This Week I'm...

Loving: That my new years resolution of "move more, eat less" has been sustainable for a whole month now with 8.2 pounds less as a result!
Disliking: That I'm way behind on catching up with family and friends.  I need to get on that and see what's going on with everyone.
Craving: Dark chocolate
Wanting: More hours in the day
Reading: Not much.  I started LA Candy by Lauren Conrad, but haven't picked it up since I first started.  Yes, it is chick lit, trashtastic, but it's my escape from the constant technical reading required daily
Watching: Not much.  The DVR is getting full
Listening to: The sound of typing on the computer
Looking forward to: Heading to Beijing in April
Hearing buzz about: An insane blizzard headed our way that may be life threatening according to the news

Date Night & the Bears

This weekend Teddy was home!  So we focused on getting some quality catch up time together.  Friday night was pretty low key.  I made us some baked chicken and we relaxed watching a little TV and chatting. 

Saturday I had to head into work, but got home in the late afternoon.  Teddy had been busy working around the house and focusing on his latest Lego project.  We decided last minute to have date night on Saturday and headed out to one of our favorite local places, Aodake for some sushi.  It had been a really long time since we went there and the place was packed.  They have the hibachi grills as well, so most were at those versus the sushi tables.  I guess a lot of people had the same idea.  Even my sister did date night with her husband at a sushi place over the weekend. 

After dinner we headed out to see a movie.  We got some AMC gift cards for Christmas in our stockings, so we thought we'd put them to use.  We ended up going to see No Strings Attached with Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher.

It was yet another romantic comedy, but I thought it was pretty funny.  There were some holes in the story as they never really explain why Natalie Portman's character is such an emotional train wreck, but there were some really funny moments in the movie.  It was nice to cozy up with the hubby and watch a movie.  It's been a while since we have been able to do that. 

Sunday was all about the Bears!!

We were so excited for the biggest game of the season for a team we didn't think would see the off season at all.  The day was just bad karma all around.  We decided to check out one of the local DG bars, Another Round, to watch the game and headed out around lunch time to snag a seat.  Well, when we got there we found all these tables that were being "saved" by peoples coats, drinks and other crap.  It was unreal.  I couldn't believe the bar was allowing people to just block out tables and chairs from paying customers because they were saving them for their friends.  So, we did a couple of laps and decided to head over to BW3's to check out if they were any better of a set up.

This was miles better.  They had the Hawks game on.  There was plenty of open seats and TV's a plenty.  They also were giving away all sorts of prizes during the commercial breaks, well, it was mostly free wings. 

So, we settled in, got some beers and some grub, and proceeded to watch the Hawks lose.  At that point I made the big mistake of saying, "I hope this isn't a sign of a bad sports day for Chicago."  Ugh!  Why do I say such things.  It's like I was asking for the karma kick in the butt.

We got excited to watch the Bears come out blazing.

Teddy sporting Hester

Me sporting Briggs

And the game started with the Bear's deferring on the coin toss (was this really a good call?) and then the Packers just marched right over us on the field.  It was one ugly first half, but Teddy and I were still having a good time.  Until half time and we were suddenly surrounded by the strangest people.  These people were obsessed with high fives to everyone around them at the most awkward moments of the game.  They were wearing Bears jerseys, but every time the Bears had the ball, the one lady would start screaming like a wild women to "Sack him!" which was quickly followed by an incredibly confused look when the Bears snapped the ball.  At some point this couple decided they wanted to try to be friends with Teddy and me.  They kept high fiving us and telling us to smile.  Um, the Bears are playing like sh!t, and we have annoying people that keep trying to touch us and won't leave us alone.  There wasn't a lot of smiling happening.  Teddy ended up moving seats to put his back to them because at the time he was sitting next to me. And this nutter of a women kept peaking around Teddy's head to try to make eye contact with me so she could yet again wield another high five.  I did everything to avoid her eyes.  Then at one point she came over to tell me I looked just like her cousin.  Seriously?  Can we just watch the game?  UGH! 

