Days

Days go by
Fog follows me then floats away
Days go by
Time follows me then floats away
Days go by
My thoughts are scattered and then float away

Well, it's been 78 days since I've updated my blog...........I do have things to share or things to say and obviously being retired, I have the time but I find I put my blog on the back burner when other things come up and I guess that's okay especially since it's not like I make any money doing it but I like to think that someone out there in the big world of the internets likes reading my stuff.

It's also been 46 days since my father passed away and his passing is one of the reasons I've not posting anything earlier than now.....I'm still processing his death and I honestly feel like I'm in a bit of a fog since then.  Not having parents anymore is a sad, sad club and some have been members since they were young and others enjoy having their parents around late in life.  There is also another dynamic when your parents are divorced when they pass and depending how long that had occurred come into play also.  In my situation, my father had been married to my step-mother for longer than he had been married to my mother and my mother never remarried.   There is also a decade between my parents deaths....my mom's in April 2006 and now dad's in March of 2016.....spring time and Easter time don't hold fond memories for me because my mother died the Thursday after Easter the year she died and my father the Thursday before Easter this year.

At my age, you also start to question your own mortality.  My parent were very young when they had me (age 18), so I'm not that far behind them.  My mother was 67 when she passed and my father 77.  My maternal grandmother was only 63 when she passed, but I my mom's younger sister just turned 73 and is still going strong...my dad's side lived to be older except for his brothers.  My dad, the middle boy outlived both his older and younger brothers but both grandparents on that side were in their late 80's when they passed.   Our family is small, so when we lose someone, an entire branch seems to be cut-off and gone forever.

One of the things that my dad and I talked about over the years was both of our struggles with our weight.   My weight really wasn't as issue until I quit smoking 13 years ago and over the next 3-4 years continuingly put on weight.   I think the same thing happened with my dad.  You quit smoking, you look for another "thing" and with many ex-smokers, food is it.  Then if you really enjoy food, the battle is super hard.  Both my dad and I are "snackers" and I'm hoping that identifying

Since my dad's death, I've though about what I could do to honor him and I decided that I was finally going to make a concentrated effort to lose 30 pounds.   I'll be thrilled, my doctor will be thrilled and I can hear my dad say "Outstanding!".

So to "chunk" this task out so I don't become overwhelmed or set myself up to completely fail, I'm going to concentrate on the next 90 days to lose half of it.....15 pounds.....that's only 5 pounds a month....should be doable.....here's my obstacles

1. Booze (craft beer, wine, margaritas).  I don't drink everyday, but I do like a beer or cocktail with our meal probably twice a week.
2. Snacking.   One thing my dad and I had in common, we are "snackers".
3. Emotional eating.   This can go one way or another depending on what's going on.
4. Not taking the time out to eat during the day.   Then ravenous at night and we eat late due to the husband's job.
5. Keeping non-healthy crap out of the kitchen.   With a skinny 20 year old still at home there is still more junk food than I would like and my willpower is crap also.  :)

So, now that I've complained about my obstacles, here's some of the things I'm going to try and implement

1. Challenge myself to use My Fitness Pal every day to track my food because tracking does help.
2. I doubt I'm going to completely cut out my snacking, I'm just going to make better choices of what kind of snacks.
3. I'm also not going to give up my Diet Pepsi, but I'm going to make sure I drink TWO bottles of water to every one Diet Pepsi I drink.
4. I'm not going to cut out, but limit the amount of added sugar I consume....I'm talking to you ketsup.  :)
5. I'm also not going to cut out, but keep in check any processed foods that may find their way into our house because I know that little pouch of Idahoan potatoes isn't going to kill me once in a while.  :)

I love most fruits and vegetables and don't hesitate to eat them, I just need to make sure I'm getting the right amounts each day.

I also am pretty active but I could bump it up a bit, but I have to be careful because of the arthritis I have in my ankles, feet and neck.  No running ever, but I do like to walk and I need to start strength training again.

The husband and I were going to a aqua boot camp for quite a while, but it's just too hard to get to anymore because of what time the husband gets home and trying to rush to make the class.   I could go by myself and I might but it was much more fun doing it together.  It's bike season now also, so I anticipate getting out on the bike trails very soon.

