sunday's are for intention setting

I intend to continue on my journey to live an active and healthy lifestyle.

I will nourish my body with nutrient rich foods. I will move my body with determination and muscle building exercises. I will only focus on people and things that help and support the lifestyle that I am working towards. I will treat others in a way that I expect and deserve myself.

this is an intention I can use daily, weekly, monthly. it serves me purpose today, tomorrow, and years from now.

can you set this intention for yourself? how does it reflect in your life?

21 day fix - halfway update

I have never done a diet before. I have never actively tried to loose weight. I just did my thing. and it kept me at the same weight I had been at for years.

this is hard.

week one was a mess. I failed miserably with my meal planning. and I was miserable because of it. plus I had screwed up on some of the container counts, therefore I was not getting enough food. and I was SO sore after the first work out. my body was definitely not used to that much intense physical activity.

but. I was able to convince the boy to do this with me. I knew if I was to try this on my own I would fail. this way he can hold me accountable on my work outs. plus there won't be any unwanted treats in the house to tempt me.

I finished week one feeling like I had made no progress. my coach reminded me that the first week is tough because your body is going through a huge transition. plus I had put so much junk into my body for the last few months that I needed a detox. to get used to all of the nutrient rich food. and of course the work outs add a huge difference to my daily life. lately, I have been so busy that exercise rarely happened weekly, let alone monthly. it was bad.

I went into week two still holding some optimism. I revamped my meal planning, and the work outs didn't make me sore for the entire week. I am halfway done the first 21 days. I have a renewed outlook on what I need to do to attain my goal. I need to push myself everyday. in every workout.

I am still struggling with the food part. I never feel satisfied after a meal. it's either not appetizing, not filling or not well rounded. I have been trying out recipes I find online. healthy ones. 21 day fix specific ones. and it just isn't working. I need to get creative myself. take some staples that I know I love and make a few adjustments to them to make sure it falls into the guidelines of the 21 day fix.

every day I get that much closer to my goal. I want to have the body I know I can have. I want to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I want to eat well, stay fit, and most of all, feel good.

do you have any tips that I could try? what works for you? what makes staying active and healthy easy for you? I'd love to connect!

21 day fixin' got me like

most people have jumped on this band wagon. I'm late to the game. as with most trendy things. I hate gimmicks. I hate trends. I hate band wagons. but the 21 Day Fix by Beachbody caught my attention. and I'll tell you why.

some back story to help explain..

I met my boyfriend 11 months ago. just before the cruel Saskatchewan winter hit. we spent a lot of our time indoors. watching netflix. ordering take out. eating out. not much attention was paid to our health and food intake. I gained 10 pounds somewhere from there to here. some call it comfort weight. but in reality is was just laziness and a lot of slacking on my part.

I have always been a fairly petite girl. very short. and have never had to work too hard to maintain my weight. throughout high school I was very involved in sports, keeping me active. after college I bought a gym membership. I didn't go all that often, to be honest. but I kept a fairly active lifestyle. and I never ate out. I ate small portions. and I started juicing. all was good.

these photos were taken in the summer of 2014

then laziness set in. my boyfriend loved to eat out don't all men and it was such a treat for me because I very rarely allowed myself that indulgence. and as we all know, restaurant portions are completely out of whack. I started eating more. I stopped juicing because I wasn't home enough to put in the effort. the gym became something of the past. and to top it all off I had to leave my very well paying job for a much less enjoyable job that came with a significant pay cut. that's a story for another day, though. money became tight. the healthy food was no longer a suitable option. enter disgusting pre-packaged, over processed foods.

and here I am. 10 pounds heavier than I'd like to be. with pants that don't fit anymore. and a gut that I am so unhappy with. after hearing about the 21 day fix everywhere, I decided to look into it more.

portion control. healthy eating habits. a fairly simple, 30 minutes a day work out plan. and only a 21 day commitment to start with. I couldn't pass it up. plus a good friend from high school is a beach body coach. so I knew I'd have the support.

