28 March 2016

Improvement?

I'm going to have to create an excel spreadsheet or something so I can see my progress.


Today was one of those days where I played the same song 3 times in a row just kuz I was feeling it, and tried to run through the stitch in my side.

22 March 2016

Products I'm loving lately

These pants from Academy.
  • 15 bucks and I can wear them while running errands. They're comfortable and I don't look like I'm homeless or frumpy. I have them in the grey, too.
  • They were also perfect for exercising outside on the 2 cold days we had this winter. I bought the skinny capri version for warmer days.
LUSH. I'm SO into lush. I've tried a few things and they're all wonderful. What sticks out?
  • The bath bombs and bubble bars. Duh. Except this one left a pink residue on my skin, nails, and tub. Not getting again.
  • The BIG sea salt shampoo. I only use it every few weeks because it gets it absolutely squeaky clean and it's too much for every day. I use random drug store shampoo in the meantime. But man, I look forward to that sea salt shampoo day.
  • None of the conditioners detangle enough for me, but I do like the Roots mask. I've been using the dud-for-hair BIG solid conditioner for shaving my armpits and it works really well. My armpits are so soft lately, haha. Yay for re-purposing! Especially bc it was hella-expensive. That's what you get when you have drinks at lunch and then go shopping at LUSH. Well, and you also get this classy spectacle:

What? There was booze in that cup. Not my fault. God, we're fun obnoxious. Moving on.

This armband cell phone holder. Because it's so much better than tucking my cell phone in my sports bra and pulling it out all sweaty after a workout.

Cheerios. No, really. I've been eating Cheerios every single day and it makes me so happy. Gluten Free Cheerios = LOVE.

Popit containers. Chris got me a set for Christmas to try out, and they're perfect. Standard sizes, and most importantly, they DON'T LEAK. Soup stays put. The flap thingies are sturdy so there's no danger of them breaking off. So I got another set and I use them every day for my lunch. I tossed all the other mismatched leaky containers. Just kidding. I kept them for disposable uses.

Beauty/skincare: Still using all of these. Still loving all of them.

What are you loving lately?

19 March 2016

brassieres

I actually spelled it ^ right on the first try. I expected not to. It looks like it should be pronounced Brass-ier.

Last week's spring cleaning spree included cleaning out the underwear, sock, jammie, and bra drawers. I actually washed all my bras. Let's not talk about how long it's been since they were washed. What?? They don't get smelly!

The last time we talked about bras was fun. Let's do an update.

How many bras do you own? 
How many do you actually wear on a regular basis?
How many times do you wear a bra before you wash it?

Me, I'm finally to the point where I don't keep bras that I don't wear. I'm fed up with that nonsense! If you don't use it, lose it.

Total bras: 8. In various shades of nude, black, hot pink, polka dot, lacy, and blue.

Wearage: Some fit better than others, and I favor a few, but I wear all of them and I never wear the same one two days in a row. I actually have a system where I take one off and put it in a designated "worn" area, then pick out a new bra from the drawer for the next day. When they're all worn, I put them all back in the drawer.

(not counted: 1 really good strapless, and 1 really good sports bra)

The last time I bought new bras was probably back in 2012 when I last blogged about it. Yowza. Really, that long?
I've been putting off buying new bras until my weight (and boob size) stabilizes. Still not motivated to buy new ones, but I know I need to.

The last time I cleaned out the undie drawer was back in 2012 as well. It's been a while since I tossed the stained, the holey, the stretched out, and the just plain uncomfortable. A surprisingly small amount got thrown out. I still have an entire drawer full. I was a bit bummed that I don't get to replenish it. Victoria's Secret credit card, you're safe for now.

As always, I have a plethora of socks. Courtesy of madre. I did move all of my not-worn-anymore slack socks to storage. No sense in fishing around them to pull out socks to wear with clodhoppers.

In other closet-type news, I tried on a pair of shorts that I couldn't wear last summer because they would have fallen off of me, and they stayed put! Woo, I can wear more than one pair of shorts this summer! Sans safety pins!

And, my brother told me that I "look healthy" the other day. You have NO idea how good it felt to hear that.
P.S. I actually ate spaghetti. Close enough :o)

17 March 2016

Neighbors

I have the sweetest neighbor.

I was outside today we started chatting, and she told me about something that happened the other day.

She was out walking her dog and she heard pumpkin meowing at the front door. Chris and I were both at work and she obviously wasn't getting inside. So my neighbor went up to the front porch, made sure she had some food and water, and pet her a little bit.

She said the cat was being very insistent, as she tends to be. But it was very sweet of my neighbor to go and make sure that the cat was okay.

What she didn't know was that I threw her outside on purpose because she is being very annoying at night. Haha. If we put her outside during the day, she tends to be a lot more mellow at night and everybody sleeps a bit better.

Anyway, my neighbor is sweet.

16 March 2016

things I've been up to lately

...besides work. So many hours. Such great paychecks!

It feels like crumbs are down my shirt but there are none. Weird!

Did a bit of spring cleaning.

