So last time I wrote I mentioned that I was going to start following The Skinny Rules which I had just finished reading. I have successfully finished 4 weeks of the "diet" and plan on continuing until I reach my weight loss goal. It has been a lot of working changing what I'm used to, and how I cook and eat. But the rewards have been lovely, I have lost 15 pounds this month and haven't even worked out! hehe!! So, if any of you are looking to lose weight just by changing what you eat, this is the plan for you! All the food has been stinking delicious, which makes staying on the plan easy. I will not deny cheating....chocolate has a special place in my heart, one that cannot be removed ever.
These are the rules.
1. Drink a large glass of water before every meal - no exceptions
2. Don't drink your calories
3. Eat a protein at every meal - or stay hungry and grouchy
4. Slash your intake of refined flours and grains
5. Eat 30-60 grams of fibre a day
6. Eat apples and berries every day
7. No carbs after lunch
8. Learn to read food labels so you know what you are eating
9. Stop guessing about portion size and get it right
10. No more added sweeteners, including artificial ones
11. Get rid of those white potatoes
12. Make one day a week meatless
13. Get rid of fast foods and fried foods
14. Eat a real breakfast
15. Make your own food and eat at least 10 meals a week at home
16. Banish high salt foods
17. Eat your vegetables - just do it
18. Go to bed hungry
19. Sleep right
20. Plan one splurge meal a week
And so the second month of my Skinny Rules living begins, yummy food, weight loss....perhaps I will actually exercise this month, see where that takes me! Oh, did I mention that Justin, to help motivate me, is paying me $10 per pound I lose! YAAAAY!! So that means I have earned $150 so far!!
This past weekend was Stampede so my family and Vanessa and Joel came up to visit, which was so much fun! I love having people visit up here, I love that people come visit and actually like it, and I like to show them how much I love it up here. As a family we went quading, which was hilariously awesome and they had a blast, so hopefully that means they will visit more :)
Until next time!
-Elya
Wednesday 4 July 2012
Monday 4 June 2012
Changes...
Justin cancelled our cable on Friday, which was the plan when we bought our Boxee Box, but now that it has happened it's crazy! It is really good because now we can't just mindlessly watch TV, we have to watch with purpose. I think our Boxee was easily one of the best purchases we ever made, and we are saving tons of money, which is always nice! I have started to read more, gotten some use out of my glorious Kobo, I always forget how much I enjoy escaping inside a book.
Speaking of books, I just read "The Skinny Rules" by Bob Harper and it was a super good weight loss rule book and guide. So, since I have tomorrow off I'm going to do any of the cooking I need to do to and start it on Wednesday. There are 20 rules, but it is basically just eating non-processed foods and just being smart with your diet. So I might just have to take a before picture and then an after picture once I finally reach my goal weight, maybe it will push me to reach my goal. I have been unsuccessfully trying to lose my last little bit of weight since I lost 50 pounds on weight watchers years ago. I have been unsuccessful because I have been LAZY which I have no problem admitting :) So the time has come, I want to get in shape before summer is over, before we go to Kenya, and before we have babies. So I will be updating my blog with my progress and making you lovely readers keep me accountable! hehe!
Write soon!!
Speaking of books, I just read "The Skinny Rules" by Bob Harper and it was a super good weight loss rule book and guide. So, since I have tomorrow off I'm going to do any of the cooking I need to do to and start it on Wednesday. There are 20 rules, but it is basically just eating non-processed foods and just being smart with your diet. So I might just have to take a before picture and then an after picture once I finally reach my goal weight, maybe it will push me to reach my goal. I have been unsuccessfully trying to lose my last little bit of weight since I lost 50 pounds on weight watchers years ago. I have been unsuccessful because I have been LAZY which I have no problem admitting :) So the time has come, I want to get in shape before summer is over, before we go to Kenya, and before we have babies. So I will be updating my blog with my progress and making you lovely readers keep me accountable! hehe!
Write soon!!
Saturday 2 June 2012
I just might have a new hobby...
So, as some of you may have read on facebook, I was forced to start gardening this year. A task that I found daunting, and didn't want to be the girl who killed the beautiful gardens in her backyard. So I started to "garden" although I had no clue what that looked like. I thought the best way to start this was to weed my garden, problem was, since flowers were already budding...I had NO CLUE what was a weed and what was a flower. So I just pulled it all, to my dismay this was not the best idea. But after reaching out in desperation to my lovely gardening neighbour I realized all is not lost!! I learned what actual weeds were, and how to properly prepare my garden. Praise the Lord a bunch of the flowers that were left in my garden beds were perennials, so I didn't have to plant lots of new flowers. I did, however, have to plant some vegetables in my raised garden beds. So Justin and I went to the store and picked stuff we liked and then picked stuff that looked least likely to die from me! :) I planted cucumber, spinach, radishes, and carrots. I was terrified when planting them, and seriously took forever. I nearly peed myself when Justin text me this week to tell me that stuff was sprouting in my veggie garden! AHHHHH!! YAAAAY! I didn't kill them!!! So now they are my babies. I had to plant new flowers where I ripped them out of my flower bed thinking they were weeds....so pray they grow! That would be victory #2!!
