Birthday Projects: Project 2

My living room has these two wonderful chairs that are part of a living room set that was gifted to me by a member of my Old Lady Gang (the senior fitness class that I used to teach, I refer to them as my OLG) when I moved into this house.  They are so comfy, we all really love this furniture.  But, I needed an end table between them.  I recently purchased new night stands for my bedroom, as before I only had one.  That one night stand was the night stand my mother bought me when I was 15 years old.  It's 30 years old, and has been moved 5 times, and well loved.  It has a lot of history for me though, and it's the first piece of furniture that was ever mine.  I decided I wanted to keep it in use, and I'd refurbish it to make it work for that room.  

It was just basic white, but it is solidly constructed.  I sanded and cleaned.  I decided I didn't want the big bottom drawer in there, and would be removing it and replacing it with a bin to hold throw blankets most likely, but definitely a bin in that spot.  

This is essentially what the front looked like.  Don't ask me why the picture is so close up.  Idk.  I cut that little drawer guide out with a hacksaw to make room for my bin.  And, then the cat decided--oh yeah we have a cat now--she really liked climbing in and out of that spot.  So, I took a different direction with that space.  But when that cat moves out (she's Two's cat, so when Two leaves she will also) I'm putting my bin in there y'all.  I swear.  

Navy and Cloudless, plus a special ordered agate slice in various shades of blue for the drawer pull.  And a pillow.  Who am I?  I don't even LIKE cats.  *facepalm*  That gorgeous stained glass butterfly is courtesy of The Bestie as well (my friends have been really supportive of my emotional state and I get random presents, which is so sweet and makes me feel very loved.)  That vase is also a gift hand crafted by The Bestie's awesome daddy. 

Lazy Housewife: Frito-Pie

 I saw a FB post without a recipe it was just a picture of this baked Frito wonderland.  

I figured it would be easy enough to figure out a recipe on my own, but also know that if you google "Frito Pie" there are a plethora of recipes for you that will be much more precise than what I'm about to type.

I make two pans of this every time I make it, well now I make three because I shared with my parents once and from then on I make a pan for their house every time I make it for our house.  The reason I was making two to begin with you may wonder?  Well, I love the Chili Cheese Fritos.  But they are not vegan.  Regular Fritos are, however.  

I make the Beefless Ground (really, that's what it's called) in the same skillet I have browned onion in.  Add a little water and some taco seasoning mix.  

I use the Goya brand yellow rice with peppers (also vegan) and cook it just like the box says.  You'll also want one can of seasoned black beans. 

I buy vegan shredded cheese, I'm not real sure what the brand is that my kids prefer honestly, but go with what you like.  

A layer of Fritos, a layer of beans, a layer of rice, a layer of cheese, crushed up Fritos.  Bake until cheese is bubbly-if you are using regular dairy cheese, vegan cheese doesn't do that so you'll just bake until it's warmed.  

For my personal pan, I use chili cheese Fritos and regular diary cheese because preferences.  A big hit with everyone.  Girls.  Boys.  Parents.  

Birthday Projects Project 1

 At the beginning of June, I turned 45.  For the last 5 years, I have taken a week's vacation to honor my own birthday.  I'm known for celebrating for the WHOLE month, and that first week of vacation kicks it off right.  I've never done anything huge with the time, I just relax, spend time with my closest people, and love on myself.  This year, I decided I was going to dedicate this time off to work on projects for my house.  We've lived in this house for 4 1/2 years, and I've not really done much in the way of decorating it because...it's not MY house.  It's a rental.  Something has finally shifted in me though, and I wanted this space for as long as we are in it to feel like OURS.  Mine.  US.  

Project 1

I have a large blank space over my bed.  I wanted to put something there, and I bought a plain wooden sign from Michael's.  Two ordered me stencils for the project as a Christmas gift, and shortly after Christmas, I bought the paint colors I wanted for the sign.  And then it sat.  Until June 7th.  SMDH.  I knew what I wanted the sign to say, much to the CRINGE of my tween/teen boys.  It's lyrics from a song that have just always stuck with me.  

