Hello, Goodbye, Hello!

It's finally happened - Inherit the Sun is moving to a new home! Please find all future writing on my shiny new WordPress site.

I'd been considering the switch to a new blog platform for a long time (years, actually!) but kept holding off for one reason or another. Inspiration struck last night and behold, a new blog is born! (Well, actually the same blog, with some extensive cosmetic changes.) I'm loving the crisp new layout, but I do wish there was a way to not have my "author photo" pop up all over the page when you click directly on a specific post. Oh well, maybe I'll take a foray into the guts of the website and manage to figure out how to make some changes without causing the site to explode... What? Anything's possible, right? :)

From now on, all blogging will happen over at inheritthesunblog.wordpress.com, but I haven't yet decided whether to migrate all my old posts or just keep them here. If any of you have opinions or advice about that, I'm all ears!

Thank you for reading (especially those of you who have been here for the long haul!), and I hope you'll continue to find my thoughts just as ridiculous, relatable, and enjoyable as ever. ♥

All my love and best wishes for an excellent September,
K xoxoxo

As Summer Slips Away

As summer slips away, the days stay bright, but bittersweet with the knowledge that often accompanies goodbyes. An ending is about to take place, just on the doorstep, drawing ever nearer with each passing day, but with it also the possibility of renewal and change. So turn the seasons, so turn we all in the rhythms and undulations of life.

Like enjoying a magnificent symphony, I have appreciated the beauty and complexity of these past few months - the contrasts of industry and rest, the mad frantic chaos of social gatherings and the calm healing silence of solitary afternoons, the cool comfort of home and the warm embrace of the sun. Perhaps all of life is a study in contrasts and we simply strive to find balance in them all, alternating between extremes as notes on a scale and seeking the harmony that is often elusive but so incredibly satisfying when we get it *just* right.

      



















This summer in particular has felt like a gift, for which I am utterly grateful. There's always a temptation, isn't there, to want to slow down the best moments of our lives? To prolong the harmony, to just sustain it just a little longer and then just a little more, basking in beauty and unwilling to let go? But this is not how time works, and we all know it. And rather than chafing against its inexorable progression, I am trying to do two things in these moments: to give thanks for all these evidences of grace, and to recognize, in their passing, that they are opportunities to look ahead to a time of unending harmony and beauty that will never fade.

In the meantime, may I savour this season's final, fleeting days. For every ending is a new beginning and in the right light, bittersweet is beautiful, too.

P.S. I know I'm verging into I might be tiptoeing close to purple prose territory here, but I felt rather poetic tonight and didn't want to do another "boring" summer update. So you're stuck with my rusty attempt at creative writing, instead! ;)

Photo Update: Vacation Days 11-21

Since I have never been much good at keeping a journal (a sad fact for a writer, but there it is), I resolved this month to keep track of my vacation by taking at least one photo every day. This practice admittedly makes for lazy blogging, but has happily helped me remember in vivid detail much of what has transpired over the past ten days (an impressive feat for me at any time, let alone during a month of unstructured, unscheduled living, considering I routinely arrive at our Friday fellowship meeting unable to answer the classic, "How was your week?" with anything more than a blank stare and a hazy feeling of being busy but lacking concrete recollection of a single thing I have accomplished during said week). And so, without further ado or another long-winded aside, I present you with this photo update of the "middle third" of my vacation.

BBQ on the patio (July 11)

Quality time with out of town friends! (July 11)

Nothing says summer like being wrapped up in a blanket on the couch watching Netflix, LOL!  (July 12)

Homemade iced lemon mint courtesy of the lovely L (July 13)

The perfect low-key hangout day: swimming, movie night, nachos (July 13)

Summer treats - cooling off with an iced capp (July 15)

The requisite feet by the pool shot (July 15)

Friend dates ftw! Ending the best day ever with bubble tea! (July 16)

Because 48 goals didn't seem like enough, I added 2 more "official" goals and 8 "bonus" items, LOL! (July 18)

Milk and cookies :D (July 19)

Glorious late night sunsets (July 19)

Summer in a bowl (July 20)

Grow little buddy, grow! (July 21)

That light, those clouds (take 1)! (July 21)

That light, those clouds (take 2)! (July 21)

13,000 Words

If a picture is worth a thousand words, do these thirteen pictures from the first ten days of my vacation make up for seventeen months' worth of non-existent posts? I'm pretty sure that's how this whole blogging thing works, right? (Nailing it!)

#poolsideproblems #toorelaxed (July 1)

#chanfamjam (July 2)

#vacationgoals (July 3)

#thatombresky (July 3)

#IKEAdates #favefroyo
(July 4)

#FindingDory #fishface #duckface
(July 5)

#clutterfreecubbies (at last!) (July 5)

#solitarysunsetswims (July 5)

#glamorousvaccinationgoals (July 7)

#specialdelivery #TraderJoe's (July 8)

#cottoncandyclouds (July 8)

#afternoontea (July 9)

#introverting (July 10)

Starting Over

There is something irresistible and alluring about the promise of a Fresh Start, the dawning of a New Day, the turning over of a New Leaf. Is it because we crave perfection or possibility? Or perhaps a little of both…

In any case, and without any further philosophising, today will be my Fresh Start for blogging! After yet another abysmally long hiatus, I am back. And, as always, it may be for a day, a week, or a year – who can say? All I know is it’s nice to feel the flow of words and creative juices once more. It’s been too long.

