(Mostly) Veggies + 13 Days = 10 lbs!

Hi There!

How'm I doin', you might be askin' yourself....

Well, most days, I stick with the veggies.  These past 3 days ....  I've been slowly sliding off the wagon.

Today's my day off. 

I've got laundry goin', this morning.

This afternoon, dishes.  PLUS, I'm hoping to do some cooking and meal prep.  I'm back at work tomorrow, for the rest of the week.

I've noticed that when I haven't planned ahead of time and I have no food with me - GOD FORBID I SHOULD STARVE.... that's when my brain and Mr. Belly get together and they start talkin' pizzas and subs and... well, you know what I mean.  :-)

Planning and prepping is the secret to getting and staying healthy, I believe.

Gotta run!  Final laundry load - #4 - is ready for action!

Have a Super Sunday!

Rosa

Weigh-In: Week #1

Hi There!

Progress Report - Week #1

I've basically stopped juicing.  Either my cousin's (borrowed) machine is just so-so or I'm too frugal.

I could spend $100 to $300 to try and purchase the right machine for me, but will this make me happy?  Not Sure.  And I'll tell you why.

I'd like a machine that would give me a dry pulp.  I've done a wee bit of research on juicers and read people's comments and there doesn't seem to be the perfect juicer, out there.  You know?  Dry pulp AND easy clean-up.

Did I mention I was frugal?

I think I'd rather eat the fiber and pulp, for now.  I've convinced myself that its better for me AND I'll still loose weight while getting healthier.  AND, since I'm eating ALL of the vegetable or fruit, I fill up better and cheaper than just drinking a glass of juice.

And compared to the cah-zillion calories I used to inhale in a day, the mere nano-thousands calories I'm NOW eating... well, those pounds are just rolling off.   :-)

I've lost 8 nasty pounds, in 1 week!  

Pretty darn good, eh?  Normally, I'd have given up after 2 or 3 days.

8 pounds of butter.
An 8 pound baby.
Almost a bowling ball weight.
Almost a 10 lb bag of potatoes.

Imagine carrying around, day after day, any one of the above items?

Sooooo, this is Rosa's World, right now.  Looking for a full time permanent job.  I know the right one's just around the corner.... just gotta find it and convince the employer that I'm perfect for the job!

Have a Terrific Tuesday!

Rosa

How Zit Goin'?

Hi There!

Well, yesterday was my first day of "Juicing".

Breakfast was DELICIOUS!!!

Lunch wasn't so good.  No, I'm not blaming it on the food but rather on the juicing machine, itself.

I was supposed to have 3 heads of broccoli, 2 pears and 2 stalks of celery, right?  Well, I started with the 3 heads of broccoli.  While the pulp container was almost full, when finished, I might have had 1/2 cup of juice?  And, the pulp was VERY wet.

Soooo, as per internet instructions, I scooped up the pulp to pass it through, once again.  It jammed it!  What a mess!!!  Gritty broccoli stuff all over!!! And I'm thinking, "Gosh!  What a waste of good broccoli!!!"

When I did the 2 pears, I only got 1 tablespoon of juice... which didn't make sense at all!

Soooo, drank my cup of juice and when I cleaned up the machine, I saw a lot of pear juice had pooled INSIDE one of the parts of the machine!

Afternoon, I ate an apple - I was STARVED!

Supper time, I eyed the machine and thought, "No, I'm too hungry and this machine isn't doing the trick for me.  Let's have a salad."

Soooo, I ate a big salad and brought 3 carrots upstairs with me, to munch in front of our TV.

And peace was restored, within Rosa's soul and belly!  :-)

Rosa
Weight loss since 12 Aug. 2012?  6 lbs

Juicin' It Up!!!

Looks just as good as the recipe book!

3 apples + 2 carrots = yummy!!!

A bit tarte but delicious!  The froth actually tasted creamy!

Meet Mr. J.

Hi There!

This week, I watched "Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead".  I've been clicking and surfing on his website and I'm convinced!

I can do this!!!

Bought a whole bunch of green veggies and some fruits, this morning.

Borrowed a Juicer from my Cousin Alice, this evening, and quickly nicknamed it Mr. J.

Tomorrow morning, I'm a Juicin'!!!

My cousin, Alice, lent me her book as well.  Wasn't going to borrow it but OH MY GOD, there are easy and simple recipes in this!!!

I'm a likin' it!  :-)

Already have tomorrow's ingredients and menu lined up.  Will try and keep you all posted on my progress!

Rosa

Fall Is In the Air.

Follow Me...

Hi There!

September's here but where did the summer go?!??

Saturday morning, Gilbert and I decided to go to yard sales.  Just outside of Saint John, 2 hamlets called Red Head and Mispec, were having a Community Yard Sale.

We hadn't been there in over 13 years,
so we decided to jump in the car and head on out!

At the very end of this "peninsula", is a lighthouse with a very pictoresque view of the Bay of Fundy.

Gilbert, overlooking the Bay...

A "dark" picture of the shoreline.

And a "lighter" picture of the shoreline.  

