Blah, humbug!

This has been a tough year for nearly everyone I know. Not only financially, but emotionally. It seems that most everyone feels kind of "blah" about the holiday season. Mike and I were discussing it last night and we're not sure if it is the stress (from being out of work or in stressful work conditions) or the state the country and economy is in, finances, or just a general state of apathy for whatever reason. Whatever it is -- it's not fun! I'm trying to be more upbeat and (as Monty Python would sing) "Look on the bright side of life!" I finally broke out the Christmas decorations last weekend and my goal is to finish them up this weekend. Twinkly lights and beautiful decorations always puts me in a more happy, peaceful mood!

Unfortunately, my apathy has extended to my weight loss program. By mid-October I had dropped about 37 pounds -- but since then, I've gained and lost the same three pounds over and over again. In my new "look on the bright side" philosophy, I tell myself that I am not GAINING -- and it probably does my body good to adjust to this new, smaller me. Plus, this is a hard time of year to loose due to all of the holiday food and relatives visiting. I'm still working out 3-4 days a week, but I know I need to start being more selective about the foods I'm eating. Realistically, I know that will be difficult through the first of the year -- so I plan to keep up my workouts, eat sensibly when I can, but not feel guilty if a Christmas cookie finds its way to my mouth. If I can continue maintaining through December, then January will be a good time to recommit to Weight Watchers and really track everything I eat (they just revamped the program, so it is like starting it all over anyway!)

I am going to start thinking about my New Year's Resolutions now. Of course, healthy eating and a healthy, exercised body is part of it. However, I want to be more happy in the coming year -- connecting on a better level to my spouse, family, and friends. I know that means I have to be more selfish sometimes (making time for me and the things I like), but I'm wondering if volunteering will also help. I'll keep you updated.

Oh, and here is a shout out to you, brother James! You are quite a detective to find my blog all on your own (and I'm glad to have a follower/reader -- even if it is my brother :)

Hiking!

My daughter, Cherron, has always done a bit of hiking, but I haven't hiked since I was a kid. With my recent weight loss (down about 35 pounds so far) and goal to be more fit, I decided to give hiking a try. For our first hike, we decided on a real challenge -- hiking to the top of our mountain and then taking the tram back down to our car. Total miles -- about 10. I figured it would take us about five hours -- boy, did I underestimate!



We started at 9am and hiked three miles to get from the bottom of the tram to the actual trail that led up the mountains. It was hot and dry, and we were going through water quickly. I soon realized that I probably had not packed enough water and that worried me, as we had quite a ways to go. Luckily, about halfway into our trip we encountered a couple who had stopped because the girl had blisters. Cherron had a first aid kit and offered them bandages, which they were happy about. As we talked, I mentioned we were doing good, but I wondered if I had brought enough water. They promptly opened their packs and handed us each a bottle of frozen water -- as they had brought too much! What a nice experience to do some "mountain bartering"! Turns out we DID need that extra water -- it was just enough to get us to the top of the mountain.



The hike was rugged and strenuous. A lot of it was over broken granite, so you really had to watch your footing. The scenery went from scrub brush and cactus to wooded areas with pine trees and aspen. We gained about 4500 feet in elevation. My daughter's knee started to bother her when we still had about 4-5 miles to go. Luckily, she had brought an elastic bandage, so she wrapped it, but I could see each step hurt her -- but she kept going (the other option was hiking back down, and as we were more than halfway (and going down would put even more pressure on her knee) we opted to forge ahead. Finally, more than 8 hours later, we reached the top!

We took the tram back down to the bottom of the mountain and then had a great meal at a nearby barbecue restaurant. We had brought plenty of food on the hike, but never felt like eating. We knew we needed food, but even after the hike did not feel hungry. However, as soon as the waiter brought us the food, our appetites kicked in and we ate and ate! I didn't even have to feel guilty about what I was eating, as I had just burned hundreds, if not thousands of calories climbing that mountain over 8 hours! Overall, it was a great day and we decided then that we would try to do a hike at least a couple of times a month before winter set in. Next spring, we'll be making another trip to the top of the mountain -- this time by a different, longer route!

Goals

Once I had my surgery in February, I decided it was time to start getting healthy. I've been overweight most of my adult life and working out is not fun for me at all. However, I was on all types of drugs for various ailments and I was in pain nearly every day -- and I knew that if I could loose some weight and get my muscles more toned, I would feel better.

So, my big goal this year is to loose weight -- not for looks, but for health! I finally broke out the Wii Fit I won last fall and weighed myself on it on March 30th -- 218 pounds and a size 18-20! I've weighed more, and I've certainly weighed less (at one period in my life when the drug Phen-fen was still being prescribed, I got down to 160 and a size 12 -- but I quit taking that and quit exercising, and it all came back).

