AZURELITE's SparkPeople Blog

Monday's Challenges

Mon, 13 May 2013 16:43:50 EST

Heat exchanger in condo (installed last fall) wasn't working. Repaired this morning.
DH's car ... waited with it for over an hour to be told the brakes need repairing and that they can't get part til tomorrow morning. It will be ready by 2pm or sooner tomorrow ... it better be, as he needs to leave at 3 for evening meeting 1.5 hours away!
Mom's dentures.. let's just say we hope the extra 'creased' lining can be trimmed away tomorrow after breakfast and that they are comfortable for...

Happy Mother's Day to mothers and others!

Sun, 12 May 2013 21:43:32 EST

The blog title refers to a poem I heard years ago... there are many women who, though they've never had children, have certainly helped us mother our own children... they could be neighbours, aunts, friends, etc. That poem has stuck with me since I heard it and I especially always think of it on Mother's Day!

Last night my daughter made pasta primavera with asparagus for supper, and rhubarb crepes for dessert. Everything was delicious!! I also got flowers and a book from her & ...

Didgeridoo!

Wed, 8 May 2013 17:09:02 EST

Had my first lesson today! What fun! My teacher is a 19 or 20 yr old who taught himself to play. He made the lesson fun, sitting down by a river, not too many people walking by to hear me practice! I was able to make the true didg sound a few times and now all I need to do is practice, practice, practice!!

Next time I'm taking my drum - he wants to experience Reiki drumming.

Ohmmmmmm!

Late arrival, early morning

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 10:30:16 EST

Got back to the city condo early this morning, due to flight delays caused by weather in Atlanta (where we changed flights on our way back from Florida). Finally crawled into bed at 3am ... but we sure got a fast paced walk/run in at Atlanta's huge airport as we scurried through the crowds to catch our 2nd flight (only to find it had been delayed so we needn't have rushed) LOL!
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DH woke at 7 and got up as he had early meeting to prepare for ... so I got up too.
...

And so to rest...

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 18:18:05 EST

Staying quiet this weekend due to sciatica. Been using ice (15 min on, 15 min off) x 6 today and moving around more frequently. From what I read, it's good to stay somewhat active, yet not overdue it. As a result, I've got a lot of knitting done today - the back of a vest for my latest great-nephew is 2/3rds done now!

Think I'm going to watch the pilot for Downton Abbey ... many of the women at my knitting group watch and enjoy it.

DH has headed to the farm for the w...

Just Heard

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 07:00:09 EST

A friend and her son were attending the Boston marathon, cheering on her uncle who was running in it.
We've just heard that they are all ok, and they are safely back in Ontario now.

Sending prayers and healing to Boston & the people who were there.

Excited about Paprika!

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 19:19:16 EST

Nope, not the seasoning (though I like it too). This Paprika is an app on my iPad (and iPhone and Mac). Here's the link to the 'Secret to Success' I just submitted:

www.sparkpeople.com/secrets.asp?tip=
40916_paprika_app

I've looked long and hard at many different options before I decided to jump in to this system. What I like about it is that everything can work offline, as well as on.

It is taking some work to grab all my recipes ...

'Blast' off !

Tue, 9 Apr 2013 08:26:42 EST

Made another (different) nutriblast this morning... this one with spinach, 1/2 banana, handful of blueberries, a few raspberries, some pineapple, sesame seeds, flax seeds and slivered almonds. Served with 2 slices of spelt bread (toasted) with almond butter. A substantial breakfast to send me out into my day!
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Going to Paris today (doesn't that sound lovely? It's in Ontario, though, not France!!) to meet my sister & cousin for lunch...

Still here...

Mon, 8 Apr 2013 20:19:59 EST

I can't believe it's been so long since I last blogged. But it has been an incredibly busy time.
Still haven't settled the cottage flood with insurance (tomorrow or Wed I'll call them), but the work there has been done. Heard the tenant won't be there after end of April... his company is breaking the lease & we are actually 'this' close to selling the cottage!

