Caddy change and snoring corpse

The Mr never knows what he's walking in on these days.

Ever since the remodel started, I've been painting everything in sight.  I still need to get that damn table moved out to the garage but I saw the remote caddy we bought in Hawaii just wasn't going to cut it anymore.  I mean a pineapple covered caddy can only stay relevant for so long.  It's a fabric one with a wooden base and since I'd just read you can paint fabric with chalk paint, I figured I would give it a go.

When he came home, he walked past it several times and just figured "good Lord, what is she painting now?"  He seemed to be okay with it but was kind of making fun of me.  Hey, I'm saving us money, just go along for the ride, sir.

Later it was time for my second form of torture for him in the form of yoga.  We have decided Wednesday is yoga day and I wanted to do a different one so I found this Hatha yoga session on DoYogaWithMe.com.  There were a few poses that we laughed at because they were physically impossible for us.  We went as far as we could with the poses and still got a good stretch in.  That and of course the Mr's motto...

(Click here to browse products from this line- (affiliate link) )

That man will start snoring 45 seconds in while we lay in corpse pose at the end.  My hips are killing me today but the Mr always feels yoga immediately.  He says he always feels worse after yoga than he does before it.  Well, he has NO flexibility which we need to work on that and we need to keep me limber.  It must be a regular thing for us instead of waiting for when we're both muscularly bunged up.

I hope to finish up the remote caddy today and I'll bring you some DIY projects soon after I get my zillion pics edited!  :-)

Do you do yoga?  Who are your favorite instructors?

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Summer walk, TJ's walking a thin line and movie night

Last night we were compelled to walk for our workout.  73 degrees in July with little humidity?  Yes please.  

You've gotta snap that stuff up at every opportunity!

We got in 2.65 miles and strolled by waterfalls...

...and a duck feeding frenzy.

Dinner was BBQ chicken naan pizza and corn on the cob.

I will longingly stare at this picture as it appears Trader Joe's has stopped carrying our absolute favorite lacey marble swiss.  Curse you, Trader Joe.  Your discontinuing of everything we love is going to make us abandon you if you're not careful.

Then it was movie night.

We rented Transcendence (affiliate link)  with Johnny Depp despite bad reviews and The Other Woman (affiliate link)  with Cameron Diaz and Leslie Mann.  We went with Johnny first and while I don't think it was as bad as we both read, it was just kind of...mmm...draggy?  The concept was good, the ending could've been better.

The Other Woman started out being seriously irritating but it thankfully got funny.  I like the nod to the infamous Jeff Daniels scene from Dumb and Dumber.  It was also nice to see Don Johnson again. It was not nice to see whatever trollop played Diaz' secretary.  She was seriously annoying but thankfully not in the movie too much.   It's one of those ones I'd say if the trailer looked good to you, rent it.  If it didn't, it probably wouldn't necessarily win you over.  I know, glowing review.  HA!

What have you rented lately?

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Ice cream social

The other night my mom asked if the Mr and I wanted to get some ice cream with my grandma and grandpa.  I said yes and we re-arranged our calories so it wouldn't throw a wrench into things.  They have three flavors of light ice cream there so we said we would get a scoop of one of those.

While the Mr, my mom and grandpa went up to order, I stayed at the table with grandma.  She was having a good day.  She asked me what I've been up to lately and you have to know that for a dementia patient to ask that, is something that is exceedingly rare.  There are days she can barely string together a sentence that makes sense to us.  We know she knows what she means but there is a disconnect from what she thinks she's saying to what comes out of her mouth.  Ninety percent of the time, she won't really speak unless spoken to so for her to ask me what I'd been up to is like the best thing ever.  You cling to it.  You know it could be the last time she ever has the capacity to have that thought to interact in a way that most of us take for granted.  I told her what I've been doing and thought I'd give it a shot and ask the same of her.  This is where it gets tricky because sometimes she says "I don't know" or will just smile because she doesn't know what to say.  But she said "oh, about the same.  You know."  It was so wonderful to hear that little snippet of the old her even if I knew that she wasn't redoing furniture like me, it was just the fact that it was more than a blank stare, look of confusion or "I don't know."

She showed me her Mary Jane shoes and she called them 'shoo-ees' and I think she was trying to say "shoe-bees" which is what she always called them all my life.  I call them that too about 60% of the time, I'll tell the Mr to 'get his shoe-bees on' and start laughing at how natural yet funny it sounds.  It's somehow comforting that a phrase that started when I was a kid comes so natural to me.  When I'm 80 and the Mr is 82, before our nightly walk, I will tell him to get his shoe-bees on.

When they came back, she dove into her scoop of ice cream.  I think the meds she's on gives her quite an appetite for sweets because she knows no restraint around ice cream and it's the cutest thing ever.  My grandpa was a little more than halfway done with his when she finished and she kind of started looking around like "where'd my ice cream go?"  Grandpa handed her his cup and asked if she wanted some and she dug into that bad boy and I laughed, looked at him and said "well, you're done!"  She did something similar at my cousin's birthday dinner when they brought out his free sundae.  He took a bite then passed it around for everyone to take a bite to pass it back and when it got to her, she started scarfing it down and we all busted out laughing and I said "yeah, you're not getting that back!"  It is seriously so cute.

By the time we were winding down, she was getting cold and bundled up in her jacket.  She pulled the collar of her jacket closed and shivered a bit and I said it was probably time to get her home.  She hugged us goodbye and it was thankfully a normal one, not one where she appears timid or almost scared because she doesn't know us.

I cherish those good days.  I am glad that we moved things around so that we could enjoy the ice cream social with them instead of being so stringent that we missed that bonding moment with her.  It's fine to pass up treats sometimes but other times you need to remember that moments like those are fleeting and plan ahead so you can stay true to your goals as well as enjoy the people in your life while they're here.

