Happy Valentine's Day!

My boys were busy yesterday! After cutting & coloring these for Daddy, they taped them above our bed "so Daddy will see them when he gets home."

From our 6 year old:

From our 4 year old:



Kindergarten class project:



And both boys wanted to give me flowers! Carson, 6, picked out the pink roses and Porter, 4, picked out the longer-lasting orange flowers!



The Winter Wait.....

                                   
                                 (... another beautiful sunrise....) 



I mean, WEIGHT!  I'm joining the gals at 5 Minutes For Mom  for a regular check-in with our weight loss goals.  Every week we'll share nutrition & meal ideas as well as our progress.  Coincidently, hubby & I had recently decided to start our own weight loss.  It's February and it's time!



  A few weeks ago I caught the Dr. Oz  program (who doesn't LOVE Dr. Oz?)  and this diet guru was on explaining his methods - and of course, new book, The 4 Hour Body.   Except this guy, Tim Ferriss, isn't really a diet guru, he's more of a nutrition & physiology nut. He has spent 20 years testing his body to figure out the best diet (foods to eat) for a low body fat index and best exercises for optimum energy & fitness.

We are jumping on his ideas - once you start understanding his number crunching & seeing the results, it makes sense.  Here are 3 main things to get started as he stated on the Dr. Oz show:

• 30g of Protein within 30 minutes of waking
• Grapefruit Juice & Air Squats after binging (or bad foods)
• Ice Packs on your neck while watching tv 

I've already tried the first 2 and I don't have that bloated puffy stomach after eating. I feel leaner & meaner! And feeling the burn from those air squats!

Here's to cinnamon in my coffee and spinach & beans in my eggs..... let's get going to a flatter tummy for summer!



Are You Stuck? Call Your Library!

I was stuck. Still am a bit, but making movement. I have too much on my plate and can't take a step in any one direction. Until now.

A few years ago, my husband & I were all over creating and inventing products, having our own business; we were overflowing with ideas! I was working on a home party business and Ted was helping with designing plans and prototypes for various ideas.

And slowly things fizzled. I can't remember the beginning of the downward slide, but after 2 years of the home party biz that wasn't producing, I let it go. Soon after, I started working on the children's lighting idea, and the other ideas went to the back burner. Time passed. I completely stopped working on any products. I was burned out and needed to focus on my kids.

Fast forward....we moved, it's winter and now it's time to get things rolling again! We're trying to completely redecorate our 'new' house and so far, 4 months in, I have yet to finish the first room.
And I missed not working on our inventions. Stuck.

You know the advice, write down your goals? We finally did. I helped. It gave direction for both of us, our business plans as well as financial plans. Those two go hand in hand. He has his. I have mine.

My first step was to get back over to Tamara Monosoff at Mom Invented . And I called my local library to get her books. Not to sound too cheap, but I had just purcheasd another book, Ted also just bought a book, so the thought of buying 2-3 more books was making me hesitate...and then I remembered the library! Yeah for libraries! Such a valuable resource, yet under utilized. I look forward to reading her books - dare I contact Tamara without reading her books first!? - awaiting the call from the library to pick them up!

When is the last time you used your local library?

Do You Really Want To DIY?

I love designing. I love creating. But only sometimes do I like DIY projects. Notice I didn't say "love." I used to like making my own or fixing it myself. Sewing, painting, wallpaper hanging. It was a challenge and when I was done, I felt accomplished. But now, with 2 young boys and in a 'new' house that needs updating everywhere, I look around and immediately feel exhausted!

It has been over 4 months of working on our bath. The last stretch of painting is up to me. I go in, I look, I walk out. Maybe it's age, maybe it's just too much to do. But every excuse in the book comes to mind.

So now I have set a goal: To be a part of the blog party: "Metamorphasis Mondays" over at Between Naps On The Porch this upcoming Monday....or the following Monday!

I'd love to know about your DIY projects and how you get that last 5% completed so please leave a comment. Also, check out the wonderful ideas and photos of Susan's at BNOTP! Her header alone is enjoyable to look at!

A Winter Day

I know many people all over the country, especially the east coast, have had enough of the snow and are ready for spring. I, too, could use a few more sunny days. So each day, I look for the beauty in winter. The beauty in snow. My inspirations follow....

