Composting

I realized that I must have planted my bulbs too early last fall as I am already getting a few shoots coming in! So my solution was to add some of my wonderful home grown compost to the flowerbed, and hope that that would hold them off. So my first task was to go to Lowes and buy a wheelbarrow. After that I dug deep to the center of my compost heap, it was like black gold in there! I took 4 wheelbarrow fulls out to the front bed and spread it all out, I think I added about 4 inches or so. Then cam the really taxing part I dug and mixed all of the remaining compost. I have a lot of it, enough so that I think I'll be able to cover all of my beds and have some left to throw in a few new plantings I want to do this spring. So I mixed, turned, and aerated all of it and I think I have about 7 - 10 more wheelbarrows full! It was good and moist from all of the recently melted snow. It's good stuff I tell ya!

Frustration to the Nth degree

Anybody out there who has ever tried to lose weight can relate to this post. For the last week and a half I have been very focused on losing weight and so far so good, I've lose 6 pounds. I have been VERY strict with calories and have tried to pick it up a notch on the workout front. But I really can't figure out how the human body works. If you remember, on Sunday I was blogging about the steak I was making for dinner. It was great and it fell into my caloric intake for the day just perfectly. I weigh in on Monday morning and I'm up 2 pounds. So I start wondering "what the heck?" Then on Monday we went over to a friends house and my will power let me down and I basically ate a second dinner (with 4 or 5 cookies for dessert), and then there was the actual dessert I stopped for on the way home....a medium milkshake. Thus Tuesday morning, another 2 pounds up! I can at least understand that because I went overboard, but not the day before. I'm now back down to the Monday morning weight, but today my weight went from xxx.4 to xxx.2. Here I am busting my hump, eating just right and working out like a fiend and all I have to show for it is a stinking quarter pound....makes me want to go out and eat a quarter pounder with cheese, and bacon, and fries GLORIOUS fries. But no, I can't. I just keep plugging away I guess it will happen in time. Or maybe I am just supposed to be this weight, maybe I'm not supposed to weigh less? Yeah I like that theory!

What a sight!

We had our new BLUE recycling container delivered yesterday. I was really excited because I am a geek. I was also happy becouse our collection of recyclable items was overflowing the bin inside! Through some creative uses of broken down cardboard boxes I was able to extend the can upwards another 2 feet, and even that was full. Anyway, when I got home from the Rec Center yesterday I saw this image and had to rush inside to get my camera.
You can see all of the new bins lined up all the way down the street! The reason I thought this was especially cool is that before these BLUE cans were delivered I was the only one on this street that had a recycling can. Now everyone does! Just think of all of the recycling that will be going on on Westlake Ave!

Spring Cleaning

Have you ever looked at your possessions and thought "I want to get rid of it all and start over again!"? I was just looking around and I think I would if I could. If I won the lottery or HGTV's dream house or something I would just leave this heap and never look back! Of course I would bring the kids and the dog and the goldfish, but the rest of it....na not so much. I can walk into every room and find something that I want to see gone. Some rooms are complete overhauls, like our master bedroom and the guest bedroom. Others just have stuff that I would rather see in a bonfire than under my roof! Perhaps when we move this next time we can purge out some of that stuff. Unfortunately, when a move happens there isn't a ton of extra money floating around...moving is expensive! I'd be real surprised if our dressers make that return trip though. Maybe I should peruse criagslist and see if there are any good deals out there, or maybe a trip to IKEA!

Meat and Potatoes man

Bridget is off working one of her crazy 30 hour shifts, I'm sick of them quite frankly! Anyway, I just got back from the store and I picked myself out a nice steak for dinner. I'm going to compliment it with an oven baked potato (as opposed to the usual microwaved kind), a heaping pile of broccoli flowerettes , and a tall glass of moo juice (milk). For some odd reason I woke up in the middle of the night craving a steak, and while I could probably manage a trip to The Outback with just the kids and I....it would really be missing something?? I suppose I feel guilty enough as it is with my yummy juicy steak, while Bridget is stuck with cafeteria food.....that she can't even go get (since she is the senior resident on the floor, she needs to send one of her minions to get her food while she stays put). Anyway, Bon Appetite!

