32/32

In the past 110 days i have lost 32 lbs and 32 inches total around my waist, arms, and legs. As you can imagine i am very happy.

I didn't, nor could I do this alone. Like many in this country I resorted to joining a weight loss program to help me shed the pounds. After seeing the success of my coworker as she lost weight I jumped on the Metabolic Research Center bandwagon. I'll be frank to say this program isn't for everybody and it isn't cheap. But it gets the job done. And the best part, now that i've met my goal weight I'll be starting the maintenance part of the program.

Loosing weight to me is the easy part. It's what happens after you get into the "real world" that get's me in trouble. I stop eating salads and start eating cake. The weight gain isn't that noticeable at first but before I know it, I'm passing 150lb...and for me, that's uncomfortable. I really don't want to go back there so for the next 6 to 7 weeks I'll be on special menus that will introduce certain foods back into my diet. My weight will be checked twice a week to see how my body handles a potato or a bowl of pasta. This time will be devoted to finding a balance between what I want to eat and what I should to maintain a healthy weight.

Happy Fourth Weekend!

Wow! What a week. (has it been a week?) It's been unreal.

The parents have been busy unpacking. The kids have been busy playing with everything that we've unpacked and the pets have been leaving their paw prints all over the house. Noro has taken out, in his usual graceful style, a window screen. We came back from watching fireworks to find him laying out on the driveway with the window all open and exposed!

Our biggest challenge has been figuring out what our combined style is. C and I have completely different tastes. While I run towards warm colors and minimalist design (think vern yip) C likes bright colors with a dash of shabby sheik. Luckily we agree on what our key focal piece should be.


This piece was passed to C from his parents. It's hand made with gorgeous metalwork on the front and sides. This is the piece we're going to build our design around...and I could not be happier. We recently went to Ikea and bought an area rug and settled on a paint color to test on the walls. It's a slow process but it's happening collaberatively. And did I mention this is where i'll be keeping my yarn?

Speaking of knitting, i have been doing some. But i'll save that for the next blog, especially since i just unpacked the dock for the camera!

We Survived!

We have moved! It's done! We're home!!

...can you tell i'm excited.

Okay, I'm a tad overwhelmed still. I feel like there is still so much left to do. But after looking at the pictures Kate graciously took the day we received our keys, I'm realizing just how lucky we are. Our house is cute and only in need of a few cosmetic fixes. We own, so no need to ask anyone's permission before starting a project. Paint is easy and there's no rush to get everything done by the end of the year. I can take my time to truly make this a house worth coming home to.

This is the first thing you see...well, usually we're not standing in front of the door with huge smiles on our faces, but you get the idea. The front deck will need to be rebuilt. Years of neglect has lead to dry rot and after much discussion C and I have decided to tear it out. This will be our big project for the year. There are large beautiful rose bushes that have also been neglected. They need some desperate TLC.



This was the real selling point for me. We looked at another 50's ranch within the same price range and the original floor plan was tight and closed in. What a difference knocking down a wall makes! The space is very light, open and airy. The tic-tac-toe wall of cabinets offer us more then enough storage space and the island holds a new stove and my devotion (as you can see!)


There's also this little window nook that I envision growing pots of basil, parsley, etc. Can you feel my face glowing with joy?


All through the house we have nice hard wood floors. We have yet to find any big holes, scratches or soft spots. Noro fancies the tile floors the best. They keep his belly cool in the hot summer.


The bathroom is decent. I wouldn't mind getting my hands in there and making a few updates. There is a mirrored sliding door that blocks the light when in the shower. I'm not a big fan of taking dark showers and it's hard to clean the tot when you can't see the dirt!


All the bedrooms have ceiling fans and need to be eventually repainted. Now that we own, we can let the kids "design" there own rooms. B wants a pink room...of course.



The backyard holds a few gems itself. What your looking at folks is a HOT TUB there on the left. Yup. At first I wanted to get rid of it and put in a shed. That still gets a few chuckles from C when he thinks about it. Hot tubs just seem so 70s porn star to me. But, I have been told by many that we must keep it and once I use it I will want to keep it...forever!



We also have a gold fish pond...or trough for Noro. I don't have good luck keeping gold fish alive. I believe I was the direct contributor to our last fish's death so I will leave the care of these to C.



And here is the shot of our back porch. It's roomy and there's a gardening sink right outside. The yard is beautifully landscaped with tons of character. I loves it!


C and I have so many plans! He wants to make the garage a music studio. We want to make the existing dog kennel a shed with a play house on top for the kids. I want a garden in the front yard and since we're going to rebuild the deck, possibly integrating the two projects together in an organic way. So many ideas...

We are both very happy to have bought this home.