I have been stuck in my house since Thursday, zzzzzzz. I got my top two wisdom teeth out Thursday afternoon and have been inside, watching TV and reading, it has been quite nice actually. I was super frightened to get them out because my bottom two were ridiculous hard to get out, and were still inside my gums. I ended up having a massive square face and was in a T3 coma for 3 or 4 days. This time my teeth was super easy to get out, thank you God! They were popped out in like a minute, it was fabulous. Plus Justin has had to take care of me and cook me mushy noodles, which is fun in itself. But Monday I go back to work and reality.
That has basically been what I have been up to! :) Good times!!
-Love you all!
I have been stuck in my house since Thursday, zzzzzzz. I got my top two wisdom teeth out Thursday afternoon and have been inside, watching TV and reading, it has been quite nice actually. I was super frightened to get them out because my bottom two were ridiculous hard to get out, and were still inside my gums. I ended up having a massive square face and was in a T3 coma for 3 or 4 days. This time my teeth was super easy to get out, thank you God! They were popped out in like a minute, it was fabulous. Plus Justin has had to take care of me and cook me mushy noodles, which is fun in itself. But Monday I go back to work and reality.
That has basically been what I have been up to! :) Good times!!
-Love you all!
Thursday 26 April 2012
I'm still here!
So, it has been a ridiculously long time since I have blogged, but here I am, for all of you who were weeping in want for a new post :)
It has been a pretty relaxed 2 months, with a few surprises and purchases, which is just life! Lets start with Easter.
So about a month before Easter my Mom and I were chatting about them maybe coming to visit, since they hadn't visited since Christmas *cough waaaaay too long cough.* Anyways, she has said that they would most likely come up for a visit for Easter weekend, obviously I was overjoyed. But then, dun dun dun, I received an email from my Aunt Karen asking the family about when works for our family Easter dinner, whether it be Saturday or Monday, and minutes later, much to my surprise my mother responds that either one works for her....ummmm whaaaat?! Anyways, I told her basically that she was a goof, but that it was fine.
......fast forward to Good Friday, and I am lying in bed and get a text message from my Mom asking me what my plan was for the day. So we were small talking for a bit and was asking if Justin was awake, I told her no, then she asked if Lexy(our dog) was awake, and I told her no, and then Justin rolled over and asked who I was talking to, so I told him. The next words that came out of his mouth were "Lexy do you want to go outside?" and she bounded off the bed very excited to go pee. I told him that it wasn't fair to her unless HE was going to take her outside, next thing I hear is "Lexy, Mommy's going to take you outside" I could have kicked him, I was so unimpressed. But nevertheless, I got out of my warm cozy bed to let my fuzzy angel outside, and start heading to let Lexy outside when I see my Mom sitting on my couch!! AHHHHHH!! There are a few lovely videos of this on my Mom's facebook and I'm tagged in them too if you haven't viewed these gems yet. So I got my lovely Mom ALL weekend long, which was such a blessing because Justin was working nights. Boo nights!
ITS OFFICIAL!! We booked our flights to Kenya! YIPPEEE!!!! So we fly out of Vancouver on October 29th at 9:30 pm which means a red eye flight. *gag* cue extensive gravol!! But we get into London at 1:40 pm the next day and have until 10 am the next day before we fly out, so we can see London a bit and have a sleep so I won't be a super crab! Woohoo! We will both be grateful for that one! And we are in Kenya until November 28 and return into Vancouver on the 29th! We also get a 12 hour layover in London again on the way home. I think I will be very grateful for a break in between the 8+ hour flights! We are starting on our plans for when we are over there but are planning on keeping it pretty open so we can be led to the work God wants us to do over there.
We also redid our ensuite, FINALLY! It was the nasty old blue one, for those of you who read my post about our house! Here are some pictures, a little in between so you can see the place where our medicine cabinet and toilet are, and our new flooring! Woohoo! It is so nice to have a modern ensuite and didn't take that much time or that much money. I love that my husband is so handy! *sigh*
We also have made some purchases since I last blogged. We have bought a Boxee box (for those of you who don't know what it is look it up, it is such a great purchase!!), we then had to buy a new 47" LCD tv for our living room, we bought a dirt bike, a dune buggy, a quad, a 5 man hot tub, a new dining room table, a new dresser for our bedroom. I think that's it.... Keep in mind, most of these are second hand, and Justin is a mechanic and a craigslist junkie so he finds good deals and can fix stuff up!! We also have a seadoo in our backyard too. So, since summer is coming, COME VISIT!! We have lots of space and toys and would love to have you come up!!
Anyways, time to work and bring home the bacon. I promise I will blog again soon!!
xoxo
It has been a pretty relaxed 2 months, with a few surprises and purchases, which is just life! Lets start with Easter.
