The Pants Project - Week 3

Hopefully you all have been waiting for the second installment of the Pants Project. And no you did not miss Week 2, I did.

My husband/personal photographer was out of town and I just did not want to ask my 21 year old son to take a photo of me trying to squeeze into these pants. No telling what emotional damage that might do.

But the husband is home and here I am squeezing into my Liz Claiborne jeans.


Look at that shocked expression on my face!

I was actually able to pull the pants up onto my hips.

Look, my butt is no longer hanging out the back like it was in week 1.

And the waist is only about an inch and half from buttoning.

But the real question is, did this post help me avoid downing the contents of the open bag of M&M’s in my pantry?






You bet it helped. Big time. As of last Monday I have lost 13 lbs. plus what ever I lost this week.

Week 1

     

Week 3

I hope I have inspired some of you because you ladies are always inspiring me. We will see what week 4 brings.

Just trying to keep things real,

What is going on at the Dog House?

Hello everyone.  Since my posts have been far and few between this month I thought I would let you in on what is keeping me off of the internet.

I am stripping this cute little table for my daughter.  I am trying out a new stripper and hopefully I will be posting about that next week.

Since I am working on improving my photography skills I am taking lots of pictures of the cat.  She is a much better model that the dogs.  They just want to like the camera which makes taking even bad pictures difficult.

My house turning into a toxic waste site and the EPA demanded that I started a clean up so I am doing some deep cleaning.

While I was at it I cleaned out my spice cabinet.

I have been trying to take pictures of myself a few times a week so that I can link up to The Pleated Poppy’s What I Wore Wednesday.  So far I have been unsuccessful at this.  All my pics come out blurry and even I can’t tell what I was wearing.  Any and all hints on how to do this would be greatly appreciated.

And my most time consuming project is upgrading this site.  Joining Pinterest, starting a Facebook page, creating a new banner and graphics for this blog.  Between technical problems and not really knowing what I want it to look like.

So there it is in a nut shell.  I am hoping to get back to a regular posting schedule next week.

But today I want to leave you with one last picture.

While cleaning out the frig I dropped a whole carton of blue berries.  But never fear Zoey rushed into help.  What would I do without my three dogs.

 

Thanks for reading,

Traci

The Pants Project

It all started a few weeks ago when I spied a very nice pair of Liz Claiborne jeans.  They have beautiful embroidery that I just fell in love with.

 

I bought them for $3 at my favorite Goodwill store and took them home.

Now I have a “thing “ about wearing thrift shore clothes before they are washed,  which is not going to happen so I buy anything I like and bring them home to try on.  Then I rush to the shower and wash off anything that might have been using the pants as transportation to it’s next home. 

Our Goodwill locations gives you 7 days to return any purchase.  If the item fits I run to the laundry room to immediately sanitize my new find.   If the item doesn’t work it goes directly back into the bag.  While I am not totally freaked out by purchasing thrift clothes, I do it all the time, I take precautions against any unseen critters invading my closet.

So now you know how much I paid for the pants, how nice they are,  and that they have been  completely sanitized, I bet you are asking your self, “What is she prattling on about?”

Well the pants didn’t fit and in that moment when I realized they were not going to slide over my ample hips I felt defeated.  And so the Pants Project was born.

Each Sunday I will try on this pair of Liz Claiborne jeans and see how they fit.

WHY? you ask.  Well I have lost 11 lbs. thanks to Weight Watchers and I am ready to shed 11 more so I have decided to up my game and give myself a little extra motivation.

 

No, I have not lost my mind.

Yes, I am actually going to post pictures of myself trying on a pair to jeans that are too small for me. 

And Yes, you can join me in this project if you want.  Just let me know how you are doing by posting a comment.

Here goes nothing.

Thanks for reading,

Traci

I will be linking up at these parties.

Met Monday at Between Naps on the Porch
What I wore Weds at The Pleated Poppy

New Resolutions for the New Year

It is only the 7th day of the new year and I am already behind.  But I would not have it any other way since the reason I am tardy with resolutions was a visit from my daughter and in-laws.  My daughter had to work and was not able to come home until the 2nd and so we had an extended holiday.

