vintage furniture – sassyfitnesschick

Monday Musings

Cake. It’s been a week of cake.

We have a plethora of birthdays this time of year and yours truly is the cake maker.

My kids know they can request whatever kind they want and I’ll whip it up for them.

My middle son turned 28 May 1st. After a reminder I hadn’t received his request, did he wish for me to make him a boxed cake?

I got a link to a monstrosity of a 5 layer cake. Initially, I thought it was a joke. But then I’m always down for a challenge and dived into the project

Two brownie layers and three white cake layers.

Yes, that is buttercream frosting between those layers

11 eggs, three packages of butter, 7 cups of sugar, 10 cups of powdered sugar for buttercream frosting, 30 Oreos and brownies that get made with brownie layers to decorate on top and a partridge in a pear tree.

Ok I jest about the partridge 😉

I weighed it.

It weighed 13 pounds.

I don’t exaggerate.

13 pounds of ridiculous deliciousness.

You know what I’m afraid of? I’ve now set the bar to high and who knows what they will come up with next. 😄

Yes, there is a literal second dessert piled on top of this monumental cake.

The aftermath….it is a wee bit tricky cutting five layers.

Even my guys with the biggest appetites were out done by this cake.

We all decided this…the cake and brownie layers were delicious enough to just make independently. The eggs, real butter and buttermilk made it a light, airy melt in your mouth cake.

The brownies had lots of eggs giving them a cake consistency and with all the cocoa powder they had a good chocolate flavor.

Think you wanna try it? Find it in my Homemade Cake folder on Pinterest!

https://pin.it/S3hiAKL

When I’m not whipping up cakes…

I’m attempting to live a healthy lifestyle. I’m sure glad cake can fit into that!

I’m also glad I started the day off with some miles on the bike.

Nothing like some hills to make you work a little hard 😅

How are y’all doing with home work outs during this time?

Remember fitness need not be hard or complicated. Brisk walks or jogs, bike rides, swimming, or hitting the treadmill or elliptical are good ways to get cardio.

Strength training can be accomplished with a variety of items at home even if you don’t have weights.

You have a body and can do plenty of body weight exercises!

I find boxing to be rather therapeutic 😉 not only is it good strength and cardio, it just feels good to let my energy sink into that bag.

Don’t forget about yoga and other stretching moves to keep you flexible. It’s also a great way to center your mind.

Exercise is not only good for our bodies, but our mental well being too.

Staying mentally and physically well during this time is important for our overall health.

In other life activities

Am I the only one who wakes up trying to remember what day it is??

Like seriously.

True, life is a bit different lately, but I don’t find all of it bad.

There aren’t lots of things pressing on me to go to different activities or places which means time home and time to do not only home projects but work on my business projects too.

My shop in town opened back up this weekend so I’m glad to have things out of my back room and filling up my space.

I’ve had an increase in custom orders so that’s a win.

I also jumped into becoming a retailer for Dixie Belle chalk paint. Ah, nothing like making a financial investment when things are closed down 😅

I kinda like diving off the deep end with new adventures.

Speaking of projects

Wanna see some of the things I’ve been up to?

Before. A custom order. She wanted it white. Dixie Belle has a color called Fluff, soft white with grey undertone

Definitely a bit brighter.

Then there was this old trunk….

I’m horribly in love with this piece ❤ it got some layers of black and white paint, distressed, a lovely floral trasnfer and I lined inside with some fabric that’s been waiting for the right project.

Then there was this old French provincial table. I seriously adore this style. Solid, classic, beautiful lines, these pieces remake so nicely

And a couple things I’ve scored recently. It’s been hard getting things…I’m ready to go hunting again !

Sweet old dresser definitely dated and needs a fresher look!

And an antique ladies writing desk and chair. This is gonna need work but I thought it was the coolest thing.

And before I go…..

I made the best chicken dish tonight and everyone went crazy over it. Fast,easy with a Mexican flair to it. Find it on my dinner recipes file on Pinterest

https://pin.it/cwzpiX1

I served it with Spanish rice and beans. Have plenty of rice on hand, the sauce is amazing over it!

Tell me what you’ve been up to? How are you keeping fit and staying sane in these days?

Monday Musings

Hello Monday. Quarantine day 854…or something like that.

Are we having fun yet?

I guess I’m really grateful it’s spring and the weather has been gorgeous and since I’m supposed to be home it gives me scads of time to basically do whatever the heck I want.

Not a bad thing right?

I’m grateful too that I can retreat to my hill country home with 28 acres surrounding me with gorgeous views.

I’m grateful also for having a fun little business that I work out of my home. Lately I just find it relaxing and therapeutic.

I’ve also had time to start work on one of my personal projects, an old antique table and chair set. Getting that done will give me alot more space in my barn…space for more furniture 🤣

Here’s a look at that table.. before I started

A sneak peek.. I’ve been busy..

I got the great idea to sand table top. Have I ever mentioned, I hate sanding? This is gonna be worth it though.

Oh. Chairs. It has chairs. I’ve been working on those too. 😱

I need to get this set done because I have an equally old stunning set to do for my dining room….

It looks like this……

Ah.. I love how beautifully old school elegant it all is. I can hardly wait to transform it.

Anyway, even with all that’s going on I feel grateful for all the good things too.

I’m grateful even though my shop is closed, I’ve got several custom orders to keep me busy and making a little cash. It’s rather cool to do things I love and get paid for it as well😉

It’s not all smooth sailing

Hey, I feel like you do too. I miss just deciding to randomly go somewhere without a care in doing so.

Now, I feel almost guilty popping into the store to get a few things. Like…get it…go…get home.

Stay there.

I think what I really.. hate…are the looks on people’s faces. How they look at you like you might brush something off on them. The avoidance of making eye contact or scurrying away. A human disconnect.

It is what it is.

I will do my part. I only go to get what I need and leave.

I keep sanitizer in my car and use it before and after going somewhere. I try to be mindful of my “position ” around people.

