What consumes our thoughts?

This weekend I set out to find picture frames for various places in our house. But I very quickly became overwhelmed because some of the frames were for places that weren’t defined yet, like the shelving by the mantle. I know I want to frame our wedding invitation for display there, but I can’t pick anything until I know what the space in question actually looks like. So then I started looking at our gallery wall that only had three pictures in it and decided it was high time I got to work on that. This also quickly became overwhelming because, if you remember, all the pictures were intended to be black and white family pics (not of us). There were so many I wanted to display and then I had Alec’s family pictures to consider too. So I picked and printed six and told Alec the rest are up to him.

Then I realized that our memory book was woefully out of date! So, after three photo orders from Walmart I finally got that current too. After I finished I decided to peruse the memory book. It is obvious what consumes most of our thoughts (or, at least, mine), because almost all of the pics were of our house in various stages.

I’m happy that we are so actively trying to improve our living situation, but this is me committing to trying to spice things up a bit too.

Projects galore

The list of projects that we are currently working on is long. And by working on, I mostly mean we think about them, spend time on Pinterest doing research, discuss them, and save money. It seems that DIYing and remodeling comes in bursts for us. In one period of time we’ll do 15 projects and then the next we’ll do none. This is mostly due to the fact that we are both extremely busy. Alec goes to school full-time (to become a machinist-in case you were wondering) about 30 miles from our house. That’s right, he’s made a career change. And boy, is it a good one for him. I think he’s found his calling. He also works part-time. I work full-time and do freelance work on the side.

OK, enough with the excuses. What projects are we working on/stewing on/planning for? Well, I’ll tell you:

Fireplace

Months and months ago we lucked into a fireplace mantle that was just beautiful. It is heavy, quality, and has a medium stain. We don’t particularly love medium stains, we tend to gravitate more toward really dark or white. It was also a corner fireplace. And the planned home for this fireplace is not a corner. So this has taken some wood working skills by Alec to get it transformed into a non-corner fireplace. Unfortunately, we don’t have all the tools we need for these type of projects (yet), so whenever Alec got some time to work on it, he had to haul the whole thing to my parents, which is about an hour from us. We found a dirty, beat up electric fireplace that is almost big enough for the mantle. We bought it off KSL for $10 and Alec cleaned it up, changed and a fuse, and it is good as new! We figure an electric fireplace is going to be a lot more cost-effective for the situation we’re in than running a gas line. We’re practically done with this project but have come to realize we need to find some sort of shelving solution that will look built-in to go on either side. However, we’ve been enjoying the fireplace since the weather turned cold almost immediately after we got to this point. That white strip above the fireplace is a cement board. We’re going to put tile there as soon as possible.

Any ideas on cheap (I mean SUPER cheap) shelving for either side? We’ve been tossing around using thrifted drawer cabinets and those stairs that lean against the wall and decrease in size as you get to the top. Whatever the solution is, it can’t be much wider than two feet and has to help us conceal our cord problem. Also, it would be great if we got a new TV in the deal too. No? Ya well, I thought I’d try it. Maybe Santa will bring one.

This picture shows it in perspective with the room and indicates the need for shelving.

This picture shows what it looks like while on. It is so cozy to snuggle up to right now. I am loving it!

Bathroom

Our upstairs bathroom is tiny. Seriously. Picture this: I go to the store to buy a vinyl remnant (give me a break OK, I’d use cork if it was worth the investment for the house we’re in!) and get a 6×7″ piece. It is HUGE. Our bathroom is probably about 40 square feet. So I don’t have a lot to work with here.  But we’re replacing the flooring, we get a new sink, vanity, mirror, and light fixture. The inspiration is coming from a shower curtain we got at Sears. Previously, the towels used hang on an over-the-door hook on the back of the door, but it is so heavy the door keeps swinging shut. I find this really annoying when I’m getting ready in the morning. I know, I should have posted some more in-progress pictures but I was just too anxious to get this done to think about it. While it was in demo we had to share the other nasty bathroom with the cat we just adopted, who was seriously stinky the first few weeks we had her. It was awful!

New light. The only shot I could get of it was out of context with the rest of the bathroom. When I stepped out the door to take a wider angle shot the light just turned into a blur.

