Peaceful Moments

Did you know that it doesn't matter if you haul your big-girl camera with your everywhere, with the intent to take a weekly photo if you don't have a memory card in that camera?!  So, up I got this morning, an hour before I would have otherwise, in order to make sure I had my picture today. 

 

In doing so, I had a quiet moment in the park by our house.  I was completely alone except for about ten deer, and more than fifty Canadian geese; I'm so happy the geese stayed in the river, and didn't fly away as I approached.  I like those two together in the center, they mate for life you know!  This week's Click Chick Photo Challenge was water, and I'm happy to have captured actual water, and not just ice as I was expecting.

Little Bits Of Goodness



• this upcoming weekend.   My cousin Brittany and her boyfriend Logan are coming to town, and we're getting together for supper and drinks Saturday night.  Haven't seen both of them since September which feels like a lifetime ago!
• losing nine pounds, and a total of four inches in one month.  A little self gloating here - go me!
• cucumbers in a sunomono (Japanese salad) dressing.  Basically a thinly sliced cucumber, soaked in three tablespoons of rice wine vinegar and one tablespoon of sweetener.  Let them soak for at least half an hour, but no more than half a day unless you wanted to eat pickles.  Seriously, one of my favourite snacks lately.
• my blog followers.  It totally makes my day to see the comments you all leave me!
• the fifteen degrees it's supposed to be here on Friday.  My spring clothes are itching to get out of my closet, and I'll celebrate by wearing my favourite outfit.

Because I'm Worth It

I've come to the point in my diet plan, that I've decided small rewards will give me added incentive each week.  I figured I'm not the only one with this desire, and thought I'd share a list of 50 little rewards for a great weight loss week.  Sometimes it's hard to come up with treats that don't revolve around food, so hopefully this list will give you some ideas and inspiration.

1. buy a new pair of dress shoes
2. watch your favourite movie
3. call up a friend
4. buy a new plant and pot
5. put up your feet, relax and enjoy a cup of hot tea in a favourite mug
6. buy a new workout outfit
7. give yourself a pedicure
8. take an hour and read a book
9. have a decadent bubble bath
10. buy a new necklace
11. get a haircut
12. buy new lingerie
13. drive to the other side of town
14. buy a new book
15. go to the new show homes
16. buy a new pair of jeans
17. give yourself a manicure
18. buy a new bathing suit
19. watch Funniest Home Video's on Netflix
20. buy a bouquet of flowers
21. have a dance-a-thon at home
22. create a card, write a message and make someones day
23. buy a new soft throw blanket
24. do something found on Pinterest
25. give yourself a facial
26. buy a new herbal tea
27. print some photos and frame
28. go for a walk with a friend
29. buy a new purse
30. go for a stroll around your neighbourhood
31. buy a new scarf
32. go antique shopping
33. take a Sunday afternoon drive
34. buy a new luxurious towel for the pool
35. go out to the latest movie
36. create a workout play list
37. buy a new pair of pajamas
38. gamble on the horse races
39. buy a new top
40. have a professional massage
41. buy a new movie to watch
42. get your hair coloured
43. buy a new table lamp
44. go through your clothes and donate what you no longer love
45. buy a new workout DVD
46. get out of town for the day, to a neighbouring city
47. have an afternoon nap
48. buy a new pair of runners
49. create a workout play list
50. buy a new lip gloss

Some are rewards are bigger and more expensive while others don't really cost much at all. I like to use the bigger rewards for major milestones, like after the first month of meeting exercise goals, or achieving a weight loss milestone.  I figure a little treat will go a long way to keep my motivation up during this weight loss process!  It's all about having fun, and making it work for you.

 

Do you give yourself rewards for reaching weight loss goals?  What would you add to your list?

A Little Pink, A Lot Awsome

1 - I woke up early to bake the cupcakes for my friends baby shower Saturday.  They turned out well, but my icing job left a lot to be desired!  Apparently they tasted good though, and really that's all that matters.
2 - Baby bump cake for the party.  It's hard to see, but there's a little foot pressing out of the belly on the left side of the photo.  It was adorable, and everyone loved it!
3 - Eric Chruch in concert Saturday night.  Amazing!
4 - Still eating lots of veggies, portioning my meals, and getting lots of exercise.  This meal was yummy!

Find me on Instagram: juliemkeller, or just click the button on the sidebar.

Favourtie Photo Of Us

from a half year anniversary.  Photo taken February 21, 2011, half a year into our marriage.  It's hard to believe it's now two years later, and we're rapidly approaching our third anniversary.  I'm so happy and lucky to be able to spend the rest of my life with such a wonderful man.

Winter's Magic

I'm always pleasantly surprised with what I capture for these Click Chick Photo Challenges and I like that they actually make me take my camera out at least once a week.  I don't really plan my pictures out, I just kind of wait and see where the prompt takes me, and by Thursday morning I have to have my photo taken.  This weeks nature themed photo was taken this morning, after driving about a block from home.  I looked through the drivers side window, and marvelled at how pretty the frost was with the sunlight shining through; it looked magical.

 

Although I'll be happy when winter is over, flowers start blooming and I can start wearing shorts and tank tops again, today I savoured this moment.