Back & forth between home & condo, gathering & organizing papers for accountant for taxes, shopping the thrift shops...

March...thus far

Sat, 16 Mar 2013 08:14:24 EST

Quick recap. March has been a hectic and at times, overwhelming month so far...

Both parents doing as well as they can be doing in their early 90's.

I've been home 2 weeks this month and getting things caught up around here. Latest is pulling together facts and figures for tax time ... always like to get this done early!

Cottage... call from tenant on Tues night ... 4 inches water in basement (main sump pump AND backup pump didn't work .. we put the new back...

February ... strong finish!

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 21:34:05 EST

Well, I just realized that today is the last day of Feb! Despite the snow & dreary dark days, the month went by pretty quickly!
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Looking back, I did ok this month. Walked consistently 10 - 15 min / day, with a few 30-40 minute workouts in there too. And surpassed 500 minutes which I haven't done in a while. Ate more freggies.

This has been a month of organizing too (kitchen cupboards and dressers at the condo, clearing out my home office (my daughter i...

Another Catching up Entry!

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 16:45:08 EST

Well, I fell on Sunday morning. Caught my foot on something and did a faceplant at the foot of our bed (I was attempting to make the bed and there was nothing to grab ... my nose hit the rug (thankfully we have a rug at the foot of our bed to buffer the wooden floor below)). So, I emailed some of my Reiki buddies and as they read my request for help, the healing vibrations came over me in lovely waves.

I asked them to intentionally ask for there to be no bruised face nor b...

Sunny Sunday

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 09:37:35 EST

A wee catch up...

On Valentine's Day my DH & I went out for supper. Food was wonderful and the company even more so. This has been our Valentine's Day tradition for most of our years together (now married 33 years, but dated for 7 years before we married... so 40 years). He knows I don't like receiving flowers (hate to see them die), don't need a card to know he loves me (easier on Mother Earth if we don't use them, and we do have a small stash from our earlier years to pull ou...

I hope yesterday's excitement won't repeat itself anytime soon!

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 08:29:35 EST

Quick note to tell you that Mom saw the denturist yesterday, her bottom plate was adjusted, she & I enjoyed a late lunch after the appointment and she noticed immediate improvement. Whew!

OK that was the quick note... now for the longer story...

But, Dad never met us at denturist or restaurant and Mom & I were getting concerned when he didn't appear at either place as was the plan ... he headed out to the chiropractor at 8:30 as is his normal routine, developed burning...

A Good Day!

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 18:22:15 EST

Though I've not been active at all on the healthy eating challenge, having set the intention to eat better... I am!

Today I met a friend at a veggie/vegan cafe in the nearby city where she lives. I had a small bowl of Mexican bean soup and a quinoa salad (sunflower seeds, green onions and cranberries with a light tasty dressing. Also, tried lavender tea! Everything was delicious, the cafe was warm and bright & we talked for 2 hours!

Tonight, I made a stirfry from kale...

My Third 'Sparkpeople' Anniversary!

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 10:34:40 EST

Yesterday marked 3 years since I joined Sparkpeople. I didn't want to be reminded of it ... afterall, I was down 15 lbs from where I started, and now I'm only down 6 lbs from where I started. When I mentioned this to my DH (after he complimented me on how healthy & great I look ... that's why he's my DH!!) I set about looking for the positive (non-scale) victories I've had in the past 3 years.

1) I consistently drink more water than I have ever done in my life. Though I rare...

Today

Tue, 5 Feb 2013 19:38:13 EST

Had my 2nd acupuncture session, ran a few errands and then came home and slept for about 45 minutes. Lunch wasn't much ... an apricot almond bar & then my weakness: Fruit & Nut bar (it was small, but still).
So tonight I allowed myself to be guided to what I should have for supper (DH is teaching tonight so it's just me to feed).