Random

Have you ever put something in a "safe place" only to never see it again? That is the problem I currently face with this receipt for the new windows and doors we had installed last year. Our tax preparer, Grandma Karen, said to hold onto it because you can claim some portion on your taxes. So I put it where it wouldn't get lost and where I could find it easily. I swear it was in such a good spot that I glanced at it every day. Well now that I am gathering all of my tax documents....I can't find it! I hate that! So now I've gone through the house and made 100 little messes all over digging through stuff looking for this paperwork, all to no avail. I finally called Lowes who gave me the numbers, and said they can print out the invoice...at least he thought he could. I just know the stupid thing is either going to show up the day after I don't need it anymore, or when we are packing up to move in a year. Then I'll be like "Oh, that was a pretty "safe place" to put it, too bad I couldn't remember where it was!"

Getting back into this

My friend Nick and I have come up with a cool new plan. Kind of like a long distance weight loss partner. Each day we are composing an e-mail throughout the day that contains stuff like what we did for exercise, what we ate, our goal for the day, and how much we weighed this morning. It is like a journal or a diary that we are sharing with each other. We figured it was sort of a personal accountability thing. I wouldn't say that I've been slipping lately, but I had definitely hit a plateau and with the sickness and all I had gained some weight. This is just that added motivation to get back into the weight loss groove! So far it seems to be working well, but this is only day 2. I sort of like the pressure of needing to report to somebody other than myself...cause that was starting to fail me as I was cheating on my eating a little more than I would like to admit! Anyway, wish Nick and I luck as we embark on another weight loss tactic!

Finally!

I'm done, my muse is finally finished. Our bathroom renovation is complete! Take a look:


Some cool things to notice - Look at the original bathroom....look at the old light bar, the caulk job around the tub (can see it best in the final picture of the tub faucet with the ducky), the horrible patch job in the ceiling that was left from the old home owners, the dilapidated vanity, and the original 1960's tub fixtures.

In the gutted pictures notice that everything is removed, except for the tub and the toilet.

The finished masterpiece contains beautiful travertine tile (travertine is in the limestone family), real marble tub surround, new bath tub fixtures that included cutting a hole in the wall to install a new manifold for the new fixtures, new ceiling light and fan combo, painstakingly refinished ceiling, new towel and hand towel bars, new pedestal sink and faucet (sink was actually a $35 Craigslist find!), and on and on. And the beauty of it all is I did all of the work myself! Bridget painted a little bit, but other than that is is all Christopher. So if you see flaws, don't blame the contractor...blame me! Let me know what you think!

Trash can thief?

Wednesday is our normal trash day, and every other week I put out our recycle bin as well and two different trucks come to pick it up. So on Wednesday I but both bins out, and I go about the day. I came back from the rec center and my recycling can is GONE! When I left both cans were there because I remember narrowly squeezing my car between both cans at the curb, I started getting mad cause I thought someone stole it! I was racking my brain trying to figure out why anybody would steal a recycle can, the only thing I could figure out was maybe some neighbor thought I had 2 trash cans and was jealous and stole one of mine so that they could have 2. So I gave it a day to see if the can would "magically" appear again, low and behold it didn't. So I call the trash company and explain that my gray recycling can is missing, I put it out on Wednesday and now it is gone. And then I got some good and unexpected news! She said that West Valley City was going to universal recycling! That means they are supplying each house with a new BLUE recycling can and everybody gets to recycle. This is a HUGE step over the consumer having to request a recycling can and paying $60 a year to be able to recycle. Although, I did try to explain recycling to my 70 something year old neighbor....his attitude was more or less who cares, it's not a problem he'll ever have to deal with. Anyway, if the option is there and it is included in your trash fees hopefully he will use it.

