"I'd Like To Quit The Gym" and Ten Things Tuesday

How's your Tuesday going? 

After a three day weekend, I was glad to go back to work  be back to my normal routine. Three day weekends throw me off schedule. 

Just wanted to share this before I get into Ten Things Tuesday. 

Remember the homemade ravioli and how I posted about how pathetically quick and easy it was to have on a busy week night?

Well, last night, I broke out the frozen bag of ravioli and had dinner taken care of in under two minutes. 

Start time: 6:28

I started at 6:28. Turned the oven on, took out the bag of ravioli and dumped it in a casserole dish. I took out a jar of sauce, struggled to get it open, finally managed to open it, and poured it on top of the ravioli. Then I put the ravioli in the oven that was still heating up. End time: 6:30. 

End time: 6:30

While I waited for the ravioli to cook, I did some other things around the kitchen and house. Dinner out of the oven and on a plate by 6:57. 

27 minutes later....

Total prep time: 2 minutes
Total cook time: 27 minutes. 

Homemade cheese ravioli

Moving on to Tuesday's usual routine....


So last week, I set out to take care of the following things by today and here is how I did: 

1. Cancel gym membership

• Done. Phew. I hate "quitting the gym" (anyone else know that reference to the episode in Friends where Chandler wants to quit the gym but they keep sucking him back in with guilt trips. Well, that's exactly what I got when I went there. I have to finish paying out my subscription to the end of the year but after December, I won't be automatically charged anymore and that $33.00 will stay happily in my bank account. 

See ya later gym membership that I never use

2. Post a new recipe

• Mmmmm....cinnamon swirl banana bread. WITH CHOCOLATE CHIPS

3. Make a trip to consignment store to bring items and pick my check

4. Post three items on to eBay

• And a gazillion more to go! 

5. Start to finish, complete one new file folder game for work

It's called "Pencil Pals"

Cut, colored, and glued all the pencils.
Half went onto the file folder and the corresponding pencils were glued onto stock paper

After laminating and more cutting...

Added the velco and here is the final product

6. Finish and publish post about lake-house

• One of these days, I will sit down and write about it! 

7. Work on (bonus points for publishing) after-post for bedroom

• Haven't even started but how about a sneak peek:

8. Work out/be active at least 3 times this week

• Only twice. I did some pole work in my dance room on Wednesday and then went to an open pole class on Friday. 

9. Figure out what to do with giant bag of teenager's out-grown clothes (anybody looking for boys clothes, size 10-14)

• I called a few children's consignment stores and now just waiting to hear back. I'm going to try a few more places/other options such as eBay and craigslist but if not, they will be donated. 

10. Go to post office to mail eBay packages

• Done-but now I have more. Once things start selling, it never ends. 

So for next week:
1.Get at least three more items up on eBay. You should see the boxes I have filled with stuff that needs to get posted on there!
2. Figure out Thanksgiving plans 
3. Do the before/after post of the bedroom
4. Clean out my freaking car. 
5. Post a new recipe on the blog
6. Be active/pole at least three times 
7. Deep clean the master bathroom/bedroom
8. Make another file folder game, from start to finish
9. Work on/finish super-top-secret blog post
10. Deal with my Comcast issue

That's all I've got for now. 

Question for you:

• What's on your list of things to do for the week?
• Have you ever had a hard time "quitting the gym" or something similar?

Feeling Happy

There is something so refreshing about September. I am a  life long school-goer (as either a student for a teacher) so I always find September as reason for a fresh start and clean slate. It's something to do with getting fresh school supplies!

This September has been the best fresh start since the last few years have been hectic and stressful.


In early 2011, we had a fire in our rental home and that whole time was so confusing and overwhelming, not knowing where we were going to live and the mess that comes along with losing nearly everything.

Ryan and I were fighting a lot.

Last December, I left a job that I was comfortable at for one in a different type of setting. I went from an elementary school in an urban district to a preschool in a suburban district and immediately didn't like the new position. I just never felt like I fit in.

Last March, we bought a house and had all the stressful shenanigans that go along with paperwork, house hunting, and dealing with the mortgage stuff. Oh yeah, there was also the packing and unpacking, moving, house repairs, and the cost of all of it. Yep. It added a touch of stress to our daily lives.

home sweet home

And  for the past fours years, since living with us, the teenager (who I prefer to keep his life private from here) was sapping a lot of our energy  because of school stuff, behavior stuff, his other half of his family stuff, etc.


