Just a couple of things...

Remember my Skin MD review from a while back? Great stuff.

Anyway, I got a heads up that they are hosting their biggest giveaway ever: a $300 basket of goodies including lots of Skin MD products, and some excellent things for your next backyard BBQ bash! Click here to enter - this is the prize:Awesome, right?! The giveaway ends on June 25th, and is open to US and Canada.

Also, to get ready for summer they are offering 20% off all during the month of June! Just enter the discount code SUMMER10 during check out at www.skinmdnatural.com.
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In other news, we have wrapped the shed like a big black present in tarpaper (preparation for siding and roofing shingles), and my husband installed the windows today. It's like the ugly duckling - not so pretty today, but it has great potential. I know it will be nice when it's finished.
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I'm not feeling so hot these days - must be coming down with something. Sore throat, headaches, aches and pains, that sort of thing. You'd think with summer on the way, cold season would be over. I wish. I'm feeling a little over-exerted from all the construction. And a little whiny, huh?! Sorry!

ps, go enter the Supplement Source giveaway, would ya? Two gift certificates and they do have lots of stuff - workout wear for your guy, skipping ropes, lifting gloves, greens for smoothie lovers, as well as, of course, supplements!

Small changes

I'm trying to tidy things up around the blog a bit, and have added a new pages tab along the top. Now you can access giveaways (current and past, including winners), a little 'About Me' page, and a page for PR through the top tab.

Things are at a standstill in the backyard - well, everything's growing (not one plant casualty yet! fingers crossed), but the shed is in stasis as the weather's been rainy this week. We did find a patio set, which my husband assembled - love it! Super comfy and pretty stylish, and we got it on sale (yay!).

Last night we hit the gym for the first time in a while - we got loads of exercise, believe me, building that pergola and digging/planting the gardens. It felt good to get back to some yoga and pilates, though. Our gym has some really great fitness instructors.

Otherwise, things are pretty quiet around here. Oh, do enter the giveaway if you haven't yet - a gift certificate at Supplement Source can buy some pretty cool stuff (it's not all supplements!) - and I have TWO to give away!

What we've been up to

Crazy, crazy month. We did SO MUCH I can hardly believe it.
Here's our yard on May 3rd:By May 7th the contractors had finished their work and left it like this:By May 22nd, we had the pergolas up - these were designed by my husband and he did the majority of the work. I was his assistant. These went up on evenings and weekends.By May 28th we had over 400 square feet of gardens dug out around the pergolas, a new rock garden (from rocks we 'farmed' at a nearby construction site - ugh! HEAVY!), a new raised bed all along the back of the pergolas between the patio and the wall (that garden alone is 4x24' and 2' tall) AND we raided the nurseries and planted three truckloads of new plants, re-sodded, and added some nice hanging baskets as well... Oh yes, and bought and assembled a new barbeque...
Can't forget the 15' Armstrong maple we planted... And those wooden things in the pergola are the walls of our shed, also built this week...














Can't skip a photo of the gorgeous new rock garden, either -



















Did I mention a shed? Oh, this shed...

Which is not quite finished yet, clearly. And those are more gardens on either side of the new shed. A shed also designed by my husband, who has really impressed me with his capabilities lately!

We'd hoped to get the shed finished as it's the last thing on our list. Alas, my husband is back to work tomorrow and it will have to happen piecemeal over evenings and weekends. Most of the hard part is done (we just need to finish sheathing the roof, then tarpaper the whole thing, do shingles, siding, fascia, soffits, and lattice along the bottom. It will be pretty when it's done, with two windows.

Also on our to-do list are: hang gorgeous Mexican hammock, and buy patio furniture! Then... relax!

Supplement Source.ca Review and DOUBLE GIVEAWAY!

***Giveaway closed - winners: Jennifer & Suzi!***

I have another great company to tell you about, and a giveaway as well for TWO lucky winners! Supplement Source.ca is a Canadian retailer of all kinds of performance supplements and fitness accessories (they have locations in London and Petawawa, as well as a head office and warehouse in Woodstock, Ontario).

As you know, this week the backyard has been our gym - weightlifting (hefting dirt, sod, trees, shrubs and wood), cardio (our backyard has a hill that we must go up and down a hundred times a day, yoga (okay, not exactly, but I have been doing the forward fold a lot while planting - and Cadbury has pitched in with downward dog), etc.

But regularly since March, my husband and I have been hitting the gym three to four times a a week. And it's really paid off - we've both gotten a lot more fit. He's lost weight (I haven't - but I'm there more to tone than lose weight) and we are both stronger, more healthy and have more energy.

I know to make the most of those gym workouts, a lot of people use supplements. SupplementSource.ca has everything from protein packed snacks, fat burner and muscle-boosting supplements, tanning and shine lotions for fitness competitors (not us any time soon!), and even superfruit Acai berry supplements. Personally I am sticking with my daily multivitamin and healthy eating but I know a lot of people use these to help their bodies along with building muscle and faster fat loss. If you are looking for a Canadian source, this is it! I do strongly recommend researching any supplement that you are considering - ask your doctor, look at several sources for information on what's in it. All supplements are not equal and may or may not be right for you!

SupplementSource.ca was kind enough to send an Athlete Armor DryWik shirt for my husband to try out. He's been wearing it to the gym and has found it to be great for wicking moisture and breathability during workouts. I think it looks great on him, too! Here he is on our way out to a fitness class!

