I Have a Deep Dark Secret

The weekend before this last one we purchased all the paint we need for the interior of the house. We also picked out hardware to bring the master bath into a cohesive idea. Some fixtures were chrome, others brushed nickel and then the lights are oiled bronze (the really dark finish). For now we are keeping the lights as is but opted to bring all else (except the tub and shower fixtures) into a brushed nickel finish.

Not to jump ahead of myself. I took last Thursday off to await the delivery of our new king sized bed from Ikea. With this distraction free day I finished the backyard. Pavers are down and that evening I seeded the grass. Here are some pictures:

The transformation is amazing... Now I just have to patiently wait another 3-5 weeks for the lawn to really establish itself... Thank goodness for all the near by parks.

Back to the paint. Me being me, I couldn't resist beginning to paint. So this past Friday night that is exactly what I did after the wee one went to bed. I painted the accent wall in the living room. Then Saturday proper I painted the accent wall in the dining room and the one in the entry way. After beddie bye time for the monster Collin and I went at the master bath and got it painted top to bottom. After all of this my hands were so sore and all of me beat up (still carried over from the yard) I decided no more painting for a couple weeks. Also, we had a lucky break of early summer like weather so we were able to have all the windows and such open last weekend. Now it is back to spring in Oregon-like weather. Here's what the rooms look like now.

The living room is in Gray Suede.

 The entry way is Haute Red.

 The dining room is Chocolate Eclair.

And the master bath is Winterhaven (it doesn't quite translate, but it is an off white with a blue gray tint to it).

The paint in the bathroom completely changed the tone of the room. The beige that it was before made it seem so dingy and rather dark (there is no natural light source). This color makes it seem so much brighter and just awesome.

We still have four rooms to go. The powder room, the hall (kids) bathroom, the princess' room, and our master bedroom. We're hoping to work on them in the next couple weeks.

Last night, for the first time in months, I went for an interval run (run/walk/run method). It was so freeing and amazing. Like, I can't begin to describe how awesome it made me feel. I forgot just how much joy running brings me. I mean, I knew how much I loved it and all the peace and so on, but to actually do it again was just beautifully wonderful. It was far from my fastest pace and it was just under a mile, but it is also just the beginning. I don't want to risk any chance of re-injury. That awesomeness resonated and carried over with me into today. I just felt awesome and glowing. Kind of like if you have ever gone any length without sex and then you have amazing sex it just leaves you floating. I know, not the best analogy but it was the first that came to mind. For any innocent virgins, it's like, um... Well, shoot. It's feels like accomplishing something really big. Yea... That's it. Tomorrow night is run numero dos and then Saturday I am going to try my luck at running with the mini me in the stroller (yes, it is a jogging stroller).

Okay, I have Pioneer Woman playing in the background while I post this (after done I plan to mini binge watch some anime) and I just noticed that the captions are way off... Like I think they are from a different show.... What ever....

I bet by now you forgot the title of this post. You did, didn't you? It's okay.

My secret is this. And when I say this is a deep dark secret, I mean, this is something I don't think I have even told Collin and I tell him EVERYTHING. Sorry, if you told me something, he probably knows. That is just the kind of relationship we have. We are one. Except, apparently, this one thing.

Something I have always, always wanted to do is play piano. I have been enamored with them since I was a small child. I have always wanted to learn, but lessons and the instrument itself are not cheap. Maybe in a past life I was a pianist. I don't know. I just know that my infatuation has been rekindled of late. I recently watched an anime series called (really rough translation) "You Lie In April" and it was focused on musicians; specifically pianists and violinists and it was like a spark.

The past week I have been listening to classical (and some newer) piano music on Pandora while at work and while I was painting. There is something in the melodies produced by pianos that really awakens some part of me. Partially my creative side, and partially my logical side. I find that I am really focused (and yes I know there are studies to support this) while listening but occasionally I find a composition that just catches me off guard and entrances me. Of course listening to it is like torture because it makes me want to learn how to play all the more.

And in the back of my mind I remember the piano at my mother in laws house when I lived with her. There was something that deeply saddened me about a piano that was just left to sit there like some glorified shelf. Collin's mom used to play (long before I entered their lives) I believe. Another of many things I wished she'd been able to teach me. Time is so fickle.

But, yes, that's it. I am a closet piano nerd who has no idea how to play.

Next post I will finally review the Alton Brown Protein Bars. They are delicious, but I have some ideas for some tweakage.

Take care.

Mostly Clean

Woohoo!!! My boys, the Detroit Red Wings, are in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the 24th straight year! It is a good day.

