Thanks sista!

My sister-in-law Amber mentioned me in her blog entry about getting into shape. Now I feel guilty for being lazy and not following through on the fitness goals I've set for myself. So now that I've been called out, it's time to get back on track and tone up!

I leave for California on August 14th and am determined to work out every. single. day until that date. I worked out last night for the first time in weeks, so that's a start. I figure if I can make it until August 14th, I will be motivated to continue when I come back from vacation.

Since we all need a little visual stimulation, how about a few photos from (you guessed it!) pinterest. If these won't make you get off your lazy ass, I'm not sure what will :)

Next month's vacation

I am pumped for August for a few reasons.

1. My first vacation at my new job. A whole week off to relax and re-charge and have fun!
2. My brother's flying in from Michigan for a visit. I haven't seen him since I visited him and my sis-in-law last summer.
3. Our road trip to California to see family and explore and take amazing photos :)

Typically when we head down south, we spend 90% of our time with family. This time, we're expanding our horizons and taking more time to see new places and venture off on our own.

We will be spending a few days in Chico, a day in Sacramento and a few days in San Francisco. I can't wait! This will be my husband's first trip to SF and my first time being back in probably 20 years. I want to do and see as much as we can while we're there. 

That's where my BFF pinterest comes in handy. Looking at other people's gorgeous photos gives me an idea of the places I want to visit while I'm down there. Enjoy a few of my favorites :)

House projects

I love before & after photos! Mine are never as dramatic as I'd like though. Instead of "Wow, what a huge transformation!" it's more like "Hmm, I guess that looks a little better". haha. But a little change is better than none at all, right? I can tell a big difference, but an outsider looking at them maybe won't notice much of an improvement.

We've been doing tons of little projects around the house. Most are still a work in progress, so these aren't the final product, but we're getting there. We also did a lot of stuff outside that I forgot to take photos of, so just know that we've been working hard :)

I apologize for some of the color differences and the lower-quality ipod photos of a few of them. I just got my camera back from being cleaned and all my settings were wiped out. I haven't had time to adjust everything back to normal. Anyway. Let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions for me :)

 We have 8 of these deck chairs and they were all filthy from sitting out all winter. I spent an hour or two scrubbing all of them with a mixture of water, dawn dish soap and a splash of bleach. Now they look good as new and ready for our next backyard BBQ.

 Our front entrance is still a work in progress. We replaced the rug & added a decorative hook thing, but it's still just blah. We're on the hunt for a cool piece of art to add above the hooks. And maybe some other stuff to hang besides dog collars and leashes :)

 Our guest bathroom. We've had those old towels for close to 8 years and figured it was time for fresh new ones. We got the towels from Target for $4.50 each. A clean new look for $27? Not too shabby.

 Ohh, the golden nipple. I couldn't stand the ugly fixture in our guest bedroom, but we were never able to find a decent-priced replacement. We found this beauty at Lowes on clearance for $14!! I was so thrilled when I found it and it makes a huge difference in there.

 Our hall closet was stuffed to the max with crap. Just random crap that we didn't know where to put or didn't want to deal with, so we threw it in there. How embarrassing is that before photo?! We picked up those red plastic crates from Target for $3.50 each and got rid of a lot of stuff in there. There's still additional paring down and organizing to be done, but I think it looks so much cleaner.

 Our Japanese Maple in the front yard looked like Cousin It and was taking over all the other plants around it. Derek trimmed it down and it makes a big difference. Our front & back yards are so frustrating to us right now, but we just haven't had time to get out there and plant new stuff and rip some old stuff out. Soon, I hope :)

 Derek's been keeping his ties on a single nail on my side of the closet. Not very practical and it got in the way of my shoes. So we picked up a tie rack from Home Depot for $5.99 and installed it on the back of our bathroom door. Now all his ties are displayed and separated our nicely. And I can get to my shoes without having to move his ties out of the way. Win-win.

 Our master bedroom is another room that really frustrates me. It's clean and bright, but it's boring! We really want to replace our bed frame, but don't have money at the moment. We did hang some art above the bed for a little color. The frame is from Ikea for $15 and the art cards were $5 from Ikea as well. I really want to fun-up this room, but I'm not sure where to begin and don't have much money to spend.

A close-up of the art above the bed.