They also sent along a sample of Ripped Freak Hybrid Fat Burner capsules for him to try. This is a capsule that "optimizes levels of the body's 2 most powerful fatburning hormones, epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine (noradrenaline)". What makes this different from many other supplements is that you only take it once or twice a day. The 'hybrid' part means it's got natural ingredients that have been altered or synthesized to enhance their effects. To be perfectly honest I don't understand what it does, but supposedly it works!

The last sample was a tasty treat of protein-packed Chef Jay's Tri-O-Plex double chocolate chip cookies. They smell amazing and are soft and delicious! And guess what? Every order gets a sample of these! Yum!

Some of the other cool stuff that SupplementSource.ca has to offer -

• Grizzly lifting gloves for men and women - if you do any weight training at all (we do the BodyPump class at our gym which is group weight lifting), you will know these are a lifter's friend!
• the Acai 1000 that I mentioned - which is rich in antioxidants and apparently may even help with weight loss (I have read this, but as you know I'm not a nutritionist or doctor or anything like that - do your research if you are considering any supplement).
• Greens for you smoothie lovers
• Protein bars and other snacks (which I find great not only for a pre- or post-workout boost, but also great for keeping in my purse or in the car as 'emergency' snacks!)
  
• Skipping ropes (great for cardio!)
• Lots of lifting straps, belts, gloves, pads, etcetera - and I have to mention this Leather Head Harness - mainly because Dwight Schrute wore one in a recent episode of The Office and seeing it here cracked me up!

Okay, so who wants to win???!

SupplementSource.ca has generously offered two gift certificates to my readers! One lucky winner will be able to spend $50 any way they like on this great website. The second winner will be selected from entrants who sign up for their V.I.P. newsletter!

The giveaway: A $50 gift certificate AND a $25 gift certificate to SupplementSource.ca (two winners)!

How to enter: Head over to Supplement Source.ca and let me know what you'd put this towards, OR one thing that you learned there. Make sure I've got a way to contact you if you're the winner!

Extra entries (please leave an extra comment for each. If you already do any of these things, leave the comment - you do get the entry for it!):

• Follow me on Twitter (leave your Twitter name!)
• Tweet about this giveaway for ONE entry, this is not a daily! You can use this if you like:

  Win a $50 GC to SupplementSource at Emily's Latest. Gym & Fitness awesomeness! http://bit.ly/a5OQie @emilyisland 6/12
  

• Follow my blog (publicly) – 2 entries, leave 2 comments
• Add my blog button to your blog– 2 entries, leave 2 comments (please leave a link to your blog)
• Blog about this giveaway, linking back to this post and to Supplement Source.ca – 2 entries, leave 2 comments and please include a link to your post
• To enter for the BONUS gift certificate, sign up for the Supplement Source.ca V.I.P. Supersale Alerts (top left of their website) and be sure to let me know in a comment!
  

I will be verifying comments so please actually do the things you say you do ☺

Please be sure to include your email address if it’s not public in your blogger profile! Anonymous comments without a way to contact you will be rejected. Canadian or US mailing addresses only, please. Giveaway ends Saturday, June 12th at 11:59 EST. Winners will be drawn the next day, announced here, in a separate post and emailed!
(The bonus prize will be selected only from newsletter subscribers!)

Prize will be shipped by sponsor. We were sent a shirt and samples to review honestly, but I was not paid to write this.

This week

..is crazy! My husband has the week off and it's no vacation - we're working hard over here. The pergolas are finished and now we're building a shed, digging and planning gardens (to be planted tomorrow or Friday?), planting a big tree, moving rocks in the landscape and re-grading and sodding some areas.

I'm exhausted from all the work in the 32 degree heat. Anyway, I'll catch you up with some photos at some point - we're proud of the work we've done and it's only going to get better.

Athletica.net Winner!

Ooh, the big day has arrived - time to draw the winner of the Athletica.net giveaway. Thank you to all who entered (and to Athletica.net for the opportunity!). With 208 entries, Random.org chose...who is...Congratulations!

If you didn't win, remember they still have that awesome sale on where you can get the Roll Over Pant and Capri (along with other items) for really great prices! I can vouch for the quality; the Classic pant for gym and yoga is still my favourite pair of pants among my fitness wear.

Stick around for more upcoming giveaways! I have some really great stuff in the works!

Girls Night In For Cancer

Tonight's your last chance to enter to win the $75 Athletica.net gift certificate!

So, the Girls Night In that I hosted was a big success! I had a bunch of my friends over and together we raised $160 for the Canadian Cancer Society. We spent the night chatting and munching on sweet treats - I didn't take any photos, because I forgot! Oops! But believe me, it was really fun.

Anyone can host one of these events - and it can be on any theme or schedule, I just chose to have a dessert party, but you can even turn your regular meet-up (book club, mom's group, whatever) into a fundraiser. It doesn't have to be a huge thing - I had four friends over to my house. And it doesn't mean you have to give a lot - they suggest what you might spend on a night out, but really anything helps. My girlfriends are all new moms so are not super flush but together we still make a difference.

The money all goes to the Canadian Cancer Society and is directed to research on cancers that affect women - cervical, uterine, breast and ovarian. They make it so easy to host the event. I really recommend doing this - it's fun and you do feel really good when you contribute to a worthy cause.

If you want to host one of your own events, you can sign up here.
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Lastly, I still have some reviews & giveaways to come, promise!

Girls Night In for Cancer (pre-party prep!)

So tomorrow night, I'm hosting a Girls Night In to support the Canadian Cancer Society. This is a great cause - all the donations go to help fight cancers that specifically affect women: breast, uterine, cervical and ovarian.