I started going to the gym or walking 2-4 times a week and was watching what I ate. By early May, I had lost 7 pounds. Then work sent out an email inviting people to join Weight Watchers, which would be meeting once a week during lunch at work. The best thing (for a spendthrift like myself) was that it was free for the first 17 week session (and half price for additional sessions). I wasn't sure I was ready to be in a "program" -- but then I figured, why not? I was already doing it on my own -- a little more help and support couldn't hurt. So I joined.

The 17 week session just ended this past week and I've lost a total of 20 pounds while on Weight Watchers (added to the 7 pounds I had already lost on my own -- for a total of 27 pounds gone!) That is more than 10% of my original body weight. I'm wearing smaller clothes and people say I look great. In fact, one day a young man I didn't know came up to me at the gym and told me that he had noticed me working out the past few months and that he could really tell the difference from my hard work -- that really made my day! The best thing about the weight loss and activity is that I no longer have to take medication for nightly indigestion and I don't get that crippling back pain I used to have. Usually, when my body hurts these days, it's because I've added weight or intensity to my workout.

The Weight Watcher's program at work ended, but I can still get the discount if I go to meetings out in town -- which I plan to do. My goal is to loose another 20 pounds by Christmas. I'm not in any great hurry -- I want to be slow and steady, and learn how to really live realistically while being healthy. Occasionally, I really want a cookie or a soda -- and I allow myself to have treats, while eating healthy overall (and getting in the activity I need).

Another major goal I have for myself is to start thinking about what I want in a job and what kind of job would meet those needs -- and then trying to find/create that job for myself. Again, I'm not in a great hurry -- I want to really explore and find something that will be rewarding (better still would be something I love -- but rewarding works for me just now). Once Mike makes it past his 90 day probationary period and is hired full time by the corporate office, then I would feel comfortable moving to a job that perhaps does not pay as much but might offer more rewards mentally. I'm excited about that upcoming adventure and hope to be in a new, fulfilling job by spring!

Good News...and More Good News!

Mike finished with his Bachelor's Degree and this summer started on his Master's Degree. He was also looking for work, but could not get so much as an interview. This town is funny that way. I noticed the same thing when I was looking for work and finally started with a temp agency, which placed me at my current job. That is how I was able to get on full time with the office when they decided to hire. Some of our patients from out of state say they have had the same problems. It's frustrating, because you know if you could get an interview, you could get a job -- but I don't know if the employers in this town post positions with someone already in mind, if they want local people for the job, or what -- but it's hard to get an "in."

Mike's unemployment is due to expire in another month, so he decided he would also start temping to see what happened. That was frustrating, because he has so much experience and should do better than a $10-$12 per hour job. However, it was a good decision, because one of the national temp agencies called him about a management job for a computer giant that has a branch in our town. Once they talked to him, they hired him the next day! After a 90 day probation period, he'll be working full time for the temp agency -- but contracted out to the computer giant. The pay is about half of what he was making before -- but enough that we can live comfortably on it, my job, and his pension from the military. He is going to continue going to school full time as well -- at least through the fall semester. He really wants to get his Master's Degree and I admire that.

In other good news, one of the problem employees at my work decided to move on to greener pastures. I was very happy to see it, as work had been pretty miserable. We still have another one of her gang that wants to do things her way -- taking time off whenever she pleases, doing the job however she sees fit, and spending hours online, texting, and on the phone. It's maddening, because she has indoctrinated another employee that this is the way things can be done -- so between the two of them, not a lot of work gets done. I'm starting to get emotionally and physically exhausted trying to cover the stuff they let fall through the cracks. We just hired a new person and will have another starting within a few weeks -- so I'm waiting to see how that works out. If they have the same type of work ethic as these two gals, then it's time for me to move on as well. Management is aware of the problems, but are never on hand to witness things -- so nothing gets done. I find going to work to be frustrating instead of rewarding, and I really want to have a job I look forward to! I'm making that one of my goals for the next year.

Another Guest Room Done!

While my youngest daughter was at college last spring (and after I had recovered from my surgery), I decided to make over her room. We had painted and decorated it when we first purchased the house, and she had liked the super bright colors at the time, but her tastes had changed. I also wanted to have another guest room that friends and family could use when she was at college (or when she moves out once she graduates).

This is a before shot of her room once it had been emptied. Needless to say, all of her accessories were also in these bright yellow and salmon colors (with some lime green thrown in as well).

