Bright Sunshiny Day

Sunday the sun finally came out and the weather warmed up to a delightful 20ºC, so naturally I hauled myself outside for some spring cleaning (and bonus cardio!)  There’s so much that’s got to be done, but I made a good dent: trimmed down the rose, cleaned a couple of garden beds, cut the lawns, gathered up some stuff to be tossed out.  It’s been hard, with all the rain we’ve been getting and the cold.  Many times the yard didn’t get a chance to dry out to be cleaned up before the weather struck again.  Hasn’t exactly been the greatest of starts to spring, right?

Gems From the Library – New Series

Being without my own internet the past couple months resulted in quite a bit of time spent at the library.  It was actually pretty enjoyable, all things considered (although nothing beats your own home internet).  And while I was there it was pretty much impossible for me to not peruse the shelves, so of course I’ve now found myself with quite a stack of books that caught my eye.

Which brings me to this – new series!

Finding blogs and reviews for new releases are easy to find, not so much it seems for all those wonderful stories and series that have been out for awhile and enjoyed by readers.  So why not, I thought to myself.  Plus it gives me an excuse to read more and maybe one day I’ll work through my TBR pile on my own shelf.  A girl can hope.

I’ll be focusing primarily on older releases, “gems” as the title suggests that catch my eye and I either end up really enjoying or really not while getting good use out of my library card.  And who knows, maybe spark some love in some others to swing by their local libraries, because libraries are awesome and now more than ever a lot of them can use the support.  So allow me to introduce you to the first book that’ll grace this series:

This one caught my eye as I was leaving the library one afternoon and I’m pretty excited to dig into this!

Cookie Dough Greek Yogurt

This is not my creation but from a lovely blog post I found quite a few years ago now over on Sing For Your Supper.  I have no idea how I found this but let me tell you, I am so glad I did!  I hadn’t had this in years and scoured my bookmarks hoping I’d saved it and there it was, and I’ve been enjoying this blissful confection for the better part of the past three weeks.  I use honey (finding local honey is the best option, not only does it seem to taste better but you can find some interesting variations to flavour your bowl with) and I buy a large tub of Liberté plain and weigh out 6oz per serving, so I get about 3-4 servings out of the tub.  You can use any brand you like, I just happen to be partial to Liberté.  I also tend to use regular chocolate chips since the minis aren’t as easy to find, and probably end up eating more than this particular recipe calls for.  All in all this is what my version looks like:

6oz Liberté plain greek yogurt

1tbsp peanut butter

1tbsp honey

1/4tsp vanilla extract

40g milk chocolate chips

According to the recipe builder I used, a single serving clocks in at roughly 496cal, 22g fat, 54g carbs, 22g protein and 48g of sugar.  Yeah, it’s a sugar bomb, probably from the regular chips but if you don’t have a medical reason to worry about your sugar numbers making substitutes probably isn’t necessary.  Adjust as you see fit, though.  This will definitely keep you full though!

Healthblog: 47lbs down

I’ve been on this weight loss journey on and off since May 2017, though it would be fair to say I’ve been more off than on.  Losing weight is simple but not easy, doing what you have to do can be a pain.  Weighing everything gets tedious, sometimes not thinking about what you’re going to eat is more attractive than planning it out.  Meal prepping and planning can take a lot of work.  And losing 1lb a week when you have quite a lot to go can just make your goal feel soooo faaar awaaay.  So yeah, I’ve fallen off the wagon a few times.

Once I came out of the clusterf*ck of the past few months I got back on it.  Dusted off the ol’ food scale, put my food down and got back to it.  I think where I failed the past few times to stay on top of things is just the lack of discipline, and that’s a hard thing to build because it seems there’s no real way to say how to do it.  It’s almost like you just have to be at that point mentally where you can push yourself at it and repeat it over and over until it’s just habit.  It’s just what you do.  I feel like I’m finally at that point now, and the proof is in the pudding; consistent weight loss that has brought me down to a total of 47lbs lost since I started in 2017.  I’ve been maintaining anywhere between 3-5lbs a month which has been fantastic and if I can keep it up I can get pretty damn close to goal by the end of the year.  And that’s pretty exciting.

-artist unknown

On the Upswing

For the first time in, well geez quite a number of months methinks, that I feel I can actually possibly breathe a sigh of relief.  Finally.  Struggling really wears you down and you really don’t see how much that actually effects you, truly, until you start to come out of it and can see what you can do again.

I’m not going to get into particulars, one because that’s a privacy I prefer to maintain and two it doesn’t matter at this point anyway.  But I will say it’s probably the lowest I’ve ever been ever and I was honestly preparing for the worst.  And I am insanely grateful that the worst didn’t happen.  I literally lived that saying ‘good things fall apart so better things can fall together’ especially the last couple of months.  Good things definitely fell apart – but better things are certainly falling together now.  And boy did I learn a few things along the way.