So, it make that long story short....I'll be updating you on my fitness journey here if you're interested...sharing any recipes, workouts, etc. that have helped me.   I'm hoping that if I share here, I'll have some accountability of what changes I want to make.

Thanks for stopping by and listening to me!

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

I've been remiss with my blog lately....unfortunately or fortunately depending on how you look at it, life got in the way AND I'm also working on the gazillion pictures I took in New York City that I want to share with you at a later date......in the meantime though, I'll share another recipe from our family dinner table.

It's amazing that in the same month I've discovered and made two different casseroles that the spouse loves!  As I've mentioned in a previous post, the spouse is not fond of casseroles or stews but I keep making them thinking I'll hit upon some that he'll like and lately I have.

This one came across my Facebook feed from Tip Hero.   Super easy and really good.  One of our son's friends was over that night and ate two helpings of it and there were no leftovers.  I think the next time I make it, I'll mix it up a bit and use buffalo wing sauce instead of hot sauce and sprinkle fresh chopped green onion on top.

Loaded Chicken & Potatoes

1/2 lb. Bacon – diced and cooked, set aside

8 medium red or gold potatoes - diced

1 lb. cubed chicken breast

Mix together in large bowl:

1 Tbsp. Paprika
2 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
2 tsp. Kosher Salt
1 ½ tsp. ground pepper
¼ cup olive oil
2 ½ Tbsp. hot sauce or buffalo wing sauce

Add potatoes and chicken to the oil & spice mixture and mix well.

Pour chicken & potato mixture into a lightly sprayed 9 x 13 baking dish. 

Bake at 400 degrees for 60 minutes.

Top with:   
½ cup of chopped green onion
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Reserved bacon.
Return to oven for 5 more minutes to melt the cheese

Serve with sour cream.

Uh Oh...I've discovered decorating planners :)

I've always had a planner....way back in the days of Franklin Covey and Day Timer, I tried those and even today I use the system that Staples carries, the ARC System.  I also knew that there was a cult following of several newer planner systems, such as Erin Condren, Moleskine, The Happy Planner, etc., but I had NO idea the creativity that is out there in regards to dressing up aka decorating your planner.

I made the "mistake" of checking out Pinterest and etsy to see what others were doing to their planners and I was immediately hooked....played right into my love of paper crafts.

Rather than buy new when there really wasn't anything wrong with the one I have seemed silly especially for a retiree (there are other things I'd rather spend that money on) so after considering several, I stuck with what I have and what has worked for me for several years. 

I just need to get creative with it!

I used the 8 x 5 size of planner and a horizontal weekly calendar.  I use my planner not only to schedule my time but to plan my projects, keep to-do lists and goal lists, keep business cards organized,  and hold store coupons.

Here's the cover of my pink planner and of course, it needs to include a Iowa Hawkeyes Tiger hawk sticker.  :)
 

 

Before I got crazy buying stickers and things from etsy and other sources, I knew I needed to look no further than my own craft room and I was right, I found TONS of stuff that I can use in my planner.

I have tons of washi tape and found a couple miniature stamps that will work perfect in planner decoration.

 

 

I did find these Halloween themed packages of washi tape at the Dollar Tree store when I was there for something else.  SCORE!

 

I also have tons of pens that can be put to good use for decorating and doodling.

 

Found all of these sticky notes and flags in a drawer.

This is just a small sampling of what I found in my craft room.  I also found tons of sites that have FREE planner printables too! 

 

I did decide to spend the money of a special punch that Staples sells to punch paper and such to fit the Arc planners.  It was a bit pricey but I got in on a sale, had some Staples rewards to spend and I won't need to buy the calendar refills anymore so I bit the bullet and purchased the punch.

 

 

I also decided to make a couple more divider for my planner.  I have tons of chipboard so using one of the purchased planner dividers I already had as a template, I cut out a few other dividers and using scrapbook paper covered them in coordinating colors.

 

I found a few really cute free planner printables and using one of my circle punches and a pair of scissors.....presto.....free planner embellishments!  There is a gazillion out there!

I also found skinny elastic hair bands at the Dollar Tree that I've wrapped around my planner and I can slide things under if needed.

The tabbed dividers that I purchased with the planner years ago are plain black poly and I decorated the divider for my calendar in washi tape and border stickers.

 

I also found a bunch of embellished paper clips in my craft room and picked out a few to use.

