workout day!

I worked last night and have to work again tonight, but I managed to squeeze in some heavy lifting with the encouragement of Lepetite Jen

this is not Jen, but this is what she would do if she was here  :)

Here's what I did

 Jump squats no weights  3x12

 plie jump squats 10 #  3x12

Romanian dead lifts   12#  3x12  (wasn't real sure how to do these properly, even after video)

lying leg curls   35#   3x12

butt lift  5# each hip   2 minutes

planks   1 min x2

too hot to run for me   it's 95 out yuk!

I hope I can keep it up, because when I'm not working out I feel yukky.

gotta go to work, night 2 of 3

It's gonna be a long day

Got a bit tipsy last night.  Forgot to lock the car which wouldn't be a big deal except I left my purse in there...

This morning I have spent all morning canceling credit cards and such ...

#1 question they ask when you call to cancel?

"What's your credit card number?"

UHHHHH?   I don't have it...it was stolen.

Lord.

that no knead bread they are all talkin about

So, I haven't really done anything fabulous in a while.  This lil number was as debatable as fabulous, but I liked it.

Its the No Knead Bread from Jim Lahey

The first loaf I made I tried some whole wheat flour...It failed miserably.  It was a flat gummy mess.  The next one, I just used the exact formula (duh) and it was quite good.   Yummy good, with a slight taste of sourdough.

If you make it, you need a cast iron pot.  I used a 5 qt.  I didn't have one, so I went to Bed, Bath and Beyond....that sucker was 148$ !!!!

 screw that.  I then remembered I had seen some at World Market...they were 49$ and came in all kinds of groovy colors.  PERFECT!!!

hint #2:  only use the 1/4 t. yeast, don't be tempted to add more.

Well Here's the recipe.  I've heard there are many variations on the internet, but this is the real one...you can also youtube it.

this is after I let it rise for 12 hours then dumped it onto a floured piece of parchment

then it had to rise again for about 2 hours

the final outcome...yummy!!!!!

We dipped the pieces in Olive oil, red pepper flakes, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.

here's the recipe:

3 cups (430g) flour

1½ cups (345g or 12oz) water

¼ teaspoon (1g) yeast

1¼ teaspoon (8g) salt

olive oil (for coating)

extra flour, wheat bran, or cornmeal (for dusting)

Equipment: 

Two medium mixing bowls

6 to 8 quart pot with lid (Pyrex glass, Le Creuset cast iron, or ceramic)

Wooden Spoon or spatula (optional)

Plastic wrap

Two or three cotton dish towels (not terrycloth)

Process: 

Mix all of the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Add water and incorporate by hand or with a wooden spoon or spatula for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Lightly coat the inside of a second medium bowl with olive oil and place the dough in the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest 12 hours at room temperature (approx. 65-72°F).

Remove the dough from the bowl and fold once or twice. Let the dough rest 15 minutes in the bowl or on the work surface. Next, shape the dough into ball. Generously coat a cotton towel with flour, wheat bran, or cornmeal; place the dough seam side down on the towel and dust with flour. Cover the dough with a cotton towel and let rise 1-2 hours at room temperature, until more than doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 450-500°F. Place the pot in the oven at least 30 minutes prior to baking to preheat. Once the dough has more than doubled in volume, remove the pot from the oven and place the dough in the pot seam side up. Cover with the lid and bake 30 minutes Then remove the lid and bake 15-30 minutes uncovered, until the loaf is nicely browned.

good luck!  let me know how it turns out!

xo, m

spent some moolah...

I just couldnt take it anymore.  I needed to start fixing my living room!  

I went out and bought this couch set, minus the side chair.

*(that is not my living room)

It's semi modern looking, a neutral color...grey is neutral, right?

We hope it matches the green carpet and yellow walls.

The chair I have been recovering...well It better match too.  

I'm not super fond of the pillows, but I can recover those with some of the fabric from the chair.  I also had purchased 2 yellow pillows and some black and white graphic pillows to tie it all together

I'm still going to have to do something about the white curtains I bought.  I just dont like them...they need a sheer or something under them

I'll figure that out.

