Joy Blog: My new antique cabinet

Okay so here it is...the new love of my life.My mother in-law (who has a beautiful collection of antique furniture) used to have this piece in her kitchen but with a recent kitchen reno she didn't have a space for it. So lucky for me, it became mine! It brings joy to my heart just walking past it. I love it's teal/turquoise colour. I love the antique feel and way the other wood colour is bleeding through. I love the scratches and chipping. I said to my daughter Ruby, "what do you think about mommies new cabinet? isn't it nice?" Ruby looked it over and remarked that yes it was nice but "its a bit dirty and scratched" with a sour look on her face. I launched into to telling her that this shabby chic or antique style is something that mommy thinks is really nice. She didn't buy it. If its not new and sparkly and made out of taffeta it's not nice in her eyes. Oh well! I simply love it and I had to share.

Another great thing is it's functional, so there's enough space to fit all of my pots and pans and cookware. It clears some clutter from our limited cabinet space in the kitchen.

Isn't she pretty!?!

New House: Project Fireplace

For those of you who don't know, we recently purchase a new home that i am absolutely thrilled about. Its a 4 level backsplit, so despite its small appearance in the photo there is more than enough room for all of us to grow. All 9 of us! 5 people, 4 pets to be exact.

The house is a cosmetic fixer upper. Structurally the house is sound but the 80's carpet, and melamine kitchen cabinets will slowly but surely have to go. One of the first projects I decided to tackle was the dated fireplace. I was so excited because I've been gathering ideas for fireplace decor long before I ever had one. I knew exactly what I wanted to do, no question about it...white! The bricks before were a dusty rose colour which i'm sure looked lovely with the matching dusty rose carpet we need to tackle soon. The insert was a dark brown and brass. Now I heard brass was coming back with a vengeance (house and home january edition) but the brass fireplace accents had to go as well.

If you are thinking about painting your bricks white too, let me give you a warning that I didn't really listen to. Bricks soak up paint like crazy, get yourself a gallon of good primer and be prepared that it may take a while. I'll be honest, I hated the priming and quit, handed over the job to my hubby. I added the much easier to apply coloured latex paint in a pearl finish. White down OC-131 by benjamin moore. I love this colour, I also have used it on my kitchen cabinets at our last place. Its just a touch warmer than the trim white. The fireplace insert we spray painted with a black paint typically used on bbq's so its good for high heat. And voila! I added a few off white ceramic pitchers from my collection and our "Family Rules" and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out! What do you think?

Risk Taking

I was born and raised in London, Ontario. Never left and wonder if I ever will. I live a safe little Londoner life, like many people I know. It's great in so many ways because my safe little life makes things alot easier. My parents are a few minutes away if I need a roll of toilet paper, all my family are close by actually. I can get around this London town with my eyes closed. My doctor is the same damn doctor I've had my whole life, he delivered me into this city actually. I went to storybook gardens every summer as a child and now that I am a mom I bring my kids there every summer too.

Me and the kids at storybook gardens a couple years ago

Yep, a typical londoner, living a very safe and predictable little life.

Putting together all the pieces of the puzzle, solving the problem, answering the question: "What is my purpose here?" I've realized that my barrier is not what should I do, but do i have the courage to actually do what my heart is telling me i should do? Am I able to take the risks necessary to live the life I'm meant to? I have friends that have left everything safe to start a new life in a new province, a new city, a new country and I admire them greatly. Their courage to take risks, and walk away from everything that feels safe and secure and experience something new. Taking big steps and moving forward, makes for big opportunities for awesome things to happen. Finding love, marriage, success, new friendships and opening up new parts of ones spirit. People that i know that I've had the strength to take those risks, have discovered things about themselves they NEVER would have discovered if they had stayed in their safe little hometowns. Now i wonder...what could I discover and uncover about myself if I only took some risks.

The word risk seems to have a slightly negative connotation to it — it implies danger or a possible loss. But what about the positive side of risk? Discovering a sense of self you never knew possible, getting that job you only dreamed of having, finding joy in undiscovered places. Taking risks can open doors and make BIG things happen. For all we have is this one little life, we should use it to the fullest. Conquer our greatest fears and live life as if it's our only one...because as far as I'm aware, it is.

Now I'm not saying that I'm ready to pick up my family and move to a villa in tuscany but what if I start with some smaller risks. What if just to start, I finally went the blonde I've always wanted to be, instead of chickening out and settling with a few subtle highlights? What if I painted that wooden cabinet a bold colour that makes my heart skip a beat instead of just the safe white that I am drawn to?

What if I finally opened that vintage/antique etsy store that I've always wanted to?

Have a risk taking sort of day!

My weight loss journey: 15 pounds!

