This morning has been a bit slow moving. I really didn't want to go for a walk this morning, but now that I'm back I'm glad I did.
The best thing happened on my walk. There are quite a few houses around here that use wood burning stoves to heat their homes. I've never really seen entire subdivisions built this way but whatever. We have one too, although I would rather have a fireplace. Anyway...
The air this morning was a tinge humid, and warm but cool, and a soft breeze, and really quiet, all combined with the smell from someone's wood burning stove. It was very reminiscent of being at camp, Mystic or Storer. Being the first one up after a campfire the night before and breathing everything in. I realize this sounds SUPER cheesy but unless you've worked at camps and had this same experience it doesn't really make sense. But it was awesome!
As for the rest of the day...we have a vet appt for the kids at 9:00, followed by gift buying for a bridal shower, then driving to Harrodsburg for the shower at 3:00. Needless to say neither Steve or myself are very excited about driving out there. It's one of those we're obligated to go kinds of things. I would much rather make a trip to Lowe's and finish painting the doors and caulk the rest of the second story. Course some of you are thinking you'd rather go to the shower. To each their own.
Up Side...today is a large point day, 36-38 points, so at least I can EAT!
Wish me luck!
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Friday, April 13, 2012
Getting Stuff Done
The family I work for decided to go to Florida for Spring break so since Tuesday night I have been working on tons of stuff.
I got to go work with Bob, my realtor mentor, Wednesday and Thursday this week. He's been in Florida on vacation with his family and just recently got back. It was nice to catch up with him and throw some new questions at him as well as invite him to the real estate seminar with me next week.
I also met with B-Dry at the Eastern Parkway house to get a bid for the bedroom that is still leaking water. They've already installed french drains on the other side of the basement and 2 sump pumps but this room just hasn't quit. I had been hoping that it wouldn't be over $5000 and was practically hugging the man when he told me it would be $1400. I'm sure he thought I was crazy, but I was so excited that that is all it would cost. I wish we would have done it sooner. Needless to say the girl staying in the room was also excited. I hope this helps them sign another year lease once January comes.
"The Girls" as I refer to them had sent me a list of repairs a few weeks back and I tried to tackle a bunch of them while I was there on Wednesday. I replaced the light in the leaking bedroom, replaced the light in the bathroom, fixed the cold water issue in the basement bathroom, and tried to fix the microwave. I'll have to go back to work on the ceiling fan in the kitchen at some point and then send someone to try to fix the microwave and ice maker on the fridge. Technically the microwave and fridge are not our responsibility but if it only costs $50 or so I'd rather just do it and keep them as super happy tenants.
Yeah property managing!
The bathroom is coming along very nicely. I'm finishing up spray painting the cabinet doors today and then will start on the drawers. They look super yellow and gross next to the newly painted cabinet. Not that they weren't yellow and gross before, it's just a little more accentuated now. (Please excuse the mess..)
I rehung the bathroom doors yesterday, finally, and with all new oil rubbed bronze hardware. Yay me!
For now I think that's about all we are going to do with the bathroom. The rest of what needs to be done are much bigger projects and we have not the time, or more importantly, the money to do those kinds of things right now. If you've seen my project list on the Park Road House page you know what I'm talking about.
Today I spent the morning removing door hinge hardware from the bedrooms and priming the second side of the doors. Here's what they look like with one coat of the new paint...
I then went caulk crazy! I used an entire tube caulking every single door frame inside and out. The sad part is I would have kept going and caulked every piece of trim on the second floor but I ran out of caulk. :(
So I might go to Lowe's later to get some, and return some door hinges in brushed nickel that I have decided need to now be oil rubbed bronze. I think we are just going to go with this finish everywhere. The bathroom downstairs is, the bathroom upstairs will be and all the door handles have or will be oil-rubbed bronze. In the last house I just spray painted everything but this time around I'm just replacing. Half the stuff is just junk. It's mismatched or dented. I'd rather just spend the extra couple dollars and save myself the energy of painting it all.
