Small Changes for 2013, Part 2

So some of you have had more time to find your word for 2013 or make some resolutions. In my last post I said I was making small changes in 2013 and some wondered what they might be. 

I read somewhere that the #1 resolution by Americans was to lose weight. I love to eat! Over the holidays as more and more treats came into our home, I would snack on the high calorie treats that adorned our counters. Thus a little weight gain. 

Track Calories

My small change in this area is to be more active and to eat mindfully, which is a lot easier said than done. So the first small change I have made is to track my calories again. I am choosing foods that are higher in protein, less processed/packaged foods. I am also making an effort to have fresh veggies and fruits ready to be eaten. It seems when I want a snack, I don't want to take time to prepare it, so it really helps having the veggies washed, cut and ready to be eaten. My favorite go to snack is greek yogurt. If you haven't tried it, you should! It is a great source of protein and really delicious. Be sure to read the label as there are now a lot of varieties, with some containing too many calories. These are previous posts that I have written about healthy eating: here and here.

Be Active

The midwest winter months can really drag on, as those who live in the midwest know, all too well. I am aiming at being more active. I continue to ski with my family on the weekends. I have also gone back to tennis one day/week. I committed to working with a personal trainer in a group setting in February. I am using the rest of January to get ready for this huge challenge. I already logged the training dates into my calendar and I am committed to being in the gym at a minimum of two days per week.  I am also hoping to make a reacquaintance with my treadmill! 

Home Organization

Another small change I have made is in the area of organization. I am following A Bowl Full of Lemons, New Year's Home Revolution which is a 14 week home organization challenge. If you are interested in checking it out, go here. What I like about this challenge is that it can be as little or as much organization as that space needs that week. I figure even if  I clean a drawer a week in the space that they suggest, I will end up with a minimum of 14 clean drawers!! A small change that will lead to a bigger change! 

Before I started the New Year's Home Revolution "Organization Challenge"  I cleaned and organized my laundry/mud room. I am not quite done renovating this space, as I need to have a new faucet and sink installed and need new artwork above the coat hooks. I also need to find a way to hide the electrical cords from the washer and dryer, below the cabinets. I hope to dedicate one full blog post to this room, as it is a big part of the functioning of our family! Here is a peek at the progress so far from last spring: 

If you want to see what my laundry room looked like "BEFORE" go here and here.

A have a few more small changes for 2013 that I will share with you in another post. And to leave you on a note of other things happening at our house...a scheduled surgery for my son Foster, to repair an "acute ulnar collateral ligament"or thumb ligament, after he suffered a ski injury dubbed as Skier's Thumb...a similar injury his father also had as an 8th grader. Like father, like son.

Xray at orthopedic surgeon's office:

My kids love playing with the fun stuff at the orthopedic surgeon and using instagram:

I hope that your 2013 is off to a great start and that you are still enthused about the possibilities of great things to come in the new year! 

hugs, 

Cathy

In With the New

I haven't blogged in forever!! I am sorry to my followers. I have spent a lot of time this winter focusing on things that need to get done within my life. Some inward focus on my faith and outward focus on staying fit and healthy. I hope to improve my blogging frequency, as I still love to blog. I am always looking for that elusive balance between blogging and accomplishing tasks that need to get done in a timely manner.

Just a quick catchup:

• Even with a very mild winter, we had an awesome winter with lots of skiing (due to our local ski resort's new snowmaking abilities!)
• I had a bad ski fall (about the worst I have ever had in 26 years of skiing) and was so grateful that I was wearing my helmet, as the brunt of the fall was on the base of my skull...I think I suffered a minor concussion and took a week of resting before I resumed my activities...time for a new ski helmet! If you ski without a helmet, please consider wearing one. I cannot even imagine what could have happened had I not been wearing my helmet. 
• The kids were awesome in their progress in skiing and attempting new tricks and bigger air, which made their momma suffer a bit more stress!
• My Anabear has kicked her mono to the curb and is getting more and more energy!
• We had 10 days between ski season and wakeboarding season which is absolutely unheard of in North Central Ohio..we have had a very early and beautiful spring...tulips are in bloom and it is still March! Foster was able to go boating with some friends and he enjoyed his first wakeboarding session since his knee injury last fall. I was worried about hypothermia, but the water was already 71 degrees and he wore his wetsuit. His text to me "Mom, I don't have hypothermia". 
• Although my MSU Spartans made it to the Sweet 16, they did not make it past that point. I was really bummed because they had an awesome season! But, my runner up fave team, the OSU Buckeyes, are in the Final Four! Do you remember my post from a few years ago explaining my team allegiances? You can go here if you want to read about it. 
• Soccer season is in full swing. We are practicing 4 nights/week and are awaiting the game schedule. Spring is upon us!!
• I have been playing tennis and hope my game improves before summer. My forehand has improved but my backhand has declined. Why is it that when one thing improves, another goes downhill? The kids are still playing tennis, while also playing soccer. 
• I am the last person in the world to be reading Hunger Games. Better late than never, right? 