This is a cause close to my heart. At 27 years old I had noticed a lump in one of my breasts during my monthly self-exam. My doctor sent me for ultrasounds and a mammogram (NOT fun!). They determined it was nothing to worry about, even though it was painful and had been getting bigger. The reaction was to 'keep an eye on it'.

The lump kept growing (and was very painful to the touch), and even became quite visible. Finally in 2005 I had what was by then a 5cm lump removed from one of my breasts. Make a circle with your first finger and thumb - that's how big it was. The surgery was the most painful thing I have ever endured (and I've been through a few horribly painful things). It was a week before I could even leave my bed. I would wake up weeping from the pain. The surgeon did a good job of removing the lump, but the surgery did leave a scar and an area of scar tissue that still aches from time to time.

Luckily for me, the lump turned out to be benign (if benign is what you call years of pain and an excruciating surgery) - at least, it was not cancerous. Phew. But it absolutely reinforced for me that self-exams are so important. I wish I'd insisted on removal when the lump was still small because I think it would have saved me a lot of pain. You know your own body best - follow your intuition and do those self-exams, ladies!

I've also had some experience with chemotherapy injections. Not fun at all. Anything that can help save women from going through the scare or reality of cancer and its treatment is important to me.

ANYway.

A few of my girlfriends are coming over for this - it's a dessert party, so I've spent some time today baking! Hooray :)

I made Lime Star cookies from my Martha Stewart Cookies cookbook - hers are flowers, but all I had was a star cookie cutter, so mine are stars. They're quite yummy. They took for-freakin'-ever to make, though. Chilling! Rolling! Cutting! Chilling! Re-rolling! Cutting! Every time I make cookies, I remind myself that they are a LOT of work - even drop cookies seem to take forever. It's not the mixing, it's the dropping or slicing or cookie-cuttering or rolling into little balls and squashing or forking or tossing in sugar....

I also made chocolate cupcakes from my Vegetarian Times cookbook - the cupcakes turned out wonderfully (and the recipe is already vegan; I'm going on 6 months now for eggless baking!), but the icing was a disaster. I followed the recipe, but it turned out like syrup. So I took a quarter of it, dumped a pile of icing sugar and a melted square of bakers chocolate in, and worked with that. Still not the lovely, fluffy cupcake icing that I was hoping for, but it just got too frustrating.

** Do you have an icing recipe that works for you? I am an icing failure. This isn't the first time my icing endeavours have ended up sloppy and useless. Hook me up, you icing masters! **

...And now I've got two jars of chocolate syrup in my fridge. Honestly, after taste-testing sweets all day I could go a week without chocolate.

Tomorrow I'm going to make some of Averie's Raw Vegan Peanut Butter Cups. I can't wait to see how these turn out.

And I might do chocolate covered strawberries, if I have time.

Please remind me next time I'm having a party, to go with tested and true recipes. Like the eggless chocolate bundt cake that turned out so well.

Other than that... I hope this party goes well. It's small but not everyone knows everyone, so there could be awkward moments. Plus I don't really have a plan per se. I do have some lovely door prizes, though! Everyone should go home with a little treat. I'm not telling what, as I know at least one of the girls reads my blog from time to time!

If anyone wants to donate to this great cause , you can actually donate online using a credit card at my event webpage. The money goes directly to the Canadian Cancer Society, and tax receipts are available for charitable donations over $25.

And you can also host your own Girls Night In if you want to support a great cause with your girls. You just sign up and they help you with party ideas, you can create your own event webpage, with email invitations, donation forms and so on. They suggest that attendees donate what they would normally spend on a night out. There is no timeline or season for it - you can do this at any time.

I am really proud to support the Canadian Cancer Society.

A contest you might be interested in...

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Nestle Nescafe Dolce Gusto. All opinions are 100% mine.

Another one for my Canadian readers! Divine.ca has a contest on right now where you can enter to win a NESCAFE Dolce Gusto machine. The contest runs until June 20th and there are 10 up for grabs!



I don't know about you, but I don't begin a day without my morning latte. I have an old-school Krups espresso machine, though - the Nescafe Dolce Gusto does much more. It is a capsule machine with the Krups technology - that makes the perfect cup to order with much less fuss. You can get the capsules at grocery stores or online, whatever's easy for you!

Knowing that it's made by Krups ($179 at most retailers, like the Bay, Home Outfitters, Sears and kitchen stores; there is also a $159 T-Fal version at Walmart) makes a big difference to me. I've had my Krups machine for two and a half years and I still love it - still going strong after daily use all this time. So I can recommend Krups machines! I haven't tried the Nescafe Dolce Gusto yet myself, but hopefully they'll have a demo on next time I'm at one of the stores.

The one thing I'm not 100% behind with the capsule machines is that I think most of those capsules end up in landfills. I know some are recyclable - but you must empty the grounds out first (into your compost bin, ideally) - and I'm not sure people who are after the convenience of capsules will take that extra time. So hopefully if you are a lucky winner, you'll be the responsible one and compost and recycle! Right? Right!

Good luck!

Glorious garden colour in a box!

This one's for my fellow Canadians. Go to the Wave Petunias website and join the Wave Fan Club. Really. It may seem weird to become a fan of a flower, but you won't regret it.

For the second year in a row, I've been one of the lucky 'fans' to win a box of Wave Rave petunias and Serena Angelonia. Last year, they sent a box of purple and white & purple striped petunias, and white Angelonia. Sadly, the plants had been sitting in a hot FedEx truck all day by the time they got to me, and were really wilted. But they perked up after just a couple days (and a good watering) and were lovely in our front garden all summer long.