So about a month before Easter my Mom and I were chatting about them maybe coming to visit, since they hadn't visited since Christmas *cough waaaaay too long cough.* Anyways, she has said that they would most likely come up for a visit for Easter weekend, obviously I was overjoyed. But then, dun dun dun, I received an email from my Aunt Karen asking the family about when works for our family Easter dinner, whether it be Saturday or Monday, and minutes later, much to my surprise my mother responds that either one works for her....ummmm whaaaat?! Anyways, I told her basically that she was a goof, but that it was fine.
......fast forward to Good Friday, and I am lying in bed and get a text message from my Mom asking me what my plan was for the day. So we were small talking for a bit and was asking if Justin was awake, I told her no, then she asked if Lexy(our dog) was awake, and I told her no, and then Justin rolled over and asked who I was talking to, so I told him. The next words that came out of his mouth were "Lexy do you want to go outside?" and she bounded off the bed very excited to go pee. I told him that it wasn't fair to her unless HE was going to take her outside, next thing I hear is "Lexy, Mommy's going to take you outside" I could have kicked him, I was so unimpressed. But nevertheless, I got out of my warm cozy bed to let my fuzzy angel outside, and start heading to let Lexy outside when I see my Mom sitting on my couch!! AHHHHHH!! There are a few lovely videos of this on my Mom's facebook and I'm tagged in them too if you haven't viewed these gems yet. So I got my lovely Mom ALL weekend long, which was such a blessing because Justin was working nights. Boo nights!
ITS OFFICIAL!! We booked our flights to Kenya! YIPPEEE!!!! So we fly out of Vancouver on October 29th at 9:30 pm which means a red eye flight. *gag* cue extensive gravol!! But we get into London at 1:40 pm the next day and have until 10 am the next day before we fly out, so we can see London a bit and have a sleep so I won't be a super crab! Woohoo! We will both be grateful for that one! And we are in Kenya until November 28 and return into Vancouver on the 29th! We also get a 12 hour layover in London again on the way home. I think I will be very grateful for a break in between the 8+ hour flights! We are starting on our plans for when we are over there but are planning on keeping it pretty open so we can be led to the work God wants us to do over there.
We also redid our ensuite, FINALLY! It was the nasty old blue one, for those of you who read my post about our house! Here are some pictures, a little in between so you can see the place where our medicine cabinet and toilet are, and our new flooring! Woohoo! It is so nice to have a modern ensuite and didn't take that much time or that much money. I love that my husband is so handy! *sigh*
We also have made some purchases since I last blogged. We have bought a Boxee box (for those of you who don't know what it is look it up, it is such a great purchase!!), we then had to buy a new 47" LCD tv for our living room, we bought a dirt bike, a dune buggy, a quad, a 5 man hot tub, a new dining room table, a new dresser for our bedroom. I think that's it.... Keep in mind, most of these are second hand, and Justin is a mechanic and a craigslist junkie so he finds good deals and can fix stuff up!! We also have a seadoo in our backyard too. So, since summer is coming, COME VISIT!! We have lots of space and toys and would love to have you come up!!
Anyways, time to work and bring home the bacon. I promise I will blog again soon!!
xoxo
Monday 20 February 2012
February so far
Why hello lovely blog readers. I figured I would just do a blog post without numbered blessings *gasp* and just share about life lately!!
I got to go home to Surrey last weekend and visit my friends and family, which was super awesome and made me realize how much I missed everyone.
I flew home on Friday and my bestie Vanessa picked me up from the airport and we got to hang out a bit and we went to see "The Vow" which sadly, I was disappointed with. Maybe its because I was expecting a classic chick flick based on all the commercials, but the love you see in the commercials is about all the romance in the movie. Plus I had a foolish Texty McTexterson beside me, who was asked 2 times to put away her phone before she finally left. YAHOO! It made me miss my dinky little Williams Lake movie theatre, where the nearest people are 5 rows away at closest.
Saturday was a really busy, but awesome day! I went to Clint and Karin's at 12 so I could hang out with them and their awesome children. My little monkey Abi just turned 3, shes getting so big and has such a personality now. Their second daughter Elizabeth is just over a month old and so stinking adorable I could eat her up.
After that I went to the Krueger's house to celebrate Corinne's 50th birthday and catch up with her family and eat some amazing food.
Then it was off to my Uncle Gary's 65th birthday and I got to see a ton of people I haven't seen in forever, and see my cousins! My Dad and I got to sing together too, I love singing with my Daddy so it was so nice! After the party us cousins went over to Mike and Katie's house and played a game of Quelf, they are most certainly the right people to play that game with; it was hysterical. Katie, who is 8 months pregnant, also showed me their babies nursery and all the stuff they have for her...I'm so excited to get to meet her!
Sunday morning came and I got to go to JH, I was back home. I have missed JH lots, and it was so great to be back again. I also got to hold Lizzie 90% of the time that I was there...so for any of you who went to church and saw me with a newborn, you should know it was not mine. We have only been married for 6 months, and that is not why I moved away ;) hehe!
