Food (or just pomegranates) for thought

Did you know...

The pomegranates have 3 grams of fat in them? But they also have 11 grams of fiber, 5 grams of protein and almost 50% of vitamin C for the day. Whew!

See, I knew about the vitamin C part but the rest... I guess I just didn't know. But I've been craving them like crazy and eating probably 3-4/week and now I feel even better about eating them!

And now for a little shameless bragging about Deeter... he likes pomegranates too! He sits at my feet and waits for them to fall while I'm cutting it up. I think he always knew how good they were for him. And he needs all the dietary variety he can get since his bowl of food hasn't really changed flavors since well... since puppyhood. But such is the life of a wiener dog.

Before I sign off, just one thought. If you know the answer, please share: Why are pomegranates so dang hard to peel? It's like 10 minutes of hard labor to get to a point where you can actually eat. And then you're almost too exhausted to eat. Especially now that I know about all the protein I'm eating, it feels like more work than ever.

I think I need a massage.

Bricks & Mortar... and a few steps

I've save a few photos from Montreal for it's own special little post. Yay for them! Because honestly, I could gush for HOURS about the beautiful architecture of Montreal. Literally HOURS. I hope you've blocked off some time for this...

Actually, just kidding because I didn't take very many photos of buildings. Every single one I walked past was photo worthy most of the time. I don't think that's a correct sentence. Let's try again. Of all the buildings I walked past, almost all of them were photo worthy. Whew! That's better.

And also, unfortunately, some of the MOST beautiful homes I saw were in the evening and it was dark and we were in a car so those ones will remain undiscovered at this point... A mystery you will never read about on this website. Unless I go again. And take those photos.

Okay, back on track... Ahem. Photo commentary. Begin.

These first three photos were like the first three buildings next to where we stayed. Every single one was SO pretty! My only complaint to whomever thought up all of this is the steep crazy stairs OUTSIDE the building in a place that snows about as regularly as a pregnant woman visits a bathroom. Slippery? Possibly. Pain in the butt to shovel? Definitely. But I must say, they are beautiful to look at. Okay, nevermind, I have another complaint. Whomever designed these was not a parent. How the heck do you get your kids up those with strollers and car seats (um... wagon seats?) and groceries and diaper bags? No wonder Montreal has such a low birth rate compared to the rest of Canada.

So here's some lovely curvacious set of stairs. All the other steps are jealous...

These ones looked decidedly lovely as well. And WHAT a nice front door!

Love this building. And the front doors are arched! Great except for moving. But who would ever want to leave??

Here is just one of the many gorgeous churches we saw.

And honestly, one of my first thoughts is... that must have been a lot of work. Read 'Pillars of the Earth' by Ken Follett. Amazing.

I wonder where I can put in my order for a set of these...

And THIS.... This is.... a.... firehall. Truly. And why not? Copper is a perfect accent to red trucks. So festive.

We did visit the old part of Montreal as well... aka Vieux Montreal (mo-ray-al) which means, old Montreal. Enlightening. And I had walked by this area when I was 18 with my cousin and have always wanted to go back because it looked so lovely and there were all sorts of pretty shops to check out. And GUESS WHAT... we didn't go to that part because our 'tour guides' thought it was too touristy. And who would want to go through a bunch of silly little shops. Um, excusez moi... me?

But really, I guess I was the only one. Because I did manage to finagle a quick stop into a children's clothing store and it wasn't fun for anyone but me. Okay, my brothers helped me pick out an overpriced little item but it was in 'n out. Like the burger place but you just don't feel as satisfied. And I obediently walked past about 6 home stores that looked completely divine. DIVINE. And I just wanted to look. Not buy, look. Unless I found something totally amazing!

However, with all of that said, it was a great time! I still have a few more photos for another time on the farmer's market. Another beautiful thing. But that's all for now. Presents to be wrapped, groceries to be bought, milk to be consumed.

Happy Saturday!

Montreal - some probably not-so-good photos

This past week I went to Montreal with my family to visit family. It was so good to see my middle brother's face and make fun of him in person and just be an annoying older sister for a few days. I mean, that's what life is REALLY about right! RIGHT??? Being a thorn in the side of younger sibs. At least that's what I've always thought. Here are a few photos from my trip.

And I'll post a totally separate post on some of the gorgeous architecture of Montreal. It's tres Europe-esque. And please don't question my vocabulary. Thank-you.

Beware: none edited, just plain, raw photos from my camera...

Well, except for this one: this is from the hotel's website and it's where we stayed.

We had a 2 bedroom suite - very old house, very modern furnishings.

This little fellow is Bed Bug. He gets his own blog post at a later date.

Bad lighting. Ahem. Dinner at Alex's parent's house... 4 courses of food heaven!

With Alex's parents

This will only be funny to my brothers... typical travel with Dad... looking at a map.

Guess which one is my brother's place...

The most delicious coffee I've ever had in North America... and it's even decaf!

This photo is purely for my Dad - professional snow plowers. A full-time job in Montreal.

Dad and brothers

Gluten-free lasagna! SO good!

Yes, well... please excuse me in this photo.

Just before digging into our awesome dinner! Last night in town.