For the past few (ahem, more like six) months, I’ve spent a lot of time being sick. There’s no need to list all the types of flu (stomach and influenza, in case you were wondering) and other ailments that took me down but suffice it to say, it has been a fairly long and bumpy road. In fact, even as I write this I am once again getting over a cold, trying to make strategic decisions about exactly how much housework I can do without setting back my recovery by another day/week. I find it ridiculous how doing laundry and chopping vegetables suddenly become Major Life Decisions after one has faced many weeks of back-to-back illnesses. “Shall I sally forth into the wilds of my tiny urban kitchen to do battle with tomatoes and onions, or shall I resign myself to a sadder but more restful fate of eating take-out on the couch, once again?” – said no one, ever. (Until now.)

One of the positives of this unplanned pilgrimage into the Land of Disease and Contagion is that I have been forced several times over to re-evaluate my schedule and my priorities. This is no fun at the time, and generally results in minor panic attacks, tearful hysteria, temporary mental and emotional breakdowns, and phone calls to my Life Coach (read: father) with conversations that last for hours and get repeated multiple times over until I finally come to a Point of Acceptance. Cue another bout of sickness (which of course seems exponentially harder than the one which preceded it) and repeat, with similar results. One would think this process could be streamlined into something more along the lines of:

Me:  “Oh no, I’m sick!”
[Cry of anguish]
[Sob of despair]
[Wringing hands]
[to Father:] “Help, what do I do? I feel overwhelmed!”
Father: “Do not despair – you will get better soon. Perhaps you should reduce your commitments in the meantime…”
Me: “ Ok, good idea. I feel better now.”

Alas, it has not been so, and countless hours (literally, they were numerous and I did not count them) have been spent mentally tossing and turning as I pondered the meaning of life. (You may think I jest, but I’m actually serious. When you’ve been sick for a while and are facing the possibility of having to reduce your involvement in things you love and think are important, it does make you wonder what the point of your existence is.) 

But (remember I said there was a positive here?) thanks to this time of (forced) reflection, I have been reminded of some basic principles in the midst of all this angsty self-examination (such as, I need to stop defining myself by what I do!). I hope to explore those in more detail here, over time. (No promises, though, because see my track record of posting? Yeeeep.)

For now, though, I’m trying to create a fresh start and be wise about my daily decisions. I’m striving to let go of the things I can’t control (really, I’m not in control of anything, although we all like to think we are and I’m no different in that regard) and just make the best use of my time that I can. I’m realizing that I will not stumble onto a Magic Formula/Schedule/Way to Do Life that transforms my life from bumpy and often disorganized to smooth and perfectly ordered. (I believe that is called Heaven…) And I’m trying to shift from a mindset of “let me make a better schedule to change my life” to “let me stick to a few top priorities, and make sure those are in the right order.” 

Sometimes it feels like I am the only almost-28-year-old who is trying to figure these things out, but in my saner moments I suspect that is not the case. I’m sure there’s at least one 30-year-old guy out there in the world who doesn’t have it all together, either. (That guy is totally my hero. Keep going, 30-something non-collected dude who is still figuring out life!)

It might be a crazy ride, but I hope you’ll stick around to hear about it and help me figure things out.

xoxo,

K

These Busy Days

For the past couple weeks, I've happily been in the position where I wake up looking forward to each day (well, more or less - can't say I'm really looking forward to the day I get my cavity filled later this week!) and looking back on the week with a sense of satisfaction. It's a nice place to be and I'm so thankful for it! As I mentioned before, I was starting to get kind of antsy by the summer months, so having a more regular routine and a lot more responsibilities outside of myself (ie. for other people) has made a huge difference.

Of course, I now have those overflowing days where I end up eating lunch around 6 pm and am more or less running from one thing to another, but I'm trying to avoid that as much as possible. I do hate rushing. Passionately! I'm sure it's unhealthy because it sends my stress levels through the roof, and when I'm over-scheduled, I also find it hard to be focused on what I'm doing at the present moment and give my full attention to it. Blegch, the high-powered rushing from one meeting to another lifestyle is clearly not for me!

Thankfully, though, I have a lot of control over my schedule these days. The trick is just learning to say no, graciously, when I realize that the day or week is already fully booked and that adding anything more in starts to follow the law of diminishing returns. (This is a trick I have not yet mastered. Someone teach me, please?)

I do have a few tricks that are working well, though. To wit, I've actually taken to blocking out sections of my agenda to make sure I include enough time to recharge from the more hectic moments of the week. I'm also ridiculously strict about keeping Monday entirely as a day off - absolutely no meetings or social obligations allowed! It usually doesn't end up being much of a day "off" since I'm generally cleaning the house, getting caught up on emails, and organizing the week ahead, but as an introvert, I look forward to that time all week because I know I can stay cocooned alone at home, and no one is allowed to enter my hamster ball!* Really, time off doesn't have to mean not doing anything productive, it just has to mean no human interaction is required. Knowing that alone time is coming gets me through the weekend, when I have to be "on" most of the time.

There's still a lot of room for improvement (especially in continuing regular workouts), but I feel much more relaxed overall, confident that I'm moving in the right direction and being smarter about how to use my time and fit my schedule to my strengths and goals, and not the other way around. I  just hope these happy feelings are around to stay!

*(Skip the intro and scroll to middle of page for the cartoon strip.)

Boomerang Effect

The thought may have crossed your mind that I finally threw in the towel and abandoned blogging for good, seeing as how sporadic my posting has been throughout this year. (If so, I wouldn’t blame you!) Over the past several months, I have wondered if I should just give up, too. I haven't posted in months, and I haven't posted consistently in years! But, like a boomerang, and ever full of surprises and optimism, I’m back!

