The Growing Problem of Greek Debt

as per Chancellor Angela Merkel via Marginal Revolution

 

 

 

Fall Picnic

a few weeks ago i woke up to snow.

i was horrified, not so much because of the pesky white stuff (i am canadian afterall), but rather the fact that up to that point i hadn't done one single "fall" thing.  no pumpkin.  no soup.  no leaf collecting.  no cozy nights with cocoa and masterpiece theatre.  no apple picking. no corn mazes. nothing.  

i jumped out of bed determined not to let some doggone snow come between me and fall.  that day i crammed in a lot.  i made vegetable soup.  i went for a walk and ate a pumpkin tart at the windy ridge bakery. i got home busted out my hot water bottle and hit bbc.  hard. (and just in case you are wondering don't watch mill on the floss or the woodlanders unless you've taken your prozac that day).

  
lucky for me the snow didn't stick so i've had a few extra weeks to slurp up the last of this remarkable season.  last week when ann suggested we go for a picnic up mill creek canyon, i was all over it.  it was one of those meals i won't soon forget.  big plans were hatched and we all left perfectly content.

so the moral of the story is: 

kindred spirits+foliage+hearty food+making plans=the perfect fall day.

don't ask why it looks like i have black sideburns.  ok. 

for more photos and beautiful reviews of our afternoon check out marie and ann's blogs.

Manic Monday

i gotta alotta do.  

a morning list and Greek yogurt and granola are a good way to start. 

as sisters in zion

we'll all hike together.

our early morning mountain adventure was a highlight of my week.

the night i almost killed us

i woke up sunday morning at 5 am, odd since i never get up before 10 if i can help it.

i had this weird cough.  it wasn't like a cold cough.  no.  it was like something had crawled down my throat and taken up residence in my larynx.  trying to dislodge it (gross word i know) i coughed and hacked but nothing worked. i decided to guzzle the flat half empty can of diet doctor pepper on my bedside table.

bad idea.

what is it about the combination of hacking up a lung and  flat pop that mades you feel like you are going to upchuck (to quote ramona quimby age 8)?  so i went into the bathroom and laid down on the cold hard floor and stayed there for a couple of hours until the alarm went off and mike got up to get ready for church.

while he was in the shower i stood in the kitchen trying to decide which would do less harm: a glass of water or making myself puke. 

and then i saw it.

the stove was on.  it had been on all night--cooking the pan i'd used to warm up our gross low carb tortillas the night before.  thank goodness the only damage was to our lungs.  we estimate i took about 50 minutes off our lives since breathing in a smoking pot all night is the equivalent of about 5 years of chain smoking.

my throat is fine today.  my pride? not so much.

body brushing

so in the comments on one of my other skin care posts, my sister made some wise crack about making sure to take out time to buff puff my butt.  when she said it, i don't think she knew i am an avid butt buffer.  have been for years.  and now you get to hear all about it.  (except since this is a family blog, and butt buff puff sounds kind of unladylike, let's call it "body brushing" from now on ok?)

i first read about body brushing in a weight loss book by marilu henner.  at the time i had a canadian tire or two to lose, but was more interested in reading about losing weight than actually losing weight.  more to the point, i wanted to find ways to look thinner without giving up my 8 twizzleators and family size onion rings a day habit.

anyway marilu (and i didn't even know who she was or why she was famous) takes a whole chapter of the book to blab about how dry body brushing has all these benefits including minimizing cellulite and reducing bloating.  i read that and i was on body brushing like white on rice.

its pretty simple.  start with dry skin (ie pre bath/shower). take a brush start at your feet and brush up towards your heart.   i use this brush i picked up at riteaid or ulta or something. after i finish brushing, i like to slather myself in argan oil or coconut oil.  i can't promise that it will get rid of your cellulite but it will make you feel fantastic. fant-ASS-tic.  sorry mom.  i couldn't help myself.

vitamin c isn't just for colds

you can put it on your face too. and with great results, especially if you happen to be among those cursed with the lines and zits (and i am). some girls have all the luck. i won't bore you with the details on vitamin c, like how it is an anti-oxidant and breaks up free radicals because that is what wikipedia is for and besides i don't really know what those things mean anyway.

instead, how about i share a few brands that make great vitamin c serums; one for the cheapskates, one for people who like "organic" stuff, and one for the product junkies.

cheapskates: most of the time this is me. except recently i've started splurging on skincare to make myself feel better about the fact that i am 30 and i look like i am 30. when i am poor i use avalon organics vitamin c vitality facial serum with great results. it isn't sticky and absorbs into the skin quickly.

"organic" stuff: kiehls powerful line reducing concentrate (10% vitamin c) isn't actually organic....but the company really tries hard not to use parabans (wikipedia it) or fragrances, which i love. this is what i am currently using. i like it. a lot.  it kind of warms up when you put it on your face and has a really nice essential oily kinda smell. my skin is clear (!) and smooth (!) and looks pretty radiant (!).  kiehls is amazing about letting people try stuff...so next time you are in nordies/holts ask them for a sample. 

product junkies: ever since my friend told me the other day about obagi i've been obsessed with trying their 20% vitamin c serum. only problem it is in the neighbourhood of 120 bones. currently my paranoia about my pocketbook supersedes my paranoia about aging (although the gap is rapidly closing to don't be surprised if in a week or two i'm raving about this.)

anything i missed?