this ish is bananas

hello world! i'm popping in because i haven't in awhile and i just know you all missed me dearly.

i'm still nursing this back strain which (i think) is re-healed after i brilliantly thought it'd be ok to do 65lb deadlifts and set myself back a few more weeks. i can sneeze without pain again but a weird, sometimes sharp, pain pops up in my right glute depending on how i move. i'm rolling, massaging and stretching my lower back, glute and hamstrings in an attempt to get back out on the streets and cross fitting asap. yep, another month of no-running, this is not fun.

i went to a super sweet j.crew warehouse/sample sale. it was crazy and required camping out on the sidewalk at 3am, but i got a lot of new clothes for way less than advertised.

there are no dressing rooms so you try stuff on over your spandex. but everyone's doing it, it's totally normal.

my car broke, but josh saved the day. some cable came loose and the shifter thingy wouldn't change  (clearly i moonlight as an automechanic). josh figured it out and luckily it was an easy fix. i also got to use my emergency car kit for the first time ever (well the screwdriver, not the flares).

and now for something entertaining since you've endured the above drivel.

i found this banana slicer on pinterest. somehow it got review bombed and they're hilarious; please enjoy your friday workday reading the reviews.

oh, and i'm still eating clean too.

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taking the plunge

you guys have been amazing with all the postcard offers! there's no deadline (well at least not anytime soon) due to the rate at which i (don't) get things done ha. if you say you'll send one and end up forgetting that's ok too, i won't hold it against you.

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anyway, as i mentioned in my april recap post, i took my first venture into clothing-crafts. no, i don't own a sewing machine, it's not like i even know how to turn one on, however i do own a stove.

awhile back, gracie had shared a little how-to/success story about dyeing some (cotton) pants. it inspired me to attempt to dye a dress of mine but i procrastinated. a year later, i finally worked up the courage and got on it.

first, i purchased some iDye poly (because my dress is 100% polyester) from here*. it's cheap. i wanted navy blue, but they don't sell that shade so i purchased blue and black and figured i could mix them.

i also purchased a large (but should have gone larger) pot from walmart because somewhere online i read that you shouldn't use a pot you also cook with. turns out this was good advice because the inside of the pot now has a blue tint to it.

i hemmed and hawed over doing a test run with a pair of white 100% polyester gym shorts but decided i didn't want to waste time. i was nervous about ruining my dress but i told myself i wasn't going to ever wear it as-is anyway**.

you see, the company that makes iDye poly heavily disclaims dyeing 100% polyester clothing - "not all polyesters will take dye", "do not even think about dyeing your clothes if it says 'dry clean only'", etc. other websites also supported these statements, especially stressing "dry clean only" tags. as you may have assumed, my dress did say "dry clean only". i got it dry cleaned right before dyeing it, since i never had it done after i wore it two years ago (i am really good at doing laundry).

ok. back to the process.

i set up my work area, covering as much of the stovetop, countertops, cabinets and floor as possible. newspapers would work (that's what grace used i think) but i didn't have one so i just used trash bags.

following the directions on the inside of the iDye packet, i put my dress in the pot and filled it with water. once the dress was thoroughly soaked, i added a little more water and removed the dress (laying it on plastic on the floor). i put the pot on the stove on high heat and added the blue dye packet and intensifier (comes with it). once that dissolved, i opened the black dye packet and threw some in willy nilly. i was hoping to achieve a navy blue color but there were no guidelines as to how to mix the iDye poly colors. i would guess i put in about 1/3 of the black dye and intensifier. i'd rather err on the side of too blue than end up with yet another lbd (little black dress).

once the dye was dissolved, it was time to make the plunge. i nervously lowered my dress into the pot. i forgot to buy a spoon/stirring device at the goodwill or even walmart so i had to use one of our wedding-gift calphalon ones. 

then i had the pleasure of standing over the stove and constantly agitating the dress in the pot. for an hour! it was hot standing over the stove and my feet hurt (is this what cooking is like? no thanks!). the dye also has some fumes to it so i am sure that was good to inhale. i should note that i wore yellow rubber gloves while doing this to keep my hands from being dyed.

had i bought a bigger pot, i may have been able to get away with not standing over it the whole time but the dress barely fit in the pot and i wanted to try to ensure an even coverage of color. josh was watching a riveting documentary*** on netflix in the living room while i was 'cooking' so i listened to that for entertainment.