I’m not out of the woods yet, though I can certainly see the edge so to speak.  There are a few commitments that I have to stick to which is fine.  I can manage them.  Now I’m in the process of putting my life back together, except better.  Things of which I actually plan to blog about in the coming days and weeks.  It’s going to be a complete life overhaul and am definitely going to take steps to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.

If I had to share anything about this experience, it’s this: keep fighting.  Even when the odds are completely against you.  Even when you’re tired.  When you’re stressed.  When you feel like there’s no strength left.  Fight anyway.  It’s never over.

Blogmas Day 29 – Happy Ending part 2

The rescue lady who picked Buddy up came back over today to drop off a humane trap for the other cat.  After showing me how to use it she told me what had happened to him after she picked him up.

He got an immediate vet check and was determined to be about 5 years old, definitely intact male (as I knew he was).  It meant sadly though that there was a possibility that he’d been out for almost that long since he hadn’t been fixed but I’m kind of doubting that.  A lot of people just don’t get their animals fixed.  But he settled in quite fast and they got to see that sweet cuddly side I did which made me super happy.  Sometimes fear can get the best of an animal, and I knew once he had gotten comfortable with me that if he didn’t have a family missing him, he’d easily find one.  He was just too sweet.  So he got his shots and got fixed and was settling well, and they are going to continue to see if he does have a family missing him somewhere, and if not he’ll go up for adoption.  I keep checking the site and facebook page to see if/when he comes up on their social media.  If we didn’t have so many animals, and if Zachary wasn’t such a territorial butt, I’d have kept him.  Or at least fostered him.

We also have a set plan for the grey missy.  I have to let her know when I’m planning to trap her so that the cat can be picked up immediately since you don’t leave a cat in those traps too long.  She’ll get seen by a vet and from there we’re going to see what to do with her.  She offered some measure of assistance if it’s determined the cat is truly feral and will be returned outside in which I’ll be acting as her caretaker (I already am, to a degree).  But I think the more promising plan is for me to foster her.  Since she’s so skittish the lady is going to get me a large dog crate, one that will be big enough for a small litter box and food and water bowl and have kitty stay in that for a bit.  Then hopefully she’ll get comfortable that I can then let her out in a room, and go from there.  The hope is that she’s not so feral or skittish that she can’t adapt to a home environment and I truly believe she can, she just needs time.  At least with me working with the rescue as opposed to trying on my own I have more support and guidance.  Plus I think the readiness in which they’re willing to get her in for a vet checkup and possibly a spay surgery if she needs it is because she has a foster to go to.  So as much as I absolutely hate that she’s outside in this damn cold and snow despite clearly wanting to be inside, she won’t be outside for much longer.  She’s hunkering down somewhere close, I give her plenty to eat and a blanket so her little paws get a break from the snow while she eats and the shed is open to her.  It’s the best I can do for now and that has to be enough.

Blogmas Day 28 – Winter Veil

My favourite World of Warcraft holiday, although I wish there was more to do every year.  I love the holidays because they bring the player base around a little more, everyone breaks out the holiday toys and you can always be sure that there are players around to help you do daily quests.  And of course every location, even the most remote of places, get all dressed up with wreaths and lights and trees.  Warlords, as shitty as an expansion as that was, even gave us the option to decorate our garrisons with all sorts of goodies.  Decorations, a dancing snowman, even getting to dress up your guards in holiday garb.  I still hate the female holiday suits though, they’re stupid and ridiculous and in serious need of a revamp.  It’s one of those stupid things where the item on a male character is a reasonable outfit and the same item on a female results in a stupidly tiny skirt and a top that just barely covers her boobs.  Seriously.  If they could reverse that one year without telling anyone, that would be absolutely hilarious.

I’m going to aim for finally getting my holiday title this year.  The last achievement I need is a PVP achievement, and I’m super terrible at PVP so it’s a challenge.  But I managed to do it for Halloween, I’m sure I can do it for this.  It’s only 50 players instead of 10, how hard could that be?  I’ll pick off players in the Dalaran Sewers just like I did last time, hehe.

Blogmas Day 27 – Happy Ending

It’s been a good day.

The lady who contacted me yesterday about coming over to scan Buddy (the name I’ve given to the stray boy) was good to her word.  He had since warmed up to being inside and was his cuddly self, though went and hid understandably when she came in.  She had brought a carrier which surprised me but I didn’t think much on it.  Unfortunately Buddy didn’t have a chip which kind of put me back at square one with trying to figure out if he has a home or not.  He’s intact, which could mean either he had been lost for awhile and had owners who either hadn’t gotten him fixed yet or didn’t want to, or he got booted out because they didn’t want to spend the money on a surgery and he was spraying.  Neither of which is good, but at least the former would have meant someone was missing him.  Anyway after we determined there was no chip she told me some great news – she had managed to convince a rescue who was already taking six kitties from a nearby vet to take him as well!  I can’t quite adequately put into words how happy it made me to know I wouldn’t have to face the dilemma of keeping him locked up in a room or putting him back out, neither of which I wanted to do.  So knowing he was going somewhere where he’d be safe and warm and could crash until either owners were located or he could be put up for adoption thrilled me.  I hate that we have such a stray problem in this city and so many of these poor guys are stuck out in the cold when they should be inside somewhere warm.

