101 List Progress Check - June 1st 2012

Just time for a quick update before I go to work this morning as I am going to be super busy when I get home, arranging things ready for Christopher's birthday party tomorrow.

I've been pretty busy the last two weeks as I was in the UK for work last week, followed by a weekend seeing old friends before flying home on Sunday evening, ready to jump straight into the joys of monthend. I am hoping that once the party is over I can chill out for the evening (or at least get an early night and not be woken up by children at 4am...). Love them, but 4am - really?

Good news re the house in the UK though - the garden is finally done. Admittedly the lawn looks like a patchwork quilt at the moment as the turf is still bedding in and will be rolled once it has, but it all looks so much bigger and nicer then before, No brambles, palm tree, broken fence panels, and the bottom part of the garden has finally been reclaimed - it looks great!!!

Anyway, as well as being busy I have managed to be quite good, I read Shakespeare's "As You Like It", remembered to take my supplements and although my healthy eating went a little awry (and all that Bailey's at the rugby club on Saturday afternoon didn't help) my weight hasn't changed and I will be starting up the exercise again next week in an attempt to get fitter and finally see those abs :o)

I bought another classic film to watch - "Taxi Driver" with Robert de Niro and Jodie Foster, I also bought "War Horse" but that's not part of my 101, I just wanted to watch the film as the book was so good.

And that is me for now - time for breakfast and a shower.

LJx

101 List Progress Check - May 6th 2012

Oops!!! I thought I had posted an update last weekend, but clearly I hadn't, so here is the latest re my 101 challenge...

Last weekend I managed to cross off my challenge to watch 10 new releases, so here is my final list:

• Thor
• Harry Potter (the last one)
• Captain America
• The Green Lantern
• Happy Feet 2
• Puss in Boots
• Contagion
• In Time
• Jane Eyre
• The Help

For the classic films, I have now watched Brief Encounter and I'd been led to believe that it was supposed to be one of the most romantic films of all time, but I just didn't get that. Some married guy tries it on with a married lady, they kind of hook up, but don't, but fall in love and then it's all over and they are sad - the end... maybe I'm heartless, or maybe I was just expecting too much. I thought I'd be in floods of tears, but just didn't identify with the characters.

I have also managed to blog about my set up for my A5 Filofax - the format of the blog wasn't quite as intended (ie write post for Lucy re my A5 work FF) for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I lost my A5 work Filofax shortly after I wrote my list and since then have moved between various set ups so now I am using one A5 Filofax for everything, and as I have my own blog now it made sense to post the details on here instead of sending it to Lucy to post onto hers. You can see my post re my A5 here, and if you would like to see what binder I am currently in (I have moved twice since), you can see this here.

Prizewinner book number two is ow started - The Shipping News by Annie Proulx. I am finding the short sentence structure that she uses a bit unusual/awkward at times, but it seems good so far.

 I started taking my supplements again on Thursday (after forgetting to take any since my last 101 post when I said that I was going to take my ones for that day when I finished posting, and then not doing so).

This weekend I have been browsing at modes4u and artbox, checking out the funky stationery so I can get some for using in my happiness binder to write quotes/jokes on that make me smile. Unfortunately I now have wishlists totalling approximately £200 - I really need to reduce those lists before I end up with a whole stationery shop in my cupboards...

Today I completed the task of making a birthday cake. As I haven't made a cake from scratch in many years it was an interesting experience... Unfortunately you can't get self-raising flour over here so I had to find out what the right amount of baking powder that I needed was as the recipe book doesn't have that info (despite being a general cook book that gives all the basics), and I didn't have any caster sugar... Oh and I didn't have any sandwich tins so had to stick it into one deeper tin, which I'm sure means I should have adjusted the temperature and times, but never mind. It came out a lot better than I was expecting it to, and although I wouldn't go as far as to say it was a total success, it was far from being a failure and actually tasted really good.

OK - it's far from perfect and as I was rubbish with the 'decorative icing' I made it into a face - and no it wasn't for a
4-year-old, it was for a 36-year-old 

On the work front - I have now managed to finish on time on Mondays and get home in time for DF to go to band practice, and haven't had to bring work home with me (excluding monthends, where I have either left later, but still in time for DF to go and with no work to bring home, or have left work on time and brought some work home with me - which was all part of the deal so that is fine).

