The Gym

So, I went to the Gym.

Yesterday.

Yep, that is what I did... I went and looked around. Had to pee, and then left.

Nope, didn't work out. Got there to late for the Zumba class. When I looked around all I saw was super fit people working on their fitness. And machines I don't really understand how to use.

And in my mind I am thinking...." me, not understanding how to use these damn things"! UGH.

Really the whole thought just overwhelms me, FEAR... that is what it is... but don't ask me what I am fearful of because I have no clue.

Then, I get a text from my beloved husband..."How was the Gym?"
The guilt hits.... had to text back, "went but didn't work out"
All I got back was a sad face. " :("
Yeah that one...

See my husband knows how unhappy I am with my figure, and he is going to the Gym like ever other day! Which I think is great!
I am happy that I have such a supportive person in my life that pushes me, to do the things I want to do, but for some strange reason, I don't do. Does that makes scense?


Anyways,

I think we do pretty well on the healthy eating front, maybe we could do better, But we don't eat fast food, and try to stay away from processed foods if we can help it.

I could go on about what we eat and don't eat.

I know I just need to work out.

So! Today!

I went to the Gym, and yet again No Zumba class... But I did work out for a hard 25 mins on a machine... don't ask me which one because .... all I know it worked on the legs and it was in the back!

I hope I can keep up the good work, I am ready to get healthy and fit!

So until next time, Be Happy and Get Healthy!

Favorite Quote

"Where there's a will, there's a way"

It's an old English proverb meaning a person with determination will find a way of doing something.

This is how I live my life, If I find that I want something bad enough I will make it happen.

All you have to do is believe in yourself that you can do it.
Believe in yourself that YOU are worth whatever it is you are wanting.
If there is any hint of doubt, I mean even the tiniest bit. Then what you want will not happen.

And yes of course, there are those times where you make something happen and it just is not how you thought it out to be.

One of two things has happened here.

Number 1. A lesson needed to be learned.

Or

Number 2. You were not clear enough on what it was you wanted.

OH! I forgot to mention, if your intent is greedy or to hurt someone,
 more then likely it will not work out for you.

Anyways,

Until Next time... Be Kind and remember... If there is will there is a way!

Veggie Wontons

I know I don't normally post about food, however I think I should start because food is a really big part of my life. I love eating food, talking about food, and sharing food.

So today I made veggie wontons! I also did my first go at Plum Jam.... not so sure how that is going to turn out.

But I know my Veggie Wontons will be wonderful, even if I didn't have everything I normally put in them.

I learned how to make wontons from a friend at a pot luck I went to. When we lived on Salt Spring Island, of course they were pork wontons, but that was back in the day when my husband ate meat. We now don't eat much meat in this house anymore.

So Wontons!  Above is the pic I took of the mixture I put in them.

Napa Cabbage, Carrots, and Snow Peas, a few dashes of soy sauce
 (I forgot to add the bean sprouts) :(
However, I am sure they will be just as good!

 

Here is the Picture with the mixture on the wonton, its just a tsp full, since these guys are so tiny!

 

The next step is a bit tricky....

How to FOLD the wonton! 

It Seems everyone has there own way of doing it.

Today I tried a new way and I seem to like it alot better.

First I wet the whole wonton with a brush of water, you can use egg whites... But I find water works just as well and I don't feel like I am wasting an egg. Then you just fold over the square to make a triangle  and then pinch the tips together.

Now we just have to see how they hold up when I steam them.

 

 

I pre-made these so after I pick the kiddos up from school I can spend more time helping out with homework. I will serve these with a dipping sauce made up of soy sauce, a dash of hot sauce and a small amount of oil... toasted seaseme oil is good in there as well. However I have none on hand at the moment.

 To go with the Wontons is an Asian style veggie noodle stir-fry.

That I will make right before its time to eat.

 In stir-fries I like my veggies tender crisp, and I find if I pre-make it, the veggies will be over cooked.

Who likes mushy veggies? I know we don't in this house!

 

Until Next time.... Happy Cooking!