One reason I have been absent from my blog is because I have been working on a few projects. I have a few "teaser" pictures for you and will be sure to post the final results when I complete them.

This is our dining room turned music room. I had it painted a few years ago and I love the color. (Pratt& Lambert Safari) At that time I put in the new light fixture and plenty of can lights. It really needed better lighting. Recently, I bought the painting (Home Goods) and switched the chairs to this room from the study. This room is one of the first rooms that you see when you enter our home. This rug is going to be replaced and we already added a new piece of furniture, which I will show you in an upcoming post! (cliffhanger)

"Teaser" Pic for Music Room~The Before (Stay tuned for the After)

I posted awhile back about likes and dislikes of my laundry room/mud room. Well this room is finally getting a new paint job and hip hip hurray for new flooring. I am going with the paint color on the right (Pratt & Lambert Sea Grass). It is a soft blue/green heading toward a seafoam green.

Pergo Boathouse Pine (Lowe's~special order~)....new flooring..yipppeeee! It is whitewashed and distressed with some grays and natural wood peeking through. It is going to look fresh in here! I cannot wait to be rid of the "forest green marbled" linoleum, that I have endured for 9 1/2 long years.  IN WITH THE NEW!!

I was inspired to start on my new projects by reading Kim's What I Want to Be When I Grow Up and her indecision and decisions on paint colors. Thanks for getting me back on track, Kim!

My real life and bloggy friend Michelle has taken up a new/old hobby and I have enjoyed reading about it at Emerald Cove. Remember we met last year at our favorite lake? I need to get out on the water and practice my water skiing because she can SKI!

And have you heard about my bloggy friend Pam? She is moving to Paris with her family!! You can read about her exciting adventures at Views from My Kitchen Sink.

Another bloggy friend, Val, has found true love after suffering a profound loss. She is a photographer and has a very inspiring story. You can find her at  In the Moment.

I will be back with more updates and pictures.
hugs, Cathy

Laundry Room~Ready For Summer~

The photo below is not reality. This is SO staged & represents how I dream my laundry room would look this summer, for more than 5 hours.  A girl has to dream!

Here are three things I love about my laundry room:

• Laundry Chute
• Window with shade
• Door

Laundry Chute~love, love, love! As a kid we had one in our first house and I remember my Mom pining for one in our second house. Now I know why!

Window~love it when it is clean and that dang crazy bird is not attacking it. Shade is easy to pull when laundry piles up beyond window {oh yes, it does!}. Also, could not live without the laundry sorter, could actually use 2 more!:

Door~This is a view that you see when you come in from the garage. It NEVER looks this nice! But see that door handle to the right? I can close the door when company comes, so they don't see the huge disaster bookbags. {You will often hear my voice go an octave higher and something like"close the laundry room door!" And NO this room is not part of the house tour. But thank you for asking.}

Other Views of the "Never Before Seen" Laundry Room

The hooks & shoe organizers which my kids do not use are from Target (a few years ago)~very budget friendly.  4 hooks/kid & mounted at a height that my youngest could reach~may have to be adjusted higher in a few years.

One basket/kid, used in order of birth, left to right. Cabinet below is reorganized with paper products (I re-installed a shelf & battery organizer) and gift wrapping/bags/tissues. Shelf contains ribbon and hiding behind the folder is the always needed, when you have kids in school, pencil sharpener (messy!) and a basket of bandaids & first aid goodies that will soon be strewn about. The top cabinet holds infrequently used kitchen appliances.

