{31 DSP/Day 26 - Thanksgiving Printable}

Today I will make a November printable to frame on the mantel.

Look at me getting stuff done for next month!  

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{31 DSP/Day 25 - Losing Weight}

I had a fantastic birthday weekend, ate tons of great food and slept in until 9 (soooo late - ha!).  It was a great time to reconnect with Ben.

Now it is back to reality and the reality is....

I need to lose quite a bit of weight.  I am getting to the point where my feet hurt...a lot...like I'm almost a little afraid I have another stress fracture.  *insert big frowny face*  I'm so tired of walking around like an old woman (among other reasons I hate being fat - see here).

I wasn't always very over weight.  It is only been the past 3 or so years that I have been obese.  I checked my BMI (which, for me, is actually a very good indicator of health) and it is 37...not good.  I feel like this:

and it is SOOOO frustrating because I KNOW there is a problem and I KNOW how to fix it...I just don't.  That is my fault.  I did this to myself and nobody can lose the weight for me.

My niece has asked me to be her confirmation sponsor next May.  I'm totally ignoring the fact that she is old enough to be confirmed (she will be 16) and she was less than a year old when Ben and I met.  This means I'll have to stand in front of the congregation...there will be lots of pictures...I want to feel confident and happy in front of the camera.  I also want to be healthy, live longer, blah blah blah...I want to look good in pictures!  :D

I have roughly 32 weeks until the ceremony.  I have around 106 lbs to lose, I'm aiming to get back between 130 - 140 lbs (I am 5'7").  That is a very healthy, positive weight range for me.

Now don't get all excited...I'm not expecting to lose all of that in the next 6-7 months.  I should be well on my way though...I just HAVE TO START!

I would like to wear a dress to the ceremony.  I love this one from Ruche, with some kick ass heels.

via Ruche

It would be amazing to pull that off.  It will be a lot of work but I keep thinking about how great it will feel to walk into the church and stand up with my niece and not worry about my frump.

Today I will get back on my eating plan!

I will do a post soon on my eating/exercise plan.  It was created for me by a good friend of mine who is a personal trainer.  When I have followed it in the past I have felt amazing and seen results, so I know it works.  It takes a bit of planning but I've been repeating the following to myself...

Everything takes work...I need to work at the things that make me a better person!

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{31 DSP/Day 21 - Packing}

Before I go on a trip I like to have a few things done around the house.  I like to have all the laundry done, refrigerator cleaned out, house clean and an organizational project or two done.  Actually what I really want is the house to be perfect and spotless and magazine ready...sigh...it is really a sickness.  It helps me to feel calm and good about leaving (whether with the family or not).  It is one thing I always make sure I start a day or two before hand.

yeah...

right...

via appjudge

It is Friday morning and we are leaving for the weekend at 3pm and I haven't done anything and the house seems messier than usual.  Monday is my birthday (wahoo my birthday!) and Ben is taking me to the BIG city.  We are meeting my parents there and they are taking the kids to their house so we can have the weekend to ourselves *insert jumping up and down clapping*.  To be totally realistic I only need to have 5 of us packed and the house in reasonable condition.  It is funny how the closer you get to a deadline the more you strip down to the necessities.

All the laundry done?  nope - just the clothes we need for the weekend.
Refrigerator cleaned out? nope - I don't think anything is going to spoil by Sunday.
House clean? uhmmmm...I can do a 'good enough' job in about an hour to make it tidy so I won't be too embarrassed if I die and people have to come into my home (am I the only one who thinks this way?).  <---longest sentence in the history of mankind.
Organize projects?  AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH  *whew*

The fact is all I really HAVE to do is tidy up, pack and make sure the cats have a clean litter box and enough food/water for 3 days.  Totally do able in 5 hours.  If anything else gets done...it's a bonus!

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psssst: The Nester wrote a GREAT post on time and how the demands we have on our time...it has given me A LOT to think about today!

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{31 DSP/Day 20 - Special Package}

Jobs/Chores that require me to leave the house have the HIGHEST probability of being put off.  Loading and unloading the toddler and changing out of my pajamas is very unmotivating.  Today, though, I am tackling it head on!

Today I'm finally getting the girl clothes back to Melissa.  

There might be a few extra treats inside as well!  :)  There is now a nice open space on my office floor that is no longer occupied by a giant box.  YAY!

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{31 DSP/Day 18 - Paint the tree}

I finished painting the girl's room a month or so ago.  I painted it Sherwin Williams "Waterscape" made 25% darker.