Until next time...

LJx

101 List Progress Check - 19th April 2012

Hi folks!!!

Sorry I'm not updating weekly as I'd planned, but the good news is that some of the tasks may end up being crossed off sooner than expected.

New released films (DVDs) I'm talking about you :o) I ordered 4 DVDs from Amazon's new releases and they arrived last week, so we watched Happy Feet 2 (not as depressing as the original, but still not that happy...) and Puss in Boots (love the voice of Antonio Banderas as Puss) last weekend.

After reading The Help towards the end of last year, I was really looking forward to watching the film, so settled down to watch it - some weepy parts (but maybe that's just me being a bit weird at the mo). It was a good film, the book was better, but then that's no surprise as it's rare to get a film to pick up the finer details of a book.

Tonight I have a date with my man, the sofa, and Contagion - no doubt by tomorrow morning the cold that Marcus keeps trying to give me will be in full swing and I'll be convinced that I am going to die in the supermarket... update, it is now 5am the morning after, and although I watched the film and thought it was good, it hasn't left me with the feeling that I will ever watch it again, not because it's going to make me paranoid every time I get a cough, but because I just didn't seem to get the feel for many of the characters. Although maybe I should watch it again, maybe I missed something...

Ben also picked up In Time a couple of weekends ago, so we may watch that this weekend, then I think I only have 3 left. War Horse is now out on DVD apparently so I have to get that quick before it is no longer considered new enough to count towards my list, although I nearly cried just watching the trailer for it last night - I am such a wuss!!!

I have started my 3 months of taking supplements with some twice daily vitamin & mineral thing from Beachbody that came with the 10 Minute Trainer programme. Unfortunately I have enough of a problem trying to remember to do anything once a day let alone twice, so I have been pretty rubbish on the one so far (it is now 8pm and I will go and take my two doses for the day shortly).

I am currently on my first of four days off so I shall (attempt) to sort my paperwork, order the prize-winner books off my list (one is ordered from Amazon already for one of the guys from work to bring back for me and another five I can definitely get via Kindle), and be a bit more consistent on my exercise in my endeavours to get ripped abs... although I have lost 18lbs so far, surely there can't be much more hiding them - clearly I just need to make them bigger :o)

I have been logging my working hours since before Christmas to keep a record of how I am doing against my work/life balance targets and am pleased to say that I have been managing pretty well with finishing on time on Mondays and not bringing work home, and only have two more weeks to get through for this one to be completed. I have also managed to finish on time two days a week since March 5th, bringing no work home, and am half way through the three months, only six weeks to go - I am very proud of myself (and my Filofax) for managing to do this.

For the classic films I picked a couple up of DVDs at the airport the last time I was in the UK, only to discover when I got home that Papillon and The Sting were not on my list of classic films to watch, but as they are definitely classics I will just add them to my list (I'm allowed to do that right?). I have also discovered that a friend has Brief Encounter on DVD so I will be adding that to the list and borrowing that shortly.

LJx

101 List Progress Check - 1st April 2012

A quick update on what's occurring in my list...

Shakespeare - I have read King Lear this week, so that second of my Shakespeare plays is done. This one was another tragedy ... greedy people, a bastard son, people flung out, truths realised, forgiveness sought, but other person dies and therefore much tragedy - a tried and tested formula. I have a historic one next and then 2 comedies.

Prizewinners - I read the first of my 10 prizewinner books last week, Angela's Ashes. It's one of those books that I have seen lots of good reviews for, but never got round to reading before and I am glad it finally happened. It was a very well written memoir, which I love as it's all in the first person and you feel the teller getting older as the book progresses.

Classics - I have started reading the tenth of my 10 classics, Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, and am enjoying it so far. I am surprised at how much I have liked most of the classics that I have read, so may have to put together a new list of them when this one is finished.

On the exercise front, I am near the end of my second week of the latest Beachbody programme that I have started in my quest for ripped abs. I have started Brazil Butt Lift and intend to do this for 8 weeks before moving onto Rockin' Body for 4 weeks. It will then be time for holidays and I am hoping to start P90X again after that.

