A very decent proposal

I know I have been away from the blog for a very long time but I have some big news...I’m engaged!  I know that wasn’t much of a lead in but I’m too excited to drag it out too long.  I love to tell the story of how he proposed so I thought I’d post it here so that those of you I may not see for a while can still get the details.

Our 2 year anniversary was on Feb 17^th but since my Mr. was working that night we decided to go out and celebrate on the 18^th which was a Saturday.  He told me that he had a plan and it was going to be a surprise so I had no idea what we were doing.  On the Friday he surprised me at work with flowers which was really sweet, so I was really excited about our date on Saturday. One of the girls at work asked if I thought I might be getting something sparkly but my Mr. had told me he still had to save up for a ring so I wasn’t expecting one yet.  So Saturday evening comes along and I got all dressed up because he told me we were going somewhere kind of nice in Sarnia.  And he had made a couple of comments about maybe going to the movies, and that’s about all I knew at that point.  On our way to Sarnia I told him the conversation I had with my coworker about him saving up for a ring, and I joked that he may have just told me that to throw me off, because that’s totally something he would do, but I really didn’t expect anything at that point.  So we got to Sarnia and ended up at Seyo Sushi which is the restaurant we went to on our first date.  By the way, any sushi lovers in the area must try Seyo, it’s more expensive than the all you can eat places but the quality is amazing!! Seyo is about as good as it gets for sushi around here!  So we had an amazing meal and then he said there was still more to the plan and he started driving through Sarnia.  Then he started saying that he wasn’t sure where we were, he thought he made a wrong turn and things like that, so I was getting a little worried because I had no idea where we are either.  Soon we pulled in under the blue water bridge, another place we went on our first date.  A few minutes later he got out to check on the tire that he had to put air in on our way to Sarnia.  He tapped on my window and I opened my door and he leaned in and hit the cd player.  He told me that he wasn’t sure when he fell in love with me but he remembered sitting under that bridge with that song playing and knowing that there was something special about me that he needed to get to know better.  It was a really obscure love song that we sang together on that first date and he was very surprised that I knew it.  He suddenly dropped to his knee just outside the van door and I immediately started crying!  He asked and I said yes.  He had a cute sparkly ring as a token ring until we could get the real one so he put that on my finger.  Then he got back in the van and asked if I still wanted to go to the movies or if I’d rather go ring shopping.  So of course, we went ring shopping and picked out a beautiful black and white diamond ring that’s in the shape of a bow, it’s not a traditional engagement ring but that’s what we love about it. 

In all honesty I was totally surprised; I was not at all expecting a proposal that night and had no idea that had been his plan all along!  Also, it turned out that when he delivered flowers to my work the day before he had just come from my parent’s house; he was asking for their blessing which of course they were happy to give.

So now we’re engaged and I got a wonderful proposal that I will never forget and a beautiful ring that is unlike anyone else’s engagement ring.  Now on with the planning…

Moving, crafting, and cat-sitting.

Well I am finally back, my friends and loyal readers, I know it's been a long time and I hope you haven't forgotten about me.  Changing jobs, moving, crafting and cat sitting have left little time for blogging lately.

The new job is going well, it's part time for now, but my hours will increase when my co-worker goes on mat-leave in a few months.  Although I may be getting a little too comfortable working only 3 days a week, I really am enjoying my spare time.

Moving has been kind of an adventure and the house is in complete chaos while we try to figure out what stuff to keep and what to get rid of.  Anyone interested in buying a crock pot for cheap? :)

Unfortunately, our craft room/office has been rented out to my sister’s cat, which is why the spare bed is in living room right now.  We have temporarily taken in my sister's cat as he doesn't play well with others and therefore doesn't do well in a clinic boarding situation.  We had an empty room so he stays up there.  Since he's lonely and bored he entertains himself by meowing and crying and banging into the door at all hours of the night.  On the bright side, Sis takes possession on her new house in less than 2 weeks so the cat's time with us is limited.  And once we can use that space it will be much easier to get the house into some kind of semi-organized state.

Now, those of you who know me know that I love to craft.  I scrapbook and make cards and various other crafty-type things, and I have recently decided to re-join Stampin'Up as an independent demonstrator selling all types of crafting supplies.  They lured me back with a free Big Shot, and those of you who know what a Big Shot is know that it’s a big deal!  I thought that this would be the perfect time since I'm not working full time right now.  I have since realized that this was very poor planning on my part.  Planning a move and having lots of extra stuff in the house and hosting crafting classes at the same time is not particularly fun! Luckily Mister has been very patient, we spent days trying to get the house in decent shape for my open house, and it looked great!  I have a class at the house on Wednesday and as I said earlier there is a bed in my living room, and but Mister moved all the boxes that were surrounding the table where I'll be doing the class so that was very helpful!

