Note to Self.....

Happy 2018

So it’s been about a year and a half since I last actually posted here. I did do a test post about a year ago but it had no content so it doesn’t really count.

I remember back, years ago, when blogging, every day, was one of my number one priorities. I Had a lot of followers and I followed a lot of bloggers myself. I really enjoyed that kind of record keeping or validation of my day-to-day life. I posted about all kinds of things. I posted about scrapbooking, (digital and paper,) things I’ve shopped for, recipes I tried or wanted to try, inspirational music and quotes and lots and lots of pictures of my life through my love of the Art Of Photography. It was a different and unique perspective on life, my life, all my own.

My life is so much different now my "inner self" is a different person and my outer self, probably, as well, if that's a thing. I'm older, I've experienced more. I've grown through those experiences and my life perspective reflects that. I don't know what I want this to be but I know I want to go back to the place of "Blog happiness and contentment"....maybe even call it therapy lol. I have made attempts over the years to get started again but just wasn't able to, for reasons I know now and I'm sure reason I will still discover. But I hope to make it my happy place. Recording and sharing my like happiness.

So Stay tuned #DontCallItAComeBack

I'm off to figure out how to link this post to my Facebook.

 

 

 

Happy Day Peeps 

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Whole 30 day ?

Actually day 23

I had to look at my calendar to know for sure. Is that good or bad? All I know is that I have one more week! But more important I have lots of new/old stuff to wear. You aren't supposed to weigh yourself on the whole 30 plan so I don't know how much weight I have lost but I could guess based on how and what clothing items fit and I'm pleased with that with a week still to go.

All that's great but I am more content with the fact that I have found new energy and enthusiasm in my domestic duties, I'm not ashamed to admit that I usually lack in that area. It is the first thing to get put to the bottom of an endless list. But not lately, I have organized and purged almost every nook and cranny of  my home, over the last couple of weeks. I still have stuff on the list but I will get to them soon enough, believe me.

It feels good for so many reasons but most of all because of my pending surgery. I can just be terrified for the surgery and not be worried about the terrifying  condition of my dwelling to recover in.

I have also got a system down for general errands and organization. Something to be said for planning instead of always running by the seat of my pants. When you don't procrastinate you don't have to feel guilty about the time you are resting or just enjoying your life. It makes a huge difference and the more I incorporate these habits the more I want to, because the reward is so worth it. I swear all this energy and positive thinking comes form my brain not being clogged by an endless supply of sugar and carbohydrates.

This has brought me to a place much different than where I was weeks ago. For instance, just thinking about day 31 brings up a whole bunch of concerns and my thinking is so much different now. But that's a blog post for next time...until then Ill leave you with pic from my phone..... 

 

It's the little thing like a jar full of homemade mayo that just make my day.....

Baked Sweet Potato medallions with cinnamon, nutmeg and olive oil!

 

Potato and Squash Soup!

That's all peeps

M.E.

Finding The Divine Goddess Within

Not Whole 30 related. I'm taking a break form that today (Not from the plan just from blogging about it).

This is about a seminar I attended last weekend called Finding The Divine Goddess Within And Deepening the Divine

Yea I already consider myself a Goddess and I love that my friends, family, and coworkers refer to me as "Goddess", but that really stems from one of my Jobs (More on that another time).

This was something different, this a day was about drawing from the teachings of Feminine Archetypes. Christine Laplante hosted the event , I absolutely love her. I have been amazed by her and her energy not to mention her knowledge of all things spiritual, since the very first moment I met her. I really mean that literally. It was January 2014 I remember it like it was yesterday LOL, Christine had the ability to calm my nervous energy without even speaking a word. I remember saying to her "you have a curious kind of calming effect on me. I love your energy". Normally that would invoke a response of a polite, "oh"? and then thoughts like "yup she's crazy" but instead she said: "yup , I get that a lot". We stood together amidst the crowd, for a few more minutes , in silence,  but that day went on to become a big game changer for me for so many reasons and it started out with Christine. 

I attended her seminar for the first time back in Nov. 2014 and when I found out she was doing it again with a plus "part two" I signed up immediately.

 Finding The Divine Goddess Within And Deepening the Divine was a day filled with Meditation, clarity and peace for me. We did several exercises including the Goddess Rating Test. It is designed to see what Goddesses you personally identify with, through a series of questions. We did it last time too and I found that this time my numbers changed a little but still are high with Aphrodite and Hera. I like that! I have a very loving energy but can pull out my politically sportive wife mode at a moments notice. LOL

We made Goddess Guardians....This .....

