First I had to remove all the blue tiles… I decided that any ones touching side by side I would just cut out and place in cut pieces without blue, and singles I had to pry off the mesh. This all ended up feeling like one sadistic Tetris game. I had to plan and cut ahead of time for each little void was a PITA, but in the end totally saved time and headache while putting things up!

Next I had to lay out the full wall and place the orange pieces. We really wanted this to look random and for each wall we spent a lot of time moving things around because it kept accidentally looking like a pattern. I also made sure to only put the orange tiles in spots that had a mesh backing so I could mark them and know where they go in the stressful moment of trying to get things down before the thinset dries.

When marking the places where the orange pieces go, I decided on a system of the highest piece per sheet would have an arrow pointing up. I really couldn’t risk accidentally screwing up the random placement I worked so hard on!

I found early on that lining up the tiles vertically and horizontally, it was really really helpful to use a leveler. I first made sure the floor and wall edges/corner were level and then just made sure all the rows were level. Bam, easy! Or as easy as putting up crazy mosaics by yourself on a no-so-flat wall can be

I ordered samples of the below “Brio Blends” mosaics:

Atomic Ranch Midcentury Palette – created by the editors of Atomic Ranch magazine which is amazingly retro and somehow kind of neutral

City Sunshine – clinical and happy at the same time!

Palisades – so so much prettier in person than the photos show.

Fresh – aqua, teal, baby blue, and a bright dark blue. Happy!

I loved them all in some way, it was a really tough call. I definitely needed something that would brighten up a tiny room with no windows. Being in a basement we didn’t have to worry so much about resale value since we had a nice calm main floor bathroom already. We decided to go with Palisades… it really was just stunning. I became obsessed with it. Carried my sweet little sample around in my purse to make every friend and coworker look at how cool it will be. When we finally got to a place where we were getting close to the tile stage of the remodel I ran online to order and found…. SOLD OUT. WTF???!!! NOOOOOOOO!

I emailed customer support to find out if they would be restocking and when, and was devastated to find out it was discontinued. We really needed to keep things moving along so we decided to go with another of the samples we received. But somehow they lost their charm. I was already in love with someone else! We spent almost a week seeing if we could customize one of them to be something I would love as much as Palisades. Eventually we decided to take the Fresh mix and add in the orange from Atomic Ranch. I also wasn’t in love with the dark blue so we figured I might have to take those out and replace with more teal/aqua. I ordered with a heavy heart.

I do have to say that Modwalls was an amazing company. The customer service was quick and friendly. The shipment was quick, and the packaging was the best I’ve seen!

I pulled out the Fresh sheets and was bummed to see they had way more of the blue color I didn’t want than I had expected. It was going to be  LOT of work to replace these! I pulled them off of 3 sheets and found they had around 45-50 on each sheet. That is 45-50 tiles 3/4″ big that I would have to hand place in EACH sheet. Mosaic is hard enough to get everything to line up right without adding this work. I tried to see if I could live with the blue. It was ok, IF we didn’t add in the orange ones. And Alex was too in love with the orange ones to toss them out. I tried to see if I could just remove SOME of the dark blues…. and I decided it just looked too busy and not nearly as cool as when they were removed.

It really is tough to get the colors to show up on these pics! Here are the options we went though left to right: as is with orange, as is, and remove all medium blues and add orange and fill with aqua/teal.

So here it is, the expected outcome that will take far far longer than expected. I do love it now as much as Palisades…. which is good because Modwalls emailed me not long after deciding my layout to let me know “Good news, Palisades will be coming back in stock!”

- CRAFT LOVER -

Shelter Pups – Handmade stuffed dog created from a photo of your pup. These are made with Merino wool and some of the proceeds will benefit animal shelters.  ($125)

Twig Terrariums – DIY kits available with mini figurines ($25 – 65), they also have a variety of ready-made ones as well. Magical. They offer a variety of little scenes you can set up with different animals and people. Really odd and fun!

