A lot of my friends are on vacation right now in tropical places.  I haven’t been to an all inclusive for two years and I’d love to go on a winter vacation, especially to Jamaica.  But if I really had my choice to go anywhere in the world, I’d go back to Disney World!  It really is the most magical place ever!  Everyone is happy, the parks are so clean and you feel like a little kid again.  (Is it bad that a grown up’s favourite place in the world is a theme park?)  I’ve been lucky enough to go to Disney World two times and I can’t wait to go again.  I found this list of facts about Disney parks, I knew a few of the facts, but some of them I definitely didn’t know.  If you’re heading there this year for a family trip you can wow them with all the fun facts you know about the place.

THINGS YOU PROBABLY DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT DISNEY PARKS:

• There are tunnels under Disney World that allow employees and cast members to move between the different areas.

• None of the shops in Disney World sell gum, which is why you never see any stuck to the rides or on sidewalks.

• The 14-story “Tree of Life” in the middle of Animal Kingdom is actually an old oil rig. Engineers found that its ability to
hold up against hurricane-strength winds made it ideal for the internal structure of the attraction.

• There is never a trash can more than 30 steps from where you are in a Disney park.

• There is a secret basketball court for staff in the upper third of the ‘Matterhorn’ ride at Disneyland.

• Devices called ‘Smellitizers’ can be found all over Disney parks. They emit scents in certain areas to match the surroundings.

• There’s a secret suite inside Cinderella’s Castle. It cannot be booked, and is only used for promotional giveaways.

• The brownish winding path in ‘Liberty Square’ is meant to represent raw sewage that flowed down the streets of colonial America, since indoor plumbing wasn’t yet invented.
– BuzzFeed.com

and just to make you smile …

Funny story … I wrote out a blog post this morning, went to preview it and everything I had written didn’t show up.  I went to save it and all of the text disappeared.   I was blogging about how you feel on a Monday?  Kind of like the picture above?  Trying to motivate yourself to get going for another work week?

I wrote that surprisingly, I was feeling like this, this morning …

Pretty darn good!  (Isn’t that the cutest picture ever?).  I ended off saying, hopefully that feeling lasts throughout the day.

Oh boy, was I testing fate?  Here I am re-writing my blog.   Here’s hoping we all have a great Monday.

(The caption above reads “Maybe I’ve never worked out because I’ve never had that kind of equipment.” … so true, so true!)

How are those New Year’s resolutions coming?  I know it’s only a week and a half into January but it feels much longer.  I found a list of tips to help you keep your resolutions and I think they are all smart tips.  I wanted to share.

TIPS FOR KEEPING 2014 RESOLUTIONS:

Professional Organizers of Canada (POC) suggests these tips for reaching your goals …

✓ Write It – Harvard University studies show goals are 10 times more likely to happen when they are written down.

✓ Narrow It – Odds of success will increase if you don’t set too many goals. Set one and focus
on achieving it.

✓ Share It – Partner up with a resolution buddy and have a set time to check up on each other monthly and quarterly.

✓ Quantify It – Putting a number to it makes a resolution measurable, ie: “I will take 15 minutes-a-day for myself”; “I will run 10K by x-date”; “I will clear clutter 15 minutes-a-day”.

✓ Enjoy It – Make sure that your resolution is not only achievable, but that you’ll have a good time getting there.

– HuffingtonPost.ca

Word of the day … wangle (WANG-gul)
1: to resort to trickery or devious methods
2: to adjust or manipulate for personal or fraudulent ends
3: to make or get by devious means : finagle

When I was on my diet last year I gained a valuable thing … self-perspective!  To actually see what I look like, not what I think I look like.  It’s easy to see how someone else looks, but to truly see yourself, is hard.

Through my early 20′s I’ve gained about 20 pounds.  Because of gaining that weight, I lost all self-perspective.  I felt fat and didn’t like it, but not enough to do something about it.  I was lucky last January, that through GX94 I went on the Ideal Protein Weight Loss Method Diet.

When I started the diet I was at my heaviest and I felt miserable.  But it didn’t take much weight for me to lose, before I started feeling great about myself again.  I lost 10 pounds and got to 130.  I started thinking, how could I have thought I was fat when I weighed 130 the first time.  I feel fantastic!  I ended my diet at 117 pounds, which was too skinny for me, but because I had lost so much it took me 10 months of eating what I wanted, but exercising, to now be back at 135 pounds.