 Turned in to THIS.... I love her so much...I still need to paint her but I'm not feeling that yet.

 

 

Here is the one I made back in Nov..

 

And here is my first Guardian, made by Christine.

 

Lots of Beautiful connection and creation made that day..... 

Thank you, Christine for another great memory... 

That's all Peeps...

Happy Weekend...

M.E.

Day 15

I cant believe I've made it this far! Now I know I will survive the 30 days. I am even surprising myself with thoughts of a plan starting on day 31. I feel really good. (Aside from my neck pain) In fact I haven't felt this good in a long time. I feel myself changing on the outside and on the inside.

My clothes are fitting better and I have energy I haven't felt in years. Joe's comment to me yesterday evening was: "Mimi, your shot right out of cannon". Yup I was literally emptying kitchen cabinets and re-organizing one by one. I no longer need 20 min power naps during the day and when I go to sleep at night, I do just that, SLEEP!

I love it....

I am trying something new this week, in food shopping, meal planning and food prepping. As you all know I have been flying by the seat of my pants since I started this. So Sunday morning I got up, through a Beef Stew in the crock pot and made a grocery list. Hey what a concept.... In less that an hour from the time I left my house until I was putting groceries away, I did this....

Right? Amazing!

Than I spent the next 2 hours in the kitchen prepping and planning for the week. I didn't do every thing, as far as prepping, but I accomplished quite a bit to insure that food is ready to minimally prepare throughout the day and evening. I'm so excited to get back to my normal pace of run in and run out and not spend every spare moment prepping so I can eat. I don't want to have to think about how long I need to eat (actually prepare to eat).

Yesterday was a whole 30 record time of how long it took to prepare and eat my dinner. It was great! I stayed up until after 9 pm (I know not late but late for me. I do get up at 5:00am) continuing on my master organization plan. I don't know what the drive is, maybe a combination of being organized in the kitchen, since every meal I eat is completely created there, or also my need to prepare to be down and out "post op" next month. I know Whole 30 calls the energy "Tiger Blood" and I sure do have it, perfectly timed I might add. Either way it is giving me peace of mind except it seems the completion of every project creates the need for another. A domino effect so to speak. Either way its going be great if I ever finish LOL

Well, that's pretty much all for now...I know kinda boring But know that I'm going start some general blogging soon. I'm feeling it. I'm lugging my camera out of the house even, these days. Yup I have some stuff to to share...Coming soon....

Until then....

My new favorite Whole 30 approved beverage, I started out by splashing it with juiced apple and ginger and a little pure cranberry juice....Now I just drink it straight pretty much ....

Here's the beautiful fruit salad I made Sunday, during food prep to bring to My Sissy's house for our Jafra party....(I have more pics of that for later)....

And while everyone sipped their wine I had my Peach LaCroix with a splash of cran!

Happy Tuesday, Peeps......M.E.

 

Day 11!

I'm almost half way there!

For the most part I am feeling pretty good. I did go through some sugar/carb withdrawal around days 4,5,6 and 7. I woke up with muscle aches and headaches that were pretty bad on a couple days. But as of now, I wake up with only my usual neck pain (which I'll save for a post on another day). 

And when I say wake up I really mean it as I'm sleeping so soundly all of sudden. I really feel rested with I start my day and my energy is slowly increasing day by day. It feels good! 

I am still struggling with food prep and planning. It really just needs to come down to creating meals that will refurbish or just act as plain old leftovers for a couple meals after. I'm  totally OK with this too, as that's how we eat in my home anyway. Everyone is in and out, on the go, it's easy to just heat something up out of the fridge for 1 or 2 or 3..... or even better yet, grab and go.

It's the planing I have to critique. Time management, this is what my life is a chronic slave to. There is just not enough time in the day to do what I need and WANT to get done!

This weekends goal is to plan a menu for 4 to 7 days out, and then shop, and prep. I think if that can happen, things will feel more smooth next week.

My other issue is drinking! And I don't mean the lack of Alcohol (although I do miss my wine). I mean any beverage at all. I have only had water and coffee (either black or blended with coconut cream, which is made from refrigerated coconut milk. The cream rises to the top and is a chalky like substance that needs to be blended in. It does not change the taste of the black coffee but it makes the texture a little creamier) for the past 11 days. Oh and I've had a couple of ginger shots too. Don't let the word shot fool you (I'll explain in the picture section of this post).

So I may need to try some tea....but I'm not hopeful as a did this a few months back with no luck. I'm just not a tea girl, no matter how hard a try.