SW Waterscape (original sample - we used a shade 25% darker)

The girl really liked the idea of a tree being painted on her wall.  So we hopped over to pinterest to see if we could find some inspiration.  She loved the following pictures...

via Ucreate

This was the first picture we found.  We liked the statement the 3 large trees made in the room.  We loved that one was a different color and that it was used to hang pictures/objects that the child loved and could  change with the seasons if desired.  However, the process is more complicated than I am willing to do.  The Mom printed out the image of the tree on a transparency slide and borrowed a projector from her kids' school to trace on the wall...so many steps...so much chance for procrastination.  This picture started the ball rolling and the post gave me lots of great tips on making branches.

via hgtv

We loved everything about this room.  The desk, the chairs, the color, the shelves, the organizing.  It looks like such a nice, comfy room that will easily grow with the child.  I like that the 'tree' is more free form and vine like.  It seems like it would be easier to paint, less room for error.  I'm not crazy about the green tree so we will paint the tree white.

Today I will paint the tree on the girl's wall.

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{31 DSP/Day 17 - Weed}

As illustrated by the picture I haven't weeded in weeks (dare I say longer?  I honestly don't know!).  Which is ridiculous because our soil is very sandy so the weeds pull right out (not like the hard clay we had at the old house).  I know it will only take me 45 min or so to weed our .8 acres...so I have no excuse NOT to do it.  :)

Today I will weed!
(update: done!)

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{31 DSP/Day 16 - Powder Room Art}

I painted our powder room about a month ago.  I have been kind of at a loss at what to put in there.  I found a couple rooms on pinterest that I liked but nothing screamed "THIS IS IT!"...and sometimes I really need that. :)  

I liked the idea of using Silhouettes and I have one of Ben when he was a child:

via decorpad

...but again...that takes time and lots of steps and child cooperation...and I could just see myself putting it off and putting it off.

I also like the idea of using paintings.  My great aunt was an amazing painter and I have several of her paintings.   I thought it would make a wonderful statement to group them all together and make a gallery of her work.  Unfortunately I couldn't come up with an arrangement that looked full and complete to me.  Then it hit me...combine the two and fill it in as you can!!!!  woot woot ding ding ding we have a winner!  I knew two of the paintings would go over the toilet.  So I decided to start there.

Today I will hang some art in the Powder Room!
(Update: Done!)

 Before: So hard to get a picture of the room.

You get extra points if your mirror is as streaky as mine!

Some day I may repaint the frames so they are all the same color but for now I love seeing her work on display!

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{31 DSP - Day 15 - Printable}

A couple of days ago I worked on my fall mantel.  I didn't quite finish and have been tweaking it ever since.  One of the things I felt it needed was some text.  A nice printable to add visual interest.  I was going to make my own but never got too it.  I started looking around and most of the printables I found we too 'cutesy' for my tastes.  Then I remembered that Jennifer from dear lillie had a free October printable (she's really cool like that).  Since she and I have a very similar design style and aesthetic I knew it would be perfect.

Today I will print out a quote for the mantle!

(update: done!)

I printed it out and low and behold...my printer was out of everything but red ink.  ARGH!  Oh well, I put it in the frame anyway.  It looks really nice.  I may reprint it once I change the cartridges but I may not.  November is just around the corner and something new will go in it's place.  For now it works beautifully (even though it is beautifully imperfect)!

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{31 DSP/Day 14 - Paint my nails}

YAY!  It's friday!  It is time for a little pampering!  I don't feel put together if my nails are all jagged and dirty.  If there are any rough edges I start to pick and pull and then create a bigger problem.  It has been a couple weeks since I last filed, buffed, and painted my nails.  It is time.

Let's assess the situation shall we....

groooooooooossssss!  

Yes that is dirt and old nail polish...there is even a little paint from the guest room project...sigh.  Oh yeah!  That's the office/guest room paint behind my hand...still LOVE it!

I'm going to spare you a picture of my toe nails.  Besides clipping I've done nothing to them since early July (when I got my last pedicure).  Let's just say when you are 106 pounds overweight it is a little hard to bend down there and paint them...another reason why being obese sucks!

Today I will clip, file, buff, and paint my finger nails and toe nails!

