Bulking up and the battle of the bulge...

I have weighed in and the numbers are going down...
ever so slowly but the good news is that 6 pounds have been shed.

I am feeling much better wearing pants. I now have what I can only all breathing room!
The doughy muffin top is looking much firmer and that dreaded back fat is disappearing.

So why would I want to dress like the Goodyear Blimp?

I'll tell you why...

I do not do cold, chilly, or freezing at all well. I love to be warm and cozy. Perhaps that explains my love for all things cashmere and why I am usually wearing some kind of scarf around my neck.

I needed to buy a coat as my car and seat heaters used to keep me warm!

Walking has it's benefits but it does expose one to the elements of nature, and she can be quite cool and frosty.

I bought this coat online from Land's End. It has some great features like the fleece lined pockets, a two way zipper, faux fur on the hood and down fill throughout. If you live in a climate such as we have here in the Pacific Northwest you might consider buying one of these...as an advocate of warmth and comfort while facing those inevitable dips in the Celsius this one get's my seal of approval and it comes in a variety of colours.

You can see it here.
I have linked to the Canadian site so if you are not in Canada go to Land's End.com.

My feet get cold too so I purchased some chill chasing sox and tights...

Alfred Sung

tunic top / dress

in a butterscotch shade

quite the departure from my usual palette

cheap as chips

washable

warm

will be worn with tights

and boots.

Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire:  it is the time for home.  

~ Edith Sitwell

Sarah over at My Yellow House warmed my heart with her recent post.

Go over and visit

she has such a way with words.

as you gather round the hearth

snug and safe

enjoy the warmth and be grateful

for what you have.

Remembrance Day is this Friday 

I hope that you will pause and give thanks,

many people gave their lives in hope that we could live our lives without fear 

in freedom.

What to wear when the temperature dips...

Baby it's cold outside!
I am cocooning in wool and layers and have recently purchased a down coat to wear walking about in the chill windy weather. I'll show it to you in an upcoming post...it's from Land's End!

Cashmere Club Monaco long scarf/shawl

3rd or 4th year in service and what a soft way to keep cozy

I highly recommend owning at least one of these.

(I have another in emerald green)

Looks rather dark in this image but I am wearing tights in charcoal grey by Hue

and my short booties in black with the western cowboy vibe

and a wool V neck dress which I bought from Zellers 

and it was under $50!

The texture has some interest

as the theme here is all grey.

I have taken off all my sterling bangles and have taken out my trusty timepiece

and I have added my gold bracelet for fun.

I am putting my best foot forward 

exercise is now so much easier

and I feel so much more energy as a result.

If you had told me this would have happened 

I think I might have doubted that fact.

I am embracing steaming mugs of tea and hot soups.

Chill chasers of the finest order.

Keep warm!

Fly little bird fly!

Fly little bird fly...
be free and easy.

Test those wings that you were born with and use those aerodynamics...
you have the ability
 just do it.


Be very afraid of this next image....
footwear,
of the mummsy kind...

I have lost my mind and gone for comfort over fashion.

It''s true.

I am no longer barefoot prancing on the slivery wood floors.

My feet are warm and happy.

But they scare me when I look down and see those faces.

I put these soft slippers on my feet and fell madly in love.

Not with their looks but with the way they conformed and cushioned my tired toes.

Lambs or Sheep...

does it matter?

They are a fashion no no of the first order,

scary!

I am shuffling through The Humble Bungalow in these...

toting my Haws watering can

pottering and watering the house plants.

This miniature orchid is putting on a great blooming show

and I water it once a week.

Routines are so not on these days..

everything has changed.

I hope that I have chosen the right job in the career department...

the move is radical

I am going back to my roots...

elementary school

and I'll be working with special needs students.

Autism was my forte and I have come full circle...

I may be posting less

or possibly more

I suppose it will depend on my level of energy

and what inspires me.

I 'll let you know how things are going but it might take awhile...

I might be a stranger in a strange land

for a wee bit...

bear with me as I am standing on the precipice of something new...

I hope to soar and not plummet

but with any new endeavor there lies a modicum of doubt...

I wish that someone was holding my hand!

 Hope that your week is off to a great start.

Hugs from the Hostess

XO

Lazy Saturday...after a big night on the town.

I slept in and am sipping a mug of real coffee, the first in many months. Feeling very lazy sitting here in my robe and slippers...
There is something so decadent about waking up to the aroma of coffee brewing in the kitchen.
We had a wonderful evening last night and it was a later one than is usual on a Friday evening after a busy week.
It's hard to imagine that we can go out on the town and live it up like we did when we were much younger. Good to know that we haven't forgotten how to have fun!

We were celebrating the fact that I have a new job!

Flowers from my daughter's fellow!