Don't ask me why my iTouch did this.  

*scratching her head*

And, a picture of the lighthouse!

I've started "hooking" again.  

Gosh, but I love hooking.  

Almost equally as much as quilting.

But I can create quilt tops faster than I can make a hooked rug.

Anyhow, my recent rug is of a SnowMan.  

I had seen this in one of my pattern books and

 had promised myself that I would make it... someday.

"Someday" is now here.

Saturday afternoon, I was able to sit outside on our deck. 
It wasn't sweltering hot but nice enough for me. 
Worked on my "hooking" as  Gilbert puttered around the yard.

And here's a close-up of my progress.

Then, yesterday,
I decided to make a batch of my Mom's "Uncle Ben Oven Rice".

Its the kind of recipe that makes a big roaster filled of yummy rice. Great to bring to a family get together, a potluck or to make at home. AND, the rice freezes very well.  Great to separate into lunch portions and freeze, for later!

Recipe for Uncle Ben's Oven Rice.

You absolutely NEED this rice. 

I've tried it with other brands of rice and it didn't work.

A close-up of the package.

This morning, my friend Elly, at Mad4patchwork, wrote to me 

and asked that I put on my blog, a "Follow by Email" option.

When I asked her how to do it, 

she wrote back with these instructions:

Go to your blog

Click design (top right corner)

Then click 'layout'

In layout click 'add a gadget'

From the list that comes up click  'follow by email'

Click save

et voila! :)

Turns out, I already HAD this option on my blog 

but you have to scroll waaaaaay at the bottom of my page to see it.

  I'll be moving to the top right hand side.... 

as soon as I finish publishing this post.

Anyhow, Elly gave me permission to copy her instructions - 

in case some of you might like to add this option on your blog.

Elly, I just went to your blog site 

and did you realize it's been 5 months 

since you last posted, girlfriend?!?!?

*grin*

And, this "following" topic reminded me of 

one of my favorite songs by Uncle Kracker....  

"Follow Me".

Here's hoping you have a Super September!!!

Rosa

Where Have I Been (Part 4 of 4)????

 Hi There!

Last week, June 10th, a local Lobster Shop posted on Face Book that they had six 5 lb lobsters freshly cooked and their client cancelled their order at the last minute.

Did anyone want to buy 1 or all?

I quickly called them up, made arrangements to buy one and Zelda and I zipped over to Lorneville.

This is the biggest lobster that I've EVER had - 

5.5 pounds!!!

You're probably wondering, like I did, 

"Are the bigger ones as good as the smaller ones?"

Honestly?  This one was delicious.... 

don't get me wrong.  

But, the smaller ones are better.

As Gilbert is a vegetarian, 

he opted for a veggie sub.

This past weekend and week, I've been busy catching up on Bonnie Hunter's lastest step, with her Mystery Quilt, called "Lazy Sunday".  

It's published in the "Quiltmaker" magazine.

I've managed to finish all my blocks.  

The next Quiltmaker magazine probably won't be published now, for another 2 months.

I did, however, end up with all these small triangles and have decided to sew 'em all together and make pinwheel blocks.

As of yesterday afternoon, all the mini pinwheels are sewn up.  There's approx. 75 of them and they measure, give or take, 3 inches.... They need to be squared down to 2-1-2 inches, I'm guessing.

Late yesterday afternoon, Gilbert pinned one of my quilts onto "Bertha", our longarm machine.

"Le Jardin à Mémère" 

will probably be completed today!!!

Yesterday evening, I took a "Squedge" class.

Here are the fabrics that I had selected and cut into 2 inch strips...

And here's the finished table centerpiece.

Our class was from 6 pm to 9 pm but seriously, I think once you get the hang of this.... it would only take 1-1/5 hours to complete the top. 

FUN, FUN, FUN to make!!!

And apparently, there's a cah-zillion other patterns to make with the squedge ruler!

Looking forward to doing more!

Hope you all have a Terrific Thursday!

Rosa

The Smell is Incredible!!!

15 minutes and my kitchen smells like a French "Patisserie" !!!

And of course, I had to try one!

Très bon!!!

Rosa

Bonding With My Oven

Well, I had promised Gilbert some "Miche" bread - better known as the "No Knead Bread" and, I had promised myself to try a new-to-me recipe - "Beginner's Croissant", from the Company's Coming cookbook.

Will take a picture of both recipes AFTER they come out of the oven.

Rosa

Fifty Shades of Cupcakes (or almost)!

Hi There!

What a GORGEOUS pre-Fall day!

Lovely breeze and the sun is shining....  

I've decided to do my laundry today, 

rather than my usual laundry day - Sunday.

This morning, while Gilbert was working 

on painting our new side door frame, 

I decided to go uptown and 

re-visit my (new) favorite store.... 

Piece O'Cake Custom Creations.

Once again, I was blown over by their selections!

 What a LOVELY store!

 

Since Gilbert had never tried these before, 

I selected a package with an assortment

of mini cupcakes.

A heavenly line shone upon our heads and 

there were Angels cavorting on our tongues,

while singing angelic songs, in our heads!