Today my box arrived from Wave in perfect condition - the plants are healthy and ready to be planted (just in time for the May 2-4, which is the big planting weekend here in Southern Ontario). The Angelonia even has blooms already (it also blooms all summer) - purple this year. The Wave Rave petunias this time are half purple and half the new Easy Wave Neon Rose, which will not be available in stores until Spring of next year, so I get to be ahead of the next garden trend!

If you want to get in on some beautiful summer colour for next year's garden, do go and sign up for the Fan Club. I have been really thrilled with the plants - they spread nicely, don't get rangy, and bloom all season - plus they're FREE! All you need to do if you win is a quick survey at the end of the summer to let Wave know how you liked the plants. Also - as if you need more incentive - new Fan Club members are entered to win a Flip Ultra camera!

This isn't a paid post or anything, btw - I was just so happy to get my big box of plants today! I wanted to share the opportunity with you.

In other news, stay tuned for an upcoming giveaway. Here's a hint - it's something delicious, Canadian and organic; and it comes from a company I'm happy to be working with again. Any guesses?

More progress, sewing, and a salad you must try.

I know it doesn't look like much progress, but we did spend the entire day yesterday (until 9 pm) working on this - AFTER a 15 minute 'Awesome Abs' workout, followed by an hour-long BodyFlow (Tai Chi, Pilates and yoga) in the morning! Wow. A lot of physical labour for one day! Thank goodness we started going to the gym in March - if I didn't have two months of thrice-a-week workouts under my belt, I'd be more than just a little achy today.

With the start of the cross pieces up, you can get a sense of how the finished pergolas will look. And a sense, in this image, of what we don't want to be looking at - the ugly chain link fence, the side of our neighbours' house, and the ugly pile of plastic that's been sitting there for a year and a half already (their only daughter is about 9 months old. It'll be a while yet.)

The 'hard' work is done on the pergolas; now it's repetitive drilling and placement of the remaining beams and cross-pieces. My husband's going to work on it tonight while I'm teaching - can't wait to see how far he gets!

Oh, and there's still the shed... another project for this spring. The makings are sitting in our garage.

We are still debating the vines to go up the block retaining wall and chain link fence. I've done a lot of research into vines and haven't come to any solid conclusions. I'd love something that keeps its leaves all winter, but euonymus in the vine variety is hard to come by around here. It has to be something hardy in zone 5b and preferably something not poisonous, not thorny, not a big bee attraction, and not top-heavy (a la wisteria, silver lace vine, etc). The standard Boston Ivy and Virginia Creeper aren't ideal in my mind. Too bare in winter (though they are showy in the fall). I'm not sure what we'll end up with.

You can also see, on the right, our teeny-tiny compact Stella cherry tree! (Those two green blobs sprouting out of the middle of the lawn!) We finally planted it. It's small for now but will grow to 15-20' in width and height, and bear up to 50 lbs of cherries a year - it'll take a while to get to that point but MAN, that's going to be AWESOME! The big benefit of this variety of cherry tree, besides the compact size, is that it's self-pollinating.
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Other than that, not much is up. I've been sewing another bunny, but managed to jam my machine while working on the last bit of its dress. This is my new Husqvarna, that I got for Christmas. Argh! I'm the bane of sewing machines. Meanwhile, I've got an itch to do another baby quilt - just for fun. Got to get that machine working!

Oh, and if you're in the mood for some crafty/sewing giveaways, check out Sew, Mama, Sew for an enormous list of giveaways all over the blogosphere that are running now until the 20th. Fabric, handcrafted items, patterns, all sorts of goodies.
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BTW, on the weekend we had friends over and made Toasted Panzanella - a big hit. This is one of our absolute favourite summer recipes. It's easy, good for making ahead, great for picnics or pot lucks, unusual but doesn't have 'weird' ingredients that will make picky eaters turn their noses up. It's the kind of dish that you can't stop eating, it's just that good. Highly recommended!

Progress

Wow! Between me, my husband and our very nice and helpful friend, we got eight posts up and the framework for the pergolas! Still lots more work to be done, but it's coming along.

It's gonna be pergolic

Which is kinda like bucolic, only with more pergola.

At least, that's the big plan. The patio that was creating chaos at our house last week is finished, the new sod is settling in (thank goodness for all that lovely rain we had), and we're about to get serious about making the pergolas that have been in our heads for the last year and a half or so into reality. This afternoon we're going to attempt to get the posts up - it should be interesting as they're about 12' high.

Meanwhile, our back/side yard has gone from this:
to this:
All along the back of the new patio will be garden (as well as at the sides, eventually) - we'd like to plant some vines along the existing retaining wall to give us and our neighbours some privacy - and those holes will be where the posts for the pergolas go. The pipe sticking up in the middle is for the electrical that my husband's going to run from the house. It's kind of hard to tell, but the big stones at the right form a retaining wall that is about 3' high.

The cherry tree will go in at the top of the hill (to the right of the wall), and I think we've agreed on a Freemanii maple for the left side of the yard. Not really my preference, but it was definitely my husband's turn to pick a tree.

Have I mentioned that my husband built a new garden bed for raspberries as well? It matches the ones he built last spring. It's sitting empty for now, but once we get a truckload of dirt in for all these new gardens, I'm planting. Can't wait.

