out of me. She has never said anything or done anything I can pinpoint to make me believe this, I just do.

I am not sure how to deal with it. I don't know her well enough to come out and ask her - hey do you hate me? Plus what are the odds of her admitting it if it is true? But she really grates on me. And the weird thing is, the nicer she is to me, the more it annoys the crap out of me...

How do I deal with this? Ross is aware of my feelings, but there are the occasional "couple" things I can't get out of - birthday parties, the odd dinner etc. The main problem is that once I see her she bothers me for the next few weeks. I don't know why - she just does.

Hmmm... Just needed to get this out. Thanks for listening. Would be interested in hearing any thoughts on this, on how I can see her or have communication with her, without her getting under my skin. :)


100 Days of Gratitude - Day 32
Today I am grateful for Facebook. Sounds weird but the amount of support I have gotten from Facebook sellers and "friends of friends" for my Shave in truly unbelievable. Social networking at its finest. :)

xox

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Question Day

1) Are you married? 

2) What is your favorite time of day? 

3) What did you want to be when you were little?

4) How did you decide your weight goal?

5) Where would you want to retire? 

100 Days of Gratitude - Day 31
Today I am grateful for the sunshine. It really brightened my mood on the ride in to work this morning.

xox

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

100 Day of Gratitude

Day 30
Today I am grateful for generous strangers who are doing everything they can to ensure my raffle is top notch. 

xox

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

What an amazing response!

Wow, I am completely overwhelmed at the moment...

I have been asking on Facebook for some donations for raffle prizes for my Worlds Greatest Shave. A friend of mine buys from quite a few FB sellers so she emailed all of them asking if any of them will donate.

What an incredible response I have had!  I am up to 13 prizes for my raffle.

I am so completely overwhelmed by peoples support and generosity.

:)
xox

Achilles Update

Daily Quote

Fall seven times, stand up eight.
- Japanese Proverb

My Achilles seems to be healing really well.  In the last week I have been for a couple of walks with no pain. My ride to work is pain free - although I seem to still be limited to about 12-13kms on the bike, any further than that and it starts to ache. It is still quite tight and swollen in there, but I am mostly pain free which is truly wonderful after so many months of agony.  I am really hoping that come mid-January I will be able to go for a hike.  I can't wait!

Last night I went to a friends place for a sewing/craft night. We are meant to catch up every week, but lately one thing after another has happened and I haven't been able to go as often as I'd have liked. It was so great to catch up. I got the strips for my Mug Rugs cut out, and met a couple of new people who were also there for the evening. It was a really great night and I can't wait till next week.


100 Days of Gratitude - Day 29
Today I am grateful for good friends and new friends. Sometimes you need to be able to hang out with people and have laughs and great conversation with none of it focussed on yourself. And I am blessed to have people I can do that with.  Thank you A & E (and A & J, it was great to meet you).

xox

Monday, December 13, 2010

Catch Up

Daily Quote
If you are unhappy, there are only 2 choices: Change your experiences or change your expectations. ~Tony Robbins


I have a few days of gratitudes to catch up on today.  I didn't flick the computer on at all over the weekend, and to be honest I forgot to do it by phone. :)


The weekend was fairly quiet. Got a few stitcheries done, some housework etc. Nothing majorly thrilling. Ross had a small trip to the hospital but it was just a bad migraine so all is well. 


Only 2 weeks left of work before my Xmas break - 10 glorious days off with plans only on a few days. Bliss... :)


100 Days of Gratitude


Day 26
Saturday I was grateful for the wonderful medical staff at Flinders Medical Centre who as always were kind and attentive.


Day 27
Sunday I was grateful for Pyjama Days. :)


Day 28
Today I am grateful for my upcoming holidays. I can't wait for this break.


xox




Just a reminder that if you would like to donate to my fundraising for the Leukaemia Foundation Worlds Greatest Shave click here or email me here for other ways you can donate or help.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Shave Fundraising Update

Daily Quote

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Not much to say today really. Work has been insanely busy (because everyone wants to move into their houses before Xmas) so not much else has been happening. I am off to see the Xmas Lights at the Brewery tonight, so hopefully I get some good photos. 

Mel asked about my fundraising for my World's Greatest Shave.  So here is the update.

