I Promise...

I promise myself that I will write more in 2014. That I will do more of what I want to do, and not just sit in front of the television all day and everyday after I get home from work. I will do more to succeed as a writer, fiance, and friend.

I will be there when someone calls, and I will go out more and enjoy life. I will not be a shut in.

These are promises I make to myself and to you.

What promises are you making for yourself for the new year?

More insulation

Well, I finally got the 5 or so bags of insulation saved from redoing the Family Room ceiling out of the Furnace Room and back in the attic. Since there was only a small access door I carried the bags up one by one. It was quite interesting since I was doing this by myself so there was no one to hand me the bags. I made several trips up and down the ladder, to and from the shelf in our bedroom closet and through the small door.

I first had to basically clear everything out of the closet so I didn't get insulation stuck in everything. I also blocked off the door to the bedroom since we have 2 curious dogs, I didn't want them coming to find out what I was doing and get insulation stuck in their paws, I know it can be itchy for humans, I didn't want to find out what reaction they would have. So I was also careful to not walk through the rest of the house anymore than I needed so I didn't track the insulation myself out of the room where the dogs could yet find it.

Then I "suited up". I put a bandanna on my head to keep the insulation from getting stuck in my hair, and of course safety glasses and dust mask. I wasn't wearing gloves when I took the above photo, but I did wear gloves when I went up. For me the insulation itself isn't a problem, the sap, cobwebs, and layers of dust that are up there are. I learned from previous trips up into the attic, that dust does not like me. It only takes a minute before my nose is running or I have to sneeze. So I was as careful as I could to stir as little dust as I could.

While up there, I grabbed a measuring tape and measured the vents on the sides of our house. Sometime soon we hope to redo the siding because part of this project will be to open the exterior facing wall in our bedroom where we had termites and repair the damage. Also, whoever previously sided the house...sided over these vents. So I snapped the picture to know what shape they even were and crawled my way over to measure them so we will know what size to get.

Patching a Small Hole

So, when we were first running electrical and what not before we had even moved into the house, while drilling looking for that wonderful space between the drywall and studs...we missed. The hole was basically not noticed since it was up at the ceiling and almost right when you walked in the bathroom so we weren't in any hurry to patch it.

Over this past weekend I had the chance to start patching it. First I cleared the loose debris from the hole and made sure the wall and ceiling around the hole were clean. I then took some spackling I found at Meijer on one of my grocery runs and filled the hole. I used a plastic putty knife and found I much prefer the metal putty knives. I found I didn't have the right edge to get the spackling in the sharp corner.

I still need to sand smooth, and will find where we hid the metal puddy knives from ourselves and go over it one more time to try and clean it up a bit more. Then, hopefully sometime in the summer of 2015 when we redo our main bathroom, this will get a fresh coat of paint.

Tis the Season of Giving!

It's that time of year again. Time to find gifts for family and friends in stores packed to bursting with people and "great deals". Time for spreading ourselves thin with all this giving. Don't forget to take at least a few minutes everyday for you. If we keep giving to others and forget about ourselves we get worn out, stressed, tired, and can become a bunch of grinches. Here are 5 suggestions to help you unwind from all the activity and take some you time.

1. Yoga/Meditation: Yoga and meditation are known for helping reduce stress. Personally I prefer meditation over Yoga, some of the poses in Yoga and transitions make me light headed.
2. Work on a Personal Project: What do you enjoy doing? Knitting, woodworking, or something else? Take time to do something you've always wanted to do, or try. Maybe you do needlepoint but haven't had time. Take a short amount of time, maybe only 15-30 minutes a day just to focus on this one project. Don't think about all the shopping you have to do yet, or that the house isn't clean.
3. Go for a Walk: Take some time outside. Breathe the cool, fresh air. Just don't forget to bundle up and keep hydrated. 
4. Enjoy a Night In: Take some time just you and your significant other. Snuggle up in front of the TV with your favorite movie and some fresh popped pop-corn.
5. Exercise: You can go to the gym or have fun at home with some exercise videos, there are many to choose from. My personal favorite is anything kickboxing.

May this season find you well, and may you forever find happiness!