finally, the timer buzzed and i emptied as much water as i could down the sink. once the dress had cooled enough for me to grab it, i pulled it out and laid it back on the same plastic on the floor. per the directions, you have to let the garment cool before washing it. after it had cooled off some more, i put it in the washing machine on a short, cold, "hand-wash" cycle with a little bit of 'all free & clear' detergent (the directions recommend a mild detergent, i assumed mine is mild). i then hung it up to dry  overnight (with a trash bag underneath just in case there were any blue drips).

if you've been my friend for the past 2+ years, you may be thinking "where have i seen this dress before"? well let me tell you where...

i dyed my wedding dress! and while i loved it white (erm ivory), i know i will get so much more use out of it now that it's dyed. in fact i've already worn it once...

did anyone recognize it here? :)

unfortunately it didn't come out perfect - there is one spot on the bottom in the front that turned out darker for some reason - so i might attempt to dye it again to 'cover up' that spot. i could also get it altered into a knee length dress, but i love it as a 'maxi' dress. it was also super wrinkly after all the soaking and i don't own a steamer. i attempted to iron it on medium-low heat but after 30 minutes it was still just as wrinkly so i decided to just go with it because they looked fairly uniform. they also helped conceal the dark area too.

morals of the story - "dry clean only" is probably a lie. 100% polyester may not always dye successfully, but it's probably worth a shot.

oh, and the dry cleaner only charged me $32 for my dress. they called it a "formal" and i wasn't going to correct them (it would have been $150-200 for a wedding dress). i win.

*this is not a product review (i paid for everything). i'm just sharing my experience because i want to, and there weren't many good "stories" out on the google about dyeing 100% polyester (mostly just people trying to scare you from doing it).

**unless i were to get invited to p.diddy's white party.

***the kellogg brothers: corn flake kings. you're intrigued i know it.

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five for friday

hello world! just checking in with a few random things on this fine friday.

i am still alive. i'm still reading all your blogs in my google reader, but lately i've been feeling a little down, athletically-speaking. it's disheartening to read about all the great workouts / races / pr's you are all achieving and in my funk i've slacked on commenting. i'm sulking in the corner.

i've really been missing running lately. i look longingly at the sidewalk while driving on the roads i used to run. i do still make fun of people for being way overdressed though. it'll be 50+ degrees out and runners are dressed like it's 20.

a couple weekends ago we went to look at old stuff. we're cultured like that. specifically, it was an exhibit of old biblical artifacts that belong to the green family (who founded hobby lobby). it was interesting to see the really old stuff, paper made from calf skin, and to read about some of the history and travels behind some of the pieces (surviving the nazi's and what not).

photos weren't allowed, so here's a rendition.

i had a skin biopsy done yesterday and received my first stitch. they're expediting the testing/results instead of making me wait the standard "2 weeks". should have some answers on monday.

when it rains, it pours. this past monday i had an allergic reaction to something in my lunch. i think it was the mustard. everything on my sandwich was exactly the same as one i ate last week except it had mustard this time. i used to tolerate mustard just fine, but i guess something changed. my lips swelled up and i rushed over to walgreen's for some benadryl (took two). about two hours later the swelling finally started to go down just as the drowsiness hit full force. i groggily drove myself home from work early and passed out on the couch around 4pm.

i was sporting a pretty attractive look for a few hours at work. duck lips are cool these days right? everyone is making them in their facebook photos...

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calling all units

we have a 207/484 in progress.

last week

this week

i returned to work after the new year long weekend and found my new santa gnome missing. i'd really love to know the reasoning behind stealing random knick-knackery from someone's cubicle.

in other news, i received my blogger secret santa gift last week. here are my goodies from shelly of it's just one foot in front of the other:

thanks shelly!

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merry christmas

hope you and your families have a very merry christmas!

