Let it Begin!

I spent yesterday morning patching and moving the downstairs around to get ready for The-Great-Paint. I've yet to pick the official color, but, i did buy a great new piece of furniture for the downstairs! Found a great little antique store in Indian Trail (Southern Market Place) and got a steal for this china cabinet.

All in price - $160

I've yet to decide if I'm going to repaint it - I'll have to see what it looks like [in a place TBD at the condo] with the new wall color.

Woke up this morning still a little full from the great steak dinner Eric cooked last night and took Tugs out -- was a wonderful 69 degrees with 70% humidity. Left monster-puppy inside and went straight for a nice 4 mile run. I took some pictures along the way since I had my iPhone to finish out the newest Freakonomics podcast.

Here is a different side of Charlotte:

View from E's driveway on my way out

Approaching the entrance of the neighborhood

Shady back road of the loop

Cows!

Final farm where Sailor met her first cow, approaching Peach Orchard

I got home, pounded some Gatorade, and Eric and I took Sailor for the mile and a half loop on the trail. After my coffee, I'm back home making a list for the store. Looking forward to a short week at work and great progress next weekend.

...Apparently, all I need to do is buy Eric lunch at Sub Station II for helping me paint :)...

A Hearty Breakfast

Great news - the table is gone! I sold it to a nice couple moving from Georgia yesterday (originally from Sweden). A cool $200 bucks in my wallet I'm one step closer to having a downstairs I love. It feels a little empty, but, once Eric gets a move on building me a bench for under the window (I would say this is a hint, but, he doesn't read this) with storage and a wine rack (that idea came to him this morning in the car) I will be able to get another chair to compliment the couch.

Been having a great breakfast the last couple of days...

Morning One

Morning Two

 Honey Oat Wheat Bread (Bread Machine Recipe)

• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup rolled oat
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cups white bread flour
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast (or one packet)

Use your 1.0 loaf size and basic setting. If you want a super soft crust, put it in a large plastic bag right after it's done and seal tightly.



Lucky Lady!

Since these last couple weeks have beens stressful - Eric convinced me I needed to get a good run in yesterday, so we hit the Monday run for a nice 4.5. After we got home and I got done with my shower, I heard something in the kitchen.

...it was Eric, cooking our delicious Mahi Mahi. He saw how stressed I was yesterday and just started cooking it while I was upstairs - probably the best gift he's ever given me. And it tasted amazing! We had it over lettuce and some steam fresh veggies + rice (recipe below).

Had a great lunch with Stacey yesterday - I can't wait for her and Kev to close on their new home in Dilworth -- fingers crossed! She and I were trying to plan for the weekend, but are waiting to see how rainy it will be - a nice hurricane throw-back to my FL days.

Ginger Glazed Mahi Mahi

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
• 1 clove garlic, crushed or to taste
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 4 (6 ounce) mahi mahi fillets
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions

1. In a shallow glass dish, stir together the honey, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, ginger, garlic and olive oil. Season fish fillets with salt and pepper, and place them into the dish. If the fillets have skin on them, place them skin side down. Cover, and refrigerate for 20 minutes to marinate.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove fish from the dish, and reserve marinade. Fry fish for 4 to 6 minutes on each side, turning only once, until fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove fillets to a serving platter and keep warm.
3. Pour reserved marinade into the skillet, and heat over medium heat until the mixture reduces to a glaze consistently. Spoon glaze over fish, and serve immediately.

Here's a nice little snapshot of how great Saturday was out on the Lake:

Relax

With the bathroom repair looming over my head, I've been doing more yoga breathing lately than ever.

To foment some of this stress, I've been practicing yoga more [solo], and grabbing new recipes to cook. Eric's been into his new book, Think Smart, which told him to (1) Eat more fish (2) Play more video games (3) Drink more red wine.  ... 2 out of 3 isn't bad :) So with this in mind, on Friday night I did a nice 75 minute Yoga Practice at home via Podcast with David Farmer and then headed out to the ranch to make my Crab Stuffed Tilapia.

