Contemplating Lent

Well, it's that time of year again.  Lent is right around the corner, and I'm trying to decide what my Lenten practice will be for 2019.

In recent years, I've given up sugar and artificial sweeteners (that one was SO hard!!), potatoes (not as hard, but became an issue when the chipstand opened and I had to order onion rings instead of fries with everything...I got so sick of onion rings lol), and last year, I gave up chips and one item of clothing from my closet each day.  I also always contribute coins each day to my Lenten coin box that they hand out at church.

This year, I've been toying with several ideas.  I know it may not be a super spiritual or religious connection, but I often try to use Lent as an opportunity to better myself health-wise.  And Lord, do I need that this year.  I have become a junk food addict, and while I've tried to get my butt moving a bit more in 2019, it's still a rare day that I hit 10,000 steps on the ol' Fitbit.  I need something to jump-start a more healthy, active way of living, and if Lent is the reason, then so be it.

I toyed with the idea of trying a Keto diet for 40 days.  But I looked up the Keto diet, and dudes, there ain't no way in hell I can do that.  Carbs are my boyfriend.  I'm having a hard time getting ANY vegetables into my diet these days, and I'm not a huge meat fan to begin with.  The little good food I DO eat is fruit, and I can't have that on Keto.  So... no dice.  No way I could do it.

I was also thinking I would do the closet cleaning challenge again, removing one item from my closet a day for the duration of Lent - because my closet needs a SERIOUS clean-out in the most desperate way. However, my friend Lindsay says she wants to come over and Marie Kondo my closet for me (with me?) - and I know that will get the job done a lot faster.  So I think I will save that for her, because she seems to get some kind of weird joy out of this? I have no idea why. ;)

So, after much ruminating and thought, I have decided to do the following:

• Give up chips/junky snacks.  It's rare for an evening to go by without me dipping into the junk that I have piled up on top of my fridge.  I want to clear that fridge off, and rid my life of salty snacks.  No more chips and dip.  No more Doritos.  No more Cheesies.  GONE.
• Start my day with 30 minutes of activity, 6 days a week.  I have loads of options for half-hour workouts on DVD, and is 30 minutes really too much to ask?  I heard them talking about a study on the radio the other day where they said starting your day with 30 minutes of moderate exercise can help decrease high blood pressure and often even eliminate the need to medicate for high blood pressure.  I figure it's worth a shot, and I spend half an hour each morning scrolling through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.  It will be better to put the phone down and just get up and get some steps in.

Now, how will this go?  The chips I know I can handle.  I've done it before.  I did it last year.  And it's not a huge adjustment, like going Keto would be.  It's just ridding my life of evening snacking, which is something I really need to do anyways.  That part, I think I can keep under control.

The exercising part?  Eeek.  That's the one I'm worried about.  I decided to "test drive" it this week, and I have yet to make myself get up early to work out. LOL!  Not once!!  I am not a morning person, and this week has been so cold, crawling out from my warm, cozy haven is a chore.  That said, I did bust out one of those dusty old videos on Tuesday after work and I actually really enjoyed doing it again.  Last night I had Pound, and tonight I have curling.  So I have actually exercised more this week than I have in ages... just not first thing in the morning.  BUT... the mornings are getting brighter, and surely to God this cold snap will be the last for this winter.  By next week, I should be just skipping out of my bed at 6 AM like a spring daisy, right?  Right?!?

We'll see, but the scientific side of me wants to put the "30 minutes of moderate exercise first thing in the morning" theory to the test.  I am on medication for high blood pressure, and I'd like to see if I could ease off of it a little.  This isn't even about wanting to lose weight, really.  It's about wanting to feel better in my own skin, and not feeling sluggish, having sore knees, and worrying about my heart health.  If I lost some weight, great, but I just want to FEEL good again, even just a little bit better than I do now.  I already set my alarm for half an hour before I have to get up, so it's not that huge a leap to just get up and exercise instead of lying in bed for half an hour "waking up" and checking my phone.

I can do this.

I CAN DO THIS!!!

Have you been thinking about Lent?  What are thinking of giving up, or mindfully doing, for 40 days?

Another random stuff post. 'Cause that's all I do.

I know, lately it seems I only pop in once every couple of weeks with a random smattering of what I'm doing, reading, cooking, watching, and listening to... but here we go again.

