On the fence {house renovation update}

Time for another renovation update. I'm looking forward to the day when there are no more reno updates.  Not far away now, fingers and toes crossed.

 We spent this weekend painting the rendered fence (dodging the rain) and adding the fencing, which took a little longer than anticipated.

 The fence (and eventually) the house are painted in Dulux Hog Bristle (double strength). We decided to paint the render instead of adding the colour to the render with a texture coat. The reason being that the painted surface tends to seal the render and doesn't get those streaky stains that you see on a lot of homes....time will tell.

 Mr 3P has worked so hard on this house. He's done most of the work himself (with a little "help" from moi). It has been a major struggle getting tradies to call back or show up. The few that we have used have been wonderful.

 So, this is the view from the road....it's looking kinda like a house now, don't you think?

 The recycled bricks on the portico are over 100 years old and are from all over Melbourne. Originally, we were going to render it all, but we love the look and texture of the old bricks, so we've decided to keep some as a feature. I wouldn't mind using some when we re-do the fireplace and mantle in the future dining room...some of it will have to come down next week when we break though to the extension. Exciting times.

 The outdoor lights have arrived, so they'll be installed soon too. There are wire sticking out all over the place right now.

 So, for a quick look inside.... The plasterers arrived last week (something we were not prepared to do ourselves). This is the view from the foyer, looking up to the stairwell.

 Our bedroom is starting to look like a room. Mr 3P has insulated EVERYTHING. It's so quiet.

 The grey boards are regular plasterboard and the blue ones are for wet areas in the bathrooms and ensuite.

 can't wait to use that bath........one day soon I hope.

I wonder what those three things are for? Can you guess?

 This is the second bedroom. The red thing is something the plasterers use to lift sheets onto the walls (so I'm told)

Mr 3P pondering his handiwork. 

It's been a long weekend and I have paint in my hair, so I'm outta here.

Hopefully I'll have more updates very soon. Keep your fingers crossed that we have a dry week ahead.

Streetdance 2 in 3D

BIGGER. BETTER. BOLDER.

I love dance movies...and  a dance movie in 3D!!!

To beat the world's best dance crew, streetdancer Ash (Falk Hentshel), with new friend  Eddie (George Sampson), set off to gather the greatest streetdancers from around Europe, falling in love  with beautiful salsa dancer Eva (Sofia Boutella) in Paris. With landmark locations, the most spectacular dance fusion of Latin and Street ever seen, the sequel to global smash hit StreetDance is bigger, better, bolder and back... in 3D!


At the movies from April 19th, 2012

Check out the trailer

See StreetDance 2 (3D) at your nearest Hoyts. 

Mine is Eastland! Don’t forget to check out their Xtremescreen, Director’s Suite and the Bean Bag Cinema! 

See you at the movies.

{recipe} Tomato & Chickpea soup (low fat)

This has become a favourite low fat lunch or dinner that is really quick and easy to make (again with stuff in your pantry, so it's always handy). It's perfectly suited to my new low fat, healthy way of life and everyone in this family eats it, which is always a bonus. I've found it hard in the past if I have to make different meals for everyone (why shouldn't they be eating healthy too?)

 to make
add a can of condensed tomato soup (I used Big Red), half a can of skim milk, 1/4 can water to a saucepan and bring to the simmer.

Serve sprinkled with sliced spring onions and some grated low fat cheese...and some crusty bread if it's lunchtime (I don't have the carbs at night, so if it's for dinner, I'll have it with steamed veggies on the side)

Workout pics by a 3 year old photographer

I wanted to share some pictures that were taken by my 3 year old while I was training with Elizabeth the other day. I often bring him with me when I train and he has fun with the punching bag or plays on the ipod. But on this day he decided to go through my bag and found my little snapshot camera!!

I never asked him to take photos and I didn't even notice until the flash started going off. That's of course when I kept asking him to STOP, especially when he started taking pics from the most unflattering angles...but who am I kidding...they're ALL unflattering.

Anyway, he takes a pretty good photo for a 3 year old pickle, don't you think?

And I've saved the most unflattering ones for later...to use as some before/after pics...lol

Thank goodness Elizabeth counts...'cause I always forget.

Hydration

My balance is getting better ..

I love how my little pickle loves to take photos.

The view

Did I tell how much I love to punch stuff?....yep, I do.

Medievil torture device

No, I'm not praying for it to be over.......

I'm really loving the sessions with Elizabeth and I can see and feel the difference....but I have a long way to go.
If you're in Melbourne and you're looking for an excellent PT who specialises in women's weight loss, then email me a threepickles@optusnet.com.au and I can put you in touch with her.