In my absence, I have begun writing approximately 70 bajillion new posts (in my head), spotted more random shoes than I can remember (but not as many as previous years, yay!), travelled to Orlando (for The Gospel Coalition 2013 conference), gone on and off a carb-cycling diet, started learning how to play from chords on the piano (up ‘til now my training has been exclusively how to read music), visited Starbucks more times than I care to admit, not killed grown a tomato plant indoors on our window sill (the first tomato is still ripening – so excited to eat it!), taken a family vacation to New England (Boston and Maine), enjoyed barbequing on the outdoor patio, reconnected with an old friend, slept in as much as humanly possible, visited friends in Belleville and Port Colborne, gone to the dentist after an embarrassingly long time, and resumed my ministry involvement at church (primarily: working with university and college students).

It was a good “sabbatical year” that I had, but I was growing very restless towards the end (ie. over the spring and summer, especially June and July) and it is good to be busy again. I was technically “busy” taking care of myself during my break from serving at church, but ironically enough the lack of structure was making it tough to stick to a regular routine. I am really hopeful that I can do better at that now… but I guess that remains to be seen! Regular workouts resume next week (last week I had a cold, we were on retreat with our church over the long weekend, and this week was my time of the month to be crampy and incapacitated), as does meal-planning and (hopefully) getting into a healthy sleep routine. Nothing like the beginning of a new school year to put the wind in your sails when it comes to such matters!

I hope all is well with you, and I hope to spend more time writing during what is left of 2013. (Gulp! We’re not going to go there, but HOW IS IT SEPTEMBER ALREADY?!?!) What is on your horizon for the fall?

xo,
Kate

P.S. This probably shouldn’t be written as an afterthought, but I figure I should record it here anyways (for posterity?). Wilson and I have been attending some natural family planning classes, and we’re hoping for a 2014 baby! We will see what the Lord has in store for us (hopefully parenthood!), but I’m pretty excited that after much waiting, we’re finally confident that this is the right time to start trying to expand our family. J

P.P.S. Yes, even though I'm not yet pregnant we more or less have our baby names picked out already. This is a surprise to no one, right?!

One Step at a Time

There's a poster my parents have always had up in their basement (both at Old Home and in their current place) which says, "The way to get anywhere is to start from where you are." (Or, words to that effect.) It might sound trite, but I believe those are truly words to live by, especially when it comes to tackling a daunting task like overhauling one's eating habits and improving one's fitness level.

I've been thinking that much like our new eating plan, which I suspect has been effective largely because it is a structured program that gives clear guidelines on how to achieve a specific goal (losing weight), my workout plan could use a bit of a shake-up. I have been lax in my gym time over the past few weeks, and while I'm trying (and succeeding, for the most part) to be more active overall by walking more and sitting less (etc.), lack of cardio does not a more fit person make. Plus, the lovely Lindsay has been totally inspiring me with a ton of great exercise resources, goal-setting tools, and encouraging updates about her own progress getting in shape. All that inspiration has to result in something, right?

So today, when my workout buddy came over for our usual Monday afternoon gym session, I brought my tablet down and we let Jillian Michaels kick our butts with her "30 Day Shred" workout. 20 minutes and one "level one" workout later I couldn't walk properly on my jello-legs, but I comfort myself with the knowledge that my friend was also exhausted afterwards, and she is much fitter than I am! (I hope I can remember that when I'm unable to roll out of bed tomorrow and have to limp along to work on my trembly legs and burning thighs. It WILL be worth it!!!)

Things I Learned from Today's Workout:
1. I need to wear tighter clothes for this particular program, as my pants kept falling down. (Way to make me feel even MORE self-conscious while doing jumping jacks!)
2. You can call it "jumping jacks," "jump rope," "butt kicks" or whatever else you want - it is ALL THE SAME and pretty much made me want to die by the end of the workout. I'm on to you, Ms. Michaels...
3. Any form of jumping is SERIOUS BUSINESS, people. Serious cardio business - no messing around, here!
4. Arm weights that seemed dinky at the beginning of the workout can suddenly become much heavier by the end. (Actually, I already knew this. It's just that now I know it, know it, if you know what I mean.)
5. I need at least two sets of arm weights to get a really good arm workout in, because for some of the exercises I couldn't even handle my measly 2.5 pounders by the final few reps, but for others (I'm looking at you, butterfly press) I could have at least doubled what I was lifting.
6. Dynamic stretching (ie. stretching through movement) is the best way to warm up your muscles, while static stretching (ie. the typical "holding a position" stretches most of us are familiar with) should be left for the cool-down period.
7. The correct way to perform a quad stretch is with the opposite hand grasping the foot. (I've been doing this wrong for so long, no wonder I used to find this stretch kind of painful!!)
8. 20 minutes is shorter than you think - I wanted to quit around what I thought was the halfway mark, but it turned out that we were less than 5 minutes away from being completely finished! Mind you, that was quite possibly the longest 5 minutes of my life... o.O
9. This workout will not, in fact, kill me. No one is more shocked than I am! ;)

My plan is to do this 20 minute workout at least 5 times a week for the next two weeks (ie. until my trip to Florida!)* and then see where things stand when I get back from the conference I'm attending. Tomorrow I would love to keep up my momentum, but I'm working an 8 hour shift (on my feet the whole time, I might add) and then have to scoot off to a guitar lesson uptown, so there's no way I will have the energy for a workout. But Wednesday, it will happen!!


*I have an exciting announcement about this later! But that's all for now... I know, I'm such a tease! ;)

Happy Things + Thankfulness Project 2.0

Last week was a doozie - just a lousy, lousy week that I would like to forget for so many reasons. However, in the spirit of being thankful for the many undeserved blessings God has given me, this week I will be posting about things that make me happy. (Sort of along the same lines as the Thankfulness Project posts I wrote a while back, which you long-time readers might remember.)

Tuesday's Happy Things:
1. Winning another free coffee from Tim Horton's. (So far I'm up to three free coffees and a donut!)
2. The stupendous lentil stew we made for dinner tonight! (It deserves its own post, which will be coming later this week.)
3. The high I get from a successful day's tutoring session. (It never gets old.)