Last night I went to Belterra for the first time ever. Sarah and her new hubby, ironically his name is Steve, were there for Steve's birthday. It was funny cause from the minute I walked in I was like, "yuck this place stinks like cigarettes. I wonder why?" Then like 15 minutes later I realized, "Oh,wait. We're in Indiana. They don't have a smoking ban." Kentucky has had theirs for awhile and Michigan went to it too a couple years ago. I guess I never really think about it anymore but man it sucked being around all that smoke. I reeked when I came home and everything went into the laundry.
It was really fun meeting Sarah's Steve and spending some time with her. We had dinner at the buffet, which was ok. The bananas foster was awesome. I need to make that some time because it is so good. We gambled for a little bit, I lost $5.
OMG so...The funniest part was I said to Sarah how Steve's mom was going to be jealous that I was at Belterra, as she LOVES to gamble. Then during dinner she called. Apparently she has a sixth sense about loved ones and casinos. :) Her only comment was "And you didn't take me!"
As for dieting. The whole interval training thing didn't happen. I hate exercising. I would rather do just about anything than go to the gym. And this isn't just laziness. I REALLY hate working out. I put tons of pressure on myself and then nothing happens and I get frustrated and give up over and over again. The last time I lost 55 pounds I never once set foot in a gym. Not once. Granted it was while I was working at a camp and just walking everywhere, probably 5 miles a day, but still.
I've actually been really struggling trying to get into the weight loss mindset this time around. I don't know what it's been, it just hasn't clicked at all. So I've been yo-yo dieting since January and gained 13 pounds. Exactly the opposite of what I was wanting to do. Steve does the same thing and loses 30+ pounds. Bastard.
I've decided the problem is weight watchers. I love weight watchers, don't get me wrong, but I am not a fan of the new points plus program. I think it's a great program for those who have met goal and are working to maintain. And I understand the idea behind it, that they are trying to encourage healthy eating choices, like fruits and vegetables. But I was already doing that before on the old weight watchers program.
So I went back. I'm back on the old weight watchers. It worked before and it's easy for me to understand and work with. We are three days in and I'm feeling great about it. I weighed myself yesterday morning and was at 210 so already I'm down and couldn't be happier. I might just be able to reach 50 pounds by the wedding. 10 pounds a month was what I averaged before and I think it's a pretty healthy weight loss. That about 2-2.5 pounds per week.
To ensure I lose weight I will also be doing what is known as the "wendy plan". Which basically varies your points from day to day. Some high days, some low days. The idea is to keep your metabolism guessing and not plateau. I lost 15 pounds January/February last year doing it so I thought it would be good to try it again.
I've also started walking in the morning. Not any certain distance. Not any certain pace. Just walking. I listen to talk radio and take the dogs. So far it's been good and I've actually enjoyed it. I'm still getting some exercise and not having to go to the gym. HIGH FIVE!
And the third component to all of this are gasp...diet pills. I'm not usually an advocate but if it helps boost my metabolism some I'm ok with it. I figure with all three, four if you count the wendy plan, i can't possibly not lose weight...right?
With the wedding getting closer I just know I don't want to look back on pictures and think, "look how fat I was" or "I wish I could have lost the weight before the wedding" or "i can't take back that time and be smaller". So I've got 5 months left to slim down. Even if I don't make 50 pounds but I've lost some I'll still be happy and glad I'm not over 200 pounds.
I think checking out this website really helped me get refocused. I just happened to be google-ing something about old weight watchers info and found Roni's website. I read a whole bunch of stuff, was getting motivated and then I watched her March web video, where she answers questions from readers. Just listening to her talk was everything I needed. I felt like I related to her so much. Everything she was talking about was so familiar and felt like she was speaking to me specifically. She had some great advice and really got my focus back onto what I needed to do to lose this weight. It was her that started my walking. She talked about just moving more. Which is something I already know, but she just made it totally ok for me to not go to the gym, to start with just walking and if that's all I do then thats ok. I think for the longest time I've just needed to hear someone say that.
