So this is my first post from my new iPhone along with the first photo I took on it. Promise I won't be one of THOSE people. You know the ones. Can't do anything without their iPhone and have trouble in social situations.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

1.  I'm going to tell you right up front, that I don't have 10 things in my list for this week.  Why?  I don't know, but I will make up for it in coming posts.  It's not that this week was devoid of things happening, it was just a couple of HUGE things.


2.  Joshua Samuel Kelly was born!  After waiting very patiently, the news was rather unexpected.  Born on St Patrick's day, and not causing his mum too many issues, Joshua was welcomed into the world and is a real little cutey (and I'm not just saying that).  See for yourself, from the photos I stole off Mel's facebook page.

3.  A relatively minor event (when you consider the next item), is the majority of the boot camp crew got together for a breakfast at Cafe La de Da.  It was weird seeing everyone dolled up, out of workout gear, and not sweating.

4.  So the major thing to happen to us this week was the cyclone!  Cyclone Ului decided to give us a bit of a scare.  To be perfectly honest I was a bit blase about the whole thing, until the wind started to pick up late Saturday afternoon.  Then I turned into a bit of a panicker.  I even said to Jason later that night "This morning I really didn't think it was going to come anywhere near us."  To that he replied "I could tell".  Interpret that as "you weren't really helping me out this morning, and I don't appreciate the last minute panic/aggro".

5.  With the cyclone, of course, came the power outage, which saw us without power from 1am on Sunday morning, until 11am on Tuesday morning.  If anything came out of this whole experience, it was my greater appreciation for electricity.  We did enjoy the candlelight reading, and listening to iPods/Phones, but life in general is way too hard without power.  We found ourselves trying to get mostly everything done while the sun was up, and then fading and going to bed really early.  No wonder people had lots of kids back in the dark ages, there really wasn't much else to do.  [I really don't mean that to read as smutty as it does]

6.  Dogs can't handle thunderstorms, but don't mind cyclones.  Go figure.  Sam was actually excited to be spending the night with us on the floor of the walk in robe.

7.  Jason was meant to fly out to Brisbane on the Sunday for a work meeting on Monday, but being the adorable husband that he is, decided to cancel the flight when power had not returned, and attend the meeting via telephone.

8.  Grandma waited it out at her own place, even after plenty of offers.  Apparently if the house went, she was willing to go with it.  Fortunately both went through unscathed.

9.  Aunty Karen and her family timed their visit to Mackay with the cylcone.  I did get to see them on the Sunday and talked over Karlia and Adrian's wedding invites with them.  I am not doing them, but they wanted some ideas.

10.  And finally, neighbours with generators suck! - There you go, I made it to ten.

This is the second book in Charlaine Harris's Harper Connelly series.  Charlaine Harris (from Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood fame) has created another edgy and interesting character in Harper Connelly, and this second book is a continuation of Harper and her step brother Tolliver's travels finding dead people.  Yes, you read that right.  Harper, after having been struck by lighting, has a talent for finding dead people and ascertaining how they died.

Like the first book, this one revolves around one particular mystery. This time it is a 11 year old girl who has been abducted, and Harper and Tolliver are drawn into the intricate web of lies and intrigue that surround the family.

Eventhough Harper has a spectacular talent, the book is not anywhere near as 'supernatural' as the Sookie series.  So if you found the Sookie books a bit too far out (for the record, I did not), you might want to give Harper a try.

Star Rating :: 3.5 our of 5

My copy of this book (bought new and only read once) is available for sale here :: KrollConcepts 

1.  My favourite icecream in the whole world is "Love Potion" from Baskin and Robbins.  It usually only comes out in February as the flavour-of-the-month.  Due to my self-imposed ban from icecream for eight weeks (to finish on the 26th), I have been unable to partake of any.  For fear that they may run out, I've been trying to buy a medium tub to store in the freezer (yes, I am that strong), but they haven't had any.  Well, this week, I finally scored a tub!  When the time comes it will be the most savoured tub of icecream I think I've ever eaten.  Unless the cyclone comes, cuts off our power, and I'm forced to eat it early, all in one go.  It's wrong to hope for a cyclone, isn't it?.....

