New House: Kitchen Transformation

Well, we've finally moved into our new home, and boy, are we both exhausted! I've decided we will never move again, and we will just continue updating and adding-on to our existing house. I'm so happy everything is starting to fall into place, and soon I'll be able to relax and get back to the normal life. I've learned some very important things during this move/renovation process and have decided to share it in hopes that others will learn from our experience. First and foremost, make sure to find good, reliable help. This sounds like a no-brainer, but even a good recommendation doesn't guarantee someone is a good worker. Rob and I weren't able to do the interior painting ourselves because Rob had an emergency appendectomy and couldn't lift anything for two weeks. He's feeling much better now, but kinda a downer on the whole reno/move in general. We decided to push the move back a week and called in reinforcements, anyone from hired help to friends and family. The painter turned out to be not-so-great, but we had such a good turn out of friends and family that most of the boxes had been moved to the new house before the professional movers picked up the heavy furniture. We also managed to clean and fix everything, which is saying alot considering the condition of the house (several friends inquired if our house was a foreclosure lol) So, if you're considering a move in your future definitely expect delays as they will happen! Don't stress or fret because usually there is nothing you can do to help move things along any faster. We managed to move everything in on Friday and by Saturday evening the majority of the house was unpacked. Crazy, I know! This is why it's imperative to have reliable help, as well as being prepared for the lengthy unpacking stage (unless you are like Rob and me, and we got it done in a week). We probably overdid it this weekend, and are paying for it this work week for sure! I'm trying to remember to take breaks and enjoy my new home, but Rob and I both are do-ers and there are tons of things to do!!! I promise to have some before and after photos of our home soon, but I'd like to get it picture ready and box-free before I start to share. Here's a sneak peak for stopping by though :)

The first photo below is the original kitchen when we bought the house. We didn't like the cabinet color that was paired with the gorgeous quartz counter tops and stainless steel appliances, so we decided to use a Rustoleum Cabinet Transformation kit.

Original Kitchen

Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations: Espresso shade. We bought two kits, but only ended up needing one kit for the size of our kitchen.



We also decided to mount our new microwave over the stove in order to leave more counter space open. We added new hardware to the cabinets, hidden hinges and a gorgeous new Moen pull-down faucet. We had the paint tinted to an Espresso shade and through a quite lengthy time-consuming, nerve-racking process, we ended up with the following results...

I think we did an AWESOME job turning this into an updated, modern and snazzy kitchen. The counter tops compliment the new cabinet shade beautifully, and the kit was only $70 at Home Depot. If you are patient you too can have an amazing cabinet transformation (boy, do I have NO patience, so I literally have anger, sweat and tears in this project). The work was definitely worth the finished project, though it might be awhile before I tackle the bathroom vanities :P

Stay tuned for more house updates/reno projects!! You won't believe what we did to the back porch...

Movin' On Up!

Wow, is it May already? It seems like just yesterday I updated my blog, but in three months so much has happened! First and foremost, Rob and I put an offer on a house and it was accepted! Our close date is the end of this month too! So much to do, pack, sign, and get in order within 24 days :-/ Rob and I are very excited for this next step in our lives, although things around the house have been alittle chaotic. We've already packed half the house that is full of unused space, such as in the spare bedroom and office. Rob splurged on a rider mower this weekend (haha!), and is super excited to mow his very own lawn. I'm sure after a year of mowing the front and back yard he'll wonder why he wanted to move from our condo in the first place. I'm also anxious to share the renovation and revamp process once we move into our new home, so make sure to check back often to see before and after room transformation photos. In the meantime, because of our latest residential acquisition, our Alaska cruise has been rescheduled indefinitely while we recoup some of our financial assets. In its place is a group trip to Pompano Beach in August, whereby we can lounge at an oceanfront condo with our bestest friends for a week of fun in the sun. Not too shabby!

I've also kept up my bootcamp routine with the Knoxville Beauty Hunters since the end of January. I'm still as excited to go as when I first started, and I'm so glad to have found something I enjoy. Since late January, I've lost 15lbs and my physical and mental outlook has drastically improved (and just in time for bikini season!). I've forged new friendships, and couldn't even imagine my life without this wonderful group of girls. This past weekend, I joined the Knoxville Beauty Hunters and ran in the inaugural 5K Glow Run, as well as volunteered for the Rev3 Triatholon. We all got decked out with pink and neon glow sticks, and had an awesome group turnout for the night race!