Some of my must-haves for the new garden beds:
Cimicfuga simplex 'Brunette' or 'Black Negligee' (pretty, tall, unusual and amazingly scented)
blueberries
irises
hostas
white bleeding heart (or Dutchman's bloomers :) )
white climbing roses - maybe on the pergola posts? up the deck posts, or on the fence? not sure.
lavender
Siberian bugloss (beautiful foliage, little pink to blue flowers)
Heuchera (love them all)
tall ornamental grasses (mainly to block the view of the dog's 'area')
Artemisia 'silver mound'
alliums
Cerastium Tomentosum (Snow in Summer)
Japanese Kerria (a shrub with pretty yellow flowers)
rhubarb

... and about a million more. I may add to this list just to keep track for myself! As you can probably tell, I have a penchant for white, silver and purple. I'll probably throw some more chives in - they're pretty, work with my purple craving, and yummy too. (The kerria will be from a slip my mum's planted for me - I'll have to find the perfect spot where it will accent and not clash :) )

That's what's up at our house these days. What are your garden/yard plans for the summer? Any gorgeous plants you are lusting after that I should know about?

a little share...

Hi! I got these for my birthday! Lovely!And, I made these today:

Sorry for the crappy photo; I was lazy and just used the webcam.

Low fat vegan black bean brownies from Happy Herbivore! Yum! You know I can't just follow a recipe - I substituted 3/4 cup of cane sugar for the agave nectar(since I don't have any), and added a heaping tablespoon of honey and the same of ground flax and flour, and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts. I think they could be just a little sweeter and more chocolatey, so next time I'd add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. And no, you can't taste the beans at all.

This is definitely a delicious treat. They're not cakey like regular brownies, but rather rich and dense - a texture more like fudge, but with a brownie flavour. I'm not 100% sold on the cinnamon-chocolate combination (one I've been on the fence about for many years), but I do like these a lot! As in, I just ate two! Well, they're low fat - so I can eat twice as many, right? :)

Coconut Peanut Butter Winner!

Ooh, lucky number 39 gets a jar of delicious Tropical Traditions Organic Coconut Peanut Butter!
Who's the lucky winner?Congratulations! I'm about to email you. As usual, if I don't hear back within 48 hours, I'll draw another winner.

If you didn't win but can't resist the sound of this yumminess, do check out the Tropical Traditions website - they've got a rather astounding range of delicious organic products. When you place your first order, please select “Referred by a friend” and in the box that says “How did you hear of us?” enter my sponsor ID number 5687267.

By telling Tropical Traditions that I referred you, you will receive a free copy of the book Virgin Coconut Oil: How it has changed people’s lives and how it can change yours! by Brian and Marianita Shilhavy! This book is filled with testimonies and research showing how healthy coconut oil is, and it also includes over 85 recipes showing how one can incorporate coconut into their diet.

Thank you for the birthday wishes yesterday! And don't forget to enter to win a $75 gift certificate to Athletica.net. It's a really sweet prize - they've got lots of awesome casual and fitness wear. I'm loving the yoga pants they sent me!

Dear 33,

We've been together for a year now and I feel like things just aren't really working out like I'd hoped. I know you tried hard, but there were just too many downs and not enough ups in our rollercoaster of a relationship.

I will try to remember the good times - our awesome trip out to the west coast of Canada, and our weekend jaunt down to Washington; you even came along for the anniversary trip my husband and I took to Mexico. But really, he's my travel partner and - sorry to be so harsh - I don't need you. I've been trying to think of what you've given me, and I realized that it's not really much of a haul: three new grey hairs, a little pot belly that is proving very difficult to get rid of, and a much more jaded outlook on life. Thanks a lot.

You disappointed me in too many ways - you know what I'm talking about. You were all full of promises and hope, but you let me down too hard. It was very cruel now that I think about it.

And don't think I haven't noticed your attention wandering to that fresh young thing who's winding down her relationship with 32.

I hate to have to tell you this way, but we're through. In fact, I've just met 34, and we have some big plans.

I may want you back one day (27, if you're reading this, call me), but for now I am ready to move on.

Emily

Athletica.net Review and GIVEAWAY!

***This giveaway is closed. ***
Winner: Casey Aubut (confirmed)

Sometimes I just get lucky. And, hey, I'm not talking about that - I mean, once in a while I win a really sweet contest. A little while ago I won a giveaway over at Trying to Stay Calm for an Athletica gift certificate.

Remember how I recently signed up for a gym membership with my husband? I definitely needed some new yoga clothing, as all of mine was several years old, with faded colours and saggy knees. Shameful! I spent a long time shopping and ultimately decided on the awesome Classic Pant (Gym and Yoga Pants) in Stone Grey.

And I am really pleased with them. They are snug, but flexible enough for yoga and pilates. The fabric is smooth and comfy, a supplex-lycra-spandex mix that is breathable enough when you're really working, but not too cool during cool-down and meditation.

I also like the length - I'm an average height, I guess, at 5'6", but sometimes I find pants are too long so I trip over them. These have a nice length, just like in the picture on the Athletica website - they hit the floor at the back in bare feet, but aren't so long that they drag when I have shoes on. Here's me on the way to yoga. I know, grover arms! I'm working on it! -->

They have a hidden drawstring at the waist which I LOVE, since all the forward folds in yoga means pants with unstructured waistbands end up showing a little more at the back than I want to. I've worn them to yoga several times already, and never had an overshare at the back.

Of course, Athletica.net has a lot more than yoga pants (although there is a large selection of them). They have fitness and lounge wear for women and men, as well as casual clothing (check out the Camisole Flounce Dress - *love*). The selection of women's sportswear is particularly good. There's actually a big sale on right now - check it out for deals like the Lily Lotus pant for only $24.95 and the capri for only $19.95! If you do much shopping for quality fitness wear, you will know these are really good deals.

ps, the dog was desperate to be in the picture with me. He ended up walking through a whole pile of pictures before we finally got one without him. Okay, it was pretty cute (until the 5th or 6th time...!) I know it's because he's eager to be 'famous' on my blog! Here's an outtake!

