Inspiration for living a luxuriously and balanced life

Saturday, June 30, 2012

The Life you were Living has been Discontinued..

and replaced with a Life in Transition ...

Changes occur in our lives; marriage, death of a loved one, divorce, traumatic event(s), illness, parenting, shifts in friendship, career loss, the list of possible events that may alter the path we thought we were on is endless. Though different and unique to each person/life these events do have one common denominator (whether expected or unexpected) they will result in sending one's life into transition.

Transition can be a very scary place to be, as it is often made up of numerous unknowns, all at the same time. What will I do? How will I support family/myself? Who will want me? Where will I live? Why is this happening? When will it be over? Unfortunately there are no simple answers, cookie cutter solutions, or preset time for healing.

There is no RIGHT or WRONG way to deal with your Life in Transition, we are all different and our journey through change will also be unique to us.

It's OK to cry ...



It's OK to stay in your PJs ...
(for a couple of days)


It's OK to want to be by yourself ...



Life Transitions are the result of an ending, it does not matter whether change was expected or unexpected, just like all endings (good or bad) it's important to grieve the loss of who you were and the life you had.

Again there is no preset time for grieving ~ for some it may be minutes, while others will carry the grief of loss for weeks, months and possibly years. What is important is to acknowledge the grief and carry on living. With each step forward creating a new you and or life, you are a step closer to living life by your terms and no longer being victim of change.

Life in Transition will be a new series here on High Heeled Life in the Country,starting autumn 2012. I welcome any questions you may have related to facing Life in Transition or your tips on getting through life changes. You can email me at fallingoffahighheeledlife@gmail.com , I look forward to your emails.



Thursday, June 21, 2012

Summer 2012 has Arrived!!


It's finally here!!!!


Time to day dream under the blue skies of summer....


Cool off in the summer rain.......


Relax in the garden.....


Take a road trip.....


Enjoy the freshness of summer fruit ...



Read a great book ....
 (what are some of your summer time reading suggestions..Please share)


Relax by the ocean....


Eat ice-cream


Drink iced-tea ...


Go antiquing .....

Get out and enjoy summer.... unlike in our childhood it's not unless 
and will be gone before we know it!

What fun summer activities do you have planned?


Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Morning Garden Walk and Mailbox Surprise

Welcome to our garden ... Mother Nature's canvas is coming alive with brilliant colours! 
There is so much to see that a tea mug is perfect 
for our walk. Now that we have tea in hand lets get started.


Our first garden stop will be at the Peonies Garden ... these beauties are still going strong with fragrance and blooms. We'll snip a few to enjoy inside.


The Memory Garden still has a few columbine ...

Over at the Angel Garden ...things are quickly changing.

The Butterfly Garden has some feather friends living in one of it's bird houses. The mother bird is very cautious when approaching with food; if she spots us, she will circle around until we are out of range, before darting in to feed her waiting babies.


The Rose Garden is coming onto a glorious choir of colours, textures and fragrance!

I'm so happy that you came by to join me on my morning walk. The sun is now heating up and its time to go inside and enjoy another cup of tea.


OHH..... look the mail has arrived and the postman brought a petite cadeau for moi! It is from my dear friend Mary author of Hope Filled Living. Thank you my friend ... your gift is most thoughtful and arrived on a day that I needed a little sunshine. 
For my tea loving friends ... the tea mugs are from Global Design Connections ~ Okato Williams, they are ceramic and perfect size for strolling in the gardens with. The teapot was handcrafted in Italy. Both items were a gift from a dear friend, who also shares a passion for gardening and tea.

Friends really our the flowers in our garden of life!








Sharing this post with:
Mosaic Monday ; Bloomin' TuesdayTuesday Garden Party ~ An Oregon Cottage ; Outdoor Wednesday ~ A Southern Daydreamer ; Tea in the GardenMy Simple Country Living ;Cottage Garden Thursday ~  Fishtail Cottage ; Swing into Spring ;Home and Garden Thursday ~  A Delightsome Life ; Cottage Garden PartyFertilizer Friday ;Farm Fresh FridayTea Time Tuesday with Sandi ; Martha's Terri's Tea Time Tuesday ;Antiques And Teacups ;Teacup Thursdays








Monday, June 18, 2012

Size DOES Matter ...!The Other Side of Thin ~ Part Four

... and this is especially true when we are on track to creating a healthier eating lifestyle. Given the choice between the 4 plates below, most people would chose Plate 1 ~ assuming they were getting more for their money. What plate would you choose?