I find it all tiring and going home really is a much better,more comfortable option.

Even with all of that…

I’m grateful. Life is still good. I have all my needs met.

I’m glad I can take care of my own nails and that I got my hair all pretty before the salons had to close. 😉 That certainly isn’t earth shattering but small things make me feel good.

And feeling good in a weird world right now, helps.

Making time for self care

More than ever we not only need to take care of our physical health, but mental health too

Exercise is good for both.

Again, I’m happy I’ve been doing the home workout thing for years so it’s life as usual for me. For others though it’s an adjustment of figuring out what to do.

With the weather turning nice, getting out for daily walks is a good option for most everyone. With extra time for many right now, there’s no reason to not get some purposeful movement in.

You may also consider a new hobby or activity to pursue. Start a new book or pursue an online course.

Life is still going on,even if it’s not so conventional right now.

Even though my shop is closed I’m making plans for new business opportunities.

There are plenty of things for us to keep focused on and we can use this time for growth and learning and hopefully not feeding our fears or anxieties.

Before I go…

We are entering birthday season in my family. My kids always request some favorite cake for me to make for their birthday.

My daughter in law found a rather different one this year and…oh my…I can’t say how good it was. It got rave reviews and I think it would make a great Easter dessert.

Lemon blueberry cake with lemon cream cheese frosting.

And because I know you will want to try it, I’ll attach the link for you

https://pin.it/6RbzCio

Tell me…how are you doing out there? Are you using this time to pursue something new? What is helping you move through these days? Do you feel grateful for what you have?

Monday Musings

Welcome to another edition of Monday Musings, an eclectic gathering of my random, yet sometimes thoughtful reflections.

You never know what’s gonna come out of my head…..

What on earth?

Unless you’ve been in a cave, it seems like people have lost their minds with the current situation regarding this virus.

I’m not camping on this topic long as I feel the majority of us are overwhelmed and saturated with it all.

Thank you media for contributing to hysteria that has led to people literally ripping store shelves bare and hoarding things they don’t need.

This aisle usually has paper products at my store…..

Hold on…I’m going somewhere..

I made a trip to the store the other day for a few things I actually ya know, needed.

One of those items was a vitamin I’ve taken for several years. It never occurred to me that the vitamin section would get hit and so many things wouldn’t be there.

Here’s my thought about that.

You can’t decide to throw some vitamins at your body in the moment of anxiety thinking it’s gonna “help” you fend off something.

If you want to help yourself, it needs to be something you do every single day

Eat healthy, natural foods. Drink plenty of water, exercise, get rest, and depending on your personal needs, then use vitamins if needed.

The best way to keep your body and immune system strong is to take care of it daily.

Not in an impulsive moment thinking it will be some kind of quick fix.

Rant over….stay healthy out there. Wash your hands and be smart.

Speaking of exercise….

If you’ve followed me for awhile you know that I kinda like running.

Unfortunately, I’ve had a crappy injury that’s kept me off of it. I’m still cycling and strength training but I miss the hard work and satisfaction of putting those miles in that running gives me.

I’ve used an elliptical in the past and it was the closest thing to running I could do without actually, you know, running 😛

I set out trolling all my local online sale sites watching for someone to sell off their “better idea turned towel and clothes holder.”

Not to hard to find I might say. I just had to wade through mediocre ones that were to much and then the nicer ones, if well priced, got sold or they were to far away etc.

Until…..

The other night I found a Nordictrack, a short drive down the road from me, selling for only 50.00.

I couldn’t respond fast enough. This time I was the one quick enough to get the prize.

The couple told me they had each gotten a gym membership and it was never used. This originally 800.00 machine ( she had the receipt and manual in a bag for me) had all the bells and whistles on it.

I happily loaded my game on the trailer and hauled it home.

I got it all set up….today was my maiden voyage on it.

Gosh, it felt awesome to be working hard like that again.

Heart pounding and sweat in my eyes…good times 😁

Do you like ellipticals?

On topic of healthy lifestyle

In other recent events in my life, hubby was in the hospital for a number of weeks so needless to say I found myself frequenting the hospital cafeteria for more than shots of coffee.

I have to say their food selections were nice and varied.

Often though, I hit up their salad bar. It offered a good selection of colorful greens and other veggies with protein options too. I got some dressing in a container so I could control what I had. ( remember dressings can contribute a huge amount of calories to a otherwise healthy salad) it was a satisfying and filling lunch.

I wrote a post before addressing the myth that is perpetuated suggesting healthy food was more expensive than fries or burgers ( The Cost of Healthy Eating) You can also check out my post (Weight Loss and Salads and Salad Bar Strategies)

On average I paid 4.00-5.00 for my salad. ( you pay by weight) those cucumbers and chick peas were heavy!)

On one day I just wanted a burger and fries, because, why not? I paid 7.50 for it.

The bottom line is, we make our choices. You choose to eat healthy foods or you don’t.

Not only do I have plenty of colorful veggies, eggs and chick peas covered my protein.

Doesn’t it look delicious? 😁

Speaking of healthy food

https://pin.it/4osmBfX

I made this recipe for dinner recently and it is amazing!

https://pin.it/1WBX33I

I just found this salad recipe and it is definitely on my list to try soon.

Ok and one of my favs…

https://pin.it/7hUVgjK

In other life stuff

In ways of things fun and not stressful, how about a look at a few of my vintage projects?

One of my other plates I juggle is a growing vintage business which involves flipping often old,sad and falling apart furniture.

It brings me tremendous satisfaction to make things pretty again…like this custom order I just finished this week…

Here’s the before:

And the after:

This turned out so cheery and is such a happy piece. My customer…”oh my gosh, I wanna cry, it’s so pretty!”

Makes my day.

I got this super cool piece last week. Its an old wash station. It does have a seriously abused marble top but I’ve got plans to spruce that up.

I think…it would repurpose to make a great coffee bar. At first I thought it would make a great pastry table but it is a bit short for that. How would you repurpose this cute piece?