It was so hard to pick out a couch!   it took us about 2 .5 hours.  We looked at everything, took pictures, then went back and sat on them all.  We talked about dog hair and kids...and decided the kids need to sit on the floor and the dog needs to be locked up.

It will be delivered tomorrow.

Today I started my running again.  4 miles done

I ate a nice cup of greek yogurt with a spoon of organic peanut butter mixed in.

I'm going to head upstairs and make bread...

I wonder how that will work out.

Its the NO KNEAD CRUSTY BREAD

I'll take some photos.

have a great day

xo

m

upholstery hell

From the depths of the basement and Re-uphosltery hell, and just to say I can do it...

remember this post

" Step One of Re upholstery of a chair"

It started like this purple mess, stained and ripped.

Then to my weary hands and eyes I continued on, hoping to one day complete the project.

When I started, Osama Bin Laden was still alive

See this Post

Lord, I'm slow.

I'm still stapling and pulling and trying to figure it out.

I have decided that it can't look any worse than it did, and my new motto is why keep it if we aren't going to use it....

So, Fix the DAMN thing!

(or ditch it, it can't be any worse)

Here I'm stapling, just to hold something in place so that I may tug the other side.

from the front:  not too shabby, still a ton of stapling and fabric, and I'm not even showing you the back yet!!!!

upholstery hell, originally uploaded by v8grrl.

The side, which still needs the entire side done....but it's getting there.

This was time consuming, and daunting, but once I said, "screw it" ( so, not Miss Design Blogger) and started stapling it started moving faster.  

I probably could have bought a new chair for about 300$ from IKEA

but this will make me happier, knowing I can do it myself.

The cost:

fabric: 42$

Staples:7$

Loss of confidence: ***

I'll keep ya posted.

Now you attempt it!

A long ago Meteor Shower of Love

from Katy Daisy Prints

The Perseid Meteor Shower made me think of love.  

Shooting stars, wishes, dark, warm nights....and if you have never experienced a meteor shower when you were with a fresh love then you have missed out.

I remember being in my 20's, in Atlanta and trusting of all.  We hopped into a car, the boy I was smitten with, and headed to Stone Mountain ( i believe that is where it was).   The night was warm, and back then, the further you got from downtown the clearer the night sky became.  It was very late and I remember him saying, " I want to show you something."  I was not from Atlanta, but he was...and he was full of knowledge.

He parked the truck and said, "come on."  I was afraid we were trespassing, and we probably were, but the South is known for trespassing and there were other trucks parked.  We walked down a treed path, dark as dark could be.  He held my hand, and with him, I was never afraid.  We walked for under a 1/4 mile I would guess, quietly giggling and shushing each other.  The path opened into a huge space.  A space surrounded by tall trees and kudzu and carpeted with warm dry grass.  The sky was black and the stars were like pinpoints of light....like glitter.... it was beautiful.  

"Can we be here?"

" We are all ready here."

He pulled me to the ground and said look, look at it all, and we are so close to the city.  Looking at the stars made life stop.  The vastness of it all yet being so close we could hear each other breathe. Life stopped rarely in my 20's, but this night was different.  The stars, the meteors, the locusts, the warmth, and the love that was forming between us...something only open, young hearts can experience.

"That is the Scorpion Tail and over there is Orion's Belt".  

"Is that the 3 Sisters?"  I asked as I pointed to the right.

"Yes"...

I remember never wanting to leave, never wanting to let go of his hand or his heart, and never thinking I would have to.

To this day I still think of that evening...and the many evenings he taught me beauty in a world which was moving way too fast.  The passion of the warm summer nights only 2 young hearts could find.  

The space from there to here is unforgiving and absolute.  

Time never stops now, it just keeps moving forward, passion lost in the mundane. Yet I find the time to look up and remember and to be thankful of the hearts on our sleeves and the meteors in that warm Atlanta summer sky.

xo

m

The deck is done!