- FASIONISTA -

House of Harlow Station Necklace – this necklace has now been copied by many, but the original is still special in that it’s made from leather and beautifully crafted. This goes with just about everything you might wear  ($75)

DV by Dolce Vita Mini Oxford – this versatile shoe comes in a ton of different looks, most of which have an adorable contrast sole color that is fun without distracting from the rest of the shoe.

- FOODIE -

D.I.Y. Cheese Kit – Portland-based DIY cheese kits that are easy to make… meaning so special tools/gadgets required! You can also find these at numerous local shops, see site for details. (Goat Cheese or Chevre kit $29)

Breville Panini Press – we received this as a wedding gift over 4 years ago and it’s still one of our favorite kitchen items! The non stick is durable and powerful. It heats quickly and the top plate fully rotates toward front or back. It’s the only one my Italian husband thinks will work for less than $200… great deal and gift ($99 on SALE NOW)

– WORK OUT FANATIC -

Wooden Bike Storage -  space saving bike shelf that looks amazing and provides some recessed storage, would be awesome for apartment living! ($49.95)

Run: Toasty Tech Tight – for those of us working out in the cold outside, it’s time to up bulk up your apparel. These tights feel amazing, will keep you warm, and for those of us working out before or after work they have a lot of reflective areas to help keep you visible. It doesn’t hurt that they are super flattering!  ($118)

- HGTV OBSESSED -

Marimekko Mugs - Crate & Barrell has a great collection of household items from legendary designer Marimekko, but these mugs are a stylish gift that any design lover will appreciate. You can mix and match like the pic, or some designs have multiple colorways. ($22 each)

Spoonflower custom wallpaper – You can create your own designs or use one already designed. I’m really into Elephant And Umbrellas and Deco Mermaid, but there are soo many more that I love. You can buy these by the roll or sample sheets.. they could be used as drawer liners, backings in bookcases, or even framed as art. ALSO they sell wall decals and fabric by the yard.  ($60 per 24″ x 144″ roll)

The morning started out like any other race, leaving the house a little later than I’d hoping, not finding parking near by, walking quickly through 10 blocks in the dark to find my starting point. This time was fun though because I had my mom with me who had never experienced the chaos and excitement. I found my coral in time to stretch a bit and let my mom take a couple of pictures (flashback to prom) as I anxiously waiting to go. As my group started walking to the start I turned on my Garmin… and it couldn’t find the satellite. I waited and waited and restarted and restarted. Nothing. I did it again while holding my hand straight up in the air. Nothing. Some guys next to me started laughing. Apparently there were a bunch of us with arms in the air desperate to catch a signal before the start. And just in time, I had success.

Crossing the starting line was surreal. I was overwhelmed with emotion and had a hard time holding back the tears. I felt like this much of the first few miles. It’s kind of hard to run while trying not to cry! Even with the 2 mile hill, I was having so much fun that I was shocked when I looked at my watch and 5 miles had flown by!

Leaving downtown I found the 4:25 Red Lizard crew and decided to stick with them. I had a series of “goals” for the race:

1. Finish
2. Have fun
3. Finish in under 5 hours
4. Average 10 minute miles (pie in the sky goal)

If I could stick with this pace team I could hit my 10 minute mile goal, but I knew to not beat myself up if it didn’t happen. I actually loved the whole pacing thing, the only thing that sucked was they didn’t stop at the water stations and I needed to, so I would stop and then have to speed up to get back with the group.

My mom was going to meet me at mile 12 to refill my water bottle and restock me with my GU Chomps. I knew somewhere after this point spectators weren’t allowed again until after the infamously difficult St Johns bridge (and the hill before it). Mile 12 came and went and no sign of mom. She’s not from Portland and not the best at navigating the city so when I was almost at mile 13 I knew she didn’t make it in time. I began to mentally prepare myself for the next 7 miles (until she meets me at mile 20), but then I saw her on the street! Yay! I refilled water and spirit and headed into the sun on Highway 30.

I’d to pee for like 4 miles but didn’t want to stop, luckily I found a set of porta potties without a line. Maybe this isn’t blog-worthy, but I had never stopped for a bathroom break during a race… in fact I never did during a training run except when I was pregnant. Luckily it was a quick stop and fully stocked even with hand sanitizer. Not too shabby!

