See Ya Later #26!

I am a lover of many things--sewing, crafts, ridiculous 90's music, long walks on the beach. . .the usual. One of my greatest loves, however, is food. I love it. LOVE IT. I eat when I'm happy. I eat when I'm sad. I eat when I'm bored. I eat when I stressed. I eat when (insert any emotion/action/feeling here).

There are three major issues with my love of food:

1. I love good food. I would almost always rather eat nothing than food that is just "okay." If you ask any die-hard football fan if they are okay with watching any old football game, they will tell you, "Absolutely not." The game of football alone isn't enough. It's the great games, the ones that are a constant battle for a win, that fuels their passion for the game. For me, it's the same with food. Food that has flavor > a bland piece of chicken every day of the week.
2. My love for good food often means I sacrifice healthiness for taste 9 times out of 10. Let's just say its a good thing I work out. I could eat chips on command all day long. Celery? No thanks. This little issue of mine causes other issues. See #3 on my list.
3. I hate to cook. If you know me, this is no shocker. This issue, however, is less about cooking itself and more about the fact that cooking for one person sucks. Very few meals are easy to cook for one. Who has two thumbs and hates leftovers? This girl. And, putting in a lot of effort for a meal that is just for me seems unnecessary. Eating out, however, couldn't be easier (and tastier).

When putting my list together, I wanted it to be full of things that would stretch me. And, my love of food kept coming to mind. There's a reason this challenge was #26 on my list. I didn't want to do it.  But, I knew I needed to.

I wish I could say there was some incredible story about why I picked this past week for this challenge. Instead, it was a total whim. The entire story could be told in one sentence--" I was sitting at home on my couch last Sunday morning and decided, "I'm not going to eat out this entire week." 

So, below is the breakdown on my glamorous week of eating. You all will be totally jealous.

SUNDAY: 

• Breakfast--Waffle Sticks with Syrup, Coffee
• Lunch--Leftover veggie pizza from Friday night
• Dinner--Crescent rolls with roast beef and provolone

Typically I eat dinner out on Sundays after church with a group of friends. This week, I went home to eat instead.

MONDAY:

• Breakfast--Nutrigrain Bar and a banana
• Mid-morning snack: Fresh pear
• Lunch--Roast beef wrap, fresh veggies and low fat ranch dip
• Dinner--Leftover veggie pizza
• Snack at Bible study--Apple cake

TUESDAY:

• Breakfast--Leftover apple cake, banana
• Mid-morning snack: Apple
• Lunch--Progresso Light Chicken Pot Pie Soup, veggies with lowfat ranch dip
• Mid-afternoon snack: Grapes, Right Bites
• Dinner--Spaghetti with marinara, 1 piece Texas Toast
• Dessert--Single serving of chocolate mug cake

My usual Tuesday routine includes a stop at Jersey Mike's for a turkey and provolone sandwich after teaching since class isn't over until 7:30 (out of the center by 8 after cleaning up). Driving past it on the way home was a little rough.

WEDNESDAY: 

• Breakfast--Leftover apple cake, banana
• Mid-morning snack--Pear
• Lunch--Progress Lite Beef Stew, veggies with lowfat ranch dip
• Mid-Afternoon Snack--Grapes
• Dinner--Spaghetti with marinara, 1 piece Texas Toast

This is another regular Jersey Mike's night after teaching my 6:30 class. This week I had to run a work errand after class to pick up referee whistles for Friday's Alumni Homecoming game, and since these bad boys are hard to find, I ended up on the Westside of town at Dick's to pick them up. In the same parking lot as Chipotle. On a day where work that had been less than a blast. When I wanted nothing more than to emotionally eat. TALK ABOUT WILL POWER.

THURSDAY:

• Breakfast--Banana
• Mid-Morning Snack: Apple
• Lunch--Progresso Light Creamy Potato Soup with Cheddar and Bacon, veggies with lowfat ranch dip
• Dinner--Spaghetti with marinara sauce, 1 piece Texas Toast
• Dessert--1 serving chocolate mug cake

FRIDAY: 

• Breakfast--Nutrigrain Bar
• Lunch--Cheddar Rice Cakes
• Dinner--City Barbeque Catering at Alumni Homecoming (I know what you are thinking--CHEATER! This meal was already scheduled as part of an event that I was already attending for work. Not cheating.)

