Back to the Big City!

We ventured off for a couple days to actually make something of our vacation and do some camping.  It was only 2 hours away, but it was pretty secluded, near Rocky Mountain House, and there were warning signs for Bears, so it was pretty rugged.  Not to mention that there were no showers... or flush toilets.. or running water like Cory promised there'd be.  Nope, just really stinky outhouses and a ton of baby wipes and hand sanitizer the last 2 days.  I'm glad to be home!

I figured I would share a couple shots of our set-up, since we really didn't take too many photos.

Here's a quick shot of our kitchen/dining space:

That little awning deal is a lifesaver.  It's perfect for when it's raining, cause at least you have a place to cook, eat or even play some card games.  Especially when there aren't any good trees around for hanging tarps!

Then onto the living room:

Yes, as you can see, we forgot that the only tarp we had was the world's smallest and most expensive tarp.  We bought it last year last minute when it poured all weekend.  Unfortunately for us, we bought it at a Sports Equipment store, right on the main street in Banff.  $$!

you may have noticed the sleeping bag laying on ground next under Cory's feet.  That's Finley's play area.  It's a cheapo nylon sleeping bag we open up and put close enough to a tree to tether her, close enough to the fire that she's warm at night but far enough away that the bag (nor she) gets hit with flying embers.  Plus, her toys and her food and water station is right there.  Our little girl loves it!

Next up is the bedroom.  I didn't get any interior shots, but here's the exterior:

You can't see just how big it is, but it took up the bulk of our site. They market is as an 8 person tent.  But in my opinion, with a double and a single air mattress and two overnight bags.  This perfectly fits two adults and a medium to large dog.  LOL   Who rates these things anyhow?

But the biggest lifesaver of the weekend was the addition of a new storage item for our camping gear.  Regularly, we cram almost all our camping stuff into two large Rubbermaid bins.  Then, anytime you need something, you have to take every single item out as invariably, the item you need is at the bottom!

Not this time, I decided instead to repurpose a plastic drawer unit that was going underused in our guest closet.  Perfect!!

The top drawer held clean-up items:  rags, dish soap, grabage bags, wet wipes, paper towel, toilet paper, etc.
iIddle drawer was for serving pieces.  Plates, bowls, cups, cutlery, table cloths and clips, salt and pepper.

The bottom drawer was for cooking items.  Pots, pan, cooking utensils, aluminum foil, ziploc bags, lighters, etc.

It was so much easier to find things.  Plus, I found that since everything had a place, things actually got put away!!

Fitness for Friday

I had a sobering experience yesterday.  Upon viewing myself in a photo, I suddenly saw what I had been feeling for quite some time now.  IT IS TIME TO LOSE WEIGHT!

At 5'1", I've always been tiny.  At least until I turned 24...  It used to be a running joke in my very early twenties that if I ever had kids, I'd finally be able to fit into "Adult Clothing".  Yup, I wore kids clothes (at least bottoms) for the longest time.  Actually, I still sometimes do, but that's more due to my height than my weight.

I had no hips, no boobs and despite being athletic, I was tiny.

This is an old softball photo!  Oh, and you might be able to notice, there's some six pack going on under those abs....

And then I stopped working at a job where I stood on my feet all day long, for 8+ hours, eating when I could.  I started working an office job at the hotel, where a couple of the chefs were vying for my attention and did so by bringing me delicious treats. 

I had also stopped dancing and playing sports due to work.

Over the course of the next few years, I steadily gained weight and I don't exactly remember what caused it, but suddenly, I was very uncomfortable in my body and clothes didn't fit.

I've done various bouts at the gym.  I signed up with a personal trainer.  I even had said trainer hired on at my work when we opened the gym in our building. 

But I've not yet been able to get in a groove.  Oh, don't get me wrong, I go thru stages where I am in there every day, working my butt off.   It's usually for an event - Mexico anyone?  And then as soon as the event is over, I let it all go downhill.

This year, I am focusing on eating better and I have vowed to get my self into shape. 

I'd like to drop at least 30 lbs by the end of the year (but I am less focused on lbs. and more on how I look and feel.)

My current biggest area to work on is my stomach.  I want that flat (maybe six pack) ab section back!

Plus, if the overall weight loss causes my face to go back to the way it used to be, I will be forever greatful.

