Bang for your buck

Last weekend, in a moment of self doubt and PMS wallow I stumbled my way to the closest cheapest hair place and asked for something different. Something so drastic I would feel like a different woman...



I got bangs. After a week of living with these babies I've realized that I'm not a big fan of the bangs and I look forward to them growing out a bit. Perhaps the bangs and I can find a compromise along the way.

This week has been fun. I've just started my second week of stabilization and have devoured the following: popcorn (1 cup), bagel (1/2), brown rice (1/2 cup) and this morning apple sauce. I've never been happier and was practically skipping down the aisle at Fred Meyer this morning shopping for CARBS and STARCHES! Oh My!

The house is coming along. I apologize for leaving the last blog unfinished without a completed picture. But there always seems to be something more we can do. We purchased and put up curtains. We used white sheers with gold faux silk panels in front. The effect is warm, rich and cozy. I'm thinking we'll add a nice pendant light to give it some character.

The latest push has been to pick out paint colors for the kids rooms. Blake, of course, wants pink. We found a used but cheap ikea junior loft bed on craigs list. It's about four feet high and comes with a slide. I plan on adding curtains under the bed to create a private club house. With a little area rug and bean bag, it'll be cozy and comfortable.

Ranen wants blue with a pokemon theme. I've been asked to paint up a few characters on his wall. I guess I should start brushing up on my drawing skills! We plan on getting him a loft bed as well. The rooms are tiny enough that having the extra space for a desk will be a nice added benefit!

Hippie Boy is slowly falling into the maddness that is home renovation. He feels that progress is not being made and his list, which is four legal pages long in small writing, mocks us both at the end of each day. Good thing he'll be volunteering at the brew fest downtown tomorrow. I hope he drinks a few and loosen's up. I miss the happy fun guy that this house is slowly transforming into a grumpy troll.

But not to leave you with a downer...here are some surprise pictures I found on my camera today.

Paint Vapor Happy

After having the house torn apart for a week the living space has been painted. It was a little inconvenient living in a tarped jungle, but I have to give major props to hippie boy for doing a kick arse job. As you can see he spent a whole day in prep work. That means covering everything with plastic, taking down fixtures and making sure we had the right plan of attack for red.



Yup. We were tired of the gray-green walls that the previous owner had painted on every wall of the house (minus bathroom...that's a happy blue. Hmm). We didn't want to feel like we were walking into a hospital room so we opted for a warm red that would really make this a cozy warm and inviting space. Sure our house is super small already and having a rich color makes it feel even smaller and darker. But we get giddy at the "plans" we have to add white crown molding, bright curtains for the bay window and one of a kind art on the walls.



There's a lot left to do...

Noro turns Four!

Okay. So we aren't exactly sure when Noro's birthday is, so we picked a day in the middle of the year to celebrate our dog.

Happy 4th year of being alive Noro!

We celebrated with meatloaf cake.


The kids drew him pictures and we gave him some new toys! (one of which is destuffed 2 hours later!)


We took Noro to his new favorite spot, Kelly Point. He LOVES being in the water...


And the kids played along the shore in the sand.


We didn't stay long. The mosquitoes were out in force this afternoon, but at least the dog got to swim, spend time with his family and get three meals all in one day.

Joy.

Oregon Country Fair

For the past two years the whole fam has traveled down to Eugene to partake in the wonders of the Oregon Country Fair. The first year we camped right next to the fair grounds and enjoyed late night festive activities next to campers who loved to put funny aroma's in the air. The following year we cut our visit to two days and camped a bit away. Pleasant, quiet but still tiring. So this year we opted to stay in a hotel on thursday night and attend the fare on a friday when crowds would be manageable.

We listened to music, watched two puppet shows, walked around to all the booths and saw people dressed up like alligators, organic fruit and winged fairies.


The kids got to wear their tie-dye in a very tie-dye friendly area.



And compared to the last two years it was a success...I only made one kid cry and there was only one major tantrum (mine). Sigh. But at least the kids got the memories and we got out of Portland for a day!

Yarn and Stuff.

So I have been knitting! And I have proof!

After a month of focus knitting I finally finished C's socks.


And to protect this suckers from the grinders that is his feet, I took the time to reinforce the heel. That should make this pair of socks last...oh a month perhaps. Sigh...

I've also been making progress on my sweater. I've completed the body and am ready to tackle the sleeves and button band.


I wasn't completely sold on this pattern. I believe it was the bobbles that gave me pause. But so far, I'm not hating it. It's the cabling around the bobbles that saves it for me!


I've also been lucky enough to acquire some yarn. Oh yes. Meet Audacity by Black Bunny Fibers. Part of the proceeds of this yarn purchase went to support Obama. Support my candidate of choice AND get great yarn. Bliss!


I also got to check out The Naked Sheep on Hawthorne. My gift certificate practically jumped from my wallet as soon as we walked through the door. I found some recycled cotton in a great dark red. I'm thinking of making a shrug with this...possibly.



Last but not least I would like to leave you with a picture that Blake took yesterday afternoon.


It's like he was trying to tell us something!

Dog Gone It!

First let me say that we love our big beast of a dog. But last night we were seriously thinking of putting him in doggie jail, letting him become someone's bitch and throwing away the key.

During the day I got an email from C saying he had the night open so if I wanted to go out, I could. I jumped on that offer and ended up going to the St. John's Cinema to see Hancock with Miss Kate. When she dropped me off I knew something was wrong...terribly wrong.

The front door was open. The couch cushions and coffee table were strewn around the front lawn. As I approached the open front door I heard muffled swears and sweeping.

"Don't come this way. Go through the back and don't let the dog out of the yard!" C said sternly.

Oh Oh.

After I had left, C and B ventured to home depot to pick up some paint samples. While they were gone Noro, when discovering his normal window of escape was locked, opted for the other one. This window happens to be located behind a chair and a lamp [you can see where this is going!] As he made his way to the window he knocked over the lamp which crashed into the coffee table. Shattering both. He did manage to open the window, break the screen and spend a nice hour or so free wandering the neighborhood. He also managed to hurt his paw.

I walked into a scene of horror as the glass ended up EVERYWHERE. C spent the next hour cleaning.

Noro is doing fine. I understand he is still a little freaked out by the move. But seriously, I don't know if I can handle any more of his "surprises".

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!