This day was especially rough. I was running around the entire day preparing for an Alumni Homecoming event (at the end of the day, I realized the only time that I had actually sat down throughout the entire day was when I was in my car running to pick up the Alumni game t-shirts). Planning soup for lunch on this particular day was a terrible choice. Had it not been for this challenge, I would have swung through a drive-thru to grab food while out picking up the shirts, but that was not allowed. So instead I ate the cheddar rice cakes I keep in my car for post-workout snacking. Lack of my ability to eat out=Beth didn't eat much this crazy day.

SATURDAY:

• Breakfast--Waffle sticks, cup of coffee
• Lunch--Tuna salad with crackers, Pringles
• Dinner--Spaghetti with marinara, 2 pieces of Texas Toast

I had to be at a basketball game at work around lunch time, but needed to eat. So, I actually packed a lunch to take to a basketball game. If that isn't dedication, I don't know what is.

There you have it. One week. Zero meals eaten out.

Things you might have noticed:

• Healthy food options--I've been on a mission to eat healthier since January 1. So far, it's working. But, healthy foods tend to be less filling, so I end up eating way more often. I feel like I'm always walking around with a snack of some sort. But, I am well on my way to accomplishing goal #3, so I'll take it.
• Repetition--Remember earlier when I said cooking at home means eating the same meals over and over? Well, it's true. I am constantly battling between buying food that is proportioned for 1-2 even though it costs more vs. buying the cheaper option that will mean repetitive meals. This week, my Westside "why pay more for less" mentality won out (notice that I ate spaghetti 4 times because I had opened a jar of sauce).
• Struggle--This challenge was hard, yo. And, this was a rough week to choose to do it because of a crazier than my normal crazy work schedule. But, I did it. Do I plan on doing this every week? No. Do I know that I can do it more often? Absolutely. 

Obviously, you all are expecting me to be writing this while stuffing my face with fast food from at least five different places at once, right? WRONG. Another side effect of my awesome "I'll plan to do this challenge on a whim" decision? Tonight is the Super Bowl (which you obviously weren't aware of) which means Super Bowl party at church. Which means no meal out after church. Which means I made this 7 day challenge an 8 day victory.

Bonus points?

#2--Learn Something New--CHECK

I am so thankful that I grew up in a house where creativity and artistry was viewed as important. All three of us Rogers kiddos have something artsy in our blood. Chris was a painter in high school and now is a master of making living spaces look incredible, using bold colors and ridiculous techy setups that I can't even begin to understand. Nathan is an athlete-turned-musician, who has had an entourage of ladies following him and his skinny jeans around for years. Now, he is the Star Trekiest rap studio audio engineer that I know. And little old me was always given the opportunity to put my creativity to work, from singing to theater to crafting my little heart out. Mom turned me into a crocheter and sewer from a ridiculously early age and I'm so thankful for that (insert first sewing machine received for Christmas in fifth grade here).

Crafts have always been easy for me, but I haven't pushed myself to learn skills that required supplies purchased anywhere other than Michael's or Hobby Lobby. And then I bought a house. I have made more trips to Home Depot and Lowes in the last 6 months than I have in my entire 29.5 years of life.

When I moved into the house, I raided my parents storage unit for furniture to fill the place up. One piece of furniture that I ran across was an old dresser that had belonged to my older brother and sister-in-law that was a bit rough looking, but I saw potential in it. Turns out that they no longer wanted it, and were totally cool with a) me having it and b) me doing whatever I wanted with it. I immediately knew that this would make the perfect buffet for my dining room after a little TLC.

Fastforward 6 months from the time I moved that old dresser into my house until now. That dresser still looked the same now as when it was carried into my house by incredibly kind, servanthearted friends.

 Notice that only three of the seven drawers have a handle (one hanging on for dear life) and the other drawers are pretty beat up. Overall though, the dresser is in great shape.

When I moved into the house, I purchased all of my paint for my bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen (luckily the previous owners did a great job with paint colors, so there wasn't much to paint). While I was at it, I had picked a nice buttery yellow from the same paint card as the soon-to-be kitchen yellow. 6 months later, that paint still sat in my basement, feeling neglected I'm sure.

This past Saturday, I decided that it was time to attack this project. Operation Refinish Dresser was a go.

My list of supplies included the following:

• Drop cloth
• Sand paper
• Paint pan
• Small paint roller
• Small paint brush

Please note than none of these supplies came from a craft store. This alone is a sure sign of something new.