Here's what I had:
Large plate filled with an 'all green' salad (romaine lettuce, chinese cabbage, broccoli, green pepper, celery, green onion...

Lots Happening of Late

Tue, 5 Feb 2013 06:47:12 EST

Haven't had time to blog much of late ... but life is good!

Seeing acupuncturist for 2nd time today ... the first session helped my legs for about 2-3 days ... he says I should notice a big change after 2 or 3 sessions. Hope today's the day!

Went to 'Sacred Sound' session on the weekend. One of my Sedona buddies is giving these every other week near our city home. So I may stay down several weekends just to be here for them. Amazing! And I am so happy to help her a...

Thursday, Jan 24th

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 17:25:22 EST

Had client for Reiki session at 8am
Then, while DD had a massage, I ran errands. And while I had a massage, my DD ran her errands.

Home for quick lunch & hung laundry. Back to town to have tea with friends (and had my tea leaves read too)!

Got home at 4, connected with woman in the city who teaches vision correction.. going to a group session next Friday to find out more. Her mother wore glasses since she was 5, wore bifocals for a few years... and she's been ab...

Wed Jan 23

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 19:26:07 EST

My DD and I have been sorting, purging & shredding old files for a total of 15 hours in the past 3 days. And we've finished going through 15 out of the 20 years worth of files! Taking time off for part of tomorrow to go for massages (we've earned them)! Still hoping to get the other 5 years done soon ... time will tell!

Today's courier brought the gifts from our DS. He had paid extra to have amazon.com ship them to him in time for his trip home for Christmas. Amazon didn't com...

Monday, January 21, 2013

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 16:13:06 EST

Spent nearly 5 hours today chucking out old receipts from years ago. As I go through each folder and check each item (incase anything is needed for capital gains/loss in the future), my DD is shredding the documents as needed. We'll likely do some more later today, but for now... time for a break!

I'm at the farm this week, as DH has evening meetings 4 out of 4 days - I figured it was time to catch up on some things around the farmhouse and these files have been on the 'to do' l...

Parents!

Sat, 12 Jan 2013 08:13:46 EST

Yesterday's plans were added to at the last minute, but all turned out very well...

I had lunch with Mom as planned. She looks bright-eyed again, her complexion looks healthier, she is engaging in life again as her health returns.

I wasn't planning to see Dad. In fact I had made the effort to see Mom again this week as I knew Dad wouldn't be joining her for lunch as his his usual routine. But Dad's doctor FINALLY ordered a technician to his home to check his oxygen le...

Stretching!

Sat, 12 Jan 2013 07:54:49 EST

I feel so light this morning! I've been reading 2 books of late:

Deepak Chopra's "Reinventing the Body, Resurrecting the Soul" and
Claire Heartsong's " Anna, the Voice of the Magdalenes" (sequel to Anna, Grandmother of Jesus"

Both are expanding my soul. It is a wonderful feeling!

Have you read any soul expanding books lately?
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Mom's Care Conference

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 09:05:36 EST

What a positive meeting that was!
Mom has gained weight since she moved to the home nearly a year ago (from 79lbs (the hospital was starving her) to 100lbs). They have worked diligently to heal her heel ulcers (which she developed during her hospital stay). And many other little details that they have attended to (food, exercise, meds) to give my mom a much better quality of life.

We were delighted to learn that since November, they've had Mom up walking every day and she ha...

Lots Happening

Wed, 9 Jan 2013 11:51:59 EST

Yesterday I drove 1.5 hours in each direction to attend my friend's funeral. I was SO hoping the officiate knew Helen (it's always so impersonal if they don't know the deceased) and he did. He was able to bring Helen's personality into his message. And her sis-in-law had written a wonderful tribute to Helen and spoke through her emotions to bring Helen to life one more time for us. Many of us were smiling and nodding through our tears. Sitting beside me was another friend from childhood ...