Luckily Teddy and I were smart and got the check early so that after the game ended we could bolt before our new found buddies followed us home.  And we also all know how that game ended.  While Heine did a respectable job coming in cold and getting two TD's - it was too little too late.  Some bad decisions with a time out on the third down with one minute to go just sealed the coffin for us.  In the end, for a team we never thought would make it to the off season, not too shabby.  Although, it would sting a little less if we hadn't lost to the Packers. 

This week I'm...

This week I'm....


Loving: Having some quiet time to relax
Disliking: The way the Bears played.
Craving: A bright blue sky, with white puffy clouds and lots of sunshine
Wanting: To plan our next vacation
Reading: My Food Network Magazine looking for new recipes
Watching: American Idol.  I'm kind of liking the new judges, but am thinking Hollywood week will be a mess because they're letting a lot of crap through
Listening to: The sounds of Teddy sleeping since he's actually home, for a few days anyway
Looking forward to: May
Hearing buzz about: Oprah having a half sister that she never knew about. 

My Fitness Pal App

As I said in a recent post, I did set a new year's resolution of eat less, move more.  With focusing on getting to the gym three times per week I had the move more plan in place.  But I felt like I needed something to help with the eat less. 

So, looking at the health related free apps I found the My Fitness Pal app

 This app asks you for information on height, weight, any weight loss goals and how quickly you want to lose it and then calculates a net amount of calories for intake every day.  You can then record what you eat and your exercise to track your intake and burn every day.

This summary screen gives you a snapshot of where you are for the day

The greatest part is that the diary is so easy to use and find what you are eating, even at restaurants.  Many chains are even specifically in here, so you can find exactly what you're eating.  Plus you can create recipes for things you are cooking to see just how many calories it is.  The exercise database is just as extensive and allows you to adjust calories burned if you use a heart monitor or something else to track that when working out.

One of the other features I really liked is the nutrient info.  It's really made me aware of when I'm eating things high in sodium or sugar, or if I'm not getting enough iron or dietary fiber.

I've been doing this pretty religiously for two weeks now and it takes no time, and has really kept me focused and aware of what I've been eating so I can tackle the eat less part of my resolution.  It has made me very aware and helped me make better food choices.  I have been checking the calorie content before I pick what I'm planning to eat, so I am able to better allocate calories throughout the day.  I haven't been hungry once.  And it is working.  Week one I lost 5.5 lbs!

This week I'm...

Like many of the ideas on my blog I get them from my sister and her blog.  This one is no different.  I think it will be fun to go back and see what I've been thinking and feeling each week at the end of the year.  The tricky part will be my ability to actually post this each week, but here we go.

This week I'm....

Loving: That I actually get to see my husband one day this week

Disliking: That I only get to spend one night with Teddy

Craving: Clementines

Wanting: To take down the outdoor Christmas decorations.  It's just so darn cold

Reading: Bill and Giuliana Rancic's "I Do, Now What"

 Watching: The Bachelor.  I know, it's terrible.  When I heard Brad Womack was coming back I fully intended to just watch the first episode to see what his deal was.  And then I got sucked in.  I can't tear myself away.

Listening to: Sara Bareilles, I love her new album Kaleidoscope Heart

 Looking forward to: Bears vs. Packers this weekend.  Go Bears!

Hearing buzz about: The Golden Globes and Ricky Gervais's zingers

Weekend Recaps: Birthday Celebrations

It's only two weeks into the new year and I'm already a week behind on my blogging.  Good thing I didn't make blogging more often one of my resolutions.  That would have been a pitiful showing. 

Last weekend Teddy and I went to Andrea and Chris's to celebrate the first birthday of their twins Cole and Carter.  We were running late, so we missed all the excitement of the magician that they had, but we got there in time for the make your own pizzas.  It was a great idea for a kids party.  These guys rolled up with a pizza oven on wheels with all the fixins and made pizzas to order.  Plus they made extras that could be frozen and made later for people to take home with them.  Great idea! 