The closets above the washer/dryer store our laundry stuff, random gardening things, light bulbs, shopping bags, dog stuff, etc. I haven't cleaned it out in over a year and I think that's pretty obvious :)

Much more organized and easier to find things. I really want to paint the inside of all the closets and storage cupboards a fun color to add some interest, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. Someday.

7/10 body update

Guys, I have failed miserably at this exercising/getting in shape thing. By the time I get home from work, I'm too tired to work out, so I sit around and watch tv or read magazines. I really, REALLY need to start moving even if it's just a little walk around the block. I have been eating healthier though, but it still doesn't make much of a difference since I've always had a decent diet.

Here's my latest stats, compared to when I started in May. Hopefully these next few weeks I can get motivated to work out and start toning up. Fingers crossed, right? :)

• A little over 5'3"
• Weight: 113.5 --> 112
• Chest: 33.5" --> 34.5"
• Waist: 26.5" --> 25.5"
• Between waist & hips: 33.5" --> 32"
• Hips: 35.5" --> 35.5"

My BFF Netflix.

I arrived late to the Netflix craze. Everyone we knew had it, but I didn't feel that we would use it much, so we didn't bother getting it. When my sister-in-law stayed with us for a little while back in late 2009, she brought her Netflix addiction into our house and I think I was instantly hooked. I had no idea what I had been missing! lol.

Back then, we viewed Instant Netflix on Derek's Xbox 360. It was old and the internet connection was bad. We would get cut off daily or the quality would be so terrible we could barely watch it. But we soldiered on.

The first show we got hooked on was Friday Night Lights. If you have never watched this, you are missing out! It is such an underrated show, but has an amazing cast and is one of the best shows I've ever seen. The show is about a high school football team, with the first season focusing a lot on the actual game of football. In the later seasons, football was just an after thought. You must watch this show; I promise you won't be disappointed!

I think the first show my husband and I really got into was Nip/Tuck. We watched it for the first few seasons, but lost interest. We liked how risque it was and how different from all the shows we've seen, but it got kind of dark and depressing and we were done with it. We also watched The Riches and a few other darker shows around this time.

We took a little detour from the heavy shows and started watching Pushing Daisies. Such an adorable, quirky show, but it only lasted 2 seasons :( If you want to be in a good mood, you must watch this show. You will have a smile on your face guaranteed.

Next was the British Invasion. We couldn't get enough of the accents and the slang and dove into several shows.

Skins was first. I absolutely love this show, with it's mix of humor and high school craziness. Drugs, sex, alcohol, you name it they experience it. You can't help but love all the characters and feel a connection to them. The show gets a new cast after every 2 seasons, which I hated at first, but you learn to love it. We're on season 4 right now and it's not my favorite, but I'm determined to find out how it all ends.

Coupling (not the crappy American re-make) is one of the funniest shows I've ever seen! It portrays realistic relationships and all the drama and hilariousness that comes with them. 

Another great British comedy? Pulling. Some of the situations are so far-out, but also so hilarious and awkward that it's just a riot. I can't even explain the show in a sentence, so you'll just have to check it out and prepare to laugh. A lot.

My current obsession is Roswell. I remember watching a few episodes 10 years ago when it first came out, but I didn't really get it back then. Now I watch it pretty much every day when I get home from work :) I'm on the last season and am going to be so sad when it's all over. It's one of those shows you want to go on forever.

As far as great little movies I've discovered on Netflix:

Phoebe in Wonderland - One of my favorite movies! Elle Fanning is an incredible little actress and seeing her in this movie made me a huge fan.

About a Boy - So cute and touching. Plus, features a young Nicholas Hoult, who plays Tony in Skins season 1 & 2.

Death at a Funeral - I think I laughed non-stop during this movie! Just hilarious and outrageous. Chris Rock is great in this.

An Education - Not what I expected, but it turned out to be a fantastic movie.

Oh yes, and I can't forget another of my favorite shows I've discovered: The Tudors. I can't say enough about this great show! The acting is fabulous, the costumes are incredible, the location is amazing. I'm only half-way through this show, but it's top notch all around.

Now days, we connect to Netflix on our Blu-Ray player and it's made such a huge difference! The picture quality is great, we don't get kicked off every 10 minutes and it's so easy to use. We only have basic cable that we never watch, so I feel that $12/month for Netflix has been money well-spent. I can't imagine getting rid of it at this point :)

Does anyone have any hidden gems they'd like to share with me? Any great documentaries that you just loved? Obscure shows that are worth a watch? Let me know, I'd love to add more to my queue :)