I had a really good time visiting in Montreal. It was cold and snowy but really different from the weather we get on the other side. Crisp air that we rarely get and I would probably trade on some winter days for our damp, chill-to-the-bone air. But I was still glad to get home, kiss my little dog and sleep in my own bed.

Where have I been?

Just in case you were wondering why the heck there's been no bloggin' lately... I was out of town. And today I'm not going to write more than that because I'm jet lagged and tired and have a family party to get to this evening. And presents not even wrapped yet. And one not even bought yet. And nap that hasn't been taken yet. So there.

Do you ever wonder...

I was in the grocery store just a few minutes ago to pick up a few random things like Hormel bread dough for the most scrumptious cinnamon rolls EVER and some milk when I happened to walk by an end aisle promotion for... get this: 'DIET 7-up Cherry ANTIOXIDANT'.

Voila

Now... I was wondering. You know, just out of curiosity... who buys this stuff thinking that maybe those antioxidants just might be doing some good? Because after you've put the totally bad-for-you fake sugar stuff in and leached out the calcium, those antioxidants are really going to make a difference. But I'm not an expert so maybe they will... ???...

To be fair, I'm sure it tastes good, if you're into diet sodas. Or pop at all for that matter. I don't really have an opinion on this. It's not my place to tell you that you should or shouldn't. Because sometimes I do like pop and do order it and do enjoy it (through a straw) to the very last drop. However, I just love it when you see a totally unhealthy product claiming to have health benefits. But I guess if I look at it fairly, maybe this one is just a little less bad for you. I just don't get it.

Before & After - Glucose Tolerance

BEFORE:

Sitting in front of me is an orange beverage that I'm supposed to drink to be screened for gestational diabetes. Every preggo has to drink it so I can't feel too sorry for myself right now. And I know it's not going to kill me because all of my girlfriends who are moms are still alive and well this very day... even though they too drank this ugly orange drink. However, everything I've heard about this drink is that it's totally disgusting. I thought I would write about it since I don't like things that taste bad. Luke is actually on speaker phone so he can laugh at me after I'm finished drinking it. How supportive! Here goes...

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

AFTER

There are two kinds of people in this world. Those who jump right into the pool and those who go to the steps and gingerly feel the water, probably make some comment about how cold the water is and slowly get in... or maybe change their minds and get back out. When it comes to water, I'm the hemming and hawing one. And when it comes to things I don't want to drink that taste ick. Like the glucose tolerance beverage my doctor gave me to drink this morning. But here goes...

Well, it could have gone that way. I dipped my finger into my cup to taste this stuff and as promised, it wasn't so great. But Luke was on the phone basically telling me that I needed to be the 'jump right in' person and just get this over with. So I did. And now my stomach feels kind of wrong. Just wrong. Not in a major exaggerated way. Just a little bit off. And I'm okay with that.

Because you know what gestational diabetes can do to a baby? Remember that HUGE baby born in India recently... the 19 pounder or whatever he was. Well, if you don't remember, it wasn't exactly charming. He was huge. And disturbing... I think he probably cleared the 3-6 month clothing in the womb... something about that is just sad. And of course, it's dangerous and unhealthy for both mom and baby so I know even though it feels like maybe my doctor is playing a big game of 'let's just make Bonnie drink something totally gross because I'm a doctor and I can', it's really for a good reason.

And now, because I have to get my blood drawn at exactly 10:52 and it's 10:05 right now, I need to sign out. So bye.

today's thought or maybe a few.

I honestly do have some great photos sitting on my camera, just aching... waiting for a chance to be on my blog. I promise. And this will happen. Maybe even tonight. But I am tired.

Why would I be tired?

I went swimming for my first time today in Bellingham. Not my first time ever but in Bellingham... ever. And it was really fun! And a good workout. Everyone tells you that swimming feels so great when you are pregnant but you know what nobody tells you? That you will feel about 1000 pounds when you step out of the pool. Literally! Ha! And I'll go again! It was worth the hour of weightlessness!

Another thought: did you know how much time it takes to show a rental between calls, setting up time to go, the drive there, the waiting... THE WAITING... showing the place and the drive home, it's at least a good hour for a single showing in Bellingham. And today I had 2 of them. And the sweet 2nd one didn't show up. Didn't call either. So I called them to find out where the heck they were and the guy got called into work, didn't bother to call me back. How's that for ya?

Oh, and maybe one more. Bras. Let's talk about them for a second. I read somewhere that like 75% of women are actually wearing the wrong size. And since we're already talking about bras, let me tell you, I know I fit into that category right now. Not usually. But being pregnant means boobs get boobier. And I've officially reached a new level. So, new bra. And the sad part of all this is that even though I've moved up in the world 2 cup sizes, I'm just about hitting the average woman's size. I know, let's wipe away our tears together. And because I needed to buy a new bra, I went to Macy's today. And tried on about 20 of them. I'm not even joking. And then bought 3 to take home and try on with my real clothes, not lazy clothes. And since I just publicly discussed my boobs, I'm going to take it one more step. I don't know why some bras just have the pokiest looking cups of ALL time. Who wants to look like a double torpedo? Like those girls from Austin Powers who could shoot bullets from theirs girls... not I. I will raise my hand high and say that out loud. No thanks.

And really? That's all I've got for Tuesday.