SOS Cuisine

Sat, 5 Jan 2013 13:49:21 EST

By Canadians, for Canadians (others can use it, but if you want to take advantage of what's on sale each week, they only cover the Canadian grocery stores) - a very good meal planning recipe site. Several of the plans are free, the others cost 1-4 dollars / week, easily saved by using the plan.

Check it out at: www.soscuisine.com

Recipes are clearly marked as Lactose Free, Gluten Free, etc. Most recipes are easy and basic (leaving you the freedom to ...

Sad News...

Fri, 4 Jan 2013 11:16:33 EST

I just got word that my dear friend Helen has passed away. I was planning to go visit her in the nursing home on Monday - I had not had time to see her since early December.

I shall miss her smile and laugh. She was truly an Earth Angel and now she will no doubt be a heavenly one.

Intervals with Mumford & Sons!

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 09:36:06 EST

Just finished a Mumford & Sons workout ... happily discovered that most of their songs are the perfect pace for my workouts! AND today discovered that "Hopeless Wanderer" is perfect for intervals since the tempo changes 3 times during the song.

This morning we're tackling another room in the house, then off to the city to see Les Mis this afternoon.

Please keep the folks in Montreal in your thoughts today as they dig out from a record snowfall yesterday.

Bles...

And so it is Christmas...

Wed, 26 Dec 2012 10:06:28 EST

We had a busy day yesterday. Breakfast, gift exchange, over to mom-in-laws where my sister-in-law prepared a big turkey dinner (no guilt here... I took salad & dessert & she loves to do this!)

Sat around afternoon & evening playing cards, with lots of snacks to nibble on. Which I did. Late afternoon, I put on my coat & took a brisk walk in the cold for 10 minutes. I came in & then did 30 minutes of my Leslie Sansone style workout with tunes on my mp3 player.... I just ignored t...

What? Christmas Eve already?

Mon, 24 Dec 2012 07:41:22 EST

We slept in until 7:05 ... the garbage/recycling starts at 7 and sometimes our stuff is picked up very shortly after 7. Took things out to the road & were relieved to see the neighbour's stuff hadn't been picked up yet!

DD did a lot of gift wrapping while we were away (she loves to do it, and I love to have her help!) I'll head to 'gift wrap central' and finish wrapping right after this blog.

We had a great trip to Sedona, AZ (flying in & out of Las Vegas). It's alway...

Cat Tale ... happy ending

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 14:38:03 EST

Quick note to say that our barn cat will be coming home this afternoon.

the vet checked her over when he arrived this morning & she's a different cat than the one he saw last night. he decided she didn't even need an xray as her leg is lots better too! she'll get liquid pain med for a few days until any bruising goes away.

So... all is well and I'm so thankful to the angels and the energies that helped our cat bounce back so quickly ... and our DD is a hero!! that cat...

What a day!

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 19:27:52 EST

Busy day here, but with good ending (well, so far so good anyway).

At 12:12pm today (12/12/12) I was down by the river drumming on this auspicious day!

Went to visit my Mom at the nursing home and my Dad was there too (he'd joined her for lunch). While setting Mom into bed for the afternoon, with Dad still there too.. I got a call from DH to say that our friendly barn cat had been attacked by a dog (and we wonder if it was a coyote). (I didn't say anything to my folks a...

Woo Hoo! It's 12:12:12!

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 06:52:59 EST

I've been catching up on some 'Thoughts for Today' (sent to my computer each weekday and sometimes I don't take time to read them). (www.tut.com if you want to learn more).

Here's one I just had to share here at SP:

And while on the subject of "Whoohooos!", they always return louder than when they were first sent out.

Matter manipulation secrets of ye old happy dancers,
The Universe

You know, when sent out in anticipation of great and fu...

This and That

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 07:56:15 EST

Up early this morning & right after I finish this email, I'm going to enjoy a delicious 1/2 Florida grapefruit. For the past several years, we've bought oranges & grapefruit in Millbank. A family there has brought them in from Florida for 25 years. They are SO much nicer than store bought & we look forward to them.