After church I went and got a wedding present that we had waiting for us at The Bay...thanks Uriah!! And had lunch with my family at Red Robin, mmmmm! How I miss having delicious food options, and often BP or Denny's just doesn't hit the spot! And then went for coffee with Miss Calla, I love coffee with Calla and it honestly feels like time is never long enough! I went to Night Church and then came home for Sunday night Nachos, the McCracken family tradition!
Monday I had breakfast with Holly and then hung out with my parents for the rest of the day. And then flew home and got to see my husband! YAAAAAY! Sadly he was working all weekend so I had to go down alone :(
Then it was Valentine's Day, and I got the day off! YAY!! Our first Valentine's together was so awesome!! I made the most delicious cheesecake, it was a New York cheesecake topped with caramel sauce and chopped toblerone *wipes drool* SO GOOD!
I made him this present of an "I love you because" photo frame. So basically the picture inside the frame looks similar to what is below, and then you just write a message on the glass with a dry erase marker. It's such a sweet, yet simply present to give. We keep it out so we can write each other messages, especially when he is working nights and we don't see each other that often.
Well, it is time for me to head to work. I just wanted to write a little update on my life lately. I will be sure to write again soon!!
<3
I got to go home to Surrey last weekend and visit my friends and family, which was super awesome and made me realize how much I missed everyone.
I flew home on Friday and my bestie Vanessa picked me up from the airport and we got to hang out a bit and we went to see "The Vow" which sadly, I was disappointed with. Maybe its because I was expecting a classic chick flick based on all the commercials, but the love you see in the commercials is about all the romance in the movie. Plus I had a foolish Texty McTexterson beside me, who was asked 2 times to put away her phone before she finally left. YAHOO! It made me miss my dinky little Williams Lake movie theatre, where the nearest people are 5 rows away at closest.
Saturday was a really busy, but awesome day! I went to Clint and Karin's at 12 so I could hang out with them and their awesome children. My little monkey Abi just turned 3, shes getting so big and has such a personality now. Their second daughter Elizabeth is just over a month old and so stinking adorable I could eat her up.
After that I went to the Krueger's house to celebrate Corinne's 50th birthday and catch up with her family and eat some amazing food.
Then it was off to my Uncle Gary's 65th birthday and I got to see a ton of people I haven't seen in forever, and see my cousins! My Dad and I got to sing together too, I love singing with my Daddy so it was so nice! After the party us cousins went over to Mike and Katie's house and played a game of Quelf, they are most certainly the right people to play that game with; it was hysterical. Katie, who is 8 months pregnant, also showed me their babies nursery and all the stuff they have for her...I'm so excited to get to meet her!
Sunday morning came and I got to go to JH, I was back home. I have missed JH lots, and it was so great to be back again. I also got to hold Lizzie 90% of the time that I was there...so for any of you who went to church and saw me with a newborn, you should know it was not mine. We have only been married for 6 months, and that is not why I moved away ;) hehe!
After church I went and got a wedding present that we had waiting for us at The Bay...thanks Uriah!! And had lunch with my family at Red Robin, mmmmm! How I miss having delicious food options, and often BP or Denny's just doesn't hit the spot! And then went for coffee with Miss Calla, I love coffee with Calla and it honestly feels like time is never long enough! I went to Night Church and then came home for Sunday night Nachos, the McCracken family tradition!
Monday I had breakfast with Holly and then hung out with my parents for the rest of the day. And then flew home and got to see my husband! YAAAAAY! Sadly he was working all weekend so I had to go down alone :(
Then it was Valentine's Day, and I got the day off! YAY!! Our first Valentine's together was so awesome!! I made the most delicious cheesecake, it was a New York cheesecake topped with caramel sauce and chopped toblerone *wipes drool* SO GOOD!
I made him this present of an "I love you because" photo frame. So basically the picture inside the frame looks similar to what is below, and then you just write a message on the glass with a dry erase marker. It's such a sweet, yet simply present to give. We keep it out so we can write each other messages, especially when he is working nights and we don't see each other that often.
Well, it is time for me to head to work. I just wanted to write a little update on my life lately. I will be sure to write again soon!!
<3
Wednesday 8 February 2012
My favorite blessings of all...
Blessing #9 - Friends and Family
I don't even think I can properly put into words how much God has blessed me with awesome friends and family. I think I realized now, more than ever who my real friends are and how addicted I am to my family. I honestly talk to my Momma at least 2 times a day, often more and usually email her or text her throughout the day. Good ole Betty! I chat with my Dad and brother usually once a week, not nearly enough.
My husband, is insanely awesome. I think, as much as I loathe shift work, that it makes me appreciate my time with him so much more. I also really appreciate that he is willing to do my workout with me, I'm sure many husbands would not endure the 30 Day Shred with their wives, but mine is stinking great.
My friends, I wish I talked to a lot more people from Surrey a lot more often, but I think the "out of sight, out of mind" quote might apply to this situation. I am so thankful for the ones that I do keep in contact with, and love them tons!
