Decorating Diaries: Exercise Room - Part I

Here are a few pictures to get you started. The first is of the exercise room, pre-wallpaper ripping. Note the lovely duck motif that coincides so well with the dark orange trim and blue carpet. It's hard to believe we've lived with that for almost 12 years now. (We get to things in our own time.)

BTW, the dark blue carpet is staying due to the fact that we would have to hire someone to come in and disassemble the weight-lifting machine and the bookshelf. The bookshelf can be slid across the floor but doesn't fit through the door. We suspect the last owner moved it in the room before they put the windows in.

Moving on. These next few photos are of the exercise room as it now stands. Festive, no? I'm looking forward to bonding with some primer and paint next week. BTW, any color suggestions? It's an exercise room, so we can go a little wild. The only "must" is that the trim be white or off-white, to go with the rest of the house. Me, I'd love to split the room and do a dark blue on the bottom and orange or yellow on top. Blair is not so big on the dividing the room idea. He is willing to go with a bright color though. Or maybe it should be beige. Who knows? I hate picking colors.  It's a west facing room and doesn't get a whole lot of light.

Click on the photos below to enlarge. Thoughts, anyone?

     
 

Last Long Run of the Year

Only time for a quick blog entry. It's 6:33 am on Sunday and I'm getting ready to leave the house to do my LAST long run (10 miles) of the year before next weekend's marathon. Whoo-hoo!

My neighbor and I have been doing cold, dark morning runs and both of us agree -- this is the last December marathon, ever. I'll still run this winter, but I've about had my fill of dragging my butt out of bed for a freezing cold run that has to be done. The thought of some short, quick noontime runs is sounding lovely.

That being said, I am SO excited about the marathon. And nervous. I alternate between "I'm going to knock this sucker out of the park" and "Oh my God, what have I done?" thinking. So far, the weather forecast for next weekend in Kiawah is perfect - starting in mid-30's and getting up to high 50's. That's some prime running weather.

In other news, this blog will soon convert to a new "Decorating Diaries" series. Blair and I decided for no apparent reason that the 3 weeks before the holiday season would be the best time for us to rip down the duck wallpaper in the exercise room and do some painting. So now my front bedroom is filled with all the books and furniture from the exercise room and the cats are beside themselves in a panic, wondering what's behind the closed door.  It just wouldn't be the holidays without some major demolition work occurring in the Harris household.

Off to run. Have a lovely Sunday morning.

A Wake Up Call

In five years, I will be 42. What the hell???

Dena

p.s. Beware those five-year plans. They make you think.

Choosing A Daytimer for the New Year

I am a "month-at-a-glance" woman. Have been since college. Given that I am not an overly social human being, I like being able to open my calendar and see where events lie for the month in order not to crowd my schedule with back-to-back events, if at all avoidable.

However, this means I cart around what is almost a full 8 1/2 x 11 inch wirebound appointment calendar.  It's fine to slip into my computer bag, but doesn't fit into a purse or glove compartment.

So this is the year. Yesterday Blair and I were at Office Depot and I took a deep breath and made the leap. I am now officially a "week-at-a-glance" gal. My new daytimer is the size of a small flip notebook and slips easily into my purse.  I spent the morning entering information (how can my April weekends already be filled?) and have to admit, I felt a bit of anxiety.  It's so small.  I'm hoping the appeal will kick in sooner rather than later.

And no, I am not an electronic schedule keeper. Friends have let me play with the schedule function on their Blackberry's and I find them heinous. All that having to click on a day to enlarge the appointment to see what you've written about it and scrolling back and forth on days... forget it.  The convenience factor escapes me.  But in all fairness, I'm about as far away from "techie" as a person can get.

So I'm hoping the 30 minutes I spent holding first one weekly daytime and then another before making my choice was time well spent.  Could open a whole new world from me. Three years from now, I may even be ready to make the leap to "day-at-a-glance."

'Cause that's the wild kind of woman I am.