 So on to the visual experience....

About my Ginger Shots.....

I am about 30 days pre-op at this point. Ginger is a wonderful thing. It does so much, but particularly it is a natural antibiotic. I am one of those people that is at constant risk of infection do to a condition I have called diverticulitis. The two infections I have had in the past came coincidentally right around July/Aug. (could be just a coincidence but maybe not) So I figure a daily ginger shot can only work in my favor. I make them in my juicer with ginger root. Ginger will juice quite potently and I would not recommend drinking it straight, it will burn!  I put about a teaspoon in the bottom of shot glass sized cup and then add regular juice. Sometime I just add Tropicana 50 or something, but for the sake of Whole 30, I juiced some apples to add. When you shoot it, it does feel like a shot because it has some kick to it, believe me...maybe that's why it feels so effective to me LOL

check it out....the picture makes it looks big but it is just a tiny little cup :)

So Tuesday (during my booking blitz) I didn't have time to hang in the kitchen so on my lunch break I made tuna, with homemade mayo...took it on the go...back to work...

Tuesday Night while I was still pressed for time between phone calls...I prepped some more veggies and had it again...so good....

Wednesday night I had to commute to RI for a meeting, in rush hour traffic, so I came up with another idea. Pepper Tuna Mini Sandwiches, to eat in the car on my way ( I couldn't finish all this). This is what I mean by refurbishing. I could never get sick of bell peppers I love them ( I did minus the onion in the tuna on these so as not to offend at the meeting  LOL.....

So I have a plan for next week. It is going to require some time and planning. So I hope it can all get done. 

For now...Happy Weekend Peeps....I'll check in soon.


 

 

I brushed the dust off my camera!

But not off my editing program. Be forewarned as creative as I feel in my kitchen with my camera in hand, I did not edit a single picture and to me, that is half the fun. But that can turn into a black hole I don't have time for. So raw, straight off the camera is all I can commit to right now.

Anyway..... this a long post only because of the pictures, but I enjoyed all asspects of the creation of this post, sooooo

Lets talk about Days 4, 5, 6, 7

I'm over lapping a little because I had tech difficulties loading the pictures on to the computer over the weekend (format issues or something stupid like that) I eventfully figured it out... so I need to recap just a bit. 

Shopping!

I do this everyday. I pretty much always have. This is one challenge to the Whole 30 journey for me. If I could just plan and prep, for at least a few days, things would be easier. I'm sure I'll will get to that eventually but for now I'm still flying by the seat of my pants. This may be a deeper issue than what appears on the surface...a post for another time perhaps. Sticking to the subject of Whole 30 right now.

 

Moving on to more exiting things! MAYO! 

 

Yup. I bought one of these Saturday AND I made mayo....I know I know its very exciting!

 

 

I added lemon to the first batch but have since eliminated on the second one this morning. Couple reasons, taste, color, and I think consistency was effected in ways that I didn't find totally pleasing.

 

Never the less. It worked good enough and I was still very excited about it because......

 

I made THIS! Yes, yummy potato salad, even Joe liked it LOL

 

And then I created this yummy dinner to go with it on Friday night......

 

Saturday Morning I had to pack rations. So another new prize, I bought, came in handy....

 

Saturday Dinner was leftovers recreated...half a burger and some of the potatoes I prepared for the potato salad before the mayo. Along with a fried egg and a few slices of avocado! Mind you I have not finished the food on my plate even once since I started Whole 30 LOL!

 

I'll slip in my Saturday Morning Yard sale find...

 

This beautiful antique bowl.....(add my new "bowl obsession" to my scarf and bag issues)

 

Container are important when you run around like I do all day. I would not survive Whole 30 without my packed food. This one is one of my favorites. It was a gift from my boss, Tina. I just love it. This part in the middle stores in the freezer.

 

Cute little containers fit nicely and are kept cold.

 

Perfect little covers. 

 

The bottom collapses when your done with it, for neat space saving storage. 

 

All packs up nice and tight.

 

Fits perfectly in my "31 lunch bag".

 

And now moving on to last night dinner. I cant even believe I made this....I'll be having the leftover for lunch.

I peeled, cut, and cooked this butternut squash...YES I DID!

 

 

While it was boiling I made almond crusted chicken tenders to lay over a bed of dressed greens.

 

And yes this is the results of my cooking time in the kitchen last night....but soooo worth it!

 

I'm going leave you with that....I'll be back soon.

See ya Peeps,

M.E.