Things

Things have actually been a little busy around here. I have been putting the finishing touches on the bathroom renovation project, I might have some pictures really soon. I just want it to be 100% before I reveal it's awesomeness! I finally feel much better, I've been working out everyday just like normal. I am going to swim today, will be the first time in nearly 2 weeks I think. Sydney has dance class today too, so we'll have some extra time at the rec center. What else, we got dumped on last night, probably about 8 inches of snow. Thank goodness I have the snowblower and it is actually working correctly. There were some big snow drifts today, I had to cut them in half with the snowblower and then go back and get the snow all the way down to the sidewalk. It was pretty crazy, but I'm glad I didn't have to shovel it especially since we are on the corner lot with about 3 miles of sidewalk!

Mmmmmm, today's yummy tidbit.....You have to try Diet Dr. Pepper Chocolate Cherry. It is YUMMY! It is new and in "limited edition", I might have to go buy more before it is all gone!

Back in action

So I feel great today, probably 95%! It's nice to be not sick, I already went to the rec center and rode the stationary bike for 17.5 miles and it was tiring...but I didn't cough once! Maybe tomorrow I'll try the elliptical machine, I'm not ready to run yet maybe on Friday. Yesterday I finished the bathroom floor, it is all in and grouted! I have to wait till tomorrow so I can seal it, travertine tile is really porous and will stain and discolor if it isn't sealed. Plus I would have needed to seal the grout anyway, and the same product does both. I'll hopefully have everything finished by this weekend and have some pictures for your amazement! (not amusement...I hope). Now for the rest of the day the kids and I are going to eat some lunch and then go to the library to check out some new books. Do we know how to party or what!?! For anybody interested there are some new pictures up on my other website, www.browntography.com, which is where I will probably post the pictures of the bathroom renovation since it is easier to see all of the pictures.

Still Sick

I just can't shake this cold. I feel worse today than I did all weekend. Still the same thing, junk in my lungs and nose, but now I am exhausted. I thought that was a nice touch, so not only can I barely breathe but now I don't have the energy to do the things I need to get done. So the house is quickly going into a downward spiral of mess, the upstairs bathroom project is at a stand still, and I need to go rent a roto-rooter today because our pipes are backing up! I guess that is the only urgent task that needs to get done, so that is what I am focusing my efforts on. I guess that also means I'll be taking yet another day off from exercise....Considering that typing this blog is making me winded, I think another days rest is a good thing!

Early Valentines Day

We are Celebrating Valentines day today! I know it isn't the 14th, but what can I say...you take the free babysitter when you can get the free babysitter! We are headed up to Park City Mountain Resort today for a day of boarding in Utah's most eco-friendly resort! And the kids are going to play with their buddy Owen and his mommy Alicia, whose husband Eric is a triple board resident (When he is done he'll be certified in pediatrics, adult psych, and child psych). Eric is on call today, so Alicia will be all alone with the 3 little monsters! Good luck to here huh?! After the day of boarding we are thinking of going out with the kids and Alicia, or maybe bringing something back to their house. Owen is the little guy with the crazy food allergies, so we'll have to see how that goes!

Anyway, it should be a fun day even if it is early! We'll let you know how it goes.

Cool Stuff

I got a letter today from Rocky Mountain Power, the company that provides us with our power. Here is what it said:

Dear Christopher Brown,
On behalf of Rocky Mountain Power, I'd like to thank you for choosing to support renewable energy through our Blue Sky program. We're pleased to present your 2007 Blue Sky annual report to show you the difference you are making.

An Outstanding Year
Your total 2007 Blue Sky purchase of 3,200 kilowatt-hours helped avoid the release of 3.2 tons of carbon dioxide emissions into the air, providing environmental equivalent to planting 628.80 trees. Your current purchase is 4 blocks per month.

The letter goes on to talk about the various programs that got off the ground in 2007, the numerous businesses that are investing in the Blue Sky program, and recognizes that the Blue Sky program was honored as the U.S. Department of Energy's 2007 Green Power program of the year! It's really cool stuff and I'm glad to be a part of it.

