Yikes!

It's weigh in day for Weight Watchers today and I gained 4.2 pounds this week! What the???? I need your help guys. Please send me your good will and love. I am sinking.
Yike-edy yikesy yikes yikes!

Love and Hugs

The beautiful shape of a mother

This is Erin from Starving Artist Ink. It's so refreshing to see a real woman's body whislt being bombarded with all the celebrities and their effing washboard stomachs after having twins at 40years old. I mean come on! Anyways be nice Sam.
Erin is a mother after spending many years battling fertility issues steming from polycystic ovaries. She's proud of what her body can do and did. And thinks the result is beautiful.
I can't wait to be this woman.
But for now I am taking pride in how many girl pushups my body can do.
Love and Hugs

okay.

okay. okay. oh man! Khali and Potsch's wedding photos are finally up on the blogworld and I am blown away. It's hard to think of what to write. I just want to share them with you. Please go over to her photographer's site SteepStreet and then GreenWeddingshoes and then Khali's blog Boots and Cateyes to see the short film they made for their wedding. It's called "Falling for You".
Just Amazing!
It's funny to see that Khali and I have the same taste in so many things. I want the exact same runner for my tables, the blessing of the rings, the same concept of frames hanging from the tree where we will get married (although they will be filled with family wedding portraits)....and on and on.
She is just so cool.

Love and Hugs

It's that time again!

Aunt Jane bought the 30 day Shred a few days ago on Amazon and it arrived yesterday! She asked me if I would be willing to do it with her and I painfully agreed!
Yesterday morning was the first day of the new Shred and this time we are two! Does anyone else want to join?
I have never done a workout so hard and challenging for your mind and body. I'll admit I cried a little last time. I thought she's crazy, there is no way my flabby body can do that. But I was wrong. It was my mind that was holding me back. My body can actually do a lot if I let it. It's kinda like a spiritual journey too. You know when you are doing Yoga or getting a massage and you suddenly start getting emotional? It's because trauma stays in your cells, on your physical body! You harbour shame and guilt and pain everywhere all over your body and when one of those forgotten places is reached sometimes the flood gates open up! It's so healthy! If that's not enough to convince you, what about this: I lost 9inches and 6pounds last time!
Come on! You know you want to!!!

Danger! I'm coming to get you!

Le Flâneur (feat. The XX) from Luke Shepard on Vimeo.

I'm coming Paris! I will be there on Friday the 11th of Feb. Consider this a warning! I am going to ride my bike all around you and love you up and hug and kiss you and eat you and there is nothing you can do about it! Mauhhahahahahahahaha!!!!!! Oh yeah and I am not leaving for 5 whole big long years!!!! ;) ;) You're stuck with me!!!

Love and Hugs

P.S. Holy macaroni isn't this Luke guy talented? He shot this whole film with his Nikon SLR just like the one I have. WTF!

Any loose barbie shoes laying around?

Why not make a necklace? This one is by Tom Binns. What a great idea! I think I even see an UGG in there.

Love and Hugs

Weight Watchers weigh in Monday

Good Morning Guys! So you remember where I was last week eh? Well this morning I weighed in at 90.7 kgs or 199.5 pounds! I lost 0.5 pounds! Whooohooooo right? I wish I was happier. I am feeling a little plateau-ey. I checked the weight tracker on my WW online account and I weighed in at 199.5 on Dec 6th so it's been over a month hovering around this same number. I know I have to be patient with my self and weight loss only gets harder the longer you keep at it but come on!


That being said I am feeling stronger this week! During Christmas in France it was so hard to refuse wine and cheese, beautifully made cakes, little apero snacks, sumptuous foie gras and the party just keep going when I got home. I didn't gain a massive amount or derail my train but still I was hoping to keep losing little by little even though it was the holidays.

Back to reality. I have put the wine bottle back in the cabinet (for weekends only) and brought out the soup bowl instead. I am trying my hand at different flavourful soup recipes to take the damp chill out of this Maltese winter and a maybe a few inches off my waist!
We'll see how it goes!
How are you guys doing? How were the holidays on your waistline?!

Love and Hugs

Are you feeling less anger? Do you know that you are at your true center, pure love?

Meditation may require a lifetime to master, but it will have been a lifetime well spent. ... If you want to judge your progress, ask yourself these questions: Am I more loving? Is my judgment sounder? Do I have more energy? Can my mind remain calm under provocation? Am I free from the conditioning of anger, fear, and greed? Spiritual awareness reveals itself as eloquently in character development and selfless action as in mystical states."