Blessing #10 - My Dog
I know this might seem like a silly thing to write about, but she is my constant companion. With Justin working shift work I am quite often home alone, and I think I would lose my mind without my Lexy. I have only been up here for 6 months (hard to believe its been that long already) and therefore, do not have many friends to call for movie nights. So I hang out with my pup and talk to Surrey folk. Don't get me wrong, I love my life up here, for the most part, I am just thankful to have some form of company.
Blessing #11 - Walmart
I know, I know. I'm lame. But when you live in Williams Lake, it is like the best thing that ever happened to this town. I go there almost everyday, sometimes Justin and I go, just to wander and pass time. Especially since all the other stores operate on "small town hours" meaning that everything is closed by 6 on weekdays, except my beloved Walmart. Generally if Walmart doesn't have it in this town you are hooped, which was a massive shock to me coming from Surrey, where something is open almost all the time.
On a happy note...2 MORE SLEEPS until I am back in Surrey!! YAAAAAAAY! I get to see some friends and family, and go to church on Sunday...which is really exciting!
Update you soon on my adventures!
<3
I don't even think I can properly put into words how much God has blessed me with awesome friends and family. I think I realized now, more than ever who my real friends are and how addicted I am to my family. I honestly talk to my Momma at least 2 times a day, often more and usually email her or text her throughout the day. Good ole Betty! I chat with my Dad and brother usually once a week, not nearly enough.
My husband, is insanely awesome. I think, as much as I loathe shift work, that it makes me appreciate my time with him so much more. I also really appreciate that he is willing to do my workout with me, I'm sure many husbands would not endure the 30 Day Shred with their wives, but mine is stinking great.
My friends, I wish I talked to a lot more people from Surrey a lot more often, but I think the "out of sight, out of mind" quote might apply to this situation. I am so thankful for the ones that I do keep in contact with, and love them tons!
Blessing #10 - My Dog
I know this might seem like a silly thing to write about, but she is my constant companion. With Justin working shift work I am quite often home alone, and I think I would lose my mind without my Lexy. I have only been up here for 6 months (hard to believe its been that long already) and therefore, do not have many friends to call for movie nights. So I hang out with my pup and talk to Surrey folk. Don't get me wrong, I love my life up here, for the most part, I am just thankful to have some form of company.
Blessing #11 - Walmart
I know, I know. I'm lame. But when you live in Williams Lake, it is like the best thing that ever happened to this town. I go there almost everyday, sometimes Justin and I go, just to wander and pass time. Especially since all the other stores operate on "small town hours" meaning that everything is closed by 6 on weekdays, except my beloved Walmart. Generally if Walmart doesn't have it in this town you are hooped, which was a massive shock to me coming from Surrey, where something is open almost all the time.
On a happy note...2 MORE SLEEPS until I am back in Surrey!! YAAAAAAAY! I get to see some friends and family, and go to church on Sunday...which is really exciting!
Update you soon on my adventures!
<3
Thursday 26 January 2012
SOS pads, Vinegar, and Belts
This is more of a blessing for you, not me!
Blessing #7 - Good Water
I have lived my whole life, up until now, with good water from City Services. But our lovely house in Williams Lake is outside of city limits and therefore, runs off of our well! Sadly enough, our well has hard water. Now you may not think that this is that big of a deal but it affects everything.
We have to pour vinegar in our dishwasher to rinse our dishes, or they get water spots on them. If I decide to wash my dishes, I have to dry them right away, or I get water spots. This glorious water also makes my sink spotty and I have to wipe everything with SOS pads.
This also is pretty icky water to drink, mostly because I'm a bit of a water snob, but we have to drink water from the cooler.
We also have the joy of having a septic system, was not a happy camper this week and we had to get it all cleaned out, ew, or it would back up all over our yard and house. YIPPEE!!
Now for a blessing for me, whining time is over :D
Blessing #8 - Success!
As some of you may have read, I have been on Weight Watchers again for a couple of weeks and hippeee hooraaaah it is working. I have lost 8 pounds already! I even had to buy a belt yesterday because my pants were getting too big. YAAAAAAAY! I still have 15 I would like to lose, but I am on my way. I have been pretty lazy on the workout train as well, so if I actually step it up and don't sneaky snack I think I can do it!
The thing I love about Weight Watchers is that it is so doable, and I can eat what I want when I want. I also can eat everywhere, and don't have to buy any food and only pay $20 a month which is most definitely affordable.
My hubs is also doing Weight Watchers, mostly when I'm around so it makes it easier for me to stay on track. He has lost weight too, his little belly is shrinking. YIPPEEE! Which is making it more exciting for him, he doesn't even exercise....silly easy shrinking men. If only it was so easy for everyone!
2 Weeks and I'm back in Surrey! YAAAAAAAAY! I'm quite excited, I'm actually looking forward to rain, how weird is that! I'm also looking forward to warm temperatures!! It has gotten a lot better this week, it is only -6! It is so nice, I can now start my car in a thin sweater, as opposed to having to layer up!
Well, I feel like I have rambled on quite a bit, so I shall pack it in and enjoy my day off but I will leave you with my two favorite weight loss encouragement quotes!