Actually, speaking of the Thankfulness Project, I think it would be good to get back into the habit of publicly giving thanks for what I have been given. (I totally did not expect this post to take that direction when I started writing. But hey, why not?!) Let's do it!

As a reminder, here's my "mission statement" from a few years ago when I first set out to document on a regular basis the things for which I was thankful.

The Thankfulness Project

Normally, I am really big on the psychological boost of “fresh starts,” like the beginning of a week, month, year, new school term, etc. These dates somehow hold special promise for me, and can motivate me to success in all kinds of ways. On a “fresh start” day I have the confidence and the drive to develop better habits, work toward a specific goal, or just generally get it together. There’s just something inspirational about “the first day of” that brings balance to my life and speaks to my soul. Or something less cheesy and pop-psychological-sounding.

All that to say that when I was originally planning to start The Thankfulness Project on my blog, I fully intended to begin on July 4^th (my first official day of vacation) and continue from there. But I didn’t, and tonight I decided to throw up my hands and forget about being tied down to a “fresh start day.” It is Wednesday night, and I am bringing you The Thankfulness Project. So there, psyche.

What it is
The Thankfulness Project is one way I’m trying to develop an attitude of gratitude. It’s my way of dwelling on the blessings in my life and giving thanks for all the good things, both small and ginormous, that God has given me.

What it is not
The Thankfulness Project is in no way grandiose or pretentious. I have always admired the ability of children to delight in the smallest things (an old cardboard box, a sticker that isn’t sticky anymore, a jangly set of keys) and I certainly hope that is a skill I have held on to. While the Thankfulness Project is certainly meant seriously on my part, that is not to say that every post is going to be deeply moving and profound. Some might be. I will certainly be giving thanks for some really major blessings. But I’ll also be thanking God for the little things that bring joy into my life.

When it will happen
Since I can only go against my personality so much, and we’re already starting in the middle of the week, toward the end of my vacation, and on a pretty random day in July, I must at least maintain some semblance of balance and symmetry by turning this into a weekly series. So you can expect a Thankfulness Project post on the blog every Wednesday.

The back-story
Many of the personal blogs I frequent are great proponents of the “Life List” or “30 Before I’m 30” or “Top 63 Things I Want to Do Before I Die.” Basically these are lists of a person’s personal goals and desires, ranging from small & relatively insignificant items (ex. learn how to make chocolate cherry ice cream) to larger goals (ex. complete the Boston Marathon). Many of the lists I’ve read include practical entries, like “learn how to change a car tire” or “start buying only local produce,” and lots of people have very laudable and self-giving goals, too, such as “write a thank-you letter to my most influential teacher.”

The thing about these lists is that whatever lovely and noble goals the writer may have, everything invariably centres around me. What do I want to do/learn/create/experience/give? Don’t get me wrong, I have such a list as well. I want to learn CPR and basic first aid and rudimentary sewing and ancient Greek; I want to make weekly trips to the farmers’ market and bake my own bread and walk everyday and read a book-a-week next year; I want to make dinner for friends and make all my Christmas gifts from scratch and learn to live on less and tame my temper. But for all of those great desires, there’s still a lot of me me me floating around in those goals.

Thus, my answer to the “life list” was born. I don’t want to make a list of things to do before I die. Not that there’s anything inherently problematic with such a list. But to me, it puts the focus in the wrong place. Sure, it would be great to travel to Paris while I can still remember some French, and it would be lovely to have a house with a garden where I could grow my own veggies, but those things don’t really matter.

And so I’ll dream a little dream, and try to use my time and resources as best I can, and meanwhile, I will choose to give thanks for everything I have already been blessed with, so far above what I deserve. I hope my list of thanksgiving will uplift and encourage you.

Food Blog Update

Just a quick note to update the url for my visual food log. You can still follow my progress here, on my spiffy new blog (I actually just gave the old one a facelift and new name). And to all of you who have written or made comments in person, thanks for all the love! xx

Mon passeport

I am SO impressed with Passport Canada! Not only did it take a mere 30 minutes (on a Friday afternoon, no less!) to submit my passport renewal application, but less than a week later what should I find waiting for me when I got home from work but my spiffy new passport, unsigned, sealed, and delivered? Talk about great service!

And to top it all off, I also received a lovely note from Erin in the post* this afternoon. Pretty much a fantastic afternoon all-around. Hope your day finished well! xx


*I felt so in touch with my British roots just typing that!

Progress makes Perfect?

Sometimes when I reflect on some of my main goals (like eating well), I can't help but feel overwhelmed by how far I still want to go. Healthy eating in particular seems a daunting task in today's frenzied fast-food culture, with sugar lurking behind practically every label (bread! yogurt! pasta sauce!), different opinions on what constitutes a healthy fat (to wit, the butter vs. margarine debate), and the cold hard reality that buying local and/or organic produce costs at least double the price of your average grocery store option. (I'm sorry, but I get really fed up with all the people who say that eating healthier foods does not cost more. It does! Do the math, people!!)

While I'm doing my best to navigate the sheer bombardment of food choices we are faced with on a daily basis (a blessing or a curse - you decide), there are inevitably days where I get to the dinner-making hour and just run out of steam. And in those moments, I would dearly love to drop a packet of ramen noodle into some boiling water, toss in a handful of veggies, and call it dinner. (Or better yet, just order a pizza.) Fatigue just makes everything seem bleak, I find. Making a dinner that at 2:30 pm seemed like a wonderfully balanced and not too time consuming option suddenly becomes The Impossible Dream right around five o'clock.

