A whole new woman
Has it really been over a month since I blogged last? I’m very sorry – thank you for sticking with me. There really are thousands of great blogs out there so I’m sure you’re not too upset! Anyway, I have just been so busy and really haven’t felt like I’ve got a lot of great design-blog-worthy things to talk about at the moment, so I’m going to talk about a few other things that I think are cool! Like how I started this post on my iPod Touch. Amazing. If Likely had AT&T cell service I’d insist on an iPhone, but this is the next best thing. Plus I don’t have to pay extra for data service! And yes, I started this post on the iPod, but had to get my laptop out to finish it as pictures and links aren’t so easy on it, but I’ll update you with it on other things (as I’ll be explaining below!).
So, as the post explains, I’m undergoing a process of change. Mostly physically. Don’t worry, Glenn and I are fine. 
I am approaching 30 very quickly, and have realized the importance of taking better care of myself, and I’ve finally found a few things that work so I’m going to share them!
First off – my teenager-in-puberty-skin. Ugh. I’ve never been one of those lucky girls with a great complexion. So after reading about the Wonderbar on another blog I read, I followed the company on Facebook and then it couldn’t be avoided. Side Note: if you want to get your product or service out there, Facebook is amazing! You can’t miss all of the wall posts in your feed and it works!! So with the Wonderbar, I kept seeing all of the great testimonials from other happy customers and then I had to give it a try. Which wasn’t easy because the thing cost $40! $40 for a tiny little bar of (non-)soap. It’s seriously hotel-soap size. But it says it should last 3-4 months because it is clay based and doesn’t melt away like soap. Plus it replaces all sorts of other products so you only have to use this one bar. And I was desperate so I clicked “Buy It Now.” Yes, I bought mine off eBay. From a Wonderbar retailer, though, and it was still $40, but the shipping was a little cheaper this way. They seem to be only selling the 4-pack on eBay right now, instead of the single bars, but here is the link. Anyway – for my 2-week Wonderbar review!
So I’ve been using the Wonderbar for 2 weeks now (religiously. Which means 2x/day.) and I’m definitely seeing a change. I went out of town for 5 days and came back (not wearing makeup) and my husband immediately commented on my clear skin when he saw me! I without a doubt went through their “Healing Crisis” they warn you about, but I think I might finally be coming out of it. I broke out after starting to use it, but I’ve noticed that the acne heals faster. My all-over complexion is more clear and even. The redness I have isn’t as bad now, which is a major factor in my decision to buy it. I also felt like I had a bumpy, colorless rash all over my face a few days ago, but now it’s drying up and flaking off to reveal softer skin. My pores are smaller and less clogged and my skin feels tighter. I’ve also noticed a lot of dry spots where I did have blackheads (under my lower lip, sides of nose), so I’m assuming that means it’s being targeted and going away soon. I still have a lot of splotchy pigmentation (thank you, pregnancy!) and freckles all over but they’re supposed to fade as well. I had to ditch my old makeup as you can’t use mineral based makeup that you buff into the skin, but I have stopped using foundation all together and just use a tinted moisturizer and loose powder now (Physician’s Formula Organic Wear, if you’re curious – I bought it at Rite Aid). I ALWAYS, ALWAYS WORE FOUNDATION. ALWAYS. This is great because normal foundation never lasts and ends up looking horrible by 1:00pm on me. I think I also have gained some confidence to go without makeup, as it’s looking better and better every day. So thank you, Wonderbar! Maybe someday soon I’ll feel good enough to post my before and after photos – waiting for the “after”, though!
Next up…I’m on a diet. And I’ve never dieted a day in my life. I’ve watched what I eat, tried to eat healthy, and know how to eat healthy, but lately I’ve started to get uncomfortable with my weight. A good friend of mine has lost over 50 pounds recently, so after hearing her story and talking about what she’s been doing I decided to give it a try. Now before I tell you what I’m doing, please note that I really don’t want to hear any negatives about “the diet.” I have worked in the nutrition field before, and I’m sure a few of my dietitian friends will read this and have something to say, but if it works like it’s supposed to, then great! I’m doing it and that’s that! So please don’t try to talk me out of it. I’ve read the book cover to cover and re-read and re-read what I’m supposed to do multiple times, and so far it’s working and I don’t feel deprived or low-energy or am being unhealthy. It takes willpower, for sure, but the bases have been covered to help with it and I’m hoping to have to do the strict part for only a month.
