THESE WE COVET: February 2012

Workout Plan

>> Thursday, February 23, 2012 – Exercise, Healthy Living

Working out is always a challenge (for me at least!).

Maybe I shouldn't be so hard on myself..I actually love getting outside, being in the fresh air...but I find that during the winter months I get caught up in projects that keep me on the computer, or crafting, or inside with friends. Going to the Gym is generally NOT my idea of a good time and I would SO rather be outside running, hiking, kayaking....you get the point :) Living in Vancouver is conducive to all of these things. Thank goodness! But it gets dark sooooooo early in the winter months and when you are getting home after work, the last thing you feel like is going out in the pitch black.

So, here is the great idea.
A wonderful coworker decided to create a FIT club so we could monitor and encourage each other. So far I am loving the idea and even though it is quite new...I think it is helping to hold ourselves accountable. One of the members has done some amazing feats. Think climbing Mt. Kiliminjaro (sp?) and running marathons. At the last meeting she showed me her chart for running. Obviously I have seen game plans, etc. (they are wonderful) for running 10K, half marathon, etc. etc. But her plan mapped out her two months training period and left in time for breaks and even an extra week for unplanned sickness. The really IMPORTANT PART is... she had identical boxes underneath each days workout to record what she actually ended up doing. This is such a great way to not over glorify one or two workouts that suddenly become four workouts in your mind. If you are busy as I am...it is easy to think.."Oh yah..I totally worked out every day last week". Also, you could take it to another step and tally up the total km's ran or time spent for each week. This allows you to flip your schedule around a bit if you get busy one day and make up for it the next.

The pic above is of my very crude chalkboard version. But don't judge :) because I am learning to do things now instead of waiting until the day I have time to make a perfect chart. Some of my letters stand for Yoga, Running, boring Gym and Dancing (I use my Xbox dance game and let me tell you how hard a workout that can be...crazy time).

Wordless Wednesday

Commonly Mispronounced Food Words

>> Friday, February 17, 2012 – education, food

The time has come...to stop avoiding items on a menu because you are not sure how to pronounce them, or to stop sounding like a doofus when you do try to order something and completely hack the pronounciation.

Here are a few commonly mispronounced food-related words that you should know how to say with confidence...

QUINOA: keen-wah
A tall crop plant of the goosefoot family, cultivated in Peru and Chile for its small, ivory-coloured seed, which is used as a food staple. Extremely good for you, and easy to make!

ACAI: ah-sigh-ee
The deep purple, edible berry of a Central and South American palm tree.

CHARCUTERIE: shar-koo-tuh-ree
The art of preparing various meats, in particular pork, in order to present them in the most diverse ways. In other words, a presentation of awesomeness. These meat plates have become popular menu items over the past few years.

PRIX-FIXE: pree-feeks
A french phrase meaning "a fixed price" for a whole meal. You are seeing more and more restaurants in North America using this term.

CAIPIRINHA: kai-pee-reen-ya
Brazil's national cocktail, made with rum, sugar, and lime. After a few of these you can throw pronounciation out the window.

GEWURZTRAMINER: geh-voorts-truh-mee-nur
An aromatic, pink-skinned wine grape.

VIOGNER: vi-ohn-yay
A floral white wine grape.

SANGIOVESE: san-geeo-vehs-eh
A red Italian wine grape variety whose name derives from the Latin sanguis Jovis, "the blood of Jove".

Check out a full wine pronounciation list HERE.

Don't stop at food...make sure you are nor mispronouncing words on a regular basis. Check out the 100 most often mispronounced words and phrases HERE.

Chime in! - If you have any words to add to the list, please do so in the comment box below.

Wordless Wednesday

Valentine's Day Candy Quiz

So you consider yourself a candy connoisseur? Or perhaps a Valentine's Day wiseacre?

Put your money where your mouth is and take this cool quiz that we came across on the James Beard Foundation website. Compare your results with your significant other...bragging rights will be on the line ; )

Test your knowledge with these questions from the February/March 2011 issue of James Beard Fouindation Notes. Read on for the questions featured and more. Once you think you've got them solved, click through for the answers and your Eat-Q score.

1. At least ten new sayings are introduced on conversation hearts each  year. Which of these is not a recent addition?
A. “Yeah Right”
B. “What-eva”
C. “Call Home” 
D. “Puppy Love”

2. Hershey’s Kisses are so named because:
A. Chocolate is an aphrodisiac.
B. The noise the machines make to extrude the chocolate during manufacturing resembles a smooch. 
C. Milton Hershey invented the candy as a Valentine’s Day gift for his wife. 
D. The foil wrapper was originally printed with a design of lips.

