Where Does the Time Go?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and New Year. Here are a few highlights from my own holiday season...but first, a message from our sponsor - Kilally Meadows!

Winter Solstice - Dec. 21. The day of the
year that our shadow it at its longest! I will miss those
long legs as we reach the Summer Solstice! 

• had a Christmas week breakfast with a former colleague. Donated some "free coffees" to the homeless (the place we always go to for breakfast is a restaurant which hires only folks with disabilities) and has set up this program of buying coffees for those in need. And the food is fantastic!
• went out to dinner at The Winebar with two girlfriends (they also serve food :)
• spent hours and hours perfecting my Scotland calendar - will post the photos next time
• finished reading several books - my favourite was "Scotland: The Genetic Journey." NOT as dry as it sounds! It was so good that I've also purchased "England: The Genetic Journey."
• Went for several walks in Kilally Meadows - almost NO snow to be seen! (You know there is something wrong with the climate when you're surprised to see snow in January in CANADA!) Yup, a green Christmas and New Year again this year!
• had two long visits with my brother and fellow traveller - Kim :) (One of the traditions we started when in Scotland was to have a wee dram of scotch and a couple of Hobnobs with a good cuppa after. So we've now added that tradition to our bi-monthly visits here at home! :)
• Went to see two movies, with a third coming up this coming weekend.  The first was "Will you ever Forgive Me?" with Melissa McCarthy in her first dramatic role. I loved it, my friend was luke-warm. Then on New Year's Eve we started a new tradition by going to a movie - when we went into the theatre it was 2018 and when we left it was 2019! That movie was "Bohemian Rhapsody" with Rami Malek playing Freddie Mercury. If he doesn't win an Oscar for that role it will be a disgrace! I give it five stars!! No, six!! The other movie we want to see is "The Green Book" with Ali Mahershala and Viggo Mortensen. The "Green Book" was a book created for African Americans to use when on holiday in the U.S. back in the 1960's. Only certain motels/hotels/restaurants etc would serve them and were listed in the book.  Mahershala plays jazz musician Don Shirley and Mortensen plays his driver and bodyguard while on tour. It's getting RAVE reviews! 
• Spent Christmas Eve watching Christmas movies with Kazi and Christmas Day with Kazi and my brothers, sister-in-law, nephew, his wife and child. GOOD times. I also went for my 2nd annual Christmas walk in Kilally Meadows after Kazi and I opened gifts and had our traditional breakfast of peach pancakes. (I made them with whole wheat flour this year and I thought that improved the taste!)
• Interspersed were a few games of volleyball and ball hockey, some baking and batch cooking and more reading and a bit of genealogical success tracking down my 4th great grandmother and father! Yay! 
• My only resolution is to READ more which should be easy as I've picked up about 20+ books the past few weeks from friends, brother, library, Amazon etc. (I also donated some thrift shop clothes when I was in Scotland to make room in my suitcase for the books I bought while there! )When I was planning my retirement I imagined myself lounging around all day with stacks of books around the house and nothing but time to read them all. (No bonbons please!) But it hasn't quite turned out that way as every time I pick up a book I feel guilty and think there is something more important I should be doing. BAH HUMBUG!! 

Now I want to hear about YOUR holidays :) 

But first...a message from our sponsor, Lilypad...

Such a big chair for a wee little kitty!

January Challenge

My goals for January's No/low Spend month are very simple:   (Click on the link to go to Carla's page about the January challenge!)

1.  No use of credit cards. They (all 2 of them) are currently at ZERO and the plan is to keep them that way!
2.  Spend $ only on food for Kazi and I and gas for Dougie the Dodge.  No stopping for coffee in the morning, no newspapers etc. (Kazi has joined me in eating mainly fruits and vegetables and enjoys the juice I make. I will buy NO meat. My main place to shop is the United store which is an Asian grocery store. I bought 5 packages of yellow peppers for a $1.00 per package - 4 peppers in a package, that's....25 cents per pepper! They have great selection and LOW prices. They also have a big section for produce that is past its "best by" date and that stuff is perfect for juicing. I have $20 in my wallet and $463 in my acc't to last until next payday which is Jan. 15th. Anything leftover will go to savings...immediately...do not pass GO!!)
3.  Put extra $$ towards my savings. I was short of my savings goal by $1500.00 at the end of 2013. With interest added since yesterday and a small transfer of $17.27 from my chequing account I now need to find $1400.00 in additional savings. (This is on top of what I normally save in a month.) It won't happen all in one month as there is just not enough $$ in the budget but I will whittle away at it the best I can. This is important as when I retire in a few months I want to have a certain amount of $$ in savings. Although I have NO FREAKING IDEA how the year will unfold and whether I'll sell the condo or sell Crofters Lane or whatever... I'm going to continue as I started my journey - saving and keeping expenses as low as I can. I'm sure some plan will unveil itself to me eventually if I keep listening and watching.

Personal goals for 2014 include eating a plant-based diet and getting my fat arse back on my bike! The main reasons for overeating in my case relate to the stresses in my life (wow, what a shocker!) The more stress there is the more I eat!  Hope you were sitting down for that revelation!

Right now I'm on a 5 day Reboot with Joe as my health, while usually excellent, has suffered recently. I had a nasty cold and then I had the flu from which I am still recovering. If ever a system needed a REBOOT it's mine. So far Day 1 is going fine. I'm currently enjoying a juice made from apples, cucumbers, kale, parsley and a yellow pepper just for fun. I'm so glad I didn't have to use up my sick days during the flu. I'm back to work Jan. 6th so HAVE to get my health shipshape again.