I called my friend one night, after I had had enough of looking at myself. of trying to squeeze into my pants every morning. I asked her all of the burning questions I had. and the next day I bought the 21 day fix program. then I had to sit tight for the two week wait for the package to arrive. and to psyche myself up for real change...

harmony box

Canada doesn't have many options when it comes to the subscription box phenomenon, but I did stumble upon this beauty. Harmony Box is a subscription box for the Canadian yogi and wellness enthusiasts. I love yoga, and while (I admit) I can't seem to find the time to make is a daily ritual for myself, I had to give this a try. Harmony Box offers a mini box option, so I chose that as a trial for myself. I wanted to see what it was all about. my curiosity was peaked. check out the photos below to see that I got!

in this sampler box I mostly received snack/food items and a bag of laundry soap nuts. and I have thoroughly enjoyed all of it! the full size box option comes with many more items, and from what I understand, more variety. what a cool idea!

I have a lot of friends who enjoy the practice of yoga, and who value nutrition and wellness. I am excited to share this find with them. and I know there are many, many more people across Canada who would love Harmony Box.

is this something you'd be interested in? let me know if you order a box! I'd love to see your goodies!

**this post was created by me, as an individual. no endorsement was discussed with Harmony Box. I just couldn't resist sharing this opportunity with others!

wisdom wednesday ^4

this is an absolutely great daily reminder. leave people better than you found them. that is such an impactful statement. if everyone was capable of this the world would be an incredibly peaceful place.

if I could live by this quote every day I'd be a much better person.

GratiTuesday #4

my week is off to a good start. I am not too stressed and I feel like I have things under control. a nice pace compared to my typically busy weeks.

this week I can really enjoy the laughter and relaxation as I make great progress on my September goal. it is shaping up to be a fabulous week!

how is your outlook for this week?

diy: shingle pallets to kitchen island

I spent some time this summer on a fairly large do it yourself project. of course I was inspired slightly by pinterest. I gathered a few inspirational photos together, drew out my plans and headed back home to get started.

back in march i moved into a two bedroom condo. it has an open concept living room and kitchen area. I didn't own a kitchen table, nor did I want to buy one. the space didn't seem to fit the style of having a traditional kitchen table. but I desperately needed a place to eat at **to save my poor couches! and some additional storage. alas, a kitchen island was the perfect solution.

as a more casual option than a table and chair set, it was the perfect solution. I first looked at buying a pre-made island, and then I touched on the idea of getting one custom built. but those options were pricey. I was driving home from work one day when the answer hit me! Pallets!

everyone has been getting creative with old pallets lately, and now I had a project on my hands! I have to admit that it turned out so much better than I thought it could. and it has proved to be so functional since I brought it back to the city. check out the pictures below!



Before

During (Base)

During (Top)

After

I started by sanding the pallets down to give them a smoother finish. I used a full pallet for the back of the island and cut another pallet in half to use as the sides. 

I ended up staining the island to give it a finished look. I made sure to use a light stain that I applied to the wood, then wiped off with a rag. I really wanted the natural look of the wood to show through.

I installed some shelving on the inside to provide some additional storage. for this I used dimensional lumber.

the last piece to create was the island top. this took a lot of planning and I could not have done it without help from my entire family. we made a border with 2 by 2's and use a piece of plywood to support the wood we inset in a pattern. the remaining wood we used (and what really makes the statement) was all from pallets that we cut up into pieces. we then started putting our puzzle together. it took some trial and error, and a lot of cutting to get all of the pieces to fit together. to finish off the top I used a bar top finish, which is equivalent to 60 coats of varnish.

I could not have pulled off this project without help from my family and boyfriend. it took two full days to complete and a lot of patience. but I am so happy with the result! it's purpose is a kitchen island right now, but someday **when I buy a house it can be used as a bar too.

have you tackled any DIY's recently? have you used pallets in a creative way?

wisdom wednesday ^3

today I want to share this quote with my online bubble. it's to the point. it's simple. it's powerful.

think positive thoughts, get positive results. just do it.

it's easy to get caught up in day to day life. I do all the time. mantras like this keep me focused. and honestly, I need to keep these where they can easily be accessed more often. I encourage you to do what you need to in order to stay focused on what really matters. you.

GratiTuesday #3

as I walked away from one opportunity last week I opened a door for another. this week I started in a new position with a new company. I feel good about this change, and can only hope it will bring happiness into my life.

I am so thrilled with the new layout of my blog. it feels much more streamlined and put together. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. the fellas over at pipdig are awesome!