We purchased a very nice queen-size bed for $100 from a retired couple who were moving and had used it as a guest bed (so it was in almost new condition). I then found a "Bed in a Bag" on sale at Wal-Mart for $35. I took my color inspiration from the comforter and purchased a very neutral wheat color paint for the walls. I kept the trim and doors white and also kept the current white cellular shade for the window -- just adding a splash of color with a new turquoise valance (not shown in the pictures). We also found a great upholstered chair for $20 at a thrift shop that matches the valance and headboard. The showpiece for the room is the padded headboard! I've always wanted to make one and finally did it. The fabric was on clearance, which cut the cost down quite a bit. It ended up costing about $75 -- but I think if I do it again, I can do it for less using foam mattress pads for the padding instead of the foam I bought at the local fabric stores. What do you think?

I still have some work to do in the room. My daughter already had a few beachy accessories, like a shell wind chime and a few pictures/corkboards that fit in with the color scheme nicely. I had a few more that I salvaged from the kid's bathroom before the remodel. I need to get those up and add one more, larger piece of art on the wall across from the bed. I'm thinking I might try my hand at an abstract piece on canvas, in the colors of the room, that gives a "beach like" impression. It's something I've wanted to try after watching some decorating shows on TV -- and it doesn't look too hard. Look for my results later :)

Bathroom Remodel Reveal

The kids/guest bath remodel took a bit longer than expected (what is new), but we were able to finish it up before my surgery (and before my mom came to stay to help me out afterwards). Of course, as with any remodeling job, there are always unexpected surprises. This time there was one of our own making. We checked all of the connections in the bath/shower area after installing the new tub and fixtures -- but forgot to check the DRAIN! It wasn't seated properly, so the first time my mom took a bath, quite a bit of the water went under the drain and down through the garage ceiling below (sigh!) Mike gets to spend this weekend cutting the new drywall for the garage and installing it and new insulation.

I promised some before/after pictures -- and here they are:

Before: The doorway between the vanity and bath/toilet area really made the room feel small (and it was stupid -- because there wasn't even a door there!) You can also see where my son put a hole through the tile in the shower -- turned out that the builders used regular drywall and a bad grout job -- and the drywall had turned to mush.


After: We knocked out the wall with the useless door and built a pony wall instead. It opens the room so much! We also used the same tile we used in the master bathroom (discontinued -- so it was a steal), as well as accent tile left over from our kitchen remodel -- and there is the mosaic I made. I think it looks great!


We were running short of tile by the time we got to the floor, so we created this pattern to make use of the different types/styles of tile we had left. We like it a lot! You can also see the "new" cabinets. We found a mirror we liked in an espresso colored finish -- and got paint to match. We updated the old cabinets with the new paint and hardware.


Here's a better look at the cabinets and pony wall.


My son is loving his updated bathroom! I've already started on my next project -- updating my daughter's bedroom (who spends most of the year at college) to be more adult, sophisticated, and a great looking guest room when she is away. Pictures soon to come!

Grateful for Medical Insurance!

I haven't been posting much the last few months because I was in the midst of a health crisis. It took some time for the doctors to figure out what was wrong and what parts needed to come out -- and I recently had surgery. That was good news, because they were able to fix things (and they didn't find some scary things they thought they might). The bad news was that I was out of work for a couple of weeks and I had no sick leave or short term disability, as I had not been an employee long enough. Since Mike is still out of work and going to school, this freaked me out a bit, as I worried about the money.


I'm back to work half days for now (and will go full time again in a few weeks). I'm feeling good and grateful that things went so well. I'm also very thankful that we have good medical insurance through Tricare (which we qualify for since Mike is retired military). The hospital recently sent me a bill for my surgery and overnight hospital stay -- with the doctor's fees included, it was over $20,000 for a two hour surgery and less than 24-hour hospital stay! If the insurance pays for everything they are supposed to, our out of pocket cost will be just $25!

This was a real eye-opener for me. Since I work in the medical field, I see many patients come through who have no insurance. It's bad enough when one has to pay for an office visit (which can run anywhere from $150-$300) -- but can you imagine having an emergency hospitalization and suddenly getting a bill for tens of thousands of dollars? What was also interesting to me is what the providers/hospitals will accept from contracted insurances. For example, the bill from my anesthesiologist was $1700 -- but my insurance only paid $350 as part of their contract with the hospital, which was accepted as payment in full. If the providers are willing to accept that amount -- why not just CHARGE that amount to anyone, with or without insurance?

It adds a whole new layer to the current health care debate. This is not a political blog, so I won't go into my feelings (both pro and con) towards a health care bill -- but I'm just really glad that we have insurance when it is needed.