• So, as I mentioned in my last post, I caught a cold.  A week ago today I thought was my "worst day".  I was very low energy and felt cruddy.  On Thursday I deemed myself much better, my energy was back and aside from some snuffles, I felt great.  I curled that night, and then woke up the next morning with no voice.  Like, zip.  I don't know if it was the dampness of the curling rink or what, but my voice was totally gone.  Really, the worst of the cold symptoms had passed, but not having a voice all weekend made it sound much worse than it was.  Thankfully it came back on Monday so it was short-lived silence from me. ha!
• The last couple of Saturdays, we've gone to my sister and brother-in-law's to enjoy some outdoor winter fun.  They have a perfect set-up - a little rink, a nice sliding hill in their back yard, and a nice big yard in general to play in, all set against the beautiful back-drop of the Gatineau Hills.  On Saturday, some of us girls went snowshoeing.  After trekking around the yard a few times, we decided to head off into the bush.  I was following my (skinny) sister who was just prancing along on the upper crust of the snow, while I (not skinny) was sinking a good two feet with each step.  We weren't even out of their yard yet when I took a step and sunk in snow up to my chest.  No matter which way I turned or flopped, I could not seem to get myself loose and each movement seemed to only make me sink even further.  I'm sure it was quite a sight to see, me flopping around in the snow.  And it was one of those situations where nobody could help.  I just had to wriggle myself free and figure it out.  I finally did get myself hoisted out of my deep snow hole and crawled to the road a short distance away.  Needless to say... my snowshoeing was done for the day.
  
• Oh, that above story could have been much worse, but I'm happy to report that my knee issues I've been dealing with for a few weeks have subsided.  I got a Rub A535 cream for stiff joints and it seemed to work wonders.  And thank God, because if my knee was still bum, I'd have never been able to crawl out of that snow hole!!!
• Sunday was a miserable day of freezing rain, rain, sleet, snow... you name it, we got it.   Church was cancelled, and I had no voice anyways, so I hunkered down for another one of those "hibernation days".  Crocheting, puzzling, Game of Thrones, reading, napping...and then, in the evening, The Oscars.  I managed to stay awake to watch Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper perform (ooh-la-la!  They were amazing, and I NEED them to be a real couple!!!) - and then promptly fell asleep.  It seemed to be a lackluster year for the Oscars, without a host and with me having only seen A Star Is Born of the nominated films.  I must say though, I am anxious to see Bohemian Rhapsody now.  It doesn't sound like I missed much by falling asleep half-way through though.
  
• So during my "hibernation day" on Sunday, I finished reading The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris.  It took me less than a week to read this book, which is saying something.  I don't read fast.  What an amazing, gripping true story from the Holocaust.  It also gave me a new perspective into what life was like in concentration camps.  Lale's view of things as the tattooist was a way of looking at things that I had never read before.  Still horrifying and deeply disturbing, of course, but it was a look inside the camps that I found very intriguing.  I definitely recommend the book.
  
• So that's 3 book club books down, 3 more to go.  I'm now well into The Home for Unwanted Girls by Joanna Goodman, which was slow to start but I'm now really getting into it.  Interestingly, the story is set in my home province of Quebec, and tells the story of a teenage girl growing up in the late '40's in a home where her father is English and her mother is French.  Ironically, her father has always encouraged her to stay away from the French, and yet of course, she's in love with the boy next door who is French.  I'm really just getting into it as Maggie and Gabriel are falling in love, but it has definitely hooked me.  I can't wait to get home to read more.
  
• Game of Thrones.  Ohhhhhh Game of Thrones.  I think in my last post I said I was almost done because Crave only had 5 seasons.  Well, the 6th season was added somewhere along the way, so no, I'm not done.  But I'm getting close.  And of course, now that I'm almost done, I can say that I'm really starting to get into it.  It's still not my favourite show ever, but I've become quite attached to the characters and I'm anxious to see what happens.  (I just watched the episode where Jon Snow is brought back to live, an event I remember causing quite a stir back when it actually happened, so it was cool to finally see what the fuss was all about.)
  
• I'm fairly certain my next show will be Big Little Lies, although I think I may take a pause to watch Dirty John on Netflix.  I watched two episodes a week or so ago, but I just can't seem to juggle more than one show, so I turned my attention back to GoT.  As much as I am now enjoying the show, I really can't wait to get into something that I LOVE watching and can't get enough of.  It's been a long time since I've had a real good binge, y'know?
  