She also talked to me about the other stray kitty that I’ve been feeding.  She and Buddy hung out pretty much all the time and I figured they were probably keeping each other warm, which made me hate my inability to get her inside all the more.  I figured if he was in with her, she’d relax a little more.  She said she would bring over a live trap and ensure I know how to use it, and went over how to set a feeding schedule for her to make it easier to trap her.  The whole process is expected to take about a week from setting the feeding schedule to putting the trap out, so thankfully kitty won’t be out for much longer.  The goal is to get her to come around during the day so that she can be here when I trap the kitty.  So good news at last.  I’d been unsuccessful trying to get a rescue’s help for her on my own, I guess I just needed the right person to cross my path.

Blogmas Day 26 – Rest Day

Did very little today, and glad for it.

The pain in my back is literal hell, so I sucked up what ended up being a painfully uncomfortable car ride for some Voltaren and coffee.  So far it hasn’t done much yet, hoping it just needs time.  I would have stayed in bed all day if that wasn’t a monumentally bad idea.  You don’t want to be lying down too much or moving very little with sciatic pain, which kind of sounds weird but really the longer you’re down the worse the pain gets.  You now you’ve pushed it when it’s impossible to bend without your back screaming at you and having a incredible time of trying to even do it.  Movement helps to loosen things, although you can’t overdo it either.  Thank goodness there’s no snow expected for the next few days.

There are plenty of leftovers today from our Christmas Eve feast so that’s been the food for the day.  Unfortunately no leftovers from the turkey which bites.  Mom’s considering getting a second smaller turkey and I’m not inclined to talk her out of it.  It’s funny how something can be so part of your routine that when you don’t have it or do it you feel like something’s missing.  And who doesn’t love turkey leftovers?

Actually I did a little more than just the coffee and Voltaren run.  This sweet stray boy I’ve been caring for has been brought inside for the night because of this cold snap.  He’s been coming in to warm up for awhile, and at first my kitties weren’t bothered by him.  Curious, but not bothered and he wasn’t bothered by them.  So I’d let him in to eat, warm up, have a snooze and then reluctantly put him back outside.  He made good use of my shed, but if I had the extra money I’d have gotten him to the vet and once assured of a clean bill of health kept him inside.  Anyway, tangent.  Zachary soon decided he didn’t like this guy indoors and I sequestered him to the spare room, checking on him regularly and giving him food and water.  A rescuer contacted me and he’ll be getting scanned tomorrow, so hoping he has a chip and I can get him home.  He’s too sweet to be outside.  I just wish I could have gotten his ‘girlfriend’ in too, but she’s super skittish and won’t come near the door.  No idea what I’m going to do about her, but for now she’s hiding out somewhere and I feed her plenty every day, it’s all I can do right now.

Blogmas Day 25 – Merry Christmas

Boy what a long day!

Still hurting like hell, but we got up, packed up the breakfast Mom made last night and the turkey and the presents for the kids, grabbed coffee and headed over to my sister’s.  It’s so much easier with the three kids to do gifts there than here (and the toys would have to be taken over there anyway).  The kids were still on their high from gifts with their parents so keeping them from attacking the packages was a task, haha.  But they’re good kids.  Amon got a giant The Batman Movie lego set, and a smaller one that was Mr. Freeze and his giant mech.  Leah got a 3 piece set of a stroller, a chair and a diaper bag for her dolls (and Puppy, no doubt) My Little Pony themed of course and another giant My Little Pony castle, and Ethan got a Batman lego set for his age bracket and a Pup Patrol lookout tower that’s practically as tall as him.  Needless to say I am so glad that thing isn’t at my house!  All the sounds, oh my gods.  I’m sure my sister is once again grateful for having a finished basement where all those toys can go to.  So while he was having a ball sending his pups down the giant slide and turning the Lookout Tower and Leah was zipping her stroller all around the house Amon and I set to building some of his lego sets.  I forgot how much fun those things were, I may need to get myself some in the New Year.  I put on A Garfield’s Christmas while we worked at it and it was fun to see him getting into it.  He’s quite picky about what he watches so it’s nice that I can share something like that I’ve always loved with him.

After a couple hours and getting the turkey on we went home for a bit, then went back for dinner which turned into a longer night than I think anyone anticipated.  I didn’t want to spoil the visit by leaving early (though I really wanted to, I hurt like hell by this point) but you get into conversations and then next thing you know it’s 11pm.  It was fun but I’m definitely paying for it now.  Going straight to bed and not doing a damn thing tomorrow except getting coffee.