You might recognize that guy from infomercials. He is not a doctor. He just wrote this book. But the diet is based on a doctor’s work (i.e. he did not write the diet, a doctor did.). It is called the “HCG Diet” and I am following the protocol from the Banyan Biofeedback site (which the book and author no way endorses or probably even knows about). My weight-losing friend knows someone who sells the products from Banyan Biofeedback, which is how she started the diet. It is broken down into 4 Phases and I am just starting Phase 2. Phase 1 consists of various cleanses and do’s and don’ts, “practicing” for Phase 2. You do as many of these as you can – it’s almost impossible to do all of them, but the more you do, the better results you’ll have in Phase 2. I did a parasite cleanse, a colon cleanse (not as gross as you’d think – not gross at all, actually) and a yeast cleanse. I also walked a lot, drank a lot of water and tea, and ate a lot of organic grapefruit and organic apples. I’m not sure how the first 2 cleanses worked, but I firmly believe the yeast cleanse delivered. If you crave sugar and sweets, do a yeast cleanse (the name brand is FiveLac or ThreeLac – I used FiveLac). That is the main thing that I noticed from Phase 1 – I’m not a slave to chocolate or ice cream anymore! This has helped me feel confident about fighting off food cravings in Phase 2, which is very strict. I’m only 2 days into the diet, and I’ve only felt some mild hunger even though I only eat 500 calories a day. And the mild hunger is only supposed to last a few days in the beginning.
You’re probably thinking – WHAT?!?! 500 calories?!?! Yes…500 calories. And I’m not ravenously hungry. I also played softball for an hour and a half last night and I’m fine. You eat meat, vegetables and fruit, and drink a lot of tea and water in a pretty strict fashion – you weigh the meat and can only have a certain amount of the fruits and veggies, and you have to eat them at certain times of day. No cheating! Usually eating a very low calorie diet will burn muscle and not fat and leave you energy-less, but that is where the HCG comes in. It stands for Human Chorionic Gonadotropin. It’s a hormone made in the placenta (they get it from pregnant women) and helps you release stored fat without burning muscle. It’s what allows starving women in third world countries to give birth to big, healthy babies. The book talks about HCG injections prescribed from a doctor, but I use the drops from Banyan Biofeedback. Anyway, enough of that. If you’re interested, e-mail me and I can help you contact the right people to get started! Please do not follow any advice I’m giving – this is what I’m doing and how it’s working for me and that is what the experts are for! Do your homework and do it right.
So, the reason for telling you this is I plan on updating you all (via my iPod on this blog) with my daily weigh-in to keep me motivated. Yesterday my weight was 148.4 pounds and this morning I weighed in at 144.8 pounds. I lost 3.6 pounds in one day – the weight loss will slow down as I get further along, but I thought that was pretty darn good for one day. I hope to weigh around 125 pounds when I’m done. I have no idea what I’ll look like at that weight, as I haven’t been that light since high school, but I’m looking forward to finding out! Then on to Phases 3 and 4, which aren’t as restrictive and reset your metabolism and hypothalamus (it’s in the brain, people!) and eating habits for the rest of your life. You lose it fast, but if you do it right you won’t gain it all back as with a lot of detox diets. I will be able to eat pizza and ice cream again soon! I just have to keep telling myself I can do this for a month. One month. And if I need to go longer, I’m sure the results will help motivate me to do so. You can do anything for a month, right? Again, I wish I was brave enough to post my “before” pictures in a bikini, but I need an “after” to feel okay about it.