Love food. Love life much more!
Nothing tastes as good as thin feels!
Chat soon!!
-Elya
Blessing #7 - Good Water
I have lived my whole life, up until now, with good water from City Services. But our lovely house in Williams Lake is outside of city limits and therefore, runs off of our well! Sadly enough, our well has hard water. Now you may not think that this is that big of a deal but it affects everything.
We have to pour vinegar in our dishwasher to rinse our dishes, or they get water spots on them. If I decide to wash my dishes, I have to dry them right away, or I get water spots. This glorious water also makes my sink spotty and I have to wipe everything with SOS pads.
This also is pretty icky water to drink, mostly because I'm a bit of a water snob, but we have to drink water from the cooler.
We also have the joy of having a septic system, was not a happy camper this week and we had to get it all cleaned out, ew, or it would back up all over our yard and house. YIPPEE!!
Now for a blessing for me, whining time is over :D
Blessing #8 - Success!
As some of you may have read, I have been on Weight Watchers again for a couple of weeks and hippeee hooraaaah it is working. I have lost 8 pounds already! I even had to buy a belt yesterday because my pants were getting too big. YAAAAAAAY! I still have 15 I would like to lose, but I am on my way. I have been pretty lazy on the workout train as well, so if I actually step it up and don't sneaky snack I think I can do it!
The thing I love about Weight Watchers is that it is so doable, and I can eat what I want when I want. I also can eat everywhere, and don't have to buy any food and only pay $20 a month which is most definitely affordable.
My hubs is also doing Weight Watchers, mostly when I'm around so it makes it easier for me to stay on track. He has lost weight too, his little belly is shrinking. YIPPEEE! Which is making it more exciting for him, he doesn't even exercise....silly easy shrinking men. If only it was so easy for everyone!
2 Weeks and I'm back in Surrey! YAAAAAAAAY! I'm quite excited, I'm actually looking forward to rain, how weird is that! I'm also looking forward to warm temperatures!! It has gotten a lot better this week, it is only -6! It is so nice, I can now start my car in a thin sweater, as opposed to having to layer up!
Well, I feel like I have rambled on quite a bit, so I shall pack it in and enjoy my day off but I will leave you with my two favorite weight loss encouragement quotes!
Love food. Love life much more!
Nothing tastes as good as thin feels!
Chat soon!!
-Elya
Wednesday 18 January 2012
Blankets, Slippers and Fire
Blessing #6 - HEAT
This week I have become very thankful for heat everywhere, like never before. Being a city girl living through winters of rain this -30 plus wind chill business is a bit of a shock for me. So I am thankful for being able to warm up when I need to. Not necessarily in my car, no matter how long I warm it up for it never seems to be warm enough when I hop in *sigh*
I am also extremely thankful for our wood burning fireplace. I never really cared about them before, but now I LOVE it!! The other night Justin and I roasted marshmallows over the fire in our living room. Which was awesome because there was NO way I was going out to our fire pit at that temperature!
Don't get me wrong, there are some awesome times that go hand in hand with cold weather! We got a group of people and went sledding down a bit hill in town. I felt like I was 8 again, It was fabulous!! Except, my poor little leg muscles did not like walking up the hill again, especially when it is cold. I also got to experience the joy of frozen nostrils, it is awful, you breathe and the moisture in your nostrils makes them stick together.
We also got to put plastic on our windows because our master bedroom windows were only one pane and were frozen, so our bedroom was quite chilly. So we got out the hair dryer and melted the ice and then put up the plastic. Except on one window I was a bit of an eager beaver and put the hair dryer a tad too close to the window....we need to get another one. BIG crack, woops!
This week I have become very thankful for heat everywhere, like never before. Being a city girl living through winters of rain this -30 plus wind chill business is a bit of a shock for me. So I am thankful for being able to warm up when I need to. Not necessarily in my car, no matter how long I warm it up for it never seems to be warm enough when I hop in *sigh*
I am also extremely thankful for our wood burning fireplace. I never really cared about them before, but now I LOVE it!! The other night Justin and I roasted marshmallows over the fire in our living room. Which was awesome because there was NO way I was going out to our fire pit at that temperature!
Don't get me wrong, there are some awesome times that go hand in hand with cold weather! We got a group of people and went sledding down a bit hill in town. I felt like I was 8 again, It was fabulous!! Except, my poor little leg muscles did not like walking up the hill again, especially when it is cold. I also got to experience the joy of frozen nostrils, it is awful, you breathe and the moisture in your nostrils makes them stick together.
We also got to put plastic on our windows because our master bedroom windows were only one pane and were frozen, so our bedroom was quite chilly. So we got out the hair dryer and melted the ice and then put up the plastic. Except on one window I was a bit of an eager beaver and put the hair dryer a tad too close to the window....we need to get another one. BIG crack, woops!
The window :)
Needless to say, I am quite looking forward to visiting Surrey again even if it is -9 there! I am coming down February 11-13 using our newly acquired buddy passes. YIPPEE!!