 

We decided to be reasonable and

put some aside for supper time.... 

Hope your having an incredible weekend -

I sure am!

Rosa

Final Pic of My 2 Loaves...

Hi There!

Well, both loaves came out PERFECTLY!

Perhaps not quite as light as my Mom's 

but I haven't made bread in a LONG time and, 

Gilbert and I weren't too, too fussy, either!

I'm a few days behind but 

I thought I'd share my final pics, 

nevertheless.

Off to bed!

One last day before the weekend!

Rosa

In the Loaf Dish

I've kneaded the bread twice, in its bowl.

Now, the bread will rise 1 last time before I pop it in the oven!

More pics later...

Rosa

Is There Any Better Smell?!?!?!

I've decided to make some old fashioned bread. I haven't made bread in over 15(?) years! Yes, I've made some "No Knead Bread" recently but that's not the same, in my opinion.

Right now, it's going through it's 1st rise.

I'll try and take pics along each step and report back to you. If it turns out edible, I'll even post the recipe!

Is there any better smell than a freshly bathed and powered baby or bread cooking? And since I don't have a baby nearby, I'll have to settle with fresh cooked bread!

*grin*

Stay tuned!

Rosa

Our Canada Day (garden veggie) Burgers!

Hi There!

Sometimes you just gotta break outta your shell 

and try something new.

Gilbert is a vegetarian.

If its got "eyes"  

-  'cept for potatoes - 

he ain't eatin' it!

Earliest this week at Costco,

I picked up a box of (frozen)

"Garden Vegetable" burgers.

"Were they good?", you ask.

"Good??  There were DELICIOUS!!!!!"

Did you know that Costco guarantees their "house" product?

I'm not sure about the rest of Canada

or elsewhere, but in my city,

their "house" product is "Kirkland".

If you try something and you don't like it,

they'll take it back!

No problem.

Anyhow, if you're looking for a

different kind of burger

- whether you're vegetarian or not -

these are GREAT!!!

Rosa

What a Day! (lots of pictures!!!)

 Hi There!

Gilbert and I headed out the door at 9 a.m., this morning - we did some banking and went to Home Depot to pick up a "Milwaukee" circular saw.  This winter, he came across a sale on a Milwaukee cordless drill and it was love at first sight!  Lately..... And, coincidentally, his 12 year + electrical, circular saw was on it's last legs... So, we picked up a new, cordless circular saw and Gilbert's now a Happy Camper!

*grin*

Once home, we unpacked our purchases and Gilbert worked on yesterday's quilt while I decided to cook up a batch of meat.  Tomorrow, Gilbert and I are supposed to make a batch of meat pies and tourtières.

 Gilbert helped me take a few pictures of my 2nd batik quilt that is FINALLY ready to be shipped off to the lady that commissioned this!

If you click on the picture below, you can see a bigger picture of this quilt.

While I was in my Sewing Studio, "Minou", our oldest cat, had to come in and find herself a (grooming) spot and snoozing spot.  She plunked herself down into my wicker basket.  I could hear her puuurrrr.... REAL loud!  

*grin*

Then, while emailing back and forth with my buddettes, I found out that I can take fresh berries and wash them - in this case I had blueberries on hand...

Add sugar, if I wished. In this case, I added a soup spoon of brown sugar.

And then, add some rum.  I added some dark rum.

Apparently, the blueberries will NOT go bad and I can add these as a topping to a cake or pudding or whatever.

I'll keep you all posted on how this turns out.

*grin*

Preserving Berries and Myself, too!

I have been trying my bestest to finish off 2 UFOs (Un-Finished Objects) before even DREAMING about starting a new project....  I've been trying, but I don't always succeed.  *VBG*

Anyhow, these spool blocks were blocks that I swapped with other ladies, on the internet.

Today, I pulled them out of my ziplock back, trimmed them up and placed them on my design wall.

Unfortunately, 3 of the blocks did not even come CLOSE to the required 6-1/2" square.  These 3 blocks may go on the back of what has now become my "Table Runner", rather than a square Table Topper.

See the cute small one?  My friend, Brigitte Baierl, sent me that block, for no reason 'cept to show me how SHE does her spool blocks.  

Its a 3 dimensional block - 

REALLY COOL!!!

I had to make 2 more green ones to come up with a symmetrical design. I'll be adding a skinny, probably black border and then, a bigger wider one... to finish it off.

And that's if for today.

It's now 8h38 p.m. and I'm upstairs in our little office and its STILL raining outside!

Tomorrow's another day, right?

Hope your Saturday's drier than mine!

Rosa

We Make Do

When your Margarita glasses are still packed...

We make do.

Have a Fabulous Friday, everyone!

Cheers!

Rosa

Cutting differently...

Just a regular mushroom...

Gilbert cut this one differently and I thought it was rather striking..... mind you - it tasted the same but the visuals really struck me as beautiful and different.  *s*


Rosa

Easter nests

Waiting for the nests to harden...

Rosa

Tator Salad

3 colored potatoes... Yummy!

Rosa