2.  Jason loved the Kindle I bought him for part one of his birthday present.  I ended up giving it to him two days early, just in case a friend of ours gave him an Amazon gift voucher, and he guessed from that.  You could say we now have 5 children; the two dogs, the Tivo, the iPhone, and now the Kindle.

3.  We celebrated Jason's birthday with his family (and the Gordon's) at Harrup Park two days before his birthday.  Charlie loved playing with the nephews, and loved helping Jason blow out the 'magic' candles.  Before you ask, no I don't have any photos.  I was too busy trying to get the cake to the table, organise lighters, and stopping children from eating it before time.  Jason's dad took some, so I'll have to chase him up for a copy.


4.  The second part of Jason's birthday present was a suprise trip away to Airlie Beach, staying at the (relatively) new Peppers Resort.  It's a pity the weather couldn't have been a bit better, and the photo I took below, was during a brief hint of sunshine.  We had lunch at Cactus Jacks, before a spot of shopping, and roaming through a second-hand bookshop.  Then back to the room, before the rain and wind set-in heavily, forcing us to order room service, and watch the football (well I slept).  Sunday we made our way up to the restaurant for breakfast (it was an effort, because this place has the steepest walkways and driveways I've ever encountered), before heading back to Mackay.

5.  I walked/ran 10km on Saturday morning, for the first time ever.  I was a bit sore afterward, and felt hardcore for trying a cold water bath.  Jason suggested I get some ice if I 'actually' want to be hardcore.

6.  Sam continues his friendship with next door's puppy.  My fear is that the puppy will start imitating the annoying high-pitched bark that Sam does.  Boy, it's annoying.

7.  My training approvals finally came through, so I am off to Brisbane in April.  This means I get to visit my sister in Toowoomba, and Mel (with new baby) on her birthday.  I also have a day of shopping set aside.  Can't wait!

8.  My plans for the studio revitalisation are coming together.  I need to do some research on shelving systems this week.  Possibly a trip to Howards Storage World is required.  I love that place, possibly a little too much.

9.  One thing that's been irking me for a while is the state of my financial information files.  I finally organised all this last week, and now it's so much easier to put bills and stuff away once they have been dealt with.  It's funny how something small like this can make you happy.  It's also funny that it didn't take that long to do, and I should have done it long ago.

10.  Jason's sister's birthday is coming up on the Easter weekend.  This week she tells me she doesn't want anything except a copy of any good recipes out of my Weight Watchers cookbooks.  I think she may have underestimated exactly how many I have.  I also think it's going to be almost impossible picking out recipes that someone else will like (the only criteria she gave me was 'tasty', what the?).  So I've decided to scan in the ones I like, store them as PDF files with a register, and then give her the books.  Not sure if that's exactly what she wanted, but that's what she's going to get.

So, this week, I have only one planned outing (a breakfast with boot campers).  This should result in some pretty good outcomes for next Monday.  Check back and see.

1.  Our coffee machine is back!  It has been almost 6 months since we took it in to get fixed (under warranty).  After a couple of false starts, fingers are crossed that we will be, once again, enjoying our homemade cappucinos first thing in the morning.


2.  Our neighbours lost their 8 year old german shepherd, Shep, a few months ago.  We were pretty suprised last week when Sam was playing the game he used to play with Shep.  The game involves a lot of high-piercing barks, and lots of running up and down the fence.  On closer inspection we found a very cute 8 week old shepherd puppy peering back through the fence at us.  We bought him over to our place on Sunday for a play date (in the hope that Sam would stop the incessant barking).  He took a liking to us, Sam and Jessies' bones, and Jessie, but unfortunately Sam did not take a liking to him.  Jason pretty much had to hold Sam back the whole time, for fear that some biting would be involved.  So play dates will probably not be a regular thing, and the barking continues...