Mostly dog beds and floors. The house was getting a LOT funky from the dog. I sacrificed my washing machine and dryer to the cloggy dog hair onslaught for the sake of a cleaner, fresher house. Evidence: Clean floors! Oh, they practically glow. I can walk around the house barefoot without collecting a bunch of unmentionable disgusting things on the bottoms of my feet.


I also cleared the winter stuff out of the closet. A whole bunch of cardigans and 1 sweater. Boo for a mild winter. I didn't even wear most of the stuff. I put a whole bunch in the "donate" pile and even threw a few things away that are stained and I have no idea why I kept them "just in case." Especially now that I wear scrubs to work again and I no longer need to have "filler" pieces.

Procrastinating the shower clean. It needs a deep one and I'm not in the mood. Instead... windows! Windows get clean! It's amazing how windows won't even look dirty and then you clean them, and the whole room gets brighter.

This year's garden situation is also un-motivating. Why plant something that dog will dig up or knock over? I have one tiny corner of the deck with a few pots that the dog leaves un-molested. The basil did well there last year. I'll do it again. Nothing else really grew, probably because of the lack of sunlight.

I love fresh herbs so maybe I can make some work on the kitchen windowsill. I'd also love to do some flowers in the front. We haven't had much time for yardwork.

P.S. The dishwasher is acting up. NOOOOOOOooooOOOOOOooooOOOOOOO!!!!! I have an unhealthy attachment to appliances, people. Especially my dishwasher!

09 March 2016

Sweet Hobby Lobby Haul

I scored a bunch of sweet stuff at Hobby Lobby today. Every single item was on sale!


The best thing about these on-sale scores was that I was able to check some things off the list of things I've been needing, including a magazine holder, a hook for the guest bathroom and a scoop for the cat food.

I got some great mercury glass knobs for the bar, but I spaced out and only got 3. Doof. Oh, darn. I guess I'll have to go back.


The thing I was most excited about was the mirror. It was on sale for $25 and it caught my eye. Probably because it looks a LOT like this one I pinned a while back. It found a home on the mantel, which still needs a new paint job or something because oy, all that warm wood. It would look so much fresher if it were either lighter or darker. Eh, it's on the list.



Makeshift mudroom

One of the odd things about our house is that there's no real entryway. There's a dark and jumbled coat closet by the front door, and a tight laundry room by the back door.

I attempted to make a "hang your shit here" location by the porch door, but the space is simply too small for backpacks and purses and whatnot. Most of our stuff ended up on the kitchen table, or flung onto the stage. Every time I tried to clean it off, there was nowhere else to put the stuff, so it ended up in random places again. Which was always visible from the couch while I was watching tv. I would stare at it and get annoyed by the perpetual clutter. Gah.

So I started brainstorming and determined that the empty spot by the front door might be a good landing zone. It's not near the alarm pad, which might make it inconvenient, but I figured it was worth a shot.

Ideally I want to put a bench there with little storage boxes underneath. Chris's grandpa has a bench that we've got to dig out of storage and haul back. In the meantime, these previously unused shoe organizers are standing in for the bench.

Kind of unsightly, but at least all the junk is collected in one place! The previous intended landing zone by the porch door now houses dog leashes and outside shoes like rain boots, which is perfect for the porch location anyway.


Ideally, I should probably clean out the dark and jumbled closet across from the front door for this purpose. That way the stuff can be hidden.

Realistically, the fact that there's a door there will probably dissuade us from using it in the first place! God forbid we have to open a door, but hey, I know that's what will happen. Besides, we can easily spruce up the makeshift mudroom when we have guests over, and the bench will provide additional seating.

So far the makeshift mudroom is working.

08 March 2016

Beth

A small eulogy for a lovely woman:

My aunt-in-law was a sweet lady. A strong, positive spirit, even at the end.

Rest in peace.


02 March 2016

Keeping on

I took a nap when I got home from work today. And when I woke up, I could have kept sleeping. I WANTED to keep sleeping.

It has been incredibly busy at work lately. On top of extra busy, I've been working extra hours and coming home exhausted.

I like to call that "job security." Or, "new kitchen."

As tired as I was, I told myself I would go for a walk. Though it was a struggle, I ended up completing 3k. I even ran a little bit because a peppy song came on. The wind was blowing, the birds were singing, and I was huffing along the sidewalk, determined to run until I got to the stop sign.

As always, it was something I'm glad I did.


It's been difficult to maintain an exercise schedule. It's a bit discouraging because exercise is supposed to make you feel stronger. Instead I've been feeling worn down. I'm moving all day at work so at the end of the day it feels like I've had a day-long workout. Except it doesn't really count because it's just moving around and my heart rate's not up.

Although I can't say that it has made me feel worse. Except for the lower back pain. Why does that always accompany walk/run types of exercise? I suppose I should work more on abs. They used to be so strong and now they're all wimpy and soft. I blame that on my 30's. And wine.

Anyway, that is the status of my body and motivation. I'm no longer scared of Saturday's 3K like I was a few weeks ago, so I suppose you could say that's progress! Plus it's a great measure of how I'm doing at the halfway point for the 5K.