What's your favorite flavor of ice cream?

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Monday, you saucy wench...

...we meet again.

Twas quite a weekend.  I wanted to go to an artist market out of town  so the Mr happily obliged and we were off early Saturday.  While we ended up walking away with nothing more than some peaches and a candy onion, I did see some cool stuff.  I fell in love with this shabby chic (and sold) piece.

Dreamy as it is, to me, it would be completely impractical unless it was in a reading nook or maybe a less used formal living room.  But as you'll see, I'm drawn to this look.

We were looking for a lighting solution in a dark corner and I bought what I hope are two wall sconces that will do the trick.  I was originally looking for swag lighting and I almost wish I saw this first...

I could've taken off the crystals and spray painted the metal portion and chain a hammered silver metal to update it for that spot.  I probably would have had it rewired for my own peace of mind.  It was $65 and I kind of wish I'd bought it.  The Mr breathes a sigh of relief.

We hit up an old toy store and I got to smile a bit over toys of my youth.

It was a long day but overall, a good one.  I did purchase a fun piece that showed up twice that day and feel like I got a heck of a deal so I'm a happy girl.  It needs a little work but not too much before I can get her all polished and ready to hang.

Yesterday the Mr and I decided to walk at the park and despite the fact it looked like rain, we thought it would allow us to keep a good pace.  Well, halfway through, the heavens opened and lightning flashed on occasion.  With only one umbrella between us, we decided to head to the nature center and ride it out as long as possible.

We watched the birds, we watched a twitchy chipmunk peek from a tree stump to alert the nearby wildlife of impending meteorological doom and a squirrel enjoying a sheltered stuffing of the cheeks with bird feed for a full 20 minutes.  We weren't sure if he was going to grow into obesity before our eyes or explode but we were distracted by a hummingbird.  After riding out a good 40 minutes in the center, we felt like maybe we stayed later than they were open and they didn't want to kick us out into the weather.  Since we were 1/2 mile from our car at minimum, we decided once the lightning stopped, we would just make a break for it.  It was still raining quite a bit but we made the trek.  The once lightly damp trails were now riddled with what could only be described as more than puddles, less than creeks running the lengths of them.  Some were pretty deep and I don't know how my socks didn't get soaked.  We took turns holding the umbrella until our hands would cramp up and switch off.  Halfway through, the sun began shining as the rain fell.  The leaves sparkled all around us from the water catching the rays.  It made me wish I'd remembered a camera.  When we emerged from the trail, the rain had become a sprinkle and we put the umbrella away.  We each had a wet shoulder depending on what side was exposed, my hair was wet at the ends and my jeans were soaked mid-shin.  I wouldn't change a thing.

When we got home, it was time to kick up my feet on the new couch.

Yes, I'm wearing reindeer pajamas in July.

Stop judging me.

What did you do this weekend?


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Changes and what I'm reading this week

It's Aloha Friday y'all!  

Guess how I've been blogging lately?

You'll get a sneak peek of the new furniture Monday but this way of life won't be missed!

Lets get on to...

5 Simple Moves to Eliminate Low Back Pain for Good  (Yes, please)

6 Things You May Not Have Known About Duran Duran’s ‘Rio’ Album  (I was a Nick and Simon girl.  Who was your fave?_

Coming Soon: A Fitness Tracker That Zaps You When You Slack Off  (I couldn't stop laughing.)

6 things you must know about going solar  (I wish we had the capability where we are but would love to do it at our next place)

10 Tips for a More Peaceful Home  (Zenning out sounds good to me)

Exercise may slow physical and mental decline after menopause  (Just more reasons to keep up the habit when my time comes!)

21 Things You Might Not Know About “Jurassic Park”  (For the Mr)

Fall Back Asleep in 10 Minutes or Less  (Nothing worse than waking up and not being able to go back to sleep)

Exclusive: How Dwayne Johnson Battled Through an Epic Injury on the Set of ‘Hercules’  (Watch the video.  I can't believe he went through all of this!)

Plus-Size Model Wins Praise for Posting Unretouched Bikini Photo  (The fact they consider this woman "plus sized" is just disgusting)

How to Create an Inventory, Whether You're Naturally Organized or Not  (Read it.  DO IT)

San Francisco Postcards Matched With Their Location  (Very cool!)

How to Stop Overthinking Everything and Find Peace of Mind  (If only our brains came with an off switch!)

Why Taking a Day Off Will Help You Lose Weight   (Ya don't say?)

Radio star Casey Kasem's remains flown to Canada  (So vile and disrespectful.  His legacy will be marred by his wife's actions)

Homeless People Touchingly Share Their Stories Via Cardboard Signs  (Watch it.  Tissues should be handy)

Nutritionists Reveal the Biggest Weight-Loss Mistakes  (Great, what am I doing wrong NOW?)

I Spent a Week with the Republic Wireless WiFi Phone Network   (For the Mr)

We're going on a little road trip tomorrow so super early rise.  Hey, gotta get 'em in before the snow starts flyin' and if you haven't noticed, August is next week so yeah, blink and you'll be building snowmen.  (Yay!)

We are super excited about our new furniture!  It has been far too long of a wait and they were the whole reason we even did this remodel.  Instigators.

Anything fun on the weekend agenda?

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Do what makes you happy

I have a distant aunt and uncle that are some of my favorite people on Earth.  When I was young, they were a big influence on me even though they likely didn't know it.  They were fun people, my aunt was always ready with a big hug, a hearty laugh and you always got a sense when she asked you how you were doing, it wasn't a nicety...she really wanted to know.  She could be goofy or serious as a heart attack given the topic and always looked you in the eyes and touched your arm to let you know she was listening.  It's love at first meet with her as the Mr can attest.  The first time she met him there was no handshake, she went in for a great big hug, schmoozed with him and told us what a great couple we were.

