CURVES

Did you think that I had given up telling you the details of my life? NO WAY are you getting that bit of peace and quiet! Here I am again! I must say a big thank you for your comments too! Really? Over 4000? I have been doing this a long time, haven't I! So here come the details...get your tea, and settle in, because I have lots to tell you! But first, let me confess. At the moment, I have SWA oil on my hair, and it is standing straight up on end - looks good with my well worn nightie and freshly washed face. Yep. It ain't pretty, but it sure feels good! That SWA+ stuff is really good. Brought my hair back from the dead after the cruise this winter and I returned home with something on my head resembling straw..... I subsequently stopped going to the pricey salon for colour treatments. When you see the results you can get from home hair colouring products now? Why would you spend over a hundred dollars every month just for colour? Spending 10.99 at Shopper's really works for me!

But I digress. We drove back from Regina yesterday - the only eventful thing was running out of gas. Yes, in his wisdom, my husband drove by several gas stations in order to get to his "favourite" and the rest is history. We were about five minutes from home, and gently rolled to a stop at the side of the highway. That pesky little bell that kept ringing? Well, in the man's estimation, it was like a hysterical backseat driver...nag, nag, nag....we had lots of gas to get us to the garage with the good car wash. Well, we did get a few minutes to make telephone calls while we were waiting for the towtruck. That meant we could start putting things away as soon as we walked in the front door. All the unpacking was done last night, with the piles of sorted laundry waiting for me in the morning! Life is good to spite what happens, eh?

Today I have been running like a mad woman...not running, really, since that is one thing that just doesn't happen in my world, but busy? Yep. I was busy! The house has been reclaimed. Dusted, vacuumed, kitchen scrubbed. Supper was real food, made with my own little hands tonight. Chicken thighs, mashed potatoes and green beans sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. Easy to make, but since I stopped using the microwave, the pots are plentiful after every meal. If you love your microwave, don't research what really happens to food when you cook in one. I became slightly suspicious of them when my daughter-in-law was pregnant and told not to eat food from a microwave. WHAT???? Unbelievable, I thought. But, the rest is history. I am now a pots and pans cook again.It is just one more thing to do...it all burns calories, so what the heck. I am breathing anyway, may as well do dishes! The laundry is started. The flowers are arranged. Life is a semblance of normal...for two weeks at least!

I tried out Curves with my friend last Thursday. It was so much easier than anything I have ever tried before and it did get my heart rate up there...apparently. I was more concerned with not tripping over those little square platforms that you stand on to keep moving while waiting for your next machine. I think I would prefer a routine where you didn't have to keep moving to the next station every second! But the time did pass quickly, and for so little effort? You do manage to work up a bit of a "glow". They say it works wonders, but running upstairs and down doing housework leaves me with the same feeling of wanting a big glass of water and a sitdown! But, maybe next fall if the price is right....after all, there is a Curves just up the street from me, and I have no excuse not to....you can even visit other Curves while away from home. Getting to one would be a bit of a problem, but nothing insurmountable.

As for shopping? I didn't buy a thing from the stores in Regina. ONLINE? Quite a different story. I discovered that Pennington's has a website, and now can say they have excellent service to boot. I ordered another pair of pants in black. The green pants were my first choice to wear the whole time we were away - I was thrilled when I found the black ones waiting for me when I got home. It was quite thrilling not to order the largest size they offered. I guess that is what they call a non-scale victory on the Weight Watchers website! That aside? Wrinkles and all, I love those pants! So comfy.

Trollbeads. It is defintely not a good thing for the family budget to leave me alone in a hotel room with a Visa card and Internet access. Hubby knows of my addiction and foolishly says things like "there are too many beads on those bracelets...that is why they are hard to fasten. You should order more bracelets!" Well, I did. And while I was at it? A necklace, four stoppers and a few more pretty little beads snuck into the cart. Now I have a vested interest in watching the progress of that volcanic eruption, since shipping from Denmark was affected, and it will take longer for my purchases and I to be united. Everyone has their own guilty little pleasure, and now you know mine!

Breakfast: GF English muffin, two poached eggs, glass of skim milk
Lunch: 1 cup of bean soup
Supper: Chicken thigh with mashed potatoes and green beans
Snack: GF cookie and a glass of skim milk. MMMM good!

Packing again....

This time, it is only for a week, and only one formal night. I have a new purple dressy dress that I haven't worn yet...there are a lot of clothes in my closet with the tags still on them, but I will get around to wearing them before they grow too big, I am sure! I actually am caught up on the laundry, but when the man arrives tonight, there will be another pile to wade through. I also have to wash those new jeans to get the sizing out of them...new jeans are not agreeable to my skin at all. I think that is why I love those faded denim jeans that you buy already beaten half to death already!

I am loving the convertible green cargo pants...the black ones that I ordered haven't arrived yet, but they will be here when we return.



Here is a picture of the hoodies I bought in black and white:


As it is, I will have lots of options to take with me, and hopefully, I will not get a migraine when I go to do my packing this time! By the way? Using dry cleaner bags to fold your clothing keeps them absolutely wrinkle free. I tested it on a silk blouse last trip, and lo and behold? It came out with nary a crease.