Jumping Back In

I've been chomping at the bit to get back to this blog! It's been almost two years. I took much needed time off from my product development and made a much needed move. We love, LOVE our new house and location! And with a new house comes new decorating. This house is almost 25 years old and the cosmetics haven't been updated since it was built. We intend to change everything our eyes can see: carpeting, floor tiles, wallpaper, the entire kitchen, trim and yes, we'll be knocking down a wall or two.

First project: Master Bath - who can't love the "let's pretend we're in the woods" brown paint and stenciled leaves? Me!

Here are the lovely leaves and then I primed over them and you can see how many there were!

The Color Purple, I Mean Turquoise!

I recently discovered a new decorating and products blog showcasing the color turquoise. Anything and everything is in various shades of that wonderful color. The site is House of Turquoise. Erin scans the internet for decorating treasures to fill or accent your rooms with the turquoise color.

So I started thinking about the color turquoise, how years (decades) ago I used to not only love it but wear it and have it around. I was drawn to it. I think I still am, but currently as a mom of 2 toddler boys, I am wearing dark colors to go with my never-ending frumpiness!

In the 80's it was all about turquoise and pink - yes, I had a swimsuit in those colors. And, waaayyy back, a long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away I think my first pair of real jewelry was a pair of turquoise earrings...or could have been a necklace!

What do or did you have that's turquoise?

Hooked On Moving (not!)

My husband and I just went on a 24hr moving 'trip.' I was exhausted. We are both in-sync with eachother and follow the same path which is usually a good thing in a marriage, but can also be not so good. See if you can follow our trip...

Our discussion went like this: I'd like to decorate....we'd both like to reduce our mortgage and taxes...we'd both like to build up our savings....we should refinance...I don't want to pay closing costs on a refinance if we're not going to stay here long term....closing costs are ridiculously high...gosh, houses in our neighborhood are selling....we could sell the house and get a smaller one.....ok, what could we live without....would you be happy with a longer commute?....should I re-decorate to sell?....we have work that should be done to sell....I'd like to be on a lake...or closer to a big city....he'd like 20 acres....I'm ok with an older farm if its near a city....he could transfer job locations.....wow, we can move almost anywhere!

We go to lunch and pick up the real estate catalogs at the restaurant and scan them while eating. After kids go to bed, I spend the entire evening into the wee-hours looking at real estate online.

Do I really want to be waaaayyyy out in the country 20 miles from a Staples or Home Depot? I'm starting a biz, I need Staples. He needs Home Depot and Auto Zone. I really would prefer to be closer to a city. Oh, what about school systems - need to check into that.

A new house would need a screened porch, a big yard, character, a shed, lots of cupboards, a huge finished basement for the kids.

Oh, wait we have all that, except for the basement. I woke up thinking, "This house is ok. Yes, it's expensive, but we'll just need to work harder on our finances. I'm just not ready to pack up and move again. Moving here was our 4th move in 4 years. My husband said the same thing! We just aren't ready to jump into the whirlwind of moving!

Are you hooked on movingor not?

Wordless Wednesday!

I think this is such a cool pic...

We found a tractor show to go to on Sunday....he loves John Deere! When he first was learning colors, there was no green....it was John Deere.

And my little guys:

Time For Mom

With summer here, I know where & how I’ll be spending my summer hours…sitting on the front porch watching the kids ride their bikes in the driveway. This means, I cannot do other things, like work, blog, clean, cook, or nap. But, a blessing in disguise…I can read! I never read books or magazines anymore. It’s another enjoyment that disappears when starting a family.

So last week I grabbed the magazine, "Cottage Living," I found at my salon and I read it! I mean I read the words! Not just looking at the pictures, but reading. I felt inspired to decorate. I found the paint colors for our bedroom ceiling (between the beams), a muted blue-ish green that will work perfectly with the spa color scheme I want to do. And a lighter grey-tan for the beams.



On occasion, I read a magazine passed on from a neighbor, “More.” I love that magazine. I can relate to it and for once I am not constantly staring at super-thin 15 year old models on every page. I am looking at women who are my age, reading articles relevant to mature, sophisticated women. (did I just say I’m mature & sophisticated? Definitely not, but you know what I mean)

And I did something I haven’t done in years…. I just ordered a subscription to More! I think it’s about time given my husband has more than a few magazines piling up on the back of the john! So, yes, it’s time for mom to relax, read, and get inspired about things that once excited me!