Then there was this.. I love old telephone benches. I can’t keep them around, a good problem to have..

This is how I got it….

And after..

Boring magazine holder…

Turned kitchen utility crate 😛

Enough of my creativity for now… I got more projects this weekend

And before I go…

Isn’t it pretty? And it’s really black coffee. I love the nitro cold brew from Starbucks. It has no cream, the nitro gives it the smooth creamy foam and it slowly settles and swirls down through the coffee until it’s black. It packs a powerful caffeine punch, yet is ridiculously smooth and satisfying to my soul

My current guilty pleasure 😉

Your turn…..tell me…how are you doing out there? How is your piece of the world doing? Have you tried the nitro coffee? What’s new with you?

Monday Musings

So as I’m lounging on my sofa tonight drinking copious amounts of coffee I keep thinking it’s already Sunday night, yet it’s not.

Yay…one more weekend day.

It IS entirely probable my brain is fried from a busy day of hosting my 3 year old granddaughters birthday party with a house full of loud, active and busy kids hyped up on youthful energy and a dash of sugar.

Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s it.

The birthday party was a success and my granddaughter embraced the day with complete wild abandon.

I would not have expected any less from her.

I joke she’s my spirit animal but really I aspire to live each day with the constant joy and enthusiasm she has for all situations.

Ah…but back to the weekend

That means time to work on more of my vintage and antique projects. I need more time! 😫

I’ve picked up some uber cool pieces the past couple weeks. Between doing pieces for my shop ( things are moving out fairly quick there..not a bad problem) I’ve picked up quite a few custom orders as well as repeat customers so I guess you can say I always have a project going on.

Not a bad problem to have.

Ok …I know you wanna see some of the goodies… 😁

What about this turn of the century serpentine dresser?

It gets its name from the style of drawers..

The lady advertised *it needs work”. Thankfully, I have mad repair skills.

Oh…did I mention this beauty was 5.00?

Yes you’re reading right. It’s gonna cost a ton of labor but the end result will be awesome.

***listen to that confidence***

What about this old radio cabinet?

Yeah check out the original label in it…

I have a customer who quickly claimed it. She will put a stereo in where old one was…she wants it for her boys who collect records. I’m sanding and staining it for her.

And then I finished off this custom order. I got this old vanity and bench last summer. I showed it to a customer and she wanted it for a desk. The bench stayed with me for another project

Oh….here’s the after pic….

Sweet, clean and ready for a new adventure.

In more reflective thoughts….

I’ve got two things dancing in my head.

1. When did the world become so full of self entitled people?

AND

2. Do young people really have such a poor working knowledge of basic daily math?

Ok..my first thought.

This has been in my head awhile from various experiences.

Working at my sons shop ( ah.. dealing with the public) I’m often shocked at customers who think they don’t have to pay for a service or think they shouldn’t have to pay what has been charged or he should do work for free,the list goes on…. there are times I’m left speechless.

Hmm… or more like attempting to hold my tongue. 🙄

However I had a personal experience this weekend when a customer went to my shop to buy a piece of furniture. I wasn’t working on this day ( we’re a co-op and as vendors work a few days a month) she had previously messaged me about price and I told her what it was. Yet when she got to shop, she angled at getting a lower price. Her husband even suggested to checker they should get it for even less. Then went on to act shocked/annoyed they had to pay tax.

Like…dude. This isn’t a yard sale and do you even live in this country? This is a store…you pay tax. This is life.

Death and taxes… it’s a given.

Self entitlement. It’s an ugly thing in our society.

My second point.

I had two similar experiences this week. I had stopped at a new coffee shop to you know, share the wealth and to try their coffee.

After getting past the shock of my small cold brew being 4.33 I handed her my money.

10.33

You get it, right?

Now let me say I’m not the world’s best math whiz. I don’t know who ever thought that putting the alphabet in math problems was a good thing and I literally passed high school algebra by the skin of my teeth.

But daily working math? I’ve got that. I can count change back and run mental numbers in my head. I can figure percentages and do estimates etc

You know….Basic life math that we all need.

It appears a lot of young people can’t do that.

The young girl took my money and proceeded to hand me change as if I hadn’t given her the change with my bill. I told her ijust needed 6.00 back.

She then fished more change out and handed me that along with my change and I said I don’t need change, just 6.00.

She laughed nervously and said “ohhhh I get it”

I’m pretty sure she didn’t get it.

Then on another day in a drive thru. My order was 2.52.

I tripped the poor guy up handing him 10.52.

I waited…and waited…wondering if I was gonna get my change back. Finally he slowly handed my money out the window.

6.00.

I said “Hey sweetie I’m supposed to get 8.00 back” to which he asked for my receipt?

Then he carefully handed 2.00 more out the window. I imagined him standing there trying to figure out what fresh hell I was putting him through as he attempted to decipher how much money to give me back.

Oh. My. Gosh.

Is the younger generation so dependent on machines to think that they can’t operate with basic, easy skills?

Remember counting in ones,fives, tens, etc in elementary school? Isn’t that the basic idea in counting money?

What happened here?

When I mentioned it to my son ( who is a part of this generation) his response… they’re all dumb. 😱

That may be a bit harsh, but it’s a disturbing reality in our society.

Maybe we should bring back home economics and basic life skills classes? 🤔

Ok I’ll hop off my soap box now and on to complete randomness you could do without

Do you know Amazon has something called “chip fingers”?

For real.

And yeah, I didn’t know what they were either, but thanks to my little band of misfit friends I got educated.

Evidently they are like little socks for your finger tips so while you’re noshing on Cheetos or Doritos you don’t get those nuclear orange finger tips…I hope you aren’t eating those…. but if you do they are evidently helpful for keeping your fingers clean from eating anything messy.

Ah…how did we ever get along before?? I’ll attach the link so you know I’m not tricking you 😉

Maybe you should buy a set and impress your friends.