I have only raised $170 so far, however I have a $1000 pledge that should be through before Xmas. I also have a lot of people who are going to give $10 or $20 after Xmas. People apologise for "only" giving $10, but there is no way they should. If everyone I asked gave $10 I would hit my target without a problem.  All those $10 add up and they make up the bulk of the fundraising. So to anyone reading this who has pledged $10 and apologised, please don't.  Thank you for your $10. Every single cent counts. :)

I am going to sell those fundraising chocolates in February and if I sell all of them there is another $750.

I am going to have a quilt on ebay soon, with all proceeds going to the Shave. It is a homemade single bed quilt and I am hoping to get at least $100 for it (valued at over $500).

I am also doing a raffle that will start in January.  Just collating the prizes.  So far I have 
 - Another home made quilt
 - a pack of 20 cards from Photo Cards by Kylie Ann :)
 - 2 horse riding vouchers (will be 2 separate prizes)
 - some gorgeous home made jewelery
 - a gift pack from a surf shop
 - 2 bottles of wine (will be one prize)

I am hoping for a couple more donations, just waiting to hear back from a few people. The raffle will go for 2 months so hopefully we get a couple of hundred dollars from that as well.

As for the other $3000 I need, we are about to send out a request to our work network (over 200 people) so hopefully we get through at least half of that from that.  Other than that, I will just be asking everyone I know, and asking everyone I know to ask everyone they know. :)

We are quietly confident we will hit the $5000. I have taking to stroking my hair and have even been caught kissing it the other day. :) I am freaking out, but I am still going to do this, and do everything in my power to get that $5000 for the Leukaemia Foundation.

100 Days of Gratitude - Day 25
Today I am grateful that the traditional Xmas Lights at the Brewery have not fallen victim to Political Correctness and are still being displayed as per their long tradition.

xox

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Question Day

1) Are you a 3 square meals a day person or do you plan snacks in your day as well?


2) What is your favorite thing to put on toast?

3) What is the last thing you ate?

4) If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go?

5) What are some of your favorite summer foods? Or do you even change your eating in summer?
xox

100 Days of Gratitude - Day 24
Today I am grateful for good work mates, who do little things that make what can be a very tedious job that little bit better.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

World's Greatest Shave Update

Daily Quote

The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling,
but in rising every time we fall.
- Nelson Mandela

Well, things are progressing for my Worlds Greatest Shave event.  Ness and Katt are coming over from Melbourne to witness the event...  I have the raffle books for my raffle. I'll be ordering the fundraising chocolates soon. I have a quilt to auction on E-Bay which will go online within the next 2 weeks. And donations are slowly starting to filter through.

I am having minor panic attacks at the thought of losing my hair. So I am making a list of reasons that having no hair will be a GOOD thing... :)

1) The money raised is going to an amazing charity that has helped too many people that I know.
2) I will save money on shampoo and conditioner
3) No more "hat hair" from my bike helmet
4) Getting ready for work will be quicker
5) Won't accidentally pull my hair by rolling over on it at night
6) No more tangles
7) Cooler
8) No more slamming my hair in the car door on windy days
9) Will be able to ride in my friends convertibles without getting whipped in the face by the ends of the hair
10) Give my scalp a chance to see sunlight

OK, I need to focus on this list and remember that I am doing this for a very good reason and I will be fine.  Plus, it will grow back eventually... :)

100 Days of Gratitude - Day 23
Today I am grateful for this beautiful rain we have been having that feels so cleansing to me. I love it.

xox

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Junk Food

Quote of the Day

Why not go out on a limb? Isn't that where the fruit is?
            -- Frank Scully

My house is currently filled with junk food. There was so much leftover food from Saturday night it is ridiculous. A lot of it is stuff I don't like or am not overly fussed about, but some of it is stuff I LOVE....  Ross and my MIL are under strict instructions to eat that stuff asap.  I don't want it anywhere near me.  Last night I got stuck into the Smarties...  Oh how I love Smarties...

I have asked them to eat certain things today or else hide whatever is left and to tell me they ate it.  I just don't want to know.  I am doing so well with my food at work.  But I get home and it all falls to hell in a hand basket...  Not good.

However I am back on the bike this week and loving it.  My butt is sore though.  My Achilles was holding up really well, but this morning I stopped suddenly and put my foot down hard and now it is swollen. I don't have an ice pack at work (need to fix that) so have taken some anti-inflammatories and hopefully it settles down.  I actually hate taking them. but I know that they do help.