Wish me luck and feel free to e-mail with any questions!! lindsay@lindsaychristensendesign.com
Read MoreHarper’s {New} Room
Sooo…we have been doing a lot of switching things up here at Casa Christensen. Which meant I got to choose new paint and re-decorate things! And believe me, I’ve done a lot of re-painting, re-arranging and more re-painting and re-arranging. But I think I finally have things how I want them (for now), so I took the chance to clean up the room and take some photos! And the clean room didn’t last very long…you can put the photos in chronological order based on how many plastic balls are in the photos. How can you expect a toddler to resist a clean room with a basket full of plastic balls?
So to refresh your memory, this is Harper’s old/first room. I’m assuming she’ll have many different rooms throughout her first 18 years with an interior designer for a momma.
I’m sure many people thought it was just fine as it was (if you recall, it did win a contest over at Serena and Lily on Facebook! Their very first Show and Tell contest for September 2009!), but we decided to make this our room as it has a little bathroom. So Harper’s room was moved to the bigger (longer and skinnier) room and we got the slightly smaller (more square with a smaller closet) and I couldn’t be happier with it all! We love having our own bathroom, and we’ve solved the clothing storage problem so things are great!
And then her new room…
This is how the room used to look when we first moved in and it was ours. I liked the orange as a color, but not in my room. It just never worked. But I finally feel like things are coming along! Notice that some of Harper’s painted furniture is in here (side table – now green and the dresser – now with white drawer fronts and new hardware).
So on to the photos of Harper’s new room! If you look close you’ll see some things are the same, and some things are different. For instance, the window shades stayed in their original rooms (i.e. we kept the striped ones and Harper got our old brown ones) and I’m so glad it worked out color-wise. We repainted both rooms, and all of the furniture that I previously painted white for her old room, I re-painted GREEN! As for her new room color – this is how I chose it. We already have gray, brown, green and white throughout our house so I started thinking about a new color for her room. Hmm…what color have I not used? Orange? Nope, done it already and want it gone! Pink? Nah…pink just wouldn’t go in our house. Purple? Not feeling purple either. Blue? YES – blue! So I grabbed all of my blue paint swatches and went through the stack to find one I liked. If you know me, you know I am obsessed with gray right now so it’s only fitting that the blue I chose is somewhat related to gray. I love the color – Comfort Gray 6205 by Sherwin Williams. It’s also in a flat finish, and I love how it looks. Plus it will work if she has a little brother sometime in the future…I promise I’ll take the pom poms down by then!
(10 points to you if you know where this color is from blogland. Yes, I order paint samples that I see from everywhere!)
I still have some touch-up painting to do (there is a lot of orange peeking out where the walls meet the ceiling) but I couldn’t wait and had to get some photos up.
I also want to re-stain the cedar chests to a darker reddish brown, to look more like the unpainted areas of the dresser.
If you’ll notice, I’m trying to add more black to the room (you know I like a little edginess – there was no black in Harper’s old room except for those lamps which is crazy for our house. We love black accents.) and black and white accents.
I’m not really an advocate for TVs in a toddler’s room, but our new room has no cable outlet and we just haven’t switched it yet. So it’s staying for now.
I stole art and shelves and lamps and fabric from all over the house to bring into her room. Lucky girl.
My aunt painted that picture from a photo of Harper. I love that she turned her into a little pixie. And I’m glad I finally got to hang it (it was in the powder bath before but now it goes with her new room!). Thanks, Aunt Vicky!
I love the new gold accents, in the frame (of a pencil drawing I did in high school – it used to be hanging in the living room) and in the lamp on the black bookcase.
I love the green I picked for the painted furniture. It’s actually the color in my office – Old Salem Gray, Benjamin Moore HC-94 – so I just used leftover paint. I knew Harper’s room needed another color and I just happened to have a sample of that green handy, so I put it up against the blue/gray and instantly knew it would look great on the furniture! Love it.
What do you think of Harper’s new room? Hopefully I can show ours soon…but I’m still working on art on the walls and it should be done!
So for the breakdown:
- Crib is from IKEA – it has the rail taken off so she sleeps in it as her toddler bed!
