A letter to my nonrunner friends

Dear non running friends,

Every so often when I talk about running, I hear you say, "I wish I could run like that."
Well, I am here to tell you that you can.

I know, there is always an excuse.
I know there is always a pain.
I know there is always a barrier.

I know this because I was there.

10 years ago, I rarely WALKED a mile.
During college, I made it to the gym on occasion because I was sick of being told that I could stand to lose a few pounds, that I was pleasantly plump or that I would be so pretty if I just lost some weight. But I didn't fall in love with the gym because I wasn't doing it for myself. I was doing it for someone else.

 After college, I met my future husband. His family was active and happy and fit. I wanted that, for me and my future family.

I started by walking the loop around my apartment complex. It never amounted to much. And then, I started jogging just a few paces. Then a little more and a little more. I added a little distance each time I made it out and before I knew it, I was running. I signed up for a 5K and was so dissapointed with my time (34:00 plus) and the way I felt, that I vowed I would never do that again. But, I did.

And the more and more I did it, the more it got into my blood. I signed up for 5K after 5K. I tried to beat my times. I decided to run 13.1 miles, and I am certain people doubted me. But your body is an amazing machine. It will do what you tell it to. Build it little by little. Baby steps. 

It got in my blood. I started biking and swimming and did a triathlon.

I am pretty sure that when you say I am crazy, what you really mean is that I am dedicated. 

What makes it work? Determination and a supportive and encouraging running partner (which can be like finding a life partner). 

Even after two kids, I just finished my third half marathon. If I had kept saying I can't, I never would have. 

So...like Nike would say...just do it.

Me and my running pal, Marie, after a 10 mile race. 

Baby boy closet

My cozy cape cod has some crazy closets. Built into the eaves of the house each of the four upstairs closets are huge, but awkward. Slowly, we have been trying to use what we have to make the usable. When we first moved in, my uncle came and helped me install the wire shelves from Home Depot. $200 plus later, the closet was a little more functional. The closet once housed my clothes, shoes, jewelry and purses. Two kids later, I have greatly downsized and now the closet belongs to its rightful owner, my son. These bins really don’t have anything in them. He has a dresser, and there is a closet bar, so I am hoping to use the bins for shoes, hats, toys and other odds and ends as he grows. Each bin/basket was $1 at the Dollar Tree. The bins are not sturdy, so they might be reserved for clothes, shoes. I like to grab bins/baskets full of toys and let the kiddos go to town. These bins won’t stand up to that, the plastic baskets and other plastic bins the dollar store has, will. But, this looks sweet, doesn’t it?

Downsizing feels so good

I have been in a mad dash to downsize my junk. My 1,200 square foot (rounded up) house feels smaller and smaller as our family grows. Some days I think I want to move, but really, I just want to make this cozy house feel workable. And it is. This is my home.
I fall into that trap that "I might need this later." It's taken a lot of convincing, but I finally realized that if I get rid of something that I might need, there isn't any reason I can't buy another.


This is just a small portion of what I am donating.

That being said, my goals were to move ALL of my clothes and shoes out of my son's closet. Since I joined my husband in our home in 2008, we each claimed a closet (his in our room, mine in the spare room). Well, that spare room became the nursery and I just kept sharing the closet with a baby. That baby girl moved out and into the other bedroom (at which point I moved my craft room to the unfinished basement). And, another baby moved into the nursery. I am about to go back to work and don't want to sneak into his room if I forget something.
I cleaned out at least 3 times in the last 9 months while I have been off work with the kids. I have done kids' consigment sales, yard sales, eBay, swap sites etc. On this last time around, I started getting rid of stuff I still liked, but just wasn't wearing. I mean, how many sweatshirts do I need?  And, I am just donating. It's a tax deduction and the easiest way to unload quickly.

This last go round, I think I cleared out 8 garbage bags of my shoes and clothes. I made sure to write it all down for tax records. One round of cleaning and I donated about $1,200 worth of clothes and shoes.

This doesn't happen overnight. I swear, I haven't felt able to relax since I had a second child. There is SO much stuff. I try so hard to just go through and clean, clean, clean. I have a section of the basement for yard sale stuff and try to have a yard sale every other year. Some years I do great...sometimes I do not. I enjoy having yard sales though, so it's no big deal for me.