If you're interested in crafting you can order through my website or contact me to host a workshop or receive info about my upcoming classes and events at stampwithrachel@hotmail.ca.

So much to do...

So, as many of you know it has finally happened!  I am leaving my big city life to move back to my small town, close to family, friends, and of course, my Mister.  Coincidentily,  my big sister is also moving back home to start a new job as well.  It was a long time coming and I'm so happy that I finally found a good job so I can move, and me and Mister can move forward.  So my new job starts this week and my apartment in the city is a disaster (yes, even more so than usual), filled with boxes and things I need to pack or get rid of.  I really hate moving, but I know it's going to be worth it in the end.  It's going to be a bit of a hectic time for my family, but we're all looking forward to the end result of getting to spend more time together.  Unfortunately, my Mister's house is not yet equipped with the internet so it may be a while before I am able to blog again.  But I will not forget about you, my faithful readers (all 3 of you), and I will return to blog another day, eventually.  So Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, and don't forget to take a moment to think of something that you're thankful for. 

No More Plus Size Mamas?

So I came across this article which I found kind of disturbing; it’s about doctors refusing to provide fertility treatment for obese women with a BMI over 35.  And yes, this article is from Canada.  Click here to read the article, go ahead, I’ll wait.

I would like to point out that even though obese women may be at slightly higher risk for complications during pregnancy, there is no guarantee that a woman will have complications just because she’s heavy.  Overweight and obese women have beautiful, healthy babies every day.  I’d also like to point out that thin women are not immune to pregnancy complications; they too can get gestational diabetes and have difficult births.  I don’t know, but I have to wonder if anyone has actually proven that losing weight decreases pregnancy complications, or if it’s really some third factor that is causing the pregnancy complications in overweight women.

Now, when people talk about “obese women” most people probably get a certain picture in their head.  You may be picturing something that resembles one of those pictures of a headless fat person we usually see attached to news stories like this.  You know the ones that are close ups of fat women with their heads cut out of the shot, usually in an unflattering position and dressed really badly.  Well let me give you a different picture.

That's me with a friend's brand new daughter.

I am a healthy woman, as evidenced by my yearly check up a few months ago which showed that my blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and everything else are all in healthy ranges.  I try to live a healthy lifestyle and eat variety of foods, and participate in enjoyable movement.  I am reasonably active, doing yoga and pilates and walking on a regular basis.  My friends might describe me as curvy or voluptuous, maybe even fat, but probably not morbidly obese.  But with a BMI of 41, that’s exactly what I am.  And if these rules are imposed throughout Canada I could be refused the chance to become a mother.  Not because I’m unhealthy or unfit but simply because of the ratio of my height to weight, which doesn’t tell a doctor anything besides the ration of my height to my weight.  Seems to me like that is kind of a lazy way to decide who is at risk for serious complications.

Product Review - Shellac Manicure

So I decided to try out the Shellac Manicure, partly because I had a Groupon and got it for half price!  Now, for those of you who don’t know, the Shellac manicure consists of a base coat, colour coat and top coat that goes on like polish but wears like a gel.  It boasts 14 day wear with a mirror finish, and no chips or smudges and no drying time.  I should note that shellac does cost more than a regular manicure, check with your favourite salon or spa for availability and pricing.  Also, some places charge extra for removal and some include it in the price of the manicure. 

So I went to the salon to check it out.  According to the Shellac website it is available in 24 different colours, but I guess that varies by salon because the one I went to didn’t have that many.  I chose a nice dark red.  So she started with the usual cuticle work and filing and then moved on to the polish.  If you’re using a new salon or have a new manicurist I would suggest checking the nail shape and everything before she starts with the colour, I wasn’t thrilled with the shape of a couple of my nails but by the time I noticed it, the colour was already done.  Anyway, it’s a pretty standard base coat, 2 coats of colour, and top coat application, except that between each coat you place your hand under a UV light which cures the polish.  So the application does take a little longer than a traditional mani, but it is totally dry when you’re finished.  Which means, no asking your manicurist to fish your keys out of your purse for you, and if you get the Shellac pedi, you can put your shoes right back on, so no wearing flip flops in the snow.



Day 1 - super shiny finish and amazing looking colour

 

So first off I noticed the finish is super-shiny, when they say mirror finish, they are not kidding.  Unfortunately, as I was leaving I noticed that one side of my right thumb nail seemed kind of bumpy like there were air bubble in it, and that polish peeled off later that day.  Not cool.  On the upside, I called the salon and explained the situation and they told me to come in and the manicurist removed the polish on that nail and totally redid it at no charge, so it’s all good.  The removal process is pretty easy, they have special wraps that have a pad that gets soaked in acetone and gets placed on the nail, and then the whole thing is wrapped around your finger.  This limits the contact of the acetone on your skin which is good.  They take the wraps off after a few minutes and most of the polish comes off too, then they scrap off the bits that are left behind and you’re good to go.