Check out our new pad below, and a quick shot from the race:

Home sweet home in 24 short days!

Beautiful Pompano Beach vacation come August...

The Knoxville Beauty Hunters all pinked out for the Rev3 5K Glow Run (I'm on the front right side)

Healthy Lifestyle Choices

As I've gotten older, I've come to realize I'm not looking for any fad diet, or to lose weight, or to be skinny for summer. I've always wanted more. I want a lifestyle change from the way I live my life, including exercise, diet, sleep, and mental growth. I originally joined the Knoxville Beauty Hunters group to get in shape before Rob and my's cruise vacation in mid-March. I wanted to look great in my new bikini, and be fit for the summer. Since I joined the KBH circuit training group almost a month ago, I've seen amazing results. Not just in my overall fitness and well-being, but also in my mental and spiritual attitude. I eat healthy, which makes me feel better physically. I attend 2-3 KBH classes a week (60 minutes each), interval run at least once a week for an hour, and walk for 30 minutes after lunch everyday. It takes great mental strength to push hard and past what you think you're capable of even when you're exhausted. As Sarah the Beauty Hunter says, "The only thing holding you back is yourself. When you think you've had enough, push harder. When you brain says QUIT, show it otherwise. If it hurts, it means you're changing it. If it were easy, everyone would be have abs/be fit." In the end, it gives me such an accomplished feeling to know I pushed passed what my brain thought was possible. Most nights, my muscles are so sore that falling asleep is as easy as breathing. And I dream. I don't know when I stopped dreaming exactly, as I've always been a light sleeper. But, between two cats, a queen sized bed, too many covers, and not enough air flow I've always woken up throughout the night. Now that I work out regularly, I may get up once to use the bathroom (from hydrating so much!), and otherwise I'm hardcore REMing it :) It's FANTASTIC! I sleep better, deeper and wake up more refreshed, ready to face the day. I owe it all to Sarah for showing me what I've been missing in my life. Enough of these temporary seasonal changes and New Years resolutions, it's time to make a permanent change. The best part about it is the classes are FREE! All shapes, sizes, ages and athletic levels participate so no one feels singled out or out of place. I literally look forward to every single class because of the "workout high" I get from busting my butt. If you're interested in more information, check out her website HERE, she's the bomb-diggity! I have four more weeks before our cruise, and I'm so pumped about my results, I may even post some before/after photos. AHH!

On a side note, Corbin turned the big 1 on Saturday and is just cute as a button. Of course Auntie M and Uncle Roarbert were there to celebrate and shower/spoil him with gifts galore. I can't believe they grow up so fast, but I'm blessed to get to see them often. He's crawling/standing, recognizing people, pointing to things he finds amusing, and he's such a quick learner! He figures out his toys before I can, and he knows when books are flip books before me! LOL I'm definitely going to be his crazy aunt ;)

This is actually Sarah, The Beauty Hunter, in an ad for Under Armour!

Motivation!

I use this chart from time to time LOL

Corbie's first bday!

Check back soon to see some results unveiled...maybe...:)

Get Busy Livin'

Hi y'all! Thanks for stopping by my blog to read the first post this year! And why haven't I been blogging more? Cause ain't nobody got time for dat! I've been busy living life, working, spending time with family and friends, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. 

Here's a quick recap of the highlights for January: Earlier in the month, our group of friends all headed up to Indiana for a mac-daddy ski trip. Problem was the weekend temperatures hovered around 60 degrees. There was zero snowboarding :( but the trip was filled with wine tastings, laser tag, water parks, and late nights celebrating or visiting the local casino. The following weekend, Rob and I went to Florida and shacked up with his dad to visit Rob's grandfather and other relatives. It was a very sweet trip and I'm glad we got to spend time with loved ones. We also had a fabulous date night at the Daytona pier that turned into a screwball comedy complete with a seafood dinner and drinking/driving go carts. Last week, I joined a free boot camp for women and I'm busting ass to get beach ready by March (did I mention we're cruising the Caribbean?!). I feel like I have to share how wonderful it is be apart of this group of women, no glam, all hard work and sweat working toward a common goal. Check it out here. Finally, tomorrow is my dad's 60th birthday! This is such a great accomplishment/milestone and my heart feels as though it could burst from happiness. Life is Good. No, Life is GREAT!