• On Monday night, Jimmy Fallon celebrated his 5th anniversary of hosting The Tonight Show.  It was a little surreal to realize this.  I started following Jimmy not long before he took over the reins of The Tonight Show, and I remember his first show as if it was yesterday.  It was during the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, and I was so excited for him.  I've been watching the show faithfully ever since (PVR'd, the next day) and if he hadn't announced it was his 5th anniversary, I never would have guessed it's been that long.  I still think of him as "just starting out".  It's crazy and unsettling how fast time can fly by.
  
• On the crocheting front... I struggled to find another project after finishing the Call the Midwife blanket.  I have some yarn that I received in a "Mystery Santa Pack" back before Christmas that I wanted to try out and thought it was the perfect amount (3 balls of chunky yarn called Gemstone Stripes) to use for a shawl.  The first pattern I tried was boring so I ripped it out.  I made a few dish cloths in between to keep me going until I found another pattern to try.  This one is a C2C style cluster stitch, and it's turning out to be quite pretty.  I worked on it a lot on Monday afternoon while I watched the Trade Deadline show on TSN.  I call it my Faulty Mark Stone Prayer Shawl because I prayed while I crocheted away that the Sens would not trade my favourite player.  And it didn't work.  
  
• As for the Sens... I'm a fan.  I will always be a fan.  But man oh man, they are making it REALLY HARD right now.  The past two years, since that run to the Eastern Conference Final in 2017, have been dismal at best.  If Erik Karlsson wasn't the straw that broke the camel's back, this past week had to be.  And even at that... if they had lost Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel, but still managed to sign Mark Stone, I would have been okay.  But they didn't.  They lost all three of them. All three of their top scorers.  And they can preach to me all they want about a rebuild and how the future is so bright, but for me, nothing can replace Mark Stone.  He was my guy.  The closest thing I've had to a Wade Redden since... Wade Redden.  This one doesn't just hurt.  This one makes me so so mad.  I've tried to stay off the #MelnykOut bandwagon, because it seemed useless to me to rail on an owner when there's nothing we can do about who owns the team, but I've thrown my hat into the ring.  That guy is a total jerk, and he has to go.  And he can take that useless, condescending Pierre Dorion with him on his way out.  The Ottawa Senators haven't been around the league that long, but they have a history I was proud of, and these guys are throwing it all away.  It's no fun being a fan of the laughing stock of the league.  Something's gotta give, and in my eyes - and the eyes of majority of the fanbase - that something is Eugene Melnyk.
• I didn't even get a hint of a smile out of the video of Matt Duchene on the private jet with his wife and dog and new baby and Ryan Dzingel heading to Columbus.  The video of Mark Stone arriving in Vegas to the fanfare of a marching band, cheerleaders, and people dressed up as knights made me cringe.  They were a big shovel of salt in a gaping wound.  It is not a fun time to be a Sens fan.  No fun at all.
  

That's it for today, friends!  Have a good one!!

Life Lately - Take 2

The last post I did was a few weeks ago and it was one of these "life lately" things.  Not much new since then, but here's a random smattering of what's going on these days:

• I caught a cold.  Boooooooo. :(  I kind of knew it was coming, though.  I'd reached that point in the winter where I'd started to think I was invincible and I was kind of getting cocky about it, because I've been around so much of it and hadn't been catching it.  Never get too cocky when it comes to cold germs.  It's not a bad cold, just stuffed up and low-energy today.  Probably because I spent half the night guzzling water due to extreme dry, sand-paper mouth.  Blehhh.
• One day last week, I took the notion I wanted French Onion Soup.  I haven't had it in ages, and I've never actually made it myself.  I googled "The Best French Onion Soup recipe" and bought the ingredients, and ended up making it on Monday.  I wish I'd read the recipe a bit more carefully before starting, though, because it was a little too heavy on the seasonings/spices I think.  I didn't even put the full amount in that they called for, but it was calling for multiple tablespoons of garlic powder, thyme, and oregano, and also teaspoons full of salt, pepper, and basil.  It was too much, I think.  It was good, but a little too heavy in that department.  I looked up a recipe in my trusty Betty Crocker cookbook that called for much less and more simple seasonings - just salt, pepper, thyme, and a bay leaf.  I think the next time I'll try that instead.  
  