First, emptied out all of the drawers, moved the dresser to a drop cloth in the dining room. I removed all of the drawers and took off the few remaining handles. I was then left with a view like this:

After sanding down the dresser really well to knock off the sheen and wiping it down with a wet rag, giving it a few minutes to dry, I was ready to paint. My assistants, however, had to be reminded quite a few times that they were being less than helpful.

You never realize exactly what you're working with on a project until you really start into it. For me, I didn't realize just how many beveled edges and awkward corners there were on this bad boy.

After the first coat of paint, I was here:

Pretty right? After coat two, it didn't look much better. It also looked quite cream, which also didn't look great to me. (Remember that buttery yellow paint I purchased? No buttery yellow here.):

This was the point where I began thinking, "What have I done? I should have never started painting this dumb dresser. Surely this is going to take at least 50 coats for this not to look ridiculous. What would happen if I stopped now?" Confession time: I like instant gratification when it comes to craft projects. I want to see results and I want to see them NOW. For those of you like me, be warned: refinishing furniture is NOT a quick process.

After taking a big deep breath and reminding myself that I had no where else to be for the rest of the day, I put coat three on the dresser:

Insert the first hint of buttery yellow. THANK GOODNESS. Sanity beginning to return.

In the end, it took four full coats and an additional round of touch-ups, but we had a finished product. The original dresser had old brass handles, but only three. When I took a handy Lowes gift card I received for Christmas to purchase new handles, I had to change my game plan on the fly. Three of the drawers needed a 3" handle and the other 4 needed 4" handles. The problem: there were no available handles that had matching 3" and 4" options. So I decided to get crazy and go with knobs instead. I was a little worried that the drawers would look or feel awkward because they would be too close together, but I decided to go for it anyway. I was able to find these simple round knobs with just a hint of detail for 97 cents each (which is perfect when you have to buy 14 of them):

Once the knobs were attached and the dresser was put back in place, I had this finished product:

I. Was. In. Love. The buttery yellow against the medium gray of the walls is perfect. And, this project was the perfect excuse to rework some of my decor on top of the dresser. The yellow of the paint plays perfectly with the paint samples in the homemade mosaic above (a favorite project of mine). I simply could not love it more.

This dresser provides the perfect place to stash items that I don't need to get into often, but like to keep handy. And, these drawers are complete with the world's most patriotic drawer liners:

The top three smaller drawers hold all of my paper plates, plastic silverware, and small throw-away baking dishes:

The middle row of drawers house my napkins (paper and cloth), place mats, table runners and table cloths:

And the bottom row of drawers have a small set of china that belonged to my grandma as well as extra candles for the pyromaniac side of me:

Seriously, this dresser is my current favorite thing in my house. I'm sure that will be quickly replaced by whatever the next project is, but I'm going to live it up while I can.

Things I learned through this project:

• Refinishing furniture is significantly different than any other craft project I have done while remarkably the same (if that's possible)
• I am far from patient, especially when it comes to the amount of time it takes paint to dry
• I should probably really look at the project before I begin to know what I'm really dealing with (until I began rolling the drawers, I could have sworn they were entirely flat)
• I much prefer a revamped piece of furniture over a brand new piece of furniture any day. This little lady loves herself some character.

There you have it, a totally revamped buffet. Maybe I can use it to serve food when I knock #5 off my list.

I'm Back!

I've obviously been on a bit of a blogging hiatus. This is absolutely to blame.

Buy a house and you will quickly realize that anything you had planned to do will quickly change. I am still absolutely loving the whole "I own a house of my own" life, but it has definitely thrown my "30 Before 30" list a bit off schedule.

I have been able to do a few things, though.

Inspired by this post, I created this piece of artwork made from old book covers. This 5'x5' piece of artwork is one of my favorites, both in appearance and cost. Due to a free book offering in the CCU library, a piece of extra plywood I found in my basement, and a $5 bottle of Gorilla Glue, this piece is a great way to add a splash of color to my bedroom.

Thanks to this crazy little website called Pinterest, I found a great use for some old doors that were left behind in my basement (When the previous owners were updating the house, they replaced all of the interior doors. The original doors were left behind in the basement and I have been dying to find ways to incorporate them into the house). The wreath above the bed is made from a Styrofoam ball, extra yarn from another project, and the pages of a couple of those books from the picture above. I have plans to recover the lamp shades to provide more contrast between the lamps and the doors and to switch out the pictures in those frames. My mom is also working on a new quilt for my bed, and I'm chomping at the bit for it.