It doesn't help that I seem to be prone to severe bouts of sleepiness anytime between 4:30 pm to about 7 pm or so, and have been every since I was a child. (My mother used to have to force me to keep moving/do something active in the late afternoon/early evening when I was little, because otherwise I would fall asleep and then end up awake for the entire night.) This natural (genetic?) state of fatigue does NOT help matters when one is trying to pump out healthy dinners night after night (all those veggies won't chop themselves, you know!) and resist the urge to be lazy and just eat something convenient (read: unhealthy).

Last night, as I attempted to ward off sleep by plugging away in the kitchen (and calling my parents for a pep talk ♥), I was feeling kind of discouraged. (Along the lines of, why does something so basic (ie. feeding oneself) have to be so ridiculously complicated? What if after all this work I'm still not able to make any progress? etc.) And then it hit me, that just because my eating may not be perfect*, just because every goal I've made has not yet been reached, does not mean there has been no progress!

Thus, I decided it would be a good self-encouragement tool to document some of the lasting changes I have already made that are fine evidence of how I am working towards my goal of improving my diet and health.

In no particular order:
-Cutting out all soft drinks (Not that I used to drink a lot of soda, but I would often order a diet coke when we went out for lunch or dinner. No more!)
-Increasing vegetable intake (There used to be days where I wouldn't eat anything green. No more!)
-Eating more kale (Or other dark leafy greens. I read or heard somewhere that you should have at least one serving of dark leafies (as I like to call them) and one serving of bright orange veggies per day, and I try to hit this as many times a week as I can.)
-Replacing simple ("white") carbs with complex (whole grain) carbs (Except on Sundays, we get all our carbs from whole grains, fruits, and veggies. This is a HUGE change from my old white flour, white rice-eating ways!)
-Vastly reducing our sugar consumption (Not only have I greatly reduced how much refined sugar I'm eating straight up (to almost none), I'm also much more aware of sugar in foods like bread and yogurt, and have changed what I buy accordingly.)
-Replacing vanilla yogurt in my smoothies with plain (unsweetened) yogurt (Just one concrete example of how I'm eating less sugar.)
-Eating less meat (I used to scoff at the palm-sized portion idea, but now I try to follow that pretty carefully.)
-Eating more fish (Aside from the last couple weeks, where fish has not made an appearance on our plates, we usually eat salmon or some type of white fish about 1-2 times per week.)
-Reading package labels (I was REALLY good at this for a few years, and then I just became lazy or stopped caring. No more! I am now super scrupulous about reading every food label on the products I buy. Of course, it's best if most of what you buy doesn't come with a label, but some healthy stuff like oatmeal is still packaged, and I want to make sure I'm getting what I think I'm getting, with no added sugar or ingredients that can't be pronounced by normal human beings.)
-Cutting out juice (I used to only drink 100% fruit juices (none of that sugary "cocktail" stuff, please!) but now, except for the rare occasion we have orange juice, it's pretty much just milk, soy milk every so often, and lots of water.)
-Not letting sickness be an excuse (So, confession time: I used to be awful at eating well when I was under the weather. I figured that I was feeling lousy anyways, so I might as well eat whatever the heck I wanted (both to feel better and I guess because I thought it didn't matter since I was already sick?). Well, no more! I now have a mental list of Sore Throat Foods, for example, and am overall SO MUCH BETTER at sticking with healthy options even when I'm not feeling well. Of course, there are exceptions to this, but not nearly as many exceptions as there used to be. I call that a win!)
-Controlling portion sizes (I'm not sure I'm entirely hitting the mark on this one, but short of measuring everything (which I have done before, what a pain!!) I'm doing my best to eyeball using the hand-sizing method. At any rate, I'm doing better than I was before, although I'm sure there's still room for improvement...)
-Keeping track of what I eat (Another thing I used to sort of brush aside, but now I'm a believer! I think this is such a helpful tool in sticking with any kind of eating goal that goes against the mainstream.)


*And by the way, who defines what a perfect diet looks like? Scientists, doctors, dieticians, governments, and everyone else do not seem to be able to come to a consensus, though for the record, I think Michael Pollen's take is pretty spot-on.

P.S. A longer article about why butter IS better! ;)
P.P.S. In case you're wondering, Sore Throat Foods are foods that are cool, soothing, and not in the least bit acidic (ouch!). They should also not be deep fried (or too fatty), sugary, or contain much dairy, as these can also irritate the throat when it's at its most tender. Examples of my favourite Sore Throat Foods include watermelon, cucumbers, bananas, frozen blueberries, and steamed green leafies. Watermelon is one of the best because it is also super hydrating, which helps the body flush out toxins and recover faster. Plus, who doesn't love watermelon? :)

Visual Food (B)log

In an attempt to stay motivated to eat healthy, whole, natural foods (in a world of highly processed "food" full of too many types of sugar to count, super cheap fast food on every corner, and an ever-growing number of unpronounceable ingredients in mainstream products), I've started a visual food diary to document everything I consume for the next little while. My hope is that this will not only be a faster/easier way to keep track of what I'm eating (and how much) than writing it down or logging it into an online calorie counter, but also act as a type of accountability to curb those indulgent desires that can easily go from "enjoying a once-in-a-while treat" to "let's eat macarons for lunch and have fried chicken for dinner" on a regular basis. Because nothing good happens when you visit Popeyes twice in one week and cram your face full of sugar.

You can check out my progress here, or go to the "visual food log" tab at the top of this blog, where there is a page with the permanent link to the site. And while you're at it, Erin's food blog (my inspiration) is totally fantastic and encouraging (yay, lots of veggies, complex carbs, and whole foods in general!!) and has much better photography, so you should take a look-see at hers as well. Plus, how awesome is the name "No Sneaky Snacks"?!

What ho, old things!