I finally feel success. The big key for me were two questions, "When is the last time you used this?" and "Would you buy this today?" Man, did things fly onto that donate/trash pile. I still have a lot to do, but what once seemed SO overwhelming is now well under way. I organized and uncluttered so many spaces in my house during nap times and play times or quiet evenings. I have to say, I am prouder of myself that I thought I would be!

From drab and dirty to fab and fun

I am rather addicted to rescuing old pieces of furniture and making them look new and fresh. I wish I had more time to go looking for potential makeover pieces, but I don’t. It’s probably a good thing because there is a very small workspace in my basement in which I can tackle these projects. So, I do them one at a time.

 There are SO many people who are also into this hobby and are making a living off of it. I do it for fun. I have sold two desks and have another finished. The money is going into my “new house fund.”

 I like to find chairs to go with the desks I do, too. I happened to have a morning free to go to a Kids’ Consignment sale and on the way home stopped at Front Porch Antiques. I hate to offer less than the asking price for things, but I wanted this chair (and another one). This one was priced $5 and the other one was not priced. I only had $7. They didn’t accept credit and I forgot my checkbook. So, out of necessity I asked and he obliged. I threw in an extra 25 cents to truly empty out my wallet. I am too honest, I guess.

I forgot to take a before of the desk, of course…but you can see the transformation of the dirty, dusty chair into something clean and crisp. My favorite part is probably choosing the color schemes. I love seeing it all come together. I don’t love this fabric as much as I thought I did at first, but it will work.  

Reintroduction of myself

I started this blog almost 6 years ago. I haven't kept it up as much as I would like, but I am still here!

It's funny how it started....click here if you want to know.

But in 6 years, a lot has happened.

I am still a wife, thank God. Thank God that my husband and I are committed to this crazy journey because it's not easy. But I am a totally different kind of wife. I am working toward being less selfish in my relationship and learning that love truly is a choice, an action...not a feeling.

I still love to cook and bake...I just don't get to go it as often as I would like.

I still love to exercise outside, but have moved my pursuits inside because the YMCA has childcare. I bike and run, just now how I used to. Swimming hasn't happened in quite some time.

I still love to make things new from old things and tackle projects around the house, it just happens a lot less frequently and in smaller doses.

I still love to bargain shop, but am definitely not opposed to spending a lot of money (oh say $88) on a pair of jeans that make my mom body feel like a rock star who might still have some shape.

What else is different is that I now run a household of one dog, two cats and two children. I am home with the kids full time until August when they will be 3 years old and 9 months. Holy hell....what a wake up call. I always thought of staying home with your kids as a relaxing vacation. Um, no way. I forget to make dinner, I neglect cleaning, I nap at random times, I sleep in chunks of 2 hours at a time, sometimes I spend money on things for convenience and saving time, I can't remember the last book I read, my craft projects are piling up on Pinterest and I am not sure I will ever get to them all, my car is always dirty, my clothing style is now mom casual, I am addicted to the slow cooker, there is dog hair on everything in my house including my 6 month old, I have really old leftovers in my fridge and I often forget to take out the trash.

My life is a crazy, beautiful journey. I have learned to be real, to air my imperfections with pride and work on making them better. I have learned to forgive, forget, reforgive and reforget. I have learned that my life isn't a magazine cover and I don't have to be perfect. I just have to be me. And, I love that. I love tackling projects and learning new skills. And I hope this blog continues to be inspiration for its small readership as well as a way for me to chronicle my progress of being just a Mrs. Ordinary!  