I had a pretty good New Year's Eve. My friend Troy hosted and we all brought food and wine to share. It was an amazing spread but I'm happy to say I didn't overdo it on food or drink. We had so many good laughs it was very therapeutic. But now I'm feeling tired and am going to listen to a book on tape while I lay down on the couch. If I fall asleep well then I must have needed to. Just another aspect of regaining my health - SLEEP!

Until tomorrow my friends :)

Taking Care of Business

I think I'm at that place where I've wallowed in self-pity for as long as I can and now I just feel damn angry.  While I'd say I'm better at wallowing than I am at demonstrating anger I need to get things done and wallowing isn't good for getting things done. So...ahem...
                                 BITE ME!!

HEY, not you guys!! Come back!!

You know who I mean! That being said this will NOT be a blog where I pulverize Michael. While I am angry at him I am not a basher...except in my own mind. I won't get into "he said, she said" kind of stuff. He has his own issues to deal with, he's made his decision. Now I need to get off my ass and take care of business because....life goes on.  Right now it feels like a crappy life but once you've reached my wise old age you know there's nowhere to go but UP. 

So I got my budget done for January and paid all outstanding charges on my Mastercard. What with all the renos I was a little afraid of facing this day so I waited until it was a payday to buffer the numbers a little. I also lost a day of pay too so the paycheque wasn't quite what it should be. I now face 2014 with no credit card debt and no debt except for a small mortgage on my PEI home. I've paid off more than half of the original cost and have the amortization whittled down to 8 years remaining. Where I have fallen short is in my savings - I'm short by $1500. Yes - $1500.00!! Not too bad eh? I can live with that. What with interest, tax refund and extra scrimping I can probably make that up by the end of June.

Yes, June 30th is on its way! I have around 180 days left til retirement. The day after new years I am going to phone OTPP (Ontario Teacher's Pension Plan) and get the process rolling - I am going to make it OFFICIAL!! Exciting!!

I went out grocery shopping for the 5 day juice fast I'm going to do starting tomorrow. For those of you interested in the details of the juice fast GO HERE. This is the "Reboot with Joe" site (Joe from Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead fame); scroll down to see the different plans - there's a 3 day plan, a 5 day plan etc. I still felt a little light-headed while shopping - that flu bug was nasty! I also took back 2 large bags full of wine bottles (no alcohol while fasting! - hence starting tomorrow not today!) Now I'm gathering up all the garbage around here which will be no mean feat! I'm making a fresh start tomorrow - JANUARY 1, 2014!!
I don't know what 2014 will bring but anything will be better than December 2013!! Tonight I am getting together with my gal pals for drinks, treats and laughs. Honestly, I can't think of a better way to start the new year.

I wish for you all a blessed New Year, lots of time spent with loved ones whether they be partners, siblings, children, friends or the furry kind :) Love comes in all different sizes and shapes, sometimes it lasts forever, sometimes just for a brief moment in time. Experience all that you can!

                                Me and my Best Girl
                                  December 25, 2013

HAPPY NEW YEAR MY FRIENDS!!

from:

Michael and Jane
Thank you to each and everyone of you for your gift of friendship,
there is no better gift in all the land!

"Oh, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe
with a person; having neither to weigh 
thoughts nor measure words, but pour them all
out, as they are, chaff and grain together,
knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift
them, keep what is worth keeping, and then,
with the breath of kindness, blow the rest away."
George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans), 1819 - 1880

Jiggly Bits

Ha! If you thought I was going to show you a picture of my jiggly bits you'll be sadly disappointed. In fact, all I'm going to say on that topic is that I'm back on my bike, pedaling madly, and on my way to the city of brotherly love! Look out Judy, 'cause here I come! 


Nope, today and tomorrow I'll be getting my jiggly bits all set to go winter camping. I'm soaking some beans right now to make a big pot of chili to take with us and rounding up the supplies we'll need. Here's the list of what we need (and don't need) to take with us:

Yurts are equipped with two sets of bunks beds, each having a vinyl cover futon mattress, and a double vinyl cover futon mattress. Table and chairs. Electric heat and lighting (fluorescent). Electrical outlet (110 v). Fire extinguisher. Shelving unit. Broom and dustpan. Propane barbecue. Picnic table. Fire pit. Shovel What to Bring: Sleeping bags, cooking stove, pots and pans, utensils, flashlight, lantern, matches, food, drinking water. Appropriate cold weather gear for winter. Water container. Extension cord. Note: Domestic animals (pets) are NOT permitted in the facility or on site and smoking is prohibited in all facilities. Cooking in yurts is not permitted.

Unfortunately the snow we received yesterday and the day before yesterday is rapidly melting and the forecast is for rain/snow over the next few days. I think I'll be taking my rubber boots along with my winter boots as we may be hiking through slush as well as snow.


However, we are going to make the best of it and we have some plans in place for when we are inside the yurt, hee hee hee! Yes indeedy - we are going to make our vision boards for 2012 (fooled ya!)!! So expect a post on that when we come back.


Tomorrow night is New Year's Eve and Michael will be working at Jambalaya. I am going to go and sit in a corner with my iPad (free wifi) and let him serve me with whatever succulent delicacies Kevin (owner and chef extraordinaire) has come up with - he usually has a set menu for New Year's and I can't wait to see  err taste it!  Then we'll be dropping in on a friend's party - the entire evening should be a NO Spend night!! Love it!


We can't stay out TOO TOO late as we will be heading for our campsite on New Year's day and staying til Tuesday. I won't be able to post while we're away but I hope to have some great photos for you when we return. And now I gotta go get busy because I'm feeling antsy sitting here with my laptop when I need to get packing!!


I'll catch up with you again later!