Joyce, thanks for the info. DH helped SD #2 when they did ceramic tile through her entire new house. We're coming along really well on it. Plus, we googled it and watched the videos on what to do. The tile is now down and I'm doing the grouting today.
Aud, LOL at how your DH left the porch 1/4 unfinished. I about died last night when DH asked from the laundry room for a potato. LOL, he used said potato to cap off the gas line to the dryer long enough to tile back there. I'm glad now that area is finished and my washer and dryer are hooked back up. I kept expecting an explosion, LOL. I'm not sure if insurance covers sheer stupidity or not!
lynnar, I can't wait to get down the wood laminate flooring. I know that my 2 dogs leave a ton of fluff in the carpet. Pretty much every time I vacuum I have to change the bag out. I expect my poor dogs to be bald, but alas they have lots of furr left.
AUD-I'M STILL HERE,HAD LOTS OF THINGS TO DO OVER THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND
During my being MIA I didn't fall off the wagon,I Ate the right foods,exercised to the B/L Booth Camp Cardio,and B/L Power Sculpting & believe me those are work outs that break out a sweat. I also got my 80 oz of water down with my electro mix.
Yesterday we had a fierce wind and rain storm,and because of it we had little critters visiting my kitchen cabinets,draws & stove. I had to wash just about the whole kitchen to get their droppings off of everything. Leo bought several mouse traps,and scattered them though out the house.
This morning also because of the storm our computer was down.Its the our provider that has something wrong with it. Its still not working right.Its very slow getting from message board to message board.Don't want to stay on the computer too long,just in case the power goes out again.
Lily, I find sweeping up the dog hair much easier then vaccumming, but strangely, DH would rather vaccum. He'll vaccum the wood laminate and I'll go along behind him and sweep it! Strange, but true! Either way, I feel like it's staying way cleaner then carpet. The only place we've had a problem is in front of the dog's water bowl and I totally blame DH for that. He always fills it to the very top so when the dogs stick their noses in it, it spills over. We have a couple of warped peices from repeated spills. I don't understand him - he should know that if the water bowl is empty the dogs will just go drink out of the toilet! They won't go thirsty!
Lily - Another tip....smile...before laying the laminate floor...remove all of the baseboards in the room with a small crow bar...then measure from wall to wall...start your first piece butting up against the wall...if you do this...you'll save yourself $$$ in buying quarter-round and have a much nicer finish!! Also, if you are removing carpet (like I did)...there may not be any luan (a very thin plywood) underneath...so....you may need to install the luan first...cuz you really want a smooth surface to begin with. Alot of times these contractors hide soooo many flaws under carpet!!! Make sure to use screws if you have to lay the luan...nails tend to pop up over years and will eventually crack your laminate. P.S. I learned alot from the internet how to vid's but alot I just learned by trial and error! I kinda love construction/home remodelling...that's why I became a real estate investor!...it's right up my alley...again, happy remodelling.
Hello All...just checkin in real quick here as I still have to do my weights and 30 more minutes of cardio!!!....so far...so good! I'm thinkin of doing a daily pic thing like that "Adam Waters" (thanks SIC..I checked him out...great stuff). That would be cool...only for woman..yeah baby! Well, I'm really surprised at the sustained energy I've had all day...not dreading my weight lifting, nor the extra 30 min. cardio...surprisingly, I've still got energy to boot! The one thing I thought was going to be a problem was getting in all the protein, calories and carbs...is actually not a problem at all...I keep eating and drinking plenty of water and never get full...it's crazy...I must have eaten at least 4-5 times already today...I'm getting my carbs from fruit and veggies only for the time being...I may add some oatmeal...once my workouts become more intense...but not to worry...I haven't given up my Atkins lifestyle...as soon as I sculpt this bod...I'll go right back to Atkins, but I will maintain my weight by sticking to the OWL portion of the diet! Joyce
Oh...BTW..where the **** are you Broadabroad??? I miss reading your posts...If your still out there in internetland...give us a holla...I'm sure I'm not alone in my thoughts! Anyways...hope all is well with you! Joyce
What's up girlfriends? Why am I loving today you ask? (even if you haven't). I'm not really sure. Bloated beyond compare because TOM is due today or tonight. My bra is tight. Never a good sign. Oh...I KNOW. I didn't go into the office. Had a meeting at 1:00 with some City staff and then I just came home. The house is quiet. The house is clean. I had my chicken salad for lunch. I AM BY MYSELF. That never happens. Except when I get up at 3:00 a.m. and post to y'all. Even then DD, who appears to have some wierd sixth sense, typically decides to get out of bed and slog into the living room half asleep to ask me what I'm doing.
Feeling just a tad guilty about leaving the big man to deal with either PMS or Testosterone tantrums but after having dealt with that testosterone empolyee temper tantrum on Friday I just said eff it and didn't go in after my meeting. I'm literally soaked to the skin though. It began to rain on us as we were trooping up and down city owned hills arguing about water use (the City's contractor tied into one of my private commercial meters and then ran up an $108,000 water bill). Hello....not only am I not paying the $108,000, by my calculations you owe me about $70,000.00 for the water bills I have been paying for the last 3 years.