Repetition - Ikea Raskog Cart

I kept seeing the lovely IKEA Raskog carts on Instagram and blogs, so I wanted to join in and share what I did with mine.  Initially I didn't have a clue where I'd put it, but knew it was just too pretty to not have in my life.  Although it seems people are mostly using them for craft storage, like how Jennifer Johner uses hers, I wanted mine in a prominent place in our house.  I decided our main floor sitting room would be the perfect spot, and a place that I could see the cheery colour more often.    I now have plans to buy the grey one next time we're at IKEA, which will find a home in one of our guest bedrooms.

Source

It seems I'm very influenced by what I see on the web, and after seeing this cute Whoot Owl Scentsy Warmer, I purchased it too.  Again, I originally spotted it on Jennifer Johner's blog, and then saw it on Ruthie Hart's blog.  Mine now sits on a ledge in our downstairs living room, but will eventually reside on the hutch/book shelf/sidebar I plan on buying for the downstairs hallway.  I love getting decor ideas from other blogs and Pinterest, it's fun seeing how other people decorate.

 

How would you use the IKEA Raskcog cart?  Or do you have one?  Have you seen anything repetitive like this and been motivated to make the purchase?

Long Weekend Randoms

1 - Friday night I watched Friends With Kids, and was ecstatic to see my name as a character.  Yup, this new name of mine is the one I was destined to have.

2 - I put my wedding shoes on for the first time since our wedding two and a half years ago.  I'm strongly debating adding them to my regular footwear stash.  I love these shoes, and the memories they hold!

3 - Justin and I decided we needed to get out of the house Saturday night.  He asked if I wanted to go to Vegas, but we settled on our local casino.  We plunked eighty dollars into the machines then stopped to wet our whistle after becoming eighty dollars lighter.

4 - After the casino we headed to the pub by our house for supper, and a couple drinks.  Another glass of amazing wine.  Saturday night I had a glass of Barking Mad Moscato while out with friends, which is also one I loved.  I'm enjoying finding new favourites.

5 - A healthy pub meal, and boy was it tasty.

6 - Don't waist your time watching The Cabin In The Woods.  Just don't do it.

7 - We narrowed down paint colours, picked up a gallon of Behr Toasted Walnut, and Justin painted three coats Monday.  Another coat is happening tonight.  It's gorgeous.

8 - Justin amazing me with his skills at work.  He came up with a creative solution to my problem.  He's been doing that a lot lately, and making my life a little easier!

9 - The template Justin made.  We're using it as a stencil to create a hanging canvas.  I can't wait until it's done and the room is put back together!

Find me on Instagram: juliemkeller, or just click the button on the sidebar.

 

Wish I Would Have Known Then

That's me in the top center of the photo, smiling like a goon.

Back in Jr. High and High School I was basically a shy, awkward individual.  Most of the time I felt bad for myself, wishing I had the life my friends did.  At night I'd imagine how my life and my friends lives would turn out when we were older.  Little did I know how different those predictions would be from reality.  In the theme of Brad Paisley's Letter To Me, this is what I wish I would have known then.

• It's okay to be an individual.  Being you is much better than being someone else.  Also, don't wear a white shirt and kahkis together, you don't want to accidentally end up wearing the same outfit as a guy in your science class.
• That guy you thought you'd end up marrying in High School, the one that you had names picked out for your future babies - just in case - he ends up being a pretentious snob.  You know, just like he was back when he was dating that other girl, and not you.
• Friendships from Jr. High and High School never last.  No matter what you say, no matter what you think will happen, they just don't last.  But, better, more sincere friends come along and make you forget all about the ones that you lost.
• You might have to wait a long time until your first kiss, longer than most.  At the time you'll think it's amazing, but you'll look back and realize first kisses really aren't all they're cracked up to be.  You should have kept waiting.
• Don't ever let a guy jerk you around.  He's just not worth your time.  You marry an amazing man that treats you the way you should be treated, one that knows all your secrets, and one that knows you better than you know yourself.  He's worth all those frogs, since he's prince charming.

Basically, keep your chin up, and don't let anyone get you down.  From time to time you'll run into those old friends, and realize that instead of them having the good life, you're the one living it!

Heart Day

This is the second link up with the Click Chicks Photo Challenge, and since it's Valentine's Day, the theme is hearts of course.

 

The more experience I have in life, the more this day is just another day to me.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not the equivalent of a Valentine's Day scrooge, I just don't buy into all the commercialism.  I'm more than happy with sitting down at our kitchen table enjoying a great meal and dessert with my wonderful husband.  I'm sure he'll get me a card, he's thoughtful like that.  I on the other hand most often completely forget about making a card for him, I'm not thoughtful, and I'm slightly forgetful! 

 

What are your plans for this day of love?  Do you think Valentine's Day is for the romantics or just an elaborate scheme by the card companies?

My New Pants

I finally found some pants that fit me.  They're a little snug, but I'm incredibly happy that my body can fit into a size two!  Say what!?  I've got a long way to go until the waist isn't tight, but at least they're not saggy in the bum.  I was tired of looking like one of those young guys with the crotch of their pants around their knees.  Yup, I'm this excited about pants, don't judge me and my enthusiasm!  I mean, it really is the little things that get me excited.