Steve and I work at the Y. We live and breathe the "fitness world". I know I should go to the gym, especially since I have a free membership, but I just don't want to. I want something that fits me and that I can be happy doing. At the end of the day I'm happy I went for a walk in the morning. I can't say I've ever really been happy after a workout and excited about it enough to do it again the next day. Not that Roni will ever read this but if somehow you do, I just want to say thank you. I realize I'm only on day 3, but I am back in the zone, right where I need to be and you were a huge part of that so thank you so much.
So that's what I've been up to the last week. I'm excited and energized to be getting stuff done and can't wait to see what else I finish.
I got to go work with Bob, my realtor mentor, Wednesday and Thursday this week. He's been in Florida on vacation with his family and just recently got back. It was nice to catch up with him and throw some new questions at him as well as invite him to the real estate seminar with me next week.
I also met with B-Dry at the Eastern Parkway house to get a bid for the bedroom that is still leaking water. They've already installed french drains on the other side of the basement and 2 sump pumps but this room just hasn't quit. I had been hoping that it wouldn't be over $5000 and was practically hugging the man when he told me it would be $1400. I'm sure he thought I was crazy, but I was so excited that that is all it would cost. I wish we would have done it sooner. Needless to say the girl staying in the room was also excited. I hope this helps them sign another year lease once January comes.
"The Girls" as I refer to them had sent me a list of repairs a few weeks back and I tried to tackle a bunch of them while I was there on Wednesday. I replaced the light in the leaking bedroom, replaced the light in the bathroom, fixed the cold water issue in the basement bathroom, and tried to fix the microwave. I'll have to go back to work on the ceiling fan in the kitchen at some point and then send someone to try to fix the microwave and ice maker on the fridge. Technically the microwave and fridge are not our responsibility but if it only costs $50 or so I'd rather just do it and keep them as super happy tenants.
Yeah property managing!
The bathroom is coming along very nicely. I'm finishing up spray painting the cabinet doors today and then will start on the drawers. They look super yellow and gross next to the newly painted cabinet. Not that they weren't yellow and gross before, it's just a little more accentuated now. (Please excuse the mess..)
I rehung the bathroom doors yesterday, finally, and with all new oil rubbed bronze hardware. Yay me!
For now I think that's about all we are going to do with the bathroom. The rest of what needs to be done are much bigger projects and we have not the time, or more importantly, the money to do those kinds of things right now. If you've seen my project list on the Park Road House page you know what I'm talking about.
Today I spent the morning removing door hinge hardware from the bedrooms and priming the second side of the doors. Here's what they look like with one coat of the new paint...
I then went caulk crazy! I used an entire tube caulking every single door frame inside and out. The sad part is I would have kept going and caulked every piece of trim on the second floor but I ran out of caulk. :(
So I might go to Lowe's later to get some, and return some door hinges in brushed nickel that I have decided need to now be oil rubbed bronze. I think we are just going to go with this finish everywhere. The bathroom downstairs is, the bathroom upstairs will be and all the door handles have or will be oil-rubbed bronze. In the last house I just spray painted everything but this time around I'm just replacing. Half the stuff is just junk. It's mismatched or dented. I'd rather just spend the extra couple dollars and save myself the energy of painting it all.
Last night I went to Belterra for the first time ever. Sarah and her new hubby, ironically his name is Steve, were there for Steve's birthday. It was funny cause from the minute I walked in I was like, "yuck this place stinks like cigarettes. I wonder why?" Then like 15 minutes later I realized, "Oh,wait. We're in Indiana. They don't have a smoking ban." Kentucky has had theirs for awhile and Michigan went to it too a couple years ago. I guess I never really think about it anymore but man it sucked being around all that smoke. I reeked when I came home and everything went into the laundry.
It was really fun meeting Sarah's Steve and spending some time with her. We had dinner at the buffet, which was ok. The bananas foster was awesome. I need to make that some time because it is so good. We gambled for a little bit, I lost $5.