I'm baaaaaaaaaack!!!! Whee!! Oh, I'm sorry, don't mind me. I'm just high on the awesomeness that is P.G. Wodehouse and the fact that after OVER TWO MONTHS of (semi) patiently waiting for Eugene to be repaired, I am FINALLY sitting in the comfort of my own home, typing away on a functional laptop again! I say, that does rather perk one up a bit, what?

And so, it is my great pleasure to introduce you all to Eulily, my brand new, straight out of the box, fresh from the store, long-awaited Toshiba personal computing machine! She is, of course, named in honour of PGW himself, as a tribute to his comic genius and all around brilliance as a writer, creative mind, and human being, with a nod to the late great Eugene thrown in for good measure. I'm sure at this juncture Wilson would have a choice word or two to insert about the level of one's mental fitness when one begins naming inanimate objects, but he's still at work and as you can tell, I am too euphoric to be persuaded of anything by mere reason and logic. Huzzah!!!


(The thought occurs: euphoric might actually be an understatement...)




Currently reading: Yours, Plum; the Letters of P.G. Wodehouse // waaaaay too many End User Licensing Agreements and the like O.o

Laptop-less

This just in! New studies show that bloggers with limited access to a personal computing device with full keyboard experience a 67% greater chance of delayed blog posts and are less likely to blog on a semi-daily basis than those with regular private access to a laptop or computer. This study funded by an anonymous group of hypothetical middle class persons whose laptops inevitably break down on the cusp of extended warranty expiration dates which unhappily coincide with major holidays and thus delay repair of said laptops for an indeterminate amount of time.

Man, can I feel for those people! I'm so thankful for my android tablet (spoiled!) which Wilson gave me as a birthday present this year, but I will say that typing out blog posts (or anything longer than a brief email, really) on it is a bit of a pain. And yes, Eugene is still in the laptop hospital somewhere, while technicians try to figure out why he keeps shutting down and refusing to reboot at the most inconvenient moments. In the meantime, I expect my posts to be a little more sparse than usual, but hopefully this will be remedied soon. Fingers crossed! :)

Happy Things (which somehow turned into a rant about shoe shopping)

As it's been well over a month since my last update, I think a Happy Post is quite overdue! Perhaps it's the proximity to American Thanksgiving (to be honest, more likely the cold-spell we've just stumbled into), but I feel quite overwhelmed with blessings at the moment. A thoroughly enjoyable, if often fleeting, experience!

In no particular order, many splendid (if somewhat superficial) reasons to be thankful:

                                                                              

1. My New "Riding" Boots ♥

Friends, you would not believe the extent to which I dislike hate LOATHE shoe-shopping. For one thing, my orthotics complicate everything, from shoe size (I'm truly a size 9-9 1/2, but have worn down to an 8 1/2 with no orthotics and up to an 11 with them- go figure!) to what styles I can even consider. Unless I'm in the market for a pair of  heels or dressy flats that I'll be wearing (uncomfortably, no doubt) for a few hours at someone's wedding or a special occasion where vanity trumps common sense, the selection of footwear I can reasonably consider (ie. orthotic-friendly) is immediately whittled down to a mere 2% of the products offered at any given store. Yes, 2% is an exact scientific figure; I checked.*

The sole must be wide enough to accommodate the orthotic, which, unlike my foot, is neither flexible nor squishy. There must be no elevated heel to speak of - we're talking less than 1/2 an inch. The toe must be wide enough not to squash my feet or wrinkle the toe-area of the orthotic. The entire "boot" part of the shoe must be large enough for the orthotic be completely inserted and lie flat. (You'd be surprised how many shoes that are supposedly in my size are too small and thus cause the heel of the orthotic to stick up). But! The shoe can't be too large or my foot will slip around and/or my heel will come up off the sole while walking. A definite no-no. In addition, the inner sole/"insert" must be thin enough to allow enough room for my foot to comfortably fit in the shoe once the addition of the orthotic is made (raising the height of my foot within the shoe and often causing the dreaded heel-coming-off-the-sole issue, or leaving too little room for my foot altogether). A removable inner sole is ideal, but most seem to be (annoyingly) glued down. In the past I have often bought a slightly too tight pair of shoes with an immovable insert and simply ripped the darn thing out at home (hoping it would make a clean break and not leave lots of little uneven bits stuck to the inside of the shoe). Hardly the stuff shoe-shopping dreams are made of.

And all of the details above just deal with what shoes are available to pick from in the first place. Thankfully, by this point in my shoe-buying career, I can usually eliminate most of the unsuccessful candidates with no more than a brief glance, but there are still the inevitable "hopeful" try-ons that result in all manner of shoving, grunting, panting, leveraging, and otherwise clumsily attempting to insert orthotic and/or foot into the piece of prospective footwear, to no avail. It is at these moments that I especially hope there are no CCTV cameras watching my miserable attempts at that most basic of all human functions: putting on one's own shoes.

Secondly, shoe stores always seem to suffer from what I can only describe as an abominable lack of air circulation. Why it is that anyone considers 95 degrees a comfortable temperature for engaging in the aforementioned podiatric gymnastics is truly beyond my obviously meagre understanding. In an already somewhat claustrophobic environment (rows of shoes, floor-to ceiling!) or, in classier joints, an atmosphere designed to make a true spectacle of the fine art of trying on shoes (by placing one communal bench in the exact centre of a well-lit store for passers-by to gawk in shock and horror at the inelegant display of patrons trying to wrangle their way into a pair of boots), I cannot imagine whose bright idea it was to see how high the thermostat would go.

I always wonder, in a subconscious sort of way, about why I seem so reluctant to go shopping when it becomes apparent that I need a new pair of shoes. It only just dawned on me that my virtual inability to draw breath by the end of a visit to the shoe store could be an important factor! As I gratefully gasped in gallons of delightfully cold air after my recent foray into our local desert footwear selling establishment, the thought did occur that if I didn't emerge from each shopping expedition spluttering and red-faced, perhaps I would find the whole experience more enjoyable. Clearly, those controlling the thermostat have not had such an epiphany.

