Sore, but my yard is going to look great!

Last week, Mike and I had the brilliant idea to do some yard work this past Saturday.  It's Monday now and I'm still sore.  I don't know how professional landscapers do it day after day.  I'm sure they must get used to it, but still.

Last year, we put in our landscaping - concrete patio, stone half wall, stone walkway up to the house etc.  As a result of the work going on in the back, our nice lush lawn was trampled by a smaller earth mover and then a larger earth mover used to pull the smaller one out of the mud and so on.  After the landscapers left, there were pockets of the lawn that had been dug up, which left large dirt areas ready for weeds to invade and invade they did.  In addition, we have drainage issues, so there were areas where the top soil was greatly thinned to the point where you could see the roots of the grass.  Lastly, since our yard backs onto a farmer's field, weeds and vines congregated at the fence and so they were starting to creep into our yard.

This year, Mike and I declared full on war against the weeds, largely because they are ugly and because of Gimli's allergy, which I'm happy to say has been dormant so far, but we have 5 months to go.

Saturday morning, we started early.

• Pick up poop.
• Trim any dead branches from our plants/shrubs.
• Pull up weeds - we had a large assortment of dandelions around the yard and prickly type weeds at the back where the vines had deposited their spores.  The de-weeding took most of the day, but a good majority of them have been removed.  This is going to be a constant task, I know it.
• Remove the vines from the back fence.  It's not very apparent in the picture, but these vines were intertwined both in the fence and with each other.  I'd cut a strand and pull and I felt like I was pulling spaghetti from a large pot, only to have it stop because it was snagged on a branch.  About half of the mess landed on our side and the other on the farmer's side.

Before we started working

After

• Remove/dig up the strange plant that looks like grass, but is actually a malevolent creeping green weed that will overtake your yard if you aren't careful.

• Mow the lawn.
• Put down top soil and grass seed and hope the grass takes in the next little while because I will be very upset if weeds start moving into my nice top soiled areas.

Notice the amount of seed/soil patching we had to do, every black spot is new grass.  The left side of the yard is just as bad.

• Bring out our patio chair and table. At least that portion of the patio is usable. The gazebo and the rest of the chairs will come out later on in May.

Thankfully, Mike's dad came to help us out with the digging of the weeds at the back of the fence because there's no way a weakling like me could have done it.

Next on the agenda is to put out our flowers in various pots in the front and back yards.  It's been quite cold overnight and so we're waiting a bit longer before we purchase flowers and pots and make our house look like normal people live here.

Bonus shot of Gimli, because, well, who wouldn't want to see such a handsome corgi?

Wordless Wednesday - Comin' Round the Corner

Little Red Corgi

My, what cute feet you have:

All the better to frap with and steal into the kitchen when I think you might be doing something food related.


My, what a cute nose you have:

All the better to poke you with... and find food.


My, what a cute mouth you have:

All the better to give kisses... and eat, let's not forget about that.

Crummy days to Corgi days

You know those days for something that you had been waiting a very long time is almost within your reach and then it's snatched away at the last minute?

That was my day on Thursday.

After dealing with a minor but embarrassing ailment for the better part of 12 years, I was finally going to start the process to remove it.  However, I recently developed a second ailment that prevented the clinic from starting on the first ailment.  Suffice it to say, I left work early, drove an hour to see the clinic for 5 minutes only for them to tell me that they couldn't start the procedure.  I then drove an hour back home.  I was not a happy Candy and now the first procedure needs to be rescheduled for later in the year.

I grumbled on the way home and tried to see the silver light in all of this because, while it's very annoying, it's not the end of the world and healthwise, I'm fine.

When I arrived home, I took Gimli for a walk and I checked the mailbox to see this waiting for me.

Box from Marks & Spencer

My corgi Jubilee 2012 items had arrived!

Gimli: why this has no food in it? Can't you see I'm hungry?

Gimli: I am evil corgi, give me that piece of bacon!