This where muddy feet & hardworking hands get washed.

Both my washer & dryer need repaired. Little leak on the washer & a part on the dryer (has been making weird sounds). Did I mention that these aren't even 2 years old & cost a fortune? Repair man was here & will be back with parts. Still good to use until he arrives again. {Get the extended in-home repair warranty & make sure you write how long it is good for. Keep those papers organized!}

Notice the little piece of wood on the oh how i hate hunter green kid-friendly linoleum? 

A close-up (yes that is marbled hunter green linoleum~really was that ever in style? I don't think so!)This is a sample piece of flooring. What is the best color  & material for a mud room floor? Don't say tile because to is way too cold in the winter months:

Things I would change about this room:

• Flooring
• Cabinets
• New Faucet
• Counters
• Woodwork: paint trim & install crown molding. Yep, I would.  I have in several other rooms in my house, so this is an easy decision for me.

Through this process I did realize that I do have some big blank spaces on the walls in this room and could use help filling those in.  I think I need to call Suz. She is a friend from my post-college, pre-married years {what do you call those days? the fun years, the Lucky days? No silly that was the name of our fav dance spot!). She blogs for HomeGoods & has a staging business. She has a hubby & two precious young girls. You may enjoy her blog here and her staging business site here.  She has pics of her laundry room here and a tween updated bedroom here. I probably should have sent her my pics before I posted, so she could have given me some advice on how to stage this long, narrow laundry room/mud room!

I will say that my laundry room is last on the list behind the entry/foyer, kitchen and study/den. It may be a few years before anything changes in here. 

Now I have a confession to make: I am a big-time procrastinator. The ONLY reason that I finished this summer update, before school is out, is because I am participating in Anti-Procrastination Tuesday @ New Nostalgia. And dear Amy featured my office on her blog today! Thanks Amy!

Here is last week's list {5/18/10}& the Progress Report:

1. Finish last coat on picnic table & benches. Hoping for better weather! DONE
2. Test paint shutter DONE: Hubby & I decided that it was a lost cause to try to paint 40 shutters when the vinyl shutters had been painted already by the previous owners. {It seems they used automotive paint} We could not get a nice surface. A phone call will be placed today to order new shutters. Paint that was purchased will be used on trim to tie in the darker color of the new shutters. 
3. Clean out  8 baskets & ready mud room for summer with place for goggles, towels & flip flops! DONE, all baskets are organized, just have to clean the "war zone" of the kitchen where the fallout happened! 
4. Purchase stain for kids swingset (sweet talk hubby into pressure washing it for me!) DONE, hubby was "sweet talked" & the playset was pressure washed & is half way stained. I bought one gallon of Cabot stain. We have an area on the swingset that has barn siding and that really soaked up the stain. Went back for another gallon of the same & ended up with the wrong stain. Back to the blue store & finally got the 2nd gallon of needed product. Hopeful that the project will be done in a week. May need more sweet talking. (note to self)
5. Catch up on paperwork STILL ON LIST
6. Post about French inspired giveaway DONE, go here to enter
7. Plan teacher thank you gifts Have ideas, but STILL ON LIST

New list for week of 5/25:

1. Enjoy peonies & iris in the sunshine
2. Feed children
3. Get ready for long weekend: buy sunscreen & something to grill 
4. Clean some windows, if I feel like it!
5. Paperwork
6. Teacher gifts
7. Buy flower seeds
8. Take hubby Snapple tea, while he mows
9. Research last day of school "surprise" for kids
10. Enjoy friends

My French~inspired giveaway is still going on. To be eligible you should go to this post & comment, before Friday May 28th, 2:00 EST. Only eligible if you comment on F is for Free Fonts, Friday, a First, French Freebie & Flower Fotos.


Thanks for making it till the end of the loooonnnnnnggg post!
Hugs,

QUIZ: did you see something that was featured in a previous post in this room? Also, did you see something that didn't belong in this room, which is the dead giveaway that the room is staged? Did you see Waldo?