Wait, wasn't this supposed to be a post about things I'm happy about and thankful for?

(Oops.)

But wait! I can redeem this! Just when you had lost all hope that I could ever work up the courage to venture into a shoe store ever again, I found these (cue heavenly angel music):

Despite my innate disinclination to engage in the purchase of new articles of footwear, I have really, really wanted to get a new pair of tall boots for quite some time now (like, several years - no exaggeration). But due to the laundry list of obstacles above, I've had no such luck. Actually, I hadn't even bothered to look, really, because in addition to the usual assortment of problems, I figured anything I liked would be too expensive or two small anyways. (Despite not having overly large calves, mine are apparently too large to fit the shaft of most mainstream tall/riding boots, rendering most boots useless to me, even if they fit all other criteria.) Enter the "Zoey Riding Boot" in "Cognac," a simple yet stylish tall faux-leather boot in a right, warm brown tone that suited me perfectly, and fits perfectly pretty well. Yes, it's 2 sizes larger than I usually wear, but my orthotic slips in beautifully, as does my foot and leg, and after the first day wearing it I am thoroughly impressed with my purchase.

So, a very round-about way of saying: I love my new boots, and they are making me very happy! I am so thankful to have finally found an affordable, comfortable, attractive pair of boots. And when your shoe-shopping experiences are as dramatic as mine are, you do not take such things lightly! :)

2. Jamocha Almond Chocolate Cake + Peppermint Tea

Three weeks ago, Wilson and I dramatically changed the way we're eating. I have already safely lost almost 10 lbs over the course of those weeks (huzzah!), but this doesn't mean we have given up yummy food. In fact, every Sunday is a free day which is actually an important part of the diet (more on that later), and allows us to indulge (moderately, of course) in any food we fancy. So last night, after savouring my beloved avocado rolls at our go-to local sushi restaurant, I picked up a ridiculously decadent dessert on the way home. And, as chocolate pairs perfectly with peppermint tea, I brewed myself a cuppa and indulged with impunity. Ohhhh yeah!

3. Call the Midwife

A recent, and instantly popular, BBC production being currently re-aired on PBS (Sundays at 8 pm, people!), Call the Midwife is actually a series based on the memoir of the same name by Jennifer Worth. After watching a really fantastic episode (I have high hopes for the whole season, based one the one episode I have seen), I was inspired to get the book from the library, and just finished it this evening. There's a bit of crude humour and some unfortunate sexual explicitness (truly unfortunate, given its exploitative circumstances), but overall it was a really wonderful read. From what I can tell, it seems that the TV adaptation is expertly cast (is anything the BBC does not expertly cast, though?!) and quite faithful to the published memoir. Chalk up another win for the good ole BBC!





4. SNOWFLAKES!!!

After suffering through an unusually long warm-spell (I think we had above seasonal temperatures for a steady 2-3 weeks!) during which time our air conditioners were still fully operative, the temperatures FINALLY took a nose-dive and it's now feeling a lot more like the end of November! In fact, there were even a few snowflakes in the air on Sunday, which made me very happy indeed. I know everyone will start complaining about the cold now, but I've been patiently waiting my turn, all through the rather warm spring, hot and humid summer, and extremely mild fall, and my exultation will not be curtailed. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

5. Christmas Music

Which naturally brings me to my last item: Christmas music! I've been finding it so hard to get into the mood for Christmas songs these days, which is strange considering I usually have to fight the urge to start singing "O Little Town" around the middle of October. But now that it's getting darker so much earlier, and there's truly a nip (if not a bite) in the air, I am all ready to curl up under a warm blanket with a steaming mug of cocoa in hand, and drift happily into a festive daze with the strains of Christmas carols echoing throughout the apartment. There is truly nothing like a wonderful Christmas melody to instantly put a smile on my face. Music is such a wonderful gift, and it's made even more wonderful when every bar, phrase, note, and word is in celebration of the Best Gift of All!



*Exception: New Balance, which is also known as The Best Shoe Store Humanity Has Ever Seen. Sadly, they only do runners, cross-trainers, and hiking/snow boots. They do them superbly, but to the exclusion of all other manner of footwear. Alas.

Inescapable (Truth)

Well, friends, you win some and you lose some, right?

Tonight's date night was set up to be a fun-filled evening of entertainment (yay, $5 Tuesdays at our local cinema!) and fine Japanese cuisine at a sushi place I've been wanting to try. (We actually noticed a few locations of that particular chain last time we were in Montréal. I was excited to see that they'd made their way to Toronto as they seemed to be quite popular, if the frequency with which we spotted their logo in Montréal is any indication!)

Our evening wasn't exactly a comedy of errors, just a whole bunch of little things adding up to a kind of so-so night. Shall I wallow elaborate? Well, if you insist...

Exhibit A:
At the last minute I suggested watching a different movie, because the one we were going to see stars Bradley Cooper (not my fave actor), and I was afraid it would be lame. I knew we'd be taking a chance on seeing an "independent" film, but I've had a lot of good experiences with indie movies at this particular theatre, and the trailer looked pretty good. Trailers, however (as we all know), can be deceptive. (Cue sad trombone sound).

Exhibit B:
What was it about this movie?! The plot was solid if not super inventive. I mean, any story involving kidnapping, espionage, secrets from the past, corrupt governments, and the bond between a father and his daughter should have some riveting material, no? The actors, in my opinion, were expertly cast. Yet somehow, I didn't feel myself drawn to the characters or pulled into the story.