-- Eknath Easwaran

Love and Hugs

Bangers and Mash!

Happy Friday everybody! What are you up to this weekend? Tonight Vince and I are heading over to the Church for Bangers and Mash night! Whoooohoooo! I've never been to one and never had real live bangers and mash so we are in for a surprise I reckon. The Pastor is Welsh so we'll see if that maskes any difference....is the recipe the same all the UK over? Is this a religous event like Pancake tuesday back home? Or just a bunch of people who love sausages, gravy and mashed potatoes all getting together?

Hmmmm! Well we are up to the foodie challenge!

Love and Hugs

I had to repost this cause it's SO true!

Especially the part about being suspicous of airconditioning and the preoccupation with whether you will die from left over food in the fridge, frezzer and the like! Vince is always on my case about these things! ;) I love you honey!

And now for Tory Hoen's post from Hip Paris:

It’s True Because the French Say So: Rules To Live By

June 4, 2010 by Tory Hoen

French people are born with an innate sense of how to thrive in their natural habitat. Dressing well, eating well and comporting themselves with general discretion are key elements in this survival strategy. But there is also a set of hard-and-fast rules that underlie the attitudes and behaviors of the population and provide crucial (albeit completely illogical) societal structure. When I was preparing to move to Paris two years ago, a friend warned me about these rules. To the outside observer, they sound like a collection of crazy Old Wives’ Tales, but to the French, they are serious business. If violated, they will probably lead to instant death… or worse.

A Cup Of Jo, Egor Gribanov

Note: The rules need not be substantiated by any kind of real factual research or tested logic. We don’t know why they’re true, but we know they are because they always have been. So stop asking questions.

1. Wear a scarf at all times. It’s no wonder that the French have multiple words for different kinds of neck adornments (écharpe, foulard, fichu, châle, etc). If you go outside without one, you will not only violate the rules of French fashion, but you will also risk your life. Your neck is fragile; protect it. Note: scarves cure not just the common cold, but nearly all known ailments.

2. Be suspicious of air-conditioning. It is unnatural and is to be avoided at all costs. Anyone who has suffered through a sweltering August night in a Parisian garret can attest to the fact that the French take this rule seriously. Some hotels provide an exception—tourists can be sacrificed—but your average French family steers clear. Better to overheat than to die of a mysterious AC-related affliction.

Girl’s Guide to Paris

3. Never put food that is still warm in the fridge. You. will. die. It is fine, however, to leave it uncovered on the counter—or, better yet, outside on the windowsill—for days at a time.

4. Exercise is for foreigners and the misguided. If you must do it, be discreet. In fact, you can wear normal street clothes (denim is encouraged) in order to give the impression that you are not actually exercising. Make sure to look disinterested, as if this was not your idea.

5. Lightning will probably break your TV. And there’s nothing you can do about it. If a lightning storm does strike, stand well away from the television, lest it explode and electrify you.

6. Do not eat cooked butter in the morning. Only Americans do that, and that’s why they’re fat. It is fine to slather raw butter all over your tartine, but God forbid you try to cook an egg in a pan with butter—you will die, or at least become instantly obese. After noon, of course, feel free to eat as much rendered fat as you wish.

Sarah Raymond

7. Figuring out your unborn child’s gender. If you’re pregnant and want to tell if the baby will be a boy or a girl, do not waste time going to the doctor. Simply string your wedding ring onto a lock of hair and hold it above the pregnant stomach. If it swings in circles, it’s a boy. If it swings like a pendulum, it’s a girl. And if you don’t have a wedding ring, I guess you’ve got other things to worry about. Stop contemplating the gender of your love child and brace yourself for some serious Tsk Tsk-ing from your French grandmother. The good news? Pregnancy—legitimate or otherwise—does not preclude drinking (the moderated, French kind of drinking, bien sûr).

So there you have it. That should be enough wisdom to keep you alive for the time being. And if following these rules doesn’t make you safer, it will (at the very least) make you more French. Bon courage!

Oh those Frenchies!

Love and Hugs

However when we do arrive in Paris.....

......I hope to have a bedroom and closet just like this! Oh La La!!!!!

Love and Hugs

The above image was found on Alex's blog: The cherry blossom girl.

Paris posponed

Update! Vince's Malta boss needs him here for one more month. One more month in Malta you say? No problem! I was actually getting a little antsy about leaving in less than two weeks!