See you soon.

Mini Break

Hi...
Just taking a mini break....just a few more days.

I have a crappy virus that has knocked me for six and I need to rest as much as possible, luckily Mr3P has been looking after things.

Back very soon.

Take care.

The weight loss journey begins

When I was pregnant with my first 2 children I had gestational diabetes. With my first boy I gained over 35kg !!! I had to use insulin in the last week of the pregnancy and he had to be induced 2 weeks early...it was not nice and very scary, especially for a first time Mum. I lost 30kg in the year following his birth and shortly after became pregnant with pickle #2, I had the GD again, but was able to control it with diet. Of course there was weight gain, but not as much as the first time....a lot of that came off too. 

Then pickle #3 came along......no gestational diabetes, (I had learnt a lot of lessons about nutrition by now).....some weight gain.....add to that the weight that didn't come off from the first two and you've got serious lard-arse-ness.

OK, so even though I'm making jokes, none of it is funny.

Fast forward to Christmas Day 2011....at the table, talking to my friend Elizabeth about her work as a personal trainer.........suddenly I'm having this conversation in my head (to myself)

Wait....I have a friend who is a PT? .......

Um....why have I not asked for her help before???

Because, you're a dufus, that's why.

So I ask......

and she said..."sure"

and so it began.

Crap on a cracker....now I HAVE to stick to it....I can't run away and hide....she's my friend...she may hunt me down and kill me!!! Or worse, make me eat brussel sprouts or something vile like that...eeeew.

So, six weeks in to it and I've lost over 6kgs!! I'm pretty chuffed, but have a long way to go. And it hasn't been easy (I've blown it a few times, but that's OK as long as I don't give up), but it is certainly rewarding and I feel great.

Food and meal planning is a major factor in weight loss...basically, if you consume more calories than you burn in a day, then you'll gain weight....it's simple math. There is no fat gene...trust me, if that was truth, I would've had that sucker removed a long time ago.

I was happy to receive some Body for Women products to try from Body Science. I've only been using them for a little over a week, but I'll be continuing to incorporate them into my meal planning. I'm loving the chocolate shake, which is great at breakfast and the lemon meringue snack bar (plus the other yummy flavours) have curbed the sweet cravings that I get in the arvo. They make my mornings, which are pretty hectic (I'm sure yours are too) easier, and I don't skip breakfast anymore...which is really not a good thing to do.

"Body for women is a scientific nutritional supplement designed to improve female’s body shape whiles giving them a healthy eating option. Your life is full enough without having the added pressure of sticking to a healthy eating plan. Body gives all females the opportunity to look and feel great in a simple guilt free shaping protein supplement."

from the Body for Women Website

This week I followed the Body for Women free downloadable meal planner and it was really easy and tasty too!

Here's a link to the planner on the website.

I'd really like to share this "journey" with you and will be reporting in regularly with my progress. This blog will be feeling much more healthy too, especially the recipe posts. I hope you stay with me..I need all the support I can get. I may even get brave enough to share some photos of my workouts with you...eeek! We'll see.

See you soon.

{recipe} 3pickles Bruschetta topping

Yum, I LOVE Bruschetta! But I've been cutting back on the carbs (more about that soon), so I've just been making the tomato topping.

It's a simple salad and not really a recipe, but I just wanted to share it anyway. 

A few months ago we planted tomatoes (my first time with starting tomatoes from seed too!) We planted Santorini (I got the seeds from the cover of Burkes Backyard magazine), Tom Thumbs, Grosse Lisse and a cherry tomato variety. They grew really well, but Mr3P and I have learnt to pick them while they are still green and let them sun ripen on the window sill or the possums tend to eat them all. Our window sill is still overflowing...here's a few pics and the "recipe". 

The really wrinkly looking tomatoes are the Santorini's, they grow really well and have a mild flavour, not as sweet as a Grosse Lisse or cherry tomato. I'll be saving the seeds from these tomatoes. I can do a post if anyone wants to see how to do it. Let me know..K?

 If you're about to plant tomatoes, try planting basil next to the tomato plants...they love each other in the garden (and in this salad). They make great companion plants.

 For the salad (or bruschetta topping)

chop up your tomatoes (room temperature tastes best)

add some finely chopped, fresh basil

grated garlic

salt & freshly cracked pepper

drizzle with a really good, extra virgin olive oil

mix together (let stand for a bit to let the flavours get to know each other)

enjoy on toast or as a salad

Buon appetito!!