Mother's Day

Tomorrow is Mother's Day. Some days, I can't even believe I am a mother. I mean, really, what qualifications do I have? I still feel 21 some days...well, until I look into the mirror and see the grey hair from stressing over caring for my children in the best way I know how. I see smile lines from giggles and tickles with my adorable daughter who knows how to melt my heart. I see dark circles under my eyes from sleepless nights with my 6 month old son who just can't figure out how to make it through the night without me. I see worry and fear. I worry I am doing this job ALL wrong. I worry that I have embarked on a journey that I wasn't meant to take, because I couldn't handle it or that I was meant for something else. I worry that I am not a good example or that my mistakes will ruin my children. I lose my patience. I lose my cool and sometimes I lose myself.
But I chose to have my children. No matter how hard things get, I will never, ever regret having them. They are a joy. They are a blessing. They are meant to be here.
There are days I want to stay up later, sleep in, go to the bathroom alone, eat a meal without worrying I will accidentally take a bite of baby food, shop with an empty cart, leave the house with NO bags, get dressed without worrying about baby spit up, go on a day trip without packing a pump or do what people without children do. But when I didn't have children and could do all of those things, I was really missing out. I didn't have little partners in crime. Or someone to read me bedtime stories about the huntsman who stole all of Snow White's headbands. Or that toothless smile that greets me through the crib bars in the morning. I didn't have a reason to rush home at night. I didn't have a reason to buy tons of little tiny clothes and toys and books. I didn't have someone to grab my face kiss my nose and tell me that they loved me and that I am the best mom that she's got. I didn't have someone to nuzzle into my chest and gaze up at me like I was the world's most awesome creation and there was no one else like me. I didn't have someone to tell me that my outfits were pretty or that I needed to brush my teeth. They are honest and non judgemental. They love me unconditionally (for now) no matter how bad I screw up. (and man, have I truly screwed up).
My kids make me feel beautiful and wise and loved and cherished and honored. They make me cry and scream and shake my fists and question my sanity.
They have given me the highest highs and the lowest lows I have ever, ever experienced in my 32 years.
So tonight on a Saturday night when I used to find myself out on the town, I crawl under the covers, say a prayer for their little lives to stay safe and innocent for as long as they can. And I thank God profusely and profoundly that he allowed me to be the mother to two of his most perfect creations.

One of a kind desk chair

I must get better at taking the BEFORE pictures. Because, this one would have made for a great before and after. I pick up pieces of furniture wherever I come across them. Knowing this, my stepdad unloaded this when he saw the back of my pickup truck already full… I am sure he thought, “what’s one more chair?” A scratchy blue fabric covered the chair and it sat in my basement. I probably could have sold it on Craigslist for $5 or maybe for $2 at a yard sale, but then I came across a tutorial on Pinterest on how to redo an office chair. And what seemed impossible, became very probable.

                Making old items new is really just about taking apart something someone made and making it your own.

Materials:

Old Office Chair

Upholstery Fabric

Padding

Batting

Staple gun and staples

Screwdriver

Pliers

Directions:

1. Remove the back and seat. First you have to inspect the chair and see how it is put together. This chair had something weird going on (the back was fastened with a bolt and a screw).  However, it should be as simple as removing the oval shaped do-dad with a screwdriver. Flip the chair over and remove the seat portion. It might be screwed on or bolted on. If you need help, ask a husband or dad…that’s what I always do when I hit a roadblock. Then, I have learned for the next time.

2. Take off the old fabric. This part can cause damage, to your hands! You just have to tackle the staples. I did this while watching TV and a few times when I wasn’t paying attention, I grazed my hand with the screwdriver and drew blood. I tried to loosen the staple with the screwdriver by wriggling it under, and then pulling it out with the pliers, or some combination of both.

3. Replace the fabric and padding. I cut a piece of fabric and batting about 4 inches around all sides for both the back and seat. I did this to be sure I didn’t mess up and waste this expensive fabric. (Purchased from Fabric.com, because it was MUCH cheaper than the local fabric box store.) I cut a piece of padding to match the one that I took out. You don’t have to replace the padding if you want to save money, but it sure will be more comfortable. Then, you place seat piece down, the padding, the batting and then the fabric and kind of wrap it like a present. If this doesn’t make sense, just pay attention as you are taking apart the chair and it will make sense.

4. Staple the new  pieces to the chair. This part is something I have to practice. It’s very hard to get it very stretched and make the corners right. I just really, really worked with until I felt like it looked good. It still could have been better, but hey…it was my first shot.

5. Reassemble the chair. Voila. It’s your new awesome office chair.