If it is feeling okay tonight I am going to try a Body Balance class. I have wanted to do Yoga for ages, but I am assured that this is better for a beginner, so I am going to give it a go.  I'll let you know how it goes.

100 Days of Gratitude - Day 22
Today I am grateful for good advice. I love that other peoples knowledge and wisdom can have a positive effect on anothers life.

xox

Monday, December 6, 2010

First Weigh In

Daily Quote
Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent.
- Marilyn vos Savant

I got on the scales with extreme trepidation this morning. The weekends abundance of alcohol and junk food was playing on my mind...

Imagine my surprise when I saw a 900 gram loss!  *insert happy dance here*  I have no idea at all how that happened, but I will take it and hope the weekends activities don't come back and bite me on the bum this week. :)

Yesterday was spent cleaning up after the party, napping, and eating. Not the most productive Sunday on record, but a nice relaxing day.  Today I am eager to get back into things. My gym membership kicks in this week so I am going to try and get to either a Body Balance class or a Yoga class.  I'll have to check the timetables of the 2 nearest centres and see which class is the most convenient.

100 Days of Gratitude - Day 21
Today I am grateful for Bluebell, my bike. She is still suffering the after effects of her recent injury (where she got damaged by a random stranger while parked near work) but she is holding strong and being my reliable transport while I save up to get her fixed.

xox

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Birthday Party

Last night was awesome. Great friends, fun music, yummy food. It was a great mix of people, and Ross & I really enjoyed the celebration.






100 Days of Gratitude - Day 20
Today I am grateful for the amazing friends in my life. I truly am blessed to have such wonderful people surrounding me.

xox

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Happy Birthday Ross!

Today is Ross's Birthday. He is 37 years old, so for the next 4 weeks we are the same age. :o) It's 9.30am and so far I have swept the back verandah, started baking our birthday cakes (from a packet, I'm being lazy), de-cobwebbed the back yard, and started getting chairs etc organised for our party tonight. I am getting in early because it is meant to get to 36 degrees here in Adelaide today so I want to spend the afternoon indoors in the air conditioning.

Ross loved his pressies. I got him a model airplane kit of a Hercules, and a kite.

I am looking forward to tonight. Good friends, good music, junk food, cider... What more can a girl want? LOL.

100 Days of Gratitude - Day 19
Today I am grateful for being able to celebrate another birthday with Ross. We have known each other less than 5 years, but it feels like we have been in each others lives forever.

xox

Friday, December 3, 2010

Raffle Donations Needed

Hi everyone

Another shout out for help here. I need donations for raffle prizes for my World's Greatest Shave fundraising. I am looking for donations of goods, vouchers for goods, or vouchers for services here in SA.  I have 2, possibly 3 prizes already, but am looking for about 8-10.

If you have anything to offer, please email me at kyliephilips@yahoo.com.au.

Thanks.

xox

100 Day of Gratitude

Day 18
Today I am grateful for technology. It is so easy to communicate with people from everywhere and it makes staying in touch and maintaining friendships so much easier.


xox

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Question Day and Summer To-Do List

Daily Quote
You must do the things you think you cannot do.
- Eleanor Roosevelt

Lately I have been seeing on blogs Summer To-Do lists and Summer Goals.  I have decided to make a To-Do list - I am veering away from the word 'goals' at the moment for some reason.  So I have come up with a list of 10 things I would like 'To-Do' this summer.

Summer To-Do List
1)  Start hiking again
2)  Finish Couch quilts
3)  Lose 12 kilos
4)  Ride 50kms in one day
5)  Ride a total of 1000kms
6)  Start Yoga
7)  Start cat stitcheries
8)  Send another childrens book to a publisher
9)  Take more photos for my cards
10)  Push my World’s Greatest Shave Fundraising and get as much as I can towards my goal of $5000


The plan is to work through these items without too much stress, and just try and get as much done as I can.

Question Day
1)  From whom did you get your last email? 
2)  Have you done anything spontaneous lately? 
3)  What is your favorite sport to watch? 
4)  What are your favorite clothes? 
5)  Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? 

100 Days of Gratitude - Day 17
Today I am grateful for the beautiful rain we have been having. The gardens and the damns and reservoirs are loving it!

xox

DON'T FORGET:
If you would like to help my World's Greatest Shave Fundraising cause, please visit my fundraising page here or contact me to find out how else you can help out.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Fundraising Launched!!!!