Soon after it was present opening time for the boys.  Carter seemed interested, but Cole just wanted to play with some Elmo balloons.

 Cole

He had a serious grip on those balloons

Carter's momentarily distracted from the gift opening enough to snap a couple of pictures

Soon after it was cake time and these two monkeys certainly got into their cake

First we sang to the birthday boys.  Aren't they cute in their hats.  

And they went to town!  Hilarious.  :)  I think Cole had cake in his hair, down his back, pretty much everywhere. 

Carter had a little bit cleaner technique, but took that cake down just as quick as his brother.

Then after a quick bath, these guys were ready for some sleep

It was great to spend some time with the family.  The rest of last weekend was really quiet, which was nice. 

This weekend Teddy was out of town for work.  I decided to finally watch the Twilight movies.  I read the books a few years ago, but never ended up seeing the movies, so I watched Twilight and New Moon.  They were pretty good.  I felt like they kept pretty true to the book in both.  Maybe today I'll watch Eclipse and get completely caught up. 

Last night I went out with Tom, Stacy, Nilam and Chris for Tom's birthday.  With everything going on the group went from a party of 10 to 5.  It was a really fun night.  Just like old times!  The original five were out and ready for fun.  We went to Coopers Hawk for dinner and the food and wine was great as always.

Hopefully I'll get back on track with blogging, although with Teddy and my work schedules over the next couple of months, I'm not sure there will be all too much exciting stuff going on.  But you never know!

My Favorite App of the New Year

Like most people, I've fallen down the typical well of setting some new year's resolutions.  And also, like a lot of people, mine has to do with being healthier.  I have vowed to focus, not on weight loss, (although that would be a great by product) but on committing to being healthier.  I have both committed to get to the gym three days per week and to start counting calories.  I usually eat healthy foods, but I eat too large of portions.  So, I'm going with the simple plan of eat less, move more for 2011. 

It's week one, so its definitely early to start declaring any successes.  But I am off to a good start.  One thing I was looking for was a way to track work outs and calories, which I found and will post about another time, but I stumbled across this.

This is an app for your iPhone that Nike has put out for women that is like a trainer in your pocket.  And, even better it's free!

It has over 60 workouts that are 30 - 45 minutes long with audio guidance while your doing the exercises.  There are also 15 minute targeted workout if there is a specific area you want to really focus in on.  The app even lets you select music from your iPod to play while you're working out.  Each exercise has step by step instructions you can look at before you do it, and a video demo to help clarify.

There are four different categories of programs you can choose from  

And within each one of these categories there are three levels of experience:  beginner, intermediate and advanced.  Once you choose these you then select from about 6 or 7 different work outs.  It then tracks your progress and rewards based on how many minutes you have worked out cumulatively with special workout programs from famous athletes and trainers.

One of the greatest things about it is that you can workout anywhere.  For a lot of the programs you don't need any equipment.  For the ones that require equipment it is dumbbells, a medicine ball, or a jump rope.  So, while I've been doing these at the gym, I could get a workout in from the comfort of my home or from my hotel room when traveling.  

This week, I have done the beginner sweat + shape program twice, and it completely kicked my butt.  I was so sore after the first time on Monday, my second workout this week had to be something different.  I got on the elliptical for 30 minutes vs. the NTC program.  But this morning I did it for the second time.  It still kicked my butt - but I wasn't feeling as much muscle fatigue as I did on day one.  I think next week I'm going to try one of the programs that calls for weights. 

I like that I can mix this in with other workouts to keep things fresh.  That way I shouldn't get bored, and it is probably better for me to mix it up more anyway than live on the treadmill.  I'm hoping Nike continues to update it with new workouts.  What a great app! 

New Year's Eve Festivities

This year New Year's Eve plans were all over the place.  Teddy and I talked about going away for the weekend, some people threw out ideas of having a party, others wanted to head to a bar downtown.  But nothing was figured out until around 2:30 pm on NYE when we got a call that there would be a party at The Palace hosted by Mark and Little Jon. 

