Friday, August 16, 2013

Friday Mishmash - This...Is CNN

On Wednesday, CNN.com posted the article from Health.com that I and several other weight-loss bloggers were mentioned in, and in the last few days I've had a lot of new visitors here, plus I've received some really nice emails from CNN readers as well.  So if you're here because of CNN, welcome!  

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I had to take Paco to the vet on Monday - his itching and scratching had gone off the rails, plus he kept flapping his ears like Dumbo...my poor little allergic dog.  He actually likes the vet (they give him Cheez Whiz before and after they do anything to him), and makes himself at home there, even going behind the front desk to visit everyone.  But as soon as we go into the exam room, he gets a little nervous and HAS to sit on my lap.  Have I mentioned that he's not really a lap dog?  He looked so funny this visit that both vet techs, along with the vet herself, commented on how cute he was, so we took a picture:
I wif mom.  I safe.  

I love his Yoda-like ears, and his smile.  He was happy as long as he was on my lap - not the most comfortable for me, but anything for my dog.  A steroid shot, some antibiotics, and some goop for his ears and we were good to go.

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When we started the bathroom redo, we had our closets painted (one of those "as long as the painters are here, let's do this..." extra expense).  With all of the built-in shelves and cubbies, this job would have been a major pain to hand roll/paint ourselves, but they had a sprayer and got the job done pretty fast.  We went with bright white for the color, which, even though it's just a couple of shades lighter than what was in there previously, made a big difference in how light the closet is, and my poor vision appreciates it.  I had to buy one basket to hold my socks since I got rid of the multipocketed thing that was hanging on the back of my door, but other than that, everything else was already in there...I just moved things around to make it more organized:
 
Notice the new carpet? It's almost finished (missing the doorknobs still).

Among the changes I made was to move all my coats and jackets to the closet in the drum room - they took up a lot of space considering that I don't need that kind of stuff 75% of the time.  I'll move them back in when winter finally arrives.  I also moved all of my workout gear front and center (and I hung my running skirts) - considering I'm wearing this stuff anywhere between four and six days a week, it makes sense to me to be able to easily get to it.  And I realize that it looks like I have a lot of workout clothes, but you know what?  I wear them.  I like to have fun with dressing for running or my land workouts.  Even though I've been exercising regularly for a few years now, it's still pretty thrilling to me that I can fit into cute workout clothes, so I tend to indulge myself with a new top every now and then.

While I go through and get rid of clothes that I don't wear anymore fairly often, I still managed to fill up another bag for donation, so the closet is even more streamlined and organized.  Plus I reevaluated some clothes that I still like but don't wear - they went into a tub on the top shelf of my closet.  In six months or so, I'll check the tub and see if I'm ready to part with them or start wearing them again...some things, like my white denim capris, fit just fine, but I don't like how I feel in them (my thighs feel GIGANTIC when I wear a lighter color on the bottom).  So I'll decide in another few months if I still feel funky when I wear them, and if so, they'll be donated.  Life is too short to wear stuff that doesn't make you feel good, you know?

Here's a shot of Jeff's closet - well, just his running shirts, because I couldn't resist putting them in for him.  I also turned them all right-side out and put them in ROYGBIV order...no, it won't last, but I thought it looked fun for a change:
I just realized he doesn't have any Violet in his shirt rainbow...wonder if he'd wear a purple shirt?

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Sit and Knit update:  Still working on my sweater - it's coming along:
I need to find one button for it - I'm thinking maybe a pewter one?  Or maybe I'll check out Etsy for a nice handmade ceramic button...

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This weekend, we have a five-mile run on tap - I haven't run that far since the beginning of March, which was when we did the Armadillo Dash half marathon!  What can I say...we've definitely been in the off-season for training until recently.  After that run?  We are taking the rest of the day off - no house projects, no moving stuff, nothing but lazing around..this waking up at 4:30 am and being on the go until the evening has worn us out.  I might throw in some reading as I picked up these two books from the library:
I might have already read the one on the left, but it's been so long that it'll probably just barely be familiar to me.  I know the one on the right is new (to me), and I'm on the waiting list (number 7, woohoo) for the newest Spellman book at the library.

Have a great weekend!

25 comments:

  1. Paco's ears are MY FAVORITE! I also absolutely love organization, so I'm dying over your closet. Woot!

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    1. Thanks - and woohoo, another organizing fiend! ;)

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  2. your closet is awesome!! what brand of running skirts are you wearing these days?? it's tough to find the right ones that aren't too low riding and fall down or don't ride up!

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    1. The black skirts are BCG brand, from Academy. The print skirts are Sweet Spot Skirts - they adjust via snaps on the waistband from size 2-14 and fit at the hip, over your own bike shorts or capris.