Day 8 - small chip on 1 finger that you can't even see in this picture



So after about a week a noticed a fairly small chip on my left index finger, nothing too serious and all the other nails were still in perfect shape.  The nail that was chipped happened to crack a couple days later (the nail cracked not the polish) so instead of waiting to get it caught on something and have it tear off, it cut it.  I even filed it to round out the corners and it didn’t ruin the finish!  I was absolutely sure that cutting and filing my nail was going to destroy the manicure but it totally didn’t.   I also did many other things that definitely would have ruined a traditional manicure but didn’t have any effect on my shellac finish. 

So now it’s been over 2 weeks and the finish is still looking pretty great.  I have noticed some cracks in the last couple of days which I believe are cracks in the polish and not in the nails.  Also, my nails grow pretty fast so after 16 days the re-growth is getting pretty outrageous.  I would recommend that you ask your manicurist to get as close to the cuticle as possible so the growth isn’t as obvious, also it might not show as much with a lighter colour. 


Day 16 - finish still looks great but the re-growth is really showing

Conclusion:

I definitely liked the Shellac Treatment and I think it lived up to its promises.  Would I get it all the time, no…I figure putting my hands under UV lights can’t be super great for my skin.  I’ve also noticed a little more nail breakage than usual but if that’s because of the treatment or just because my nails tend to break more when they get long, I can’t really say.  I would definitely recommend this product if you have a big event coming up and you want your nails looking perfect, especially if you don’t have time to get them done the day of your event.  Say you had a wedding or something, with this treatment you could get your nails done days in advance and not have to worry about chipping, smudging or peeling.  So overall I really liked the Shellac manicure especially for special occasions or events.  I personally wouldn’t get it all the time, but if you’re a person who gets a weekly manicure, you would save time and money getting a shellac mani every two weeks instead of a traditional mani every week.  So if anyone else out there has tried the Shellac product, let me know what you thought in the comments.

Delicious...

I’ve been thinking lately that I would like to cook more, and not just cook but cook with really nice, fresh, and delicious ingredients.  I’ve been having a lot of those days where I just don’t feel like cooking after a long day at work.  On those days my go to meals might be frozen pizza, or mac and cheese, or chicken wings and fries…delicious yes, but fresh and nutritious? Not so much.  I also really like to cook when I have the time and the motivation, which isn’t often these days.  But last week I did get the motivation to cook, I was feeling really tired and run down one day and decided that a nice home cooked meal with fresh ingredients was exactly what I needed.  I went to the store and picked up various fruits and veggies and a salmon fillet and made the yummiest dinner.  I made pan fried salmon with sautéed zucchini and mushrooms with garlic, and a spinach salad on the side topped with orange pieces, strawberries, sliced avocado, goat milk cheese and olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dressing.  It was delicious and exactly what I needed.  It looked so good, and I’m such a dork I even took a picture so everyone can be jealous of my awesome dinner.  Beats the crap out of the leftover Kraft Dinner I just ate!


Delicious and Nutritious - Can't beat that!



My first Nia class

So I recently decided to check out a Nia class.  If you’re thinking “what the heck is Nia, I’ve never even heard of it before”, that’s ok I had no idea what it was a few weeks ago.  I was reading one of my fav blogs and one of the commenters mentioned that she was a Nia teacher, and since I’m a bit of a geek I googled it to find out what it is.  So, Nia has been around since the 80’s and is a low impact aerobics that combines movements from dance, martial arts and the healing arts and is done barefoot.  I always loved dance when I was a kid but I haven’t done it in years, so it was pretty easy to decide that Nia was something I needed to check out.

So I found a wellness centre in my city that offers Nia, and they let you take your first class for free, so I did.  Before class started the teacher told me a little about Nia and stressed that it was important to stay in your body and feel the pleasure of movement and emphasized that she was just there as a guide and to not worry too much about the steps but doing what feels good to my body.  She stressed that nothing should hurt, everything should feel good and to keep the movements small to begin with.  It was a lot of fun!  The teacher was really energetic and fun throughout the class, and the other students are really nice.  The moves are pretty basic and there is a lot of repetition, so I think even if you’re not a dancer or even particularly coordinated, it wouldn’t be too difficult to pick up.  And when they say that Nia is for every body, they mean it.  There were dancers there of every size shape and age.  And Nia can be danced in a way that’s right for you, if you’re athletic, or not, you can tailor the movements so they are comfortable for you.  There’s also a lot of freedom in the moves, there’s no wrong way to dance in Nia.

You may feel a little uncoordinated the first couple of classes, but I assure you that Nia is a fun, booty shaking good time, and you will work up a good sweat and get a great workout doing it.  So if you’re bored with your current routine and want to try something new, or if you danced when you were younger but want to stay away from strict choreography type classes, I highly recommend Nia.

For more info or to find a class near you click here.