• Last night, I took the notion I wanted brownies.  Once again, not something I make very often.  And again, I googled "best brownie recipe" and went home to make them.  I told myself I'd bring leftovers to share at work.  This recipe I used turned out delicious, but the icing I put on was too thin and made a mess.  Sooo... I couldn't bring them in to share, they looked terrible.  Ooopsie.
• I finished the book Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt the other day, and I've now started our next book club selection, The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris.  Our book club selections are a little on the heavy side this year, and I'm looking forward to getting through them so I can read some lighter fare, hopefully by summer!  This one especially... I mean, I'm only 10 pages in, but I had to put it down last night because it was making me queasy.  I find Holocaust stories important and interesting, but some of it is so hard to read about, it makes me feel ill to know what those people endured.  I think of this man, a Slovakian Jew from an upstanding family, in his suit and tie, "dressed to impress" because he has no idea what is going to happen, being forced into a cattle car with all of these other people, forced to piss and shit in a bucket, treated worse than an animal.  Then arriving at the concentration camp, stripped of his clothing, hair sheared off, sent off into barbaric conditions while those who disobey are simply shot without hesitation... it's heart-wrenching, and it makes me feel so sad and upset to read about it.  I can't even imagine living it.
  
• It probably doesn't help that when I put down the heavy book and turn to the TV, I'm still wading through Game of Thrones.  I think there are only 5 seasons available on Crave, and I'm into that last season.  I have become a little more hooked as I go along, yet I'm looking forward to moving on to something...again, lighter.  Something with less blood.  Less beheadings.  Less incestuous love scenes.  *cringe*  I'm really wanting to try out The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel on Amazon Prime,  but I kind of want to watch more Crave shows so that I can cancel my subscription as quickly as possible.  While I'm very interested in a bunch of the shows, I'm so unimpressed with the set-up and quality of the streaming service.  It has been a terrible disappointment.
  
• When GoT gets to be too much, I do still flip over to Prime or Netflix to watch other specials or movies.  I watched Adam Sandler's 100% Fresh special on Netflix last week, and it made me both laugh and  cry.  I kind of have a crush on Adam Sandler now, believe it or not.  The song he sang at the end for his wife was just about the sweetest thing ever.  I also watched the documentary about the failed Fyre festival, and I watched a few episodes of Dirty John.  (And yes, I am aware how fortunate I am to have extra time in the winter for all this reading and TV time!!)
• I finished crocheting the baby blanket I was working on and gave it to my friend who is expecting at her shower on Sunday, and I was so pleased to hear that they loved it.  It was the first time I made the "Call the Midwife" blanket, and I was very happy with how it turned out.  Last night, I started working on a simple prayer shawl, because I haven't decided what "big" project I want to tackle next.  I thought I was just going to make some dish cloths and face scrubbies, but when I started into them the other day, I just wasn't feeling it so I set that aside for the time being.
  
• Had I mentioned in my last post that I messed up my knee?  I can't remember.  A few weeks ago, my left knee started acting funny.  I kind of treated it with extra gentle care for a few days, but it didn't seem to get any better.  Then I started forcing it to "work" again and it didn't seem to get any worse.  I got some Rub A535 ointment last Friday and it seems to be helping.  Fingers crossed that I'm on the mend!

Well, that's about all I've got for today.  I'll try to come back sooner than every few weeks!  

Life Lately

Hey folks!  We made it to February... Woo Hoo!  As a winter lover, it really didn't feel that bad to me, but I know many people are glad to have that long, cold, snowy January in the rearview mirror.

Here's a little of what's been up with me lately...