I've recently started sharing my fitness progress with a gf and thought that it would be great for me to share here as well.  Once a week, I will be updating my progress and anything else related to keep me on track.

Wish me luck in this fitness journey!

A Walk in the Park... and all around Downtown

Today I had a great idea to take Finley down to Kinsmen Park and walk around.  The weather was perfect.  Not too hot, but hot enough.

Then we crossed the High Level Bridge

Something about this old bridge that is very appealing to me!

We got our workout in, by taking the stairs...

There are even ramps on either side for bikes!

We saw some inspiring graffiti:

Cory refuses to smile for photos....

We then walked all the way to Jasper Ave, where we enjoyed a dinner on the sidewalk outside Subway.  Little Miss Finley got quite a lot of attention.

Then we headed back.  Here's a view of the High Level from the Walterdale Bridge we returned on:

Yeah, we walked FAR!!!

Someone was kind of nervous on the walk back.  Not sure if it was from seeing the water down below or the vibrations from all the cars....?

On the drive home Cory stopped at Twisted Yogurt and we got dessert.

Kind of defeats the purpose of all that walking, but I like to think they didn't do too much damage since they are no fat!!

I selected White Chocolate Strawberry yogurt with caramel sauce, reese's pieces AND peanut butter cups, butterscotch chips.

YUM!

Vacation...

Today is the first day of my vacation.  We originally had a big camping trip to BC planned, but then the dog got sick and we knew i just wasn't going to work...

We're sad yes, but there's no use in getting upset about it, so we're gonna make the best of things and kind of plan our own little "Stay-cation".  We've got no real plans and have a few things around the house to attend to, and maybe some fun stuff to get done.  Plus, we might even be adventurous and head out camping for a day or two, but we're taking it day by day.

As of right now, this is all we've accomplished...

Oh yeah, we're still in bed!  Save for an "emergency call" from the office an hour into the workday, we're taking it easy!

But just laying in bed, taking photos, I realized that this week off might be a good time to tackle some things, includig:

Finishing the window treatments in this room.  I need two more sets of the wood blinds (one for the window in the closet).  Once that's done, it'll be time to get some drapes hanging in there as well.  At least on the large window...

This eyesore needs to be fixed.  The blue paper was serving as a mat for a print, but I took the print out and then the mat shifted....  It's been like this for months - don't judge.

That's correct, there is still no headboard behind our bed.  I have the frame AND I have the fabric (or at least the fabric I thought I was going to use).  Now I just need to make a decision, buy the foam and execute the plan.  This NEEDS to happen!!!  Our pillows are all helter skelter and things fall behind the bed.

Well yes, obviously, we'll MAKE the bed.  But I think it's time to seriously start looking at new bedding.  I'll for sure be buying new sheets since ours are on their last legs, but I am over the blue and brown duvet.  The colors just aren't right for what I'd like to do in here....

This will most likely take a while - there are limited options round here for Super King sized beds that aren't ridiculously expensive.

Spend some time with this good boy.  We think he's sick....  Not sure how or why or what, but something's off.  He's picking fights with the other cat; hissing and growling. 

He also started "messing" where he shouldn't have been messing.  Namely, on my bath mat.

I know that's never a good sign, but I'm crossing my fingers it's just cause he doesn't want to leave our room for fear of running into this week's nemesis, Mischu, his Egyptian Mau brother.

I'm staying positive and hoping that the heat has just made him grumpy.

Here's hoping we can make some progress in this room and finally call it complete!

Deal of the Day: Paper Towels

I know its not very "green" of me to use paper towels but with 3 animals, they're just a necessity around Casa Savoy!

We ran out this weekend, which was the worst as we have two sick animals and someone who is secretly going to the washroom where they shouldn't be....

Last night I scouted some online flyers to see who had the best buys!

Shoppers Drug Mart had a couple of deals that worked for me:

~Scott towels are currently on for $4.99/6 pack. With my $2.00 off coupon=$2.99

~Life brand towels $0.69/2 pack. Limit is 4. Making cost for 6 rolls $2.76.

So for under $6.00, I am scoring 12 rolls! Pretty good!
Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry

Date Night: Taste of Edmonton

We had a very busy weekend over here at Casa Savoy!  Friday night, we had plans with Cory's sister and her husband but since our plans were outdoors and it was raining, we opted for getting some pizza delivered and headed out to Friends with Benefits which I really liked.  Yes, we thought it would be very similar to the recent "Just Friends", but MUCH better!!!  I loved Mila Kunis in this.  She's so cute.  Loved her wardrobe in this as well!