My uncle was a charmer, sometimes to his detriment but he could sell water to a drowning man and not in a used car salesman kind of way.  He was just good with words, always up for a joke, passionate about his hobbies and always seemed perpetually 10-15 years younger than he was.  He always made me feel special by treating me like an adult and not like a kid.  He could relate to kids by not talking down to them because he enjoyed being around young people.  Unfortunately the Mr and I aren't quite as hip and find ourselves with nothing in common to talk about with children.  The dreaded "how's school/what grade are you going to be in?" spilling out of my pie hole as I desperately try to stuff that phrase back in because I know how lame that sounded when *I* was their age.

As awesome as those characteristics are in both of them, they also have always marched to the beat of their own drummer.  They will show up to once a year gatherings but they're always late.  There have been other family gatherings and sometimes they'll show up, sometimes they won't.  It drove the rest of my family up the wall not knowing if they could count on them being there or not.  Honestly, I think it just depended if they got up that day and felt like coming.  While it might be rude to some, I thought it was awesome.  They were people living by their own rules and to hell if other people liked the way they lived their lives.  It was no skin off their butts and when they die, no one will ever say in their eulogies that they didn't live life their own way.  While I never fully adopted their way of thinking most of my life, I find as I get older that I'm leaning more toward it.

I've always fallen in a safer category of going to obligatory family things but doing our own thing for most of my life.  We've dealt with in-law situations with the Mr's family where we tried to please people, show up when it was expected and a few times when it wasn't, do nice things, etc and it was never good enough.  We still got talked about, we still got criticized and it was very "what have you done for me lately?"  (Miss Jackson if you're nasty.)   We decided that since we were going to get slammed either way, we were now going to dictate how our time was spent with them and if that meant other people had their undies in a twist...oh well.  We now have a relationship with boundaries where everyone knows their roles...we give from the heart with the intent of spending quality time when we're able to give it and they gripe that we never do enough.  Got it.  As long as everyone is comfortable with their role in that.  (We are.)

I always felt like my family wasn't quite that level of judgmental but as they age, I'm finding they are changing too.  It seems like people rarely contact us unless they want a favor to the point we get pits in our stomach when the phone rings.  The latest is they are trying to dictate who I could and couldn't invite to my birthday celebration in a few months.  I told the Mr this was going to happen.  I told him it is supposed to be MY gathering and they would make about THEM and I was right.  I knew it was coming to this at the last bigger birthday gathering we had and my gift to myself is a drama free birthday when it rolls around.  If anyone wants to place the blame on why I didn't get the birthday gathering they wanted, I'll just say "look in the mirror.  You all made my birthday about your lack of sucking it up for 2 hours.  Happy Birthday to me."  I can't really have the kind of birthday I really want to have anymore anyway because Grandma doesn't know me and my uncle stopped coming and it felt forced at the last one.  You wouldn't get an invite to a party, show up, not be thrilled with someone on a guest list (who is a wonderful person, by the way) and then go up to the birthday girl/guy and say "why did you invite THEM!?"  So what makes you think it's okay to try to control things before hand and insist not only do we not invite a very good friend of ours but that we'd better invite a distant aunt and uncle?  Oh you mean the attention seeking emotional vampire of an aunt that isn't happy unless she's complaining every second you see her?  The one that they have refused to invite to their birthday dinners for almost 15 years because they want to enjoy their birthday?  That one?  Double standard much?   I mean cripes, is this what happens when you get older?  Utter tyranny?

It really sucks because the people I would most like to celebrate with (you know, the ones who could suck it up if they gave a crap about the guest list, which they don't), all live in other states.  They are all positive, wonderful people I wouldn't dream of asking to make the drive just for a dinner out and maybe a game night back at the house or something.  But damn it would be nice to be around people whose only agenda is to have a low key good time and celebrate me.

I think because I was an outspoken perceived wild child in my youth that people just assume that's how I spend my time 20 years later. People who should know better.  Since I've gotten married what part of my life has resembled my teen years?  Nothing!  We travel.  We enjoy at home movie night and board games.  We go to farmers markets and antique shops (sorry Mr!).  I love cooking wonderful meals to make my man or anyone who gets an invite to our home, happy.  I love shootin' the breeze in small, intimate setting and hate crowds or a table with more than 6-8 people at it because I feel it's hard to give people proper attention.  It should not be expected that I suddenly want to start changing that to please other people's expectations when they don't have the same expectation for themselves and how they celebrate their own birthdays.  WTH?  It's not that I'm not grateful to have people who want to celebrate the day of my birth but dictating who I could and couldn't invite when I'm a grown ass woman isn't about what I want, it's about what other people want.  If they're that set on having a particular guest list of people they can't even stand, they can go to dinner somewhere, cut some cake and party on without me.  I'll be enjoying myself with people who actually are grateful I would want to spend what's supposed to be my "special day" with them.

I know some people who are people-pleasers to the nth degree and so worried about being a martyr or what others will think, that they will delay their own happiness when people don't even ask them to... much less when they do.  I know people who just say "screw you", are selfish, think only of themselves and not what they suck out of others with their actions.  I don't want to be either of those but I'm going to have to redefine some boundaries with my family and give what I'm able to give because my health is suffering otherwise and I'm not going to do that.

I had to remind myself of the motto on the pic at the top because you get one life and you should live it the way you see fit, not what others expect of you.  I find when I have expectations, they're rarely met.  So, I'm going to do what *I* want to do in a few months.  The Mr and I are moving some funds around and I'm rewarding myself for getting through this summer, this remodel, other people's crap and not smacking someone with a week's vacation.  We're hopping in the car, pointing to a spot on the map and getting the hell out of here.  So pfffft!