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  3. Can you travel to WV to organize my closet? !

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  4. I feel a closet purge coming on! Love the pics. Those little round tins? with your jewelry are so cute. Are they from Ikea?

    Paco!!! Poor guy! He definitely has that nervous dog look there. Does he start shedding a ton when he's at the vet's? I've had several dogs do that. I didn't know until recently that it was because they were nervous. I'm glad they gave him a steroid shot. So many vets avoid that nowadays, but nothing stops the scratching as good as that. Hope he (and you!) have gotten some relief by now.

    Unrelated question, but since you mentioned socks--do your socks get stretched out of shape after one year? I had a six pack from last summer. I thought they were okay until I got the new ones, which were much tighter.

    I love how fresh and new everything looks in your house!

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    1. The round tins are from World Market (Cost Plus to us old-schoolers) - I think they are in the kitchen area and are sold to hold spices.

      I was covered with fur when that vet visit was over! No dog compares to our dachshund when it comes to nervous shedding - I swear, she could drop a pound of fur instantly.

      And yes on most of my socks getting stretched out. Exceptions are my Thorlos, and weirdly, some Christmas socks...I've had a couple pairs for at least 15 years and they're still wearable.

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  5. I'm loving your light, bright, organized closet! I have that closet under the eaves of my house and I was just thinking the other day that I need to figure out how to get more light in there. My old eyes have a tough time some days.

    Did you take Paco for a Happy Meal after his vet visit?

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    1. Oh shoot, I forgot about taking him for a Happy Meal!! Dog-mom fail.

      I was really surprised at what a difference the bright white paint (seriously, that's the official color at Sherwin-Williams, Bright White) made in the closet. A few years ago my dad installed a fluorescent light that helped, but changing the paint color made a noticeable difference.

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  6. I'm having serious closet envy here! I've been trying to figure out a nice way to move the husbands clothes to a closet in the extra bedroom so I can have the whole closet :)
    What a cute pic of Paco on your lap! Itchy dog is no fun. My German shepherd is allergic to flax. As long as I feed her the food without flax she does great. I don't think it's a common allergy for dogs though.

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  7. I am actually making Hannah's old bedroom my closet and I love that I can "see" everything. But I too have stuff that I think "why the hell am I hanging on to that?!" Need to be more decisive about things, but I don't have a lot of clothes that fit now, so maybe that's why?

    I have lots of 10's and lots of 14's - the 14s are too big, and I am rotating three pairs of size 12s until I can reach into my 10s - hopefully by the end of September!

    Have fun on your run!!

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  8. CNN! Oh yeah! I knew you when....haha. Congrats on being quoted. That is fabulous.

    Love the Spellmans. Just finished the last book. I think it might be the last in the series. I'm on the lookout for a new witty book series. Lucky you.

    Enjoy your 5 miles!

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  9. I adore Paco!!!!!! And I have SEVERE closet envy!! :) Have a great weekend Shelley! All the best in the 5-miler!

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  10. Wow, your closet looks great. Mine is in desperate need of some organization and better lighting. It is dark in there! I love the color of the sweater your knitting, what a talent you have.

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  11. As soon as I saw Paco - I though Yoda, and then read you saying that LOL!

    I am so, so jealous of your closet. Living in a very old house, we have tiny closets. I have a lot of my stuff in dressers (or on the floor... eep).

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  12. You should let me look through your discard clothes pile. :)

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  13. I was thinking your closet looked ROYGBIV, & then you mentioned for Jeff's :) Ours are colorized too. Dh is a lefty & hangs his clothing all weirdo tho. At least he hangs things up, right?

    Poor Paco...he looks cute in the pic. I was thinkin it looks like he's smiling too.

    Glad to hear you will be allowing some down time tom.!
    Chrissy

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  14. Ah poor Paco! He's so cute. Bella is flapping her ears a lot since we took the long walk on Tuesday. Going to wait a couple of more days, otherwise it's a visit to the vet too. She thinks it's fun there, silly dog.

    I'm not a jealous person but your closet .... I feel a little envy now. I love it. It's my dream to have a walk in closet but don't think that's ever going to happen.

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  15. If you're ever in Memphis, I've got a closet that could use some help. :)

    I hadn't heard of that Spellman series, so thank you for that! I love PI & mystery series and am always happy to have a new one to add to the list.

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  16. LOVE your closet!! So big, and clean and fresh!! I think Jeff needs something for the pockets beside his shirts!! AND its so funny to see how you did his closet!! My daughter ALWAYS has her shirts in color order. Not ROYGBIV, but some other order that she has concocted.

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