Note, they don't actually say "Jubilee 2012", but they were in the Jubilee 2012 collection on the website.  I don't really care, they have the Union Jack and corgis on it, I'm happy!

This tin is labeled a "cookie/biscuit tin", but I'm using it to hoard store my chocolate.


Suddenly, my day became much better.  That corgi bowl is mine and to be used only by me.  I am the crazy corgi lady after all :)

Wordless Wednesday - Take me to your leader

I love you Gimli, but...

A few weeks ago, I wrote about how Gimli had become very clingy.

Well, he's still clingy.  Today, he spent the entire day behind my chair in our office.  If I went to the washroom, he followed me.  If I went downstairs, he followed me and then followed me back upstairs.  He even went downstairs to bark at something and I thought, "Yes, he's going to stay there."  Nope, he bounded upstairs and lay down under the desk this time.

Gimli has always been a very independent puppy and adult.  He was happy knowing where you were, but he'd find his own place to be, often across the room or even on a different floor altogether.  When he first came home, it was all I could do to get him to snuggle with me on the couch.  He'd have none of it.  I'd get 2 minutes max and then he'd squirm away to see what Mike was doing or to attack a toy or even to stretch out on the rug.

Now, he's a different dog and I have no idea what's causing it.  I know dogs will gravitate to women if they are expecting, I'm not. He has also been known to gravitate to me if he's scared- ie when we lost power and the smoke alarm beep scared him or when it was very windy and the noise of the wind scared him.

Could it be he's finally become adult Gimli, whatever that means and he's settling down?  Or does he finally see me as someone cool to hang around because I have a large box of dog cookies on my desk?

Maybe he's going through a phase and one day he'll wake up and it will be, 'So long sucker, I'm gonna hang out downstairs now!'

Are any of your dogs like this?

Musings on weight loss

Observations about weight loss

• I dislike exercising.  I really do. It's a mental struggle every day I exercise.  Sometimes I win and hit the TreadClimber, other times I don't and reach for the ice cream.
• As much as I like Pinterest, seeing all the Photoshopped "buff" women does get you down from time to time.
• Watching comedy programs while trying to breathe on the TreadClimber is not advised. Trust me.
• Don't pay attention to the size on the top/skirt/pant etc.  I believe the stores have different sizes to mess with our minds. If it fits, wear it with pride.
• It's always better to exercise with someone.  Like a friend or spouse who can motivate you. Or in my case, a corgi that walks under you when you're trying to hold a plank for more than 5 seconds or a corgi who lies next to your head and proceeds to make you laugh when you are trying to do sit-ups.

Gimli butt!

This week, Laurie over at The Daily Corgi is doing a visual representation of corgi butts aka she's displaying a bunch of corgi butts.

Gimli was on day one, check it out!

Corgipants Party - Day 1

Glum Gimli

Gimli has been a little "off" all week.  Today, he just lay around and was very glum and mopey.

I think it all started on Monday afternoon.  The power went off for about an hour and that caused certain appliances to beep a few times to announce that they had lost power.  Gimli has a fear of loud beeping.  The entire time the power was out, he was next to me or under the desk or shivering in the corner.  It get's so bad that he refuses treats.  I do my best to ignore him, but it seems it's a losing battle.

Today, he looked like this:

Tomorrow he's off to the groomers for a bath and trim because he has to look nice for his portrait sitting on Saturday.  Well, it's for the three of us actually.  I picked up a Groupon last year for a portrait session for a family and one dog.

I'm sure he'll be fine and will be pestering each employee for a cookie and charming them all, corgi style.

How Gimli hit his head on the door frame

Gimli and I came back from the walk today and a certain corgi had to be taken to the tub for a wash.  Not a foot or belly wash, but a bum wash.

I'll spare the details, but suffice it to say, I wrapped his bottom end in a towel, kinda like a diaper so I could take him upstairs.

I picked him up like a baby so that he was on his back, his head on my left.  I thought I had enough room to make it through the door, but then I hear the "conk".

I looked at him and he gave me the most sorrowful look.  Corgi owners, you know the look.