Next month is Corbin's 1st birthday (he's my adorable nephew), and I can't wait to see him again. It saddens me that he lives in Nashville and I only get to see him once a month, but it makes the visits bittersweet. Corbin definitely triggers a bit of the baby fever in me. AHHHHHHH!! He's the only child to ever make me want to have one of my own, but don't worry...Rob and I are holding off with kids for awhile. Duh! We just got married. We're still in the honeymoon phase and enjoying just ourselves. I treasure this time we get to spend together with not a care in the world...

The World Isn't Over?!

I'm sure, like all of you, it was a huge surprise the world didn't end on December 21st. NOT! Well, I'm still here and I'm still blogging. Every December post I've talked about my birthday, Christmas, some kind of ski trip, blah, blah, blah! Yes, I had another momentous birthday and Christmas this year. As apart of my December posts, I also discuss what I've learned for the year, and set new goals and/or aspirations for myself in the coming year. Perhaps you read this blog to give yourself some new motivations or ideas, or maybe you're just interested to see what goes on inside the head of a newly married, 28 (EEK!) year old brain and what she has to brag or complain about. Well, here are the top five things I realized in 2012:

5. "Choose your friends wisely, you become what they are..."

It's ideal to surround yourself with people who aspire you to be better than what you currently are. It's best to be a dynamic character, and always ready to change in a positive direction. Looking back over the year, you should be in a better position now than you were in the previous year.

4. "Turn your weaknesses into strengths"

It's self-explanatory, but if you find a weakness destroy it! When Rob and I got married I didn't cook very often, because most of the time I had no idea what I was doing. I decided I was done with that, wanted to experiment, and now he has to all but force me out of the kitchen. I love to cook for my man! And, of course there was the constant blogging about how I couldn't run if my life depended on it (read about it HERE). I decided I was done, made the choice and commitment, and in 10 weeks went from walker to 5K runner extraordinaire! You can attain whatever you set your mind to...

3. "Don't sweat the petty things..."

Sometimes it's easier said than done, but don't let the small, insignificant things get you down. Does it really matter anyway? Will Smith once said, "Stop letting people who do so little for you control so much of your mind, feelings and emotions." In the end, opinions are like butt holes...you know the rest.

2. "Happiness is only real, when shared..."

Yes, I'm quoting from the movie Into the Wild, but it's still true. I've never been happier in all my life, than I am now. Knowing my husband is with me until the end of our lives is a very special feeling. I also believe this is the reason why social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are so popular. People want to share their lives and have others respond with positive reinforcement, whether it be a compliment to boost our self esteems or just the general knowledge that people keep track of our lives by looking at pictures or reading posts.

1. "Life isn't about finding yourself, it's about creating yourself."
Stop waiting for things to happen for you, and go make them happen. You are the single, sole reason for the way your life turns out. If there's something you don't like or want to change, it's up to you to make the necessary decisions and compel the change.

So, what does muah have in store for 2013? Well, I certainly like being more active than I was last year. I hope to at least maintain my running, and perhaps do more races. It's not only good for my health, but also for my self esteem and overall zen. Accomplishing a goal that was once thought to be "impossible" gives me a new sense of self worth, and causes me to crave more of it. I'm also going to attempt new things this upcoming year. In January, a bunch of pals and I are all heading up to French Lick Resort in Indiana (yes, it's really called that) to hit up the casino, perhaps visit the spa, do a wine tasting at the local winery, and attempt SNOWBOARDING. I love to ski, but I've always wanted to be a snowboarder. It looks waaaayy cooler than skiing, it's hip, it's new, and although I know it's gonna be painful I still can't wait! Check back soon to read allllll about that little escapade. Other than those few things, I haven't really decided what I could do to "outdo" this year, but that's ok. I'm not trying to find myself, I'm thinking of how I want to create myself :)