ANYway, here is the fantastic news: Athletica has generously offered a gift certificate to one of my readers! One lucky winner will be able to spend it any way they like on this great website.

The giveaway: A $75 gift certificate to Athletica!

How to enter: Head over to Athletica and let me know what you'd put this towards, OR one thing that you learned there. Make sure I've got a way to contact you if you're the winner!

Extra entries (please leave an extra comment for each. If you already do any of these things, leave the comment - you do get the entry for it!):

• Subscribe via email to the Athletica newsletter (bottom right of their website) - 2 entries
  
• Follow me on Twitter (leave your Twitter name!)
• Tweet about this giveaway for ONE entry, this is not a daily! You can use this if you like:

  Win a $75 GC to Athletica.net at Emily's Latest. Yoga, casual & sportswear! @emilyisland http://bit.ly/dawxTh US/CAN 5/23
  

• Follow my blog (publicly) – 2 entries, leave 2 comments
• Add my blog button to your blog– 2 entries, leave 2 comments (please leave a link to your blog)
• Blog about this giveaway, linking back to this post and to Athletica – 2 entries, leave 2 comments and please include a link to your post
  

I will be verifying comments so please actually do the things you say you do ☺

Please be sure to include your email address if it’s not public in your blogger profile! Anonymous comments without a way to contact you will be rejected. Canadian or US mailing addresses only, please. Giveaway ends May 23rd at 11:59 EST. A winner will be drawn the next day, announced here, in a separate post and emailed!

Prize will be shipped by sponsor. Note for Canadian entrants: Athletica is not responsible for customs or duties that Canada may charge. For what it's worth, I was not charged any additional fees at the border on my order.

Rats!

I got in a little heated discussion this morning on Facebook. About rats.
Some people - sheesh. So much 'opinion' is based on misinformation and ignorance!

This is the comment that kind of got me into the fray:
"The only people who would throw a rat some praise, are the ones who own one! Let's face it, these people are usually weird...or a tad offside anyway..."

For the record:

I had rats as pets for years. Love them. They're cute, affectionate (they love to be petted and are mood sensitive in the way that dogs are), friendly, playful, and lots of fun to watch get into trouble. I have had rats that loved nothing more than to snooze in my lap and cuddle. They can be easily trained to come when called and will happily do tricks for treats. Each has its own personality. They are less work than a dog, and less aloof than a cat. I don't particularly consider myself 'weird'. Try 'open-minded' or 'informed'.

Another bewildering comment: "They are genetically altered MICE."

Um, no. Not even close. Rats (Rattus norvegicus is the domestic rat) are a completely different genus than mice (for example, Mus musculus is the house mouse - Peromyscus maniculatus is the deer mouse - both of which I have also had as pets!). They are related within the Rodentia order in the way humans are related to oh, say, the ring-tailed lemur in the Primates family. As in, not that closely. And definitely not 'genetically altered' unless you consider selective breeding a genetic modification (fancy rat breeders breed for temperament and looks the same way dog and cat breeders do) .

One more that boggles my mind: "rats typically live amongst garbage, sewers, trenches, etc...They've been known to launch themselves at people, and even eat people!!"

I mean, seriously? You're stating that as fact? Let's put just a little more thought into it.

Any animal - including humans - will do desperate things in desperate times. Rats, like most other animals, would much rather run than fight - but if they are cornered, sure they'll defend themselves. Same goes for cats, dogs, birds, humans, etc.

When you need food and there's no-one to feed you, a garbage bin can be a lifesaver. When you're injured, sick, or protecting your young, you defend. When there's danger in open areas and a sewer is safe, where do you hang out? :)
There's a vast difference between feral and domesticated. But any animal, any of us, can be desperate.

The pictures throughout are just some of my pet rats of the past... The white & grey one was Asha, a hooded rat, and the brown one was Marta, a 'rex' (meaning she had curly fur and whiskers) above. Asha was sweet and timid, very gentle, and shy until she knew you. Marta was the brave one - a bundle of hoppy, excited energy, who would try anything once and loved being scratched behind the ears. Here are the two girls enjoying naps in their hammock:

Lest you think they spent their lives caged, these pets actually spent a lot of time hanging out with me on the couch or running around a pet-safe room, exploring and playing. Their cage was quite large and contained a solid running wheel, hammocks, platforms, and something new to examine and discover every day - whether that was a food treat, a new box, nesting material, chew toys, etcetera.

When life is good for any of us, we're sweet-natured and fun. That goes for people and it goes for animals.

I miss my rats - Popper and Boo, Ratticus, Ruby, Marta and Asha. I hope one day I will welcome some more little furballs into my life :)
___
pssst, get excited.... the Athletica.net giveaway will be posted soon! Saturday, if I can (we are pretty busy on Saturday) or Sunday!

EcoMom Winner!

Time to draw the lucky winner of the prettiest non-toxic nailpolish I've ever seen, and a bar of my husband's new favourite soap from EcoMom!

And the winner is....- a long time follower and all around lovely person! You can (and should) visit her blog, by the way, for thoughtful, well-written posts about life with her family.

A big thank you to EcoMom, who was sweet to sponsor this giveaway. If you were intrigued by the goodness at the EcoMom website, remember they also gave us a coupon code to use while shopping there: use SBBL220 to get 15% off until May 31st!

