House Party!

I'm not a party animal, but I do love to have people in my home!   Over the holidays, we were invited to a House Party -- sounds like college event huh?   I promise you this is like nothing you experienced in college.  House Party is a company that puts products into the hands of consumers for feedback.  I suppose you could say it is a modern day focus group.  The party we were invited to over the holidays was a family-focused New Year's Eve event.  The host had been given Hasbro games for guests to play.  Guests got to try the games and the host was able to keep all the goodies & provide feedback on the games to the company.

What a cool concept right?  Have people over and get some cool products - win, win!  I joined House Party and applied for a couple of different products of interest.  I'd never been chosen until last week.  We will be hosting a Keurig "Brew What You Love" party later this month & I couldn't be more excited!   The prize pack is pretty amazing!!  As a host - we will receive a Keurig maker and K-cups for guests to try.  Additionally, we will get another Keurig maker to give away to one of the guests as well as coupons for everyone! 

Cruise on over to House Party and sign up -- what do you have to lose?

Random List of Things I'd Like to Learn

Do you have moments when you wish you knew how to do something -- a skill, a talent, etc.... I thought I'd make a list of things I'd like to learn...

1.  Sewing - I've tried before and failed miserably - something about the sewing machine intimidates me.  I need a super basic sewing class.  I asked for a gift certificate for a local sewing place several years ago - I signed up to learn to make a pillow -- seemed basic enough, but even that was over my head!

2. Basic Plumbing & Electrical Skills - I just wanna know how to do stuff!  Although, I must admit with Google and YouTube - you can almost figure out anything.  We had a steady drip from our shower head for longer than I care to admit.  We kept avoiding addressing the issue b/c well, I don't know why!  Anyway, I recently fixed it with help of Google, YouTube, and my friend Sally. It was such a simple fix - the washer behind the knob needed to be tightened!

3. Automotive Stuff - I say stuff because I'm really not sure what I want to know - I don't want to be intimidated at the garage when I need a car repair.

4.  Music/Singing - This is definitely a talent I was  not born with - I'm tone deaf and can't carry a tune, but boy, I can make a joyful noise.  I'd love to learn to read music, play the piano, and use my voice.


I'm sure there are more, but these are the ones that come to mind most often... What do you want to learn?

Menu Plan Monday

This is the plan - but it doesn't always go according to plan - thanks to leftovers, etc!

Monday - Oven Baked Tacos

Tuesday - Chicken Spaghetti

Wednesday -  Leftovers (back-up tomato sandwiches)

Thursday - Broccoli Cheddar Braid

Friday - Dinner at a friend's house for Pinterest night  ;)

Saturday - Dinner at my parent's house

Sunday - Out of Town

2013 Fitness Goals

This post would have been more appropriately posted in January, but better late than never!    Toward the end of last year, I hit a slump with exercising and eating.   I had done fairly well keeping the proverbial train on the tracks from 2009 through most of last year.  Not exactly sure what happened last winter, but I lost the drive and enthusiasm I had for exercising.   In late January, I was watching the first episode of Biggest Loser and realized I needed to get my act together before everything came falling apart.  I decided the most logical step would be to write down my fitness goals for 2013.  Here they are --

I had thought about many of these goals before but actually writing them out on paper suddenly made me more accountable & honestly has helped get me back on track.   I'm still working on my endurance and speed at the top of the list - but many of the others are ongoing - strengthening my core has happened as a result of new activities (Metabolic Effect classes) - I've been averaging around 4 workouts per week (my goal is no less than 3)... 10K was completed on June 22nd... The main thing is I'm focused again and I have been since I made the list...

My words of advice -- make a list  :)

Old news but worth posting - 10K

10K -- no not ten thousand dollars - I wish!   10K = 10 kilometers - 6.2 miles    

In late April/early May, I shared my 2013 fitness goals with a co-worker.  I keep promising to share them here and I will (I promise).   Anyway, one of my goals for this year was to complete a 10K race.  I've done several 5K races over the past three years.  I'm not super fast by any means as of matter of fact at most races I feel like a turtle in quick sand.  This year, I wanted to push myself a little harder because another goal was to increase my pace and endurance. 

The race was held in late June which unfortunately here in the South typically is hot and humid.  To prep for the race, we met 2-3 mornings three to four weeks before the race to run one loop of the course.  My goal was to finish strong and not be last.  This was the first annual race for Industries for the Blind which meant it was a relatively small race (around 170 registered runners - yikes!).   At the sound of the horn, the majority of the pack jetted ahead.  One mistake I've made in the past was starting out too fast - so this time I was determined to pace myself.   It was quite clear from the start I was going to be at the back.  The course was challenging - some gradual inclines, some flat areas, and a nice steep hill leading to the finish line.  My only negative is that it was a two loop course meaning we ran the same 3.2 mile loop twice --- this played with my mind.    At the beginning of the race, I played cat and mouse with one runner for the most of the first loop.  Around mile 4, I managed to pass her and two others.  I desperately tried to pass an older gentleman in front of me - but I just couldn't do it!