I couldn't stop laughing and actually contemplated taking a picture of his face so I could post it here.  Yes, I have my priorities straight :)

Gimli is back to normal, running around, lying on his back and wriggling, arguing with toys and being cute.

Happy Easter!

Love, joy, and peace can be yours because of the grace of Jesus Christ. Happy Easter. Rejoice in the Lord.


This year for Lent, I gave up chocolate and I'm proud to say that I did not waver even though I was tempted and strained and wanted to pull my hair out.  It was less about the actual chocolate and more about proving to myself that I do have willpower and I do have the strength to resist those things that I feel are bad/negative for me.

At this time of rebirth and the beginnings of Spring, I want to use this accomplishment as a reminder to minimize the negatives and focus on the good things in life.

Like this:

P.S. I've already eaten a chocolate Kit Kat.

Squirrel!

If you've ever seen the Disney/Pixar movie, "Up", you'll know there's this very cute Golden Retriever - Dug, who joins Carl and Russell in their adventures.  Without giving too much away to those who haven't seen the movie, (what are you waiting for, it's a great movie, go see it!), Dug embodies the typical Retriever and is obsessed with squirrels.

See this clip:

On Friday, Gimli and were returning from our walk when he was distracted by a neighbor and his toddler son.  The man was putting his child into the car seat and Gimli continued to walk but was looking at them.

All of a sudden, a squirrel darted across the street in front of us and Gimli switched to the squirrel for a few seconds, and then back to me when the squirrel disappeared.  All the while, never missing a beat on the walk as though the squirrel never existed.

Wordless Wednesday - I wasn't doin' nuthin

Nothing like fresh bedsheets

I was making the bed the other day when Gimli appears and half jumps up on the bed as if he's waiting for his invitation.

I obliged, because how can you deny that cute face, and he gave me a quick smile before getting comfy.

You'll notice he's in the middle of the bed...

These two are like putty in my paws

Yawn

Am tired

It's 10 am and I've cried twice thus far today.  Yessir, it's going to be one of those days.  It's Tuesday and I'm in my home office, but my brain's not quite working.

I saw this post today, The Breaking Point, and it's set my mind on fire. Maybe because those words could be mine, I don't know. Those stages of grief, I'm probably at depression.

Denial was 4 years ago, Anger soon after, Bargaining off and on since. Now, I can't be bothered to bargain - it doesn't work and I'm not going to keep asking and begging when the change won't come. I've been down that road before and somehow it always gets turned around that it's my fault, when it's not.

Am tired of hearing, "I didn't know..."

Am tired of being taken for granted.

Am tired of the choices others make that make me feel like nothing.

Operation schrumpfen Check-in #9

I haven't been able to update lately mainly because I've just gotten back to exercising.  Grr, it's so easy to stop working out especially if you're sick or have weeks where you are run ragged all over the place doing this, that and the other.

Measurements as of April 4th:

Weight: 131 lbs

Circumference under ribs: 28

Circumference at belly button: 31.5

Circumference at hips: 34.5

Circumference of thigh: 21

Compared to measurements as of January 9th:

Weight: 133

Circumference under bust: 29 - adjusted to measure under the ribcage, not at the ribcage.

Circumference at belly button: 34

Circumference at hips: 37

Circumference of thigh: 23

I'm pleased to report though that I'm now able to fit into 2 more pairs of jeans!  YAY!  I didn't think I'd be able to wear them this quickly, but I tried them on over the weekend and they fit.  I feel like that lady on the Progresso soup commercial!

My list of pants to wear is now down to 4.  I'm getting there, just slowly. :)

Gimli and the plum pit part 2

Little fat Gimli
Sat like a corgi
Eating his stolen plum
He ate the pit
Candy threw a fit
And said, "What a wicked boy you've become." **

** Modelled after the Nursery Rhyme, "Little Jack Horner"

That should have been the tagline for yesterday's post, but my mind was not working on account of Mr. Greedy Pants.

