Renovation LOVE

My recent interest, more specifically obsession, to renovate our house and redecorate over the last month is all thanks to my peaked interest in some of HGTV and the W Network's shows. Not going to lie, I'm addicted to both Love It or List It and Property Brothers. Both offer viewers dramatic before and after looks that, let's face it, have pulled the creative side out of me.

Let me just say that I have always loved "artsy" things, so when given the ability to "redesign" my own house prompted itself - I couldn't help but say no. So when my husband suggested re-painting our house yesterday, I couldn't help but jump all over it. After all, we tore out the majority of our upstairs carpets anyways and removed the baseboards to get ready for our new flooring this week, so this truly was a good time to grab a paint brush and a coat of paint and get to work.

We had talked about repainting our main living room and kitchen all weekend, and in fact, I picked up a handful of paint swatches on Saturday just to take a look. Then after dinner Saturday, we browsed through the selection and agreed on a colour for the living room, kitchen and the two walls that bring both the rooms together. The tough part was just going to be whether we could get all the painting done before our new floors were installed on Thursday - meaning we had to paint like crazy until Tuesday evening, so everything would have a chance to cure Wednesday.

I wish I would have taken some before pictures of the room, carpet and all, but instead some mid-reno and after pictures will have to suffice. To give you a break down of what things looked like prior, the features walls were a mid/dark brown and the kitchen (which we have not painted or started the reno on yet) are an coral/orange colour. The walls that tie both rooms together I would describe as a yellowy hue, which you will be able to see in some of the mid-reno pictures.

For the feature walls we are going with a Miller's Cove, which is a green that goes with both our sofas from downstairs and the throw pillows we have on them (you may have noticed the black leather in the photo, but those are going downstairs). For the kitchen, we will eventually be using a colour called Cumberland Fog. Both colours are cooler in nature and will really tie our darker floor in nicely. For the main walls that connect the two rooms, we opted to just go with a pure white, as it seemed to be the only colour that complimented them both nicely.

 

Check back soon for more reno coverage!

Fitting In Fitness

Ever since my nine week old was born, I was determined to get back to the gym and get back in shape as quick as I could. And let's face it, even though I already have a two and a half year old, I had forgotten what not getting regular sleep does to ones body. Bottom line, I have a hard time getting a work out in when I'm exhausted day in and day out.

With my oldest, I was lucky enough to have a baby that was sleeping through the night at six weeks -- yes I said SIX WEEKS! It was what I got used to and I know that most new moms aren't that lucky. With my second baby, I had it much different. Not only does he not sleep though the night, he has been congested since birth, which makes it even harder for him to sleep at times and on many occasions has woken him up.

Long story short, I have had a difficult time getting to the gym on a regular basis. One thing I would like to start implementing is a regular yoga regime if I can. Not sure if I will be able to make it work, but it is something I would like to aim for. Ultimately, my fitness goal is to squeeze in three outings a week to the gym, which will not only get me out of the house, but get me back on the fitness train. After all, I have always had a special love for the gym and the way getting in a good cardio session in makes you feel afterwards.

I plan on posting some fitness routines that have helped get me back in shape after baby, so please stay tuned!

Until next time!