As I gained the weight back through this past year I kept reminding myself how great I felt.  Yes, I was gaining the weight back but I wasn’t fat!  That’s a big thing to know and believe about yourself.

SELF-PERSPECTIVE is freeing!  I know that I feel my best at 125 pounds.  Right now my clothes are tight again, I don’t like it.  But I know what to do about it.  Losing weight isn’t this unattainable thing!  You can do it.  Watch what you eat, exercise, take yoga.  (Those are the things I’m doing this year.)  It’s freeing to know you CAN lose the weight.  It doesn’t control you.

Fun Fact for today … There are as many types of fog as there are cloud formations in the sky.

Word of the day … nonchalant (nahn-shuh-LAHNT)
: having an air of easy unconcern or indifference

Last year I was on the Ideal Protein Weight Loss Diet from January to the end of March.  A lot of people still ask me how my diet is going, if I’m still dieting and did I gain any of the weight back.   To answer some of those questions … I stopped dieting as soon as the end of March came.  It was really hard!  Being on a diet takes so much will power and self control.  Plus we weren’t allowed to eat a lot of different foods, so I was glad to be able to eat again.

Did I gain any of the weight back?  I did, but it was a very slow gain.  After my diet ended I started training to run 5 km in the Health Foundation Charity Road Race.  This was a big deal for me.  I felt so proud of myself that I was actually exercising.  Plus because I was running, I was able to eat what I wanted and not worry about gaining all of the weight back in a short amount of time.

What did I lose and where am I a year later?

I am 5’2 (pretty short).

In January 2013 I weighed 141 pounds.  (That was the heaviest I’ve ever weighed in my life and because of my height, out of my healthy weight range.)
At the end of March 2013 I weighed 117 pounds.  (This was pretty cool for me.  I was back to my high school weight! But I very quickly realized, that was TOO skinny for me.)
Over the next 9 months I slowly gained some of the weight back.  In the summer I was running ever day and weighed 125 pounds.  I felt fantastic and was really proud of how I looked.
Today, January 2014, I weigh 135 pounds.

Am I discouraged that I gained 18 pounds back?  Am I dieting again now to lose it?  Am I down on myself that I gained it back?

No.  I learned the most valuable lesson from being on my diet last year.  A lesson that has been huge to my happiness.  I’ll tell you what I learned tomorrow.

Fun Fact for today … A giraffe’s spots are much like human fingerprints. No two individual giraffes have exactly the same pattern.

Word of the day … fraught (FRAWT)
1: full of or accompanied by something specified — used with “with”
2: causing or characterized by emotional distress or tension : uneasy

A new year is here and all the talk turns to New Year’s Resolutions.  What are you going to change … what are you going to do differently this year … how are you going to be better?  My friend posted this picture on Facebook and it spoke to me.  It’s so true!

“What if the only resolution you made was to love yourself more?”   That would be a pretty big thing, don’t you think?  Honestly though, isn’t loving yourself the hardest thing to do?  I know it is for me.

This past year wasn’t the best for me.  But I learned a lot about myself.  Some of those things I learned while I was on my diet last January.  This time last year, Danny, Chris, and I embarked on a three month weight loss program that was super hard, but rewarding.  I learned a valuable lesson from it that I want to share with you over this week, and my goals for this year.

So thank you for following my blog and if you have a list of resolutions for 2014, maybe try putting that one at the top.

Fun Fact for today … It is said that the tradition of making New Year’s Resolutions was started by early Babylonians. Their resolution was to return borrowed farm equipment and begin the new year with a clean slate. It was also believed that the breaking of New Year’s resolutions brought bad luck on the individual hence one was advised to be careful while making New Year’s Resolution.

Word of the day … behest (bih-HEST)
1: an authoritative order : command
2: an urgent prompting

I was on appetizers for our GX94 Pot Luck lunch this week and thanks to all of the fantastic listeners and their recipes, I knew exactly what to make.

Thanks to Brenda Devins from Saltcoats.  She sent me a recipe for Shrimp Dip which was really good.

 Shrimp Dip

1 tin shrimp, mashed
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. mayo
salt and pepper
whipping cream
Tabasco sauce

Mix shrimp and onion. Add mayo. Salt and pepper to taste. A dash of Tabasco sauce. Add cream to preferred consistency. If you like a little zing add more Tabasco but be careful to mix well and taste before adding too much.

The second appetizer I made was sent to me by Susan Orthner from Raymore.  This is a Black Bean Ranch Dip.  It’s fantastic!