Ah well. Enough of that. Still in a good mood even though I'm a bit shivery (being wet and all). I cranked up the heat to 72 so I'm sure that I'll start to steam soon. I planned on going to BodyVive at the gym at six but the TOM sickies that hit me so hard did start at about 4:00 this morning. The nausea, sweating and gastronomic distress. I'll see how I feel in a few hours. Since I peri-m, I get a huge rush of energy a couple of days before TOM and the first day. I should put that to good use and do all the dusting with Old English since the house is already clean.
Anywhoooo...I hope everyone is doing well and on plan. My aunt just called me from a Starbucks in an undisclosed location in Las Vegas to report that she just finished a poker tournament, her hair is now an inch long and curley (It was just coming back in after chemo in October), that the steroid they are giving her for her cough (from scar tissue due to radiation) is working, and that she misses me and my daughter so much that she feels like crying. Which she did. Looks like I will be flying out there with DD this weekend or next and then she will be coming for a month or so in March and probably for June and July.
Love to all. Have a fabulous day. Joyce: Stay Rippin. Fay: Where are ya girl? Joyce and I cannot keep up the amusing patter without you!!! Marie: We lost you!!!! Beachie: Thinking about you.
BTW: Second best investment I ever made? Even with the laminate flooring (I still have carpet in the formal living room, guest room and DD's room). A DYSON VACUUM CLEANER. I am one frugal woman so laying out five hundred bucks for a vac really wasn't a choice I made lightly HOWEVER. The Dyson rocks and was worth every penny. I got it when I still had capet all over the house but that thing is a trooper. I suck spiderwebs down off those vaulted ceilings, remove all the leaves pollen and crap out of the sun room. Can't say enough about it.
We have done most of our own improvement work here. New flooring, new stainless appliances. Used a contractor for new windows. Our next improvement project: I'm knocking an arch in the wall between DD's room and the home office then I'm turning her room into a suite with interior french doors between. Her flooring will be changed a the same time. She is excited. I'm asking my brother in law to help with the wall work though because when we did the floors DH started in August (only because I measured and had the laminate flooring delivered here and would not tell him where I bought it) and finished....in December. He is a little anal and I agree with what Joyce said. A level surface is important. BUT ONLY FOR TILE, MARBLE AND VINYL FLOORING. I went to work one Saturday morning during the project and when I came home DH had rented and used a cement grinder to deal with cracks and whatnot in the cement slab. I tried to explain that the laminate floor floats but he would have none of it. Whatever. Every now and then if you hit the cushions right on the green suede sofa in the living room, cement dust still flies out.
Hey all...believe me...this will be short...I'm friggin exhausted!!! Was only able to knock out 30 min cardio again tonight...no weights!!! just didn't have time or energy after cooking a friggin chicken soup that took 3 hrs to make (most of the time in prep)...but it's really good!! Everyone better stay the **** away from my soup!!! I'm hopin' it will last the week. tata...and goodnight ...zzzzzz Joyce
Hello again all! Woke up feelin' like sh*t this morn! Throat felt like I swallowed glass! After an exhausting workout last night, 3 hrs of cooking and prep, and then having my BF come over from a long athletic "workout" in horizontal mode (hee hee!), I was wiped out by morn! But, I'm stickin to the "Ripped" program anyway! I did 30 min HIIT on the eliptical, and 10 min. weight training (upper body) and then ate my delishous, yet high protein chicken soup and now I feel great! My mind feels so clear and my energy level is surprisingly good. Also, my throat doesn't feel so bad and the congestion that was starting to build up in my ears has gone away! Who says you shouldn't work out when your sick! huh! Also, I did drink a huge cup of lemon zinger hot tea with fresh squeezed lemon (an entire lemon). I find that is a good home remedy to knock out a bad cold/flu before it starts...just OD on fresh lemon!
Joyce, thanks for all the remodeling tips. We did remove the baseboards with a pry bar. Bad news was though some of them chipped or split when we took them off. So, we're gonna replace them with all new baseboards. The only thing under my carpet is concrete. glad you told me about using screws instead of nails on the laun cause I wouldn't have known that. So far we're having great luck with the concrete foundation being perfectly level. The previous owner of this house was an older man that had built the house from ground up. He was absolutely meticulous with everything being perfect. Lots of very expensive hand carved woodwork that while beautiful always makes me be super careful not to get any paint on the wood.
SC, hope you have a nice time visiting your Aunt. BTW, please slap DH's XW for me while you're in Vegas. You won't have a hard time recognizing her. She's the one with bright white bleached hair and her nose a mile high in the air. Plus a smug look of satisfaction on her face from once again screwing DH over on his taxes.
Bambi, LOL at all your sexual innuendos. Now stop it cause DH is gone back to work til next Tuesday and I'm out of fresh batteries. LOL.
Wood laminate does cover flaws! The "professional" who did our living room went right over a 6 inch square hole in the floor. We had taken out a half wall and the beam went through the floor into the basement. He just left it and laid a peice of laminate over it. Now when you stop right there you can feel it give. I wouldn't actually recommend his method. He's the same guy who just disappeared before he finished the basement tile and another floor guy who came in to do some other finishing he left, pointed out a bunch of flaws. Oh well. So far no one has fallen through!