Speaking of orange

Ii see all the fall stuff showing up in the stores, but honestly with Texas still rocking July like temps, it does not put me on the fall mood…at all.

Ii did recently give in and buy an adorable sweater with the anticipation that some day I may get to wear it…

I may have bought a thing or two else along with it…..

Seriously though, I’m ready for some of those perfect fall days.

Has fall showed up where you live?

In conclusion…..

My athletic shenanigans. This sums up exactly how I feel…….

I’ve been off running for months. Long story short, an x ray date with my sports doctor, me thinking I’ve done something that’s gonna need surgery and he presents me with “you have arthritis ” was not what I was prepared to hear.

I’ve been doing some PT work to stretch and work muscles that have gotten tight with a greatly reduced physical work load. Gonna see how some of this helps and just go from there. I’ll tell you this…I’m not gonna just take this and go lay down somewhere nor do I plan on giving up.

There will be an upcoming post on my PT adventures…so stay tuned for that 😜

Meanwhile, I’m increasing my strength training days. I even upped my dead lifts last week to 185, so there’s that. Rowing is a good substitute for running so I will continue my rowing skills and of course, cycling. That should keep me busy, right?

Your turn….what’s going on in your world? Has fall showed up yet? What athletic activities keep you busy?

Monday Musings

Welcome to another edition of Monday Musings, and not just another Monday but Labor Day here in the states. Labor day holiday weekend is the symbolic final salute to summer before heading into fall.

Unless you’re in south Texas then its just more summer till like…January.

I’m ready to send summer on outta here as it’s been crazy hot, with nothing more exciting than work and more work.

A change of season might offer up something a little more interesting.

Ah, Fall. It’s hard not to anticipate those cooler mornings, milder days, and favorite fall weather meals.

Speaking of fall… Starbucks needs to seriously cool their heels on the pumpkin spice thing.

They released it in August this year.

August.

I hate to say this but while I’m sweating just breathing I’m not wanting to cozy up to a warm beverage more suited to over sized cozy sweaters and boots.

They need to stop being so greedy and wait for their season to actually arrive.

Anyone with me on that?

And no, I don’t actually drink mentioned beverage as I find it to sweet.

I could be lured into temptation with a pumpkin spice scone though 😉

What beverage am I currently loving ?

The new nitro cold brew. I was informed I couldn’t get one larger than a grande due to the caffeine in it 😱

What is nitro cold brew you may wonder? It’s a cold brew coffee charged with nitrogen to give it a rich creamy head, similar to nitro draft beer like Guinness.

Whatever.

It’s chilled, rich and even black like I prefer, its smooth and almost creamy.

I pace myself though cause tasty or not, they are a little pricey.

Meh. So they butchered my name. I’ll still come when they call.

Speaking of work….

I’ve mentioned before I have a little vintage business with a large part of that flipping old, usually beat up, or discarded antique and vintage furniture. Not only am I doing pieces for my shop, I’ve been doing custom orders too. I did a rocking chair this week for a customer. It was her great grandparents and 100 years old!

I was privileged to work on this family heirloom.

This is what it looked like when I got it…

And then after…. Customer requested paint and finish and I was thrilled with how it came out…

I felt a connection with this piece and had to remind myself I had to give it back 🤣

I also got this cute antique half table this week.

It looked like this….

But then I did a little magic on it and now…

It looks sweet right?

Ok one more.

I scored this antique armoire today. It was a definite fixer upper. It had so many new things added to it…and things broken and needing to be put back together. At least she had all the parts.

This is what it looked like coming home…sad and needy…

I desperately wanted to jump into it but was committed to finishing a piece I was working on….so hubby jumped into it and…..

A couple hours later……

Doors glued together and put back on, mirror door rebuilt and mirror installed, and all of the added shelving removed inside.

The only thing long gone was the original back. We pulled off the cheap flimsy board on back ( which had lots of holes cut into it) and will replace with something a bit nicer.

I estimate this piece roughly turn of the century. I was happy it still had all of its castors (wheels)

Now it’s ready for me to do some magic on it. It just makes me happy seeing it more like it should be, closer to its original look.

In the world of health and wellness

Once again I noticed on a “health” product that it proclaimed to suppress your appetite.

Which kinda had me scratching my head. I never get that.

Can I make a wild statement here?

Your body gets hungry for a reason. Those hunger pangs are natural given signals to feed your body.

Food is fuel.

To ignore those signals or to attempt to suppress them is disordered thinking at best.

A healthy approach is to honor your body, it needs fuel. Eat an appropriate amount to satisfy your hunger with healthy foods and move on.

To ignore or attempt to suppress it will keep keep your mind on food and may lead to binge eating later.

Speaking of food

As I mentioned earlier, fall is coming and it’s hard not to think of tasty fall treats. I love baking so recently I went to my dessert file on Pinterest to see what treats might be a good experimental fall recipe.

So many choices! With pumpkin everything aways getting noticed I thought I’d dive into something apple oriented.

https://pin.it/6owwg6gciv3fv5

It had rave reviews….give it a try 😁 do you have any fall desserts that are a favorite?

Tell me …are you ready to wrap up summer? Do you enjoy changing seasons? What is your current ( new) favorite beverage?

Monday Musings

Monday. Am I the only one lurching into it after a long 4th of July weekend ?? Here in the states we just celebrated our nation’s birthday….our 243rd one to be exact.

Yeah we celebrated with a four day weekend 🤣

I may be biased, but I believe we live in the greatest nation.

Yes, it has problems, but we are still blessed beyond measure with the gifts and freedoms we have.

So we celebrated our freedoms and all that we’ve been blessed with…food, fireworks and hanging with family.

Long weekends equal productivity

Having a block of days home let me dive into the deep end on furniture projects waiting for me.

Does this count as athletic activities? 🤔

I mentioned last week I had moved into my new location for my business. I had lots that sold so I was trying to replenish items.

I finished off an antique dresser, four chairs, and some small items too.

I love getting things done!

