Another Embarassing Moment

Went to the Dentist today to have a mould taken of my teeth. Apparently I grind my teeth at night and need a mouth guard.
It wasn't a good experience, but it certainly was memorable. I found out that I gag easily. When they put a form filled with sticky pink stuff on my upper teeth, I gagged and then threw up all over myself. What fun!

Hostas and other surprises

I'm not an experienced gardener, so I get to have many surprises as I freely plant what I get on sale at various garden centres. Take hostas, for example. Really, take some. I didn't know that the tiny potted hosta I brought home 3 years ago would turn into something from the Jurassic Park! It's almost taller than my Juniper shrub! It's so big, it's almost intimidating. Oh, how I laugh now at my sillyness when I planted 3 cute little hostas (don't ask me their names because I didn't keep the little cards that came with them) in a tiny patch of dirt by my front door. They have overtaken my Rose of Sharon, which means that I will have to split them up and find more space for them (or give them to family who, I'm sure, will be grateful when their gardens are taken over by these gorgeous plants). The thing about hostas is...I love 'em. I wish I had a big space so I could have more of them. I have a friend who has at least a hundred hostas in her huge backyard. She just bought 25 more (they were on sale).
By the way - I didn't know that forget-me-not's were such an aggressive spreader. They're pretty though, but come on... my neighbours are having them sprout in their lawns. I got some 'splainin to do.

Artistry is not always genetic

My husband's Dad, Tom, submitted one of his oil paintings at a charity event and it sold for $150.00. A lot of people were interested in it, some even took pictures of it. Now Tom is not a professional artist, oil painting, like his amazing electric train set, is a hobby. He taught himself, and has painted a few rather nice country scenes. I'm rather proud of the in-law.
The following morning, darling hubby, Mephistopheles, who cuts me up a kiwi fruit in the morning for breakfast presented said kiwi and said "well? What do you think of it?" I looked at the kiwi then at his expression of creative accomplishment and said "ummm, looks like a good kiwi."
"No no" he said "what do you think of my picture?"
I replied "It's very nice, abstract is it? 'Kiwi pieces randomly placed', very chic."
"No no" the love of my life said, "it's a happy face".
Hmmm, just wasn't seeing it. Mephistopheles, bless his darling soul, has not inherited his father's artistic abilities.

I am not a restaurant!!!

Is it just me or does having to come up with a meal idea everyday really suck. Sometimes, not often, I have the urge to cook and go at it with wild abandon. OK, that's exaggerating just a little. Sometimes I hate cooking less than other times - there, that's closer to the truth. Figuring out what to make for supper occupies my mind way more than I would like it to. I am disinclined to prepare a week's worth of menus every Sunday night - even though it would probably make my life easier. I just don't wanna do it. I have tried affirmations such as "I love to cook" "I create great meals everyday" yeah, right. It's like there are two of me. Me #1 wants to prepare nutritious homemade meals with fresh veggies out of the garden for my child and my husband, Mephistopheles. Me #2 doesn't want to have to deal with all that when there are so many other things (like blogging) that I would prefer to do. Anyhoo, there's my rant...venting is good.

Eating well

Bok Choy, flax seeds, bran, spinach, romaine lettuce, fruits, I've been eating it all and decreasing my consumption of meats. Decreasing, not totally eliminating, baby steps you know. And I've got to say, I feel better. Not a whole lot better because I still eat stuff like cheesecake, perogies, mashed potatoes with butter, but the healthy food consumption is definitely increasing. Now if I could only make myself exercise I'm sure I would be in even better shape. It's a little depressing that I am out of breath after carrying an armful of laundry up two flights of stairs.

Skinny Bitch book

Just got done reading "Skinny Bitch" by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. The title led me to believe this was just another "go on a diet so you can be as skinny as a model" piece of crap. I was wrong. This is an in-your-face, informational book on eating the right foods vs eating what all of us non-vegan eat all the time. These ladies do not mince words when it comes to telling it like it is: "Coffee is for pussies. Think about how widely accepted it has become that people need coffee to wake up. You should not need anything to wake up, if you can't wake up without it, it's because you are either addicted to caffeine, sleep deprived, or a generally unhealthy slob." (excerpt from pg 15 "Skinny Bitch"). They then list what caffeine can do to you, not a pretty picture. The book then goes on to describe how meat and dairy products are not good for you. Scary facts. Then Rory and Kim describe the conditions which cows, pigs and chickens live in, and what happens in slaughterhouses...for those of us who get queasy easily, and in this case even not so easily, Chapter 4, Chapter 6 and parts of Chapter 9 are definitely chapters you may want to avoid reading. Very disturbing. The rest of the book gives good information on the nutrients we need and what foods contain them, and there is even a month's worth of 3 meals a day menu examples for our use. As I am writing this blog, I am guzzling a can of pop, but now I'm not enjoying it as much as I used to. Damn.
Note: This is not a book to read if you don't like swear words. To me, it just adds to the charm.

Learning to Network

Networking is something I haven't done much. Being a shy person, networking seems to be harder than climbing Mount Everest. However, I own a small retail business and online store and I've been told that I need to get my name out there.
Attended my first networking seminar and actually enjoyed it. Still, when it comes to the thought of attending these functions, I can feel my heart beat faster (and not in happy anticipation), and all my self-esteem issues that I thought I had buried in the back-forty of my mind resurface with a vengeance. However, it's time to go beyond my comfort zone and get on with it. I love my business and I want to see it flourish, so if I have to go out and network, so be it. If anybody has any ideas how to attend such functions without breaking out in a clammy nerve-racked sweat, please let me know. By the way, check out my website: http://www.moonstonepath.com I also have a blog there, that relates to the products I sell.