GRASS-ias for sunshine!

Short post- our grass is coming up!!!! Yay! I had to call my dad and tell him that I haven't failed him with my farmer genes...our little green spires are coming out of the ground! We thought it wasn't going to make it- it took 2 weeks to germinate! But with a lot of water and a little sunshine, the kentucky blue thrives!
Funny story- we borrowed my parents' little fertilizer spreader to broadcast our grass seed and they left what we thought was a bag of fertilizer for us to use. It was called Zinc Phosphate or Phosphide, or something like that. So Seth spread it out after we spread the grass seed. Come to find out, our "fertilizer" was actually mouse poison...oops! I guess we won't have a mouse problem this year! Don't worry- it didn't hurt the dogs:).

Mom 'N' Me

FYI- the Mom'N'Me fun run is coming up soon- it's a great activity for Mother's Day (which is coming up soon!). Here are a few pics from last year's run.

Details for this year's run can be found at: http://www.sdhdidaho.org/psa/2009/april/gotr.pdf

Timeless Junk...My guilty pleasure

Ahhh!!! Who dove back into the 70's???

Lucky me! Seth thought this chandelier was pretty cool because it's twisted iron, so it now adorns my front entryway. It has a fun story: I went to my favorite thrift store in my little town of 4,111 to look for good junk (especially light fixtures). My friend who runs the store said she had just thrown this gawdy, heavy chandelier that had been hanging in the window for years out in the alley hoping someone would steal it. Instead, she decided to give it to me! What a babe! First of all, I can't believe I missed it after perusing the store several times- but after a little elbow grease, some paint, and new glass, it has been rejuvinated! I look for unique shapes and sizes when it comes to light fixtures, and of course, it needs to work! Here's the process:

Ignore the nasty tub! (the work was done at the old house).

After new glass and a toothbrush scrub:

Here is the greatest Christmas present!!! This is the OLD pie safe that Seth and my parents gave me for Christmas this year. They sure are sneaky!

Before:

After scrubbing off 1 1/2 cups of rancid flour and adding coat of glossy polyurethane:

I guess this has been in a lady's home on the reservation for about 40 years, and before that, it was in Utah for who knows how long. I would like to know its age...anyone know how I can figure out??? I have more detailed pics, so let me know who I can send them to if you know someone who can estimate age and value.

What the HEALTH has gotten into me?

Hello family and friends,

I am feeling a strong urge to discuss a few things with myself, and open them up to you as well. I attended a webinar yesterday on lifestyle modifications to prevent DMII (diabetes type 2), and if you visit with me very often, you will know that I am paranoid about developing Diabetes- that includes myself, anyone in my family, and my close friends. Approximately 23.6 million Americans have been diagnosed with Diabetes Mellitus II (DMII) in 2008 and ~3,500 new cases are discovered daily (Dr. Michael McDermott, ADA). That's ~1,000,000 new cases per year! Now, I don't know about you, but I am doing all that I can to prevent the onset of this disease. So, here is a little FYI about DMII (brief...I will include a few links to other websites if you have more concerns).

We will begin with a few risk factors you can't control:

• Ethnic Background (Blacks, Hispanics, American Indians, and Asian Americans are more likely to be diagnosed- reason unknown).
• Family history
• Age greater than 45

Here are the main MODIFIABLE risk factors (meaning YOU HAVE CONTROL of the following risk factors):

• OBESITY
• Lack of activity
• Unhealthy eating patterns & unhealthy food choices

And a few other things you should watch out for:

• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• High Cholesterol

All it takes is a small change here and there until you are living a lifestyle that is conducive to preventing DMII, as well as other cardiovascular diseases. Begin with 2 minor goals at a time:

Ex. #1: Walk 2-3 times a week for 15 minutes (that's only 30-45 minutes a week- compare the benefits you will get from walking versus what you will get from watching American Idol or The Bachelor... It's all about perspective people:) ).