We walked downtown and dined at one of our city's top restaurants and then we hoofed it over to a heritage hotel by the sea and had a bottle of champagne, a gift from my daughter's fellow. I don't like the word "boyfriend" as that does not adequately describe him because he is a man not a boy.

I could have pinched myself as we were sitting on sumptuous leather sofas enjoying the lights of the harbour living it up and savouring the moment rubbing shoulders with international tourists.

As we were leaving we strolled through the convention center and were surprised to see a large group of red headed Lucille Ball look a likes...the Ricky Ricardo's were inside waiting!

It was a dreamy date and such a memorable way to celebrate and mark new beginnings.

New beginnings and the rapid way that change is making an entrance into what was a predictable routine has taken us by storm and I am reeling...
but all in a good way.

Once I started to action change with a new approach to fitness and health, lots of things started happening and there seems to be a domino effect.

The new job is going to be a challenge and one that I am keen to take on. I am ready to embrace a new direction in the late stages of my career and have so many tricks in my bag just waiting...so wait no longer, it's time.

Walking to work is going to be such a bonus.
Not only is it healthier it's greener and cheaper!

I did have to go out and buy some good looking walking shoes that I could wear to work.
(They cost less than 4 Michelin tires for the Volvo though!)
I never need an excuse to buy shoes, who does?

Adrienne over at The Rich Life (on a budget) has done some shoe shopping recently...
she has chosen some lovely colours.

I imagine that you are not surprised that the shoes are black...

Lisa over at Privilege shares a love of black footwear.

She just started a new job and check out how great she looks in her khaki and black.

a little silver bling in the mesh

they are not shoes for the faint of heart

they have serious support and are made by Geox

which has a patent on their shoe building technology.

I am lusting over some Frye boots and tried on some fabulous Ralph Lauren riding boots at Winners...

they are most definitely investment boots...

(cheaper than Michelin's hmmm....)

I just don't know if they are in the budget right now.

The reno is taking most of our cash and still is the number one priority around here.

Lots to think about...

I am taking today as a lazy day to ponder the whirlwind of change that is blowing through the Humble Bungalow.

(I had better get dressed as the plumber will be here in a few minutes!)

I am still the same Hostess

but with a newness that is redefining 

how I view my life and the direction that I seem to be going.

Make the most of your weekend whatever you choose to do...

carpe diem

take a leap of faith and shake up your world.

Life's a Beach....and then it's gone.

I am taking you along on the beach walk this afternoon.

Walking at the same time of day means meeting and greeting the same folks as they are out strolling, walking and jogging. Dogs are allowed on the beach from September on so there are a wide variety of canines and their owners.
I could easily have another Golden Retriever to keep me company on my jaunts...
our hearts still weep when we remember our wonderful and faithful Rufus.

Observing the people as I walk by I have noticed that there is a large fit group of older women...

all smiling!

It interests me that most are walking solo like myself.

They are wearing pretty pink shades of lipstick

sunglasses

and dressed in practical and stylish walking shoes.

I have noticed that polar fleece is very popular and the colours range from black to brights.

Down jackets and coats seem to be the favourite with the elderly.

Nordic walkers are few and far between but when they pass they take up the entire width of the sidewalk and one must stop to allow them to pass or hop down off the sidewalk and walk on the road. 

They obviously do not like to yield to oncoming traffic!

A few older couples shuffle along holding hands before they stop to sit on a bench to rest and peruse the shore.

There is constant chatter with these couples and I wonder what it is that they are discussing...

I am assuming that they have been married forever...

so lovely to see their connections.

Magnificent old trees dot the shoreline.

In the stormy winter winds these bow and sway threatening to break...

their placement on the shore has them directly in the line of fire.

the sand is soft and walking on the beach does wonders for one's calf muscles

I prefer to wear boots or I get mucky sandy shoes.

In the summertime 

barefoot beach walking is a great exfoliant for the feet.

a lovely calm day on the sea...

hardly a ripple and it's November.

sunshine-y flowers popping up out of the grassy shoreline

"bloom where you are planted"

quiet moments of meditative walking 

are so restorative

 Mother Nature is showing off her best assets.

One does absorb simple joys

and experience moments of clarity.

Change is the theme here in the Humble Bungalow.

Not one change but many...

I am waiting on some news on the career front

and rather impatiently....

One of my nearest and dearest has just lost her Mother...

she is/was the same age as my Mom and I am rather shaken by this news.

I took a lovely orchid and a card and gave her hugs and we cried

I felt so powerless

there is so little one can do or say in these moments.

Being there was all I could muster.

Mother and I will be at the memorial

they were friends too

 Mother has taken it very hard...

life is so precious

do not take anything for granted

it can change in a heart beat.