It's done, let the "sitting" commence!

Well, it could use 1 more coat of stain, but I can do that easily.

Here it was a month ago

The final cost, 1200$ about, including the stain which seemed to be the most expensive.

Now for the yard which has been terribly neglected.

 ooooh...lets get some stuff to put on it!

we removed the railings and benches so that we would have more room for seating and plants.  do you think I still have enough time to put some fresh plants out there?

I'm so glad its done...I would be sitting out there right now, except its sprinkling...of course.

Design inspiration?

Trying to get inspired.

I need big canvas paintings...

I guess I could paint that huh?

I think it brings a lot to the walls and room

 looks cozy...

Love it!

The mirror from the other post doesn't fit over my mantle.  grrrr
so now what?
Maybe when I get some more stuff in the room I can just lean it against a wall, but if I did that now it would look like I just left it sitting there.

So I've hung the white curtains and now they need hemmed, yet I don't really care for the whiteness.  Maybe I can put a sheer behind it?  It's the big corner window, which is on traverse rods.  Hmmmm

Here is my update for this weekend so far:

deck finished and stained,

curtains hung,

all rooms vacuumed (that sucked the life outta me)

now I'm on here trying to figure out what type of art to hang/paint

wish me luck.

Medication Error lesson.

My new job is going ok...just in case you were wondering.

Tonight is night 3 of 3, which is often easier because you usually have the same patients.  

I had my first real Medication Error last night.  OMG, you are thinking?   Well people, it happens, and I'm gonna tell you how.  It happens to all RNs at some point and it is scary but it makes us realize that we are human, and we MUST take our time when nursing.  Nothing is that rushed that we can't take our TIME!!!!  Let me preface this little lesson by saying it could have been a LOT worse.  I didn't kill anyone, thank god!  And it wasn't a drug which would have killed anyone in the dose I was giving it.

When I got on shift, my patient needed pain meds for a Femur surgery he had 3 days prior.  He was taking Percocet (aka Oxycodone with a bit of tylenol...aka Hillbilly heroin).  The nurse gave me the info in report that she had given 2 percocets at 500pm (my shift started at 7)  I was busy at the start of shift, I took my time and looked over the medication lists for all my patients and started my assessments.  I did my eval on the patient who needed pain meds and went to get his meds.  I pulled up the medication which he could have up to 2 pills evey 6 hours.  I  got the 2 pills and gave the patient the medications at 830 pm.   When I went to mark the medications off the list and verify that I had given them on the computer charting, it gave me a notification that the medications had all ready been pulled.   The previous nurse had not signed the order, which in return allowed me to give him the med again  :(

Basically the guy was double dosed.  Good news, he was huge, and that medication is often given to chronic pain patients every 3 hours.  Outcome? : patient slept like a rock, snoring like a champ...might I add Pain Free, all night long....and I learned to double check every thing, and then check again.

The living room is coming along nicely.  Walls are painted a Ginger Yellow, 1 set of white curtains hung, but still need hemmed.  One more set of curtains need pinned and hung then hemmed....then new furniture.  

We got a loan for the roof and the bathroom.  I have sent the check for the roof, so that is first.

I have fallen behind in my cash savings which freaks me out, but this next pay check (my first as a fulltime night RN) should help.

I was inspired by a couple of friends of facebook to start my running training again.

so 5k 4 days a week is on my list.

Anyone else want to train?

I did what I am now calling P35.5x 9  because I don't have time for 90 minutes of workouts.

Ideas, I'm actually thinking again!

From Mind my beeswax blog

Since I am still trying to figure out my living space I have been collecting pictures.

I have this really cool vintage mirror I found in the garbage years ago and I thought something like above would be cool, but with a twist.

Its been sitting in the garage, waiting for the love.

This weekend we will see what she can give me in the beauty department!, I'll post pictures.

summer is nearly over and the deck is still not done.

oh well pick your battles.

gotta sleep, i gotta work tonight so ....maybe something fun will happen at work