I watched him all afternoon and evening and he exhibited no ill effects.  He ate, pooped and played like normal so I started to relax a little, but I knew I couldn't rest til I saw that pit come back out!

I had planned for him to sleep in our room last night just so if he ran into trouble we'd hear him, but Gimli didn't want to.  He made a beeline for his crate as usual, so we left him there.

This morning, I went to let him out and saw the pit in the crate.  He must have thrown it up last night and thank God he had the sense not to eat it again!  I've never been so happy for him to throw up!

He's back to his old self again, barking, frapping and being all around cute.  Me? my blood pressure is only just back to normal levels.

Gimli ate a plum pit

Today, Lord Gimli ate half of a plum and the pit.  I was eating it and sharing pieces of the flesh with him when it dropped out of my hand and onto the floor.  He snatched it up right away and before I could ply him with something else, it was gone into his belly.

I freaked out and didn't know if I should induce vomiting or wait him out.  I spoke to the vet's office who said to watch him over the course of the afternoon, as if he became lethargic etc that it would be cause to bring him in.  They also said to watch his poops tonight and over the course of tomorrow to ensure it comes out or if he throws it up.

I've been watching him over the course of the afternoon and he's been fine.  He's been following me all over and barking as usual at everything.  He's also been eating snacks like normal.  This evening with his dinner I am going to give him some pumpkin to help.

Here's hoping the pit makes an appearance soon, I don't like it when my bear is like this.

Things to do for 2012 - March update

March was an annoying month. I was sick again and was just plain blah and out of it for most of the month. Am hoping that Spring helps to get me out of the doldrums.

So, what have I done this month?

