Today was the last day of my in-law’s visit.  Since it was the only nice day (it was cold but at least it didn’t snow all day like it did yesterday) of their visit and because my three year old has been asking to see the baby elephants,  we spent the day at the zoo.  We all had a very wonderful day.  Hope you had a great day too!

One more day until my in-laws arrive for a visit.  They will be staying with us for four days.  The kids can hardly contain their excitement.  I am happy and excited too but a little stressed that I won’t have the house ship-shape before they get here.  Since I’ve been busy cleaning my buns off I haven’t done any of the projects on my list.  So, I wanted to share some pretty pictures of Pittock Mansion.

Here’s another view of this stunning window.  I would so love to have a big window like this in my home.  My mid-70′s era house has few windows and they are pretty small by today’s standards.  I CRAVE sunshine!

Pittock Mansion is in Portland Oregon.  I live in Utah.  I am always amazed, no stunned, every time we go to Portland (the home of my in-laws) because everything is so green.  That’s why this is one of my favorite photos from our summer vacation.   Next week is Spring Break.  I don’t have any major projects on the schedule but I do have a couple of fun little Spring/Easter projects planned. As usual, I have an idea in my head of what I want but have not seen on the internet.  I sure hope they work out so I will have something to share .

They say, “The best camera is the one you have with you”.  I agee with that.  I would only have about half as many posts if it weren’t for the camera in my phone.  But… the camera in my phone is not the best, so I have to keep apologizing for crummy picture quality. Despite imperfection, some things (like this sunset) are too beautiful not to share.

Symmetrical balance is a principle of design where there is a mirror-like balance of elements in a room.  This picture (Ivory Homes model in the 2011 Salt Lake City Parade of Homes) is a good  real life example.  Notice the mantel has the same floral arrangement on each side.  The hearth displays pottery on each side.  And the chairs, though not mirror images, are of similar size so they are still symmetrically balanced.  Symmetry is a bit formal.  You can use it to ground elements that aren’t usually considered formal.  It is possible (in my opinion) to overdo the symmetry.  EXACT symmetry is too stiff.  That is why I said this picture is a good real-life example.  Notice the end tables flanking the sofa are completely different.  It makes the room seem livable.  I want to share the things I learn in design school to show the science behind the art of interior design.  I am a firm believer in the power of knowledge.  With the basics under your belt, there’s no reason your house can’t be your dream home.

I thought when I started this new way of eating that I would lose weight like crazy.  I mean I stopped eating fat (almost completely).  I started eating fruits and vegetables almost exclusively.  Recently, I also cut refined flour and sugar (NOT easy).  I figured since I was giving up so much that the least my body could do is let go of some of the extra pounds it was holding onto.  But no, my body refused to give up even an ounce.  I thought I was doing everything right, my sickly gallbladder does not let me  go back to my old way of eating.  I was getting soooo frustrated putting in all that effort and not getting any results!  I even went to the doctor thinking that maybe my thyroid was to blame but all the tests the doctor did came back normal.  He basically told me I was eating too much.  What?  How could that be?  I was eating less than ever before.  In fact, in my 20′s and 30′s I could eat what I wanted and just add exercise to lose weight.  Here I am at 43 eating a healthy diet and exercising and cutting calories and still not losing any weight.  What gives?  I spent a week searching for answers on the internet.  I finally found some information that has helped.  Now I am steadily and slowly losing weight.  I wish I could drop the pounds like I did in my younger days but I’m happy to take what I get !  Here are the adjustments I made to finally start getting some results.

1.  I added some whole grains to my diet.  I eat steel-cut oats for breakfast and a sandwich (instead of a salad) for lunch.  I still eat the quinoa for dinner.

2.  I added a little fat to my diet.  I sprinkle a 1/8 cup of walnuts on my oatmeal or have 1/2 an avocado with dinner.

3.  I measure and weigh my food, not religiously but at least every other day to keep me on track.

4.  I eat four meals of pretty equal calories every three hours (9 am, noon, 3 and 6) plus a square or two of dark chocolate and a cup of herbal tea around 9 pm.

5.  I keep my calories around 1600-1700 per day (down from 1800-1900).  I have either been pregnant, nursing or triathlon training for the past ten years and used to eating a lot.

6.  I still exercise an hour a day but instead of an hour of aerobics I now do 1/2 hour of cardio and 1/2 hour of weight resistance .

I added the fat and whole grains to help keep me full longer.  On mainly fruits and veggies I was starving all the time on the same number of calories.

I rearranged my exercise hour because I read that at my age I have lost quite a bit of muscle mass as I have aged.  I thought that if I added some muscle back it would rev up my metabolism.  At first I was a little afraid that I’d get bigger but much to my relief, my stomach is flatter and my legs are trimmer and less jiggly.

I weigh and measure my food to keep me honest because I tend to underestimate how much I eat and overestimate how much I exercise.

I weigh myself every day.  I average all the weights for the week and keep track of the average.  I feel that is a truer weight than the once a week weigh-in.

I am steady at losing one pound per week now ( 5 weeks-5 pounds down).  I know, nothing to write home about but I’ll take it.  I read that with hormonal changes, women of my age usually gain 10-20 pounds, so if you look at it that way it seems pretty terrific.