Yesterday, we did some running around and a trip to the vet for Finley who apparently an upper respiratory infection or "kennel cough" if you will.  She most likely contracted it from another dog at the dog park.  Not fun!!  Our poor little girl is hacking and vomiting and sneezing and sounds awful.  She's really not doing well with it/  But thankfully, we got her on some antibiotics now and a cough supressant. But we're quarantined and must keep her away from other dogs for a minimum a week... and our vacation plans are up in the air!  But since her medications make her drowsy, we took advantage of it and headed out of town for a party out of town at a friend's parent's home.  I wish I had brought my camera or even my camera for that matter... I snagged a couple poor quality shots from Cory's phone that were even worse when I emailed them to myself....

Gorgeous 5400 sq. ft home with an amazing backyard that included this little beauty:

We just don't DO pools in Alberta....  soo jealous!

Today, we hit up Taste of Edmonton for a lovely little Date Night!!

$55 dollars worth of tickets and we were both stuffed!!  Some of the delicious goodies we sampled were:
~Chicken satays   ~ chocolate peanut butter chunks     ~sweet potato fries    ~pyrohy    ~spankopita
~garlic and tomato salad     ~chicken enchiladas    ~strawberry frozen yogurt    ~green onion cakes

Plus much more!  I like going with Cory cause we each get a dish and then split it, and then we move on to the next set of booths.  Yum!

It was a beautiful evening and we really had a great night!!  Hope you had a great weekend as well!

Frugal Friday - "Extreme" Couponing

I don't know about you, but I was beyond intrigued when the show Extreme Couponing aired.  I could not get over how much money these women (and a few men) were saving.  I mean some of them were getting thousands of dollars in products EACH WEEK for FREE - and sometimes even EARNING MONEY ON THEIR PURCHASES!!!

Growing up, I was no stranger to coupons.  My mom would use them when she got them in the mail or the paper, if it was a product she was regularly going to purchase.  I remember her little coupon holder and even found one for myself when I moved out on my own.  It had a clear pocket on one side for the coupons (stacked in order of department of course) and the other side held a notepad, perfect for writing this week's list on.

A few years back, I even started subscribing to some online sites where I could go and choose my coupons and have them sent to me: Save.ca was my favorite.
But I was pretty forgetful with my coupons and time after time, they sat unused in my little coupon holder, so I kinda stopped doing it altogether.

And then I saw some episodes and got excited about it again.  My excitement subsided when I realized that in Canada, there must be some different coupon legislations as there's no way we could EVER get those kinds of deals!!  Apparently, there is only one store in the Country that allows coupon stacking and my grocery stores sure don't coupon match!.... so I forgot about it....

Until this past weekend when I saw it for the first time - a SERIOUS COUPONER!!  Yup, strolling the cat food and litter aisle at Walmart, there she was!!  A thirty something gal with her binder opened up, as she scanned the prices of cat litter!! She noticed my look right away, I was so intrigued I wanted to ask her questions like where do you get your coupons?  is there a tip to organizing your stash?   How much money do you really save?  But I didn't know how to do it without coming off like a totally lunatic.  Then, as she passed me again, I tried to sneak a peek at her binder and she got really embarassed, closed it and booked it down the aisle, never to be seen again!!

Shoot!!  Missed my chance.  I'm not so sure why she was embarassed.  I wasn't judging her, I was thinking she was awesome!  It got me excited and inspired again.  Obviously, this lady relied on coupons enough to need a binder, so there must be something to saving money this way after all!

Later when I relayed the story, my brother mentioned his girlfriend had a binder and even brought it out for me to see!  That was enough for me, I immediately got out the coupons I did have:

Got myself a binder

Labelled up some dividers and some great little plastic pages

and until I have a second to buy some proper business card pages for the coupons, I subbed in some regular plastic pages to file them in

Oh, and then I set to work ordering all sorts of coupons online. 

Now all I have to do is get our printer working so I can start printing even more coupons for some of our favorite brands!

I'm excited to see how this goes and will share my progress with you!!

Are there any couponers (extreme or otherwise) out there that want to share some tips with me?