Christie, The Great Gross Spider Killer - Part Two

They never learn!! I come home from work tonight and there are not 1, not 2 but 3 huge, gross spiders!! Even bigger then the last one!! They mock me now...

But I went and got my boiling hot water and threw it at the little jerks!! I know I knocked two off of the porch but I'm not sure about the third. But I'm telling you right now, if I go out there tomorrow morning and those little bastards have set up shop again, it's game time!! It'll be on like donkey kong! They are messing with the wrong damn girl I tells ya!

*SIGH* But for now, I go to bed. I'll update tomorrow on the funeral plans for the little 8 legged spawn.

Confessional: My Eating Disorder

So when I decided that I was going to start a blog and a YouTube channel (which is still pending), I really wanted to share the mundane parts of my life (because I find other peoples regular life interesting) and the less mundane parts of my life. So, as you can tell by the title of this blog, this is one about something less mundane.

*I should start out by saying that all of this blog is based on personal experience and things that I have learned through the treatment process. I have not studied this extensively in school, and am not an expert on the subject of eating disorders.*

Some basic information -
The two major eating disorders are Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa. Anorexia nervosa is characterized by the restriction of food intake, and bulimia is characterized by binge and purge cycles. Another major factor to consider in the discussion of eating disorders is a disorder known as Body Dismorphic Disorder. BDD is a disorder where an individual sees their body in a dramatically unrealistic way, for example, some who is 90pounds considering themselves overweight.

The important distinction for me is that although I had an eating disorder, I did not and do not have an issue with BDD. I have a pretty realistic view on my body, which isn't perfect, but it ain't that bad! What is at the base of my issues with food is a need for control. I really struggle with feeling out of control and when things do not go as I planned or hoped, I struggle with feeling helpless.

It is that feeling that prompted my eating disorder, which was mainly anorexia. When I couldn't control a situation, or just felt out of control in general, I could restrict what I was eating and how much I was eating and that feeling would help calm and relax me. I felt as though restricting my food intact was restoring some balance and eventually, once the feeling of helplessness had gone and I felt better, my eating habits would become healthier again. I think because my eating disorder was more of a control mechanism, and was something I suffered from in waves, I never lost dramatic amounts of weight.

I remember beginning to restrict my diet at around 10 years old. What I can't remember was if there was any specific event that sparked it, or how I got the idea to restrict my diet. This continued to be my go to coping mechanism until I was about 19. This is when I finally told my parents about how I felt and how I was dealing with it. Together we found an amazing cognitive behavioral therapist who helped me work through the "why" of what i was doing and helped to find some better ways of dealing with stressful situations. 

It has been 10 years since I told my parents and sought help for my anorexia. And although I have not had an issue since then, it is still something that I struggle with. Whenever I feel myself becoming stressed out, overwhelmed and out of control, my mind still wants to restrict in order to regain a sense of control. I now know however that I need to talk about what is happening with my family and friends and with their help, work out the situation in a different way.

Because I really want to be open about this, please feel free to leave comments or questions below! 

HAUL BLOG!!

I'm getting ready for school and have found tons of little goodies!! So, of course I thought I'd blog about them!!

I bought these at Fort Edmonton Park with my mom! They are both perfect for my locker essentials kit. The blue coin purse will be the home for some spare change as suggested in the comments of my locker essentials blog! Great idea Caron! And the green one is perfect for my USB cords because it zips closed!

Also for my locker kit - a sleep mask. For those between class cat naps! It was $1 in the One Spot at Target.

I hate having water bottles at school, but I found these cute tumblers instead so that I can water or another cold beverage. The Wonder Woman and Mason Jar tumblers are from Target and the Angry Mickey Mouse tumbler from the Disney Store!
I just prefer having something like this with a straw because I find it less disruptive to take a drink during note taking, and they are easier to clean in my opinion.

At Target I found this great overnight bag! It's huge, canvas and has a removable strap so that you can carry it across your body or over your shoulder! You can't tell in the pic, but it's grey and navy, but they have other patterns if you don't like this one. It was $29.99!

 Also from Target, this cute canvas backpack! I know I have my wicked Coach tote for school, and that will likely be what I use most often, but this was so cute and for days when I don't have that much to bring, this would be nice!

I also liked it for my trip to Europe with my mom next summer. Having a larger backpack will be great for the airport and when we are getting on and off trains - I figure the less to have to carry or have on my shoulders, the better!

I also really liked that the interior zipper is a little lower down in the back, so that would be a safe place to keep my passport and money. There are also two pockets of a cell phone and other what not's. It was also $29.99.