I’m super excited over how the dresser came out.

Here’s its before pic…

Old, tired and needing a new look.

I kept it simple and it looks so fresh now.

I’m pretty happy with it. The light distressing gives it the aged look it deserves.

Then.. last week I scooped up these antique chairs at the thrift store.

Yeah. I know you’re loving the cheetah print 😏

Cheetah? Leopard? Your call.

Check out the new look I gave them….

Miss the cheetah print yet?

I got this cool chair at an estate sale months ago. I finally got to let the ideas out of my head for it…

Its boring before pic…

Look at it now 🙂

And my final chair. An old harp back and after all my black I wanted to do a bright fun look….

And besides all that, I’ve been working on the room my daughter recently vacated.

Hubby was a trooper and installed new, cooler,molding on the floor and I’ll be painting this week

Then as mentioned previously, the entire antique bedroom set I have in my barn finally has a room to come to 😁

No.

No I haven’t been busy….which is why I’m writing this at 11p m Sunday night..

Oh..and I don’t sell everything…I mean what’s the point of having a fun business if you don’t get to keep some of the goodies??

For instance, I got this super cool old coffee table. It’s over 6’0 long! It has leaves that when open you could use as a table top.

I don’t exaggerate.

Me asking the girl about it.

“Oh, idk, I think it’s from the 50s. I’m selling the stuff for a dead person.”

Me: “whaattt?”

Haha…well she only wanted 12.00 for this solid wood beast so I didn’t waste any time grabbing it up.

Now to decide how exactly I want to spruce it up.

Furniture isn’t the only thing I’ve been lifting

I’ve been adding more strength training days to my week.

Hello sweaty Sunday 🤣

I have a love hate relationship with deadlifts.

I love knowing I can lift some solid weight, I know it’s also gonna be a little work.

I usually do three sets of 6 at my current weight of 165. I’m fixing to add on to that soon.

My 25lb dumb bells have become quite easy to handle. I’ve added more reps on the mix.

I got to thinking when I first started off a few years back I was using 8lbs

Now I can toss 25s around and use a 35 lb kettlebell for swings and other fun moves.

Consistent work is all I can contribute it to

Well…anyone who wants to make progress needs to stay consistent.

Oh. And hard work too 😏

And finally…

Would it be a Monday post if I didn’t offer you up some tasty food I had experimented with???

This is uh…not on the healthy treats list.. but it’s chocolate sooooo….

I made this for the 4th celebrations.

It was devoured.

Trust me, you’ll love it and it’s super easy to make.

https://pin.it/mx5cz3fwji5mty

That’s a wrap boys and girls. Tell me about your week and any summer celebrations you’ve got going on.

My Vintage Life

So it’s a dark and rainy night here tonight. I “feel” like I should be doing something “productive” instead I’m plopped on my sofa in oversized clothes drinking copious amounts of coffee.

I may or may not sleep tonight.

I decided I could be productive and write, but don’t feel motivated enough to have to think to hard writing on my usual health/fitness/lifestyle/nutrition mantra.

Yeah I do try and be on my A game when I deliver all that stuff…

Soooo…since I was goaded recently by a fellow blogger ( *cough * he shall remain nameless) that I hadn’t written a post recently on my other life….that of furniture flipping…vintage and antique kinds of goodies that is.. I decided tonight was the night.

That comes easy enough to chat with you over coffee Haha

My vintage life

You can find where it all started in my post on it here…. https://sassyfitnesschick.com/2018/07/25/the-journey-of-opening-a-vintage-business/

I often get asked “how long ” I’ve been doing it.

Me: I literally just stumbled into it last year. Like seriously. I did a piece or two. It was fun. The visions came without effort. People liked it and started buying it and well…here I am

I always joked my mom had all the artistic talent. And she did. She could paint all kinds of things and it actually looked like…rose’s or scenery, tiny details or whatever…

Beautiful.

She tried hard to “teach” me. Sigh…. my art work was less than stellar.

Along the way I learned my gifts were more “active” and just decided I had no creativity.

So of course it came as a surprise to me when the furniture thing came so effortlessly to me. I’ve been asked by lots of people if I could teach them how to do it.

Yeah, I could do that. But what I can’t teach is the stuff that’s in my head. The way I get almost immediate visions for pieces. The way I can see the end result already in my head.

I can’t teach you that.

It’s at that point I realized it wasn’t that I didn’t have my mothers artistic abilities, they were just…. different….and that was ok.

Not only ok, it was cool. Cool to do something that took a piece from ugly and hopeless to updated, beautiful and useful again.

I cannot begin to say how satisfying it makes my “work”.

I like old things and I cannot lie…

My son asked me years ago before I was even into this why I liked “old junk”. I have appreciated, for a long time, older things. It’s just gotten stronger as I’ve aged. Perhaps I just have a different appreciation for it.

They have a life and story to them that modern day items do not have. There is a “feel” to them. They have somehow traveled through time, families, traded hands numerous times and somehow I get entrusted with it.

The pieces bare wear marks, scratches, missing parts etc of the life they’ve lived. I never try and make an old piece look “perfect”. It has lived life and should still have reflections of it.

I’ll show you some projects..…

I’ve done quite a few things now. I have literally a barn of cool things waiting for me….some personal…others to sell..

I picked up this 1930s radio cabinet last month for 25.00. I knew I was keeping it. I’ve repurposed it to use in my kitchen to hold linens and baking items

It’s pretty beat up from age. The top opens where the radio used to sit. We are putting a solid piece in so I can store linens. The details make me wanna weep they are so gorgeous.

Ok you wanna see it now?

The back isn’t finished yet…but you can see all the pretty parts. I hand sanded the paint back off all the details so they’d pop. I left the doors original for some contrast and because I always try and leave some of its former life if I can. This makes such a pretty piece in my kitchen now.

How about this old button box? It was so dark and dreary…I love how sweet it looks now!

That sold almost as soon as I posted it.

