Health, Kitchen, Yard, Birthdays

After the “last hurrah before baby” trip to Minneapolis, I have made a conscious effort to be a little healthier. On only two of the 14 days since my return have I consumed an alcoholic beverage, and I also started calorie counting, trying to stay under 2,000/day. All that, plus some exercise at the gym over lunch breaks and heavy duty yardwork, has seen my weight go from 258.8 down to 253.2. (That weight, however, is still 11 pounds more than I was after last fall’s keto diet where I dropped 17 pounds in about 40 days.)

The agonizingly long kitchen makeover is taking another step forward with tile being ordered yesterday. The walls have been without tile for over a year now. We peeled the one-piece countertop-wall stuff off in July 2017! The master bathtub is being re-caulked, and the dining area is being turned back into a kids’ play area after another trip to Ikea.

I spent several hours in the hot sun yesterday attempting to fix up the yard for Johnny’s upcoming birthday party. I pulled at least 1,000 dead cast iron plant leaves out and raked up the yard, freshened the mulch in the kiddie play area, cleaned up the patio and deck, and then planted a bunch of new plants. I estimate in the six years at this house that I’ve gone to the gardening center down the street once per year, planted a bunch of stuff, then they got too hot and dry and all died. I am really going to try to remember to keep everything watered this time around!

Speaking of which, it is birthday season here at the house. My 36th birthday is Thursday, and Johnny’s 4th birthday is the following Wednesday. I don’t have any birthday plans other than hosting Johnny’s party. Perhaps we’ll go out for dinner, and I’ll get a massage or something. Johnny is having a kids’ party here at the house with a giant inflatable 18′ high Hulk water slide.