3.  With Jason's birthday this Friday, I went over to the Gordons to wrap up his presents, with Charlie's help of course.  My tradition of wrapping with brown paper didn't go over that well.  I was asked "where are all the pictures?"  So then we used some 'normal' wrapping paper to wrap up some play-doh for her daddy.  Bet he was suprised at his gift.  I also got to do a mini photo shoot with the two kids.

4.  Thank goodness the rain has let up.  Must have not liked the fact I decided to be friends...

5.  We are into our 6th week of Boot Camp.  The weather has meant we can spice it up by going down to the park and the beach.  Supposedly the ocean has a healing quality (or so the trainer says).  Personally I just like cooling off my feet.

6.  I'm really looking forward to the suprise weekend I have in store for Jason.  It will be really great to get away, if only for one night.  I'm sure his present will blow him away, too.

7.  I bought this red purse ages ago from a bargain bin at one of the handbag places.  Looking for a bit of a change, I decided to drag it out, and I am a little bit in love with it, and not just because of the colour.  It is absolutely the perfect size, to hold everything I need, with no room for me to hoard extra stuff.

8.  Although I'm training specifically for the Great Whitsunday Walk in September, I decided I should look at some other smaller races in the lead up.  Checking out the Mackay Road Runners website, I've decided to go in a few 5km (the first one is 2 days before my birthday), and a couple of 10km later on in the year.  Exciting, but very scary...

9.  My 2010 inspiration board has been on my to-do list from the start of the year.  I purchased the corkboard back in January, and even installed it on our ensuite wall.  But since then, it has remained blank.  No inspiration, you might call it?  I call it laziness.  So I finally took some bits out of a running magazine, a couple of photos from our recent family photo shoot, and a map of the Great Whitsunday Walk.  This, ironically, has inspired me to add more bits and pieces.

10.  Is anyone else loving this season of Biggest Loser?  I really like the masterclass on Friday night, and believe this is what the show should be about, teaching the public about what they can do to live healthier lives.

Good news!  I lost 1kg this week.  This brings my total to 2.1kg in 4 weeks, which is right on target with my goal of 0.5kg loss per week.  I only exercised 4 out of the 7 days, but I did stick to the JC program for 6 out of the 7 days.  My biggest problem seems to be when I'm at home on the weekends.  When I'm tired I seem to eat without any thought put into the process.  I also don't keep up my 3 litres of water per day on the weekends.  I did feel a little more dehydrated than usual today, which resulted in a pretty major headache by 5pm.

Coming up this week I have quite a few challenges, due to Jason's birthday.  We will be eating out for 2 dinners, 3 lunches, and 1 breakfast.  My aim is to limit my portion sizes at these meals, bulk up on vegies/salads, and not necessarily eat everything that's put in front of me.  I'm also choosing a birthday cake for Jason that I don't like - cheesecake.  Jason doesn't care what he has, since he doesn't eat dessert anyway.  The whole cake thing is more for the littlies in attendance.

In terms of exercise, we are in week 6, with only 2 weeks to go.  Due to the finer weather, we have been down at Far Beach.  So in addition to the 1 hour hard-core session, I am also riding almost 15km each of these 3 mornings.  On top of that, I am planning a minimum of 3 run/walk sessions, at 45 minutes each.  With our suprise getaway on the weekend (stay tuned for more details), I am looking forward to the possibility of a different running track...

If you haven't noticed, I've added a widget in the right-hand side bar.  I've been using the Daily Mile to log my training, and it has been very motivating seeing the weekly km's tick over.  The widget shows my total km's to-date (since the start of February).

Best of luck to all.  Until next week...

I first heard about the author of this autobiography when he made a guest appearance on Top Gear.  Listening to the few brief stories he told while on the show, I was fascinated to know more.  After a bit of research, I found out of the many books he has written, that this particular book was more of a story about his whole life, rather than snippets of various adventures.  Ran Fiennes has completed many polar expeditions during his 63 years, attempted Mt Everest, and climbed the Eilier North Face.  But my favourite part of this book, was when he completed 7 marathons in 7 days, on 7 different continents.  Due to time zones, he actually completed them in 6 days, but the 7x7x7 is a little more poetic.  The other part of his life story that I enjoyed was his overpowering love for his first wife Ginny.  This poor woman put up with a lot, being married to a man who made a living through expeditions, but managed to forge a career of her own, creating and running one of England's first organic Angus beef farms, almost single-handed.