I found this awful, sad and crusty table at a thrift store but I could see its potential…

Look at how it transformed though!

How sweet is it now??

But then I found a vintage suitcase. Hubby asked what I was going to do with it. The corner was broken and crushed.

Me…with confidence…I’m gonna fix it up! Hahaha ( have I mentioned how much I love a good challenge?)

Let the repair work begin!

I dragged in some old weights to plop in corners while gluing damaged area….

Then the base coat after repairs.. can you tell which corner was broken down? you ready to see the end results?

Of course you are 😉

Not bad for a broken down suitcase right? I was soooo thrilled with how it came out.

Then I bought this old, brown antique table. Solid wood and heavy with gorgeous details, I couldn’t pass it up.

And it’s much brighter after pics …

Another piece that sold almost immediately:)

Ok I’ll show you one more…..

I got this cute vanity that was someone else’s better idea project they abandoned

And it’s transformed look….

I found the little bench a few weeks later and it was perfect for it.

I had been itching to do something in pink and black and this was the perfect set to work it out on. I had scored the black and white paper at the thrift store and wanted to use that too. It all came together so well.

It was all meant to be together ha

Do you love all things vintage?

Ok I’ll shamelessly plug my business page and you can follow all of my furniture flipping shenanigans there if you like.

It’s a page devoted to sharing with others my transforming work, selling some of it, and educating when I can on various pieces.

I do occasional posts here on it ( often in my Monday Musings posts) but my business page is all things vintage fun. Mostly furniture but I get other items as well. Currently bread boxes are the cats meow. They sell as soon as I finish them. Hubby was teasing me one week ’cause I had actually managed to get my hands on a few and I had one in my shop.

“you have four bread boxes.”

Me: Yep.

A week later they were all gone. 🙂

Ok so here is the page:

Find it…www.facebook.com/shadesofyesterday

If this wasn’t enough vintage/furniture flipping reading find a couple other posts here..

The Art Of Flipping Furniture

Steps To Transforming Vintage Furniture

I hope you enjoyed seeing some of my trash to treasures items!

Tell me…do you like old stuff? Are you a vintage lover or are you a more modern person?

Monday Musings

Hello world and hello Monday.

Didn’t we just do this??

Is anyone else appreciating that the days are slowly getting a bit longer and for us, warmer as well?

So I’m feeling a bit victorious...

Why you ask? I’m coming off a 9 day stint of taking care of my very active, busy, precocious 2 year old granddaughter while my son and wife were in Ireland.

Rough for them I know 😛

Anyway, I dusted off my 24/7 mom skills and thankfully they were still in place. And it should be mentioned, being fit has payoffs in keeping up with a non stop 2 year old.

Thankfully she enjoys being busy and enjoyed running and going places with me.

She loves being outdoors with the sun in her face and wind in her hair. She wants to explore and is open to new adventures. She’s fearless and doesn’t hesitate from jumping into things.

She’s my spirit animal, seriously.

We went to the park one day. And of course she wanted me running up the hills with her, and then climbing up the big slide. She delightedly waited at the bottom for me to slide down squealing in joy. We got on the swings, her in my lap holding on to the chains thrilled we were sailing into the trees.

***me…attempting to bend all 6’0 under the slide over hang***

It was all fun and games till she let one arm go. I was trying to keep her on my lap while the swing was twisting wildly and I’m internally freaking out ’cause I’m terrified I’m gonna break her little arm. When I finally get the crazy swing under control and stop us, she turns to me and says “Nanny come on, do it again!” While my heart is still pounding out of my chest…

I got to climb bars, swing from them, and all kinds of other things while well behaved moms in yoga pants sat chatting watching my antics.

It’s the cool thing about being old. You just do what you want and you don’t care if anyone may or may not be approving.

There’s a crazy amount of freedom in that.

And you know something? It is true…what people used to tell me…that grandkids are awesome and blah, blah…I thought they were just running their mouths

You love them in this crazy, awesome, different way from your own kids. They are the reward for not eating your own offspring 😜

They own your heart in ways you can’t explain.

I have 6…and a 7th due in less than a month…another little girl to own my heart. My first born son expecting his first born. I can hardly wait to see him in a daddy role to his baby girl.

I just hope he doesn’t pass out during the delivery….

So yeah, grandbabies are kinda cool.

Then one day, we’re in my car hitting the highway. I drive a Charger and it never gets old letting it open up, hearing the engine kick in, and that swift feel of rapid speed. It’s a head rush.

I do love it.

Then from the backseat I hear….”Whoa!” Followed by a wild delighted laugh. I glanced back to see her with this big smile on her face. It appears she may enjoy it too…

This was us “driving” later. I may be ruining her for her dad hahaha

The next morning as we were going to car she runs for drivers side and I hear…”Nanny are you ready?”

I spent a whole lot of time laughing. 😂😂

Her parents returned home after a fun trip and collected her.

I missed her sleepy little face that first morning they were back, waking up, calling me and giving me morning hugs and kisses.

We had been partners in crime.

Fortunately they live next door so I don’t have to go to long before I get those again.

Later, I got to enjoy my coffee in a cool cup. Pretty sure not many people have a coffee cup like this around Texas….

Oh yeah, aside from busy 2 year old care, I had time to work on lots of projects for my business. That has kept me running too. I love all the creativity that comes with it.. I find it quite relaxing in a weird way.

I finished this cool antique table this week. I’m excited it has sold already.

Look at those claw feet. I’m a sucker for those.

I repurposed an ugly vintage suitcase…

Look at it now…

And I turned a boring brown table into a clock table which I love…

I’m on a black and white kick….

And one other thing. Check out this super cool antique radio cabinet I scored. I’m totally repurposing it for something else…I can hardly wait to start it.

In other random stuff….

I was running through the store the other day and spotted this.. .

Like…what the heck Barbie?? I know times are a changin’ ya’ll but.. this isn’t the Barbie I knew and loved.

