DIY 2014

So I've decided that 2014 is going to be a year of DIY for me. I plan to DIY so many aspects of my  life it should blow my head off. Last years resolutions didn't go as well as I thought (oh sure I learned a littler German but not as much as I wanted) so I thought I would make plans for 2014 instead of resolutions. So here is my DIY list for 2014:

• Renovate the house. Yep I am tackling the house as one step this year. I've got too much crap and it needs to go. I've also wanted to make physical changes so I am picking small projects because 1) they are less expensive and 2) I can do small projects without the hubby freaking out (well too much).

• Renovate me. This includes my diet and exercise plan (or the lack there of that is). No I won't be running any marathons by the end of 2104 (knee doctor doesn't recommend I run unless it is for my life) but more exercise is needed. I've been on Pinterest lately and I've found some exercises to do that should help kick start my much needed exercise program (even found ones to strengthen my knees). I also plan to push myself with changing my diet (removing things that I love to eat in large quantities to eat them in smaller quantities). I also really need to drink more water and well that is just a struggle in itself.

• Renovate my attitude. I am very hard on myself in many aspects of my life and lately I've been wondering why I do that to myself. I wasn't raised by parents who put me down (actually they have always been supportive and told me I was wonderful and fabulous and could do anything) so why do I put myself down. Don't know but I'm going to really push  myself to believe in ME! I got a huge complement just recently about my singing and it has really inspired me to start believing in ME. Also I need to be a better role model to Smiley. She learns from example and it I don't like me then I can't expect her to like herself as she grows. Gotta be the good Mommy and set my girl off on the right foot.

• Renovate my bank account. Gotta pay off the bills and save more $$$.

So with that said I've already chosen my first DIY project. I am going to redo the downstairs powder room. I found these great titles that look like wood planks on Pinterest and now I'm really excited to do this. Here are the current pictures of the bathroom.

So its a basic powder room. I'll be keeping the pedestal sink, the toilet and the mirror but I want to change the paint color, the flooring and the light fixture. Here is a picture of the titles that I want to use:

It looks like wood but it is actually ceramic tile. I think it is perfect for this bathroom. Here is a potential idea for a light fixture:

 

I would probably go with a different glass but the basic silver design is nice.

So now I need to figure out what color to paint the bathroom. It's a deep purple right now (I know the picture makes it look like its blue but it is actually purple. I will have to pull color samples to help me figure that out.

My next big challenge is that I don't know how to tile. I watch DIY shows all the time and it looks so easy but I'm afraid to do it on my own. I know I will probably want to replace the baseboards as well so I'll need a table saw for that (unless they can be bought pre-measured and pre-cut) and I'll need to rent a tile cutter and I have no idea what color grout to use. Oh and I'll need to get a new tack strip for between the tile and the carpet.

Anyone have suggestions? Anyone ever done this before and want to give me a hand? Well anyway I have time, I promise I won't be starting this project tomorrow morning or even this weekend (but I might go to Lowes/Home Depot this weekend and start dream.

Happy New Year to one and all. May 2014 be a year filled with happiness, joy and love for you and your family.

Candy Crush . . .

I know we all are addicted to Candy Crush but did you know the following information about the game?

• Candy Crush Saga had over ten million downloads in December 2012 alone.

• Candy Crush Saga is popular on Facebook having more than 56 million likes on the application page. It is the most popular app on Facebook and the highest-grossing app in the Apple and Google app stores.

• The game makes an appearance in Psy's music video "Gentleman".

• Candy Crush Saga has received particular attention in the Hong Kong media, with reports that one in seven Hong Kong citizens plays the game.

• As of July 2013, it has been estimated that Candy Crush Saga has about 6.7 million active users and earns revenue of $633,000 per day in the US section of the iOS App Store alone. As of October 2013, Candy Crush is the third most popular free app and the highest grossing app in the Google Play store.

• As of November 2013 the game has been installed 500 million times across Facebook, iOS and Android.

• In December 2013, King.com began running advertisements for Candy Crush Saga on Japanese television. Partially attributed to these advertisements, in the first week of December 2013, Candy Crush Saga jumped from a position outside the top-100 most-downloaded iPhone games in Japan to the No. 1 position on December 6th, 2013. "On Android, the game jumped from No. 83 on Nov. 30 to the No. 23 on the most-downloaded game on Dec. 4.

 With that said guess what level I just finished? . . . Wait for it . . . 42 who hoo look at ME go.


(*information found on Wikipedia.org)

My name is Ashley and I'm a blogging slacker.

Every day I have friends who are bloggers that faithfully post about amazing things happening in their lives. I think it is great I love reading them but then suddenly the guilt hits me . . . I have a blog but I post once a quarter it seems. Look down . . . go ahead I'll wait and you can see that it was months ago when I last posted. I'm a slacker I know.

I have the best of intentions but something more important (like my farm on FB or another Pinterest recipe that I'm looking at) comes up. What's my excuse? I could say oh it was a busy day at work or Smiley kept me hopping but really its me. I really need to do better. I know I have things that I could share with you (my waiting readers) each day that might make you go . . . "um ok well that was um interesting".

So with 2013 coming to an end and as I plan my 2014 resolutions (ugh don't make me look back at the 2013 resolutions that I did not do a good job at keeping) I plan to be more diligent at posting on my blog. I know I know now you can go on with your days knowing the world is a better place (har har har).

Maybe my friends blogs will be that kick in the butt that I need. So with that said I'm off to Pinterest to spend time while Smiley naps.