Everyone has gone home so I am playing catch up. 
And the first thing I need to catch up on is putting my resolutions in writing.  I don’t usually think of them as things I have to do but as goals I want to accomplish. 
Goals for 2012
1.  Continue to improve my photography by reading articles and experimenting.
2.  Take solitaire off of my computer, what a time sucker.
3.  Add two new features to my blog (more on that to come).
4.  Get my dogs to go out to do their business at 10 pm instead of 10:30.  Hopefully that will result in my getting to bed earlier.
5.  Try to get myself on a schedule for writing posts. 
6.  Try a new recipe once a week.  This will be a real challenge since I hate cooking.
I know it is a crazy eclectic list of goals but they are all do able small changes that will improve my life.
Thanks for reading,
Traci

A Unique Link Party

I just ran across a blog with a very unique linky party idea.  And while I love it when blogger take an idea and make it their own it is great to see an original idea.  Or what is at least one I have not seen before. 



And this party is one I couldn't wait to link up to.   I really would like to have a critique of my blog and my writing but I am afraid all of my wonderful followers (yes, that means you) are too nice to leave anything but positive comments.  Don't get me wrong, I have no desire to read snarky comments I just want some objective critism so that I can improve my blog.  If you are looking for some feedback check it out.

Thanks for reading,

Sale Anxieties

I am far to familiar with the anxiety that comes with putting up a “For Sale” in my yard.  Even though it has been more than 6 years since I have had to sell a home the memories are or should I say, the trauma is still with me.
 

All the questions that come to you in the middle of the night.  Have we set the price right?  Did we pick the right real estate agent?  Will anyone want to buy our house?  Do we need to replace the mail box before the open house? 
But who knew I would be so riddled with anxiety upon hearing that our neighbors were moving and they are selling their house.  Not just any neighbors, our next door neighbors.  The neighbors we share a fence with.  The house that is less than 40 feet from my kitchen.  Just typing this is causing my anxiety to increase.

But at least we are not faced with this sign, our former neighbors are being transferred.  Thank goodness the house is not in foreclosure.  Still we are worried.  And now we are faced with a whole new set of questions in the middle of the night.  How long will the house be on the market, how long will it be empty?  Will the yard and pool be maintained after they move out?  Who will be our new neighbors in the house 40 feet from my kitchen?  Will they like us?  Will they like our dogs?


Hopefully it will not be too long before we are looking at a SOLD sign next door and our questions are answered.  So until the next post about the sale of the home neighboring ours I will leave you with this sign to lighten your day.

And the question, what is a used cow?
Thanks for reading and Happy New Year,
Traci

My Favorite Project of 2011

Hands down my favorite project of this year was our powder room makeover.  It was so old and outdated that it would have been hard to not to improve on the look of this room. 


Fortunately, it came out MUCH better and I am thrilled with it.
 



Except for the long hunt for a decent light fixture, working on this room was just so much fun.  That may have something to do with the small size of the room, gratification was almost instant with all the small steps.

I painted the room an amzzing green color I wanted to use in the dining room but I didn't have the guts to step out of my comfort zone in such a large room.  Now I wish I would have painted both rooms with this fresh shade of green.

The biggest change was removing the 1970's wall tile and replacing it with timeless and classic beadboard.  Now I want to use beadboard on the kitchen island makeover that I am planning for next year.


No one loves a bargain more than I do so it should be no big surprise that I was thrilled with the deal I got on the fabric for the window valance in this room.  How does $2 a yard sound?  It sounded great to me so I bought the last 8 yards they had.  Originally I had planned on using this fabric only in the dining room but I decided to coordinate the two rooms by using the same fabric in each room.  (The dining room panels will have to wait until the new year.)



You can see why I am thrilled with this makeover.

If you want to see how the room evolved check out these posts: Installing the beadboard, Getting a Handle on Your Toilet, The Hunt For Lighting, Demo Surprises, The Finished Powder Room, The Reveal.

I will be sharing over at  Home Stories A to Z - My Favorite Project of 2011
Southern Hospitality - Top Projects of 2011

Thanks for reading,