Yesterday, I sponsored a donkey named 'Sunshine' for my mom for Christmas (via the Donkey Sanctuary of Canada). I hope she'll bring some sunshine to my mom! It's h...

Another Great Quote

Tue, 4 Dec 2012 16:49:31 EST

“The greatest challenge of the human experience is discovering who you really are. The second greatest is living in a way that honors what you discovered.”
~ Lisa Villa Prosen

Wow! Doesn't that make you want to take better care of your body - the temple of your soul?
It sure does that for me.

Great Quote

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 13:15:04 EST

Well, I think it is anyway! It's speaking volumes to me today.
How about you? Does this make you stop and think too?

‎"Once you realize that ALL COMES FROM WITHIN, that the world in which you live is not projected onto you, but BY YOU, your fear comes to an end."
~ Nisargadatta Maharaj

Hope you will project yourself an awesome day!

Quiet Day

Fri, 23 Nov 2012 13:02:41 EST

I'm on my own until late this afternoon. Except for the workers trimming trees near the condo, I'm having a quiet day!

Done some knitting, some healing & a reading, been working on photo organizing. And tracking my food!

I ended up not only stating what I ate in my blog yesterday, but took the time to track it here. And was quickly reminded what a painfully inefficient task it is (which is the main reason I stopped doing it). But it did show me that I'd done very wel...

Thankful

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 17:39:53 EST

This morning my card reading said that the best way to invoke change is to be thankful. Though I try to remember to do this daily anyway, it's always nice to have a reminder!

I'm thankful for many things but today I'm most thankful for the quality time I've been able to have with my son while he's visiting. He has really grown into a fine young man (though I'm a bit biased)
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Continuing to watch my food intake today & planning to exercise too, once my su...

Back and Forth this week...

Wed, 21 Nov 2012 07:34:59 EST

Drove home with DH & DS yesterday, DD had supper ready, then the 4 of us hopped back into the car, drove to town & saw 'Skyfall'! Our son hadn't seen it yet and the rest of us didn't mind seeing it again!

I'm home today with both children (though they will come & go). I'm planning a catchup day (laundry) and also want to start Christmas preparations (mainly cards/letters for overseas family). Also want to keep working on the scarf I'm knitting my sister.

And I'll con...

Catchin' up

Sun, 18 Nov 2012 22:36:16 EST

Quick note as I want to sleep soon!
Condo heat pump replaced Tuesday morning; all fine here when we got back Friday!
Had a great time at the conference banquet... after dinner entertainment was Drum Cafe --- over 800 in the audience & they had a drum for everyone! Amazing sound & lots of fun!

Picked up son at airport yesterday! Today was birthday potluck lunch followed by open house for my dad's 90th. Friends, neighbours & family (some with instruments) arrived ... and...

Sunshine in my Condo, makes me warmer

Thu, 8 Nov 2012 09:56:36 EST

With apologies to John Denver! LOL!

Seriously though, yesterday's sunshine warmed up the condo more than 2 space heaters did on the gray, rainy days! And today's and the weekend's forecasts call for sunshine! Good thing... we won't be here & don't want pipes freezing in our absence! Still no word from the heat pump replacement people...guess our new unit is still in transit to them....

So, I'm heading home shortly. Tomorrow my daughter & I have both booked massages....

Wednesday's Wonders!

Thu, 1 Nov 2012 07:13:32 EST

Such positives yesterday!
My Mom was actually still up when I arrived to visit her at 1:30pm yesterday!!! Yay!!! She & I attended the church service at the nursing home & then she walked the length of the building 1.5 times before heading to her room to lie down! Usually, for the past 2 months or so, she's had no energy & just wants to rest/sleep between meals! I praised her for continuing to do the exercises & doing a bit of walking each day, even when she felt tired, & told her her...