Looking for Great Deals?

I'm always on the lookout for a bargain -- and one easy way to make sure I know about online deals is through Funtasia. Not only does Michele have a great website where you can look up current deals or coupons for nearly any online shopping site -- but you can subscribe to her great Hot Deal Alert -- a daily email with the details for limited time great deals.



Check it out! I've been a subscriber for several years now and I've saved a bundle!

Wins so far this year

I had a couple of nice wins in January. Both were surprizes, because I had entered and then forgot about entering the sweepstakes. One was a local drop-box entry for a $100 debit card, so that is going to come in handy! The other was delivered the other day --

We got a Blu-ray player for Christmas (to attach to one of the big screen TV's that we won last year). But we hadn't purchased any blu-ray discs to watch on it -- so this was a fun win! Even though we don't have any little kids in the house anymore, I'm always up for a good Disney animated movie! Plus, the movies that I'm not that into (like Tinkerbell and Santa's Buddies), will make great Christmas presents for my nephews. This win was valued at about $350! What was surprising to me (after going back and reviewing the sweepstakes rules) was that this was a national online sweepstakes, with unlimited entries. I think I entered only ONE time!

We're just waiting for word on a couple of local drop-box sweeps that we entered very heavily around Christmas -- one for a 42" big screen TV and the other to be in a dice roll to win a Harley motorcycle. I'm hoping all of our work pays off for both of those!

Beautiful Bathroom on a Budget!

The remodeling we are doing in the kids/guest bathroom is coming along nicely! I guess the more remodeling we do, the better we get (so it seems easier). Plus, this job has not had any nasty surprises (knock wood)!

It was my goal to do this bathroom for between $1000-$2000, using leftover supplies from previous remodeling jobs, clearance items, and a lot of elbow grease. It looks like we'll come in on the low side of our budget -- and what is nice is that the bathroom will look very high end!

As we didn't want to spend $600-$1200 on a new vanity, we decided to refinish the exsisting vanity and add hardware. We opted for a beautiful espresso black/brown color. I've never painted cabinets before, so I was leery about how they might turn out -- but we love the look. The natural grain of the cabinet doors shows through the paint, making it seem like the wood has almost been stained that ebony color. We had a rather ugly medicine cabinet on the wall and I cut out the raised panel in the center and we are going to put "rain" glass in the frame that was left. With the espresso finish, the cabinets look brand new, very updated, and very expensive! We purchased an inexpensive mirror (we actually found it first and had the paint custom mixed to match it). As I mentioned in an earlier post, the sink was found on clearance and we are keeping the fixtures we currently have (as we purchased them when we moved into the house and they are a lovely oil rubbed bronze color).

The tile is going up today and my mosaic is being installed in just a few minutes! I'm really excited to see it "in action" so to speak. I've still got to do some mudding and taping of the drywall -- but I can do that while Mike is working on the rest of the bathtub tiling and getting the floor ready to be tiled. If all goes well, this bathroom should be done by next weekend -- about a month from start to finish.

Sweepstaking and Remodeling

Not that the two have much to do with each other, but both appeal tot he bargain hunter/deal finder in me! Christmas turned out to be quite nice -- thanks to a few nice wins in the latter half of 2009. I was able to purchase some gifts thanks to a $200 QVC giftcard and $150 in debit cards that I won. Jonathon got his Wii thanks to a win. I had several food and gas gift cards that we used on the trip to my folks house in Arizona. The whole family was there and a good time was had by all!

Currently, I've been focusing a lot on local/regional drop box sweepstakes. These are those that you might see in a store -- where you fill out your entry and drop it in the box right then. I was notified last week I won another $100 gift card from one of these. Over the Christmas holidays Mike helped me to enter a drop box for a big screen television. They were giving away about 30 of them and it was only open to our state -- so we're hoping that at least one person in our family wins one. Mike says if we win, we'll put it above the fireplace in the front room -- and that he will remodel that area at that time, putting the wiring in the walls, replacing our, unusable gas fireplace, and redoing the tile/mantle on the fireplace. We got in over 50 entries between the two of us -- so I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

The kid's bathroom is our latest remodeling project. As I mentioned in my earlier post, Jonathon put his head right through the wall/tile in the bath area -- so it took the shower there out of commission until we got the job done. We've had some ideas on how we wanted to do the room for many months and we've been buying items we needed when we find them on clearance. For example, the tile we used for the master bathroom was on clearance -- so we purchased all of the tile we would need for the kid's bathroom at that point as well. About a month ago, we found a new sink at Lowes -- normally $85, on clearance for $14.50. They only had the display model left, but they took it down for us and Mike installed it at that time (the sink we had before was some sort of PLASTIC and was all discolored, gouged, and scratched).

