Today Is The Day!

The week has FLOWN by because of work load and it being a short week to begin with. Before I could blink Thursday was done and Friday is here! Do you know what that means? As of noon today I am on holidays! Yes, summer holidays and I am ecstatic! I can't wait to do anything I want during the day or do nothing at all. I'm excited to have that choice.

Ryan and I are kicking off our holidays by loading up in my parent's beetle convertible and heading up North for his cousin's wedding! I think tonight after the 4 hour drive we will just order some pizza in for supper. I get a really big kick out of having pizza delivered to our hotel room whenever we are out of town. I guess since it's something that isn't available in my small town it makes it extra special. I have even convinced myself that it tastes better delivered, yes I am laughing at myself too. :-)

The Beetle

Last night I spent the night following my "What to do before we leave" and "What to pack" lists. Yes, I am one of those obsessive, over organized, list people. I love to make lists and I love the feeling of crossing something off of my list when I have completed it, I can be a little dorky that way.

I am excited for our 4 hour road trip. For some reason when Ryan and I are stuck in car together for a long period of time we have the best conversations ever! I guess being stuck in a car together there is no where to go if you are mad/sad/happy/frustrated so we just sit and talk it out, whatever that may be. We also play some games that we have made up like the alphabet game. It is where each person takes turns with a letter to complete the following:

Girl Name: (boy in the second round)

Where they are from:
What they enjoy eating:

So, it would go something like this:

"I once knew a girl named Ashley. She lived with her family in Alaska and she really liked to eat apricots."

Then the next person would do "B" and so on.

It passes the time and I admit that it is a super dorky game but we get some laughs out of it.

Just a regular day, being dorky!

:-)

Does anyone else have any car trip games that they like to play? I'm always looking for good road trip games!

Well, I guess this is goodbye for the weekend but I will be continuing to post throughout my week off. I need to occupy my time somehow right? :-)

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

xo

Reason #321 Why I love my small town

There are so many reasons why I love my small town and where I live. One of those being specific to summer time; hanging my laundry on the line! Nothing smells better then laundry that has come off the line. It's the true smell of clean and it even feels "fresher".

My favorite thing to hang on the line, bedding! Is it just me or one of the best feelings is laying in a clean, freshly made bed? When it comes from the clothes line, even better!! The sheets are never as tight as when you make the bed for the first time after it comes out of the wash! Ryan ALWAYS makes fun of me when I mention how I can't wait to crawl into bed after it is freshly made. But I just love it!

However, you know what sucks, making a king size bed by yourself. So, to make the job easier on myself I made up a game that entices Ryan to help me. Once all the sheets are on we each take a pillow case and get it ready around the pillow as if you are about to shake it on. Then, on your mark, get set, go......who ever can shake the pillow case on first and lay it on the bed has bragging rights. If I win, Ryan can't wait to make the bed again to try to win the title back! ha ha Did I mention I win alot? :-)

Do you hang your laundry on the line?

Have you made up any games to make housework a little easier?

Hope everyone is having a great week!

xo

Dare #43

Today is Monday. Do I care? No! Because I have today off! Woo Hoo! ha ha! I love long weekends! What I love more is at this time next week I still won't be at work because I will be on Holidays!! COME ON FRIDAY!

This post is going to be short and sweet being that I want to get back to doing nothing...ha ha :-)

Dare # 43

Clean/organize your desk at work.

My desk is in DESPERATE need for a good cleaning, purging and organizing. I get so busy during the summer everything just piles up! Let me know what your desk looks like and if it's messy like mine give it a clean up this week!

Last week's dare was completed with this fresh corn on the cob from a neighbouring farmer/friend! It was so good and at 5$ a dozen it can't be beat! Good on the wallet and even better on the taste buds, yum!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

xo

Happy Friday & House Tour

Happy Friday!! Today is especially sweet because not only is the weekend just around the corner but it is a long weekend!! Woo Hoo!!! There is something so magical about a long weekend. It's a great feeling when the Sunday feels like a Saturday.

Not to many things going on this weekend. Ryan works every morning which really sucks but it is his last weekend for a whole month!!! Tonight I work but tomorrow I have plans to sleep in and putter around the house. Sunday night we are celebrating some lovely ladies (Hi Jill & Josee!) birthdays with supper out. That is it. Not too many plans which I love.

The even better news...1 week from today I will be starting my holidays!! Never have I taken any summer holidays because of our busy summer season. This year I am taking 1 whole week to myself to do what I want!! So excited! Countdown is on!!

I had a thought the other day when I was doing my yearly cleaning of my closet. I thought, I should share this space on my blog. I took everything off all the shelves, dusted and tossed anything I don't wear anymore. It was actually kind of embarrassing the stuff I was holding onto. I had shirts and jeans from high school!! I guess in the back of my mind I was going to fit into those one day. But in reality I don't think I want to fit into them because they are so out of style!

Once everything was all clean in my closet, it looked really good. Like the day I got it installed. When the house finally became mine the first thing I wanted to tackle was the upstairs. On that list, the closet. My parents old closet was big and long. It was the whole length of a wall like this:

Not thier actual closet. I wish I got a before picture :-( But it looked kind of like it one.

The rest of the room was used as Mom's sewing room. It worked for them but I had always dreamed of having a walk in closet.

So, that's what I did. I made a wall closing off the area and hung a door. I then hired California Closet's to come in. They took inventory of what I had and talked to me about what I wanted. Honestly, it was a little pricey but SOOOO worth it. They knew what kind of storage I needed and came with ideas. Thing I would have never thought of. Then after the design was done they custom made the units and installed it. All I had to do was paint before the came.