3. Which chocolate company hit upon the idea of increasing sales of  Valentine’s Day chocolate by packaging its chocolates in the  world’s first heart-shaped candy box?
A. Milton Hershey
B. Richard Cadbury
C. Henri Nestlé
D. Normaine Ritter

4. Although the phrase actually refers to a funeral bouquet,  the line “Sweets to the sweet,” from this Shakespearean play, is  often used to promote Valentine’s Day candy:
A. Hamlet
B. Romeo and Juliet
C. Macbeth
D. Twelfth Night

5. Every year, this television game show includes questions about  conversation hearts on its Valentine’s Day-themed episode:
A. Cash Cab
B. Wheel of Fortune
C. Trivial Pursuit 
D. Jeopardy

6. True or False: More candy is purchased on Valentine’s Day than on Halloween
A. True
B. False

7. Before WWI, conversation hearts were also made in all of the following shapes EXCEPT:
A. Tophats
B. Horseshoes
C. Watches
D. Baseballs

8. How many heart-shaped boxes of chocolate were sold last year?
A. 5 million
B. 14 million
C. 36 million
D. 52 million 

9. Production for conversation hearts runs for 11 months of the year, though they are available in stores for approximately this long each year:
A. Year-round
B. Six months
C. Three months
D. Six weeks

10. Which group receives the most Valentine’s Day candy and gifts?
A. Children
B. Mothers/Wives
C. Fathers/Husbands
D. Pets

Think you've got the right answers? CLICK HERE TO CHECK YOUR SCORE.

PS - Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

GLYMM Box Excitement

>> Wednesday, February 8, 2012 – Beauty, Makeup, Review

Here is one of my last Glymm boxes from a month or so ago. Still indulging in these and still
thinking they are totally worth it for the price. See my old post here for more details.

It included the follwing:
Juicy Bamboo cleansing clothes:

I actually really like these and would consider buying a pack for summer camping or those nights when you feel lazy and don't want to take your make up off.

Burt's Bees Lotion:

Having always had a soft spot for their products since they are so natural and have been around since I was a pre-teen..this lotion was kind of disappointing. The texture was just 'meh' and the scent was double 'meh'.

Anastasia's Clear Eyebrow Liquid:

Totally would have never bought this product, but I am AMAZED at how well it shapes the brows. I feel like you can comb them up and over and you instantly look more awake and vibrant. Love it!

Cargo Eye Pencil - Black

Haven't actually opened this yet, but funny enough I have one already (that I bought..boo) and it's pretty good. I will just keep this one for when my other runs out. Ps. Pretty sure I paid at least $14 so that alone made up for the box price.

Vasanti Brightening Cream

This looks boring...so still needs to be used.

RMS lip color/conditioner:

This was a bonus product I received because I have ordered for a few months. LOVE LOVE LOVE it.. So smooth and just a touch of pretty color (see photo). Plus all the ingredients are organic. Definitely could see myself buying again.

Alphabet Letter Signs: How our spare time is spent!

>> Thursday, February 2, 2012 – Alphabet Letter Signs, Design, Life

Above Photo says SCOTT from Another Frame of Mind

Just in case you are wondering why I don't blog everyday :)... well it is because of a little side shop that the hubby and I run. We use Etsy to showcase our framed Alphabet Letter Photography. Now you are thinking...what does this mean? Alphabet Letters..it sounds like they are decorating kids rooms. Not quite (though we can do that also).

Basically, we take some amazing photos of things in architecture/nature that look like letters but aren't actually letters. These are black and white photos and we spell out names. It can be any last name, first name, or really any word at all. Most often our framed images are purchased as an unique gift for a wedding present (we even can send it straight to the couple with a card!). They are also wonderful because you can personalize the print with the couples first names and wedding date.

Anyways..now you know where all our time goes. We started in November of 2010 and have now done over 300 orders! We never ever ever expected to have such success..it is a lot of hard work but great to apply our creative energy to something. Sometimes we meet the most amazing clients and I am thinking it would be great to feature their stories and finished piece...we will see what happens. Our shop name is Another Frame of Mind.

Here are some crazy pics from Christmas when we had a rush of about three orders a day. This may sound easy, but when you have to do proofs for clients, send orders to the lab for printing, pick up those orders, and then package the whole she-bang so it ships perfectly. Things get a little nuts. Lets just say that we are used to having a huge bag of peanuts and about ten frames sitting in our living room at any given time. Oh..and did I forget to mention that we live in about 600 sq. ft.!!!

Crazy Signs

>> Wednesday, February 1, 2012 – Life

While out running the other day, I noticed this sign in Stanley Park. After a good chuckle, I deemed it necessary to take a pic. What does it mean?? George Clooney do not let your pig attack a goose? Does it not look like a crazy pig to you....(maybe I just have a vivid imagination).