Actually all the plates contain the same amount of food - it's the size of plate that is visually making  it seem as one plate has more food than the other.


A standard dinner plate size has increased by 3.5 inches since the 1960s, not a huge amount. But the amount of food which it is able to hold has increased more than 50%. And of course many of us take full advantage of this new found plate Real Estate.

Lets look at this in terms of calories.... we are now able to pile on 1900 calories VS. 800 calories of food onto our plates. Below is an example of how easily it is done.


The more white space we see on the plate the more food we add. It's no wonder we are struggling with getting our weight under control, even if we have turned to a healthy eating lifestyle. 

At the High Heeled Life home, we have started to look at the size of plates, glasses and bowls we use on a regular basis and are slowly changing to smaller sizes that do not make a portion size look small. Do you use large plates, bowls, glasses or do you use smaller ones to help you stay on track with REAL portion size?

Of course it's important to choose healthy foods over processed and filler filled foods. But it is equally important to do a reality check on what an actual portion really is, you'll be surprised!

Here is a chart to help get you started...

If you you really want to be surprised try this : after pouring your "healthy" whole grain cereal into a bowl, pull out the measuring cup and pour the cereal in. Chances are you are regularly consuming 1.5 to 2  portion sizes instead of the single portion size of 1/2 cup. Now look and see how many extra calories your are innocently consuming each morning.

Let's do all we can to help each other achieve our healthy eating lifestyle - so we can heap the side effect , of  healthier weight and waist line.

In the next installment of The Other Side of Thin , I will be sharing more portion distortion. Please share your discoveries. We are in this together folks! 

Other Side of Thin Series ~   Part One
                                                Part Two
                                                Part Three




Sharing with Post of the month club
image credit Google images

Friday, June 15, 2012

The Other Side Of Thin ~ Part Three

When I started writing The Other Side of Thin series at the end of April I was 145 lbs, by mid May in Part Two of this series I was still maintaining 145 lbs, but was noticing clothes were starting to get a bit more snug, and these were clothes purchased to accommodate my 145 lbs body.By the end of May I started steepping back on the scale regularly (every 2-3 days) to my SHOCK I was bouncing between 150-153 lbs. What Happened? you are asking, well I could say the dry cleaner or dryer shrunk my clothes and "try" to feel better about it. The reality is hosting and attending BBQs, dinners and having house guests for a couple of weeks throughout May all encouraged MORE eating and perhaps an extra glass of wine and extra dessert at meal times.

During their visit my friend V. and I were discussing ~a topic women discuss as the weather gets warmer our weight ~ over breakfast. As I sat there enjoying  couple  a left over pastries from the prior evening, I noticed V. was not having her regular few (2-4) slices of bread with butter and jam! with her coffee. Instead she was happily sipping just on her large cup of coffee with a petite touch of milk. Curious, I asked "Not having bread this morning?" her response was a very matter of fact "I over didn't at dinner last night, I will cut back a little today". At that moment looking at my breakfast plate with only traces of crumbs from the pastries I so happily enjoyed along my morning cereal and large glass of orange juice, I realized THAT is how my French born and raised friend maintains her petite French body.

Of course there is more than just cutting back a little the next day (or two), it's ATTITUDE!

V's response did not have an under tone of guilt (to the prior evenings extra enjoyment) nor was it disgust, it was just reality - to enjoy a little extra - one either cuts back a little the next day OR continues on as always and over time the results start  to show themselves. It's about discipline and being honest (with our self) ~ if we CHOOSE to enjoy a little extra there are consequences. The outcome of these consequences truly is also our choice by either doing nothing, continuing on and making excuses (no time, too tired, too stressed, I have limitations now, can't afford (financially) to eat healthy or exercise..etc) OR by cutting back a little the next day or two.

