Something New:

I've done nothing this week but pretty much lay around and sleep. Strep Throat is MISERABLE. I had no idea. I shall have more sympathy for sick people in the future. There were so many times I just wanted to curl into a ball and cry like baby. Good thing I never did, but I sure felt like it.

This morning has been challenging. I put some french toast sticks in the oven and got distracted, and dumped ALL of them in the bottom of the oven. Needless to say, it was gross, they were unedible and the smell of burning dough is unpleasant. Later, I sat down for a nice cupa joe, and spilled it all down the front of my PJ's. Just missed my mouth completely. How lovely. *SIGH*

Last week I decided I needed to start a "series", if you will, on the blog and I want it to be called Something New. Because I'd like to experience new things ... and at first I thought it would be a weekly series, but then what  if I have a rough work week, or I get sick or we go out of town? It seems to be a lot of pressure to put on myself when really I just want to do something fun. SO, it will just be a series I visit when the feeling strikes. What sorts of things will be new? Lots! I would like to try Ethiopian food, try goat cheese, I'd like to tour the old lighthouse in Galveston, spend the weekend in Mobile, maybe cook chicken parmasean from scratch, read a book that seems ... out of my league, watch a movie with subtitles, take a tap dancing class, visit Ireland - just never know. There's a lot of things I can try right here in my own home, my own city ... so I've decided to try it. Heck, during the warm months Tomball has a farmers market downtown. You'd think I'd tried everything there was to try - but in the Dominican I tried passion fruit straight off the tree for the first time ever (and by the way, ICK) ....

So I am hoping to start the series soon and yes, complete with pics.

Off to rest some more ... this will be the last lazy day before starting back to work. I need to go back 100%.

Kah

Bath Pics

Sorry this has taken SO long. Turns out I had STREP! What a miserable week THIS has been. Thankfully we had completed the painting before I went down or I'm not sure I would have ever been up to finishing! Sorry the pics aren't great. This color is the same color as our master bedroom ceiling ... and this is the master bath, so I was just tying it all in. It's very much more like a spa bath now and I am a spa girl and a bath girl. What a combo!

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFOREAFTERKAH

Finito!

Good morning.

YES WE DID FINISH THE BATHROOM! That bathroom was something ELSE. First of all the builders of this house LOVED texture and I am happy to say I never have to paint over it again. This was the last room. Then we have a weird roof line so parts of the bathroom have super high ceilings and then, we seem to have more straight lines to paint than most - two doorways, a long and tall cabinet, windows, countertops ... ugh ... It took between Fri and Sat I would say 10 hours.

I took the before pics and now am waiting for Conrad to wake up so I can take the after pics.

I also woke up this morning with a throat on FIRE, ears clogged up, running nose and a slight fever. I had a tough workweek ... and then the 10 hours of painting. I'm not a wimp, but I wonder if it was just too much ... so this morning I am sick. Not sure how long it will last but I am hoping not long.

I will post pics when I can! Happy Sunday!

Kah

The ROOF, The ROOF, The ROOF is ....

BRAND NEW!

The roof is on. They came on the day they were supposed to and according to Conrad thirty minutes early! We found out the vents on top were leaking and it caused a small stain on the master bathroom ceiling.

Today the roofers sent out a PAINTER and he painted the bathroom ceiling. YAY! It looks brand new. So Conrad and I went out tonight to Lowe's and got the paint for the acutal bathroom. Tomorrow is the day - the LAST ROOM will be painted!!! I am so excited. Then from there on ... it's just pillows and curtains and all the fun stuff. Painting is NOT fun.
I already took the before pics ... so this weekend you'll see the after! I am so a bubble bath girl and this is going to be my SPA bathroom!

Kah

Coffee Update

I am NOT a total dufus ...

I had started thinking I just wasn't that good at making coffee. WRONG!

The coffeemaker just needed to be clean. This morning my coffee was as good as any restaurant and it brewed in record time. Hard water is murder on your appliances.

and yep- as Kelley suggested, it's only filtered water from the fridge from now on!

Kah

50 Cent Miracle Clean

First of all, Conrad and I discovered last week we have Hurricane Ike damage- yes, from one and a half years ago! We noticed the bathroom ceiling was leaking and we've had problems with the garage. So the other day I noticed some roofers down the street - they walked down and examined the roof and showed me all the wind damage. You could literally peel the shingles off the roof !!! So they suggested we call the insurance and then call them back. Conrad did- and the adjuster came by yesterday to check out the roof - APPROVED - they gave Conrad a check (minus our $250 deductible) and we scheduled a new roof to be put on next week. AN ENTIRE NEW ROOF for basically free. God bless insurance. ... and also, if we decide to sell vs lease, this is an EXCELLENT draw. YAY! I am so stoked!

.... yesterday I was reading Hints from Heloise like I do everyday - and she had a quick hint for cleaning out the coffeemaker. Cleaning the coffeemaker ???? I had never thought of this. So today, following instructions, I went to Wal-Mart and got a gallon of vinegar for $1. I used half a gallon (hence 50 cents) to fill up the coffee pot. You run one cycle of vinegar (like you were making coffee) and then turn off the pot for 30 minutes. Then, pour the vinegar back in, run it again ... then POUR IT DOWN THE SINK - the part that has the garbage disposal. Apparently vinegar eats bacteria and kills odors. WHO KNEW? So pour that down the drain and refill with water. Run a cycle. Pour it down the sink and do it again, times two.