Thanks to my Mom for my Simple and Delicious magazine (the Christmas gift that keeps on giving).

Crab Stuffed Tilapia

Ingredients

• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 celery rib, finely chopped
• 2 packages (3.53 ounces each) premium crabmeat, drained
• 1/3 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tablespoons Mozzeralla cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon seafood seasoning
• 4 tilapia fillets (6 ounces each)
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika

Directions

• In a large skillet, saute onion and celery in some butter or EVOO until tender. Remove from the heat; stir in the crab, bread crumbs, mayonnaise, egg, pimientos and seafood seasoning. Spread 1/3 cup crab mixture over fillets. Roll up each from the pointed end; secure with toothpicks or lay the fillets flat and stack the crab mixture on top (I did the latter).
• Place seam side down in a greased 9-in. square baking pan. Melt remaining butter; drizzle over fish. Sprinkle with salt and paprika.
• Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 25-30 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Discard toothpicks. Spoon pan juices over fish. For 2 Fillets - I cooked for 20 minutes.

Eric actually liked the fish - he is slowly learning to eat healthy. We picked up a ton of frozen fish at Trader Joes yesterday (Mahi, Ahi Tuna, Salmon, and Talbot). E cooked dinner for me -- Turkey Sloppy Joes/Salad/Chocolate Chip Cookies for desert.

Hope everyone had a nice weekend!

For Tugs

Tugboat and I went for a run every morning last week. It's slowly getting nicer outside in the morning [as well as darker], so our runs are getting quicker. I cave when she sits up at attention at 5:30, waiting to go. "It's only fair," I hear in my head. She's a great dog - she deserved it.

So, she also got her bench pillow recovered today. It was a long, great weekend out on the Lake with friends, but, I still wanted to get something "accomplished." I used the fabric from my old drapes and just used the previous pillow as a form. I got a little creative with the rounded corners in the front too (very simple: on the 90 degree corner, measure 4 inches on each side and sew on the hypotenuse).

Before

After

Sails was a huge help during the process too -- as much of a help as I am when Eric is driving.

Cleaning Spree

This weekend I plan on doing a clean sweep of the downstairs - go through all the kitchen cabinets, drawers, nooks and crannies in prep for repainting.

Plus, make Eric is homemade [as requested] yellow cake with chocolate frosting and strawberries. Then, spending tonight hanging out with Mike and the gang.

Going to power through until yoga at 11 -- happy weekend all!

SOLD

The fan is set to sell on Saturday to a nice woman in Concord! I've gotten emails on the table and wine fridge too -- so hopefully I can start clearing out and cleaning up. I've got a big pile for Goodwill piling on my chair.

It was night 1 of Sailor learning to sleep not-on-my-bed. Tugs needs to be less dependent about sleeping on me so I can get a good nights sleep. At a whooping 50lbs she is just getting too big [and too hot in the summer] for sleepovers. She did manage to give me the "It's 5:30am - let's go running now" jump this morning.

Confidence

E and I had a chat last night where he convinced me that the "remodel" is possible.

Eric: "The light bulb is not earth shattering technology, Em. We can build it. It'll be fun."

Hope.

With those words in mind, I started snapping some photos and listing some downstairs furniture on Craigslist.

Progress.

The Table and Chairs + the Wine Fridge are listed (sorry Liz and Jimmy ... I know it was a present but it sucks energy and living alone I throw the wine in the fridge bc there is ample space ..). Hopefully I'll get some bites. I hope to sell the fan I replaced and the monster TV at Eric's soon too - aka, extra cash for my "war chest."

This weekend I'm determined to make progress on the refurbing of the chair at the Ranch. I'll make sure to take pictures.

Over a year and it's time to "re" my downstairs

It's been over a year and I'm already tired of my paint choices. In retrospect, 3 colors was a bit much for a loft, but I loved the green and light yellow and hoped it would all look wonderful. But, it the high ceilings, I think it's more like a fun house now.