I found this notebook at Walmart and I loved it because its a gnome! What can I say, I love to take notes with my gnomey! Get it?! Gnomey! Like homie, but he's a gnome...

Anyways...

Also from Walmart, this 32GB flash drive was on sale for $12.99 which is a sweet deal for that many GB's. I probably won't use this for school because I have so many 8GB and a 16GB one that I typically use but this will come in handy for backing up important photos and videos off of my laptop!

And last thing from Walmart was a pack of pens that were on sale for $3, a pack with two Papermate white out tapes ($4.76) and a cute floral pencil case ($3.97) that has a front pocket which would be good for my USB or my school id if I'm going into an exam. Sooo cute!!

The last part of my haul is from Michael's. I'm going through a bit of a Hello Kitty phase right now and I found this Hello Kitty scrapbook journal. This one is specific to traveling and i thought I would be cute for Europe next summer (hopefully I still like Hello Kitty then...). I comes with a pen, that is pen on one end and a glue stick at the other. There are tons of cute pages on the inside and if your interested on seeing the inside let me know in the comments and I'll post some photos of that! ($19.99)

Also found some cute Hello Kitty Book Bands (basically the same as the file band idea that I have in my school supplies blog around my binder. Again, I thought that would be nice to keep my larger text books closed while in my bag. (Clearance for $2.49.)
I also got some Keepsake Pockets for my scrapbook to use for any little loose trinkets or ticket stubs I don't want to glue in. (Clearance for $2.49)
And last, I bought a pack of 70 Sticky Flags. Just thought they would be handy for school or my Daytimer ($4.99)

Adventures with Mom!

Monday, my mom and I went on an adventure to Fort Edmonton Park!

It had been awhile since either one of us had been, and it was pretty different from what I remember as a kid. But I love going to Fort Edmonton and other "living history" museums. It's just so much fun to see it come alive around you, and many of the interpreters take their jobs very seriously! There was also an event going on that I think was called "Earn your Keep" day... But they might have called it something else. The idea was, you would do chores or other work that would be common for the era and earn Fort Bucks that you could redeem to try different foods, or earn rides in the mid way. It was pretty fun to watch all the kids running around hauling fire wood (with alot of help from mom and dad) or washing socks and delivering mail.

 Mom and I mostly enjoyed the beautiful day outside. We walked around the midway, and watching sat at the beautiful carousel with its hard carved horses and ornaments. (Sorry, the picture didn't turn out very well...) I was tempted to take a spin on the ferries wheel, but decided to wait until we were going to leave, and by then the park was pretty busy and there was a long line. But I guess that's just a good reason to go back! We then roamed up the themed streets. The park has added a theater since I was small and although we didn't to in to see what was playing (I think it was a history of Edmonton), it was very cool to see it there!

There are beautiful gardens planted all over the park, some with flowers at some of the more affluent city homes and vegetable gardens at the homesteads. There is also a crop growing in one the fields (I'm not sure what kind of crop it is) and I hope that means that Fort Edmonton still hosts a Harvest Festival in the fall. I remember going to that growing up! I also have vague memories of actually being at the family farms during harvest time (I am a grand daughter to 2 farming families!) 

This garden was particularly beautiful!

We had lunch in a luncheonette beneath the Masons lodge which was really good! Basic, but good! And of course we went authentic with glass coke bottles!

I also picked up some treats at the bakery! I had a yummy chocolate chip cookie, maple fudge and a chocolate fudge brownie with no nuts!





One of the highlights for me was seeing the beautiful horses they have at the Fort! There was one in particular that was just gorgeous (and he knew it, because he was kind of a jerk)

                                I have never see a mane like that on a horse!! Sooo beautiful!

We didn't actually head all the way to the actual Fort area, since we couldn't imagine that it has changed all that much, but we did finish off the day with a ride on the steam train! I love train travel!

All and all, it was a great day spent with mom!

Here's some more pics I took. Sorry, I was enjoying the day so much, I didn't take many, but I'll do better next adventure I promise!! I'll also take notes so that I remember more details, but it was just such a beautiful day! I also bought a few cute things but I'll include those in my haul blog that will be posted soon!

Christie, The Great, Gross Spider Killer

I live out in the country and one of the downfalls of that is spiders. I HATE SPIDERS!!

Now, I know spiders exist, and they are important to the ecosystem and blah blah blah... But they are gross!! I was coming home last night and right there in the corner of my porch is this huge brown spider in a huge gross web! *shiver* I think I hate the brown ones even more then I hate big black ones, because the brown ones are far more blendy and camouflaged. So because I don't want to get anywhere near that thing, I side step into my house and get a nice big bowl of hot water...