Under advisement of my Fundraising Guru, I am launching the fundraising now to give me more time to raise the funds I need to go bald.

Please join and invite all your friends to join the Facebook page (link to the right), link to the photos with the donation details, and share as much as you can. I will need YOUR help to reach my goal of $5000.


Visit my online fundraising page to donate by clicking here - If anyone wants to share this link on their blog I would appreciate it.

Together we can help the Leukaemia Foundation by raising at least $5000!




xox

Gym. Dinner. Tram.

Daily Quote Never apologize for showing feeling. When you do so, you apologize for truth.
            -- Benjamin Disraeli

I found myself a gym. One that meets all of my criteria and is a reasonable price to boot! Those of you who have been loyal readers for some time will know that the last gym I was a member of closed down when the owner went bankrupt. This gym was a couple of kms from work on my way home. Well, a new gym is moving in!

Goodlife Health Centre are in the process of gutting the old gym and renovating it to make it state of the art. New RPM studio. More cardio rooms. Yoga and Zumba to be offered. And they are offering a wicked deal to foundation member. Normally they charge $17.50 a week for membership. Foundation members to the new gym get it for $12.95 a week. For the life of their membership!

One problem. The gym doesn't open till Feb 14, 2011. So, what they have done is set me up with a 2 month membership to their other gyms at the regular price.

The way it will work is:
As of next week I have full access to the other Goodlife gyms (and there is one walking distance to where I am currently living).
As of Feb 14 my membership switches over to the new gym at the new rate.
For the first 6 months I can only use the new gym.
After that I will have access to all gyms again while remaining on my reduced rate.
Methinks I got meself a deal!

Last night Ross & I went out to dinner. We do it once a month generally (and I intend to continue to do so even though I am counting calories again). Anyway we went to a new place, and it was without a doubt the worst pub meal I have ever had!

It was one of these pubs that are renovated to cater to the 'upmarket' clientele, when in reality it is still just a pub with pokies and a coat of paint. My type of pub! Lol!

First thing we notice, this place is NOT vegetarian friendly. We had exactly 2 choices - stir fry veggies (which let's face it I do at home a couple of times a week) or vegetarian pizza with pumpkin. Those of you who know me know that I hate it when restaurants think all vegetarians love pumpkin and put it on every veggo option on the menu.

So we started with 'Pumpkin Loaf', which we assumed would be a pumpkin flavoured bread loaf (which strangely enough I love). Nope, it was white bread smeared with warm pumpkin... Blech...

Over to the salad bar. I didn't get much, a bit of watermelon - delish, some rockmelon - slightly raw, and pasta salad - undercooked...

Hmmm... Looking forward to this pizza now. Well, the dough was half raw, there was hardly any tomato base, the artichoke was just thrown on there in big chunks, the fetta and olives were burnt. That was it. Ross had the pumpkin on his and said it was mushy. Neither of us could even get half way through it. Yes, I am a fussy eater, but Ross is a human garbage disposal unit who can literally eat anything, and even he couldn't eat it.

Both of us felt quite sick in the stomach last night too, so there was definitely something off. A very disappointing evening out.

Now I don't know if I should say where this was, but let's just say if you are in SA and planning on eating out in a Hotel in the Warradale area - beware... ;o)

This morning started as usual. And I realised that was a bad thing. I am catching public transport to work at the moment while Mr A (my Achilles) does its thing and heals. The tram stop is behind McDonalds. A BIG problem. Now I hear you asking - what does a vegetarian want with McDonalds? The answer to that is - Hash Browns.

Every morning I tell myself I won't go in there, and every morning I find myself at the counter. So I need to solve this problem.

I live about 600 metres from the tram stop. A nice easy walk that Mr A can cope with even at his worst. What I forget is that about 800 metres in the other direction is another stop! This morning I got about 50 metres down the road before realising I was heading straight into temptation. So I turned around and made my way to the other stop. No temptation and a nice easy tram ride to work.

100 Days of Gratitude - Day 16
Today I am grateful for freedom of speech. For living in a place where I can go onto my blog and talk about a bad dining experience without fear of being shot or imprisoned. It's something we don't often think about, but something not all people can take for granted like we do.


xox