Here is a video to show you some more fun you can have in the cold! We boiled water and threw it outside!
Friday 13 January 2012
It's that time again...
Blessing #5 Health
Okay, so this is the classic January post, but here it goes. I am going to try and lose weight :) I have been blessed with good health, don't really have any ailments or anything horrid I have to deal with daily. My husband is also relatively healthy, other then having mild epilepsy :) I want to keep this happening, and know that I won't be young forever and need to get in good habits now, while I have a decent metabolism! I have done Weight Watchers before and lost 50 pounds, I since have put 10-15 pounds back on...*sigh* but I know it works, so back I go!
Basically, the purpose of this post is ACCOUNTABILITY!!! I figure if everyone who reads my blog knows that I am exercising and eating well then I have more face to save if I fail! :)
Thankfully my husband is stinking awesome and is going to exercise and do Weight Watchers with me. Although it will be a little harder for him since he works shift work. It is hard to come home and workout after a 12 hour day with a 1 hour commute each way, so he will most likely workout when he is on nights...although I'm not too hopeful; but at least we can workout when he is off!
Anyways, enough of my rambling!! Off I go, the hubby is home from work! YIPPEE!! And off for 4 days, another YIPPEE!!
Chat soon!
Love you all,
Elya
Okay, so this is the classic January post, but here it goes. I am going to try and lose weight :) I have been blessed with good health, don't really have any ailments or anything horrid I have to deal with daily. My husband is also relatively healthy, other then having mild epilepsy :) I want to keep this happening, and know that I won't be young forever and need to get in good habits now, while I have a decent metabolism! I have done Weight Watchers before and lost 50 pounds, I since have put 10-15 pounds back on...*sigh* but I know it works, so back I go!
Basically, the purpose of this post is ACCOUNTABILITY!!! I figure if everyone who reads my blog knows that I am exercising and eating well then I have more face to save if I fail! :)
Thankfully my husband is stinking awesome and is going to exercise and do Weight Watchers with me. Although it will be a little harder for him since he works shift work. It is hard to come home and workout after a 12 hour day with a 1 hour commute each way, so he will most likely workout when he is on nights...although I'm not too hopeful; but at least we can workout when he is off!
Anyways, enough of my rambling!! Off I go, the hubby is home from work! YIPPEE!! And off for 4 days, another YIPPEE!!
Chat soon!
Love you all,
Elya
Thursday 12 January 2012
Our Home!
Blessing #4 Our House.
As per many requests I have finally cleaned my house well enough to take photos :) hehe! Therefore, please note, my house does not normally look like this, try not to admire my cleaning skills too much! So here is the tour...
Welcome to 1409 Gun-a-noot Trail, Williams Lake :) Justin told me I needed to take a picture of his pride and glory, the garage, so I did.
As per many requests I have finally cleaned my house well enough to take photos :) hehe! Therefore, please note, my house does not normally look like this, try not to admire my cleaning skills too much! So here is the tour...
This is part 1 of our living room, our lovely television...thank you Orivolo family, and Lexy's kennel.
Living Room part 2. This room was hideous before. Blue dirty carpet, wallpaper, and yellow molding and ceiling *gag*. Thankfully we were able to update it pretty quickly.
The dining room. Thank you Ikea for our whole dining room...I miss you!
Our Kitchen, part 1, and my adorable little ewok :) We just painted the kitchen and repainted all of our cupboards. Sadly we bought a house from smokers and everything is stained yellow, so everything has to be repainted!
The kitchen part 2! I'm so happy with how it turned out! I am looking forward to Justin finishing our other bar stool so we can have two!
Our main bathroom. We are planning on working our way down the hallway and re-doing all the rooms. It is a pretty nice bathroom, it would be even nicer if we loved gold finishings :)
Spare bedroom #1/Elya's old bedroom transported :) This room is also sporting the fabulous wallpaper that is all over our house. It is also sporting vacuum lines, I at least should have rubbed the carpet so I could fool you all!
The Office/Workout room. It is quite messy, I took a picture of the clean side :) It will be turned into a nursery when that time comes. Don't get too excited, it will be an office for a bit.
Our bedroom :) Its fairly brown, it will be glorious once it has some colour on the walls! It also has a walk in closet :D Thank you God.
Our Ensuite. It is nice and blue, this is probably the next room for reno's we have the new vanity, toilet and storage. Wahoo!
Our backyard, well most of it. It also wraps around both sides of the house, we have quite a bit of room. Enough room for summer visitors *wink wink*
We also have a downstairs with just as much room, but not as much nice. So when you visit, hehe, or it is pretty you can see it! :)
Well, off to live another day!
-E
The Office/Workout room. It is quite messy, I took a picture of the clean side :) It will be turned into a nursery when that time comes. Don't get too excited, it will be an office for a bit.
Our bedroom :) Its fairly brown, it will be glorious once it has some colour on the walls! It also has a walk in closet :D Thank you God.
Our Ensuite. It is nice and blue, this is probably the next room for reno's we have the new vanity, toilet and storage. Wahoo!