IKEA Godmorgon vanity and sink. We love the thick look of the sink and the fact that it is one piece, as opposed to a ceramic sink dropped in ugly laminate counter top. The faucet is also from IKEA. This was quite an ordeal and we went to Lowe’s at least 8 times that day. The plumbing pipes that came with it didn’t fit any standard size that we needed for extensions. Trust us, we tried every single size available. Alec eventually ended up shaving it down with a knife. How’s that for DIY?

Any suggestions on accessories would be appreciated. I plan to paint the tissue box, soap dispenser, etc. I wanted to put art above the shelf but I’m getting the vibe from my advisors that they think it would be too busy.

And finally, my favorite touch, the mirror. I bought it for on clearance for $8 at Lowe’s on Labor Day and spray painted it yellow. It was quite the learning experience. All the little grooves in the mirror create a lot of surface area, which meant I got carried away with the spray paint, which meant the first few coats I put on were way too thick. Then, I got over eager to hang it. This resulted in way too many imperfections in the paint. I did a lot of sanding and repainting while we lived without a mirror for over a week. It still has a few imperfections but I am satisfied now and I’ve learned my  lesson. I also put a clear coat of spray lacquer on after I finished with the yellow.(excuse my lovely image in the mirror, this was the best shot I could get).

 

Bedside Tables

Like the bathroom, we also need more storage in our bathroom. So the situation we have for bedside tables just isn’t cutting it. But I’ve seen a whole bunch of amazing IKEA Rast hacks recently and some of them are amazing! The Rast only costs about $30, so win/win. I feel bad that I’ve walked past this little guy so many times without even looking twice. In fact, I thought it was downright ugly! But see what they’ve done here and here? Wow, I am picking my jaw up from the floor.

Unveiling the kitchen part 1

Please forgive me for my lack of photography skills. But we have basically been working on the kitchen since we moved in. It has been in a state of almost done for a while. But we finally put the final touches on the baseboards and are ready to show the world the almost finished product. In the next year we’d like to replace the sink and counter.

You might remember that this is what the kitchen looked like when we moved in (I wish I had been thinking of who I’d share these pictures with when I took them–alas, getting the picture taken was a big enough accomplishment at the time).

Things started to get better with new appliances and not-vomit-inducing paint. We actually repurposed the chandelier from above the kitchen table and put it in an upstairs hallway. We got tired of hitting our heads when we stood up.

Notice how we removed the grimy kick board from underneath the cabinets.

Then we took the doors off the cabinets and sanded them.

Then the easy part: the actual painting. The paint color we picked is a win in my book.

Then my mom helped me install this wallpaper on  the feature wall (sorry for the glare–I really must start working on my photography skills). That was my beautiful Christmas present. Isn’t my mom the best?

And finally, we consider it partly done after the baseboards and kick boards are installed, filled, and touched up. We also ditched the existing lights and opted for track lighting.

I don’t want to cry when I look underneath the cabinets now. And if you thinking crying in response to grody under-cabinets is an understatement, let me assure it that it is not!

There’s a sliding glass door behind those track blinds.

I’m in love with the tracking lighting we installed. It works so much better than that old chandelier and florescent light.

I tear up at the sight of my baseboards these days.

Another gallery wall

You know what the Internet needs? Another gallery wall. That’s right, we put one up in our living room. Mostly, it is just frames right now. I really wanted a place to congregate some of our old family photos–like only black and white family photos. So I started searching the clearance rack at Michael’s and the ginormous frame sections at Deserest Industries and Salvation Army. Then we spray painted them all a metallic charcoal. Check it.

This is my first pathetic attempt. I had no idea how many frames, what size the wall needed, etc. But everyone has to start somewhere, I suppose.

Then we spray painted them. Tip: wood and plastic frames take the paint much better than metal. Oops.

After much weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth (aka standing here staring at the frames) we finalized a layout and traced it on some craft paper (that was traced to the shape of the wall).

Next we taped the paper to the wall and we Alec got to work.

Now the frames are up and lookin’ good.