I love the glamorous Barbie even if the world thinks she’s unrealistic. What’s wrong with fantasy and fun play? I like my Barbies with crazy long legs and unrealistic waist sizes.

She had amazing clothes, cool cars and equally spiffy boy friends.

I don’t want a thick Barbie in mom jeans.

I know that may not be politially correct to say but it’s my personal opinion. Childhood is short, why can’t you have something wildly fun and non real to enjoy before you have to grow up?

Maybe there is a market for the mom jean Barbie….I prefer the Barbie who knows how to dress and has the cool car.

Your turn to weigh in…what do you think about a modern looking Barbie? What new projects or adventures have you been up to this week? How will you spend longer days?

Monday Musings

I was feeling kinda lazy and toying with not writing and then I thought about you, my 1.5 readers. I thought about you and how you’d be bleary eyed over your morning coffee looking for todays Monday Musings and then it wouldn’t be there and you’d be mildly disappointed…ha… so here we are.

I do have a few things I’m musing this week… as in….

How the heck do I have a 30 year old child now? Well, not a child a man for sure, but you know what I mean.

Tomorrow, he officially turns “30”. For some reason he’s been dreading it like he’s now gotta sign up for AARP and get fitted for dentures or something.

I find myself pondering where 30 years rolled off to? I think I’m to young to have a child this age 😛

20190105_202117 — A homemade 3 layer German Chocolate Cake

My first born son.

Sweet, kind hearted, gentle, ridiculously off the cuff funny, smart, ( he used to toss the directions for Leggo kits and just build them from sight), he impresses me with what he can teach himself and what he knows, he’s beautiful and comes in at about 6’5, a combination which often makes the opposite sex pay attention.

He’s also married and going to make me a grandmother again with a beautiful little girl in the spring 🙂

This is the gentle, compliable, laid back child that convinced us it was so fun we should have another one.

Enter my strong willed, stubborn, head strong, out spoken, bold second son. You know the shopping cart that refuses to go the right way and is constantly careening everywhere and you gotta keep a firm hand on it at all times? Yeah. This child may be more like me than I want to admit… but he’s another story 😉

I joke it’s good the oldest one came first….

Life moves along and I think one of it’s biggest markers/milestones is watching your children grow up. I’m blessed for sure with what I’ve been given and am so thankful to watch him celebrate another life milestone.

I realized this week sometimes I underestimate myself

Not often, but I do.

When I was asked before Christmas to offer up a wish list, it was on my mind to ask for heavier free weights. I have a variety of weights I use depending on what I’m doing, everything from light 15lb for higher reps, to a 35 lb kettle bell, and Olympic weights for all the other fun stuff. I had asked for 20lbs thinking that would be enough of a move up to make me work a bit harder than the lighter ones I used mostly for arm work

I did get the requested 20 lb weights.

What I realized is in the past months, the time I’ve been working out, my arms have gotten stronger than I realized and the 20 pounders felt, well, a bit breezey. ( Iguess tossing all that other heavy stuff around added up :-P)

As in, I easily curled off 12 reps without missing a beat. I knew if I wanted to be challenged more I’d need to up the weight. So I went to athletic store and played with the 25 and 30 pounds. Even though I use a 35 kettle bell, it’s usually with both hands so the single 30 was heavier for single arm work.

20190101_164901

I opted for the 25’s because it’s hard enough, and when I add more reps I really start to feel it. Doing renegade rows with them I REALLY feel them.

Needless to say, I’ve got some new arm goals for this year 😉

The holidays are behind us, time to get productive again…

Meaning, I need to get back to flipping my vintage and antique furniture! My daughter in laws were asking me what I’d done lately and I’m like…uh nothing….

Tonight though, I finished off a chair that’s mine that’s been sitting waiting for a new seat and waxing over the paint. I love this old chair, it’s legs and weathered details. I bought it in horrible condition for 10.00. It now looks pretty, distressed, usable and cute with my old Sligh desk I refinished last year.

20190106_213426 — I love the spindle back

Want to read more about what I do in my uh…spare time? Find my posts here…

The Art Of Flipping Furniture

Steps To Transforming Vintage Furniture

In the way of really, really cool things….

Do you remember, way back in April of last year, there was a Southwest Airplane that the engine blew out on ? The pilot, a woman named Tammie Jo Shults, calmly, successfully, navigated and landed the plane to safety with only one engine and a hole in the cabin after a window blew out.

Here’s the super cool thing.

I’ve gone to church with her for years.

I remember one summer doing VBS ( vacation bible school) with her and finding out she was a pilot and being in awe of that…and then finding out later she’d been a Navy fighter pilot.. the first woman to do so.

I mean, really, that seemed like a crazy, cool kinda job.

Needless to say, when that day happened and we heard about it, but then it got really closer to home when we all started hearing who the pilot was.

I tell you all this because this morning she shared her story during the morning worship service.

Before she spoke they played clips with air traffic control and her in the cockpit during that unnerving flight while pictures of the plane were shown.

To say it was moving is an understatement.

Soft spoken, well articulated with a good sense of humor, she shared her personal insights from that day.

Already a strong and committed Christian, she gave a beautiful testimony of peace and trust in God during that time. She said “I realized quickly that today could well be the day I meet my Maker” but then she said” I also knew we were still in the air and flying but somehow knowing the truth that it could be a possibility, a calm settled over me as I began to do what I needed to do. ”

This is the calm steady voice you will hear on the audio tapes from that day.

She jokingly said one of her sons friends had commented “Your Mom is so calm!” and his response was, “No she’s not, you should see her when I leave my dishes in the sink!”

She talked about the unsure, scary moments when the engine went out, the cabin losing pressure, smoke in the cockpit, not being able to hear, see, or breathe, how horribly loud everything was and how badly the plane was shaking.

She wondered if it would be able to stay together to fly. With one engine gone and parts of the plane destroyed with it, she said the left side was essentially like having an “anchor in the air”.