• As those of you who know me or follow me on social media know, my Uncle Garry passed away on January 26th.  He was my dad's older brother - my dad was born on Garry's second birthday - and they were very close, the best of friends.  Uncle Garry was also my godfather, and he has always lived just a few minutes away from us, a constant presence in my life. When Dad was sick and in the hospital that last month of his life, Uncle Garry visited pretty much daily, and was always there to drive Mom to the hospital if the weather was bad.  After Dad was gone, Uncle Garry was there when we needed him, checking in and taking care of us.  It's hard to now think of living in a world without both of them.  I am grateful for all of the memories, of Uncle Garry playing guitar and singing, the life of the party.  All of the times we went to the dump with him and Dad, and Uncle Garry would vouch for me and insist on stopping at the treat store even if Dad didn't want to.  I will always smile when I think of visiting him in the hospital on the eve of his 80th birthday.  The minister was visiting at the same time, and asked him when the party would be the next day because he wanted to be thinking of him during the time of celebration.  "6.  Yep.  6 AM.  That's when the party's starting, I'm gonna party all day.  Just like you, Gill." -(nickname given to me by my dad that I actually hate, but I allow it from certain family members, Garry being one of them).  We bid him farewell last Friday, and while it was a tough day, I couldn't help but feel consoled knowing that he and my dad are back together again.  There is also comfort in knowing that he gets to see his son Troy, who passed away suddenly in 2010.  I imagined all of the family up there gathering to welcome him, and they must have been so happy to see him.  Our loss is heaven's gain.  We will miss him.
  
  
  
  
• I've still been hunkering and hyggeing.  I've enjoyed quite a few of those days where there's nothing to do but linger over a cup of coffee and work on a puzzle, read, crochet, watch TV or a movie.  This past Monday especially was a delight.  I had a pot of spaghetti sauce simmering on the stove, a loaf of fresh bread baking in the bread maker, and I watched Frozen while I crocheted.  People don't understand why I love winter so much, but those slow, cozy days are truly my happy place. I'm hoping February brings more of those peaceful, cozy days.
  
• Something I SHOULD be doing more of is getting out to snowshoe.  My Fitbit is probably wondering right now what's wrong with me, as most days I don't even get to 5000 steps.  However, January was full of legit excuses.  If it wasn't -30 degrees out, it was freezing rain.  No happy medium. Then on Saturday, my left knee started acting funny and it's still bugging me.  It's like stiff and sore, and when I bend it it screams with pain. So no, I haven't been out snowshoeing for fear of making it worse.  And yes, I still am planning to make it to the gym - RIGHT ACROSS THE ROAD FROM ME - someday.  Maybe next week.  *sigh*
• As I mentioned in past posts, I started watching Game of Thrones on Crave.  I'm now into Season 3, and still, it's not something I am dying to watch.  It's never really hooked me.  There are a few things happening now that I'm a little more interested in, but I feel like I can't really get sucked in to a storyline because there are so many of them, and each episode follows so many different trails.  I'd like to see more of Robb Stark and his new bride.  I'd like to see more of Daenerys' storyline.  And I kinda have the hots for this Gendry guy that's tagging along with Arya.  But... yeah. So far, it just doesn't seem to be my kind of thing.
  
• What I HAVE been enjoying is Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee on Netflix.  It's kind of a show you don't have to be glued to, so I'd put it on while I worked on a puzzle or crocheted.  I gained a greater appreciation for Jerry Seinfeld and many of the comedians he's had on the show.  It kind of makes me want to go back and watch Seinfeld all over again.
  
• My great January accomplishment:  I actually finished 11/22/63 by Stephen King before the end of the month.  Miracle, I tell you.  An absolute MIRACLE.  And it's a story that has stuck with me.  I think about it a lot.  It might be one of the most thought-provoking books I have ever read. That said, I have moved on to our next book club book, Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt, and I'm just flying through it.  I'm already half-way through that book, it's a breeze compared to King.  It is just stunning to read of the hardships people went through, and to think how they survived on so little.  It makes me grateful for the wonderful childhood I had and the good life that I have now.
• I am having a really weird problem with food lately.  I'm not even sure how to describe it, but here it goes... I get an idea in my head of something I want to eat.  For instance, last week, cheeseburger soup (I had a recipe that sounded delicious).  Or, on the weekend, chicken fajitas.  So I make whatever it is I'm craving, and eat it, and then I can't stand the thoughts of it afterwards.  I had leftover soup on my lunches last week and it made me gag.  I had leftover fajita stuff, and it's sitting in my fridge untouched because I can't stomach the thought of it.  This is food that I LIKE.  Why suddenly am I so turned off by it?  I just don't understand.  It seems if it isn't a grilled cheese or chips and dip or something totally junky, I can't do it.  It makes me worried for myself.
• And last, but not least... I've heard a lot of negative about Maroon 5 at the Super Bowl Half-Time Show, but give me that show any day.  When Adam Levine peeled the final layer off, I got butterflies.  I could seriously, legitimately, look at this all day.  The End.