I seem to go through spurts of drinking lot's of coffee to switching to tea. this weekend I made a homemade chai tea latte for the first time in a very long time. and, wow!, was it ever delicious! more please!

what are you showing gratitude for this week? tweet me! @CoffeeLoftCo

1 goal 30 days

welcome to my brand new monthly series! 1 goal 30 days. this is where i want to share my goals with you. and i encourage you to join in the fun with me!

my goal for the month of September is to

get caught up on all of my outstanding

projects related to my business

i have been feeling overwhelmed recently with the amount of work that i have stacking up. my focus for the month of September will be to work through the projects. methodically. one by one. by the end of the month i want to feel a little more free. and less burdened.

do you have any monthly goals? is this a practice you hold in your daily life?

august: what have I been up to.. continued

continuing on from the first part of this post, here is what the second half of my month looked like..

Dairy Queen's annual Miracle Treat Day was on August 13th. as an avid lover or ice cream, this is a day I cannot pass up. I spent the afternoon visiting with my very pregnant cousin. it also happened to be one of the hottest days of the summer. miracle treat day. hot hot day. pregnancy. it couldn't have been a much better day to enjoy some blizzards together while we caught each other up on our lives.
**this wee one still has not joined us.. so come on baby! I can't wait to meet you!

my sister had her first surgery ever this month. it was a bit nerve racking for the entire family. she had to come to the city to have it done, so I was able to go to the hospital with her and our mum. I am very thankful I was able to be there to support her. it all went smoothly and she is recovering at home now. she's one tough cookie!

the boy and I celebrated nine months together this month too. dawwwww. he's a sweetie. and I am gushing.

I attended a rock music festival with the boy and his family for a weekend this month. Rock the River is a music festival featuring Canadian classic rock bands. 3 nights of rock and roll, drinking, and food that is definitely not healthy. it was wonderful! quality time spent with the inlaws and a jam packed weekend. pure Canadian fun.

the boyfriend and I had a spontaneous date night. we went to see a movie at the vip theatre. we chose Hitman: Agent 47 and we enjoyed it very much. it was a night we both needed and deserved.

I had the honour of ending my month by witnessing one of my oldest friends marry his soulmate. it sure does make you nostalgic to witness someone you knew since diapers get married. the ceremony was beautiful, and their vows to each other were so sweet. the reception afterwards was an incredible time. it was so fantastic to catch up with so many of my friends from high school. we danced, we laughed, we ate, we drank and we celebrated. it was the best way to end the official summer of 2015.

what were the highlights of august for you?

sunday's are for intention setting

the intention i am setting for this week is to be open.

be open to new experiences. to learning new things. to building new relationships. this week is all about changes for me. and i need to stay open to all the new possibilities.

have you set your intentions for the week?

august: what have I been up to

august was a pretty busy month for me. I was able to spend time with friends and family. I ate some delicious food and visited some relaxing and serene places.

the month started off with the local Potash Corp Fringe Festival. this is a festival that embodies the arts and culture of our community. there is a street fair, theatre shows, street shows, artistic vendors and local food trucks spotted throughout our broadway district. the boy and I spent an evening down there eating mini donuts and getting a caricature drawn.

later that same week a couple friends of mine came to visit. we had excellent weather so we went down to the river and found a small, private 'beachy' area to laze the day away on. we drank a few brews and chatted with passerby's who were on the water that day. that night we went to a movie. Southpaw. wow, what an incredible movie. definitely rates as one of the best movies I have seen in a long time.

to conclude that busy weekend, the boy, his sister, her husband and I went for supper at the Saskatoon Ribfest. some of the best BBQ'ing masters travel from festival to festival showcasing their talent. we attend. we buy. we eat. we judge. it was so delicious! messy, flavourful and filling. just what I like in a meal! :)

august is also my birth month. this year I celebrated 25 years on this big, beautiful earth. it was uneventful and just as I wished it would be. spent the evening with my boyfriend, which is all I needed.

I was able to escape the city for a weekend in august too. I joined my family for some camping at the lake. we laughed, we drank, we sat by the fire, we ate so much food. the perfect recipe for a great weekend. I brought my kayak, and our bikes up to the lake with me. the entire family got to take the kayak out on the water, and my brother and I were able to go for a little bike ride. weekends like those are exactly what I need to recharge my soul and fill my heart to the brim with love.

to be continued in another post..

wisdom wednesday ^2

this quote definitely has some personal meaning for me. I had found myself to be at a place in my life that I was not happy with in the past. it took some time, and a lot of determination, but I made it out. I started over.

fast forward to now, in this current life of mine, and I am feeling restless again. I want change. I want peace. I want to live my life my way. for me. I want to be proud of the things I am doing. the life I am living. so as I dig deep down, go inwards, to find my strength, to work up the gumption I need to start over once again, will you be doing the same? do you find any truth to these words by F.Scott Fitzgerald?

