Project: Re-do

One of my goals is to makeover a piece of furniture. I saw this as a big task, something I wasn't sure I would be able to do. I did go to DI once or twice, looking for small pieces, such as a nightstand or end table, to make over. The smell of DI gives me a funny, not-so-good feeling so I never lingered long. Then one day my co-worker, Debi, told me she had some old barstools she was going to get rid of and asked if I wanted them. I have a small bar in my apartment and she has been there before, so she instantly thought of me. I gladly accepted! I went through 1 1/8 can of black gloss spray paint, one sheet of sandpaper, time spent cleaning up my parents garage floor from the excess in spray and the help of one awesome mom. It was pretty darn simple and I think they turned out great! Here are the results:

No Sugar October

My pants have been telling me that I've been eating too much. It's time for my pants to start telling me something different - like, you need to buy a smaller size!

No Sugar October is a 31 day challenge to eliminate sugar from my life - cake, candy, cookies, white bread, doughnuts, ice cream. I recently discovered the joy of greek yogurt and was shocked to see the delicious black cherry Chobani I was eating had 19 grams of sugar. EEK! Bye bye delicious yogurt.

I will only be eating foods with 7 grams of sugar or less per serving. This means I have to look at my daily morning oatmeal, popcorn, cereal, etc.

Now, I do realize that this is during Halloween season - where candy and treats are in abundance. But tell me, what month is a good month to go off sugar? November? Thanksgiving. December? Where do I begin.... January? All that hot chocolate from Starbucks to keep warm! So October it is.

I have conquered a week of no-sugar, hopefully a month will be a go and it can help me to start eating healthier for life.

Lookin' at me with his wee beedy eyes...

There is a delightful little sea creature out there, floating around called a crawfish.

They are little creatures who are in the same sealife family as crabs and lobsters. They have 19 segements to their body. They breathe through their gills. And boy - are they TASTY!

Last night, I went to a new restaurant in West Valley City called Bucket O'crawfish. The ambiance inside is awesome - just think of Bubba Gumps, but not as loud. They allow patrons to write on the walls - so if you see a big "HOLLY" written, just know that is me :)

Their menu is small but packed with so many choices. They offer seven different types of seafood (priced per pound), three flavors (or you can get all flavors combined), your desired level of spice (from mild to crazy hot) and different add ins.

The tables are covered in a clear, plastic tablecloth. The waitress puts a bib on you. Your food is served in one giant bag! And you dig in with your hands. There are buckets you throw your leftover parts in (i.e. shells) and paper towels galore! And trust me, you'll need a ton of papertowels.

The food was excellent! We all enjoyed everything we ordered: I had crawfish, Lauren had snow crab and Kaleigh had shrimp. We all agreed that we should come back soon. The service was great! Not a lot of people there but it was a Tuesday night.

One week down

I officially celebrated my first week in my new apartment last night! YAY! But unfortunately have already locked myself out once. Bummer.

My sister Mindy and baby KK were in town for the long holiday weekend. Mindy wanted to come see my new place and was going to bring Dunford Doughnuts as a housewarming gift. I gave Mindy directions but somehow in the mess of roads that is my complex, she got lost. I decided to go out to the end of my sidewalk to look for her. Mind you, it was 930 am and yours truly was still in pajamas, no makeup and messy ponytail. Not realising the knob to my front door was locked (it will still open from the inside while locked), the front door shut behind me. I spun around and checked the knob. Locked. Thought #1 - Oh crap. Thought #2 - I'm glad I put a bra on before walking outside. Just then Mindy pulls up and I inform her of the unfortunate situation. With doughnuts and KK in hand, we wait on the front porch. My landlord was not answering, the HOA couldn't do anything for me so I was forced to call a locksmith. The last time I had to do that when I locked my keys in my car, it was $80. Luckily I had my handy smartphone with me! So I googled "locksmith murray" so I could get a locksmith out here quickly. I found a local locksmith and called in. The person on the phone said they would dispatch a driver and they (the driver) would call me in a few minutes when they were on their way. Fast forward twenty minutes - no phone call. So I call again. Yes, someone has been dispatched, they will call you very soon. Fast forward ten minutes - driver finally calls. He'll be there in a few minutes. Fast forward fifteen minutes - my landlord calls me. She is at the airport. But her mom lives 3 miles away and can come bring me a spare key. YAY! No having to pay a locksmith! So I call the locksmith to tell him not to come anymore - I found a way in. Then a few minutes later, I get a call from the locksmith company - saying the driver said I didn't need to be let in anymore. Then they tell me he was only 1 minute away (I call BS on that) and they will have to charge me $19 for dispatching the driver. NO WAY. I tell them it's been 40 minutes since I called the first time and it's been a joke. I live on the border of Taylorsville and Murray, so I spefically called them because they are in Murray. I ask to speak with a manager. I'm told a manager will call me back. And I haven't heard a peep. I was even going to refer them to my "lawyer", Christopher Todd Bang, if they weren't going to let up. But in the meantime of waiting, I got to talk to Mindy for awhile and eat wonderfully delicious doughnuts. KK was an absolute angel just hanging out in her carseat.

As I am getting used to the sounds of a new place, I heard a sound that I wish I didn't ever have to. It's late Saturday night (well, technically Sunday morning) and I'm minding my business, watching last week's episdoe of Bachelor Pad on my laptop in my room. I hear some noises. I pause the video and wait. There it is again! Soft thud, thud, thud, thud. Then it dawns on me. Ewwwwwwww. I turn the volume up on my video.

Yesterday as I was putting stuff away in my room, I looked out the window of my bedroom and saw someone smoking on the backporch of one of my neighbors and saw him again out there 20 minutes later but when he wasn't out there, the sliding porch door remained open. I really didn't think anything of it. Until I went outside an hour later to get the mail. The mailbox is a good 100 feet from this neighbors porch. OH. MY. WORD. It reeks like pot. That guy (and probably others) were lighting up some strong doobies.

I never had this in Turnberry (the occasional yelling late at night outside) or in Walnut Creek. Welcome to apartment living - the next year of my life.