Our backyard, well most of it. It also wraps around both sides of the house, we have quite a bit of room. Enough room for summer visitors *wink wink*We also have a downstairs with just as much room, but not as much nice. So when you visit, hehe, or it is pretty you can see it! :)
Well, off to live another day!
-E
A Year of Firsts
Why hello the two people who will probably be reading this :) Welcome to my new blog, what to expect with this puppy I am not too sure, but you can bet it will be entertaining and keep you up to date on my not so crazy life up in "Billy's Puddle" as it is so lovingly called.
This year is a year of many firsts for me, my first year of being married, owning a home, living 6 hours away from the life I knew, writing a blog, traveling across the ocean and many more things I am sure. I am excited for this year though, last year brought lots of changes for me and my life and I have loved every one of them, except the whole being 6 hours away part. So I have decided that I am going to have a blog where I count my blessings, to keep me grounded.
This brings me to Blessing #1: The Big Move.
I was very skeptical about moving to a dinky little town after growing up in Surrey, but I LOVE it! It is so relaxing up here and everything is so laid back, the shopping may not be so great...if the Walmart Supercentre doesn't have it you are out of luck...but I quite enjoy everything else. When you rent a movie at our ONE movie store, you scan your stinking thumbprint!!! I almost died when I first rented a movie, that is something Surrey is lacking! :) I don't think I would move back to Surrey, which is quite sad, but I love it here...I just wish there was less time in between Surrey and Williams Lake
Blessing #2: Cheap Travel
So, we had a marvelous blessing come through for our family this week and I am super stoked, I must share! So my Mom's coworker's mom works for Pacific Coastal Airlines, which is a small airline that flies from Vancouver to little northern towns like mine, and she got us Buddy Passes! YIPPEE!! For anyone who has zero clue what that means, let me explain. I tell her when I want to fly home(to Surrey :)) and she gets me on a plane as her "buddy" and I just pay taxes, which is like $30. THANK YOU JESUS!! So this not only saves mass amounts of money, it also saves mass amounts of time as the drive is like 6 hours!
Blessing #3: Being able to do Missions
Can I get a hip hip hooray for missions?! HIP HIP HOORAY!! Justin and I have been talking, ever since we have been talking, about going on a mission trip to Kenya. He went there for 3 months in 2009 and I have always wanted to go, I feel like God has placed a special love for African people in my heart. God has blessed us with great jobs and it looks like we will be going for a month in November! YAY!! It is really just in the beginning stages, but Justin booked it off work, and got the time off approved, so step 1 is completed! Yippee!!
Well, it is my day off work today, and I could probably blab about my life on here all day, but you would probably slip into a boredom coma, I would be crazy hungry, and my house would still need to be cleaned. So off I go, chat soon my lovelies!!
-E
This year is a year of many firsts for me, my first year of being married, owning a home, living 6 hours away from the life I knew, writing a blog, traveling across the ocean and many more things I am sure. I am excited for this year though, last year brought lots of changes for me and my life and I have loved every one of them, except the whole being 6 hours away part. So I have decided that I am going to have a blog where I count my blessings, to keep me grounded.
This brings me to Blessing #1: The Big Move.
I was very skeptical about moving to a dinky little town after growing up in Surrey, but I LOVE it! It is so relaxing up here and everything is so laid back, the shopping may not be so great...if the Walmart Supercentre doesn't have it you are out of luck...but I quite enjoy everything else. When you rent a movie at our ONE movie store, you scan your stinking thumbprint!!! I almost died when I first rented a movie, that is something Surrey is lacking! :) I don't think I would move back to Surrey, which is quite sad, but I love it here...I just wish there was less time in between Surrey and Williams Lake
Blessing #2: Cheap Travel
So, we had a marvelous blessing come through for our family this week and I am super stoked, I must share! So my Mom's coworker's mom works for Pacific Coastal Airlines, which is a small airline that flies from Vancouver to little northern towns like mine, and she got us Buddy Passes! YIPPEE!! For anyone who has zero clue what that means, let me explain. I tell her when I want to fly home(to Surrey :)) and she gets me on a plane as her "buddy" and I just pay taxes, which is like $30. THANK YOU JESUS!! So this not only saves mass amounts of money, it also saves mass amounts of time as the drive is like 6 hours!
Blessing #3: Being able to do Missions
Can I get a hip hip hooray for missions?! HIP HIP HOORAY!! Justin and I have been talking, ever since we have been talking, about going on a mission trip to Kenya. He went there for 3 months in 2009 and I have always wanted to go, I feel like God has placed a special love for African people in my heart. God has blessed us with great jobs and it looks like we will be going for a month in November! YAY!! It is really just in the beginning stages, but Justin booked it off work, and got the time off approved, so step 1 is completed! Yippee!!
Well, it is my day off work today, and I could probably blab about my life on here all day, but you would probably slip into a boredom coma, I would be crazy hungry, and my house would still need to be cleaned. So off I go, chat soon my lovelies!!
-E
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