Last day

Today's the LAST DAY to enter my giveaway sponsored by EcoMom for gorgeous Priti nailpolish that is non-toxic, but definitely luxe and sparkly AND a bar of organic Pangea soap. By the way, my husband says this is the BEST soap he has ever used. He loves the scent (and so do I!). Worth every penny of the $6.50 OR you can win a free bar... just go enter already!

Also you can enter to win a $60 GC to CSN Stores over at Teczcape, ends May 6th. :)

It's chaos at our place.

On the weekend, we went to a vow renewal ceremony for my husband's parents - 30 years of marriage and still going strong. The ceremony was lovely and it was nice to see the extended family again.

Then yesterday the big day arrived at our place - after nearly two years in our new house, things are finally happening in the back yard. Our big plans for two pergolas (one for a patio set, one for the gorgeous hammock we picked up on our weddingmoon in Mexico) are starting to take shape.

The hammock looks something like this (with the pretty lace at the sides) - minus the beach/ocean view and adobe, sadly!

This week, we have contractors in building us a patio and a retaining wall. My husband has bought all the wood and started to do the cuts for the pergolas, which we will build on the patio. We've also got everything to build a shed, since our garage is such a tight squeeze with two cars.

I'm so thankful that my husband is not only a planner, but very good with building things, from designing to construction, even electrical. I'm pretty handy myself, but he has really taken the reins on this one and designed two beautiful pergolas and the shed, made shopping lists for materials, and made a really good head start on getting the wood cut and ready to build.

Right now, the garage is full of wood and other building supplies. The backyard is full of big machinery, some hard-working guys, and soon - stone! There was a mountain of earth that they removed on the road, which has just been taken away. Our big stones for the retaining wall are parked on the road, ready to go in today.

We are so excited about the whole project!

Well, that was lame.

Our cheap date? Kind of a bust.

I mean, we did still go on a yoga-dinner date. The yoga (BodyFlow) was good, as usual, even better than usual because it wasn't as crowded as it can be, and we did the new release class, which is killer on the abs and legs (love it).

When we got to Milestones at 9:15 pm (thinking that surely the dinner rush would have died down), they told us it would be an hour and a half wait to be seated. I'm not sure who waits until 11:45 to eat (especially when the restaurant closes at midnight!). No, thanks. I had, by the way, called last week to make a reservation, but was told they weren't taking reservations for the date night (they did last time). Booooo.

So we drove back to the mall where the gym is, and ended up having dinner at the Pickle Barrel. And it was about 20% bad and 80% mediocre. The restaurant was very quiet, with only a few other diners inside. We stood at the entrance for about 10 minutes before the host noticed we were there. Meanwhile, we examined the decor and determined the theme was "the 80's threw up all over rustic Italy".

We hadn't eaten there before. I was happy to see lots of vegetarian options on the menu. I opted for a roasted veggie and smoked gouda wrap, with fries instead of a salad (lettuce doesn't sit well with me). I asked for couscous (offered with their burgers) instead, but they said no. Serious loss of points for not trying to work with customer needs. It's not like the kitchen was too busy for custom orders. And it's not like I wouldn't have paid a little more if necessary.

The wrap was decent - but it had lettuce in it. So I was picking out soggy lettuce throughout. And the fries on my plate and my husband's were cold. We had matcha green tea smoothies, which were okay.

It was really nice to spend a night out with my husband, but both of us agreed, we won't be returning to that restaurant in the future!

I'm a cheap date (and a little heads up)

I am. I'm a cheap date. If by cheap, you mean frugal. So tonight is date night, because Milestones is having a great deal for today only - when you get an appetizer and/or meal for yourself, your date's app and/or meal is free! Awesome. We're there. (After a good BodyFlow session at the gym, that is.) So - what are you waiting for? Make a date. Hire a sitter. Get out and have a nice meal and enjoy some quality time with your partner :) No, it's not a sponsored post or anything... just a great deal I think you should take advantage of! I know I am!

AND I am very excited to tell you that I will have another review and giveaway up soon. All this body busting at the gym has me a little desperate for some new workout clothes. I was super lucky and recently won a gift certificate to Athletica.net over at Trying to Stay Calm. I'll let you know what I got, and you'll have a chance to win a gift certificate of your own - coming soon!

A funk.

I'm been in a bit of a funk lately. Not eating too well, although I have been going to the gym with my husband three to four times a week (by the way, if you do those BodyAttack classes at your gym, you have my utmost admiration... we've done two and they are killer!).

Today, honestly, I ate a lot of junk food interspersed with some fruit and yogourt. Okay, we did have a Rice Bowl last night which was relatively healthy, but heavy on the peanut sauce and avocado (and I ate the whole bowl, which I don't need to do). Sometimes when I'm feeling sorry for myself I eat (I'm not alone there, right) - and I know I'm doing it - but it's hard not to. I try to make good choices when I catch myself doing that, like having a glass of water instead, or choosing grapes instead of chips, but of course that doesn't always happen. I know it's just a phase, but I think I need a little kick start to get myself off this track. Any ideas?

We are having a patio put in next week (finally!), and my husband has designed a set of pergolas that he's going to build (probably with my help). He's really great at figuring things out and making plans, so that when it comes time to build things there's no guesswork and it's pretty straightforward. I can not wait until we can use our backyard more, and put up the pretty hammock we bought on our weddingmoon in Mexico!

I only wish our neighbours weren't so noisy - and meaty. Their kids throw things over the fence into our yard (this morning it was toys and garbage), and they're always out there barbequing. I know, it's summer, it's their yard... but the smell fills up our yard and as a vegetarian it really grosses me out. Occasionally they'll do fish, and I'm gagging and running inside. And they play their music outside, which I just think is rude. It makes it impossible to enjoy the nice weather, birdsong, and some peace and quiet in our own yard when Shania Twain is blasting. Not nice.