So, time to "re." Repaint, remove old stuff, redesign my original plan. There are 2 pieces missing from my downstairs:

1. Curtains - this will be my next "DIY" project with the sewing machine. My next trip to mary jo's will be a big one. These curtains/rod combo are my inspiration.
2. New Media Stand - I've been suffering the IKEA one I've had since I moved into my own place and needed one quick, but, it's time to upgrade. In the spirit of "more storage" which is a must when loft living, I've been eyeing a buffet turned TV stand.

Repainting will take the most time to decide on a color -- am planning on hitting up the local Ben Moore this weekend for some samples to paint on the walls to see how they look with the light/space. Definitely going grey though - it will look a lot more subtle with the grey-blue color I have on the stair walls and upstairs.

There is also another little project I'm thinking of for the wall behind the couch, but, I'll save that once I ask my resident handyman if it's "possible." He did say last night that we can try and make the pendant lights I've been eyeing from pottery barn - and I quote, "that would be a fun project." Whoaaaa who!!

DIY Kitchen Chalkboard

My "throw-away" chalkboard is complete. Big thanks to E for showing me how to use the power tools!

Directions:

1. Take used door molding and cut to size of plywood. Cut the corners at a 45 degree angle. Use wood filler and fill in holes and sand down as necessary.
2. Sand down plywood to hang-touch smooth.
3. Wipe plywood down with a wet cloth and let dry.
4. Paint the molding with desired color (fire engine red!) - I used 4 coats.
5. Paint the dry plywood with standard black chalkboard paint (bought from Lowe's). - I used 4 coats.
6. Let completely dry.
7. Nail the molding to the plywood from the back. Put nails every couple of inches and make sure they are sturdy/long enough to go through the plywood+molding.
8. Attach hooks on the back and wire sting 10 inches from the top.
9. Hang on wall.

Next project - curtains!

Hot Hot Hot

Summer will be gone before we know it and we'll be right on our way to complaining about the cold. Eric, Sails and I have been adventuring out as much as possible between swimming at the Ranch, venturing out to hike, and gardening the 8+ foot tomato plants.

Looking forward to getting back out on the Lake mid August and all the birthday's coming up!

Happy Birthday America

What a great time at Wen and Brad's Engagement Party!

Hiatus Complete

Was a nice little break from the blog and the overall internet. Have completed/started a ton in the last couple of weeks. The garden is in full swing and producing some yummy cucumbers already. The green and banana peppers as well as tomatoes are green and fresh. We installed a drip hose too - helps conserve water and waters directly on the plants. Another great Eric idea.

The second end table is complete [finally]. Also the cute chalkboard for my kitchen is in the final stages -- pictures to come! I'm making all the use I can out of the scraps at the Ranch :) Not to forget the great help from Momma Frank - my first dress is complete too! A rather simple project with her sage help via Skype on a Saturday. 9 Billion awesome points to my mom.

This weekend is jam packed with a visit from my best best friend, an engagement party for Brad and Wen, and boating on Lake Norman with a gaggle of friends.

The How-To Post

End table 1 is complete! Thanks to a nice trade from Wen to Molls to me ... I inherited 2 end tables and have been pondering what to do with them. 

Steps:

1. Sand everything - I used a small electric sander on most of it and got the small spaces with paper.
2. Wipe off the excess dust/debris with a wet rag.
3. Paint twice - I used standard wall paint (look fimilar? It's the color of the kitchen at the ranch!). Make sure to wait for it to dry before the second coat.
4. Distress with course sandpaper - I used the sandpaper E had sitting around the garage that were for his "power sander." I went over the outside of the top, the outside of the drawer area, and the legs with the sandpaper flat and sporadically used the edges for more distinct marks.
5. Seal twice - Make sure to let the first coat completely dry before putting the second on.