This picture was taken Monday morning.  I painted them Friday night.  This is why I don't usually paint my nails a color.  As soon as I have to do anything with my hands the color chips.  I've tried everything to combat this and nothing has works.  So, typically I choose a pale pink or clear polish.  I'll remove this color today (Monday) and repaint with a one of my paler colors.

The only question now is...what color will they be?  (update: I chose FingerPaints color "Hue are you?" - it's a nice muddy brown color, perfect for fall)

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{31 DSP/Day 12 - Pantry}

This week I am working in my kitchen.  In our old house I had a huge walk in pantry.  I basically just threw everything in there.  The pantry in this house needs a much different mode of organization.

Exhibit A:

The top portion of the pantry is high and very deep.  Stuff gets lost in the back.  I can't really see what I have.


Exhibit B:

The bottom is easier.  There are shelves on the insides of the doors and the center unit swings out to reveal the shelves in the back.  It seemed like a really cool idea but it is awkward to get to the back shelves.  

I need to be able to see, at a glance, what I have and what I'm missing.  I also need an easy way to store the kids' snacks, so they are able to get their own.

Today I will clean out and organize my pantry (& fridge).

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{31 DSP/Day 11 - Office Floor}

When we moved into our new house it was very important for me to have an office.  I take care of everything that is involved in running and managing our home (cleaning, meals, appointments, bills, etc) and felt I needed my own dedicated space to do that.  This house has a room to the right as you walk in the house. The previous owners used it as a sitting room, for me it was a perfect office space.  Unfortunately, my propensity for procrastination has led it to be a dumping ground for random (and not so random) stuff.  It is hard to work effectively when you literally cannot enter the room.  Plus it looks terrible and is not the impression I wanted to give visitors.

Today I will de-clutter the office to the point where I can work on organizing it further.

(update: done! - It took about an hour and a half - not nearly as long as I was afraid it would take)

I have such great plans for this space.  It will be a craft/sewing/paperwork space.  I can't wait to share pictures when I get it finished. 

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{31 DSP/Day 10 - Fall Mantel}

It is fall mantel time!!!  Ideally I would have had this done prior to now but hey...that is why I'm doing this series.  For the first time in my life I have a mantel to decorate - HAPPY DAY!  Here is my beautiful two story stone fireplace.  

Please ignore the aero bed.  

It was our first night in the new house and our furniture hadn't arrived.

The mantel itself is very narrow so I have to be careful with what I put up there.  I wasn't sure what would work so I headed over to pinterest to find some inspiration.  

First this lovely mantel from Kimba (ASPL - love her) jumped out at me.  The stone looks similar to what I have.  It is simple and I love the variations of height with the mirror and frame.  

via a soft place to land 

Again, I like the variation of hight and the mix of natural elements.

via centsational girl

LOVE the wreath hanging over the frame!!!!

via tracy's trinkets & treasures

Today I will complete our fall mantel.
(update: Almost done, I need to get more pumpkins & print off a fall print I made)

After lunch the dTrain and I will head over to the craft store and see what we can find.  I have a few things at the house that we will use but need some gourds and stuff.

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{31 DSP/Day 9 - Cleaning Schedule}

It is no secret I love Flylady.

It is no secret that when I was doing Flylady consistently that my house was clean, I felt like I was on top of things and had more time.

It is no secret that the new house totally overwhelms me cleaning wise...with the extra 1000 sq. ft. and all!

It is no secret that Ben says "Hey why don't you start doing flylady again."

Today I will get my cleaning schedule figured out!

I am familiar enough with Flylady that I know how to tweak her basic routines to fit my personality and style (which is what she is all about!).  I know how to take from her what works for me and leave what doesn't.  I don't subscribe to her emails and have made my own zones and missions.  You could say I took the spirit of the Flylady principals and rocked them till they work for me...just call me FlyMary!

Now that we are in the new house I have to reevaluate how to structure my cleaning.  Melissa found this awesome app called HomesRoutines that I downloaded for my iPad.  It looks like it was developed for the iPhone (small format) but I don't let that bother me.  I was able to create my zones, cleaning and 'to do' lists.  It keeps track of everything and even has a built in timer.  It is pretty snazzy and I like it.

This is how my zones break down, each zone gets a week of the month.  I tried to organize them by location and to even out how much work each one will be.  I know that by plugging away at these areas (that are a disaster right now) that soon they will be much more manageable and take less time to whip into shape (trust me it will happen).