So, after finishing up our bathroom remodel, Teddy and I got ready to head into the city to celebrate the new year with the crew.  When we first got there everyone was reminiscing about NYE's past, and we noticed that every year had some sort of a theme that helped people remember them.  And everyone was wondering what this year's theme would be.  Well, the theme came down to one word this year, and that word is hats.  Erica and Jennifer started this trend first with a bucket and then a plastic cup and electrical tape resulted in the fashioning of hats no one had ever seen.

Here is the early stages of the hats with Erica, Kelly, Jeb and Jennifer.  Kelly got stuck with the toughest hat being a giant margarita glass taped to her head.

Then they noticed Jeb didn't have a hat, so they started fashioning one out of tape, and Teddy jumped into the mix with his foil creation

There he is, my little foil sailor

Jennifer was trying hard to get a Maerkus Day parade going because that is Mark's favorite

I was the designated driver for the evening, so I headed out to hang with Kris, the other DD in the front room to get a break from the hat crazy that was happening in the kitchen.  Well it didn't take long for the crazy to spill out of the kitchen and join us in the front room.

Apparently Erica fashioned Jon this hat or helmet or whatever you want to call it.  So after seeing this creation, I got sucked back into the kitchen to see what the heck was happening.  And this is what I found.

Apparently Jeb's hat extended beyond hat and they were trying to keep him under control?  I'm not really sure, but I can say with certainty that this is not what I expected to find when I went back in there.  Lucky for Jeb he has super strength and was able to break free from his bonds.

We were waiting for him to turn green like the Hulk as he pulled his way out

Here's Teddy and Jennifer trying out a new shot, The dirty Frenchman.  It is wine with olive juice and is a creation from one of Teddy's favorite cartoons.  And yes, it really isn't meant as a real drink.  I'm still not quite sure why they drank this, but again, I was the sober one.  :)

As you can see the hat theme took off and pretty soon everyone was copying Erica's trend setting hat.  It's like I'm hanging out with a bunch of Shriners 

Before we knew it, it was time for the midnight countdown and we got our champagne toasts ready

Ringing in the new year!

After the countdown Jeb and I were chatting about something, don't really remember what, but what I think is really funny is what is happening on the other side of the room

What in the heck is Jon doing?  And why is Erica helping?

OK, is she still helping or trying to protect Jennifer from Jon?  I'm not really sure, but Jennifer doesn't look like she minds much

It wasn't long before the group convinced Mark to pull out his new Kinects. 

Here him and Kris are playing a sort of raquet ball game.

Jon and I tried it out.

And then Erica hopped in

NYE was highly entertaining this year.  I'm hoping everyone woke up not feeling too terribly, and I wonder if anyone was still wearing their hat in the morning.

The Guest Bathroom Remodel: Day 4

We are in the home stretch.  All the things we thought would be tough (light, doors, trim cuts) are all behind us (or so we thought), and it is all about the finishing.  We started the morning finishing out hanging the trim.  Teddy worked at drilling pilot holes and then nailing the last set of nails needed on the trim.

He's hammering away

And then drilling more holes for the next door

I took a swing at hammering for a while, and before we knew it, we were done.  Teddy set all the nails.

And I got to work on the putty.  This was our big moment of celebration.  The doors were hung, the trim was up and we figured another hour and everything would be done.  Everything else left was easy.  Changing out the toilet seat, putting on a new faucet, hanging towel bars, etc.  All sounds pretty simple, right?  Well, it was, except for one part.