GratiTuesday #2

as one journey comes to an end, more doors will open. and for this I am grateful. I thrive on change. excitement comes with change. new possibilities. new friendships. new beginnings. :)

I signed up for an online meditation class. it happens tonight. I'd love to get into a regular meditation habit, but it just hasn't happened yet. the more I practice, the more it will become a daily ritual. one step at a time..

last night my boyfriend and I went out for a spontaneous supper date with some friends of ours. it was a quick little visit, but we were able to make plans for this weekend too. I am grateful for time spent with friends this week.

how does your week look? what are you showing gratitude towards today?

sunday's are for intention setting

every sunday I plan to set an intention for the week. by sharing my intention, you can follow along and use it for yourself. or set one that you feel is right for you. by connecting we can keep each other on track and focused.

my intention for the week is to focus on the good.

I have a few big changes coming up in my life, as I briefly mentioned in this post. this can cause a bit of unrest in my current routine. instead of allowing the stress and anxiety to get me down, and before I start to feel burdened with tasks to complete, I need to shift my focus to the good that will come out of these changes and this time of unease. by doing this, my week will sail along smoothly and I will be able to enjoy every minute of it!

what will your intention be for the week? what are some of your favourite intentions you have set for yourself this year?

wisdom wednesday ^1

i want to share one of my favourite quotes to start off my wisdom wednesday series. i found this quote years ago and it still resonates so strongly with me. even though i was going through something entirely different then compared to now. i am at a different place in my life today. yet i can still find strength in ayn rand's words.

what meaning can you find in this quote?

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GratiTuesday #1

as my blog grows, I grow. instilling weekly notes, sharing what I am grateful for, is a way to keep me focused on what matters in my life. not the hardships. not the defeat. not the sadness that will ebb and flow.

GratiTuesday is a series where I can list what I am grateful for that week or even just that day. I want to find the light and positivity wherever I can. so when I do have those not so fantastic days I have a place to go. a place where only the good lies.

so to kick off my GratiTuesday series here is the first post

what are you grateful for this week? I'd love to hear about it in the comments section, or email me: coffeeloftco [at] gmaildotcom

j.o.b.

I graduated college a little over four years ago. since then I have held 4 jobs. three of which have been within my career scope. this is a fact I am not proud of. it makes me feel like a failure.

but I know what I want from a j.o.b. I know the feeling I want to have going into work everyday. I know the type of people I want to work with. I know the vibe and energy I want to encompass myself in. and I have not found it yet. that is the core reason I keep jumping from workplace to workplace.

I don't want to keep moving around in my career. but I also can't allow myself to settle. you spend most of your life at work. if I am not happy there, that is a big part of my life I will spend unhappy.

I currently call a city of about 250,000 people home. but it is not where my heart is. I want to move back to the area I was born and raised in. a smaller community of about 4,500 is the pace I enjoy. when I make this big move, my career will be on shaky ground again. a smaller town does not have the economic growth I need to fulfill my career goals.

I have dreams for myself when I do finally settle down near my hometown. I want to leave the static lifestyle a j.o.b. holds me in. I want to engage and build my entrepreneurial skills.

so when I think about my current state of unrest, the fact that I cannot seem to hold a job in my chosen career field, is it really that bad?

I am changing jobs again next month. even though my life plans will eventually take me away from this city, I am not willing to just get by until then. I want to enjoy every aspect of my life, right now. so here is to job number five. and here is to creating a life I want to live, by my own standards.

the beginning

so here I am.

I've been wanting to blog for years. I've kept track of some of my favourite blogs. I've started blogs. and gone no where with those same blogs. I've experienced a lot of change and unrest over the past four years. I have a lot to say. I have a lot yet to learn and see.

I want to share my life. my memories. my ups. my downs. I want a space for my inner mind to unload. I want a place to gather my life events. to catalogue my days and experiences.

I am about to start the best years of my life. and I want to keep those moments locked somewhere forever.

so here I go...

join me, will you?