Sugar or no…

Sugar free post

A certain Mr. just popped by …but some visitor you just don’t want to invite in for a cup of mocca…

No wonder…

A new plan have formed in my mind -I´ve done it before…several times…but it’s been 1,5 years since the last time…so, this time inspired and motivated by my friend I’m going for NO processed sugar for 30 days.

Starting day –

No matter the language – no sugar (just started my Japanese lessons again today)

Starting the week by celebrating my 32. birthday with my new plan. It seemed like at good place to stop… and start. And 18 months since the last time is just too long – and very bad of…so back in the game and here we go.

Monday September 3rd: Also known as my birthday…I did and did it well with no sugar at all. Had a nice morning starting with lovely Jivamukti Yoga continuing my quiet day out into the world… or almost quiet not counting all the lovely messages on various sites, texts and call. I had dinner with a close friend and then we went to the movies to see the latest Batman movie…(not too bad…fairly ok movie ;-)…). I had celebrated with my parents when they came here during the weekend, so really there were no need to go crazy or spoil myself. And as my friend is still on her no sugar-crusade it was an easy choice to see the movie with just water.

Uhh, no sugar in vintage form

Thuesday…up at 5:45 a.m. – yoga at 7:00 a.m. Yoga really is my favorite way to start my day – love, quiet, 100%, giving…calm. Moving on to the Royal Library to do application work. Research a bit for my own aspirations to start a business. A short date with a girl friend and then over the spend the night with my friend. All the way through the day – no sugar – save from the fruity kind…

Plain and simple

Wedensday…yoga yoga yoga spiced up with a bit of pilates – need to do something about that core strength. Then some work (the sensible part of the day). The an evening in the Dojou. Then we went home to sleep. Leopard soup was the lovely dinner of the day…still no sugar…and still no problems…

It is all over – I am so not alone

Thursday…actually no yoga today. My usual Thursday yoga class have been cancelled due to changes – very bad. And I haven’t found a new one to substitute. So for now these mornings are for my weekly long run which hopefully very soon again will be 15km+ but I’m still battling the remnants of an infection I got from pressing on too hard. But it is really hard to keep back when a run is going really well – and you are aiming to run a marathon eight months. But I will get there, I will, I will… For one more day turned – NO sugar, though I am getting a bit hooked on my daily smoothies…which is the sugar rush of the day…just without the sugar.

Cute

Research have started though – to find alternatives to sweets and treats, ’cause I know at some point this will get harder…so much harder, and I’ll need something to cheat my mind and settle my cravings. For now dates and dried apricots are working just fine…

Some raw food and vegan treats seem as if they could give me good alternatives

I a still not quite clear on how severe I’ll be with this challenge. Meaning are we just talking added sugars or also cutting  food with a high natural occurring sugar level…or will a thing like this be allowed. Danger is out there and all over – no sugar added does not mean safe.

Healthy filled chocolate treats…hmmm… too good to be true or what…

Usefull things and advice:

From things-we-heart

1. Put down the candy…yes right now…take the mini snickers out of your mouth

2. Get rid of your candy….no need to throw it away…either give it to your grandma (they love candy in bowls) or donate it to a food mission

3. Make a cup of tea (coffee is ok but tea is actually good for you)

4. Drink tons of water

5. Eat loads of fresh fruit and veggies

6. Exercise outdoors…feel the nature!

7. Voila!

Health and chocolate – choco-lovers love this: http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/health-by-chocolate

Inspirations for the journey:

Eating Well Living Thin (er)

NamNam

L-Jay Health

Kath’s World (super cool girl training for Body Fitness challenge 2013)

Loving Fit

Love

High and Low

Started my weekend on a high with my parents annoncing their were coming from the other end of the country to visit. Love that. So seldom I see them – miss them so much. I do know compared to other countries living at opposite ends of Denmark might not seem that far apart. However, when you take into account our very low speed limits for all kinds of transportation – so, driving the 325 km takes well over 3,5 hours. To long to just pop by…shame…

AArhus (Hornslet) – Copenhagen – 324 km give or take

But in more ways than one it was great they came – when I got home Friday everything in the hall way leading up to my second floor apartment was blackened and sooted – really revealing all the cob webs. As it turned out someone had got in a set a fire at the base of our steps in the basement – my floor neighbour told me. Luckily, the first floor residents came home soon after, saw the fire and put it out. But if they hadn’t come home by them – I would have had nothing at all to come home to. The building is old and dry – it wouldn’t take much to take it down.

Unfortunately it is just one in a series of horrible events lately – involving excrements on doors and ruined hall way floors with ice road salts. And I was told the fire incident is not the first.

What makes it worse is that the police didn’t have time to come (they did come very very late anyway…saw them from my window only by chance…). And the insurance guys aren’t coming til Monday – so we can’t clean or do anything about the look of it all. One other lucky thing here was that no smell got into my apartment even though the smell is really bad in the hall way.

LOOKING for a new apartment – PRONTO…

So this made me even more happy my parents were coming as I didn’t really feel like being alone that night.

We also try to see or do stuff when they come here. You live a place and in your own country and you often seem to know less about these things than you do of foreign places. So we decided to go on a flea market spree around the city and then end the day with seeing some classic tourist attractions in Copenhagen. This time we went to see the Little Mermaid.

The Little Mermaid (H.C. Andersen) by Edvard Eriksen has been sitting in the harbour since 1913 – with a few exceptions. She went to China to one of the world expos, and a few times she has been removed as some have stolen her head.

We managed to go to 5 markets which is quite good – and we did happen upon some great finds. Mostly early in the day – all the good stuff vanish quite fast, so really there is no point to rummaging  that much if you are out late.

