A Room to "Retreat"

We wanted the guest bedroom to be calming and soothing. I loved the color scheme that I saw in Tori Spelling's "blue" room where she usually talked for her TV show on Oxygen channel. The accent chair along with the side table are some of my favorite pieces in this house!

It took us some time to find the right bedroom furniture. We did not like any that we saw at the stores. It was either too white or too clean looking. We found the ones we loved via Internet. The research and searching were worth it!

Guest Bedroom for Kids

We wanted two guest bedrooms, one for adults and one for kids. That way, parents can take a bit of a breather while their kids stay in the kids' bedroom. It's for my nephew when he visits as well! I will start with the kids' guest bedroom. I wanted it to be colorful, TACTILE, and playful. I got the tactile idea from the children's museums that always emphasized that they have a "hands on" playroom. We wanted the kids to be comfortable in this room! The furnishings are super soft. Even the chair is mostly velvet. We got it at a GREAT deal at the Dump. (It's a store. Not an actual dumpster.) The comforters are faux fur so you really can't see that texture in the picture. The art we bought is actually game boards. You can take one off the wall and play on it.

Guest bedroom for adults is coming up next!

My Own Gym!

( This picture is BAD because it was taken by my cell phone. The feature to upload from my camera in my computer isn't working for some reason)

My dream of having a home gym came true last Saturday! I had been wanting this for years. We did not have enough space in our previous house. Our new house had plenty of space so hence the gym! (it is in the basement by the way)

Jeremy, my hubby, bought me a treadmill for christmas four or five years ago. I had been begging for a treadmill for AGES. He kept rolling his eyes and said I would never use it like most everyone else. "I am NOT like everyone else," I said.

He gulped. So that is why I got to have Elliptical! My body was getting too used to the treadmill so I needed a new challenge. I am sure I will get used to this machine eventually but at least I can alternate by these two machines.

I know this room needs some decor but we will get around to it eventually.

Who Loves Lunges?

Because of my bad balance and terrible knees, I always detested lunges. However, I knew lunges are GREAT for your legs to shape up. Lunges work almost all of your leg muslces at same time. I did some research to see if I can find a type of lunges that I CAN do. Bingo. I found one! It is called Reverse Lunges. It is done on a step. I tried this about two weeks ago. My legs were SO sore after I did the lunges for the first time that I was literally limping the next day. I would wince every time I sat down. It really worked. As I did the lunges a few days later, my legs were'nt sore anymore! Amazing how muscles heal.

I do it on my stairs at home so I can hold on the rail. Perfect for my bad balance.

Here is a link if you are curious what it looks like. It is not captioned but it offers a transcript though.

http://www.ehow.com/video_2351871_reverse-lunge-exercises.html#Transcript

I don't hate lunges so much anymore, but I still don't love them yet.

A Yummy Drink

Another tidbit on a drink. Thanks to my sister, I've discovered an awesome drink mix named Crystal Light Pure Fitness drink mix. (Lemon/Lime) Nothing artificial stuff in it. It is ohly 15 calories. Go kiss or hug someone and those calories would be burnt anyway. :-)

Enjoy!

Refreshing Drink Tidbit

I usually order an iced, unsweetened tea at any restaurants. In Louisiana and Alabama, there were ALWAYS an array of sugar and artificital sugars in a white case on the tables. In Georgia, I noticed I have to ASK for the waiter/waitress to bring me artificial sugar packets. I find this odd. Does everyone usually order sweet tea?

Berry Happy

I LOVE this cereal!! It really does keep me full longer in the mornings. (No HFCS by the way) My other favorite cereals are Basic 4 (all time fave), Cheerios (any kind), Oatmeal Squares (this does keep me full for a long time(, and this new cereal!

I've finally been working out more often in order to lose some of weight that I've regained. (only about 10 lbs now) At least I did keep about 30 lbs off in 3 years though. I still weigh less than I did on my wedding day. I continue to tell Jeremy that I wished we could marry again so I can wear a smaller sized wedding dress. Maybe someday, we will renew our vows. (That means I have to watch what I eat and continue to exercise!)

Before I go, I discovered a new product that didn't taste so bad. Bagel thins by Thomas. It is only 110 calories!