Front area at the Ranch. We put the extra peppers and tomatoes we had into big pots (on sale at Lowes) and keep them next to the rain barrel. The gardenias in the back right corner I trimmed back 2 weekends ago and are in bloom now (and smell great!).

 Close up of Eric's peach tree.

 Le Garden - Blooming Wonderfully! Another 3-4 weeks and we'll have more than the best lettuce ever.

Happiness

"One-sixteenth of the time people are happy. The rest of the time they’re not. So if you start to avoid all the things that cause unhappiness then maybe there’s a small chance you can improve the ratio in your favor."

Who doesn't love some Freakonomics in the morning?

Reason to Run

Had another great start to the day with Sailor and our morning 5K. She was sitting at attention when I walked out of the bathroom this morning, waiting to go. 64 degrees this morning will sure beat 92 this afternoon! Hitting yoga at lunch today to get everything out of the way before date night.

Looking forward to a nice calm weekend of catching up and relaxing with Eric and Sailor. My awesome mom also sent me my very own sewing machine [and a bunch of supplies with it!], so I'm excited to start practicing :)

I can't wait to see the garden this weekend too and how my newly planted lilies and lipstick flowers are doing at the ranch house.

Morning Drizzle

Great start to the morning with a run alongside Eric and behind Sailor. She's getting better about tugging after squirrels but, bunnies are a whole different story!

Been a banner week for running - the track workout on Wednesday with Wen and Eric, yoga with the new instructor (Jai L is nicely stepping in for our beloved Madeline), TAC, and a fast hilly 7 miler. One more long run tomorrow and the week will be completely rounded out.

I've complied my list of "Chores for May:"

• Finish refurbishing the end table --> this weekend
• Finish reupholstering the chair (mid-June ... waiting on my sewing machine to get here, thanks Mom!)
• Hang pictures (Cheap Joe's did an excellent job framing my Chi Marathon poster)
• Clean baseboards in kitchen
• Fix/Refurb(?) broken bar stool.

Take Me to the Chapel

Can't wait to watch these 2 lovebirds tie the knot this weekend - I have my hanky packed for tears as I watch this lovely lady I've been so blessed to know marry her prince charming.

Check out more of their engagement photos here.

Off to Florida we go.......

Handsome Devil

Look who got his first haircut at Easter while he was visiting Grandma and Grandpa ... what a heartbreaker!

Weekend in Charlotte is looking up and up --

• Celebrating Kevin and Stacy's first anniversary this evening with drinks on the porch
• Pool time tomorrow (yay to my 3 new swim suits that finally arrived) followed by grilling [somewhere, TBD]
• Sirloin Steaks are on sale at Bloom, FYI. I picked up 6 big ones yesterday - Yum!
• Prep for Wednesday vacation to Florida to see the Frank Family and Emily and Odis get married :)

Hawaiian Style

Great run yesterday and I have to say ... this barefoot girl might be thinking of shoes thanks to my bud/crazy TAC instructor, Tim. Checked out the Newton's last night at CRC with Dana (who wears them) and was initially a big fan. Since they have a steep price tag, it's going to take a couple more fittings to really sell me on them, but, they would be a nice "break for my feet," especially in the summer months when it's Africa hot on the pavement.

Leftover Easter Ham was delicious on a salad last night and much deserved after a solid 7miles. Tugs is down to a mile a day with the imposing heat. She's also sleeping on the floor at night too (#WINNING). Hello Summer!

Hawaiian Salad

• Lettuce -- Romain or Spinach
• Cucumber
• Jalapeno (I put this on everything I make)
• Israeli Couscous [from Trader Joes]
• Ham (cold and cubed)
• Pineapple
• 1 Tbsp of Light Ranch
• Mozzarella

Simply pile on the ingredients in the portions you like (I like extra pineapple :P)

A big thanks to Jules and helping me pick out some new swimsuits ... which partially arrived last night. I love all three, but this one was at the top of Eric's list -- Miraculous Halter in Smoking Grey.

Em's wedding and our vacay down to FL can't come soon enough!