SO, to sum up- two runs of vinegar and three runs of water (fresh every time) ... and I left in the strainer just to see what we caught. OMG ... GROSS GROSS GROSS. I noticed my coffee tasted a little weird lately but I thought I was just getting spoiled with the Dominican and Hawaiian stuff ... NOPE, I had CRUD inside my coffeepot. DIS-gusting! *sigh* but at least it's clean now. I don't even know what it was really - Houston has hard water- and I don't usually use distilled, so maybe it was just ... mineral deposits and stuff. I can tell you the vinegar when it came out the first time was a light brown color- I assume that came from old coffee stuck in there ... GROSS

Tip from Karyn: turn on your ceiling fans and maybe open the windows. HOT vinegar is potent!

Kah

Fast Week!

(fun pic of my dad on his birthday)

This week has gone REALLY fast! It seems like just yesterday it was Monday! I've been really busy at work and not so busy at home - but I started on a new shift at work, so I'm going to bed much earlier. I am now working 7-4 and it has CHANGED MY LIFE. I am now back over on my side of town by 4:40-5:00 everyday! I can grocery shop, run by the bank, go to the library ... maybe even go to the doc. It's AMAZING. But I am getting up much earlier - so my nights are a little shorter!

Not much going on this weekend - prepping for painting the bathroom next weekend. I am planning on hitting up Target and going to see Miss Saigon with Kelley. Should be a fun weekend!

Kah

First Monday and a Traffic JAM!

I got up this morning and drove to Winnie, Texas to meet my friend Lori, for the First Monday Flea Market. I love it- it's not as large as the one in Canton, but perfect for an hour and a half drive- a few hours walking around and then a yummy lunch at Al T's Cajun Restaurant!

I never buy too much - but I did get two candles and a couple jars of this awesome hot sauce. First Monday is fun for walking around and maybe a funnel cake or roasted corn. It was so nice to get to spend time with Lori and we had some good talks- and the day was a perfect 60 degrees!

After I left and headed home, about twenty minutes down I-10 I came upon a fatality traffic accident. It was two 18 wheelers (one burning) and car stuck inbetween. I stopped at 12:36 and the next time my car moved? 4:20! It was QUITE a day. I always travel with a book, so I did have entertainment and I met some nice people who were out walking around like me - I am just grateful I wasn't caught in the actual wreck, had plenty of gas, a book and a belly full of red beans and rice! I was about two miles from the accident and that was LUCKY cause the backup stretched all the way back to Beaumont- well over 30 miles!




When I got home - I just needed a few things to make it all better ... a bubblebath, a book, a beer and a candle. LOL!



Kah

Keepin' It Real, Yo!

I have been watching a lot of Dr Oz and Oprah and listening to Oprah Radio. I am SO not an Oprah addict it just seems that way lately.

Anyway I had been researching this for awhile- since my first Doc who SUCKED told me I had Pre-Diabetes. I went to a GOOD doc who did the actual tests and determined I did not. But regardless I started wondering what's the big deal with it anyway? And oh boy ... I know some of you have it and I know you are controlling it with meds and lifestyle and I think that's the bees knees! But if you can avoid it, you should. The way Doc Oz explained it, its like .... glass shards going up and down your veins punching holes and as your body rushes to repair the damage and heal up the holes with scar tissues, your arteries start to harden (which is the actual scar tissue) and also, the white blood cells just give up- which is what causes the infections and amputations. Bad stuff, peeps! Also if you are a woman, your waist should not be larger than 35 inches or you are a candidate. I know, a lot of us have that prob too. Bob Greene - Oprah's crazy exercise guru says 30 minutes of exercise, any exercise a day helps with this. I have come to realize this means treadmill, or an exercise tape, or the Wii or chasing Blanca in the yard. I am going to be committed to doing this. I don't want to be sick!

Conrad and I have a badminton set and I am actually VERY good at it. The last I played, I played with my dad and siblings ("prison rules" version which means anything goes) and my dad and I wasted the competition. Prison rules means it's normally things that are considered cheating, it's also playing dirty and a lot of taunting and calling people names ... perhaps some Chinese water torture - it's really the only way to play and according to Conrad, the Abercrombie's play ALL games via prison rules ... What'evs. For our home game we will just have to do a sweep in the yard for Blanca's special presents cause Conrad can cuss a blue streak when his foot finds one! LOL

Also, I am going to try REALLY hard to cut out processed foods and learn to cook. I will not be able to 100% do this- cause I love me some Hamburger Helper and I love Company's Coming and Homemade Gourmet and all that - but I can IMPROVE things. I've been cooking for the past six days - all natural stuff ... no processed things. I even went so far as to mix up some mexican rice last night myself- it wasn't from a box. I'm going to be trying REALLY hard to get better at this! I made fajitas last night and added lime juice while they were cooking. It really did something to them! I'm still going to eat out, just trying to get better at it ... and increase my water intake, etc ... I've bought some ground turkey and made an EXCELLENT meatloaf with it the other day. Just small changes I think I can make ... the rule IS - if your great grandmother would not know what it is ... DON'T EAT IT! Would she know roast, veggies, spaghetti, meatloaf, buttermilk pie - YES. Would she know Chef Boyardee, frozen pizza, hamburger helper, boxed rices, eggrolls ... NO. So eat those things in moderation!

I've said it all before of course ... we all have, but that show yesterday on Oprah scared me and he finally illustrated just what Diabetes was and it freaked me out! I don't want glass shards in my trashcan much less my veins!

Kah

Cute Husband