So where is Fay? I miss her posts too!
SIC, Vegas for the weekend! Sounds like fun!! My exercise class was having a sort of group fantasy about hijacking one of the husband's planes (he's a pilot) and going as a group to Cancun. We decided we would only pack bathing suits! I'm desperate enough for some sun that I don't care what I look like in my bathing suit!! They're talking about freezing rain tomorrow. Is this winter going on longer than usual?..?
Bambi, I've been feeding Emergen-C to both my DD's for cold season. I was taking it myself until I saw it has 5 carbs. Lemon will do the same type of thing, but we've had good luck with Emergen-C. DD15 is the runner, so I know she wears herself out. DD23 (just had a birthday) is the one who has a cold all winter, every winter. Always has. I think the Emergen-C is really helping.
Hi all. O.K. I brought my gym bag with me to the office with every intention of getting to the 6:00 Bodypump class a the gym tonight. I think I'm over the leg weakness thing resulting from my last adventure.
TOM has not made me as sick this month! I had the ususal distress symptoms yesterday and last night but not nearly as bad as it has been for the last 8 months or so. Yay!!!. I had nausea but no yaking. The sweats but not the drenching I've become used too. Yippeeeeee!!! Normally the thought of going to some kind of class (let alone one were I actually have to do something physical) would make me cry on day one but this month I appear to be blessed.
Sitting here with my lunch but not so appealing right now. I did not have salad or veggies on Monday or Tuesday. Just ate chix salad and roast pork. Not for any particular reason just was not motivated to make salad. So I'm getting back to the veggies today. Everything is off when I don't eat them.
SIC - Believe it or not...it is a scientific/biological fact that exercise is the best thing us woman can do to relieve the aches, pains, bloats of TOM...Here's the kicker...it's our minds that tell us we're in too much distress to do it...push through this mental state and your body will thank you! smile.
Lynnar - Thanks for the cold remedy suggestion...I just hate taking medicine...oooooh....wo is me...I wan't my mommy!!!
Well guys...your trooper is down for the count tonight...I worked out this morn doing 10 min. weight training and 30 min HITT cardio...even though I felt like I had swallowed glass! I felt really vamped mid-way through the workout and good at the end of the workout...but then about an hour later...BAM!!!...it came down on me like a ton of bricks....I'M SICK.....WAAAAA....I WANT SOME CHIX SOUP...I WANT SOME HOT TEA...I WANNA STOP HURTING....I WANT MY MOMMY!!!! I still took my "Ripped" afternoon pill, but don't think my upper respitory system could stand another cardio or anything else but trying to breath right now. What a bummer! This s*cks! I hate being sick. I guess I'll try again tomorrow. If I can get my cardio in at least once a day while I'm sick...I won't feel too bad. I really wanted to follow this program to the "T". I've got a new thing for 2008...making goals and friggen STICKIN' TO THEM!!! This leaves no room for excuses!
Oh well...sorry for rant...but your girl just hates being sick!!! Especially, when I have no one to take care of things for me....boo hoo! Joyce
SIC - I get tired of salads sometimes too...you might want making some of that delishous chunky chicken soup from "Linda's Low-Carb Recipes"...it's really out of this world and a good way to get in your veggies...when you "just can't stand to eat another cold a$$ salad"!!! Joyceeeee
Lynnar & Lily - That's contractors for ya!!! Believe me...I know...I own 22 properties in 3 different states...I could tell you all some stories! That's why you are truly better off doing it yourself! Remember...no one is going to take more time and care at doing your stuff than YOU!!! As you guys see...there's really not much home remodelling that requires a specific skill with the exception of electrical (you can replace an outlet yourself, but hard wiring, etc.), plumbing (again...you can replace your own fixtures, but running main plumbing lines, copper, waste lines, etc. requires a trained skill), and HVAC (heating & air).
Anything cosmetic...like sheetrock, tile, marble, installing fixtures (electrical & plumbing), flooring (except carpet or hard wood which requires special tools and man strength!)...believe me....you can do it all...and it's fun, rewarding and nothing in the world gives you the satisfaction than when people come over your house and compliment a job you've done...and you get to say..."OH...I INSTALLED THAT MYSELF"...the look of sheer joyful surprise is priceless! Joyce
What's up girlfriends? Why am I loving today you ask? (even if you haven't). I'm not really sure. Bloated beyond compare because TOM is due today or tonight. My bra is tight. Never a good sign. Oh...I KNOW. I didn't go into the office. Had a meeting at 1:00 with some City staff and then I just came home. The house is quiet. The house is clean. I had my chicken salad for lunch. I AM BY MYSELF. That never happens. Except when I get up at 3:00 a.m. and post to y'all. Even then DD, who appears to have some wierd sixth sense, typically decides to get out of bed and slog into the living room half asleep to ask me what I'm doing. 
The nausea, sweating and gastronomic distress. I'll see how I feel in a few hours. Since I peri-m, I get a huge rush of energy a couple of days before TOM and the first day. I should put that to good use and do all the dusting with Old English since the house is already clean.