Now, I know I'm going to get comments about how I shouldn't have killed it, but I'm sorry! Big gross spiders are allowed to exist in the world, just now where I can see them, and least of all, where they can jump out and attack me!!

So I threw the hot water at it, and it's web broke and the spider fell. He tried to hide, but I grabbed a walking stick smooshed him. I hope this acts as a warning to all the other jerk spiders out there that are thinking about setting up shop on my porch. Ya'll are safer under it, and there will be more bugs for you eat there too!!

Christie 1 - Spider 0

Mental Preparation

So as I enter my final, blissful year of University, I can't help but reflect on on what the last 5 have brought me. Knowledge, wisdom, personal growth and debt!! Lots and lots of debt.

My original plan was to take a year off, one year. I was going to work full time and gain some life experience, save some money. And hopefully during that time, I would figure out what I wanted to do with my life! I did manage to figure out what I didn't want to do...

1 year off turned into 6 years. I worked in retail for those 6 years, and eventually was promoted up the chain of command to manager. And what I realized it that I didn't want to be a manager. Now, do not get me wrong - there was nothing wrong with the job. I loved my co-workers, my staff, the company. But I just didn't enjoy being a manager. Some people are so amazingly suited to it and I am not one of those people. So that promoted a visit to University.

Once there, I received some great advice about a potential career choice - Museum Curator - and from there I thought I would try a spring class. A spring class (at least in Alberta) is a condensed class that is 3 hours a day, Monday though Friday, for three weeks. That went well, so I did a summer class (same time frame) and that went well too. So, with 2 weeks to spare, I registered for full time classes starting in September '08. And from there I have not looked back!! 

Now, as I have said, this will be my 6th year of University. My plan was going to be doing my BA in 5 years as opposed to the usual 4, but as you've read above - time lines are not a sticking point for me. But if I could give any freshmen who are reading this, or even if you're going into your second or third year - GET YOUR DEGREE DONE IN A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME!! If you're doing a four year degree, try to do it in four years. You sort of hit a wall after that, at least I did. But don't rush it either. If you're not a strong student, then it might be better to do fewer classes a semester, but stay focused on getting your degree done! But I haven't looked back and I'm glad things have happened the way that they did. I have met some great friends and I have had some amazing professors who have supported, and encouraged me!

And through it all, my family. I'm pretty lucky in the family department. Both my parents are amazingly supportive, and are great with everything from lending a supportive shoulder to sob on when I'm stressed about an exam, or a fresh set of eyes to proof read a paper (which would come in handy as I blog - my spelling and grammar always suffer during the summer). I always get the encouragement and cheerleading I need!! Love you all!


AS A SIDE NOTE:
I am very curious about what kind of things you, my readers, would like from my blog! I have a few ideas of my own (and they are NOT all school related, I promise). But feel free to leave a comment below about what you're curious about, or would like to see, and I'll see what I can do!! 

Essential Locker Supplies

I thought I would do a post about my locker essentials kit. Mine is perhaps a little obsessive, but I'm a believer that if you have it, you'll likely never need it! Plus it's always a good idea to at least have a few things that you use on a regular basis in your locker, and that saves you from having it hanging around in your purse or school bag taking up space and adding extra weight!!

So this is my kit:

  I keep two different kits in my locker. One for personal products and the other for school supplies. I'm first going to show you my personal kit (which is packed!)

This is the brand 'REALLY USEFUL BOX' and it's the 1.7 

  I like to keep a deodorant in case I hit the gym, or more likely am just in a rush in the morning and forget to put it on before I leave the house! It's just a travel size one that you can find at any drug store. There are also Almay oil free make up eraser sticks, which a q-tips filled with make up remover that is safe to use around your eyes. You just snap one end and the cleanser saturates the other tip and you can fix any mascara boo boo's or other smudges. For the same reason, I have Clean and Clear oil absorbing sheets and Olay wet cleansing cloths. Depending on how long my day is, I love to wash my make up off and just enjoy a nice clean face! And even though I always have them in my purse, I keep tissues and a lip balm as well. I have a tiny lip balm addiction. I always have about 4 with me.

 I have also discovered that it is a good idea to keep a few first aid items in my locker. You can track these down at most schools in various offices or at campus stores, but this way you are guaranteed to have something on hand.

I especially like to keep blister band aids in my locker. I don't know why but at some point during the school year, I seem to think that it would be a good idea to break in new shoes, which almost always results in a blister! I also have band aids in various sizes and designs, some of which have a antibiotic in them. Regardless, I also have Polysporin on hand. I like the one specifically labeled Polysporin Kids because it is a non-stinging formula and has a pain reliever. I'm a baby and I know it! Last but not least, hand sanitizer. Schools are breeding grounds for colds and flu's and they seem to attack right around midterms and finals so protect yourself!!