For our April meal plan we are doing about (if I'm being honest) 90% clean eating. There are a few small things that aren't "clean" such as our blended caffeine boosts (only twice a week), and the odd day when we desperately need caffeine at work. I suppose this could be negated if I took some of my home made creamer (coconut milk based) to work for these instances... But that would be planning.

Tonight's deliciously wonderful clean dinner was a pineapple chicken stir fry with black bean sauce and brown rice. It was full of sugar snap peas, onions and red bell peppers (along with the obvious chicken and pineapple). For once I had the where with all to take a picture of it before I devoured it like a boa on feeding day. Yea, that's right I dislocated my job and swallowed it in one go... Okay not really, but it was good enough to want to.

This weekend I am going to give a go of making my own "protein bars" a la Alton Brown's recipe (which you can link to here). It's time to switch up our breakfasty snack. We had been doing these banana oatmeal no sugar cookie things with raisins and such in them, but I don't want to get burnt out on them. It was like kismet. We were watching Good Eats on Netflix last weekend and one of the episodes we watched was about healthy snack bar options. I also plan to try the other recipes on the episode. One was a granola bar and the other was a healthier take on crispy rice treats. I'll share the outcome on anything that I attempt.

For the past few days I have been drinking a detox water. I don't know that I feel any significant difference but I think I will still sip it for another week to make it a full two weeks. The particular detox water I went with is infused with green tea, lime, and mint. I find it to be bitter but passable. I am thinking next week I will add cucumber to help sweeten and tone down the tart bitterness. It'd probably taste great with some gin...

Next time, I might try the ever popular lemon, cranberry, dandelion tea detox water. The main thing I have noticed with all the detox and infused waters out there is that they are another way of getting people to focus on consuming enough water, which too few of us do.

As always I will keep you posted if I find some miracle detox drink that makes me drop 100 pounds and makes me look ten years younger in two weeks, but realistically I will mostly update you on the flavors and effects if any.

I am thinking May might be a paleo month. I am a big fan of the paleo eating method; it tends to be filling but not "heavy". June, not sure. July will be a raw vegan month I think, that or August. Height of summer and all would be the ideal time to do it. Hrm... maybe June will be a soup month. And to allay any fears, when we go on these different eating methods each month I keep in mind that I am also feeding a toddler. Thankfully, she continues to be fairly adventurous and will try almost anything once.

Watching the very first episode of Grey's Anatomy tonight, and OMG the flashbacks. I first started watching this show day one with my mother in law. It became our weekly ritual; back then it was on Sundays.

Ta ta til the next post! Happy Friday tomorrow!

Progress is Massive

For the most part I am going to let the pictures speak for the transformation our new yard has underwent. It is so close to being completed, and I will share those photos when it is done as well.

*~*~*~Sorry distracted by the final minutes of a Red Wings Game~*~*~*

But yea, the yard was essentially a gut job. It was filled predominately by this faded, rotting, obnoxious deck. Also, with how high it was it made me feel like a creeper because I could just look right over my neighbor's fences and into their yards.

This is it, this is the yard/deck as it was when we moved in. Also this is the way the flora looked as well.

So as you can see the yard was very broken up. The tree growing right by the house became our Christmas tree this year. And the other (a Port Orford Cedar) just needed to be trimmed up.

So next is the progression as the deck disappeared.

All the scrap wood went to my dad (as mentioned in my last post). All the cinder blocks and bricks I plan to repurpose in the new world.

And now, the transformation of the yard itself. Well mostly the side yard. I will add more in the next few weeks as the yard is really put together, but even with these you can see how much more open the yard looks. It has made a huge difference.

Sorry, some of the pictures might be redundant redundant, but oh well, my blog my rules.

That's sadly all I have energy for tonight. I want to get in a workout of sorts. I call it my anime workout. Any of you who watch anime or have watched know this, but anime tends to have fairly long opening credits and closing credits. What I do while watching is I do crunches during the start of one episode, squats through the end, and jumping jacks through the beginning of the next. I keep doing this circuit for at least 2-3 episodes. It's a nice way to enjoy some of my guilty pleasure anime shows and still get in a workout. :-)

Next post I will try to share some food related stuff of some sort... That reels people in right? LOL

Hope you survived your Tuesday! 

Brain Dump Needed, Stat!

Oh my... Bwah, just life in general. Wow. Never boring, never dull, and never enough time. But, hey, I couldn't imagine it any different.

Last month there was some drama that I am still not sure how I feel about my involvement. I feel a bit played, but that's my own fault because of my nature. Someday I will get it... No, no, not really. I will always be kind, caring, and see the best in people even if it's not really there.