Here are some steps I have taken to get started

STEP 1 ~  identify your crutch (excuse). Mine have been my acquired limitations post accident, medication, lack of energy. Yes, these are all legitimate and "good" reasons, but they do not change the fact that I no longer feel comfortable in my skin nor do I like the reflection looking back at me in the mirror.

WHAT I"M DOING:  Letting go of the pre-accident Me and Life ~ taking time to mediate each day even if for only 5 or 10 minutes. Strengthening the mind. 

STEP 2 ~ make a commitment. You WILL figure out a way around these obstacles. Think back when you were a child - wanting to reach that cookie jar on the counter - you did not let your lack of height STOP YOU ... like most children you figured out a way to get to the jar and retrieve your prize, the cookie. Now your prize is wanting to feel good in your skin and liking what you see in the mirror.

WHAT I'M DOING: I'm working on building a fitness program around the NEW ME and capabilities. Strengthening the body.

STEP 3 ~ give thanks and give back.When we are feeling less than 100% about ourselves and environment (life) it is so easy to forget to give thanks for ALL that we are given. We also need to remember that as rough as we may see our situation, there is always someone who is in greater need ~ Giving back does not have to be money or any material item. TIME is the one thing we are all capable of giving.

WHAT I'M DOING: Each evening I try to find 5 things (this can be people, pets etc.) in my day that I am thankful for (without repeating a particular thing in the same week), in my Gratitude journal. When I come across someone who is requesting a prayer ~ I add them to my evening prayer book, so that they (or the person they are asking for) are included in my prayers. I'm also looking into volunteering opportunities at our local seniors home and women's shelter. Strengthening the Spirit.

STEP 4 ~ detox our environment. It is important to have a good look at things that may be holding you back (other than yourself) from moving forward, this could be an object or even a person(s). Yes, things that trigger or affect you in any negative way - need to be removed, perhaps your closet is bursting with size 2 clothes while you are now a size 10 or more.Seeing these items become a constant reminder of what you no longer are, this thought continues to manifest as you are not a size 2 ~ and guess what ...as long as you are thinking that way you will not even come close to size 2 again.  People (especially other women - and I don't know why this is) can be triggers or affect you negatively ~ if someone in your life     no matter what, is never happy, speakings ill or constantly criticizes other people, their glass is always half empty, someone is doing something "they are not happy" if that person "is not doing that thing" they still are not happy. Hearing constant negative words, will not only drain your energy it pollutes your mind with negative thoughts.

WHAT I'M DOING: I've stopped trying to rescue everyone I meet. If someone is sharing a negative situation in their life and they are actually wanting a listening ear, so they themselves can move on from the situation or if they are genuinely looking for help and making changes to their situation I will listen. But if they are just speaking to hear themselves speak, I slowly distance myself ... if they continue I completely distance myself. Regular readers of this blog know the challenges we have faced with Mr. G's family ~ therefore we have completely distant ourselves from the toxic family members. If you think of someone and DRAMA comes to mind ..run!!!  I have also removed all size 2 clothing from my closet and other clothing that does not fit (except 2-3 pieces - I will speak of them in a later post). Strengthening Self love and respect, setting boundaries.

We seek expert advice for everything from travel to what shampoo works best, yet when it comes to our body, mind, and spirit we try to do it on our own. Along with these 4 steps it's important to seek help with things that we are not experts in.  In a future post I will be writing about the people that can be a great resource to help us achieve our goal.








Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Tea Over Ice ....

The weather has finally kicked into summer like temperatures, which is fabulous!!! 
So I thought I would share some tea over ice to help cool things down.


What fun to  be daring and taking tea outside on brisk winter's day...

The Fairmont Banff Springs - Afternoon Tea in 1924

Imagine how amazing it would be to have tea outside while the mountains are still  snow covered!


But when the garden becomes snow covered ....


You would be more likely to find me having tea by a warm fire.....




Of course I had to have some teacups for us to dream of. 
And these are just wonderful teacups for our eyes.


If you are getting some of the hot temperatures you will be needing one of these teacups the hold some refreshing COLD tea over ice, after a long day in the garden.






Sharing with:

Martha's Terri's Tea Time Tuesday