But now....


Well, now, I feel like my life is all coming together. Everything is working out so perfectly. I am happy.

We are making this house our home.  The house is in a great location and is perfect for my life. Doing all the house projects and decorating has been fun and now that we can take our time with them, it's much more enjoyable.  I am looking forward to sitting on our new couch, sipping our coffees, and being in front of the crackling fireplace come winter time. I probably need to start searching for a hearth now! Any suggestions?

Love this mesh hearth! 

Since starting middle school, the teenager is doing much better in school and becoming more responsible and mature. Which means, the yelling is reduced-thanks to the orange rhino challenge! Things have really calmed down and the whole dynamic in our household is so much better.

I am no longer at the job I didn't like. I was stressed all summer about finding a new job but it all worked out. I am back in an elementary school in a different urban district. The commute is amazing-fifteen minutes door to door (shortest commute I have ever had!)

But the best thing is that I loooooooooooooooove my new job. I feel so good at it there and coming from my last job, it is such a difference. I may have taken a pay cut, but my happiness is much more important. It makes a huge difference waking up in the morning and not dreading going to work. 

On top of all of that, I am exercising regularly and in a way that i love. I am a dancer at heart and that has always been my favorite way to spend my time. Since the pole room has been completed, I get to dance or play on the pole whenever I want and that feels physically and mentally rewarding. 

With all the good things, our relationship has been positively impacted, and of course that feels good.

I am really happy right now.

Question for you:
What are you happy about right now?

Cooking, organizing, and painting.

This past weekend, I managed to knock off FOUR things from my 101 in 1001 list!

I spent Friday at my mothers house learning how to cook the infamous brisket/pot roast. Turns out they are two separate things (pot roast is cooked over the stove and the brisket was cooked in the oven.)

We prepped the two cuts of meat and all that goes with it over the course of the day. I plan to do a separate post on how we cooked them so I can add that into my recipe page but for now, consider this one checked off my list and another $5.00 to my savings account.

I am also considering this as "doing something with my mother other than shopping" because we spent the day together cooking when I could have easily just called her for the recipe. So, another one check off the list and another $5.00 to my savings account. 

While we were waiting for the meats to slow-cook, I helped my mother with organizing her recipes. She has accumulated an insane amount of random recipes throughout the years through printouts, friends jotting down recipes on scrap pieces of paper, news paper clippings, and who knows where else. They were piling up in a book and she had been complaining that she could never find what she needed.

We started by separating the recipes into piles based on categories (i.e. appetizers, desserts, breakfast, breads, chicken/turkey, drinks, etc.) and throwing out the ones that she decided she would never make again. We put them in plastic zip-lock bags and labeled the bags to help keep ourselves organized. We then transferred all of the random note papers and newspaper clippings onto index cards so they would all look uniform.

piles and piles and piles of recipes

I brought her two photo albums with extra pages if needed and we inserted the recipes into the album.

So, her recipes have been organized and I can add another $5.00 to my savings account for checking that off of my list.

Total so far: $15.00 and that was for Friday only! 

On Sunday, Ryan did an incredible amount of yard work while I stayed inside to finish painting the living room/kitchen/dining area. It is a great room, separated by a giant brick fire place. A few weeks ago, I got the living room area completed and I finally finished painting the dining area and kitchen area over the weekend. A few touch-ups yesterday evening and it is finally completed.  Add another $5.00 to my savings account for completing the painting process! Wahoo

Prepping in area. 

Gotta mix the paint

Before painting. Please excuse the massive mess and clutter all over the counter-tops

Painting around the beams was tough!
There was plaster coming onto the beams so it made it look very messy.

                   

Check back for official before and after pictures and a complete post on the transformation of the space.



Oh, and check this out. I bought this on impulse and so glad I did. It was less than $10.00 and all you have to do is fill it with the paint. When you find a spot that needs to be touched up, shake the thing and twist the top. It rolls right on to the wall. Now all those little touch-ups will actually get done. It's such a pain in the ass to go to the garage, get the paint, mix it, pour it, make a mess, clean the brushes, etc.

