Distraction From the Messy

Life feels so messy right now and I don’t like it when life gets messy. I mean, who does? I sat down to write a blog a couple of times over the last two weeks and the words just wouldn’t come. It just seems to be one of those times in life where a lot of things seem to be happening all at once and there are days that it feels like it’s too much and I just wanna walk away, or go to bed, or eat. Instead, I decided to crank up the tunes, dance a lot and paint some rooms!

Update on Mom

Did you know that we all have crystals in our inner ear? I’m sure many of you did. I did not. They help us sense gravity. I’ve never heard of this before so learning something new! Did you also know that when they become loose they can make us feel like the room is spinning, or make us feel nauseous or dizzy? Well, that’s what the ENT has said is causing Mom the vertigo, which is how she fell and broke her arm. The ENT said she has a condition called benign paraoxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). It can be treated very successfully in the office with the Epley maneuver. The doctor tried to do the Epley maneuver with mom, but she was really unsure of what was going on and a little frightened. With her broken arm it was hard to move her body in the way that he wanted to. She yelled pretty loud because her arm was hurting and she was certain that she was falling off of the exam bed. We go back later this week to see if he can help her get those crystals settled back down after her arm heals a little bit more.

Until then, she remains patient. She got out for the first time last Friday and I took her grocery shopping. She works at Target so that’s where we went shopping and I know she enjoyed seeing coworkers and seeing someone other than me and her apartment walls. Watching Mom drive that cart around Target was like a real live sitcom, but I was wishing I was watching from afar. Instead I just followed and picked up all the things she knocked over. Not just items, but displays!

Not only does she have some very kind coworkers, she’s also really fortunate to have some awesome neighbors that check in on her regularly.

All of your prayers have been greatly appreciated!

I call it….The Dumb Thumb

I’m continuing to battle thumb complications. I get tired of talking about it. Insert eye roll. I had an ultrasound last week on it to find out what a new lump is that developed near the surgery site about three weeks ago. They discovered the lump is fluid and that scar tissue is in fact attached to the tendon, which is preventing me from bending the tip of my thumb. Now they want me to come back this week to extract liquid from the lump to have it tested, then schedule ultrasound therapy to try and break up the scar tissue. My surgeon told me at my appointment this morning that it may not bend for months. A tad discouraged to say the least.

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WW Workshops

As Covid numbers go up and down, so does attendance at the live WW Workshops, which is totally understandable. Just as I was able to open a second live Workshop, it is now closing. I now have one Studio Workshop on Wednesday mornings and my AWESOME growing Virtual Workshop on Friday mornings. WW Member? Join us!

My Distraction

In my last post I shared that I needed a distraction and I shared some pics of inspiration for updating our guest bedrooms.

Once I decided I was for sure going to make painting bedrooms happen, I hopped on Pinterest for inspiration. I became seriously obsessed with this photo I shared in my last post for one of the guest rooms. Like, I would just lay in bed at night and look at it and think how I could re-create it in our house. I soooo needed a distraction that would keep me busy and make me feel productive. While looking at this picture, I was like….um, I have that hat! I have a similar vase. I can make that chair/blanket thing in the corner work, I have a faux fur rug. I’m making this happen! lol

Room One

I had very light blue walls in this room and since we put new carpet in, that light blue made the carpet in that bedroom look almost like a light purple?? I really liked the calm feel of the blue though, so I was all about a blue color and loved this whole vibe. Did I say I became obsessed with this photo, cuz I seriously did! The dried flowers, the chunky black throw, the camel colored pillows and blanket, the plant…..all of it!

I was so excited to get started I forgot to take any before photos, but I have a few “during” pics.

I needed an outlet while going back and forth to my moms over the last few weeks and this was a great distraction from all of the things I needed a break from thinking about, AND……it kept me from snacking through my thoughts and feelings about everything! So, bonus!

While I had to go a little darker than my inspiration room with the blue color to make it work with the carpet, I absolutely love it! Sherwin Williams Sea Serpent for the blue and Alabaster for the white. After a lot of trying to duplicate the above photo, I moved a few things around to make it work for me, but I’m really happy.

My new room!

Room one during. An end table and night stand that really could go to the trash, but I’ll hang on to as long as possible! These light blue walls just didn’t work with the carpet.

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Inexpensive new hardware, a placemat for the nightstand and a table runner for the dresser.

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The only thing purchased here….the plant, wicker vase, hardware (all three Target), and table runner (Amazon). I am loving my white walls! I can’t seem to make a decision on curtains, so for now, just white sheers.

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This lamp….also Target. It has a dimmer on it too! The little white chest was in my room when I was a kid and my grandpa built it, so it must stay. I really wanted a black and white picture over the bed because remember I was obsessed with the whole re-creating thing? I ordered a black and white framed canvas from Walgreens (they almost always offer 50%-60% off!) of a sunrise picture I took while camping this summer. Very happy with how this turned out!

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I found a website for peel and stick Vinyls that I love! Check out PMVinyls. (Not a paid post for anything I’m sharing, just love some of the things I’ve found) Once I applied these, I knew I needed more to fill in the spaces, so more to come! I wanted to leave this wall empty of any furniture as this is the room Tess and Manuel and Tucker stay in when they come and I wanted them to have space for luggage/dog bed and not feel cramped. So…..I decided these would work for the wall. And somewhere, a diamond theme accidentally happened and I don’t hate it.

Super happy with this space!

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Guest Bath

This bedroom has a bathroom that needed a fresh coat of paint. Nothing fancy, but it feels so nice and clean now. I love a shower curtain outside of this small shower door, It just seems to soften the space a bit.