My Flylady habits have fallen by the wayside somewhat at the moment, and I have realised that I need to be ruthless and throw things away. First stop in this was attacking the front room and clearing those hot spots (the table and the Kachelofen). I have also been looking into getting a steam cleaner (eg the H2O x5 or a Kärcher) as this may help ease the cleaning burden (once the de-junking is done) and will be cheaper than getting a cleaner.

I have also been checking out new DVD releases to see what is around so I can continue with that challenge. I went onto Amazon (after checking out play.com) and found that it was a lot cheaper to buy through them so Amazon now have an order for 5 DVDs from me (admittedly two of them are more for the boys - Happy Feet 2 and Puss in Boots, but they still count, right?).

I also managed to pick up a couple of classic films off my list while I was at the airport on the way home from the UK the other week following a very exciting conference... :-)

LJx

101 List Progress Check - 29th Jan 2012

Whoa - long time no update!!!

I have been so busy doing P90X that I just haven't got round to posting on here in a couple of weeks, and this one is going to be pretty short and to the point as I am one tired girl... so what has happened since my last update?

1. On the classic book front I have now finished Lady Chatterley's Lover which I  really enjoyed and read the whole of The Picture of Dorian Gray last week which took a bit more getting into but was pretty good (I had earmarked it to be read in February, I knew that daily commute would come in handy). So now I only have two more to read to complete this challenge.
2. Shakespeare plays - all 5 identified plays are now on my Kindle and I have planned to read one per month, starting in March.
3. I have finally bought myself some headphones so I can listen to music on my iPod shuffle (or on the iPod touch that my fabulous other half bought me for Christmas. So looking forward to getting all my CDs and tapes onto my iTunes.
4. On the work front I have started logging my hours over the last few weeks in my aim to monitor which of my challenges I am actually meeting, and I am slowly getting there. One of my aims for this year is to reduce my standard working hours to the 42 that are in my contract. Just before the end of last week I managed to get the leftovers bits of work that were outstanding from 2011 finished so I can focus on my 2012 objectives. And what wonderful piece of kit allowed me to achieve this? My Filofax - it still rocks!!!
5. Ripped abs? Not yet, but I have just completed day 20 of P90X, and I am beginning to see results, especially in my arms, which are starting to tone up. It's a tough programme, and I had an issue trying to eat the required number of calories whilst sticking to healthy food and not too many carbs which made me have to miss a couple of days of workouts as I hadn't been consuming enough calories, so I was feeling rough. But I have now got over that and am catching up.

I have also spent some time this weekend planning how and when I am going to get my challenges started/completed. There is still a way to go with the planning to fit everything in around the rest of my life, but it is all quite exciting.

LJx

           

101 List Progress Check - 7th January 2012

Well, a new year and a new me...? Maybe...

But first, what else have I actually managed to achieve between Christmas and now...? well, mainly reading on the train as I started back to work on December 29th and have also been spending quite a lot of time sorting out my Filofax stuff and sorting my set up for 2012 (as you will see from my last few posts). I finished Tess or the D'Urbervilles yesterday and was gutted by the end - so unfair, but thoroughly enjoyed the book and the characters.

I actually managed to complete my make up challenge on January 1st, and have even been wearing it during the week this week, but not today.

Today I have been busy planning when and how to complete more of the challenges on my list, which is far more fun than putting make-up on :o)

The most physically challenging item on my list is to get ripped abs. Now, for someone who has 2 children (aged 4 & 6) and has been an accountant working long hours, sat at a desk for the last 14ish years and not had much/any exercise, this is going to be one heck of a challenge.

Now my DF tries to ignore most of what I am doing re filofaxes and my blog, but clearly some of it has been going in  as he spotted the infomercial for P90X the other day and said "that'd get your abs ripped"... and so it begins.

My favourite part so far of this is that I overheard my DF, who despairs of my filo habit, telling his brother all about P90X and the workout sheets, and saying that he may need to get a Filofax to keep his records in - and so the FF quest for global domination continues.

I was going to do my planning and decide when best to fit it in, but as DF has decided that he is going to start the programme on Tuesday, I guess that's my planning done for me as it's going to be way too much hassle to do the nutrition side of it for us both at separate times.

It is traditional to do the 'before & after' photos, which I will be doing, but not until I actually have an 'after' photo - there is no need to inflict that on anyone. Wish me luck...

LJx