Do you sacrifice your own happiness to attempt to meet the expectation of others or do you do what you want to do (within reason obviously) figuring they're going to talk about you anyway, why not be happy?

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"Just park already!"

(Source)

The Mr and I were under the impression we were on for fro-yo with the family last night.  It hadn't been set in stone but we knew about the time we settled in for the night is when they'd call and say "where are you guys?"  So we got there ten minutes early and waited for twenty minutes after the meet time.  In that time, we saw all kinds of people.

Most of them were speed demons flying through a parking lot and we couldn't believe people backing out weren't getting hit left and right.  There were people whose children exited their vehicles and got uncomfortably close to our car to the point the Mr was muttering "get the hell away from my car!"  Seriously.  Why are you letting your child practically LAY on someone's RUNNING car??  One such mom was dressed like a yoga prostitute.  She was wearing this hot orange lace bra that hung out from her barely there tank top and you could see through her Lululemon yoga pants that she was either going commando or had the world's thinnest thong on.

Gah-ross!

Finally, there was some woman in a crossover that pulled up to the open space next to us, looked at it and drove past.

Oh...*sniffing armpit*...do we o-ffend?

We watched this woman circle the parking lot for five minutes.  Literally.  Five full minutes.  Why?  Because apparently the second row we were in (four single car rows back but the second row you could drive down, if that makes sense) was not close enough.  Nope.  She had to be in the first row and in the time she took to be parked 40 feet from the spot she passed up beside us five minutes prior, she could've been in the restaurant and ordered drinks by then!  We couldn't really see her as she drove so we were curious what she looked like when she exited her vehicle and she was in excellent shape.  I'm talking runners calves, wearing comfy shoes, almost petite.

I know, she could've had a long day and wanted to be closer because her feet hurt or something but really, it seemed like a waste of time and gas circling as long as she did.   It was weird to see how lazy it was and I could understand when we were both tipped over the 450 lb mark looking to walk less but it was just crazy to see an obviously fit woman go bounding out of her car all pleased with herself for being first.  I mean I don't mind a closer spot if we happen upon one but I'll be damned if I'm going back to the days of circling the parking lot looking for a better space when we're perfectly capable of walking those extra few feet now.

Oh and for those wondering...we didn't go in and have fro-yo.  ;-)

What's your time limit for circling?  One pass then settling for what you can find? (Us)  Circle for as long as it takes to get the best spot?  Try to car shark someone back to their car as they're walking to it?  (Don't do that to us.  We will literally get out and go back inside somewhere because homies don't play that!)

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This is a test

I'm pretty sure the universe is trying to see how much further it can push me before I break.  I thought I broke already but nope.  It just keeps on a raining poo.  I think I've just made a decision about taking a break in the Fall.  If I don't have something to look forward to, I'm going to seriously just shut down in every way.  Side note to self:  don't answer the phone...nothing good is rarely on the other end.  

The only solace I can take as I wade my way through the current swamp that is my life is that the old me would've friggin' attacked that bar of chocolate we use for trail mix, ordered a pizza, skipped our workout and called it a night.

Instead, I ate like a person not interested in saying "screw it, there's always tomorrow."

Breakfast was a light English muffin, natural peanut butter with 1 tbsp of apple jelly, 4 oz of low sodium cottage cheese, a small banana with 1/2 tbsp nutella and green tea.

Lunch was a tuna fish sandwich with spinach along with the usual freggies and iced tea.

Dinner was lemon pepper pasta with light alfredo sauce and 4 oz of shrimp and tea.

We had two leftover apples from last week so I peeled them and put them in two 6 oz ramekins I bought over the weekend for apple crisp, made an oatmeal crumble with 1 tbsp of light butter each and made that for a snack later.  It wasn't like a piece of apple pie (at least not the kind I like) but it was a comforting dessert without breaking the calorie bank.

Our workout was 300 calories burned with TRX.  It was our first strength in over a week so it whipped us pretty good.

These days, I'm taking whatever victories I can scrounge.

When life is a giant swirlie, do you stick with your routine or say "screw it, there's always tomorrow"?

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Furniture on the move and two wheelin'

I am happy to report that I was able to sleep in on Saturday.  I did wake up right on cue at 7am but I forced myself to go back to sleep.  We had nowhere to be and I just wanted to see if given the opportunity my body would take me up on it, it did.

Not one of the best weekends on record and nothing I care to document for posterity.  Just hope the worst is behind me right now.  After dealing with a heinous woman who sold us our area rug, we decided to get some extra padding to go between the pad and rug because there was no cush.  It seems to be better and I think the rug is growing on us.  I also think once we have the couches delivered over the next week or two that it will help pull the look together.  We got the 2nd armoire into the house.  It's not ready to be decorated yet because the wax still has to cure but I've got the doors and knobs back on, plus a little extra somethin' and I'm going to go through the huge box that resides behind the door before I just shove it back in there.  I need to purge.

This week the table goes out in the garage, you know, when the weather is suppose to get humid and disgusting.  It must know I needed to stain.

Active recovery week was good and I'm ready to get back to it.  I tracked, I lowered calories a little to compensate for less intense workouts, ate more fish and tried to get in more water than normal.  Just have to keep it up and improve in my weak spots which oddly enough was PT.  Because our normal routine was thrown off, I didn't do my balance/strengthening exercises and no ankle massages.  Idiot.  The legs are paying the price so again, getting back to business so I don't feel 80 years old.

Actually, our first workout of the week was a different one for us.  Our city has bike rental stations throughout popular parks, very similar to Chicago's bike program.  I surprised the Mr with a rental after poo pooing it at another park on Thursday due to cost.  I picked a park that I was sure was going to be pretty dead because it borders a not so great side of town.  Coincidentally, it was right behind the high rise we worked at when I was 19 and he was 21.  We wondered why the hell we didn't go to this park all the time to eat lunch.  Idiots.  Anyhoo...this is where a good blogger would've remembered to bring a camera but then I remembered this...