 

 

 

Banking...

I am so frustrated with Banking its not even funny!

It started yesterday when I got the mail, I see there is a notice from my bank, and it reads.

IMPORTIANT!

Now you and I both know that when you get a letter from your bank like this, its never a good thing.

So, my heart beats quickens as I open the letter and it reads.

You have used to many transaction in your Savings account due to Federal State Law.
You are going to be charged a fine each time after you go over this amount, please check account disclosure for anymore information or please call our customer service line.

As I read this I am blown away, I never had issues before.

IS Canada that much different with their Banking then the USA??

At first I am really upset at my bank, why was this not explained to me when I opened the account, really I used that many transactions? So many questions are running through my head.

I do my research and find out that its not just my bank, its all BANKS... see above...
The Underlined part! ITS the GOVERMENT that will not allow but 6 transactions through a savings account. So I let it go, yes I am out a few bucks... which is kinda sad but I learned my lesson, and know now to watch how many times I move money.

But WAIT! there is more.

Today I get a very frantic phone call from both my husband and my banker, saying that I have written my rent check out of my SAVINGS account and not the checking, and since I MOVED the money to checking to cover the rent check, there was not enough funds in that account to cover the check!

I tell the Banker... no I have written it out of the same account I have written the other 4 checks out of, why would I have a checkbook for a savings account, when I have a checking account?!?

Come to find out the lady I ordered my checks from did it through my SAVINGS account and NOT through the CHECKING account!!! Now I feel really stupid, why I didn't think to check the account numbers I am not sure. Maybe because Money IS supposed to come out of the CHECKING account when you write a check!! Am I right??

AND so this is why I HAD so Many FREAKING transactions!

Thankfully my banker is going to wave all the fees that are on the account and re-order the right checks for the right account.

So the moral of this post is .....PLEASE make sure, not just your name and address are correct on your checks! But also check to make sure the account number is correct as well.

<SIGHS>

Until next time... Happy Banking!

Moved!

So... I know its been awhile since I have last posted.

I promise that I will try to do better at posting more often!

Anyways, I have moved! Yep, moved once again to another place.

Now my family and I have packed up and moved back to the good ole' U S of A. Seattle WA. to be exact. Boy of boy was it a move to.

The kids were pissed off for a good three weeks!

I know I know its never easy moving, really not easy moving when you have 3 kids, husband, dog, cars. Looking for places to rent, looking up schools, areas close to work. Ride the bus not to ride the bus. Location... Location... Location!

You have to factor in EVERYTHING!

What kind of house do you want, in the city out of the city, how far are you wanting to drive. What kinda school are close, how much of a yard, how many bedrooms, bathrooms. Is it going to be to big to small.  The list goes on and on.

Thankfully all that is done!

Now comes more stress after enrolling the kids in school and getting them comfortable its time to play the social game. Making play dates and friends. Not to mention car tags, titles.

Then I still have to find something to do for myself. More on this topic another time.

If you ever need advice on moving away from home please feel free to ask!

Best Wishes until next time.

The Spirit of the Coffee House.

The Spirit of the coffee house is something that can only be created by the people who work there and the Guest in which it receives. It doesn't even need to be " Third Wave".  Actually I am even unsure if it really matters about the Quality of the coffee as long as there is passion put into the each cup and friendliness passed on with a smile. And it makes me very sad when I see the Spirit of a coffee house starts to die.

As you see, I used the word Guest instead of the word customers.... Every coffee shop can have customers. However its not the customers that keep the coffee house alive. Its the Guest and the people the receive those guest. The employees of the coffee house. When you treat people as guest they will want to come back again and again, they will want to bring their friends. When you treat your employees as trust worthy knowledgeable people, they will also become your guest. It becomes a safe place.

Now lets talk about "Third Wave".
At one point in and time in my life I was really into the whole "Third Wave movement". I saw it as a way to educate people about coffee, where it comes from, how its grow, and what makes each bean special. Now I see "Third Wave" as some think they know it all hipster that scoffs at the idea of drinking coffee anyway other then its purest form.