 

I've got a couple plastic pocket pages inside that hold things I want to keep for reference.

 

 

I also have a few poly pocket dividers that I use to hold coupons, receipts I need to hold on to and stuff I clip off of newspaper, magazines, etc. that I want to check out further.

 

 

Here's my first attempt at decorating my weekly calendar.  I'm sure my "style" will evolve over time as did my scrapbook style, but it sure is fun to do.  I'm not sure it's helping to get me get projects and to-do's done any faster, but the pages and lists are fun to look at.  :)

 

I also re-purposed a box I had hanging out in a closet that I've dedicated to storing things I've specifically identified I'll be using for my planner.

It's a fun extension of my scrapbooking hobby that I still love to spend time doing, so I call that "a good thing and one, if enjoyed is never a waste of time".

Thanks for stopping in!

FINALLY...our Master Bathroom Update!

First of all....I can't believe that my last blog post was July 8th!  That is almost two months ago and I have lots to share.  I'm going to try and stay on a once or twice a week schedule this fall.

Second....I'm finally ready to share our master bathroom update that we've been working off and on since the end of May.   I was dealing with both a herniated C7 disc and a fractured ankle during the remodel so between those things, a couple problems we encountered and coordinating with both my husband and our plumber for time, it took twice as long as I should have, but we weren't in any hurry other than having a mess on our hands in our master suite for a while.

The bathroom is pretty large, but very poorly designed, lots of wasted space.  Unfortunately, we didn't have the budget to move plumbing around, so since we couldn't do that, there was no sense in spending money on new vanities, we just needed to update the ones we have!  About six months ago we replaced our toilet with a taller model that flushes quietly, yet strong, so we didn't have to worry about replacing that.  I also decided not to replace the vanity tops as there was nothing wrong with them, they are fine and a neutral off-white, so again, no sense in replacing.

I had half assed painted the bathroom in 2005 but I only did two walls and then did a paint effect around the ceiling parameter with small square sponges.

Here's some before pictures -

 

The tall white cabinets at the end of each of the vanities were purchased at IKEA a couple of years ago and the storage they provide comes in handy. 

We were still using the cheap ass light fixtures the contractor put in (I priced them....$13 bucks a piece) and the only nice thing I'll say about them is they give off good light, but their days were numbered.

 

Our vanities, although well built didn't come with hardware, so this update job includes new hardware for both of them.

 

 

and see that ugly sheet vinyl flooring?  It's history.

I'm pretty loyal to Sherwin Williams for paint, we have a store in my small burb, they have an awesome website to check out paint colors and I like it's durability.

 

For the bathroom, I chose SW6547 Silver Peony for the walls and SW6254 Lazy Gray for the cabinets and mirror molding.   The walls were done in SW Duration Home and for the vanities I used SW ProClassic Interior Acrylic Latex Enamel.

 

Here's a list of the things that we did -

 

1.  Painted the ENTIRE bathroom this time rather than just two walls.

2.  Painted both vanities and added hardware.

3.  Painted molding and framed both plate glass mirrors above the vanities.

4.  Replaced the light fixtures.

5.  Replaced the faucets.

6.  Took down the two towels rods and installed a bar of towel hooks instead.

7.  Replaced our shower head with a rain shower head and bought a new corner shower caddy.

8.  Installed new light switch plates.

7.  Installed new flooring.

 

Here's a few progress pictures of the priming, painting, installing, etc. that happened over couple of months.

 

 

I lined all of the drawers and the bottom of the vanities with really cute paper I found at the Dollar General for $2 bucks a roll.

A closer look at the light fixture.  THAT gave us a bunch of issues from me not finding anything I liked to having an electrical issue spring up after we took down the original fixtures that needed to be corrected.  After searching for several weeks on the internet for lighting with no success, I finally went back to Lowe's where I had seen a section in their lighting department that was a "build your own" type thing and I found the right size fixture in the right finish and the perfect glass globes.  I wanted clear and I love that these are seeded.

 

The flooring was a whole another issue.....my husband was dragging his feet for weeks on this, so I compromised and said it could wait until I returned from a girl's retreat in Colorado.  The weekend after I came home, we started and although just a couple spots that were tricky, we were both surprised how easy and quick it went down.  Total time = about six hours which included breaks.