Happiness

• the hours of daylight being longer each day.  It's amazing what a little bit more sunlight can do to a persons mood!
• Justin's and my Valentine's date.  This will be the third year of our stay at home tradition:  he makes supper and I make dessert.  I've got a couple healthy, yummy looking recipes I'm ready to try out on Thursday.
• spaghetti squash.  I'm really loving this vegetable lately.  And sugar snap peas too, love the crunch!
• jeans.  Since deciding to become healthier, a couple pairs of my jeans are the only pants I own that fit properly.  Shhh... I might have worn a pair to work today, don't tell my boss!
• the empty room in our house.  After spending last weekend cleaning, and junking out, we now have what will be another guest room, but is empty space at the moment.  Lowie's enjoying being able to lounge on the window sill in there, so one guest is already enjoying his stay!

This Is Life

1 - Our date night started out wonderfully, and we had a great meal at Tony Roma's.  Oh, and my wine was amazing!
2 - This Is 40 was a little different for our tastes.  I put Justin in charge of picking the next movie we go see, and hope to have better luck!
3 - We all did a bit of relaxing this weekend, after our cleaning and junking out spree on Saturday.

Find me on Instagram: juliemkeller, or just click the button on the sidebar.

Hello Friday

 

Dear Friday night, I am ready for you and the two days that follow.  Dear husband, add an extra splash of cologne after your shower since it's date night.  Dear wine, please be kind to me as I have not had anything to drink in over two weeks.  Dear This Is 40, please be the hilarious movie I'm hoping that you'll be.  Dear movie theater, please be the perfect temperature, and don't tempt me with your buttery popcorn.

Chasing The Sun

My one little word for 2013 is capture, so my goal this year is to write more and take more photos of our every day life.  When I saw The Click Chicks Photo Challenge on Ivy's blog, I knew it would be the motivation I needed to take more photos.  So this is my self-portrait taken last night, on a sun chasing adventure!

Since you're here, you might as well get to know me a bit better.  Hi, my name is Julie and I'm a

• country music lover
• waffle eater (with butter and icing sugar)
• beer drinker
• aqua fit enthusiast
• sushi-aholic
• fur mama to a handsome tuxedo cat named Lowie and
• old lady to my husband Justin

Now I'm off to go check out what others have captured.

Favourite Photo Of Us

in Mexico.  With my boss being in Mexico this week, and another co-worker just getting back from there - I'm ready to sit by the pool, sipping a bahama mama!  It also doesn't help that I'm looking forward to summer more this year than any before, so bring on the sunshine!

Changes Coming Soon

After a little bit of thought last night, Justin and I decided to tackle a few things around our house this month.  This weekend will be spent cleaning and junking out, and next weekend (a long weekend) will be when we do our big jobs.  Some of the decor we have going on just isn't doing it for us anymore, so we need to fix that.  We started coming up with some ideas and painting seems to be inevitable, which was on my radar anyways.  And then a few projects, involving a song lyric canvas inspired by Jennifer Johner, a segmented photo from our wedding, and some curtains.  We have a five-hundred dollar budget, and I think we can accomplish lots within that guideline.  We'll get to the other things eventually, like painting a wall in our bedroom, refinishing some dressers, and re-tiling our fireplace.  Right now we're going to focus on just a few things to see how that goes, we've sadly learned our lesson on takling too much at once.

 

Source

Speaking of Jennifer Johner, I'm in complete envy of her decor style.  I've been wanting to incorporate some charcoal greys, but haven't been able to figure out a colour palette that would work with the basic painters beige that we have throughout our house.  Then I was reminded of the colour palette of her old house.  Seriously, Justin and I are both in love with it.  I can't wait to see the difference in our house after two weeks.

A Weekend Of Change

1 - Friday night and Saturday were hard on me.  It's hard to break old habits, and I'm struggling to shift my focus from food to activities.  Something caught my eye out the kitchen window, and I saw a beautiful sunset.  It changed my attitude, and made me realize the bigger picture again.

2 - Seeing our fruit bowl actually being used and full of fruit makes me so happy!

 

 Find me on Instagram: juliemkeller, or just click the button on the sidebar.

Friday's Night Moves

For me, Friday nights can either be the best part of my week or the worst, but either way it always revolves around food.  On those good nights, Justin and I go out to eat, have a couple drinks, and enjoy ourselves.  However, since I had a bad day at work from the moment I arrived, and Justin was going out with friends, I knew tonight was shaping up to be the bad version.  Before deciding I needed to lose some extra pounds, I would have placed an order for sixty dollars worth of sushi, brought it home and eaten it all.  Tonight, that wasn't a road I was going down, but I was at a loss as to how to turn this night and my bad mood around.  Feeling sorry for myself on my drive home, I decided to grab a couple oranges for a treat since I've been craving them all week.  While at the store, I decided to make salsa and enjoy it on cucumber "chips."  Immediately I started feeling better about my night; I had a plan, and I was ready.  It really is about taking this whole diet thing (and life in general, for that matter) one day at a time!