I will Rant about "third wave" later in another blog... so keep posted! :D

Back to the spirit of the coffee house.

Now onto the Staff of the coffee house. The staff is like a little family, and really this is true about any place you work. So if everyone in this little family treats each other with respect, the guest will pick up on that and in turn will treat other guest with respect, be friendly. And then something beautiful happens, when guest and staff speak freely with each other as friends, the spirit truly is formed!

When it dies.... When the spirit of the coffee house dies, the guest and staff can see it. The guest no longer feel as if its their safe place, and the staff no longer cares if the guest are comfortable with each other. The smiles fade or fake off, and the magic that happens inside each cup becomes dull. There can be many reasons why the spirit dies, however the biggest reason the Spirit dies is to many changes at once. If the coffee house changes values, it must be slow. If the staff changes, it must be done gently. If the ways of coffee making changes, it must be consistent. If all this happens at once, the spirit is broken.

Which makes me sad.

"Why does it make me sad?" You might ask... well it makes me sad because, of what coffee means to me and those around me. For some its warmth, for others its energy, maybe both.

Warmth and Energy make up the happy spirit in any ones life not just a coffee house.

However, the Spirit of the coffee house can be brought back, with time, the right people in place and a smile on every ones face.

Until next time.... Happy sipping!

Babbles around Trust, Change and Control.... with knobs.

Babbles around Trust, Change and Control.... with knobs.

As I am sitting here trying to make a list of things I would like to get started today for the rest of my week to smooth by gracefully and happy. Gracefully happy is where I am in this moment. It’s a feeling of wonderfulness. Trust is one of those big words. Trust is a funny thing ya know. It's a word that gets twisted and tangled in so many mix matched way. I think my whole life lesson is about trust, and changes, and control. The Trust, changes and control are ways to give you the ideas of which way you chose to see your life and what you are like.

 But as I sit here with just a few moments of time to myself. Moments I really never get, because I refuse to get into at a healthy frame of mind. Possibly it's because I don't trust myself enough to have a good time and feel good about myself. I am either letting someone else change my knobs or I am adjusting the control with the wrong knobs myself.... possibly a little of both.

Think about it... just for a moment picture your body as a bunch of knobs, some go up /down, some go round and round. others go zig zagged. You get kinda nauseous just by thinking about how the knobs look, but then you are to see they are labeled with how your life is. Maybe you set the happy meter on medium," Yep nothing wrong with medium! " you say to yourself.
But what you are forgetting is that happy meter is connected to other knobs and switches. And those knobs and switches are connected to not just your happy meter but your moody one, your toes your hair, inside and out. All of YOU! So when something goes rock bottom the happy meter gets tugged on a little. In life you have to find ways to turn those knobs before someone else comes along the way and turns them for you, by tricks of judgment, guilt, blame, fear, denial, anger, lust, and possibly love but love in the wrong way. Sometimes its OK to let someone else turn your knobs if you trust them enough to give them your control , however they also have to realize that even if they are allowing you to control their knobs that doesn't mean they are letting you change them.

Sounds great huh? Change your life by unseen knobs you and maybe a few others might know how to make those knobs work for you. Now: my reader, you are thinking
“ OK she is a little batty today”, but that is only because I am trying to open up to a new idea of thinking. Lets just say these knobs are in fact real. and I know where they are might not openly say that. 

So with that being said, look around you and see what makes you want turn that Trust knob up, so you to maybe live in Gracefully Happy.

Maybe its covered up and hidden and you try to blame it on you not doing something that you felt like you should be ….and then you become upset with yourself and those around you...

It's all really just about Trust, Trust yourself and let go of what you didn't/did do when you were not trusting yourself.

Anyways Here is my thoughts on knobs.... which all rooted from me sitting down to write my what am I go to do, to make myself feel Gracefully happy!


Until next time: Trust-Change-Control all in positive ways. Laugh~Smile~Hug.
everything in the world is a possibility if you believe in it enough.