This is fabulous flooring if your not looking to use ceramic tile in a room that gets moisture.  It's vinyl plank flooring and I found it online at Home Depot.  The product is TrafficMASTER Allure and it comes in 6" x 36" planks.  The online reviews were what convinced me to use it, plus it was affordable, especially when DIYing it.

 

There's my handsome husband.  :)  

 

 

Here's the finished product!!! 

 

I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out since I couldn't have the 20K luxury gut job I would have liked to have. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The faucets were found at ATG Stores online and the vanity hardware at Menards.  Funny story about the hardware.  I ended up picking the exact same knobs as I did when we added hardware to our kitchen cabinets.

 

 

I'm not completely happy with the shower curtain I found, but it will do for now.  The picture on the left shows the color brighter than it really is, it's definitely more of a muted lavender.  The print above the toilet I found at ArtFest Midwest earlier this summer and framed it using a discounted brushed silver frame from Michaels.

 

I also made the decision to get rid of the two towel bars.  One was over the toilet where the framed print is now and the other was over on the wall where the tower hook bar now hangs.  That space is really completely wasted, so I thought we might as well take advantage of it and just hang our towels.

 

Want know how much we put into our update?  Here's the breakdown (round up or down):

 

1. Paint and Primer = $157.00
2. Light Fixtures = $116.00
3. Bathroom Faucets = $178.00
4. Curved shower rod, shower curtain, showerhead and shower caddy = $122.00
5. Framing the mirrors = $45.00
6. Vanity hardware = $29.00
7. Light Switch plates = $24.00
8. Bath Rugs (IKEA) = $30.00
9. Flooring = $168.00
10. Miscellanous = $40.00
11. New linens (Target) = $85.00

For a grand total of $994.00

 

Thanks for stopping by and seeing what took quite a bit of my time this summer!

 

 

 

 



Garden Glimpses - Part 1

With the rainfall we got here in Iowa in May and June, my flower and vegie gardens are going bananas!  I'm already harvesting vegetables that I usually have to wait until later in July to harvest and I have flowers that are blooming better than they have in years.

Some of the early blooms in our yard include:

Peach Iris (they were in my mother's flower garden)

I divided and moved the Peach Iris two summers ago and this summer was the first bloom since relocating them.

Grape Hyacinth

Flowering Almond

Some of the summer blooms came a bit earlier this year and some of them are really taking off this year better than ever before.  The mounds of Salvia are huge this year.

Purple Salvia

Pink Salvia

Peonies

Knock Out Rose

I'm afraid that after this knock rose bloomed and I took this photo, it went into a death spiral.  :(  That's the second one I've lost, the first to the harsh winter of 2013.  I'm not quite ready to dig it up yet.

We have a garden I call the "triangle garden" because its sits in the corner of our backyard.  It's my experimental garden where I plants things and see how they do.  I also like to add interest by placing a huge container pot on one side of the garden to help elevate the color in the garden bed.  This year I filled it with wave petunias and verbena and they really took off.


Container full of Verbena and Wave Petunias

We have a garden I call the "triangle garden" because its sits in the corner of our backyard.  It's my experimental garden where I plants things and see how they do.  I also like to add interest by placing a huge container pot on one side of the garden to help elevate the color in the garden bed.  This year I filled it with wave petunias and verbena and they really took off.

 

 

 

 I added a couple new pieces of "art" to this garden bed this year.  The first being a piece of driftwood that had been in my brother's yard for years that he got from Lake Rathbun and the second is a bicycle that wheel spokes turn in the wind that I found on Mother's Day at a farm/nursery south of where I live called Howell's Tree Farm.  As soon as I saw it, I knew it was coming home with me and the price was reasonable too!

I also have lot of flowers growing in this garden that haven't done as well in previous years.  The Columbine really took off and as spread twice as much as last year and the clump of balloon flowers in that garden doubled.

Columbine

Balloon Flower

There's also the new aster plant that I planted last year that has come back and thrived this year.

 

I love lilies of all kinds and have several varieties.  These Asiatic lilies in the triangle bed are SO gorgeous when they bloom.

 

I'll share more photos of our garden beds later.......the husband and I are heading on a long awaited overnight road trip tomorrow and I have last minute packing and stuff to do......

Thanks for stopping by!