I adore family furniture pieces and my dining room table is no exception. The table and chairs belonged to my dad's parents and it is beautiful. The chairs, however, were quite dated thanks to the child-friendly, gold  pleather cushions. Armed with a staple gun and a screwdriver, these dated chairs got a makeover with some charcoal gray fabric with a small golden yellow design. They are perfect in my gray dining room just off my soon-to-be yellow kitchen.

To say I'm obsessed with chevron feels like the understatement of the century. With a few 30 cent tiles from Home Depot (which is quickly rising to the top of my list of favorite stores) and some paint that I already had on hand, these tile coasters are a great addition to a red, white and gray living room. Felt pads underneath the tiles protect the furniture from being scratched. But I love this little chevron touches around the room.

And, in typical Beth fashion, I've been crocheting up a storm. You'll notice that chevron has even made it's way into my favorite hobby. Crocheting has always been a favorite way to pass time and keep my hands busy while sitting on the couch. And, thanks to an incredible teacher (three cheers for Belinda!), I'm always learning new ways to grow and protect my craft.

So, as you can see, my blogging absence has been thanks to a very cute house that requires much of my time.

Don't worry, I have a couple new projects on their way to the bloggity blog for you. Two more goals knocked off this list. Details soon!

#8--Do Something Crazy COMPLETE

Doing something crazy was one of the things I knew I had to put on my list, but I was fairly certain that just before my 30th birthday, I would be justifying something barely crazy just so I could mark it off the list. You know, something like, "Wasn't it crazy how I didn't straighten all of the throw pillows on the couch as soon as you left? I waited five whole minutes." Or maybe, "I did something really crazy today. I messed up while handwriting a one page document. I didn't even rewrite the entire thing. I just scratched it out and kept going." I don't think either of these would count (even though admittedly, I would feel like I was totally stepping out of my shell in both scenarios).

"Crazy" has never been an adjective used to describe me. Instead, I still to terms like "level headed," "sensible," and "reserved." That's why even this 30 Before 30 challenge is a stretch for me. I am a big fan of routine and structure. Anything that pushes me beyond this I tend to stay away from.

If you've been reading along, you might remember here where I made a change on this list. When I put the original list together, one of my challenges was to move. I have lived in the same apartment since I graduated from college. 7 years, 2 months. I'll admit, this entry was added more as a challenge from my friends than a deep-seeded desire for a new surrounding. And, because I was never really comfortable with it, I changed it (my list, my rules).

This is where the craziness begins.

You'd think that, since I wasn't interested in moving, that I would ignore a Facebook post from college friends that they had put their house on the market. But, I remembered when these friends had bought the house and then proceeded to completely gut the inside and remodel everything. I was interested to see what it looked like inside now.

When I clicked on the link, I found a simple picture of the front of the house (I found out later that the Realtor's photographer would be coming in a few days to take pictures of the inside), basic listing details, and a price. The price is what caught my attention. For the size of the house and the amount of work that had been done, they had priced the house very reasonably.


Insert peaked interest here.


Here's how the next week went:
Thursday: Link that house is on the market posted via Facebook. Constantly thought about the house the rest of the evening.
Friday: Sent Facebook message to the owner to see if I could come look at the inside.
Sunday: Walked through the inside of the house with the owner, thus falling further in love with the house.
Monday: Contacted a Realtor that had been suggested by a friend first thing in the morning. Went through the house with the Realtor at lunch.
Tuesday: Placed initial offer on the house.
Wednesday-Thursday: Counter offer process on the house.
Friday: Signed offer.

You didn't count incorrectly. That is eight days. Eight days from the day I saw the Facebook post to the day the offer was signed. Oh, did I forget to mention that I wasn't looking to buy a house? Right. You know what that makes this scenario? CRAZY. Crazy and true.

So, over the coming few months, you'll get to see how this house will help me work on more items on my list.  Things like:

• #2 Learn something new--Believe me. I am going to have all kinds of homeowner things to learn, so it'll probably be hard to pick just one.
• #19 Post a picture of a new craft each month--If you've met me, you know that I like to do things the cheap and creative way. I can't wait to make things for my home.
• #5 Prepare an actual meal for my friends--Since I'll have more than 18" total of counter space, I think this is one of the things I'm looking forward to most.
• #23 Embrace my relationship status--You don't need a husband to buy a house.