1. Take a trip to Germany - going in July!
2. Learn German - started my Rosetta Stone classes. I am now on Unit 2, with about 6 more units that I want to complete before we go to Germany. I really fell off of the classes this month. I'm going to start this up again in earnest.
3. Attempt a conversation, while speaking only German, with someone in Germany.
4. Continue to read, 10 books to start - I've finished 8 books so far.  I will surpass my goal of 10 books and so I'll increase it once I've hit 10. I didn't read as much as I'd like in March, I'll have to pick this up again for April.
5. Maintain the blog with regular posts - Trying. I find if I can schedule certain posts, then it makes things much easier to manage. I fell off on this one too, argh.
6. Deal with the symptoms of stopping the medication. Note, it’s nothing life threatening or anything like that, so don't worry :).
7. Continue to brush Gimli and keep up his teeth brushing - regular brushing, yes. Teeth brushing, needs work.
8. Continue to photograph Gimli and all of his antics. - Working on it.
9. Come up with a proper backup system for all my pictures.
10. Incorporate more fruits & veggies to our diet. - Trying, I'm finding this is going to take multiple trips to the supermarket each week to replenish our fruit supply.
11. Lose 10 lbs. - I have lost 3 lbs so far and gained more muscle. I don't know if I will end up losing 10 lbs mainly because I've been at the same weight for a while, but I'm now able to fit into pants that I stopped wearing in October. (SCORE!) I am switching focus to toning my arms, back and muffin top and decreasing work on the Treadclimber to 3 days a week. I'm continuing to work out, I haven't done much on the muffin top side of things though, so I need to step that up.
12. Evaluate and decide if I need to lose an additional 5 lbs. - We will see, I'm not married to that figure on the scale and because muscle is heavier than fat, so long as I can get back to wearing my clothes, I'm good.
13. Maintain my exercise regimen - so far, so good.
14. Paint our house - We have finally picked out our downstairs colors and are looking for a painter. We painted our bathroom a few weeks ago. I don't have any after pictures yet because I'm waiting to get and our mirrors framed, then it will be complete.
15. Frame and put up our pictures. -This will happen once we have painted.
16. Go to The Arboretum at least once a month - weather permitting - this did not happen in January, February due to the strange weather. Gimli and I went to the Arboretum this past weekend for the Dog Jog. We discovered a new trail, so we'll be back once the weather warms up to walk that trail again.
17. Discover local restaurants/bistros etc in my city or in the surrounding areas.
18. Go to Winterlicious or Summerlicious. - looking like it's going to be Summerlicious.
19. Make a snow animal of some kind - Tried the other day, but then Gimli destroyed it. It's now Spring, so it's looking like it will have to be done next winter.
20. Get a massage(s) at the spa. - I have a Groupon for a hot stones massage session, but I have to remember to make an appointment!
21. Take more pictures of Mike and me.
22. Return to the Church. Something is missing in my life and that might be it.
23. Enjoy our backyard.
24. Decide on the color scheme, proper design for the blog.  I've been indecisive and I just want something that's me and something where I won't want to change it in another few months - Changed the color scheme and I really like that picture of Gimli. I think this is it!
25. Surprise someone. - Surprised Mike with his Valentine's Day present, read about it here: Guest Post by Mike.
26. Make a pie.
27. Reach out to the Rescue organization to see if there are any corgis, with a spot on its head, that need a good home with a corgi obsessed woman - E-mail sent, but nothing yet.  Would have been nice to receive some sort of response saying, "I got your email, no corgis yet", sort of thing.
New 27. Reach out to Gimli's breeder to put ourselves on the list for corgi #2. - She responded and we are on the list. She wants to breed one of Gimli's cousins later this year. I am very hopeful for the Fall!
28. Get some professional pictures done of Mike, Gimli and I. - I have a Groupon for this too, so I'll have to make an appointment!
29. On that note, Boudoir Photography! - I have a Groupon for this too!
30. Plant some flowers in the front and back yards to bring in some color. - We have come up with a plan for the yard and we're waiting for the weather to warm up a bit more before we start with the plantings. Mainly grass seed and then some pots for flowers and stuff.
31. Zombie walk.
32. The B&B in Niagara Falls, this one is also for you Mike. - This is not happening. Am very sad and disappointed and quite frankly, pissed off, that we lost this free(!!) opportunity.
33. Photography course.
34. Kick Mike in the butt when he starts to waver on certain things.
35. Move off of "Medium" on the drums in Rock Band and to "Hard".
36. Start cooking more Trinidad type food.
37. Spend less time on the computer in my non-working hours.  I'd rather fall asleep with a book in my hand than be sleepy sitting at the computer and unable/unwilling to leave it. -I'm getting better at this, but not as fast as I'd like.
38. Go to bed earlier.
39. Do the Dog Jog again with Gimli - It was this past weekend, check it out here: 2nd Annual Dog Jog.
40. Work on Gimli's recall at the Dog Park.- I'm going to get one of those long leashes and start working with Gimli in the park in our neighborhood and then try him at the Dog Park.
41. Take Gimli to the play class at Bold Canine - looking like Spring/Summer
42. Work on Gimli's possessiveness.
43. Work on Gimli's listening skills when guests arrive. - We've started putting him in his crate and then letting him out when guests arrive. We find he's much more subdued and he quiets down much faster.
44. Take Gimli for a herding instinct test?
45. Complete the Minas Tirith 3D puzzle - thinking of starting this in April.
46. A Mini Cooper?
47. Head back to Las Vegas - going in September
48. Go to Disneyland and California Adventure -going in September

5 things... - March

5 things going on in our house at the moment....

1. Gimli has been very clingy of late. Without reading too much into it, I'll just be glad he's enamored with me.

2. Spring has sprung, but it's been really cold of late.  Mother Nature needs to make up her mind!

3. We are not going away on vacation til July. Because of this, I'm slowly losing my mind. It would be nice to go away for Easter, but that's unlikely.

4. 2 more weeks til I can eat chocolate again. I like how it's proven to me that I can have willpower, but would kill for a Ferrero Rocher or Snickers or M & Ms or Twix or Cadbury Mini Eggs or a Wunderbar...ok I need to stop this now...

5. There are 3 women on our street currently pregnant. I'm convinced there's something in the water so I'm switching to Bacardi coolers.