ZONE 1: Entryway, Stairs, Guest Room, My Office, Secret Room

ZONE 2: Kitchen, Dining Room, Laundry Room, Living Room

ZONE 3: Master Bedroom, Master Bathroom, Powder Room

ZONE 4: Boys' Bedroom, Girl's Bedroom, Kids' Bathroom

ZONE 5: Boys' Office, Bonus Room, Hallway/Linen Closet

Then I went through each zone and made a list of what needed to be done to clean that area (I won't bore you with those lists).  I also made a list of what else needs to be done in that room: unpacking (if applicable), decorating, organizing, etc.  Just seeing it all laid out makes me feel calmer.

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{31 DSP/Day 8 - Birthday Present}

The girl had a birthday party this afternoon.  I woke up determined NOT to leave the present wrapping and card signing to the last minute (aka: In the parking lot of the party...tell me I'm not the only one who does that regularly!).

One of the things I've done to help with parties and gifts is that I purchase a box of cards at Costco.  Inside the box are lots of cards for different occasions.  I let my kid go through and pick one to give to their friend.  I have a selection of gift bags and tissue paper and it makes wrapping the gifts easy peasy.  I also have a few gifts they can chose from in case we *cough* forget to get to the store.  Even with all these aids I STILL find myself scrounging in my car to complete everything and it is really stressful.

This morning the girl choose her card, her gift bag and tissue paper.  We assembled everything and placed the bag sat on the counter with 6 hours to spare!  HOORAY!

We were still late to the party but that was for different *mommy forgetting her cell phone and needing to stop for coffee* reasons.  :}

I don't have a picture of the present but I thought I would share something funny I found on pinterest (I couldn't find the original source).

tee hee

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{31 DSP/Day 7 - uhmmm Kids Laundry}

aka: Get it done woman!  

Today I will put away the children's laundry.

(update: DONE!!)

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{31 DSP/Day 6 - Guest Room Art}

Today I will decide on and hang the artwork that will go above the couch in the guest room.

Yesterday I put the guest room back together (after I rocked out the first day of my 31 day series.  Read about that here).  I am trying to decide which art I should hang over the sleeper sofa.  This room is our library/guest room.  I want it to look great no matter what the room is being used for.  So far these are my ideas:

1. I purchased this piece at Bed Bath and Beyond when we were staging the old house for sale.  I LOVE all the colors and movement.  Once I had it up though, I think the scale isn't big enough for the space (those are 10ft ceilings), which is funny because the picture is actually huge!

2. These prints were brought back from Japan by my Uncle, who worked with the Nagasaki survivers in the late 60s (he is a doctor).  I remember these in my home as a child.  I really like them...not sure where else to hang them if they don't go here.  The scale is better for the room than the first piece.

3.  I like the idea of having an arrangement of large black frames, 

thick mats and black & white photos of the kids.  

What would you do (do you have any other ideas)?  

My goal is to have this room feel so warm and inviting that it draws you in and makes you never want to leave.


I decided to go with option 3.  
I will post a picture as soon as I have it completed!

I still need end tables, lamps, fabric to cover the pillows.  The bookcase will probably be eliminated and the books placed on shelves mounted to the wall.  I may bring in my great aunt's secretary.

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{31 DSP - Day 5 - Laundry}

I yelled.  

I yelled a lot this morning.  

At my sweet 8 year old who was not ready for school when we needed to go and I had to remind him 5 times to do things he does everyday!  

One problem was he couldn't find any clean clothes...because I haven't put away his laundry for three weeks.  I know you are thinking..."well why doesn't he put away his OWN laundry?"...and I would say "you are exactly right!"  He should be putting away his own laundry.  We just haven't got there yet. 

That is a pile of clean clothes.  They are all clean.  For two+ weeks this pile has been in our bedroom (to the left of this picture).  I moved it to it's present location two days ago....

What is wrong with me?  Actually the reason is I don't want to carry it all upstairs.  *guh*  I am so lame errr lazy!  This morning we scrounged around looking for clothes and I was ugly mommy and sent him off to school with that memory.  I feel terrible about it.  He needs a system for his clothes that works for him (like laying out his clothes the night before), but first that I need to move this pile from out of my kitchen!!!!    

Today I am going to put away the kids laundry!! 
& evaluate how to help them do it themselves 
(that doesn't involve stuffing it under their beds which leads to no clean underwear)!!
(update: I didn't get this done.  I did get the guest room put back together though.  Last night I pulled out clothes for the kids so they didn't have to dig for them this morning, that helped a lot!)

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