And out it goes!

Today I will spend the day trying on every single garment in my closet. I am tired of draggy pants, and too long skirts. If it doesn't fit comfortably and SNUGLY out it goes. I am reticent to throw out clothing, as it is very hard to come by....especially shoes. But today? I am in the mood to toss with wild abandon. It has to go sometime, and today is the day.




If I am left with three outfits, and they look good? I am happy. I am not much of a shopper, so I need the motivation. After fifty seven years on the planet, I have learned that clothing does not come back into style. I have an acquaintance that is a glaring example of that fact. The eighties don't care if she bought that suit at Holt's and paid a fortune for it...they want their shoulder pads back! When fashion recycles, it is always with a twist. So, are we not worth a few outfits a year? I am beginning to think so. As long as I have clothing in the closet, there is no need to shop. If I don't shop? I look dowdy. The solution was obvious to the rest of the universe, and obviously escaped me for many years. So out it goes today!


Breakfast: eggs, toast, butter, skim milk
Lunch: salmon sandwich (wild sockeye with a bit of Miracle Whip, Oat Hull Bread)
Supper: baked fish, in parchment paper with onions and peppers, rice
Snack: oranges

Wardrobe?

As you probably guessed, the renovations around here have taken all of our energy for the last few days. Hubby, of course subscribes to the thought that when the going gets tough, the tough get going. So, off to Red Lake yesterday morning he went! Considering all the socializing we did over the weekend, it is a miracle that as much got done as it did. We have a new functioning toilet, fresh paint, new tub, new vanity, but a small leak in the plumbing that has to be fixed before we can use the sink. (something to do with silicone gaskets vs. plumbers putty) The mirror needs to be hung, and the place where the medicine cabinet used to be needs to be patched (layers, don't you know) then it will be done We discovered it Monday morning, and hubby just didn't have time to fix it....I was amazed that he stayed up until three Sunday morning working away at it, as we do have functional plumbing downstairs. He worked like a Timex through all of this...just kept on ticking along. As for me? I am in charge of stuffing all of the goodies back into the bathrooms. A good purging of medicines was definitely due, so they now live in a very neat set of drawers in the linen cupboard.

I love the white we bought for the bathrooms, and soon-to-be woodwork. Decorator White. How simple is that one? This summer will hold a lot of changes for this house. We have never lived in a house for 12 years running before, so things need to be replaced. I wish the builders would use quality materials in the first place, so all of this wouldn't be necessary....'for want of a nail, the shoe was lost' line of thinking. I have no intention of losing the castle, so best fix things while we are able!

During all of this it is quite a challenge to stay on program. But I am managing to do so. One day we gave in to the lure of a Big Mac, but the Flex points looked after that one! Buying and preparing food isn't high on my list of priorities right now, so I am making pantry meals. This morning, I made a mushroom omlette, and last night I made poutine. Yep. Low-fat fries, home made gravy (low fat chicken stock seasoned with a bit of beef boullion powder and flour - no fat is necessary) and Swiss cheese cut into slivers to make it go further. It was nummy. And all legit, too!

Today? I have a closet to purge. Out with anything that doesn't look good, no matter how good it is! Time moves on, and so should I! They say that you need ten essential pieces to be well dressed. I wonder if I could pull those ten items from my closet? I wonder if the person that said that, helped pull toilets in their free time? I ordered a couple of organizers from the Shopping Channel to help with the closet...a hanging shoe bag and clips that allow you to hang items in an outfit. It is hungry business though, so now, I had better go and make a bite of lunch!

Breakfast: mushroom & onion two egg omlette with Swiss cheese, skim milk, Oat Hull toast and butter

Lunch: Chicken sandwich

Supper: Soup

Scary bathroom noises.....

I just heard "I LOVE takin' things apart". Would much rather hear "I LOVE putting things back together!". OH OH

The bathrooms are well under way, but my nerves are shot. I hate confusion and disorder, so I am trying to stay calm, and out of the way. I have all the stuff from the bathrooms piled on my bed, for me to sort, and purge. This project seems like too much for us, and I don't know who had this cockamamie idea in the first place. Oh yeah. Me.....

So, without water, our meals have been pretty good, if I do say so myself. I used the "Griddler" - my new Cuisinart toy - to make lunch. Ham, Swiss, tomato sandwiches with grilled onions. MMMM good. But the low cal bread, did get pretty squished. But, it was like a tortilla, so still good.

Tonight, I am going to make whole wheat pasta and a roasted pork tenderloin for supper. (an old people's roast, ready in 20 minutes!) A nice marinara sauce, with peppers and mushrooms, complimented by a Caesar salad. MMMM good. I find that pasta really satisfies the appetite, if you have it with meat. If not? It just doesn't have the staying power! And garlic is the gift that keeps on giving in a salad!

Saturday is Subway day!

The sub of the day, is ham and turkey...isn't that convenient? So, while we were out an about yesterday, where to go for lunch was a no-brainer! For five points what a treat - and I didn't have to cook a thing yesterday. We were invited to dinner, so I completely ignored the kitchen after breakfast.

We were out the whole day on a purchasing mission. This is the week that we had to buy supplies for the bathrooms. We have to get one more toilet today, as we just couldn't get another thing into the car. We found dark wood vanities with vessel sinks, and are going for the "Inn at the Forks" look! The mirrors have a glass shelf to hold a couple of decorative but useful things. Simple, simple, simple. I will have to find creative ways to store utilitarian things though, as we bought purely for style this time.

My dream has always been to be able to have one bag for my makeup, one for my skincare, and one for my haircare. I have tons of stuff at this point, and will be absolutely ruthless when cleaning out the old vanity! In my bathroom there will be a single glass shelf as well as the clear glass countertoop, so I want to have a couple of hinged lid baskets to store the utilitarian things in, on the shelf, without having to actually look at them as I wash my face. As for the counter top, I will do my best to keep it clear of everything but handsoap and lotion in decorative bottles. Enough of that though. The challenge will be keeping on program when my life is turned upside down for the next couple of weeks as the project turns into the usual nightmare!

Today? I have leftover spagetti sauce so pasta is on the books for tonight, with a great big side salad. I am on a real pasta kick..not because I love it, but man is it filling! A cup of pasta fills you right up, and the sauce is just about nothing.

Menu for Today
Breakfast: 2 eggs, 2 toast, 2 butter, skim milk, 1 T Cheez Whiz
Lunch: Surprise me
Supper: whole wheat spaghetti with bison tomato sauce
Snack: oranges

Yesterday's supper

did not go as planned...typical of me! The problem was, that I found a new receipe for pasta that I had to try...basically, it was broiled sliced onions and those tiny tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, a bit of Canadian Bacon and a couple of eggs tossed with fusilli pasta. Turned out to be a hit. I hadn't counted on my son coming for dinner tonight, and of course what does he love? Pasta! So, spaghetti and Caesar salad it is! I am not a great fan of pasta (I wonder if cooking it constantly for the kid had anything to do with that?) but I really don't mind it now. Of course the whole wheat and extra fibre pastas seem to be much more flavourful to me, so there is a roughage bonus, too. I still don't enjoy huge portions, but with a good salad, I must admit it is yummy!

Today's Menu

Breakfast: 2 eggs, 2 Oat Hull Fibre bread, toasted, 2 tsp butter, 8 oz skim milk, coffee (9)
Lunch: Smoked turkey sandwich, soup (5)
Supper: whole wheat pasta, sauce made with ground bison and lots of veggies, Caesar salad (lazy me, I use store bought dressing thinned down with vinegar) and apple crumble for dessert, if I get it made!(gotta love Splenda!)10

Snacks: oranges as needed!