The work has been going pretty smoothly so far (I think we're getting better at remodeling the more jobs we do!) We took out the walls and ceiling in the bath/shower area and cut down a wall that separated the vanity area from the bath/toilet area -- that really opened the room up! Mike put in a new, quieter but more powerful fan, as well as a couple of new can lights to brighten the place up. I started working on a mosaic I've wanted to do for a long time. It's about 24 inches square and will be the focal point of the room, installed on the tile wall of the bath/shower. I just finished up yesterday and I really like it!

The best part about the mosaic is that it cost only $20 for new materials. Everything else was left over from previous tile jobs in the house! I priced some mosaics online and in the store and the cheapest I could find (for mosaics that either weren't as large or were a much more simple design) were well over $100.

We installed the new bathtub yesterday (nothing fancy -- but better than the old plastic-type tub we had before) and we are putting up the cement board in the shower/tub area today, as well as the rest of the walls that needed to be torn out. The next project will be the tiling and I'm in charge of refinishing the vanity cabinets. We got a great espresso color paint to match a mirror we found. I think it's going to be striking and much more modern than the golden oak color the cabinets are now. I'll keep you updated with pictures as I finish projects!

Back Again!

I've found in my life that I follow a pattern of sorts. I start off a strong (on a project, diet, New Years resolution) and then taper off and forget to finish. It's not on EVERY project I tackle -- but certainly those that are not urgent or are not as fun as another. Now, I enjoy blogging -- but it is easy to put it on the back burner when more pressing things occur -- which is just what happened in this case.

It has been more than four months since I posted last! Of course a lot has happened during that time -- and I've been told I have "verbal diarreah" when it comes to writing -- so I'll make it as short as I can (but then again, this is MY blog, so I guess I can write as much as I want and if you don't want to read it -- then don't!)

Mike is still unemployed and still in school. Luckily, the Post-911 veteran's education bill that passed last summer is really helping in that regard. It pays his tuition and gives us a monthly stipend that helps to buy books, make ends meet, etc. He is currently taking the last course he needs for his bachelor's degree and then two other courses that will transfer towards his master's degree (which he plans to start in the summer). At that point, we'll have to reevaluate things, as his unemployment insurance will have run out and the VA bill doesn't pay the entire cost of the more expensive tuition for the master's degree -- but we both feel it is really important he get his MA -- because any job he can get in healthcare administration at this point is an entry level one that pays quite low. He was also contacted by the people who bought up the assets of his old company (the one that went bankrupt). They have started it up again and will start training pilots in a month or two. They want to hire Mike as an independent contractor a few days a month to teach training classes. It will only bring in as much as the unemployement insurance on those weeks -- but if the new company does well, perhaps the work will increase o r they will find a need to hire someone to manage the training program -- and he will be the obvious choice.

I finally got hired full time at my job in November. Things have been going better than I expected with the women in my office. We are all now rotating from station to station, so I've actually been in the main office for the past two months and I think it has helped to reestablish some sort of relationship with the others. Plus, everyone has been on their best behavior for the most part. The pay is a bit better (by about $1.50 per hour) and most importantly, I do get benefits -- such as dental insurance, paid time off, life insurance, a 401K and a flexible spending account. After paying for all of the benefits, I'm pretty much down to what I was making before -- but we are getting by and it is nice to be able to send the kids to the dentist when they need it.

When Cherron's last television job ended, she decided she wanted a break from the film industry. She applied for a job as an assistant decorator at a local bakery -- as she has always loved baking. She was really smart (and ballsy) and took a plate of some cookies she had decorated to leave with her resume. They called her back within hours and hired her as the main cookie decorator within days! The owners were so impressed with her work (and work ethic) that they have now promoted her to the manager of the entire bakery (as well as a satellite coffee shop they are opening in the food court of a nearby university!) This was after only a few months in her first position there! She would love to open her own bakery/cafe one day, so this is a great opportunity and learning experience for her. I hope she still will have time to decorate and develop new ideas, as she loves that creative aspect. Check out her work on her blog So Many Sprinkles. Here is one of her latest projects:

My son, Jonathon, was getting out of the bath/shower in the kid's bathroom a few weeks ago and slipped. His head went right through the tile wall. The drywall (yes -- that is what they used behind the shower tile!) was basically mushy and crumbly after years of moisture getting through the grout. We had planned to remodel that room -- but not quite yet :) This has prompted us to move forward with that. I'll detail more about that in later posts!