It's been forever since either of us have been on a bike.  I'm talking that was the first time we ever rode them together and we've been together 22 years so...  I was quite wobbly at first but as the saying goes, it was just like riding a bike...because it was...you know, riding a bike.  There were two empty parking lots by the park and we just rode in circles to reacquaint ourselves with the idea of being on them.  You only get a certain time limit before they start racking up additional charges so we kept it to the initial time and rode back to the docking station.  The good news is I won't need a hysterectomy.  Pretty sure I'm sterile.  The joys of being obese and tall is adjusting the seat so you can actually peddle and then have your upper half bear down on your pubic bone for an extended period of time.  Yay!   It's not something we can do all the time but it'll be nice for a change of pace and I'm thinking especially in the Fall when the bike path re-opens and the kids are back in school it will make for nicer surroundings for us to explore.  I'm just glad I didn't bite it because we don't have helmets, we rode old school and I suppose if this becomes a habit, we might invest in them.  Not a bad way to burn 740 calories.

For dinner, I rewarded our not slamming into the pavement with this:

Top sirloin with caramelized onion and pineapple chutney and bacon and Havarti cheese baked potato.  Yum!

So, that's about it.

Happy Monday to you all!

What did you do this weekend?


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I need sleep and what I'm reading this week

I'm so sad it's Friday.

Said no one ever.

I think I'm going to wear my sleep mask so I can try to sleep as long as possible.  This whole getting up at 7am on the weekend stuff stinks.  Why can't I sleep like I'm 16 and my mom had to come up, wake me and ask "you gonna sleep the day away?"  

Yes...I'm a teenager.  That's what I do did.

Enough mourning the sleeping patterns of my youth, let's get to...

What Is Gluten? Everything You Need to Know in 2 Minutes  (In case you cared)

Your $8.9 Million Chance To Live Like Meg Ryan  (Hand me the checkbook...err...computer.)

10 Beaches That Will Make You Want To Plan A Trip To The Great Lakes Immediately  (Like I need more enticing to get to upper Michigan)

12 Things You Never Knew About Home Alone  (I'm getting a serious itch to watch again.  I'll wait until the Mr is at work)

30 Dumbbell Exercises Missing From Your Routine  (Get on it)

31 Easy DIY Upgrades That Will Make Your Home Look More Expensive  (I'm down with that!)

Pop Quiz: Can You Identify These ’90s Hits by Just Their First Second?  (I crushed it)

Colbie Caillat Goes Makeup-Free, Embraces Natural Beauty in "Try" Music Video  (Beautiful!)

My Fitness Band is Making Me Fat:  Users complain of weight gain with trackers  (Rut-roh!)

How Domino's Pizza Lost Its Mascot  (I guess they wanted to avoid the Noid as well)

Praise Be to the Jetway Jesus: Confessions of a Fed-Up Flight Attendant   (I've seen this too.  People just suck)

The 8 Essential Stretches to Open Up Tight Hips   (I'm doing this asap, come to the floor...join me!)

Should California Be Split Into Six States? Voters Will Get To Decide  (What say you Californians?)

Six Home-Buying Deal Breakers (and How to Troubleshoot Them)  (Good to know!)

Weird Al’s New Video Actually Turned "Blurred Lines" Into Something Worthwhile  (It's like Schoolhouse Rock for the whatever they hell they call this.  The 10's?)

The Ingredients You Should Have in Your Pantry for Quicker Cooking  (Interesting suggestions in the comments!)

Spying on Your Kids’ Phones, for Their Own Good  (This would be us.  Our kids we're not having would hate us so we're saving ourselves the headache of them buying burner phones to attempt to trick us)

Hot Cop Of Castro Speaks!  (Why couldn't they have sent this dude when we had to call 911 in San Francisco!?)

Wonder Years Alum Fred Savage Is Directing an Episode of The Goldbergs  (As if this show couldn't get any better)

Turns Out Ghost-Hunting Is WAY Less Glamorous In The Suburbs  (I cannot WAIT to see this!  I love Matthew Gray Gubler!  (Reid from Criminal Minds))

Watch One Woman Shatter All Expectations   (Get it, girl!)

One Size Doesn't Fit All: How to Find the Best Health and Fitness Routine for You  (Preach it yo!)

No real plans for the weekend.  It's supposed to be nice so I'd like to get out at some point to enjoy the weather for a little bit.  

Anything on tap for you guys?

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Summer scenery and girl crushes

This was supposed to be active recovery week, right?

We've been trading off between walks and yoga to stretch impossibly tight hammies and IT bands which has left us feeling like hobbly old people.  I keep telling myself it'll be worth it.  I do notice I slacked on my ankle massages though so I've got to get back to that.  

Yeesh, so many balls in the air with this stuff.

But, we've been enjoying some yummy meals...

...and enjoying the scenery of summah.

Echinacea, I think?

The local crew team practicing

Two chihuahuas being chauffeured via sports trike

Last night after yoga, we enjoyed an old guilty pleasure of mine...Weekend at Bernie's.  I had a big ol' girl crush on Catherine Mary Stewart.

(source)

How cute is she?  I remember wishing I looked like her back in the day.  She seemed like the quintessential girl next door.  She was also good as Maggie in another guilty pleasure of mine, The Last Starfighter.  I could not BELIEVE the Mr never saw it back in the day as it was right up his alley.  That one is coming up on the watch list soon as well.