But for now, I'll leave you with a sneak peak of the insides (taken from the listing of the house).

 View of the front from the street

 Front porch

 Living Room looking into the Dining Room

 Dining Room (entrance to kitchen at the right)

 Kitchen

 Master Bedroom

 Guest Bedroom

 Bathroom

 One end of the upstairs loft (currently unsure what this room will be)

 Larger end of the upstairs loft which will be a Craft & Sewing Room/Office

Backyard 

29 Things I Am Looking Forward to in My 29th Year

1.  Making the most of my last year in my 20s (age is just a number)
2. Finishing my 30 Before 30 list (366 days to go!)
3. Moving into my first house (still so weird to say)
4. Learning as much as I can about as many things as I can (love soaking in new things)
5. Enjoying as much time with friends as possible (Seriously, have you seen how awesome my friends are?)
6. Random trips to Louisville to see the fam (can't get enough of them)
7. Watching Norah and Brighton grow and take on more personality (they just keep getting more and more hilarious)
8. Attending my first Jazzercise live routine taping (and seeing "Queen Judy" herself in person)
9. Planning a trip to Atlanta to visit some sweet friends (Andrea Gray and Debbie Swag--this means YOU)
10. Learning to cook actual food in an actual kitchen (not in a microwave using more than 18" of counter space)
11. Picking Mom's brain on all things sewing (New house=8,427,534 projects running through my head)
12. Catching up on TV shows I've always wanted to see (thank you Netflix and Hulu Plus)
13. Family Cabin Weekend in the fall (one of my favorite parts of the year)
14. Growing closer to my Echo Church family (They are beyond fantastic)
15. Being able to paint a room in my own house (7 years in an apartment you can't paint gets a little boring)
16. Meeting new babies of some of my favorite friends (I'm becoming a professional Aunt Beth)
17. Learning to eat healthier (reference #10)
18. Having a room that is totally dedicated to creativity (the room in the new house I'm most excited about)
19. Eat sushi for the second time (Just to confirm I didn't think it was gross)
20. Read a real book, not one made into a teen movie (Suggestions?)
21. Learning Photoshop (just call me Deena Designer)
22. Learn more about photography (actual photography, not Instagram)
23. Finally finish reading Mockingjay (for me, Kindle version equals "out of sight, out of mind")
24. Learn how to be good at using coupons (Hello, I bought a house people)
25. Discover hidden treasures in Cincinnati (restaurants, places to hang out, etc)
26. Plan a weekend getaway with my Mom (she's earned about a 7-month vacation so far)
27. Discovering new music (insert Spotify here)
28. Reminding myself that it is okay to sit and do nothing without feeling guilty (just like my friends have been telling me for years)
29. Looking forward to what 29 will bring (Who knew 28 would have brought me a new house? You've got big shoes to fill Year 29!)

One Week Away from Finishing #22

#22--Complete a Beth Moore Bible Study

This might sound like an easy task, but if you've ever done one of these studies, you know they are intense. There are five lessons a week and 10 total weeks of work to complete. And, we're not talking 15 minutes of work or so a lesson. We're talking a solid 45 minutes for each one.

In the past, I've started six different Beth Moore Bible studies. Yes, six. And, I've completed a big, whopping zero.


Imagine my surprise when my Bible study group decided to do one of these studies, unaware of the fact that this would help me knock off one of my 30 things.

Since the beginning of the year, we've been working our way through this little beauty:

The website describes the study this way: Breaking Free by Beth Moore leads you through Scripture to discover the transforming power of freedom in Jesus Christ. Themes for this study come from Isaiah, a book about the captivity of God's children, the faithfulness of God, and the road to freedom. It draws parallels between the captive Israelites of the Old Testament and New Testament believers in Jesus as the Promised Messiah.


Sounds simple, right? Not in the slightest. But, I will say this--this study has been incredible. I have learned so much about myself, about the women in my group, and about the God that I serve. And, is there any coincidence that my first completed Beth Moore Bible study was lucky number 7? I think not.


So, I'm one week out from knocking another thing off the list. PROGRESS!

Look back soon for a post on how I crossed #8 off the list--Do something crazy.  (A little hint--It has something to do with the picture below).

Craft of the Month

One of the benefits of everyone around me being pregnant?  (Other than the babies of course).

A good excuse to do a little crocheting.