OMG so...The funniest part was I said to Sarah how Steve's mom was going to be jealous that I was at Belterra, as she LOVES to gamble. Then during dinner she called. Apparently she has a sixth sense about loved ones and casinos. :) Her only comment was "And you didn't take me!"
As for dieting. The whole interval training thing didn't happen. I hate exercising. I would rather do just about anything than go to the gym. And this isn't just laziness. I REALLY hate working out. I put tons of pressure on myself and then nothing happens and I get frustrated and give up over and over again. The last time I lost 55 pounds I never once set foot in a gym. Not once. Granted it was while I was working at a camp and just walking everywhere, probably 5 miles a day, but still.
I've actually been really struggling trying to get into the weight loss mindset this time around. I don't know what it's been, it just hasn't clicked at all. So I've been yo-yo dieting since January and gained 13 pounds. Exactly the opposite of what I was wanting to do. Steve does the same thing and loses 30+ pounds. Bastard.
I've decided the problem is weight watchers. I love weight watchers, don't get me wrong, but I am not a fan of the new points plus program. I think it's a great program for those who have met goal and are working to maintain. And I understand the idea behind it, that they are trying to encourage healthy eating choices, like fruits and vegetables. But I was already doing that before on the old weight watchers program.
So I went back. I'm back on the old weight watchers. It worked before and it's easy for me to understand and work with. We are three days in and I'm feeling great about it. I weighed myself yesterday morning and was at 210 so already I'm down and couldn't be happier. I might just be able to reach 50 pounds by the wedding. 10 pounds a month was what I averaged before and I think it's a pretty healthy weight loss. That about 2-2.5 pounds per week.
To ensure I lose weight I will also be doing what is known as the "wendy plan". Which basically varies your points from day to day. Some high days, some low days. The idea is to keep your metabolism guessing and not plateau. I lost 15 pounds January/February last year doing it so I thought it would be good to try it again.
I've also started walking in the morning. Not any certain distance. Not any certain pace. Just walking. I listen to talk radio and take the dogs. So far it's been good and I've actually enjoyed it. I'm still getting some exercise and not having to go to the gym. HIGH FIVE!
And the third component to all of this are gasp...diet pills. I'm not usually an advocate but if it helps boost my metabolism some I'm ok with it. I figure with all three, four if you count the wendy plan, i can't possibly not lose weight...right?
With the wedding getting closer I just know I don't want to look back on pictures and think, "look how fat I was" or "I wish I could have lost the weight before the wedding" or "i can't take back that time and be smaller". So I've got 5 months left to slim down. Even if I don't make 50 pounds but I've lost some I'll still be happy and glad I'm not over 200 pounds.
I think checking out this website really helped me get refocused. I just happened to be google-ing something about old weight watchers info and found Roni's website. I read a whole bunch of stuff, was getting motivated and then I watched her March web video, where she answers questions from readers. Just listening to her talk was everything I needed. I felt like I related to her so much. Everything she was talking about was so familiar and felt like she was speaking to me specifically. She had some great advice and really got my focus back onto what I needed to do to lose this weight. It was her that started my walking. She talked about just moving more. Which is something I already know, but she just made it totally ok for me to not go to the gym, to start with just walking and if that's all I do then thats ok. I think for the longest time I've just needed to hear someone say that.
Steve and I work at the Y. We live and breathe the "fitness world". I know I should go to the gym, especially since I have a free membership, but I just don't want to. I want something that fits me and that I can be happy doing. At the end of the day I'm happy I went for a walk in the morning. I can't say I've ever really been happy after a workout and excited about it enough to do it again the next day. Not that Roni will ever read this but if somehow you do, I just want to say thank you. I realize I'm only on day 3, but I am back in the zone, right where I need to be and you were a huge part of that so thank you so much.
So that's what I've been up to the last week. I'm excited and energized to be getting stuff done and can't wait to see what else I finish.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
To Do List
I've always been really into making lists. For everything. And I tend to be extremely productive when I have one. So yesterday morning I sat down before work and made a ginormous list of stuff that needs to get done.