What summer activities have you been enjoying?  Did you ever have a celeb girl crush?  (Man crush for the guys)

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100 Happy Days completed

Remember when I told you I was doing the 100 Happy Days project back in April?  Well, I actually completed it!  I know, you might be thinking "how hard is it to write down at least one thing that made you happy that day?"  But some days are just one poo log after another being thrown your way and you really have to search for the happiness.

Some things were with the Mr...

(Day 4)  4/8- Looking through 1980 Christmas Wish Book online listening to Christmas music with Mr

(Day 5)  4/9-  Singing the Muppets "Ain't Got No Room For Boring" song with Mr while making dinner.

(Day 10)  4/14-  Got card and flowers from Mr

(Day 46)  5/20- Surprising Mr with Godzilla, lunch at favorite restaurant and fro-yo for the last day of vacation.

(Day 82)  6/25- Got mushy with the Mr over our first love note

Some things were remodel related...

(Day 9)  4/13-  Ordered new couch/loveseat

(Day 60)  6/3- Starting the painting spree (the end result will make me happy)  We got far

(Day 61)  6/4- All walls painted!

(Day 66)  6/9- Bought flooring

(Day 71)  6/14- Floor and baseboards laid

(Day 76)  6/19- Started staining the side table

(Day 94)  7/7- Started on 2nd armoire

Some things were family oriented...

(Day 16)  4/20- Sidewalk chalk at Easter/stopped by Grandma and Grandpa's on the way home (haven't seen them in years)

(Day 50)  5/24- Grandma saying "WHAT!?" when we said we dropped $75 for lunch at Sutro's at Cliff House.  Shows she's still able to understand some situations.

(Day 52)  5/26- Cookout with mom

(Day 59)  6/2-  Talking with aunt on the patio

(Day 75)  6/18- When grandpa gave me a check, Grandma said "I'll take one!"/When she "danced"  to the cell ringtone

Some things were vacation/road trip highlights...

(Day 1)  4/5-  Favorite restaurants in Mr's hometown

(Day 30)  5/4- 18 year anniversary...17 Mile Drive/Mission Ranch dinner

(Day 32)  5/6-  Big Sur!/Seeing whales

(Day 35)  5/9- Brenda's pecan sauce French Toast!  HOLY SH*T!

(Day 38)  5/12- 12 MILE WALK OF THE CITY!  (Pac Heights to Ferry Bldg to Ghirardelli Sq to Pac Heights) 

(Day 40)  5/14- Sutro Bath ruins hike

(Day 41)  5/15- Lafayette Park

(Day 83)  6/26- Hooky day!  (Animals, picnic, antiquing)

(Day 99)  7/12- Indy with Chicago friends

Some things were mundane...

(Day 7)  4/11- Got address painted on curb

(Day 21)  4/25-  Got dishwasher parts FINALLY

(Day 48)  5/22- Getting flowers planted

(Day 92)  7/5-  Sitting for an hour between errands with no TV or noise on

Some things were reaching because the day wasn't so hot...

(Day 18)  4/22-  Migraine was finally gone

(Day 22)  4/26- Seriously crappy day but at least lunch was almost free with gift card

(Day 84)  6/27-  Early workout! 

(Day 85)  6/28-  Woke up which means I'm alive, so...there's that.

I'll admit there were times I was a few days behind so I really had to keep on top of it but ultimately I think it was a good thing to do.  It forces you to look at each day and find the happiness even if by normal standards you would say the day is a flusher.  

Each day above ground is a gift and we should all appreciate the things that make us happy whether it's something big like seeing Big Sur or a shining moment of clarity from your ailing grandma to the little things we take for granted like getting dishwasher parts and being blessed enough to afford them when needed to sitting in quiet without all the noise of the boob tube or even music.

I might just keep this up!  

Did you do the 100 Happy Days project?  Would you start now, if you didn't?

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Sweathogs, master class and Kacy inspires

Happy Tuesday all!

Yesterday I worked on touch up painting some parts of the armoire, painting some planks and freshening up some old picture frames that are now not matching with the new motif.  I still need to do some white washing, then gluing and then waxing the whole thing.  The weather is supposed to cooperate so I should be able to be in the garage without turning into a sweathog.

Sigh...sweathog...

(source)

Now I want to watch Welcome Back, Kotter (affiliate link)  but it occurs to me I don't own it.  Okay, just added it to my wish list.

Does anyone else watch Oprah's Master Class?  Now I'm not an Oprah nut, matter of fact, she drives me a little crazy but I started recording it because she said Justin Timberlake was going to be on.  Well, I've yet to see Justin pop up but a handful of other celebs have been on and I must say, the Mr and I love the series.  The one last night was Vanessa Williams and she isn't someone I would've normally cared to watch one way or the other but after seeing Robin Roberts class, I learned to give any celeb a chance to "teach" us.  I always like to learn more about people than what media speculation serves up.  I think it's why we like CBS Sunday Morning too, you know...the one with the famous trumpet opening?

Yes, we're settling in to middle age quite nicely.

Did anyone catch American Ninja Warrior last night?  I'm about to spoil it so look away...

(Source)

Kacy Catanzaro is going to the big show!  At 5' tall and 100 lbs, she beat so many dudes to get there and is the first woman to get this far!  She is so inspiring and my eyes welled up when she hit that button.  If you want to see her in the previous qualifier, watch here.

I must say my body is already thanking me for doing an active recovery week.  My IT band on my left side was starting to really stiffen up so we headed over to Do Yoga With Me.com and did the IT band video.  Oh my Lord, it hurt so bad at the beginning for both of us but by the end, I was feeling so much more loose and my IT band was happy.  I will definitely be putting that one in regular rotation, particularly after we do a walk on asphalt which seems to irritate my legs the most the following day.

We're supposed to have cooler temps over the next few days so I'm thinking a walk in the park is in order for tonight's workout.  I'm just a little relieved to be taking it easy this week.