She talked about the pain she still feels knowing a woman lost her life that day and how she has kept up with her family. She mentioned passengers that she said were the “true hero’s that day” and her crew that did an amazing job at handling such a difficult situation.

Listening to her speak about that day was not only interesting to hear her personal account, but also to here her share about her steady and unwavering faith in God even in the midst of such turmoil and difficulties was encouragement to us all.

I can’t top that…..

What a story, right?

I’ve got a busy week ahead and ideas for new topics to bring you. One post I’m looking forward to writing is a comparison post on low carb vs. keto. Are they the same? Different? What are the good and not so good points on them? And lots more ideas as well.

Your turn… what do you have going on in this new week of a new year?

Monday Musings

Oh Happy Monday beautiful people! Seems like we were just here, right? Once again it’s late evening as I write this reflecting back on the week and all that’s gone on.

On a positive, exciting note for me, I’ve had a lot of sales with my furniture business! Just when I start thinking I may grow into an old furniture lady surrounded by beautiful relics, things sell.

I had sold several pieces last week, then a woman saw a chair I had done and was selling online, went crazy over my stuff and has bought up every finished chair I had, as well as every unfinished, and even one I had to go out and find to get her an even number of 8.

She also bought an unfinished telephone bench I had, and has custom ordered a 7ft antique buffet that I haven’t gotten to yet.

Wow.

Funny thing about the chairs, I had finished several and was planning to take them into my shop. I stood there thinking ” I hope the people who love chairs show up soon”

Then the next day this lady comes into my life. She is off the chart crazy over my work and I’ll be busy finishing her order in the upcoming next week or two.

Now I’m realizing all my unfinished projects I’ve had waiting for me have dwindled down and I’m hunting for more things to do. I’m also realizing the holiday season will be here in a few months and I need to be thinking of things to keep my little shop area full of goodies for customers.

received_1740764015993170 (1) — I love this wall in my little room 🙂

If you want to read more about my journey into this process, you can find it here

The Journey Of Opening A Vintage Business

I’m still a working woman….

I mentioned last week I was helping my son out for awhile at his shop… that combined with my projects above is enough to keep me running right now. I try most days to assemble healthy foods to take with me.

Salads, as I’ve mentioned before are one of my favorite lunch meals because they are satisfying and nutritious as well as leave me feeling energetic and not lethargic from a big meal

20180814_125747 — it’s really ok to mix fruits and veggies 😉

When people ask me what I “take” to stay healthy and fit…. this… is more important than anything. Lots of colorful fruits and veggies are what I “take”. ** not shown or getting to make an appearance, my two hard boiled eggs on the sidelines. Gotta have that protein. ** 😉

On the topic of food… I tried a couple new recipes this week… maybe not so light on calories… but definitely tasty

https://www.plainchicken.com/2009/01/creamy-chicken-casserole.html

http://bestrecipesww.com/philly-cheese-steak-sloppy-joes-recipe/

( ok the recipes are being brat’s and not appearing to link properly… both the chicken casserole and philly sloppy joes were big hits )

In the ways of technical stuff….

I may have been whining… I mean…uh… sharing….. with you that my Garmin bit the dust. Well, I mean it was working , it just kinda lost it’s top. I could still hear it making various sounds I had become accustomed to but, well, it’s inside were hanging out and as you can imagine, that was a wee bit of a problem.

20180728_160839

turns out according to Garmin, they had some issues with the adhesive that holds the face plate on. So after a bit of communication, I had signed up to get the new Vivoactive 3. (For the record, they are really awesome to work with on issues like this)

It’s just like the Vivoactive HR I’ve worn for two years, but more refined, enhanced and well. prettier looking.

I decided I needed the white and rose gold….

IMG_20180817_130826_383 — So pretty all still packaged….waiting…

Of course one of it’s new features is that it looks more like a watch than the rectangular Vivoactive HR.

It’s got lots of other cool stuff too, but that will have to wait for my review on it in a few weeks.

For now, I am a happy camper to have it tracking me and using it for my training again.

IMG_20180817_130826_380 — it’s so pretty… out for it’s first workout 😉

I’m finding that the heart rate tracker ( which was pretty accurate before) is really even more fine tuned now as it captures more data than previously. My resting heart rate can bounce between the 40’s and 50’s beats per minute (bpm)

remember boys and girls, when we do cardio training, our heart is a muscle that gets strong too. A lower resting rate is a good indicator that your cardio work is paying off and your heart doesn’t have to work as hard.

The watch has so many awesome features. One of the best improvements is the all touch screen and it’s high level of responsiveness. It has good back light and a large, easy to read screen.

Gosh. I’m sounding like a commercial here.

Ok, let’s just say it’s impressed me and I’ve only had it a few days. I love figuring all the techie stuff out on it ( well, mostly) and I know I still have a lot to learn ( I think I’ll catch on)

Oh, and it comes in black on black to which I almost got as black is one of my signature colors, but gosh, ya know the white and rose gold just won out.

I do promise a better review and not just a tease on my Monday Musings about it.

Oh, speaking of writing.

I’m working on some fun posts and (hopefully) a relevant series for women on menopause ( OMG did I just use that word in public?!) partly, I’m educating myself as I know some day it will happen and I just like to know and understand things. The other part is I want to educate women better on this topic. In todays day of anything goes and everything is talked about, I’m constantly shocked at how this is still whispered behind a hand or met with some shocked silence. Why?

So I am wanting to do a little series on the topic examining varies things about it, how to deal with it and some self care ideas as well. I know I have a large readership of you, men, out there. You can read along too as I’m sure you have women in your life as this topic will affect them at some point too.

I did write an article called Menopause, Muscles and Middle Age, you can find here while you wait for me to get my act together on that series. https://sassyfitnesschick.com/2017/05/10/menopause-muscles-and-middle-age/

20180819_191726 — I do love the strong bold lines of this watch as well.

That’s a wrap for now. Make it a good week, smile and remember to make time for yourself.

Now tell me… do you use a sports watch? If so, what is it and what do you love most about it?