So I dropped 12 pounds quickly after the juice cleanse. I was worried I was going to quickly gain it all back because of my sheer excitement to just be able to eat "real food" again. The last couple days of the cleanse i can best describe as miserable and torturous, and if I'm honest I bailed 2 days early. The first morning after the cleanse i ate a whole wheat pita with natural peanut butter and it felt sinful and tasted delicious. I savoured each bite, vowing to never go on a juice cleanse ever again.

Now that some time has passed, i have made peace with the juice and i am still enjoying juicing and eating lots of fruits and vegetables. The difference being, i have incorporated other low sugar, high fibre carbs and healthy fats into the mix. Overall, I feel better but it is very hard everyday to make the better choices. Having three kids, and a baby that STILL does not sleep through the night, i often wake up exhausted. The day is busy, we are on the go and its hard to keep myself on track. I've learned that I have to make me a priority and that will make me a happier and better mom for my kids. We went to Mc Donald's playplace the other day for a playdate and a coffee. Feeling the need for a snack I thought, I'll get one of those low-fat muffins with my coffee. I asked for a nutritional information sheet and scanned it for the calorie count. I was shocked to find out that the low-fat muffin had as much fat as a double cheeseburger. FYI, the slimsations cranberry orange muffin has 380 calories! When you are trying to consume less than 1000 calories in an entire day, a nearly 400 calorie snack is not a good choice for those who are not familiar with calorie counting and dieting.

The journey continues, and I don't really have a specific magic formula of what I'm doing. Here are a few things that I am doing right now:

1. Cutting my usual portions in half. Whatever portion I would normally eat I am eating less. Choosing a side plate as opposed to the dinner plate, helps to keep dinner portions down.

2. Half the plate is vegetables and fruit, 1/4 protein, 1/4 carb. I don't get a measuring tape out or draw lines or anything, that's just the basic idea.

3. All carbs I consume are high fibre (at least 4 grams or more) and low sugar ( under 5 grams) Good choices are, ryvita crackers, all bran, whole wheat english muffins, weight watchers whole wheat tortillas.

4. For those of you who are new to a low-sugar diet (sugar is calories, sugar leads to belly fat) Milk has heaps of sugar! Now before you go switching to soy milk as an alternative, there are many soy milks with lots of sugar too! Find an unsweetened original soy milk. Starbucks has soymilk for your coffee but its about fifty cents more. I buy this one at home and my kids have it in their cereal in the morning and they never noticed the switch from cow's milk at all.

Good Luck to everyone else that are trying to shed those extra pounds with me, I look forward to hearing how you are all doing! Will keep you posted....Tammy

My weight loss journey: Days 6-8

This is pretty much how I feel today on day 8. This diet is a roller coaster of feeling great and wanting to strangle someone for just a bite of bread. I am committed to seeing it through the 15 days, I almost quit yesterday and hubs inspired me to follow it through. My stomach is growling as i type, and I can't pull the juicer out cause the kids are still sleeping and its pretty loud.

On a positive note, I can do up my winter coat again. I feel better about myself already. The scale hasn't shifted in a couple of days but apparently this is normal. My belly continues to go flatter each day so thats good. One pair of "fat pants" of mine are officially too big in the waist to wear. For dinner last night I sauteed green beans with garlic and grainy mustard. Roasted beets and turnips with olive oil and sea salt. Not bad...it helps that I was already pretty much a vegetarian.

I am committed to this weight loss journey. Not feeling so committed to fasting on fruits and vegetables for much longer than the 15 days. I will continue to drink the juice, and eat clean. However, I look forward to adding some other whole foods into the mix. Like beans, tofu, fish and some whole grains, nuts and seeds. I hope I can continue to inspire others to commit to their weight loss as well.

Tammy

My weight loss journey: Days 4-6

I really wish I had more time in my day to blog because there have been moments in the past few days I would have loved to post, but with 3 kids I have to set my alarm and get up at 6 am before everyone just to sneak some quiet time.
I've had tons of support from everyone and tons of people wanting to join me! Hooray for health! My mom and friends A and M have their juicers fired up this week too! Its nice to have people to talk to who understand and can share tips with. I called my friend M the other day just to say, I'm miserable and starving and I hate it. She gave me lots of encouragement and then we moved on. I am now down 8 pounds and feel so great for that. My daughter R looked at me yesterday and exclaimed "Mommy! your big belly is gone!" and was tugging at my shirt wondering what happened!


For those who are thinking about doing a reboot cleanse, here's what I've got to share now that I'm a day 6 veteran.
1. Days 3 and 4 are brutal, they are major detox days. I was craving sugar and sniffing pieces of pizza. I was hanging on by a thread and I wasn't sure if I was going to continue. I felt like I lost my best friend. Once I got to day 5 I had made peace with my new life. My new life allowed me to be down 8 pounds!