It is such an easy thing to do as well, I'd encourage you to check into your power company to see if they have a similar program or any program where you can buy renewable energy credits. It probably took all of 10 minutes of my time, and then I forgot about it. Check into it, just do it before I send some henchmen over to rough you up!

You may have noticed

You may have noticed the exercise tracker hasn't moved much in the past few days. No, I haven't given up on it like a bad new years resolution. I've been sick. And it is the really annoying kind of sick where I just have a lot of junk in my lungs, and it gets worse and I start coughing the more I exert myself. I am hoping I can get back to normal tomorrow, at least ride the exercise bike or something. But I do plan to take things easy till I get back to normal, I wish my eating was able to compensate for the lack of exercise....in other words if I don't exercise I wish I could eat sensibly. But no I guess I am not wired that way, no exercise seems to translate into a free pass for eating because I don't feel good. So I'll probably gain 10 pounds...guess I'll have some work to do when I get back to healthy!

Super Bowl winners and losers

So I didn't have a ton of heart, money, or total interest in the big game but it turned out to be a great game! The 4th quarter was really compelling...could the Patriots play like garbage for 3 quarters and actually win the game, or were the heavily un-favored Giants actually going to knock off Goliath and prevent the "perfect" season. The Giants won, David Tyree and Eli Manning both made outstanding plays on their final scoring drive to make it all happen (especially the ball to helmet catch by Tyree as Eli just about got sacked and somehow heaved the ball in his direction).

As for the commercials there were a few that I really liked, but most off them looked like money well wasted to me. Here was my favorite from Sobe, (open the 2nd quarter section, third row down second commercial from the left) it is a slow starter...but I like the dancing lizards. Second place goes to the screaming squirrel in the first quarter (second row down, second from left), and the third place goes to the commercial for Planters peanuts and the lady with the uni-brow (is she digging a wedgee out at the last second of the commercial?) (second quarter, bottom row, 2nd from the left). I thought the baby in front to the computer talking was pretty good, till he threw up...then it was just gross. And I wasn't a fan of the Doritos commercial where the guy sets up a mousetrap and a guy in a mouse costume busts through the wall and pummels him. Sydney loved the mouse until he started punching the guy, then she got confused.

Ultimate Game Day Chili

I made a batch of this chili for the game yesterday. It was great! So I thought I would share this unusual recipe....just make it, it was yummy!

1 lb ground beef, browned in skillet
1 onion diced
3 cloves garlic (I used more)
2 15 oz cans of kidney beans
2 8 oz cans of diced tomatoes with mild green chilis
2 10.5 oz cans chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp cinnamon (I accidentally used a lot more...oops)
2 oz DARK CHOCOLATE! For reals!

The recipe calls for you to make it on the stove top, I'm lazy I crock potted mine all day. It was really good! We put it in bread bowls, and also ate some with Fritos as it was cooking. Don't ask me who thought of putting chocolate in chili, but for some reason it works! Give it a try!

Laughter for your Friday

I was perusing the listings on Craigslist to see if there were any irresistible deals out there when I stumbled across this absolute GEM! It was listed under the household section with all of the kitchen appliances, amps, artwork, and stuff. Here is the ad:

EJUVA intestinal cleansing kit for sale!!!
check out this link for more details on the ejuva cleanse...
www.ejuva.com
I bought this and will not be using it. Great time to start the year by improving your health! This is a four week kit for weight loss and bowel health, usually retails between 3 and 4 hundred dollars at health food stores and online sources. call or e-mail if interested

I am glad she specified that she hadn't used it yet, because there is nothing worse than spending $250 on a used intestinal cleansing kit! I read the ad to Dr. Brown who was laughing and said that cleaning your intestines will not "improve your health", she really thought the whole thing was funny. Anyway, I got a good chuckle and kept trying to think of a way to reference Tom's classic thermometer joke...but wasn't clever enough to make it happen.