Question for you:
How do you organize your recipes?
What housework projects are next on your list?

Debate of the day: Smoky Olive or Mark Twain Olive

Since having the paint samples spread over the fireplace and taped along the walls for a few weeks, I made a decision on a whim to finally get this process going. 

paint chips everywhere

It takes me weeks to choose a paint color. I start with one sample I like and then the pile grows into a massive collection that I need to stare at for weeks. And in every case, I have always come back to the original sample)

Ryan wanted something "green" and not "gap khaki" while I wanted something that works with all the other elements and was neutral enough to work with future furniture purchases (think bar/pub table and new couches). I think the walls are too similar to the color of the couches but since we wont have these couches forever, I'm overlooking that. 

We I (who am I kidding, I had the final decision on this one) ended up choosing  a sage/olive green called "Smoky Olive" (not Mark Twain Olive as I previously thought) with the eggshell finish by Valspar signature collection. 

Thanks to the help of two friends, we were able to get the general living room area completely painted in one weekend.


Before:

During: 

Mulder decided that laying down on the sheets would be the best way to help.                        

                            

                             

                             

                     

                     

                                     

                                       

                            

After: 

I still have to put the vents back into the walls and hang up some of the pictures but to get a general idea...

I think this picture reflects the color of the walls the best.

Beautiful natural lighting makes for difficult pictures with a cellphone camera

I've been working on a complete before/after post of the living room so check back soon for that. 

The Before Tour

          I've been working on this post for a while-mainly because I am technologically challenged and seem to attract problems with the computers/internet. It took me forever to get the pictures transferred from my phone to the computers, let alone in the right size or format. Like I said, I am technologically challenged with a magnet that seems to attracts computer problems (i.e. in the four years of college, I managed to break/screw up/virus, etc. 7 computers)

          I created this blog as a way to document the process on buying our first house and making it my our home. The very first post described how my boyfriend, Ryan, and I recently purchased our first (and most likely, only) home. We've been here for a few months now and it no longer looks so….retro? 1970’s? Groovy? It took a lot to look past the outdated décor  and I was very hesitant about putting an offer on this house, let alone consider it. Ryan fell in  love with it immediatly and was absolutely able to see past the ugly carpet in the kitchen, outdated décor, and ugly wallpaper, but just to give you an idea, these are some “before” pictures.

Some are from the original listing with the previous owners furniture and decorations, and others are from my phone during the renovation process. It is still an ongoing process, but here you go…

Ignore the fact that these pictures are of horrible quality. I am not a photographer nor do I have a fancy schamncy camera-if I am taking the picture, it usually comes from my phone.

Outside of the house:

The front of the house actually faces that back, I love that

Patio:

Foyer:

Stairs lead to the laundry area, basement, and garage.
Check out that carpet! 

Living Room:

One of the main features that really sold us on the home (The giant brick fireplace, definitely not the giant fish)

Check out that view! 

Dining Area:

Its hard to see from the pictures, but that is actually an orange carpet. A 40 something year old orange carpet

Kitchen:

Just in case you were wondering, that is the same CARPET as the stairs leading into the  laundry.
Yes, carpet in the kitchen. Talk about retro

Double ovens built into the brick. Very Carol Brady. I love the double ovens but  I'm already preparing for a nightmare when we have to replace them

Hallway:

Again, the 40+ year orange carpet throughout the hallway

Main Bathroom:

They don't even make toilets like that anymore. 

It looks like Kermit the Frog exploded in this bathroom

Office:

This picture has the closest represenation of the color of the original carpet. A dingy  green-weird color

Although hard to see in this particular photo, those are built in bookshelves into both sides of that wall, made of solid wood.

The pictures from the office area are from when we moved in, but  nothing had been done to the room. 

Second Bedroom:

Master Bedroom:

Master Bathroom:

Yep, that is some groovy wallpaper and matching tile. 



The house was built in the mid 1970's and nearly everything was original (i.e. wall color, carpets, fixtures, sinks, toilets, etc.) when we moved in.

Keep checking back as I will post "after" pictures for each room as I get around to it!

I didn't get any pictures of the laundry area, garage, or basement but I will be sure to post pictures as I re-do and re-organize this whole house and make it our home.