It was getting warmer when I hit the beginning of the big hill leading up to the St Johns bridge. I was feeling a bit tired but overall really good and decided to run until I hit the steepest part of the hill at the base of the bridge.
It seemed like everyone else had the same thought as we all walked together. This was the turning point of the race for me. This is where I decided I needed to overcome my ego and try to have fun on this course even if it slowed me a bit, this is the only first marathon I’ll ever do and, let’s face it, I wouldn’t be getting some brag-worthy time even if I killed myself. I pulled out my cell phone and took a few pics as I power walked to the mid point on the bridge. It was breath taking, every part of it… sun, view, emotions.

It was a great atmosphere on the bridge, maybe partially because only the actual participants were allowed so it was just you and your thousands of running buddies experiencing a private amazing moment together. It seemed like everyone had a smile. Unfortunately for me I didn’t know there would be a photographer on the bridge and I took one of my GU Chomps right before seeing him on the horizon. I tried to choke it down quickly so I wouldn’t have purple teeth in my pic. Good thing too, because this is one of the only race photos I’ve ever had that I like!

So everyone says to consider this the mid point of the race and not the 13.1 mile mark. Probably true, everything went downhill for me pretty quickly after this point and I would say it was far harder than the first 17 miles to get to the end.

Everything I read said that it was pretty much all downhill after the bridge. I really don’t know why I bother reading this shit, it’s ALWAYS A LIE. First you have some severe downhill, and then quite a bit of climbing. I had pushed myself to a certain level until this point, budgeting enough energy to push through an “easy” 9 miles. Unfortunately it was NOT easy so I didn’t have enough left in my tank to keep at the same level. I had to walk a couple of time times for a minute. And I would say around mile 21 I hit the famous wall.

I fumbled between a slow jog and a speed walk with a crowd of runners who seemed to be hitting the same issues as me… except those who had running buddies with them were able to laugh and joke through it and generally seemed to be able to push through. I totally plan to have someone run some of this part with me next time (yes I hope there is a next time)!

Somewhere along Willamette Blvd, near University of Portland, some sweet person was

As I was heading through the industrial part of Interstate up to the Broadway Bridge I was feeling pretty low. This is the point when all those images of runners dropping on the sidelines and headlines of runners dying and wondering what the F was I thinking?? It was too hot and too far.

The 4:45 group ran by me and I was really bummed to think I would have a 5 in front of my time…. But THEN as I turned the corner onto the bridge there was a little girl who was holding a sign that said “YOU ARE MY HERO” and her put out her hand for a high five and when I put my hand out to reciprocate she got the biggest and most excited look on her face and it just lit up my world.

I thought to myself “SCREW this, I didn’t train for months with a baby and long work hours and running the dark and through 5 weeks of physical therapy to wuss out in the last 5.2 miles. I CAN DO THIS!!!”

And just like that, I promised myself I wasn’t going to walk until I finished. I ran across the bridge. I ran through downtown. I ran by the fat lady sign. I ran on the waterfront. I ran by the people who quit and were walking. I ran to the 26 mile marker. And although I felt like I was going to pass out, or puke, and although I couldn’t feel my legs from the knees down… although my body was burning hot and somehow my lips and teeth were freezing cold, I crossed that finish line. I FINISHED.

Even better I finished in 4:50 and I did it with a smile on my face.

We used spray foam to fill in the large gaps. And of course we had to cut this back once dry!

It even worked around the pain in the ass pipe we decided to leave exposed! Although it took a LOT of foam to fill.

Here’s the shower area prepped, and cement board all up.

Now the sink and nook area… complete with the killer wall mounted sink (squeeeeaal!!)

And a view of the room from outside.

And here we are ready for sanding

View from the doorway. Should I mention that this tired mom wasn’t thinking when she started filling in the seams with THINSET instead of joint compound?! Ugh.. but I scraped it down and then put a layer of the right material over it before going forward. It’s actually starting to look like a room!