At times, this book can be a little heavy going.  Ranulph's recount of the various polar experiences can be a little tech-heavy.  But in the end, this is an amazing account of the life of an amazing man.

One thing that I will take from it is a particular passage, actually written by his mate on the 7x7x7 marathons, Mike Stroud:

When, following our success, many experts in both the USA and Britain, expressed disbelief at what we had achieved, they did not realise that they could have done it too.  The difference is only one of perception.  Whereas most people look at very big challenges, whatever the field or their walk of life, and start from the position "I can't", Ran and I make a simple word substitution and say "Why can't I?"  "I can't run seven marathons" easily transforms into the question, "Why can't I run seven marathons?"  Once it was asked, we felt obliged to find the answer.

Rating :: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Caitie rightly pointed out that I failed to attach before photos of the craft room to this post.  So here they are:

Definitely not pretty.  The hope that once the 'revitalisation' is complete, that this room will actually be useable, and inspire great creativity.

Check back here in a month (fingers crossed) before the amazing 'after' photos.

1.  I have decided to make friends with the rain.  Since the stand-off we have been having isn't really working out in my favour, I see no other choice.

2.  We held a dinner party for the Roberts and Gordons last Saturday night.  I decided to serve my mexican-themed buffet that I did once before, but this time without the churros for dessert.  If I can't have the mexcian chocolate sauce, no one was having it.  I made mini caramel tarts instead, with baked meringues on top.

3.  Missed my boot camp class for the first time yesterday morning, due to a really bad headache, which I was worried would turn into a migraine.  Upset that I can't say I went to all 24 sessions over the 8 weeks.

4.  Mushrooms are making an appearance in my herb garden again this week.  I don't know if this one is yellow because it's growing against the lemongrass, or it's different to the ones that have been growing with the parsley.
 Jessie decided to come out and check on what I was up to.  One of her few appearances in the outside world (especially since all the rain).

5.  Jason and I spent all day Sunday on the couch.  Watching dvds, tv off Tivo, reading or sleeping.  While it was extremely relaxing, we both ended up a little sore the next day.  I do believe that it was integral in the improvement of my ankle/shins though.

6.  The desk refurbishment is still underway.  I'm still not feeling 100% about the finish, but I am determined to get this thing finished.  My home project for the month of March is my "studio revitalisation" (before photo below), and the desk is a large part of this.  This coming weekend is the first decluttering of the room.  Something which I'm afraid may take more than one weekend.

7.  Love this "Run Like a Dog Workout - including warm up and cool down" excerpt from the March issue of Runners World:

"Walk eight seconds. Trot four seconds. Stop. Sniff. Sprint seven seconds. Freeze. Walk five seconds in any direction, but forward. Stare nine seconds. Lunge at bird. Double back, walk three seconds. Urinate. Repeat six times. Collapse on the rug."

8.  We are officially half way through our first boot camp.  While there is talk of signing up for the next 8 weeks, I think I will try and go it alone.  Especially since I am still paying for a gym membership that I haven't used since the start of the year...

9.  Re-coloured my hair on Friday.  Rather than foils, I went for a semi-permanent all over (after a permanent on the roots to cover the greys - yes I have them).  So it's a lot darker now then it was, but it looks so much healthier.  I seriously considered chopping it off, but decided to hold off and think about it for another month or so.

10.  OK, I'm reaching for a tenth thing, so check out Toodledo if you are looking for a brilliant on-line to-do list.  You can categorise, prioritise, and have repeating items.  Plus you get the brilliant feeling of checking it off once you've done it.  If you happen to be one of those iPhone users, you can also buy the Toodledo app, which Jason has checked out, and really likes.  And he's not a list maker....