*The results from the Diabetes Care study done in 2007 say that regular exercise (walking 3 days per week for 30 mins) reduces your risk of developing DMII by 31%!

Ex. #2: Start eating a light breakfast daily. Skipping meals can offset your glucose/insulin levels for the day (aka, your energy levels). Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day...LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER!

A few more tips:

• Limit consumption of diet and regular soda- evidence shows that both can lead to Insulin Resistance (a precursor to DMII)
• Avoid eating out at restaurants frequently- this will save you calories and $$$$ a little green
• DON'T FRY YOUR FOODS- bake, broil, microwave, crock pot, grill, etc.
• Limit your screen time- find the kid in YOU and play outside! Walk your dog, mow your lawn with a push mower, walk to get your mail (yes, some people drive), ride your bike! May 11-15 is bike to work week (if only I lived closer to town!)
• Moderation- come on yall- the Lord has laid this out for us in the WORD of WISDOM (D&C 89). But really, variety is key to getting all the nutrients you need. Color your plate (veggies, veggies, veggies)!
• ...and while you are coloring your plate, why don't you try switching to the smaller plate (10"). This is a really easy way to control your portions.

Alrighty...I think that is enough for today. I am officially off my soap box.

Much love, Health Coach Hailey

Oh yeah: those links...

American Diabetes Association

http://www.diabetes.org/

Diabetes Life

http://www.dlife.com/

BMI calculator

http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

Totally reminds me of...FRIENDS!

K, check these out! Here are four of the five "uglies" that have been transformed (the red one is next on the list): Aren't they so fun!?? They remind me of the mismatched chairs on Friends (minus the crazy colors). Total cost: around $45. The spray paint was a little spendy, but not too bad for 4 fully functional chairs. Thanks, Seth, for helping me attach a few seats! I'm glad my husband supports my gypsie-like habits ( although, I prefer to call myself thrifty:) ).

Here is the "after" table (I will have to see if I can find the before...it was hideous):

And here are the four beauties, one by one...
Meet Melba, Jorja, Louise, and Mabel

Reunited and it feels SO GOOD!

(P.S. that is one of my chic chandelier remakes)

Here is the before snapshot of what the table used to look like. I was so lucky to find the leaves still intact! Everyone teases me because I am too impatient to finish a project completely (note, the leaves aren't done yet:) ). I just get so excited to see the ending results that I can't take the time to work on the extra details. But I am getting better, thanks to Sethro.

Reusing the used

Here is my collection of ugly chairs (the pink ones were pretty cute before I started sanding on them- they were our Mr. & Mrs. wedding chairs). I bought the yellow one for $2 at my favorite thrift store in Pocatello. Anyway...I was itching for a new project, so I am refinishing our chairs for our kitchen. I will post a pic to dazzle yall when I'm done.

This is my most recent of the uglies. I call it the Ewok chair- the lady's dog at Trinity Treasures used this chair as his throne for months before I saved it from utter distruction, or being discarded in the alley (he's really furry, like an Ewok...hence the Ewok chair). I have big plans for this one! Bonus, she gave me a $2 discount! Love her!

Beginning price: $4.

Let the games begin!!!

HAMmer down now!

So I conquered my first ham and I DIDN'T BURN IT! Then I broke that pretty white pan, dang it! Shattered it!

Quick story for anyone who has been to my house while I have been baking something. When you turn on the oven, the house is completely permeated with propane. By the way, this is the second stove that has done this to us. I thought that cleaning would help burn the smell away, so I set it to clean and left for work last week, paranoid that I was going to burn my house down. When I got home, the house was sooo foggy and there was a light coat of black dust from one end to the other. Seth checked it out and we ended up calling the Mr. Fix It guy from Pocatello Electric to come and check it out. He used his little sniffer tool and the verdict...A deadly level of propane was being emitted when you turned on the stove! I was so mad/freaked out!!! What if we had a baby in the house? The guy said the levels of propane being pushed out were enough to put someone to sleep, forever, in about an hour and a half! But, it's fixed now, so it's all good!