Once completed though, it didn't feel right above the bed.  It looked too big for the space-something I should have considered a little more carefully when I bought the sign, but a smaller sign wouldn't have worked for the lyrics either...anyway, the opposite wall in my bedroom was also completely bare, so that's where it landed and I LOVE it there.  

One of my work kids has been loving on me extra this year for my birthday, as I'm going through a period of emotional growth/turmoil (they go hand in hand.)  She picked out a most perfect tapestry that is now home to the barren space above my bed.  Pictures of that come with a different project, so stay tuned.  

Back Burner

 For some reason, even though I feel a "pull" to write, I allow this blog to be put on my back burner.  To celebrate my 45th birthday, I've been doing a bunch of home projects (blog posts to come!)  One of those projects is to create a "work corner" in my bedroom.  A comfy chair, a "table," notebooks, pens, journals, and my laptop.  I've commandeered a chair from The Bestie, just need to de-cat it and reupholster.  But it's a big comfy chair and I'm excited to have it.  I purchased a "table" from Amazon.  

It's small enough that it doesn't take up much space, I can tuck the bottom under the chair to pull it to me when I need to type or write on it, it's got a little pocket there where I can store my laptop.  AND the one I purchased was "returned for damage" so I got a steal.  It's a little scraped up on the end, but so am I so it seemed fitting for my workspace.  

I've been journaling, and ordered myself a couple basic notebooks from Target, and I have a wicker basket that will sit next to the chair as well to hold my things.  Also for this space I bought a Himalayan salt lamp that emits a lovely soft glow, which just helps my personal energy when I'm working.  

All this to say:  more posts are coming.  I don't know what the content of this blog will be going forward.  Most likely it's going to take on my own personality, which is ALL OVER THE MF PLACE.  It'll be life, cooking, exercising, health, parenting, adulting, aging, traveling...all of it as it happens.  

Organization

 I'm seriously trying to get my life fully on track for 2021.  I feel like I came a long way in 2020, despite all the things that were going on in the world.  I'm back to a more normal shift (although, it's not entirely NORMAL) and I just need to adjust my cleaning and planning schedule a smidge to be able to keep up.  

I still love Flylady.net and Pinterest.  I pull a lot of organizational ideas from Pinterest on the regular.  I'm just going to throw my ideas out here on the blog...if you have ideas or a site, please share in the comments as I'm always looking to tweak and change things so that I can make my life simpler and keep my house running smoothly and being tidy.  

Here's the plan, and I'm not going to do ALL of them myself sometimes it'll be the kids that do it:

Everyday chores--

Make the bed (this is a habit I used to do, everyday, but I've really gotten out of it!)

Sweep

Make sure the sink is empty before I go to bed

Counters are cleared

Laundry (Monday-sheets, Tuesday-towels, Saturday-work clothes, Sunday-other)

Clean off coffee table (this is hot spot in my home, everything just seems to congregate there)

Weekly--

Toilets

Clean shower 

Dust 

Vacuum (this is done a few times a week actually because we have a cat,) 

Mop floors 

Clean out fridge 

Clean out the burners on the stove

Monthly--

Scrub backsplash and hood

Vacuum baseboards

Clean window sills

Clean the garbage cans

I also have some bigger projects I'm working through.  My closet has become a pit...and I'm working on it with the Flylady method of 15 minutes at a time because it's so bad it feels overwhelming.  I'm also working on some decor projects since I've lived in this house for 4 years now and I've really not made it feel like home. I painted a tray for the coffee table yesterday, and I'm making a sign for above my bed, and lastly I'm converting the crib that Three and Four slept in as babies to a bench for the entryway.  I'm planning to make this house feel like I want my forever house to feel.  

Skinny Housewife: 21 Day Challenge

 I need a kick start to get back on the workout train.  I need quick workouts.  Less than 30 minutes, because I will also need to shower and get myself together before work.  I have a bunch of HITT (High Intensity Interval Training) workout options saved over on Pinterest, because I bore pretty easily.  I also have a couple other fitness trainers that I follow that I love.  

