Going Backwards in Time. Post #4

Southampton

I went to Southampton Ontario with my fam for the first week of August. My family has been going there for years. Since I was a kid we have rented cottages for a week or two during the summer, even if we did miss a summer or two.

This year I was able to go for the whole week (yay!)

I had just finished doing the Master Cleanse so I felt GREAT.

It was a week full of fun, sun, and Monopoly Deal.

I didn't take too many photos, but here is what I have!

"The Fam"

A bum touch

Feeties

I like swings!

Nothing quite like a swing on a sandy beach

Going Backwards in Time. Post #3

Square Foot 2009

This year I had a piece in the 'Square Foot' show in Toronto. The show took place from August 15th - September 6th. The idea of this show is that all the pieces are 12 by 12 inches, hence, a square foot! The pieces were by artists of all different mediums, and from all over the world. In total, there were 700 artists involved, and about 1300 pieces. CRAZY! It was such a cool show. Fiona came with me to the opening (thanks Fi!) It was SO busy! We had to wait in line for over 30 minutes - to see my own work!! We didn't stay for too long in the gallery, because it was SO packed in there it felt like a pack of sardines in the microwave... not to mention it was super hot that day outside. The work ranged from what looked like highschool art to super amazing. (We all know where mine was in this range ;) hehe) SO! For those of you who didn't make it to the show, have a look at some shots I snapped. And come by next year - I plan on applying again.

Here is my piece amongst others. Can you guess which one mine is? Did I mention I love buttons?

Proud mama with my baby. (and a glass of cold refreshing wine)

Onlookers.

Look how packed! SO many people! Also, look how much art there was! WOAH art overload!

The light of God shining over the art.

Going Backwards in Time. Post #2

Joey's Surprise Birthday Party:

Joey's birthday was in August, and for his birthday - his boyfriend Jeff threw him a surprise party. How fun! Considering I hadn't seen Joey in about 2 years - I thought I had better attend. I went with Fiona and we were late so we missed the whole 'Surprise!' part - but the look on Joey's face when we arrived was priceless - we sure were a surprise for him! Fi and I stayed well after everyone else left - chatting with Joey and Jeff into the wee hours of the morning. Oh how I missed those boys! :) I can't wait to see them again soon. Here are some photos from the super cute super fun super wonderful night.

Look at all those people from school! Most of which I hadn't seen for 2 years. Fantastic :D

A close-up of the birthday boy himself!

Fiona and Joey. Cute friends :)

Tasty Fakes! Jeff made these FANTASTIC cupcake hamburgers. AMAZING.

Joey and Jeff's dog - looks like a fraggle! She is such a good dog.

Fiona shows off the super awesome Tasty Fakes. We cut one in half to share :)

Going Backwards in Time. Post #1

I am going to start posting the things I have been meaning to post - starting with the most recent, and going backwards. Enjoy :)

Cutesy Xander!

Here are some photos of my amazing little "nephew" Xander. Xander is 2. He is my friend Michelle's son. I babysit him a couple days a week - to help her out with getting her life and business in order. I am so happy to help because I love him so much! Here are a few snapshots of our most recent adventures.

This is Xander chasing ducks. It's pretty much his favourite thing to do these days when I take him to the park. He gets very winded when he does it, and it makes me laugh outloud even though I am alone. He is the best :)

Here he is - very proud of his duck chasing abilities.

Xander wearing his glasses. Well - they actually belong to Mr. Potato Head but try telling him that.

p.s. Does anyone know of a good way to upload mutliple photos onto blogger? I find this way very irritating.

Heart and Hand Festival

Hello everyone!

I have a show coming up in a couple weeks, and thought I would give
you all a heads up about it.

It's called the Heart and Hand festival. It is an outdoor celebration
of traditional handicrafts, music, and storytelling. I took part last
year, and am happy and excited to take part again. I hope you can stop
by and say hello - I'd love the company!

Heart and Hand Festival
Saturday September 19th
10am till 5pm
Joseph Schneider Haus
466 Queen Street South
Kitchener, Ont.

The Master Cleanse - The After

Ok, so I know this is about 3 million years late, but better late than never right?!

I finished the cleanse on August 1st. On August 2nd, I had some freshly squeezed orange juice first thing. It made my taste buds tingle - not even kidding! My mouth was so excited to have something different to taste. I was also allowed to eat oranges, but honestly I am not a fan - even 10 days of not eating couldn't make me crave an orange. So, I ate about 5 pieces of bacon - don't panic! Each piece was about a square millimetre. Next, I had a few raspberries. Oh my - they were ever so yummy. For lunch I had some vegetable soup broth with SALT. Woah! Flavor city! Not the texture I was craving, but good nonetheless. I had some skinny sticks in the afternoon and they were WONDERFUL! Dinner came around - I was feeling fine so I ventured out and ate a seafood wrap with fresh vegetables and yummy fish for dinner. I ate about half the wrap before I became super stuffed. My stomach had definitely shrank over the 10 days.

As for before and after - there was quite the difference. I lost 10 pounds, and a total of 4.5 inches off my body. I felt great after the cleanse. The first day that I had coffee (a very small cup mind you) I was buzzing around cleaning like a maniac. This it not like me - I generally feel sluggish all the time because of my sleep disorder.

My 'stomach' issues were thought to be cured, as I had NO symptoms after doing the cleanse... until...... this past Saturday I had a pretty bad attack. It was a very stressful and upsetting day so I believe that is what triggered it. It didn't last for very long, but it was VERY painful. My sleep has been a bit better - but not even close to where it should be. I still need work on these areas.

For interest's sake, this is what I purchased/consumed over the 10 days:

-40 lemons. That's right. 40!

-2.5 litres of real maple syrup

Therefore - the cleanse isn't super cheap - especially considering the cost of lemons these days. If you are planning on doing the cleanse at any point, I would recommend buying organic lemons - I found small organic lemons had much more juice. They were also the same price as regular lemons. Buying real maple syrup at the market saved me a TON of money. It's costs twice as much at the supermarket - which was a surprise to me.

So! Overall I enjoyed the results of the cleanse. I would do it again, and next time I think I will do 14 days instead of 10. I feel I could get better results this way. If you are planning on doing this cleanse please ask me questions - I now have so much advice to give since I have done it.

But who's kidding who - it was HARD. :)

Day 8 and 9 - The HOME stretch!!

I am almost done!!!

Tomorrow is the last day. I have almost made it! Oh how excited I am to eat again! Oh to chew.... it will be such a delight :)

I am super interested to see how I feel AFTER this whole thing is over. You are supposed to feel healthier, have less cravings for bad food, sleep better, have more energy, amongst lots of other great points. I am also curious to see how much my body has changed. I measured and weighed myself before starting, and will do the same when I am done. I know I have lost some weight and inches, but am very curious to see how much.

Doing this has made me feel healthier so far. In fact, I am going to a cottage for a week tomorrow, and I am getting really pumped to run every day (it's supposed to be a vacation!) I think of it as a really great kick start to a healthier lifestyle.

Not much different to report on how I have been feeling. Pretty much the same. And I am bored of this drink. Boy I can't wait for some variety in flavor!!

See you all in a week :)