So, news. Hmmm. There isn't any! Yesterday, my menu was rather interesting as I kidnapped my service mates and made them eat lunch with me.

Breakfast was: milk, two poached eggs, GF English muffin
Lunch was: chicken breast, GF gravy, absolutely calorie laden mashed potatoes (cream cheese, whipping cream and butter...but only about 1/2 a cup for my serving....sooooooo worth the calories! Steamed broccoli and cauliflower...mmmmm good!

Supper was: Huge bowl of popcorn and big glasses of water.

Good day all around!

Today breakfast was: hearty mushroom omelette with cheese and milk

Lunch:
Supper:

Off to toss those jeans into the washer!

What I ate today....

GF English muffin, butter, two poached eggs, glass of milk and peanut butter for breakfast. After twelve days of restaurant eggs, it was just all so good!

Lunch was raw veggies and dip, two gluten free donuts. Yes. I know. My bad.

Supper - as if we hadn't eaten out enough, we had to stop by Wendy's on the way home from getting our tires changed. So, supper was half a large Chili, and half an order of fries with a diet coke.Love to share, don't you?

NOW, on an up note? I was so thrilled with my Lauren Hutton kit, that I went online to order the Aqua Elements from the Canadian website. So much for simplicity. But the products are very nice, and this morning? The man even noticed my face...he looked at me and said, quote: DO you have makeup on? Ya look good. Well, that was enough for me! I was actually half through the routine when he called me to the table, and didn't have lipstick or mascara on yet. The contouring works in this kit. Very soft, not like the eighties contouring at all. You can straighten out your nose AND minimize the droopy eyes. Well, enough said. This is good stuff, just as Ms. Hutton says....

Lauren Hutton Face Disc

I am such a sucker for new makeup! I did resist this one for quite some time. So far? So good! This really is a nice little item, promising to be convenient above all else. I spent a bit of time watching the video...nothing new or earth shattering, but simple straightforward reminders of the "face" priciples. So far? I am not dissappointed at all in it! The disc is very well laid out, and when applied as directed? You get a nice, natural look. No itch so far, either! I bought this from the shopping channel, so I have 30 days to see if it works "long term". I really hope it does, because the system addresses all of my "issues" and the end result is very soft. The brushes are neither the best or the worst. Surely, for the price? They are a very good deal!

I ordered a kit in "PINK". Turns out that it is a perfect match for my skin tone. There are four shades of spot covers, so there is every shade of blemished covered! And covered they are. The concealers alone are worth the price!

So, did you miss me?

We had a fabulous time! Met lots of interesting new friends, and saw a few old ones, too. The Bonspiel was a real hoot! Since hubby's company was sponsoring the event, we were there every night for supper, and "sociables" too. I think we did really well keeping up, considering we are old people! LOL

While in Regina, I did do a little shopping...t-shirts mainly. I had a migraine when I was packing, and the contents of my suitcase was quite a shock to me when I reached Regina! As chance would have it, I managed to find a few things at Pennington's. ON SALE no less. More casual things. In my wisdom, I had packed only three tops. Of course, the first time I wore them they attracted spots, so were not wearable again. DUH! Ten days is a long time to be away. I didn't have a clue what to take, and as a result, what I took was completely clueless. My suitcase was expanded to the max on the way home though! Thank you Heys!

The one outfit that I did get right, was for the banquet. I wore a my black short swing dress with black beads that I bought in Germany years ago, with my new crock patent evening clutch, and comfy patent slings. It was a good thing that I thought to dress it up a bit, because I had the thrill of a lifetime when we were asked to be the first ones to follow the piper in to dinner. Now, I love bagpipes to begin with, but this? I really felt like a queen! It was a privilege indeed. I am looking forward to going next year to Calgary!

The new short short haircut worked out well. Very trouble free. My dear friend gave me a "puff" product..you spray this stuff on your hair, then style. It is amazing! The first time I used it, I sprayed my hair right after drying it...while I was bent at the waist. When I stood up? I had a dandelion head! Good thing I had a short haircut, or I never would have made it through the door! Once tamed down with a curling iron, I had pain free hair for days. Isn't technology wonderful?

Now, my WW diet went out the window. Every meal was hosted by two provinces. We were treated to local fare on a grand scale. Alberta beef, PEI oysters, New Brunswick scallops, BC salmon...the list goes on and on. Needless to say, the scales will probably groan a bit in the morning! The major damage was done by my consistent consumption of Tanguery Ten with lemon. It may even out though, because a lot of the food had gluten in it, so I had to pass on a lot of stuff....one can only hope! LOL

ANYWAY, the next posting will be about Lauren Hutton makeup...my kits arrived while we were away, so tomorrow, I will experiment with the products, after I watch the instructional video. To have every product that you need for your face in one compact, would be sheer heaven for me. With all the running around we do, it really would make packing so much easier. Think I will go open the boxes now!