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Room Two

I mentioned in my last post our oldest grandson (he’s 14) had asked me if he was staying in the “creepy” room. Cracking up! I knew both of our spare bedrooms needed some attention, but I’d never thought of this room as “creepy”! Anyhow, I listened to my wise grandson. I had decided to do white walls in both bedrooms with an accent wall behind the bed. I was going to go with a black accent wall in this room to give it a masculine feel, but I liked the blue color so much, and I had so much of it left, I went with the same color in room two, but tried for a different vibe.

These are my inspiration photos for room two. I love the large basket stuffed with pillows, the leather, the hats on the wall, the throws, the folding chairs….all of it! I already had white bedding and many of the accessories in these pictures. Just needed these great ideas!

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I’m really happy with my finished room two! I don’t love my white bedding, but I did already have it, so for now, it stays.

Room two during. These walls were a dark tan and dark furniture, so I guess it was kinda creepy in here!

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This is the only bedroom we’ve ever had an actual bedroom set of furniture in and it belonged to my grandma. I hated to get rid of it, so to honor my grandma I tried to go for an updated 60’s-70’s theme?? I always liked the way she decorated during my childhood and I was hoping I was doing something in that room that she would approve of. I had the lamp, I found the peel and stick Starburst on the same website as the diamonds (PMVinyls.com) and HAD to have them, and added new pulls to the drawers. That folding chair? Target. Love me some Target.

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That’s Mimi in the leather photo frame. I needed her in this room and I decided leather would make this room feel more masculine for the grandsons. My mom had just given me the leather foot stool by the window as she said it only served her as a tripping hazard. The leather long pillow on the bed…Target. Also, another Target lamp find! These lamps also dim and I’m digging the look. The black nightstand is an ancient one of ours, but add a placemat, all good. Also, discovered a library book never returned from one of our kids!! lol I’m thinking the furniture looks great in here. Just needed a new wall color, lamps, a few pillows and odds and ends.

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I was inspired by many ideas on Pinterest and really happy with this space that’s now…. perhaps not so creepy.

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What in the heck are we eating??

Keeping things quick and easy with lots of one dish meals.

• 1/3 C Gluten Free Oats
• 1 egg
• applesauce.

Feel free to sub the applesauce with a smashed banana or pumpkin. When you make this with Pumpkin it’s nice and dense. I use 1/3 to 1/2 C Pumpkin. Add in sweetener of your choice and 1/4 tsp of cinnamon or Pumpkin Pie spice. These are some of my favorite combos.

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Mix and microwave for 3 minutes for a firm oatmeal. I like to flip this on a plate.

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Here I topped mine with 2 tsp Almond Butter, 1 tsp Pure Maple Syrup.

So many options. Blueberries, Jam, Banana, Carob chips, Mini Chocolate Chips, Walnuts, Pecans?

Egg, Avocado and EBTB seasoning on a toasted Birch Benders Paleo Waffle.

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Simple plate of eggs, avocado and EBTB seasoning. It’s a fav. Add fruit for a more filling option.

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I’ve been experimenting with a few foods. I’m not at all vegan, but I am skipping out on the dairy so I do like to try new things here and there. I’ve bought this a few times at Trader Joe’s. It’s different for sure, and I can’t say that I LOVE it, but it is nice to have something to snack on with veggies and this was an option.

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This was a random lunch one day eating this dairy free cheese on a few plantains along with a bowl of grilled chicken, veggies and smashed avocado.

Skillet Dish

This meal is easy and on a regular rotation here. If you have leftover chicken, any kind of chicken sausage (or whatever you like sausage wise) and a few veggies….you’re good. Sometimes I’ll do this with Chicken Sausage even if we don’t have any leftover chicken.

I toss it all together in a bowl, then cook it up in a skillet with olive oil and McCormick Montreal Steak seasoning.

I did broccoli, red onion, zucchini and corn. But this is also great with mushrooms, roasted potatoes added in, fresh green beans, whatever you have on hand!

We both like a runny egg over it. I had mine over a bed of sweet potatoes. I buy these at Trader Joe’s and I love them because the only ingredients are the potatoes and you simply microwave them for about 2 minutes.

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Spinach Salad

This salad was soooo yummy! I needed a taste of summer and this did it! Spinach, Strawberries, Feta, Pecans and Rotisserie Chicken

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I’m a little hooked on this Big Mac Salad right now.

• 1/2 C Mayo (Your choice. I like the Avocado Mayo from Costco)
• 2 tsp Yellow Mustard
• 2 T Dill relish
• 2 T Ketchup (I skip this as I’m not eating tomatoes, but I do like the taste better with it!)
• Whisking this gives it a nice salad dressing consistency.

I brown my ground turkey with an onion and season with Hamburger Seasoning. Top a bed of lettuce with it and add all the burger things. Red Onion, Dill Slices, Sesame seeds and dressing. Also great with cheese and bacon!

And the last food to share today, Shepherds Pie. There are so many recipes out there, you can’t go wrong. I’m making a few things lately from Paleo Running Momma and I’m loving this pie. Her recipe calls for brussels sprouts, and I’d never thought to add those to a shepherds pie, but ohhhh so good! I did top mine with whipped cauliflower. Delish!

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Feel your boobs!

If you haven’t done a monthly self breast exam yet, then do it! Tell your family and friends, even the males, to do this too!

This is me at the oncologist office last week. Post-op appointments until 5 years cancer free. I hate going to these, but I am SO HAPPY I found my cancer early. Early detection could save your life!

Well, I guess all of the words that wouldn’t come into my head when I sat down to blog those other days, came to me today!

It’s dinner time!

Egg Roll in a Bowl on the menu for tonight. 40 Aprons Egg Roll in a Bowl is my go-to recipe, but that is another dish that you will see a lot of out there and I think you can’t go wrong with several of them!

Stay happy and healthy.

Thank you for stopping by!

Until next time!

“love the life you live, live the life you love”