What's your favorite throwback show?  What's your favorite show that teaches you something?  

(Affiliate link in post.  A few cents will come my way for blog expenses if you buy through it.)
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Road trippin' with friends

Since the likelihood of us making it to Chicago was going to be low this year, some friends of ours decided since we liked our trip to Indianapolis a few months ago, we could meet up there.  Road trip?  Uh...yes please!

On the way there, I saw a few of these trailers with horsies in them...of course I said hello.

We got there a little early and stopped by Society of Salvage to take a peep.  Lots of industrial saves and interesting stuff.  Worth a stop if you're in the area.

We went down the street to Midland Antiques and met up with our friends.  The sheer size of the place is enough to elicit anticipation and I even brought Trader Joe's peanut butter bars to hand out in case we got trapped in there longer than anticipated.  I bought a few vintage books and an ivory and brown large creamer piece for the Fall mantel.  Yes, I'm already thinking Fall.  Sadly the olive basket I planned to buy was out.  I mean they had like 35 of those things three months ago which only drives home the adage "if you think you want it, buy it because it ain't gonna be there next time!"  

If we had a tiki lounge and the island of Maui and Hawaii hadn't looked like they imploded, I would so have bought this topographical 1960's piece from an old travel agency. 

As we were making our way to the downtown area for lunch, we passed the fancy pants part of Meridian Rd.  I would take any of the homes we passed.

As if driving around downtown Indy isn't new curse word inducing enough with it's crazy intersections and one way streets that confuse even the fanciest of GPS', they closed off the downtown round about and most of the main streets we needed to access for these guys.

It was irritating but we did find our way to Rocket Fizz and our lunch destination.  Then we decided to go to the Broad Ripple area and went into some shops and you never know where a store will pop up like a random side street.

We ended our time together at a cupcake shop where I got my vanilla vanilla because I'm vanilla like that.  We chit chatted until the stink eye indicated we stayed longer than the business hours on the website so we said our goodbyes and each got on our respective ways.

Thankfully the traffic was flowing quite nicely on our side but can't say the same for the people heading into the city.

We didn't have a super sunny day which was fine but we were able to catch sunset in the side view mirror.

Zots are mandatory for a long road trip home so the Mr can stay awake.

Did I mention they gave us a pretty awesome gift?

Thank goodness we didn't show up empty handed!  ;-)

(Peanut butter chip banana bread and banana bread with oatmeal Biscoff crumble)

It was such a great time and Sunday we went to an antique show that overcharged for the amount of vendors that showed up.  Thankfully they had some Annie Sloan paint so I don't have to water down my current low supply to try to make it stretch and I did get this, hell, I don't even know what it is to hold blankets but its transformation will be featured in the next few weeks so I'll let ya know when I get to it.

We grabbed some Subway and went downtown and ate in the shade, fed a scrawny bird and went for a walk for our workout.  We both agreed we will make this an...

We've felt the last few weeks of workouts really taking their toll so it'll be walks and yoga with no HRM being worn because it's more about listening to the bods this week.

We're supposed to get nicer temps the next few days so I'm hoping being out in the garage with the paint will be more pleasant than the past few weeks.

What did you guys do this weekend?  

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Mison robbed, Thursday eats and what I'm reading this week

It is Friday y'all!!

*insert big booty slappin' happy dance here*

While I continue to shake my groove thang, you all can check out...

10 Things You Don't Know About Melanoma  (Good to know!)

Decorating With Antiques: Luxurious Linens  (Now I can't get Gwen Stefani's "Luxurious" out of my head)

31 People Who Should Not Be Allowed to Fix Anything  (Hilarious!)

10 things home-improvement stores won’t tell you  (Sneaky bast-ids)

Fat Woman Wears Bikini, World Doesn't End  (More power to her.)

Inside a 1950s Time Capsule Home  (There's a lot of pink in here but I still love it.  Could easily be converted to shabby chic and the Mr and I would love that rec room!)

5 Seriously Bad Side Effects of Your Smartphone Addiction   (Thank God I don't use mine!)

14 Things You Forget to Do Before Leaving For Vacation  (Good stuff but never, EVER do #8.  You never tell someone you're out of town!  DER!)

Your Sleeping Habits May Age Your Brain   (Uh, goodnight)

5 Things You Didn’t Know About Watermelon   (Number 2 is really good to know!)

9 Exit Strategies for Your Clutter  (I need to work on this)

At Graceland, Elvis makes music history real  (Even if you're not an Elvis fan, you should totally see Graceland.  It's a time capsule and there is a great energy in the house.  The Mr wasn't a big fan before GL but definitely changed his tune after a visit!)

17 DIY Projects to Make Your Home Look Amazing (and 3 You Shouldn't Try)  (Bookmarking a few of these)

Count Yourself Healthy! 22 Stats to Help You Live a Healthier Life  (Again, number two is awesome and also makes me laugh because I'm saying number two and am a 7 year old boy)

How San Francisco's Neighborhoods Got Their Names  (Cool back stories!)

5 Signs Your Lunch Needs a Makeover   (Does yours?)

J.Crew Criticized for Introducing 'Absurd' Size 000  (Wow...just, wow.)

Your Old School Trapper Keeper Is Making a Comeback As a Tablet Case  (Courtesy of the Mr)

Why Exercise, Not Diet, May Explain Our Obesity Problem   (Don't know what I think about all that)

How to Hold a Yard Sale  (10 seconds til the Mr asks when we're having one)

PSA: Factory Resets Don't Make Your Android Phone Safe to Sell  (Word)

A First-Time Buyer’s Guide to Home Maintenance  (A good reminder for all homeowners)

After 31 Wedding Anniversaries At Red Lobster, A Widow Got An Adorable Surprise  (Dammit, pass the tissues)

43 Things That Will Actually Make You Feel Old  (Is it wrong I want late 20 something's to feel as old as I feel every day?)