Day 5

Woke up with another "whole30" hangover this morning. But I have no time for that....had my blended coffee with coconut cream, a couple Tylenol and a banana and I was off to start my day. I started off at my friend's neighborhood yard sale. I thought I would search there for a couple small appliances and gadgets I need to aid me in my food journey.

No luck, so I moved on to Bed Bath and Beyond with my 20% off "one item" coupon in hand. I ended up purchasing MORE than one item....but not everything I wanted so I had some restraint. Eventually I'll get back with another coupon LOL. 

So all day today I've been running around with snacks in my purse ...lunch on the go consisted of raisins, almonds and hard boiled egg. (I love that for breakfast too).

I don't have much time to blog today, I have more errands to run still. But just want to stop in and say I feel pretty good on day 5. I was graving something to comfort me last night after work. Ya know, Friday night..maybe dinner out and a glass of wine...but I was to busy to dwell to long. I was out the door to get in "Goddess Mode" with my raw veggies, Boars Head rotisserie chicken, and my infused water. It was all good. 

Tonight's goal is to make Mayo with my new hand blender, since my last attempt( in the bullet) was a major fail. I have a special dinner in mind, so I'll reveal later if I have success.

I'll leave you with shots of my beautiful infused water....

It looks way better than it actually is LOL. But it will do and I'm getting used to it.

Oh and here is my blended coconut cream coffee (also looking good but....LOL)

So that's all for now...I'll be back soon....

M.E.

 

 

And so it begins....

Ok! So here I am. I hope you all come back and hang out again.

As my followers, from years past, know...I've been struggling for years now with a purpose and reason to blog. Gone are the days when I took pictures of of my baby and my sisters' babies all day long. I had lots of adventures to photograph and Blog about. The story of the Canavans and the fun things we did.

My life is so different now. The kids are bigger, and busy with their own lives. Its not appropriate to chase them around with my camera anymore. In fact I don't carry it around with me like I used to. It's a good thing phone cameras have come so far or I would never record with pictures anymore and have nothing to scrapbook ever again LOL.

Joe and I still have our adventures and my days our still very full, as I have 3 jobs! (I will fill you all in with those details later) Don't get me wrong, my life it is still very exciting and busy of course :) ...I'm into this and that. Always on to the next thing that keeps me busy. I like to say the next "Conga Line" to join or more importantly "start" and "LEAD" LOL!

 So here is it ....I have lots going on and lots of new stuff to talk about but for the next month or so I'm going focus on "The Food Experiment" I am into. It's called Whole 30. My main objective, as far as blogging goes, is to have a record and diary of my experience. So I figured I would kill two birds with one stone and do all that here. I have content and inspiration and it's made me pick up my camera again (at home anyway) to photograph food at lease. So here's is the just of it:

 

In a nut shell.....Certain food groups (like sugar, grains, dairy and legumes) could be having a negative impact on the way I feel from day to day. I have some digestive issues that give me belly ache almost daily. So most likely my issues could be food related, even though I feel like I generally eat “healthy” stuff. So according to the program the way to figure it all out is to eliminate MOST things and press the reset button on your body and digestive system and the way you think about food. The program creators  say that 30 days is a good period of time to cleanse and heal. To just strip these questionable foods from your diet completely. Its also a psychological retraining as well. After the 30 days are over you start to slowly incorporate certain foods back into your diet and keep track of how of how the food effects you.

So Today is Day 4:

I posted this on my Facebook yesterday....

 I would say Day 1 is accurate no biggie just had to think and plan a little about my day. Day 2 the same but I was reading the book like crazy and planning my game plan for next week as my menu has been limited and I fear boredom will set in. Cooking and food prep are not my strong points LOL.

Day 3 (yesterday) I was a little groggy and I had a little headache for most of the day. 

Today I woke up like a Mack truck hit me. After my shower, coffee with blended coconut cream, and a couple of Tylenol, I felt a little bit better. I'm OK now but ready for lunch since breakfast was right at 7:00am when I got to work LOL

For the most part its going OK. I miss wine, but not as much I thought I would. I miss all my beverages I drink through the day in general. Although I have been experimenting with my juicer and some infusing and spritzing to spice up my water (not drinking straight glasses of juice just spritzing) I have an apple/ginger/lemon/pineapple concoction I was fond of last night....This morning ....not so much.

But all in all I feel strong and excited to see where this will take me.

 So stay tuned to the journey with me...if you want.

See ya peeps :)

Good Morning Peeps, Yes it me again. This time I mean it...I think.

I think I have found some inspiration and something to blog about, at least for the next thirty day or so. So Here it Goes...stay tuned!