Blogilates on IG, Blogilates.com, and I just realized (because of this challenge) that she has an app!  Today was the start of a 21 day challenge that she's doing.  The app, and the challenge are free.  There is a printable free calendar available too.  It's 21 minutes, for 21 days.  It takes 21 days to ingrain a habit, so I'm hoping this is the kick start I need.  If you decide to do this challenge, please leave me a comment so I can check in with you!

After this 21 day kickoff, I will probably do one of the older Bikini Body Mommy challenges available on YouTube.  I've done them before, but haven't done one in years!  The workouts are short and simple, but HARD and effective.  These usually run 90 days.

The center I teach at was closed because of COVID for most of the year.  I did get 2 months where I was allowed to teach one class a week, outside and socially distanced.  Due to my new promotion though, teaching again when the center reopens doesn't work with my schedule.  I have requested to do a once a month dance party for them because I LOVE teaching and dancing and the center I work for and my students.  Hopefully, that will come to fruition when the world finds it's new normal.  That has gotten me out of the habit of working out, because with that job I HAD to work out.  Either I was teaching, or practicing or learning something new, or creating new choreography so there was always moving.  

On the two days a week I'm off, I plan to do more intense stuff--I'd like to get back to running which I had to give up because I battled Plantar Fascilitis for a BIG chunk of the year.  And I'd like to dance along with my four favorite dance fitness instructors on YouTube.  Those people are:  Dance Fitness with Jessica, Club Fitz, Bernadette Barber, and Turn Up With Tanci  

Intermittent Fasting: Still at it

 I posted a blog back at the end of April, about giving IF a try.  I was unable to work out like I used to because of the pandemic canceling all my classes, and the gym being closed.  I also read a lot about how it just overall made people feel better and increased healthy sleep patterns.  Those benefits were things I definitely needed when I was on third shift, but now that I am back out of the land of the zombies I have found that I'm still reaping those benefits.  There are a ton of other health benefits to IF, and I would encourage you to do your own research as I don't feel like any one plan is right for everyone.  I will say that I have lost probably a couple pounds, but I've definitely lost inches around my waist which is the area I most wanted to shrink if I could choose.  

My original fasting went like this: 

Dinner around 2pm.

Bed around 4pm. This is the time when my eating window closed for the day.

Wake around 9pm.

Work til 8am.  I would end my eating window between 6 and 8.  Giving me a 14-16 hour fasting time.  When I told people that they usually would gasp and say "I could never" but I promise you, yes you could.  My body adjusted very quickly, and as long as I made sure to eat enough during my window, and drinking enough water I didn't find it very difficult.  

When I switched back to day shift, I had a hard time adjusting my windows and put it on hold for about a month.  But, I really started to feel YUCKY.  Exhausted allllll the time, no matter how much I slept, or how well I slept.  I realized my body didn't like this state of being, and I needed to figure out how to work my window around my current schedule.

Now, my eating window opens between 11-1, just depends on the day and how busy I am with work.  My goal is always 11, because that gives me a 14 hr fast, but sometimes I get pushed later because I'm just busy at 11 and don't get the chance to eat until closer to 1.  My eating window closes at 9pm.  There are health benefits to longer fasts, but for me personally, 14-16 hours is enough.  I've done a couple 18-hour fasts, just because of not being able to eat when I wanted but that's as long as I've gone.  I didn't feel awful, to be clear, it's just not for me. 

Since returning to the IF lifestyle, I've noticed a significant boost in my energy levels again.  I'm drinking enough water again.  Drinking water is a habit I struggle with, but I'm not sure why exactly.  I don't mind water, but unless I'm in a fast, it's not going to be my drink of choice.  So not only was I giving myself too much sugar, and too much caffeine and calories, I was depriving myself of hydtration.  Because I'm not that bright sometimes.  This is probably the number one benefit of IF for me personally, I'll drink plenty of water and I'm SURE this is part of the higher energy levels.  Hydration and exhaustion go hand in hand and are often an overlooked correlation.  IF gives me the discipline to drink all the water.  You do what works.