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in the mail

i'm a whole day early this year (vs last year)! my run with jill blogger gift exchange present is in the mail. once again i spent the required minimum on shipping because i thought flat-rate boxes were cheaper than they actually are. whoops.

unfortunately there was no hit single to include this time as dj ctk has taken some time off, but the good news is van gogh ctk was available...

covered by a fancy kleenex, can't spoil the surprise

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in five years

in 2006, a mere 4 months after i graduated college (and on my 22nd birthday) i bought my first house.*

i spent the next three years wishing i had never bought it because i (thought i) wanted go to the art institute in san diego or open my own b&b in jamaica**, but ultimately knew the house was keeping me grounded. i had even less of an idea of what i wanted to do with my life then than i do now, and being forced to stay employed was a good thing.

since receiving the keys on that fateful day, i've been renovating the house (it needed it!). the carpet was disgusting, there was spray paint down the kitchen counters, across the fridge, on the floor and out the side door, and ivy was growing in a couple of the windows. i still cringe when i see houses with vines covering part of the house.

in the beginning i decorated each room separately which resulted in a rainbow bright house. part of this was because i often found $5 cans of "oops" paint at home depot and i figured i'd take advantage of the bargain. the kitchen was bright orange and yellow striped (sadly i have no photos of this), the dining room was pink and brown, the living room a bright spring green, the foyer purple and gray, and the master bedroom a grassy green. what was i thinking?

as i've matured, i admitted to myself that it's ok to paint the walls neutral instead of pretending i live in mexico. the kitchen became buttercream yellow, dining room is neutral and brown, and the foyer brown and gray. eventually i'll repaint the living room an off-white/very light beige (probably) for a more grown-up beach vibe.

a lot more than painting was done; there isn't much of the original-ness left other than the "bones" of the house really. the master bathroom and walk-in closet still haven't been renovated, we'll probably hire out the tile work for the stand-up shower (in case it's holding hidden surprises) and haven't gotten around to hiring anyone.

so, in celebration of five long years of being a homeowner, here's a look at some of the "before's", "during's" and "current's" for your enjoyment (and because i'm proud of the work we've done, my dad and josh included of course).

foyer

of course there was wallpaper under the paint

hallway

hall bath

a full bath, but hard to photograph because it's small

living room

this ivy was growing through the window... yeah.

no more nasty carpet!

you can see skid marks in the sawdust from where my friend

and i would run and slide across the room - we were so cool

dining room

during the rainbow house phase

it's no longer these colors, but it's messy right now

and i didn't feel like tidying up for another picture

kitchen

yes, that is ivy wallpaper

you can see ivy overtaking the patio

had to show off my vintage oven

(that i actually kinda wanted to keep)

the outside has gotten it's share of updates too

personally i think i'll always want to buy fixer-uppers - i love rehabbing and making things beautiful again. i'm pretty sure josh does not feel this way as he is a little tired of the never ending house projects.

happy 5th birthday house!

(and if you paid attention and did the math you'd know that means happy 27th to me!)

*i'll admit this may not be the right time in anyone's life to be making such a big purchase, but i was stubborn in my "it's an investment" mindset.
**i was (still am) all over the place sometimes.

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never forget

image credit to brian niemann

image from ground zero museum

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year one

we celebrated surviving one full year of marriage (last sunday) with a long weekend in charleston (sc) for shopping, sailing, wining and dining. i told josh we are going to have to sail annually now (in different places of course!). the downside to getting married shortly after family vacation is that josh doesn't want to take another week off for an anniversary trip. however, he claims we will go on a belated one in the fall... (ahem. it's on the internet now. you can't change your mind).

although i've been to charleston many times growing up, it's a beautiful city and you can never get tired of walking around, shopping on king street or browsing the open air market.

we went sailing on friday, though we waited to launch until after this behemouth cruised by:

disclaimer: the wind was behind us, puffing up my romper
and making me look like an easter peep

tasted wine at irvin house vineyards, also the home of firefly sweet tea vodka.

our selections: palmetto (red), magnolia (white),
peach tea vodka, java rum, lemonade vodka (perfect for yardwork)

dumb goats at the winery

we had a nice dinner at charleston grill. yes, i was redneck and took (some) pics of my food:

sweet potato ravioli (amazing invention)

grilled wild salmon
with artichoke, potatoes and asparagus in a tasty green goop

for dessert i had the blueberry pie. our server came out with two tiny squares and i thought to myself "oh h*ll no this is not my pie!". it turned out to be the pre-dessert of coconut milk/tapioca with mango and pineapple, which was quite delicious. the actual-dessert was decently sized, but i did not get a picture because i inhaled it (also delicious).

overall it was a relaxing weekend although it made going back to work on monday extra tough. oh yeah, and 0% running or biking last week. le sigh...

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