In case some of you are liking the re-addition of my meals, here's what I had yesterday...

Breakfast was late but my meal didn't seem to mind as it smiled at me.  PB&J English muffin, low sodium cottage cheese, small banana with 1/2 tbsp cookie nookie and raisins with some green tea.

Lunch was turkey and arugula sandwich with the usual freggies.

Dinner was BBQ chicken naan and a side of Brussels.

Oh and on a side note...Tom Mison was ROBBED for not getting nominated for an Emmy for Sleepy Hollow.  I mean...HELLO...

We are road trippin' to meet up with some friends from Chicago this weekend so I'm super excited!  I'm hoping to find a few treasures at some antique stores to help bring the new living room refresh together.  Regardless, good friends, good food (we're comin' for ya Punch Burger) and antiquing with our men in tow?  Perfect weekend!

What's on tap for your weekend?

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Ready to be done

Is it the weekend yet?

I'm on the last coat of the second armoire and I did a little test on the backing I'm going to use for it and am happy to report it appears my idea is headed in the right direction.  I can't wait to share it with you guys!  More importantly, it'll mean I'm 3/4 of the way done and I'll be moving on to the dining table which will be the final piece o' the remodel puzzle of what I committed to doing.  I can't tell you how happy I will be to not have to be stuck in that sweatbox of a garage.  The humidity makes it 100x worse.  Gross summer project.

Yesterday, lunch consisted of a tuna fish sammie with arugula on whole wheat butts and my usual fruits and veggies.  When I feel fancy pants, I like to add ground black pepper, garlic powder and rosemary to it and given I only had butts left in that loaf, I wanted to spruce it up on the innards.  500 calories of yum.

It was strength night and I had just read Chalene Johnson's blog about three components that should be part of your exercise program and number three hit a chord.  I was thinking I needed a bit of a change up on the strength, so I grabbed her Turbo Jam set and put in Turbo Sculpt.  I can't believe we've had it for 9 years and never done that.  Or if we previewed it, I'm sure at the time I thought it was way too hard.  OMG, it seriously kicked my butt!  I couldn't even use 15 lbs, I had to cut back to 10's because she was doing high reps.  My arms are like j-e-l-l-o today!  Lots of squats in there too so I'm sure I'll be be hobbling around like Hoggle from Labyrinth.  But for 490 calories burned, I'll take it.

Dinner was lemon pepper orange roughy over quinoa duo and berbere green beans.

490 calories of energy being snarfed by my body after that workout!

Nightmare on Elm Street was on and I figured why not.  After all, it's our introduction to Johnny Depp.   (I'm about to watch him get swallowed up by his bed and shot to the ceiling in a bloody pulp.)   The Mr and I lamented how quickly that franchise got campy.  I was obsessed with the second one because I had a crush on Jesse and Grady.  It wasn't until I watched the documentary Never Sleep Again that I realized just how much innuendo was in it.  I watch it now and kind of cringe but laugh hysterically too.

Any projects you're almost done with?

What's your favorite horror movie franchise?

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French toast, the 90's and movie night

Yesterday felt like a weekend day.  

The Mr was teleworking and trying to kick his cold to the curb.  A friend of mine is in San Francisco and said she was going to take our suggestion of Brenda's French Soul Food and split the beignet flight and get the pecan sauce French toast.  Well, I couldn't sit there all envious so I made us banana maple peanut butter French toast.  I know hers didn't clock in at 655 calories like ours did but I'd say we felt a little less jealous.

We've been watching this 90's special on NatGeo the past few nights and we saw Thelma and Louise was going to be covered and I wanted to watch it.  I remember seeing it several times with different friends back in the day so I could drool over Brad Pitt.  It really is such a good movie.  So when that was done, we got in a lunch time workout of Turbo Fire 45 EZ.  I burned 835 calories and had the Mr give me a calf massage as my legs have been seriously screwed up since our walk the other night.  Oh to have normal leg muscles! 

I reminded the Mr it was a movie night, I've been waiting to see Bad Words with Jason Bateman and since yesterday was the last day of the 50% off promotion at the video store so we decided to rent The Expendables.  I saw Pierce Brosnan was going to be in the 4th one and we figured we'd better start catching up on them to see if it was worth investing our time in.  It was pretty good, so I think we'll see the other two. 

For dinner I made mahi fish tacos and corn on the cob with herb butter.  Trader Joe's still doesn't have in their chipotle hummus which is sending me into fits.  Two months!!  But they thankfully got back the roasted garlic hummus so I used a tablespoon of that and added some peppery arugula.

Mmm....herb buttery goodness!

Dinner was lower so we could fit in some movie candy.  We split a bag of chewy mini sweet tarts and then I picked 10 green out of his bowl (my favorite) and gave him 10 grape out of my bowl (his favorite) and we were ready to roll for Bad Words.

In case anyone cares (I know you don't) this is the order I eat them in from least favorite building to favorite.  Lemon, Grape, Orange, Berry? (Red) and Green Apple.  Of course I have to cleanse my palate in between flavors or I'd never be able to taste the difference.  I'm a tart-sseur and a weirdo.

We absolutely loved Bad Words .  (affiliate link) OMG, SOOOO un-PC, so filthy and yet so refreshing to see a balls out movie.  This was Jason Bateman's directorial debut.  Wow!  I'm not going to recommend it if you have delicate sensibilities but those of you who enjoy some raunch with an adorable kid thrown in for good measure, have at it.  The bonus features are worth a peep too.

What's your favorite 90's movie?  Do you eat some foods like multi-flavor candy in a certain order?

(This post contains an affiliate link.  Should you buy through it, I'll get a few cents to help with blog expenses.)

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