2. Drink lots of water. I keep forgetting to do that and it's important. Green tea and juice are not substitutes for all the water you should be drinking.


3. Experiment with new recipes. Yes, it's easier to just wolf down the same juice or salad but it gets mundane and you'll be more likely to bail on the program. Last night I made a strictly vegan butternut squash soup seasoned with curry and coriander and it was delicious, hubby A loved it too! I didn't feel like I was restricted at all.

4. Rally support. Join the community boards on the reboot website. Vent to a supportive friend. Blog. You wont feel alone and you will also feel accountable for your actions. Before I started I sat down with hubby A and said "i need your support to get through this, I may be cranky but it won't be forever, but i need your support." He has been the most supportive partner I could ever ask for! He made me some juice yesterday and spent half of his gift card for christmas buying me special glass cups with sealed lids for storing and sipping my juice, also great for make my salad dressing! (He got them at winners if you are wondering) Love him :)


5. I read this on a facebook page for reboot and I loved it, the girl posts on her wall "I ate a banana :(" Like she just broke the law. This man posts a reply "This is not a contest...this is a lifestyle change. You have not sinned my dear." This is not a contest. If you slip and have a coffee or a glass of wine, or like me, 3 organic baked cheesies. oh well, move on with the next day. This is a lifestyle change. You are learning new habits and getting rid of all the crap that led you to your initial problem.


Here's one of my fav juice recipes so far:


Sunset Blend Juice

1 large Sweet Potato

1 medium Carrot

1 Red Bell Pepper

2 large Red Beets

2 Golden Delicious Apples

1 Orange ( I added an extra one, it helps to cut the beet and sweet potatoes strength)
Calories: 436Protein: 9 gFiber: 2 g

Good Luck to you all on your own journeys, and I will keep you posted on mine.

Tammy

My weight loss journey: Days 1-3

In the picture above I have my kids cleverly positioned to hide my body, this is what my weight has become. This is my first step of my journey and I wanted to share it with all of you. Mostly, I thought it would help me to be accountable if I shouted it out loud. I am nervous and excited to move forward because I am simply tired of lugging this extra weight around. I'm tired of feeling like the ugly version of Tammy. I am tired of my kids asking if I have another baby in my belly. I'm just tired of all of it.

I spend my New Years Eve with my friend since childhood, M. As we stuffed our faces with mozza sticks, cheese ball, chicken pies and other appetizers, ironically we watched a documentary she recommended called: "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead." A truly inspiring film, as an australian man Joe Cross who is at the end of his rope being 100 pounds overweight and trades in his processed food, fast and junk food for a juicer. For 60 days he vows to only drink freshly juiced fruits and vegetables and as he does that the weight begins to fall off and his health is dramatically improved in every way. As the weeks pass and Joe becomes a much smaller version of himself its exciting and it makes you want to do the same. I was chanting "JUICING! JUICING!"

So, January 2nd I got my juicer out, signed up for the program www.jointhereboot.com and made a list to hit the grocery store for all the fruits and vegetables I needed for the juices. Also, the website offers two versions of the program and the one that best fit me was the one that included eating foods like all vegetable salads and soups. At the grocery store I filled my cart with produce like you've never seen. Apples, beets, carrots, kale, parsley, lemons, swiss chard, berries, oranges, spinach....the list goes on. My cart was literally overflowing with fruits and veg and people in the store were gawking at my cart and elbowing their spouses whispering like "check out her cart." Funny, as I looked around I realized how unhealthy most people usually eat. Most carts had a huge amount of processed, boxed, frozen, meats and a few token vegetables like one bunch of broccoli and bananas. Kinda sad really...

Days 1-3, I made a juice with beets, carrots, sweet potatoes, ginger, celery, red peppers and oranges for breakfast. Not bad...pretty good actually. Sipped a cup of green tea and didn't really miss my usual cup of coffee with cream. For lunch, "Mean Green" juice. Suprisingly, Ruby really likes this one cause its got a lemony kick! Dinner, Soup or Salad filled with every veggie under the sun. Top it off with lots and lots of water.

Day 2, served Ruby pizza for lunch and I took a big sniff of it before I gave it to her. For a moment considered stuffing in my face quickly before anyone notices. Reality check: Nobody cares if I stuff my face with pizza, I'm doing this for me. Walked away and took a big sip of juice.

Day 3, I'm already down 6 pounds. I can do this. Considered as I was making my green tea how delicious a big piece of toast dripping in peanut butter would taste. 6 pounds down...I can do this!

I feel really great actually, I was having really bad headaches every day before I started this and already on day 3 have not had a headache since. I know its not a lifestyle change to drink only juice and eat salad, but its a start. Its a reboot! Join me!

Tammy