I also have to get on planning out the gardens that will surround the new patio. I know it's hard to picture, but imagine this - we have a lot that is half a storey higher at the front than the back, and it's on an inside corner, but not right on the corner - so it's like a rectangle plus a triangle in shape. The vegetable beds are on the square side behind the house, and the patio is going into the triangle part. A new shed (another husband design and build) is going in between.

We have bought a compact Stella cherry that will go in at the top of the hill, and we are also trying to pick out a big(ish)tree for some shade. We wandered five nurseries on Sunday trying to find the perfect tree. It's hard, because we want something tall (upwards of 40'), but relatively narrow (up to 30' in spread). It can't be poisonous, ugly, or too columnar. I like locusts (small leaves, no raking, dappled light!), but my husband doesn't. He likes maples but I don't (for this yard - it's too small for beautiful big ones, the columnar varietals are too tall and skinny, and I don't like raking leaves). We also have clay soil to deal with. Anyway. It's an ongoing thing.

I'm feeling pretty drained (just fatigue - or maybe my poor food choices today!), but I have a class to teach tonight. If you have the night off and you're wondering what to do with yourself, take a few minutes and enter the two giveaways I'm hosting! Enter here for some lovely organic soap (we're using it now and it smells so herbal/spicy and good) plus non-toxic nailpolish from EcoMom, and head here for the new giveaway for Tropical Traditions organic coconut peanut butter (yum).

Tropical Traditions Organic Coconut Peanut Butter Review & Giveaway!

***Giveaway Closed***
The lucky winner is Pam!

All of the products from Tropical Traditions that I have tried - the Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, the Organic Whole Golden Flax Seed, and now the Organic Coconut Peanut Butter - have been really fresh and yummy.

I was thrilled to have the opportunity to try out the Organic Coconut Peanut Butter. Doesn't it just sound delicious? It is! I do like to use it as an ingredient rather than straight, mainly because I would find it hard to stop eating it (it really melts in your mouth and is sooo good) and it is pretty high in calories. Compared to the all-natural, just peanuts peanut butter that we eat, it has a lot more calories (284 compared to 90 in 1 tbsp) and a lot more saturated fat (5.4 grams compared to 1.5 grams in a tbsp). So for us it is a treat rather than an everyday kind of food. The flavour is perfect in my favourite Thai dishes as well as in baked goods, and a little bit is really enough to add the rich taste of coconut.

I actually used this tonight, substituting it for a third of the peanut butter in the Rice Bowl of Deliciousness - wonderful! If you've been reading along, you'll know I used it in my variation on Pad Thai as well!

I also have made granola with the Coconut Peanut Butter - which was also really tasty, but left something to be desired in the consistency department, being neither cereal nor bars (I will have to work on that recipe a bit more before I share it!).

Tropical Traditions has a Referral Program, so if you place an order with them as a first-time customer, please select “Referred by a friend” and in the box that says “How did you hear of us?” enter my sponsor ID number 5687267. By telling Tropical Traditions that I referred you, you will receive a free copy of the book Virgin Coconut Oil: How it has changed people’s lives and how it can change yours! by Brian and Marianita Shilhavy with your first order! This book is filled with testimonies and research showing how healthy coconut oil is, and it also includes over 85 recipes showing how one can incorporate coconut into their diet. There are also lots of recipes online here!

As promised - one of my lucky readers is going to get to try the Tropical Traditions Organic Coconut Peanut Butter! I am really happy to have this in my pantry and I hope you will be too!

The giveaway: A 16 oz. jar of Tropical Traditions Organic Coconut Peanut Butter

How to enter: Head over to Tropical Traditions and let me know one other thing you'd like to try, OR one thing that you learned there. Make sure I've got a way to contact you if you're the winner!

Extra entries (please leave an extra comment for each. If you already do any of these things, leave the comment - you do get the entry for it!):

• Subscribe via email to the Tropical Traditions newsletter
  
• Become a fan of Tropical Traditions' Facebook page (click right at the bottom of their main page; leave your first name and last initial for verification please :) )
  
• Follow @troptraditions on Twitter (leave your Twitter name!)
• Follow me on Twitter (leave your Twitter name!)
• Tweet about this giveaway for ONE entry, this is not a daily! You can use this if you like:

  Yum! Win Coconut Peanut Butter from @TropTraditions at Emily's Latest @emilyisland http://bit.ly/dpN0SG US/CAN 5/10
  

• Follow my blog (publicly) – 2 entries, leave 2 comments
• Add my blog button to your blog– 2 entries, leave 2 comments (please leave a link to your blog)
• Blog about this giveaway, linking back to this post and to Tropical Traditions – 2 entries, leave 2 comments and please include a link to your post
  

I will be verifying comments so please actually do the things you say you do ☺

Please be sure to include your email address if it’s not public in your blogger profile! Anonymous comments without a way to contact you will be rejected. Canadian or US mailing addresses only, please. Giveaway ends May 10th at 11:59 EST. A winner will be drawn the next day, announced here, in a separate post and emailed!

Prize will be shipped by sponsor. Note for Canadian entrants: Tropical Traditions is not responsible for customs or duties that Canada may charge if you decide to participate in this Tropical Traditions sponsored blog giveaway. (FYI - it's unlikely to have a charge, being well under the $60 that incurs duty charges! There was no extra charge on my jar, which came to Canada quickly and packaged well!)

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.