#Twitter

Well, it finally happened...I joined Twitter!!! <Horrified screams and gasps simultaneously erupt>. It just makes me feel old to know technology has continued to move forward, while I have chosen not to participate. Instead, I've dug my heels in and been dragged, screaming and kicking, across the floor until I was finally catapulted onto the Twitter bandwagon. I have to admit from the beginning I've been curious about Twitter. How was it any different from Facebook? Why in the world would someone care about following Lindsay Lohan? Why the hell is everyone using # signs? I'm in over my head, but not to worry. I decided to do what any respectable, top-notch scientist would do in my shoes...an experiment! Next thing I know, I'm signing up for an account and it all just happened so fast, I don't even know what happened. Anyways, lets see if I can say this right: Follow me on Twitter MJWesterling4 and check out my latest hashtag (Holy crap, I sound legit!) #freezingmyassoff for a giggle.

In other news, obviously I've finally gotten around to changing my blog address to incorporate my new last name. Score! Possibly some new visual changes are gonna be happenin' to this page too, as I bore easily. And, almost two months in, married life is absolutely wonderful (as it should be!). Though, it's definitely brought out my inner Rachel Ray as evidenced by my recent chronicles with the muffin tin! It's beyond addicting. Married life definitely suits me :)

Image from www.twitter.com

Muffin Tin Chronicles: Part 2

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Ok, I know I just posted several recipes last week, but I have a few more for you to try and they're straight from my muffin tin! Today's post includes a bruschetta appetizer, queso wontons and BEC hash brown cups (aka bacon, egg & cheese). These are all super fun, super simple recipes that can be made in very little time. So, lets cut to the chase:

Bruschetta Cups:

Prep: 5 minutes, Bake: 8 minutes 

Ingredients: square wontons, tomato, onion, minced garlic, mozzarella shredded cheese, basil, EVOO, s&p

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Dice up a tomato and some onion (red or white preferred). Combine in bowl with <1 teaspoon of EVOO, minced garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss until well mixed creating a bruschetta mix. Spray each cup of a mini muffin tin. Line the cups with the wontons. Spray the wontons. Bake in the oven for 4 minutes, this will start to toast the wontons. Fill each wonton cup with a good amount of mozzarella cheese (as much as will fit). Put back in the oven for 4 minutes to melt the cheese. Pull out, and fill each cup with bruschetta mixture. Top with sliced basil. Viola! Yummy little bruschetta cups.

You won't believe how easy and delicious these are :)

Queso Cups:

Prep time: 10 minutes, Bake time: 5 minutes

Ingredients: block of queso cheese, can of rotel, can of chili (no beans), wontons

Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, melt queso cheese in microwave. Add entire can of rotel and can of chili (no beans). Mix well and microwave again until well blended. Spray mini muffin tin and line with wontons. Spray wontons once lined. Put in oven for 4-5 minutes, or until toasted. Pull out, and fill each cup with queso mix. It's like having the chip and queso already made and put together in little servings.

I know this recipe is super easy and obvious, but when you put it in a mini cup it really adds the unique factor to it. Don't add as much queso to each cup either, as I did. It was really good, but messy.

BEC Hash brown Cups:

Prep time: 10 minutes, Bake time: 30 minutes

Ingredients: Shredded hash browns, bacon or sausage, shredded cheddar cheese, eggs, parsley (optional), s&p, butter

**This recipe makes 12 cups/breakfasts**

Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a large mixing bowl combine hash browns and 1/2 cup of melted butter. Add s&p to taste. Spray a regular size muffin tin, and line each cup with the hash brown and butter mixture. Mold it to the sides and base of each cup creating a "nest." Bake for 15 minutes or until hash browns are golden. Add shredded cheddar cheese to each cup and bake for another 4 minutes or until cheese is melted. While that is baking, cook half a pack of bacon (you can also use real bacon bits or sausage). Tear into smaller pieces. Once the hash browns are done, pull out muffin tin. Put small pieces of bacon in cups. Crack a single egg per cup into each hash brown nest. Bake for another 15 minutes (depending on if you want sunny side up eggs, or more cooked increase baking time). Top with diced parsley for decoration. Viola!

Hash browns are toasting :)

All ingredients baking in the oven. Note: some of my eggs did bust, but all the flavors combine anyway, so no worries there.

Finished product and SUPER delish!

Thanks for reading about my muffin tin chronicles this week! Hope you get around to trying some of these delights, and let me know how they turn out!