Black Bean Ranch Dip

Peel and coarsely chop a couple cloves of garlic. Place them in a food processor.  Drain and rinse a can of black beans and add to processor.  Add 1/2 cup ranch dressing and process till smooth.  Serve with your favorite dipping chips.

Fun Fact for today … The poinsettia is native to Mexico and was cultivated by the Aztecs, who called the plant Cuetlaxochitl (“flower which wilts”). For the Aztecs, the plant’s brilliant red color symbolized purity, and they often used it medicinally to reduce fever. Contrary to popular belief, the poinsettia is not poisonous, but holly berries are.

Word of the day … ragout (ra-GOO)
1: well-seasoned meat and vegetables cooked in a thick sauce
2: mixture, mélange

Thanks to Debbie Feszczyn from Kelliher for sending me this recipe.  These are really good.  Just don’t do what I did.  I made the icing and thought there was no way it was thin enough to make a swirl.  That’s the thing, it was the perfect consistency to make a swirl.  I added more milk and ended up with a blob of icing.  But it still tasted good.

Fudge Peppermint Balls

3/4 cup butter
2 squares melted unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup finely chopped red maraschino cherries
2 cups flour
1 tsp. peppermint or mint extract

Cream butter, then add rest of ingredients. Mix well. Shape into balls about 1 tsp. batter for each ball. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350°F degrees for 10 – 12 minutes. Cool. Ice with a swirl of chocolate icing on top.

Chocolate Icing
3 Tbsp. butter
3/4 cup icing sugar
2 Tbsp. cocoa
1 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla (Tonya’s tip: I added this to the recipe myself)

Soften butter, add rest of ingredients and beat well.  Makes 5 dozen.  (Tonya’s Tip:  I think I made my balls to big because I only got about 2 dozen from this recipe).

Fun Fact for today …

Word of the day … vivacious (vuh-VAY-shus)
: lively in temper, conduct, or spirit : sprightly

And … 5 more sleeps until Christmas Eve!

Thank you to Laverne Renneberg from Porcupine Plain for sending me this fantastic recipe.  The layer of cream cheese is delicious!  Plus, in my opinion, there is nothing better than cherry pie filling!  Just give me a spoon!

Cherries in the Snow

1 Angel Food Cake mix – bake and cut into 16 slices
1 pint cream- whipped (or dream whip, nutri whip, etc.)
8oz. pkg cream cheese
1 cup icing sugar
1 can cherry pie filling

Cover bottom of 9”x13” baking dish or pan with 1/2 of the whipped cream.  (Tonya’s Tip: this is like a Trifle.  I recommend using a glass dish or bowl so you can see all of the fantastic layers).  Place 8 slices of cake on top.

Cream together cream cheese and icing sugar.  Add a little cream or milk if it is too thick to spread.  Spread over cake.

Add second 8 slices of cake.  Put remainder of whipped cream on top.  Cover with cherry pie filling.

You can use other cans of pie filling to make an attractive dessert.

Fun Fact for today …  The first Christmas Card was invented in 1843 by British illustrator John Callcott Horsley and commissioned by Sir Henry Cole.

Word of the day … midriff (MID-riff)
1: a body partition of muscle and connective tissue; specifically : the partition separating the chest and abdominal cavities in mammals : diaphragm
2: the mid-region of the human torso
3a : a section of a woman’s garment that covers the midriff b : a woman’s garment that exposes the midriff

Thanks to Roger Herman from Rhein for sending me this recipe.  This was a quick dessert to make and it is delicious!

Lady Killer Skor Bars

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg yolk
2 cup flour
1 1/4 cup Skor bits
2 cup chocolate chips

Mix all together except chocolate chips.  Grease a 15”x 10″ pan.  Put mixture in pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 350°F.

Take out of oven, sprinkle chocolate chips on cake and spread while warm.  Cool.

(Tonya’s Tip: My oven tends too be hotter than normal.  I took this out after 15 minutes, spread the chocolate chips, then put it back in the oven for another 2 minutes.  The chips melted and spread easily after that.)

Fun Fact for today … Many European countries believed that spirits, both good and evil, were active during the Twelve Days of Christmas. These spirits eventually evolved into Santa’s elves, especially under the influence of Clement C. Moore’s The Night Before Christmas published in 1823.

Word of the day … pinnacle (PIN-ih-kul)
1: an upright architectural formation generally ending in a small spire
2: a structure or formation suggesting a pinnacle; specifically : a lofty peak
3: the highest point of development or achievement : acme