- Recliner is La-Z-Boy
- Window blinds are from Home Depot
- White curtains are a diamond matelasse, hand-me-down from a friend of mine
- Cedar chests were made in high school shop class (Glenn made one, the other was a gift for me)
- Black bookcase is from Tarjay (Target)
- Changing table is hand-me-down from a friend
- Black hanging shelf is hand-me-down from sister-in-law
- White and wood dresser is from thrift store
- Poms poms are Martha Stewart from Harper’s 1st Birthday Party
- Black lamps are from Fred Meyer
- Gold lamp is hand-me-down from ?? Glenn’s family I’m sure!
- H-A-R-P-E-R letters are from Land of Nod.
- Striped rug is from Tarjay.
- Harper’s bedding is Olivia by Dwell for Target
- Zig zag striped fabric is Summer Soiree by Paula Prass (Chevron in black)
- Black frames with black and white pictures are Ribba from IKEA
Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!
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Another Switcheroo.
Phew – I have been busy! But I’m home with a sick little one today, so I have a chance to update you all a little and hopefully I won’t be so MIA for a while. Well, I take that back – when I’m not here, I’m working like crazy so that’s a good thing!
I’ve come to realize that we’re rather spontaneous when it comes to our house sometimes. We talk about our house a lot (more than most, I think!) and what we need or want, but a lot of it is just dreaming. But when something can become a reality, we kind of just jump on it and make it happen!
For instance, we’ve been talking about getting a new bed for a while now, but weren’t sure when it would actually happen. So I decided to post a picture of our old bed on Facebook saying it was for sale to see if anyone was interested – and 20 minutes later it was practically sold! Then we did some final research (we’d already done a lot) and bought a new mattress and bed online – woo hoo!
So next we decided to switch rooms with Harper. Why? Well hers has a half bathroom and Glenn wanted it. But it has a smaller closet and it’s a little smaller so I was a little torn. At first. Her room is more of a square and ours is longer and skinnier (a rectangle). Which after I thought about it, makes more sense for our King size bed. Anyway, we’ve switched rooms, put the bed together, painted and the new armoire for Glenn is on the way (solving the closet problem!).
Luckily both the mattress and bed had free shipping and arrived very, very quickly (thank you, Amazon Prime!!) so we had a new set-up by the weekend! So here’s a sneak peek of our new room – more to come soon!
I love that what took us almost 2 hours to put together, is time lapsed into less than 2 minutes. I also love that Glenn tested the bed out and you see a flash of me about to jump on it, ha! Enjoy!
Putting the bed together from Facebook User on Vimeo.
Read MorePimp My Trailer
**Note, this was written originally on March 6th!**
Ah, the joys of modern technology. I’m currently sitting in our camp trailer/RV in an RV park in a little town about 40 miles from Likely. And I’m on my laptop, clicking away while my daughter naps…my husband is at the local high school gym getting ready for his basketball game that starts in half an hour. And I’m admiring the new floor my husband just installed in our little trailer, and it makes me cringe at the decor in the rest of it!! It’s not bad – the trailer is only a few years old – but if any house was decorated like this it would be considered so dated and HIDEOUS! So why is it okay to decorate a new camp trailer like we’re in 1988?? Blue and tan florals with oak cabinetry, brass hardware and faux sponge painted walls…I’m very tempted. And these are a few photos that inspire me…
Via Madison Ave Baby
Via Madison Ave Baby
Not necessarily exactly how I’d want to do the trailer, but I love the customization!
Via Shelterpop
Via Shelterpop
I want modern patterns, colors and new metals! And I think I could do a lot of it myself…well, with me and a staple gun and a power drill! The sewing I’d need help with…
And I think I didn’t finish this post when I first started it because I really can’t find any more good inspiration images. I feel like I’ve scoured the entire internet, so I’m just going to have to do it all myself! Please let me know if you find anything good out there!!
For the moms…
Stumped on what to get your mom or the mother of your child(ren) for Mother’s Day? Gift certificates for interior design services are available!
Contact me at lindsay @ lindsaychristensendesign . com to get started! Have a great weekend!
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About Me
I'm an interior designer and a draftsperson, but I live in the country. I like it that way. I'm also a firefighter's wife, mom to 2 cute kids, and a homeowner and I like that even better. But right after that is a pretty and affordable space...and I mean a REALLY affordable space. Because I believe good design can be for EVERYONE!
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