Vince has a meeting with the big big boss in Paris on Monday the 24th Jan. and then hopefully we will know more. His company is not the best at keeping in touch with Expats. You literaly have to go there and look them in the eyes to get any answers so that's what he'll do.

Stay tuned my loves! A long sejour in Paris is coming up!

Love and Hugs

Just a little snow?

Then make little snowmen! Aren't these the cutest? I know they won't work in Canada will all the piles of snow you guys have but they may work in France?!

I found them on Jordan's blog called Oh Happy Day.

Love and Hugs

A bride and her ladies

I just couldn't resist these photos from Sarah and Jason's wedding at SimplyBloomPhotography!
So pretty!

Love and Hugs

uh oh! Honeymoon bikini is further away!

My dream bathing suit

The coverup I would wear all the time over the dream bathing suit!

So I weighed in 1 pound heavier this week! This comes after a steady hold on the same weight for the last 3 weeks. I have officially hit my plateau/breaking point! Oh no!

Hopefully I can get back on the train this week and come back here with a loss for you next Monday! I want so bad to wear a two piece bathing suit in 5 months! I only wore one once before in my entire life....when I was 15years old.

Wish me luck!

Love and Hugs

Sweetness in all it's perfection!

This is Winnifred. Mom and Dad's new roomate. She just moved in 2 days ago and has already found an irreplaceable place in our hearts!
Welcome Winnie! You pretty girl! We love you little puddin' blondie pie cutieness!

Love and Hugs

Friday morning

A prayer

A meditation

A coffee

A long walk home

Friday is off to a great start! A 9am morning prayer at church then a 10am meditation at Gloria's house, stopover for coffee and finally the long sunny walk home!
Oh hey, have you seen Mom and Dad's new doggie Winnie? She's an eight year old bulldoggie princess sweetheart! Check out facebook for a mini album of her first night at her new house. She is Perfect!
Have a great weekend everybody!
Love and Hugs

Downward beach

Last saturday Vince and I were out all day taking a million pictures with our new camera and stopping for beer and coffee wherever we could. We heading down to the rocky beach in Sliema and I couldn't help being inspired and infected with the calm of the energy there. Up into a downward dog pose I went and contemplated my time here. What an amazing journey this has been. So many horrible things have happened here and then in it's place an enormous amout of healing.
I will forever be tied to this place and thay makes my soul feel nice.
Love and Hugs

The bluest of blues

And the best of the best! That's what we are want! Deciding on a honeymoon spot has been a tough one albeit extremely exciting!
So the criteria are: out of this world turquoise sea, off the beaten path feel, white sandy beaches, amazing food and a short flight. We have been wavering and weighing the options between Mykonos, Mexico, Sardinia, Sicily, Capri and.....
Sardinia is currently at the head of the pack, especially after browsing through Aron and Ashely's travelogue and pictures on their website Hither and Tither.
You're looking good Sardinia! Loooooooking Good! ;-)
Love and Hugs

P.S. Thanks so much to Aron and Ashely for sharing their pictures!

Colour my life!

Oh Jessica and your wicked style!

I love tights! Tights! Tights! Tights! In all different textures and colours! But honestly I forget to buy them. I go to the store and buy the same old black pair cause that's what you do. Well not any more sister! I was in the mega grocery store called Cora in Vince's home town around Christmas and went to get a usual pair of black and saw these Hot Chili ones instead. Sold! I took them home and immediately tried to emulate the stylish Jessica Quirk from What I Wore. Now I'm hooked and must have a pair of blue, green and orange, oh my!
Love and Hugs

Short cut dreams

I am fantasizing about getting my hair cut after the wedding. I see women on the street and on blogs with this angular mushroom cut and I fall in love. This chic lady was captured in Paris by the Sartorialist. Isn't her haircut so cool?

And you all know Khali my gorgeous blogger crush from LA? She got the hottest little cut after her wedding too! Check it out here.

What do you think? Will I do it?

Love and Hugs

Just call me Sam Dodge Professional Beer Photographer!

These two cans look like they're talking to eachother. (probably gossiping about the pretty glass)

Model shot! She thinks she's better than the two cans. Can you feel it?

Party shot, every beer is in on the fun

Simplicity! Glass+can = goodness

No but seriously is that really a job? Can I have it please? Taste beer, take picture of it! Sounds pretty good to me!
This was our afternoon yesterday. We started with the grilled baby calamari at Pepinos! Oh yeah baby! OHHHHHHHHHHHH Yeah Baby! Have a great weekend everybody!
Love and Hugs