For one thing, there was basically no build-up to the "problem" the main character needed to "solve" - literally the second or third sentence of the movie was, "Your daughter's gone missing in Damascus!" Um, okay. Way to ease us in to the main character's life there! (And the guy who delivered that line, though supposedly close enough to the daughter to know her secret travel plans, never appears in the movie again. What the what?!) Other scenes (including the ending, which was pretty much as abrupt as the beginning) were similarly choppy; it's like the filmmakers were so focused on advancing the plot that they forgot to develop the story.

There was a fair amount of violence, too - not the shoot 'em up variety with a (Hollywood-style) typically high body count, but the more measured (and therefore intense) kind. Yet somehow, it didn't feel intense or compelling. (Not that I'm advocating for violence in movies, or trying to imply that it's necessary to make a story intense or compelling!) I don't know - the whole thing was just weird. I had that feeling of anticipation where you're waiting for something to take off, to get good, to leave you feeling satisfied. I kept waiting for everything to be pulled together. Aaand.... yes, I'm still waiting. (Wah wah wah wahhhh). Oh well, at least I enjoyed the soundtrack!

Exhibit C:
After a somewhat disappointing movie experience, you'd think we would have been looking forward to dinner even more eagerly. Except - I couldn't find the menu/brochure we received for the aforementioned sushi restaurant, which had some enticing coupons attached. Did I want to try out this new place (which just so happens to be strategically located across the street from the theatre)? Yes, please. Did I want to try it without said coupons? Not so much. So we settled for mediocre (but inexpensive) sushi from another place that was close by. Sort of a win? (At least for our wallets, I supposed.)

However, the evening did have a silver lining! Before dinner we stopped by Loblaws and picked up some potted organic herbs (basil, curly parsley, and thyme). Alas, they had no sage or rosemary. But that won't stop me from posting this:

Hope you all had a more terrific Tuesday than I did. But there's always the hope for a wonderful Wednesday, right? Right. :)

xx,
Kate

Happy October!

After an exhausting end to September (a persistent UTI that wouldn't go away until the second round of antibiotics, followed by a family health crisis which is thankfully in hand now), October is finally here! I am looking forward to cooler temps (although really, since last week when fall officially commenced, the weather has been simply gorgeous for the most part) with crisp autumn breezes, baking lots of yummy spiced goodies, indulging in the occasional Pumpkin Spice Latte, wearing sweaters and thicker socks, and having a more structured weekly schedule (shifts at work + a little tutoring on the side). Plus, our exciting Thanksgiving plans include spending the holiday Monday cleaning out some piles of stuff that have just been sitting around (shoved into closets or, more embarrassingly, in a heap on our bedroom floor) for faaaar too long. You have no idea how much I am looking forward to that day. It'll be like my birthday's come early!! :)

Today was a much needed day off for me, but after a luxurious 11-hour sleep I actually had enough energy to be fairly productive, to wit: I took care of some financial housekeeping and some real housekeeping and even baked two loaves of bread ("honey whole wheat" and a new recipe for banana bread, yum!) after dinner. Maybe it's nothing more than the change in the weather, but, for whatever reason, it seems like I suddenly have my cooking mojo back, and I'm loving it! So much, in fact, that I can hardly wait to share a fall recipe round-up with you guys. But that's for tomorrow...
Happy October, everyone!

xx,
K

A Do-Nothing Day

Despite waking up this morning at 6:30 am and discovering that the back pain I was experiencing in my dream was actually back pain I was experiencing in real life, it's been a pretty good day all around. I cancelled my morning gym appointment, soothed my back with a hot pack that Wilson heated up for me, and then tucked in for a lazy day at home. Well, after making scrambled eggs and oatmeal for breakfast. I figured since I was already awake and clearly not about to go back to sleep anytime soon I might as well make myself useful before Wilson left for work. :p

Miraculously, my back pain has completely disappeared now (What the what?! Not that I'm complaining!), and I'm extra rested and ready to face a full day of work and errands tomorrow. Plus, I've checked some correspondence items off my to do list, researched what kind of tablet we should buy if we do indeed buy a tablet, and even signed myself and a friend up for ZUMBA! classes at a local studio, thanks to a great online deal.

So now it's off to listen to more tracks from Laurence Fox (my latest music obsession), read the graphic novel I borrowed from the library, and make a teriyaki shrimp stir fry for dinner. Life is good. :)

Getting Stuff Done

Lately, it feels like I've been making my home in a rut. A deep rut, one that has been hard to get out of. People keep asking me how my vacation/summer is going and I keep saying, "Good. Quiet! Which is great!" and that's true and all, but I feel like it's somehow sub-par. Shouldn't I be doing things? Going places? Excited about life?

Maybe it's our braggy Facebook culture, maybe it's just a mash-up of others' and my own expectations being idealistic and/or unrealistic. Bah, I don't know! Maybe I'm just temporarily mired in melancholy... Is there such a thing as summer SAD?

In any case, I've been trying to shake off these summer blues by spending more time outside the house and less time in front of a screen (blog posts not withstanding!). Homebody that I am, I do make it a point to fight my hermit-like tendencies by venturing outside at least once a day most of the time, but lately a brief 10-minute foray into the world beyond our own 700 square feet just hasn't been cutting it. So! More time outside, walking as much as possible, drinking more tea (because it makes me feel more connected to my English roots, and thus, happy), and crossing as much stuff as possible off my to-do list.

Today was a triumphant Getting Stuff Done day, with multiple loads of laundry tumbled dry, a menu planned for tomorrow's BBQ dinner, a fridge full of fresh produce, a package mailed, new library books sitting in a pleasing stack on our coffee table, and an email sent to follow up on a tutoring lead.

Here's to high-tailing it out of that rut!

xx,
K

WSJ article found via Tim Challies' always entertaining A La Carte.