I kind of neglected to think that I was going to have to get a mat cut for each frame, which is more expensive than all the frames, prints, and paint themselves cost. So the picture part is coming along a lot more slowly. In fact, finding pictures for this project has turned into another project (much more massive in nature). I am now getting all the old family photos and digitizing them–which in turn means organizing the prints. It is giving me a headache just thinking about it. There are so many pictures from both sides of our family that it is hard to pick which ones to display. Organizing scanned pictures, and otherwise, is extremely daunting to me. Anyone have any advice about how best to do it? What works for you?

Covering our kitchen chairs

Here is a project we have embarked on in the last couple of months: recovering kitchen chairs. We love the table and chairs that my parents gave (or maybe they’re letting us use them–Mom?) us. However, this fabric was put on there somewhere around 1988. We decided it was time for an update. It is a small project, I know. But every little bit counts, right? The chairs are antique, they came from my Great Grandma Bonnie. We still need to refinish them though.

Before shot with Brahbrah.

Side by side comparison.

Dining nook with the after chairs.

The ultimate accessory

If you’ve ever lived in a house without molding then you know how strange it can feel. There is always a feeling that something just isn’t finished. It is kind of like leaving the house without mascara. No matter how lazy you are, don’t forget the mascara!

Alec’s parent’s were kind enough to sacrifice their entire spring break vacation to help us install the trim! Before they came we busted out the paint sprayer and painted them all white. They were already white, but not all whites are created equal.

Those of you who are weekend warriors know that there are precious few projects that ever take as long as you think they will. Always add 15-50% (depending on how sick of projects you get) to get an accurate estimate. Non-sequitur: I once watched a remodeling HGTV show in which the owners were having a child and thought they could finish the project before its birth. Not only did they miss that deadline, she also had ANOTHER kid before it was done.

Anyhow, the molding looks so fantastic I often look at it and sigh. But we only have one room (our bedroom) that can be called finished. We still have differing levels of caulking, sanding, touching up, and painting to do throughout the house. Our life has been incredibly hectic since we started this project and just haven’t had the time to finish it. This means that ALL of the furniture is currently living in the middle of their respective rooms—like the walls are poisonous. But, the end of this project is in sight. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

And because you are so interested in other upcoming projects, I STILL have to touch up ceiling lines in the basement and the living room, paint the ceilings in one of the stairwells and the bathrooms, and build bookshelves to flank our new mantle (which doesn’t have a fireplace yet).

Next time: our attempt at gardening. We’ve built the raised bed, but that’s about it!

Too much too soon

I jinxed myself the last time I posted. Although I thought I was getting into barefoot/minimalist running slowly, I have pushed it too far. Last Friday, and for two days this week, I transitioned from the treadmill to an indoor track. I ran over a mile each time. At just past a mile, I increased speed. I quickly noticed that form became even more important with increased speed. To increase speed, one should increase cadence and not stride, which is what I started out doing. As the pain in the top of my feet increased I adjusted my form and found the entire experience enjoyable. While running, with good form, there was no pain. But the top of foot pain was pretty nasty between runs and it even hurt to the touch. I started looking at the Runner’s World Barefoot forum to see what others had to say about this problem. The conclusion is that I have committed the cardinal sin of  TMTS (too much too soon). You might not think running a mile is really taxing yourself, but apparently it is. It is frustrating because most people try to push themselves when it comes to athletic activity, but this venture calls for patience instead. There are posts on the site begging noobs, like myself, to take it slow.

I hope that I haven’t injured my feet in any kind of permanent way. I plan to rest my feet for the rest of this week and longer if I think I need to. The most frustrating part is that I registered for a 5K at the end of April. I most likely won’t be able to run it because the pain is unbearable with shoes but I probably won’t be up to three miles at that point.

Slow and steady wins the race

I’ve seen many blog posts recently about slow [insert any verb here]. It seems that this is really just a part of my DNA, because I just don’t seem to do anything fast.

After living in our house for 16 months we can finally heave a sigh of relief that every door has been mercilessly cleaned and given a fresh coat of paint. We even painted the hinges with the finish that we prefer and bought new doorknobs. There are 14 doors in the house, so that is close to one door per month. Many thanks to my tireless husband who has been determined to finish this project.