Here are the before, during and after pictures:

Before

During

Before the closet come

Before the closet came

After
After

After- The ceiling is made of cedar boards because it reduces smells and keeps clothes smelling fresh.

So there it is my walk-in closet. I love it! Everything has it's place and I know what I have because things aren't stuffed in every corner. It is like shopping every morning. If you are ever considering putting in a walk in closet go to the professionals! Save your money and spend a little extra to have professionals come in and assess what your personal needs are. The units are really great quality and will last a lifetime.

Some people might think it was selfish/shallow to start my house renovations with a walk-in closet. However, I knew that if I didn't do it at that time then I probably would of gotten comfortable with what I had and never got it done. I'm so glad that I proceeded with it and I love the outcome! I love my closet!

I hope everyone has a great, long and fun weekend!!

xo

Still Sleepy...

Ok, remember when I said on Monday morning that I was sleepy? Well I still am!!! Agh and it is only Wednesday. Knowing that there is a long weekend approaching makes me want it to come more quickly!!

My summer days and nights are so busy so alot of the time my 8:00 bedtime gets pushed back much later. Oh, well I am still making great memories so it is worth it!

Last night Ryan and I went out with friends for a birthday dinner. We went to a Mexican restaurant called the Blue Cactus. It was right smack downtown Ottawa. It was so much fun because neither of us had ever been there and we never go downtown. It was a treat that is for sure.

So here is what I am working on lately......

My weight/fitness.

I cannot believe I am confessing this but I think if I share that it might give me even more motivation to do something about it.

You see I have always had somewhat of a slimmer figure. I have never really had a problem with my weight. All the sudden I started to notice a difference around my 21st birthday. It was like BAM, everything I ate made me gain weight, I started getting zits again like a teenager and I felt like I had no energy. I was so discouraged.

Skinny me at 18.

I have kind of tried to ignore it for the last year but now I have had enough!

This little jacket was on sale and in my size(so I thought)! I was so excited but when I buttoned it up it wouldn't fit over my gut. It's hard to see in this picture but the buttons are all pulling. I want to fit into it!

I have had enough with being miserable getting dressed because nothing in my closet fits me!

I have had enough with trying to suck in my gut!

I have had enough with feeling sluggish!

I have had enough with looking at pictures and not liking what I see!

I HAVE HAD ENOUGH!

So here is the plan Stan, who's Stan? Oh nevermind!

Here is a before picture, I can't believe I am posting this.....

Before

Before weight: 160 lbs

What I want to be: 140

What I want to be even more: Healthy!

No, I couldn't bare (get it? ha ha) a bikini shot. I am FAR to0 modest. Well not really but maybe when I am ready for an after picture.

The best part is that I have an AMAZING boyfriend who is going to help me along. And this is a big deal because he is very anti-healthy! But he as already switched to eating whole wheat bread instead of white just for me! (You have no idea how big of a deal that is!!)

I have decided that I don't want this to be a "fad" diet. I want to do this smart. Eat food that I like but just a lot less of it. Incorporate healthier choices and start to get more active! I need to get moving more often.

I know I am going to struggle. It will be so hard to not be able to eat whatever I want, whenever I want and how much I normally want. I think the hardest thing for me is that I do so well at eating during the week but when the weekend comes I stuff my face. Also, it will be hard to not eat during times of boredom.

So, now I ask you, what do you do for exercise? What are your tips for weight loss and living a healthy life? Please share with me your wisdom!

Have a great day!

xo

Dare #42

Oh BOY! I am sleepy this morning! That just means it was a great weekend right? I had such a successful weekend. A little work, a little play and a little relaxing. Perfect.

Here is your dare this week:

Dare # 42

Eat some local, fresh produce!

I have lots of pictures and fun stories from the weekend but that is going to have to wait until I get the "sleepies" out of my eyes!
So for now, let me know how your weekend went!

Hope you all have a great Monday morning!

xo

Company Golf Tournament

Today is no ordinary day. No, today is not just any other Friday. Today is the company golf tournament!! At noon today all the guys (and a few girls too) will be loaded up and hitting the dirt road to a local golf course for some fun, supper, drinks and even prizes! I cannot wait! This has to be one of my favorite times of year.

This year we are going to Pontiac Golf Club which I have actually never been to before. It is suppose to be a beautiful course and the food is apparently amazing.

I love watching all the guys (and girls) relax and have some fun because they all work so hard all summer long and deserve a break. We really are like a family here and we always end up having a blast every year. Even last year when we didn't even get to golf becasue it was raining so hard! ha ha Last year was a mini putt golf tournament!

Can't wait!

About two weeks ago Ryan won tickets on a local radio station to go to Wild Wings for supper and a chance to win some prizes. This was my first time there last night and let me tell you, YUMMY! I am a girl who loves sauces (just like my mom) and they have over 100 different kinds of wing sauces. I was in heaven. I got a sampler plate so I could try 4 different flavors. It was a challenge to just pick 4! It was fun but the best part was the ride home. Jill and I were in the back seat rocking out with her blackberry and dancing the "cha, cha, cha". Ha ha

For some weird reason being careless on a night where I would normally go to bed at 8 PM and driving around singing and dancing like a crazy person made it feel like summer. I can't explain why but it did and it was a great feeling!

Anyways, enough with my blabbing I'm off to go shine my clubs and stock my bag with essentials (Aka: Booze, bug spray and lipgloss). I hope everyone has a quick Friday so that their weekend comes fast!

Have a great weekend!!

FOREEE......(Who am I kidding I can't hit it far enough) ha ha

xo