February 2010 in review

Books and/or magazines I read:

• "The Host" by Stephenie Meyer
• "Shutter Island" by Dennis Lehane
• "Grave Sight" by Charlaine Harris
• Runners World, February issue

Movies, television shows, plays, etc I watched:

• The Biggest Loser couples
• Greys Anatomy
• House
• Law Abiding Citizen
• Taking of Pelham 123
• Ugly Truth

Fun things did I do with family and/or friends:

• Valentines Dinner with Jason (a few days early)
• Brunch at Lagoons Cafe for Justin's birthday (meal was memorable for the wrong reasons)
• Dinner party with the Gordons & Roberts
• Caught up with Tracey to hear about her USA adventures

Best meal or food eaten in the past month:

• not a lot that I can include here, given the self-elimination of the Big 4 (alcohol, chocolate, softdrink and icecream!)

Gifts I gave and/or received:

• not a big month for gift giving or receiving

Special or unusual purchases I made:

• after reading the first of the Harper Connelly books by Charlaine Harris, I decided to buy the rest of the series to date.  Now I have to wait patiently until they arrive 

The most challenging thing I did:

• Wake up at 4.45am each morning of boot camp

Something I learned or tried for the first time:

• sanding with an orbital sander

The best advice I gave or received:

• the advice our boot camp trainer gave about breathing cycles while walking, running and sprinting, have been excellent for my overall running training.  When walking you should breathe in for four steps, and then out for four steps.  When running/jogging, you do breathe in for two steps, and then out for two steps.  When sprinting, however, forget about your feet, and make large exhale noises.  Your body has no choice but to suck in the next breath.

Anything else noteworthy:

• waiting patiently for baby Kelly to be born.  Now, due to some training for work, I will get to see him/her when they are about 1 month old.  Can't wait.
• Started Jenny Craig, in the hope of keeping my eating in check, while I concentrate on training.

One thing I would like to repeat:

• My first two weeks at Jenny Craig, and the resultant 2.2kg loss

Something I’d prefer to erase:

• The third week on Jenny Craig, where I gained 1.1kg back

Training summary:

• Starting weight :: 77.9kg
• Ending weight :: 77.2kg (loss of 0.6)
• Total centimeters lost :: -2cm
• Total number of training sessions :: 24
• for a Total distance of :: 48km
• and a Total time of :: 16 hours, 34 minutes

Things to aim for next month:

• Continue running regularly, and survive the last 4 weeks of boot camp
• Continue on the Jenny Craig program (and eliminating chocolate, icecream, alcohol, and softdrink)
• Complete my next home project : complete tidy, declutter and reorganisation of craft room
• Complete one of the gift albums I have promised

Note to Self:

• When you think you can't run any longer, you actually can. 

At this point in my life:

• I am … feeling lighter in my work pants
• I need to change … my approach to housework (little bit each day is better than all in one day)
• I can … run 3kms again
• I deserve … time to scrapbook
• I know … I will actually be able to scrapbook, once I've tidied up the craft room
• I am thankful for … an understanding husband
• I am looking forward to ... visiting my sister in April

Favorite photo:

• See if you can spot the dog amongst the pillows.  Sam has taken a bit of a liking to pillows on the lounge in the last month...

Not very good news to report this week.  Of the 2.2kg I had lost to date, with Jenny Craig, I put 1.1kg back on.  I have no one to blame but myself, and my shins/ankles.  I ate out numerous times, and didn't make good food choices.  My training also slipped, mainly out of frustration for what may be shin splints.

Anyhoo, on to Week 4.  My goals for this week are:

• to follow the JC program 7 out of 7 days
• to exercise 6 out of 7 days (minimum 30 minutes each session, even if I can only manage a walk)
• maintain the self-imposed ban of the Big 4 (chocolate, alcohol, softdrink + icecream)

Good luck for the next week, to those of you who are trying to follow your own healthy eating/training programmes, and I'll check back in next Monday.