The beautiful little girl. Most given comment have been “My she’s got a lot of hair”. And in this pic Camilla (named after our paternal grandmother who died earlier this year) is just 2 days old…

With the pig i found a new anniversary edition of the collected works of the Bronté Sisters – great find.

Bronté

I found an adorable piggy bank which I’ll add to the baby basket I am making for my sister and my little niece (a tradition I have to fill a basket with things, mostly home made, you can use for and with the baby, and also a little something for mom). Got it really cheap also – so cheap the other stall holder got a bit cranky with his wife. And also a patent-lid jar for just under a dollar – normally they cost at least $5.

Le piggy..

At another market – a more high end one…and no so cheap…well, I found the loveliest shoes. Normally I wouldn’t buy used shoes – or at least I am very careful if I do. You have to be nice to your feet. But these – I almost didn’t care what the condition was…a pair of very lovely Chanel. Cream and blue with an anklet in cream and blue knit. Tasteful decorated with only little gold enhancements – to my liking, not into that much bling.

Vintage Coco Chanel shoes. So lovely and different – love the blue tip and strap up along the middle of the foot.

They just drew my eyes. They would look every so good on my little feet – but alas…little feet not small enough. And pulling a Cinderella stepsister move is just not my thing – I like my feet too much. But they were hard to leave behind…So were these…

Lola Ramona. Beautiful Danish Design. Vintage feel with twists and fun – they are a story in themselves. So great – def. have too few of them.

Last find of the day was a cute little box – or almost the last. But the last I didn’t buy – too expensive. A shame it was a very beautiful oil lamp that would have gone so well with my other lamps…but $350 was to much. But oohh…

Chokolate Box

Last item of the day.

We went through some of the oldest defence areas in Copenhagen – and in the middle of them we saw a strange monument comprised of a series of polished granite walls and lighting. One wall named all the places where Denmark have had soldiers both in peace and war after WWII. The other wall listed the fallen guys in war also after WWII as it turned out there it was the name of my friend who lost his life in Afghanistan in 2007 – I didn’t know about that wall. I’m not that much into the whole military thing, and i general I do not condone war and our involvement in them – which did lead to somewhat heated discussions between us at times. But it still made me happy to see him and the others honored in a tasteful way.

In memory of T.O.R.

Nice day to all.

Tina Dickow – sneak premier

Here right now – link closes at 23:00.

One of my favorite female artists Danish sing/songwriter Tina Dickow is having a sneak premier of her new album ‘Where du you go to Disappear’ coming out tomorrow…on my B-day no less. Got to love that.

Soothing music, compelling texts – so very relatable. So much feeling and intensity.

We hear the entire album, she tells the story of the album and listeners share along the way.

Tina Dickow

Dress-up for another year turned

Finally, got a bit back into the sewing deed. Which I guess is sort of about time. It’s been too, too long and not at all according to plan – and not to mention – not very good of me.

So, a little while back I went all in and cut: a skirt, a dress, another dress, a pair of shorts, yet another skirt, a top and…hmm, nope guess that was it…oh no I also cut a bag out of some leftovers from a green flowery skirt. And another skirt…short, girly kind. Many of the things were cut from the same cloth – just wanted to finish it up.

Light-blue-with-baby-pink-roses

Well, I thought I would make the top as it’s something I don’t really make that often.  So it would make a nice change to make a top…but one rule forgotten…and I began at a time where I was a bit tired…stupid little me. I sat starring at the form I had cut a few months back, and I just couldn’t figure out why the pattern and the cut out fabric didn’t correspond in the bottom half. It was longer and had an added width – it meant nothing to me in that moment.  I just couldn’t figure out what on earth I had been thinking.

So what did I do…I went and cut it into form following my pattern…And it wasn’t until I had finished cutting and well on my way to sewing when it hit me…nooo…but oh well was the only possible way to take. I fortunately had a skirt cut that would fit til new-length top. The skirt was meant for a round-cut skirt with a dark blue waistband and bottom edge band (which I hadn’t cut yet)….but apparently not this time ’round.

Contrast like this – but skirt not at all looking like this

I gave up – something didn’t want me to make a top…so I ended up making yet another dress. The reason why I didn’t want to make a dress from this fabric was that I already have made one a few months back. Granted from another pattern…but still.

Project one

I’ve used this pattern before so everything just seamed to flow from one end to other (probably had used up my screw up points for this project already:-)…). No alterations really…other than the usual – shorten the skirt considerably (to compensate for lack of long legs), take it in a bit more in the darts under the breasts, remove a bit under the arms, and take it a bit in in the back seam.

The lovely pattern

I made the strap section in a contrast colour to add some more life and crazy to the dress. Works really well, very happy about the feature – but it also meant I need to dig out some more of the turqouise fabric so I can make a belt for the dress. The colour is so strong compared to the soft baby blue and baby pink roses that a belt in that same colour as the strap is needed to pull the dress together – make it whole.

Doesn’t do much to show off the true colour of the strap

This means another wait till I can deem this outfit all done and finished – need to find the perfect belt buckle for the belt. I think something with a mat finish. Bright would not do well for this dress and these colours – I think it would add to the cold side. Not that I can’t wear the dress until I’ve made the belt…but…it wouldn’t really feel right to wear it until it is all done. Though it looks nice already – and as it is sort of Summer-like dress in the colour scheme I should try to wear it before Summer’s over…hmm, today.

In almost all it’s glory

However, keeping positive I still did finish yet another project. Very good. Yeah. Also another vintage 50s style dress. And –  One sted closer to my goal.

Side view

Soon I’ll turn another page in my life book. Plan to do it with two hours of yoga in a new class, also I have a gife certificate to try hot yoga…maybe I’ll be daring the day I step further away from being born.

Happy 1st of September and Fall to all.