I am also still running barefoot. Well, more like working out barefoot. I ride the bike, lift weights, and run without shoes. And my foot pain continues to be absent, with the exception of today. The top of my left foot has been having twinges all morning. I am up to a mile now, so I think I might back off for a few days. However, I feel like my feet would allow me to run much further than I am, the reason for the slowness has really just been getting my lungs and heart up to speed. I’m really enjoying the experience. Alec and I are running a 5K mud obstacle course race with our neighbors this summer and I plan to wear my athletic shoes, which have been completely neglected for over a month. After the race they will be completely ruined and I will be happy to throw them out!

Now, on to slow decorating and furniture accumulation!

Note: we are installing molding in a few weeks when Alec’s parents come to visit us, and we’re doing it ALL at once. I think I’d lose my mind if we did that part slow!

Back to basics

I’ve been running in my socks on the treadmill, after about a half hour on the stationary bike or elliptical,  for 7 days now. I have been running a half mile for the past three days. Aside from some soreness in my calves, I’m feeling great. My feet do not hurt, although I did feel a twinge on the tops of my feet yesterday afternoon. I’m especially relieved that my arches aren’t falling apart. So far, I am incredibly pleased with the transition to barefoot running. I don’t think I’m going to yearn for my athletic shoes after I am able to run distances either barefoot or in my FiveFingers.

It really does feel like I’m being freed.

Taking on a new challenge: barefoot running

A few weeks ago I was at the gym and spotted a girl running in her socks on the treadmill. At first I just thought it was odd and imagined she had left her running shoes at home and when she got to the gym decided to run anyhow. But I kept thinking about it. I decided to do some readin’ up on the Internet. I found tons of information about barefoot running. Most of it either highly in favor of it or highly against it.

For the last two months I’ve been having some awful arch pain. Luckily, it is only when I am doing something high impact. And since I sit at a desk all day, that is pretty much only when I exercise. Unluckily, it hurts. A lot. I started taking Jazzercise classes in January but it hurt so bad I had to quit. I was perfectly capable of doing it, and I felt completely lame for not being able to keep up to the older ladies in the class. The only thing I’ve found I can do is the elliptical.

SIDE NOTE: what do you call using the elliptical machine? Ellipticalling? Ellipticizing? I do know it’s not “running on the elliptical.” But that is the term I have heard most often.

But my favorite form of exercise is jogging. I’ve never really been fast or that great at it, but there is nothing like a run to make you feel better and to get a great workout. My arches really hate it more than anything else though. Unless my arches make a comeback, my days of shod running are pretty much gone. Apparently, those who endorse barefoot, or minimalist, running, sing praises about the human foot. They propose that our feet are actually pretty miraculous and there’s no reason we can’t run on them without the extra help of shoes and padding and laces. In fact, they think that shoe actually changes the mechanics of your run, therefore causing runners to be less efficient, and actually causing many common injuries. In essence, shoes have acted as casts and atrophied our feet. They just don’t perform the way they could. After lots of seraching, I found this video, The Barefoot Professor, by Harvard professor, David Leiberman.

I am now persuaded to try this approach, which is  completely new to me. I will not ignore the warnings of barefoot runners to take it slow. They warn that your feet, ankles, and calves need some serious strengthening to support running barefoot running. I’ve started doing some feet stretches at home and walking around barefoot a lot more. I usually go barefoot at home, so that part isn’t that new to me. This morning, I walked about .1 mile on the treadmill (after a painful ellipticizing session) and didn’t feel any pain or anything unusual. So I decided to run for just about .15 miles at speed 5. Just to see what it felt like. I concentrated on not landing on my heel and taking shorter, quicker strides. The first thing I noticed is that it did not hurt like my arch pain hurts, but I could feel the tendons in my ankle straining in a completely different way. It felt great, like a deep stretch. I also felt like I was propelling myself forward better than I do shod. Probably because the motion is more forward than an up and down bounce. The difference is very subtle, but I think it is also very important.

All my observations may be completely wrong, but I think I’m going to like this. I’ll be going very slow because the last thing I want is a serious injury. Alec and I also both bought the KSO Vibram FiveFingers so we can run outside. Alec has never been a runner, never enjoyed it, so it will be interesting to see what his perspective is.