Because I'm a baby, I have my Hello Kitty pill case with some Advil and Aleve. These are for personal use and I recommend being careful when giving out any sort of painkiller to anybody else!

Some feminine products. Enough said...

Some other essentials are hand lotion, nail file(s), a Tide to Go pen, small hair brush, hair elastics and butterfly clips, and because I wear glasses (I'm not a fan of contacts - I don't like touching my eyes, plus I just like the way I look with glasses!), I like to have glasses cleaner, a cloth and a little tool to tighten them up if need be. I have several pairs of glasses with the same prescription, but my favorite pair are pretty old. I think I've had them since I was about 15, so they need a little love every once and a while.

My second kit is the school supplies! This is also a 'Really Useful Box' and it's a 0.9 liter pencil box.

So in here I keep the obvious pens, white out tape, pencils and an eraser. Sometimes my pencil case does not always make it back into my school bag, or I forget it somewhere, so it's a good idea to have back ups handy so I you don't have to bum off of friends. This is especially true if you're me, and am kind of a pen snob!

Highlighters! My favorite ones are the Sharpie Gel highlighters. They don't smear like some other gel highlighters do and because they are gel. they don't bleed through the paper and look messy!

I also like the Staedtler triplus textsurfer. These ones are super thin and perfect for highlighting in textbooks or underlining notes.

Also kept it here are: a hole punch, stapler and staples, scissors, and a spare USB drive. Again, most of these things can be found somewhere on campus, such as the library, but I like to have them handy to save me the running around, or again, hoping a friend has them!

And last but not least, post it notes and reinforcements!! Nothing is worse then having a page of notes you've just madly written, be ripped out of your binder! And post its are just an organizational essential!!














And the last thing I keep in my locker is a charger with USB cables for both my iPhone and iPod!

There is nothing worse then trying to kill time, or text message a friend between classes about meeting up for coffee or a notes exchange and your battery is dead!

Back to school supplies!!

So here are some of my Back to School supplies!! I know it's a bit early, but I love school, and I love school supplies!! And I love exclamation points... sorry.

So here is my new school bag! I love it!! It's a Coach tote bag that my mom treated me too. She bought it on an amazing sale from CrossIron Mills Coach Outlet last weekend while we were on our way to Banff, and I think she paid $85 for it.

And it's big enough to hold everything and then some!

So here is my binder! It is from Target and it is there Up brand. I can't remember exactly how much it was but it was, but it comes with 5 dividers, and ruler and a pocket that snaps closed. It's really durable and they have tons of cute colors! The band around it is also Up brand from Target and it's called a File Band. It comes in a three pack and I love it because it will stop my binder from falling open (which always happens in a tote bag) and it will stop my notes from getting smooshed!

Here's the inside of the binder

I also got this from Five Star at Target. I love in because it has 5 divided areas with two pockets in the front and one in the back (see post it notes). I love it because if I'm having a lazy day and i don't want to carry my binder everywhere I can just put in some paper and still keep my notes organized.

Here are some notebooks, the two on the left are from Target, the two on the right are from Staples (I got them last year). I like to write my notes on loose leaf paper in class, and then depending on how clear my notes are or how organized they are (some professors bounce around which makes it hard to study), I will re-write them in a coil note book so that I can better organize them, and re-writing them helps me remember the information. It also forces me to re read every word and check to make sure that I understand what was covered in class and can follow up with my professor if I don't.

Here's my planner! This one is mostly for personal use, but I will be recording my due dates in here as well. It is a Blueline day timer and I got it at Staples.

This is going to be my school planner. It is from Target and I found it in the One Spot so it was only $1! I really like it because it has each month laid out at the beginning, the one week on the left side and the right side has a page for assignments and a small section of To Do. Hopefully, this will help keep my reading assignments and smaller homework assignments that may come up more organized and they won't get lost or forgotten about in my other planner.

And both organizers are purple which is my favorite color!!

My Casio calculator which I need for my Statistics class in first term. Wish me luck! because anything math related is not my strong suit.

My cute little pencil case! I really didn't need to get a new one since I have about 20 (it's an addiction, I'm aware). But it was sooooo cute! It's from Target, and is a tin shell with a zipper closer. The purple ruler is also from Target and folds in half to fit inside the case. 

The last thing I got (at least for now) are these post it notes and flags from Superstore. The computer disk post its were $1 and the flags were $2!! Soo cute and I love the ninjas!

So that's what I have organized so far for school. I'm sure I'll have a few more things and I'll make sure to post about my locker supply kit and all of it's goodies!! Happy shopping!!