Tuesday's Trials

Tue, 30 Oct 2012 19:48:58 EST

Well, not all trials...I'll start on a positive note...In August, my niece and her husband moved to NYC so he could take a new job. They are expecting their first child. So, I was very relieved to learn that they are safely in their apartment in NYC, and they still have hydro. So I'm hoping that is still the case!

Now, the not so good news... our condo heat pump is 'toast' and we have to buy a new one. That explains why it has been so cold in here. Mid afternoon today, I hea...

Monday's Musings

Mon, 29 Oct 2012 16:14:40 EST

Hi Folks!
Just finished a rousing workout while watching the BBC's "Mumford & Sons in Glastonbury" - I LOVE this group!!! Great music, lots of variation in the songs, wonderful harmony, and I could go on.

Up early this morning, battened down the hatches at home, drove to the city condo only to find it cold! After lunch I started a slowcooker soup/stew using 3 Italian sausages (browned & sliced), and then threw in onions/celery (also browned), spinach, baby romaine, 1/3 ba...

Oh, my friends

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 13:55:53 EST

I'm just going to ramble a bit here; I am feeling rather distraught. My new great-nephew, born last Sunday night, is showing many signs of Downs Syndrome. My DH's niece, his mom, already has a son with health challenges & now it looks like she has 2 sons with very different health challenges. My heart aches for her - I just feel so sad. I know the test results won't be back for awhile, but as she says, they are seeing the signs more each day... slanted eyes, recessed chin, platelets / blo...

An interesting day ahead...

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 07:26:32 EST

I just realized that I've got quite a day planned:

Knitting group (2nd meeting for me; 1st was last week)... still working on that shawl, try to knit for about 15 min/day. Bought 3 balls of that awesome yarn to make the very easy 6 stitch/row wavy scarves... the plan is to make my sisters one of them for their birthdays (and 1 for me too).

Donkey Sanctuary - haven't been there in 3 weeks and visiting days are over for the season soon. Must be in touch re volunteering ...

On the Rebound?

Sun, 21 Oct 2012 08:34:39 EST

Been doing a lot of research into rebounders (mini-trampolines) the past few days. Still researching (and please feel free to drop me a line if you have positive or negative things to say about your rebounder... thank you!)

Other than that, reading 2 books, knitting, bookkeeping, cleaning/laundry, exercising & settling into my home eating plan. Fun stuff, eh?

DH was home last night & brought leftover Thai food (his workshop had this catered in on Friday night). It w...

What Fun!

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 10:47:37 EST

I just did 3 different workout videos this morning for a total of 25 fitness minutes. Then I did the 'usual' aerobics walking (Leslie Sansone style). It was fun and I realize that strength training in small doses isn't too boring!

FYI, I did the new coach Nichole with Cassey video (today's SP daily spark blog), then did 11 minute chair workout, then 8 min resistance band lower body workout. Woo Hoo... I can still feel the energy coursing through my body!

Hope you hav...

Oct 16

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 21:47:16 EST

No time for lengthy blog again but just a few things to say:

1) Saw my parents today... both doing well! Whew! Also in the family news: it's my nephew's birthday today!

2) Back from a lovely trip to Oregon & then Banff. Very different weather - enjoyed both places!
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3) Going to my first knitting group meeting tomorrow morning (been 15-20 years since I've knit... hope it's like riding a bike and it will all come back to me quickly)!
...

Some Links in My Life!

Fri, 5 Oct 2012 09:19:38 EST
Here's a few links to let you know what I'm up to and into these days:

A free webinar on Sunday night:
www.heartalignedcreating.com/liveeve
nts/free-webinar
(Though I will be travelling so won't be attending live, Victoria will send me an audio of the event afterward; and she'll do the same for you if you simply sign up)!

Still trying (it's an ongoing process)!:
www.dummies.com/how-to/content/organ
izing-for-dummies-cheat-s...