• Finish taxes/file documents *can't till monday, have to call WF*
• clean kitchen
• clean bedroom
• paint upstairs bathroom trim
• pick out paint swatches at Lowes
• plant herbs and tomatoes
• do an exterior mock up of colors online *tried for 2 hours*
• revise lease for house
• write for rent listing for house
• post house on craigslist for rent
• re-mount TV in living room
• arrange electronics/cords in living room
• vacuum house
• change sheets on bed
• close all air vents in spare bedrooms
• update Quicken files
• reconcile bank accounts on Quicken
• workout
• make food for next weeks lunch's
• make dogs vet appts
• make cal a hair/nail appt.
• contact florist
• start working on rehearsal dinner dress
• take donations to goodwill and dare to care
• print certificate from Real Estate Express
• put away all movies/purge some VHS
• clean/vacuum out car
• wash car
I would say I've been pretty productive. It's not even noon yet and I've got many of the larger items done. Some I can't do till later and some I'll do once I leave the house; wash the car, stop at goodwill, etc.
I am really excited about getting the trim painted in the bathroom. It's taken me forever to actually do it. It all had to be washed down a couple times since the previous owners were disgusting. Then I had to caulk everything and fill in holes, remove the doors (both cabinet and people doors) before I could start.
But now it's done! Almost. It needs another 1 or 2 coats. They were previously "flesh tone beige" as I refer to it. In fact the whole bathroom *was* flesh tone beige. The tile shower surround, the walls, baseboards, tropical palm tree border, vanity, even the doors. It got to be too much. Here's the before picture. Sorry it's not better. I took it from the listing.
And here it is in progress.
Already so much better. Just excuse the hundreds or primed spots. those would be all the spots they installed anchors in the wall. I don't think they ever hung anything that wasn't held down with an anchor. The rest of the house is like this too. I counted at one point and I think it was something like 32 anchors in just the bathroom I removed/covered!
I'm excited to get a paint color on the walls. I just don't know what color I want. I love the color that we had in the bathroom at eastern parkway. It's like a tiffany blue.
So much that I made it the kitchen/nook color. So now I can't use it again upstairs. Here are the colors I'm thinking of. Kinda the same but more grey'd out.
I don't want it too light that it looks white, or too dark since there is only one window that doesn't get a lot of light, and one light above the mirror. Hopefully new light soon and ceiling light/fan installed. Not that this one isn't really "nice".
Thursday, March 29, 2012
It Begins Today
So today marks the beginning of my weight loss. I've decided to try Brad Gouthro's 12 week HIIT program. (HIIT standing for high intensity interval program). I was wanting something that was for a specific amount of time and 12 weeks is really only 3 months. I can do that. Plus the workouts are similar to what I usually do when I go to the Y. This just gets more specific about your heart rate, which can't be bad.
After taking Matthew to school I went to the downtown Y and did my workout. Not too bad, just interesting. My shin was killing me which made it harder but it was only a half hour in total. That was warm up,workout and cool down. I usually do about a 20 minute mile so it wasn't any different than normal...other than I usually do about 3 miles.
The whole bigger picture is about the "after burn" so I'm hoping that works. I'm also doing well on weight watchers today...so far. I have a real estate seminar to go to tonight at 6 that I'm sure I will be running to so who knows what I will be eating for dinner.
I'm really excited for tonight. Than Merrill from Fortune builders is in town and talking at the brown hotel tonight. We will see how it goes...
After taking Matthew to school I went to the downtown Y and did my workout. Not too bad, just interesting. My shin was killing me which made it harder but it was only a half hour in total. That was warm up,workout and cool down. I usually do about a 20 minute mile so it wasn't any different than normal...other than I usually do about 3 miles.
The whole bigger picture is about the "after burn" so I'm hoping that works. I'm also doing well on weight watchers today...so far. I have a real estate seminar to go to tonight at 6 that I'm sure I will be running to so who knows what I will be eating for dinner.
I'm really excited for tonight. Than Merrill from Fortune builders is in town and talking at the brown hotel tonight. We will see how it goes...
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