Climbing the hill to the finish line,  I heard Kelly Clarkson's "What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger" playing and I dug deep and plowed up the hill.  The good news - I wasn't LAST (three people finished after me) and it was one of my best races pace wise.  AGAIN,  I know I'm not fast - but I was pleased as punch with my 13:31 mile pace (just 10 seconds shy of my best 5K pace). 

I couldn't have done it with out my Super-Friend and so happy she helped me trained and stayed right by my side throughout the race!

Design on a Dime - Master Bath Update

After last year's kitchen DIY,  I said it would be a long time before I tackled another project and after almost exactly a year -- I decided to dive in again!    Our master bath has been bugging me for awhile.  Most people wouldn't even considered it a master bath - it's probably the size of most homes half-baths.

We aren't certain, but we think the previous owners removed the shower/tub combo and replaced it with a shower stall.  I know brass was the "in" thing in the mid 80's but I wasn't digging it too much.  Aside from that, no matter how hard I tried - the caulk at the bottom was nearly impossible to keep clean as was the shower basin.  The whole project got started because super-son was heading to overnight camp for the first time and this momma needed something to keep her busy.

First step, remove all the caulk, clean with non-ammonia cleaner, followed by bleach... allow to dry really well and then recaulk.  Sounds relatively easy, but I'm not going to lie - most of the caulk came up relatively easy - but any residue on the wall was very hard to remove (sharp edge, goo-gone, you name it - I probably tried it).  We had lived with it looking less than stellar anyway - so I did the best I could and moved on.  Next, I patched the wall to the left of the shower stall - at some point there had been a small leak and fortunately, it wasn't ongoing and didn't cause significant damage.

Next up paint -- walls, ceiling, and trim.  It's been really hard to get good pictures of the room.  The before color was fairly neutral - beige with yellowish undertones - it went well with the brass if that's your thing.  :)   I wanted to go with Sherwin Williams Ice Cube - it was a very light grey - white with a hint of gray.  After painting a small area,  I realized I loved the color - but needed a little more grey.  Back to Sherwin Williams (always excellent customer service by the way) and they added to make it more like Olympus Gray.

Much better and it complements the gray tile floor.   I really didn't want the storage cabinets to come back in the bathroom, but this was "design on a dime" so there they are.   :)   The smaller one contains extra toiletries and the one over the toilet holds items we use on a daily basis.  Much improved overall - but the stall was still an eyesore to me.  I decided to get a tension rod and hang wall-to-wall to create the illusion that a regular tub/shower combo was behind there.  

Plan A:  We looked at Kohls,  Bed, Bath, and Beyond, Target and Walmart online and finally agreed on a shower curtain we both liked.   Only to realize, standard shower curtains are 72 inches in length - the shower stall was 74 inches itself -- back to square one.  Plan B:  I found out Bed, Bath, and Beyond online carries special size shower curtains and we agreed on one -- only to find out it was backordered and out of stock.  There wasn't alot to choose from - so plan C.   Find a high thread count sheet -- accent with grosgrain ribbon and have our embroidered with our monogram.   I stopped in at Home Goods to see what I could find - measurements in hand.  And stumbled across the perfect pattern for us - only it wasn't a shower curtain.  Plan D:  A lightweight twin XL duvet color was the perfect length and I loved the pattern! 

The  colors look amazing with the walls and floors -- since it is merely hiding our shower stall the fabric didn't matter!   I choose the round hooks with clips - so we didn't have to make any adjustments to the curtain in order to get it on the rod.  

The towel holder, toilet paper holder, hinges, and light fixture were all brass... but nothing that a little Krylon couldn't fix!   Worked perfectly on the hinges & light fixture.  We had a towel holder and toilet paper holder under the sink that previous owners had left (uhh 11 years ago). 

And a couple more pictures of the finished room - wish I could get a better picture!  We hung the tension rod at the ceiling and the room appears taller.

The only paint I had to purchase was 1 gallon from Sherwin Williams (yeah for 30% off) and the rest was leftover from last year's kitchen project.

In addition, I repaired a pesky drip from the shower head - thanks to Google, YouTube, and my pal, Sally.  :)

4 Months!

It's true - the older I get the more time flies!   The last time I posted it was March and now it's July!  Summa-time is here! 

Here's what I've been up to lately:

• Working on my fitness goals for 2013.  I made the list in late January while watching Biggest Loser.  I've been  hesitant to share the list because that well, uh, makes us more accountable right?  However, I hope to share the list with you soon & let you know about my progress.
• Super-son completed elementary school in June and will be heading to middle school in August.  Not sure if this mom is ready for that!
• It's been a BUSY summer!   We've implemented some new software at work which has resulted in my "busy" season at work to be twice as busy.  
• Vacation for us this year will be a stay-cation which is a huge change for us.  We never go anywhere over the top - we are fortunate to live in close proximity to the beach and mountains & the beach is usually our destination of choice.  However, this year we've decided to stay home and do some day trips and really just enjoy each others company. 
• DIY!  After last year's DIY summer adventure,  I haven't been ready to tackle ANYTHING - BUT...  Super-son was away at the beach last week with the grandparents and home for  a day & heads to church camp tomorrow... this momma needed something to do... stay tuned for my Design on a Dime bathroom makeover!   It's currently in the "what was I thinking - have no choice but to move forward stage".  

Have a fabulous Monday!!!