Nope, not this part, this was easy.  Teddy got to work replacing the toilet seat

Nope, this was easy too.  I installed our new toilet paper holder

Oooh shiny

And here it is.  The biggest pain in the @#$ of the whole remodel.  Now this may be a slight exaggeration, but it was what we believed to be our last day, it was New Years Eve, and all we wanted was to no longer be in this bathroom.  Unfortunately, Teddy spent a lot of time as you see him in this picture.  Now the first issue (notice, I say first) was just getting the old faucet uninstalled.  This thing was put in there to last for life.  We thought it would be simple, we had put these things in before at my old condo, so why would this be harder.  Well, if you can't get the old one off, it's kind of hard to put a new one on.  We tried loosening the nuts, unscrewing the fixtures from the top, hammering at things, in the end, we end up breaking everything apart piece by piece.  I think it took about 2 hours to finally pry the pretty finishes off.  And this is what we had.

Notice the faucet is in pieces, but the plumbing lines are still securely held in place by those gold rings at the base of the hot and cold valves.  Those gold rings were our problem.  What they were hiding underneath was a locking ring that wasn't letting anything through.  And underneath the sink, they had sottered on a cross bar to prevent anything from moving, so we couldn't get it out from that way.  So, using my dad's mantra of "be smarter than the material your working with" we came up with the perfect solution.  A lot of swearing, and then some tin snips to slowly snip away at the gold rings until we could pry that d#$@ locking ring out.  This took about another hour if not longer.  OK, so maybe we weren't smarter than the material, but we finally got the darn thing removed. 

We then made the mistake of doing another victory dance.  (When will we ever learn - you don't celebrate until the game is over!!)

So, we're moving along, and things are looking good.  The sink is cleaned out, the new installation is working great. 

And then we put in the hot and cold valves.  Teddy's noticing things are a pretty tight fit underneath for all the materials.  Then we try to quick fit the new faucet and valves, and guess what.  It's all about a millimeter too close to each other, and won't fit.  ARGH!!!  So, Teddy yet again is loosening everything he just installed to push it all apart just enough to gain that millimeter of space so that we can fit the pretty fixtures on top.  Well all his maneuvering worked, and we got everything to fit.   

And we did yet another victory dance (There is something really wrong with us)

OK, so what else could have gone wrong?  See in this picture on the back of the faucet the thing you pull to close the drain.  Well, it was the final part to install before putting the drain back together and turning on the water.  I went to put it in, and guess what, the medicine cabinet did not provide enough clearance to be able to fit the post in the faucet.  Seriously?!?!  What the heck were we going to do?  We couldn't take the faucet off to put it in because the hole it had to go in was also the housing for the allen wrench to tighten it down.  We could take down the cabinet, but Teddy was not having that option.  So, what did we do?  We obviously got it in as you can see above.  Well, we bent the heck out of it until it was at the right curvature that it cleared the cabinet and had a straight shot to the hole in the faucet and then Teddy straightened it back out.  He says that he wished we got a picture of my face when we first tried to put it in.  I wanted to stab my eye out with it. 

We were smart enough this time (finally) to NOT do a victory dance, and just held our breath as we finished reconnecting everything and then turned on the water.

Success!!!  The water worked just fine, and no leaks, although we are keeping a close eye on it the next few days just to be sure. 

Now that that was over, after 4 hours, lots of swearing, and promises that the faucet will remain as is forever, we moved on to finish the rest of the final touches.  Towel bars were hung, a hook was hung, we cleaned everything up, put all the tools away, and put back all our accessories.  So, we can finally show the reveal of the final product. 

But first a before shot

Plain cream walls, gold and chrome fixtures are now looking like this

I think the blue really makes the tile pop.  It's amazing what a coat of paint will do.  And while the towel bars are similar, replacing them with just chrome vs. gold and chrome I think updates the look.

Remember our old doors, original to when the house was built.

Now they are solid oak, six panel doors stained to match the trim of the recently installed windows. 

I didn't take a before from this angle, but it gives you a sense of the proximity of the medicine cabinet to the faucet for our final bit of remodel drama.

We are officially done, and did finally have our victory dance. 

While there were a few hiccups along the way with getting this project done.  Teddy and I did have a great time working on it.  We're so excited that another project has been crossed off our list, and we still have a couple of days to relax before heading back to work.