I'd like to believe I ultimately dealt with the emotions and frustration I felt after said events in a healthy manner. I threw myself into tons of projects, did some pampering things for myself, and relished in the peace and serenity time spent with my spouse and child provide.

I took a couple days off the week of everything. With our four day weekend we accomplished so much. On Thursday we completed the demolition of the old deck in our backyard (the progression of this will be in my next post; I need to upload some photos from my camera) and rented a u-haul to load up all the lumber and take to my dad. I personally loaded every scrap of wood by myself... We are talking a roughly 20' x 20' deck with all its support framing. Collin was/is still recovering from a herniated disc last month so I had him ride herd on the little demon. By the time I was done I felt like I did after I completed my fist half marathon (and runs of equal distance); sore, exhausted, broken, and ravenously hungry. Collin warmed up our dinner (left overs from the night before) and kept me comfortable.

Speaking of the demon child; she was home from daycare that day after she woke up at 10:30pm expelling every molecule in her stomach. No fever or anything. The only culprit we believed sparked the Exorcism impression from her was a produce sticker. Specifically an apple label. There was still some apple skin attached to the sticker so I know it's not like she found the sticker and ate it... It was probably missed in the kitchen at daycare and my little monster was the unfortunate child that consumed it. She was fine and we were able to get her to relax enough by 1:30 am to go back to bed. Thursday morning she was fine but to be safe we kept her home. I had called and left an extremely polite message before we went to be after she went back down explaining that she wouldn't be there and why.

Friday we got coffee, took her to daycare and then took the u-haul to my dad and unloaded the lumber in record time (I had to get back home by 1pm so I could get ready for my doctor appointment at the fracture clinic). We went into town from my dad's and returned the u-haul (we had traded all the lumber with him for twenty two 12 x 12" paver stones), got some lunch at the best little deli ever (Deli 101), and then speed raced from the coast to home so I could change and get to my appointment.

The appointment went fabulously. My foot is all healed with some nice new bone having grown, and NO MORE BOOT!! The doctor asked me if there was anything in particular I was anxious to get back to doing and I told him running. He advised to stick to a brisk walk for a few more weeks but otherwise I am okay to return to normal activity.... Little does he know, with the boot, I never really stopped. That is my biggest weakness I believe, I have a hard time "taking it easy".

That Saturday I had a dentist appointment and we did some shopping, and I did some more grueling labor in the yard. I finished digging up the cement support blocks and picking up all the trash. I also pulled up all the plastic sheeting that was under about three inches of old mulch in the part of the yard not covered by the deck. I will be re-purposing it when I lay down the pavers. I began to rake the entire yard.

I honestly am not 100% sure what I did that Sunday other than laundry.

Last weekend I treated myself to my first ever pedicure accompanied by a really great friend. It was awesome and magical. It was wonderful getting to visit with my friend too; some much needed therapy. Afterwards, the flim flam and I went to Ikea and got some new dishes for the wee one and for us grown-ups. While there we began to entertain the idea of getting a new bed. Since the aforementioned herniated disc, Collin needs a more firm and supportive mattress. Our current bed is an eight year old pillow top and has seen me at my max weight... So it's a little worse for wear...

After much discussion and research on our part we decided yes, it is time to get a new bed.

This weekend was amazing and fun. We took our little angel to her first Easter egg hunt. She made out like a bandit. Two new stuffed animals (a dog and a pig), some fun plastic eggs, and another soccer ball. This one is green and pink. After the company party where said egg hunt was we went back to Ikea and spent about forty five minutes flopping around on beds. We found a winner, got a new comforter, and duvet cover. Paid for it all and then scheduled delivery and haul away. The lame part of it? We are two miles more from Ikea than we were at our last place. Two miles. But, that is apparently Out of the Area. And, even more fun, they only deliver to our area on Thursdays, and they are booked this next week. So no new bed until the 16th. Oh, well, I know it could be worse. We could be getting no new bed at all. Such is life.

Today, we went to Lowe's and priced out all that we need to update the fixtures in our master bath and all the paint we need to pain various accent walls, the bathrooms, our room, and the little princess' room. After much deliberation, we have found the paint colors for all the areas needed. It will be another fun transformation to share with you.

I'm sure there is some I have skipped over, but I'll blame the fact my new glasses aren't here yet because surely that effects my ability to type as is obvious by the length of this post.

Yea, we'll go with that.

Tomorrow night or Tuesday, we'll go over the progress of our backyard transformation.

I promise.