I started cruising blogs and articles looking for carbs for marathoners, endurance sports, triathlons, etc. The message was loud and clear that these carbs needed to be low fat and low sugar. Donuts are NOT the way to carb up! I was also surprised to see that I really needed to be getting around 400-500 grams the day before if not the week before the race. Before this point I was getting maaaaybe 150 per day. I have to agree with the authors and say the ONLY way to get to this number (for me) was to include fruit juices in my diet. That was actually fun, I always avoid them because of the calories.

So how did I end up getting up to 450 carbs a day before the race without eating 4000 calories?
   * Apple chips
   * Yogurt covered raisins
   * Kale chips
   * Pasta
   * Yogurts
   * Bananas
   * Bread
   * Odwalla Superfood (yumm)

The other part of prepping for a major race that I love is hitting the expo for bib pick up and swag. Unfortunately the Portland Marathon expo was pretty depressing. Almost no free stuff, seriously I left with 2 mini Lara Bars and a mini granola bar. That’s IT. There were a lot of retail shops set up with OK discounts, but nothing special. No really cool displays. After the Rock n Roll half marathon this was a major let down. Even more, after all the hype of the expo being in the Hilton, half of the event was in a make shift set up in the PARKING GARAGE. Really?? Lame.

Also disappointing was the official race apparel. I was really hoping to score a nice hoody or tee to commemorate my first marathon, but the quality was pretty sad. I work in apparel so I admit I’m a bit spoiled, but the stiff rubbery screen prints looked so bad that I just couldn’t spend the money on them. I left hoping the race itself wouldn’t be so over-hyped.

Step 1 for drilling drywall: hot handyman with a drill

Step 2: appropriate size bit attachment

Step 3: carefully line up with your premarked measurements and drill!

Step 4: complete your holes and check fit and adjustment as needed

Ceiling drywall is up! This took about 3 people to do. Those boards are HEAVY when holding them above your head!

Doh! The boys had a couple spots that needed MacGuyvering. You can also see Julian’s “art.”

The toilet corner.

Shower prepped and ready for cement board.

Working around this pipe was insane!

As filled in as we could get with dry wall… this took a lot of brainstorming and stress

We finally finished the plumbing lines for the bathroom. Add to that the electrical bones and all the framing and it’s equals time for the second inspection!! So here is the pic of the final framed room. Pocket door on for the entry. Shower in the far corner, toilet right next to it. The sink is now on the left wall facing the shower.

Aside from the actual work that had to be done here was some tough decision making. We had to choose where we want faucets, what sink, what shower faucet, what lights, where the outlets go… Not to mention that we still don’t understand how that shower will go and if the door will swing in from the outer or inner edge of the base.. a detail that can remove an extra 2″ of super tight sink space. This is a time I really wish the shower kit had specific instructions (I’m sure I’ll be saying this again when we try to install the beast).

As a fun surprise in the process, we had to tie into existing vent pipes. Apparently the way to do that was inside the wall in our son’s bedroom. So we now have an open the entire wall behind the changing table that we’ll have to drywall and close up. Julian just turned 2 years old.. let’s hope we get to this before he turns 3. Should we start taking bets?

The scary thing about this inspection is that we knew what was required for the plumbing part (since we have an awesome plumber), but we really had no idea what we were supposed to have done for mechanical and electric! There really doesn’t seem to be any place to find that information either… thanks Portland. So we took a gamble. We ran out of time trying to install the exhausts that need to be cut to go outside. We hoped it wasn’t a part of the inspection. Luckily we were right. Approved! Now we just have to finish things up and do the final when we’re done!

For the long run it started out rough. I still felt really tight and from the beginning I was having sharp stabbing pains in my foot. I would feel perfectly fine and then it felt like I had knives jabbing in. But after about 8 miles I was feeling great, enjoying the nice weather and running strong. I really was feeling like “I can actually DO this marathon!”

I had hoped to fill my water bottle in a lawn sprinkler again, but I guess people don’t water their yards on a Saturday?? I then decided to head back to the Goodwill Outlet on my way back (about .75 miles after the half way point). This is a special place called “The Bins” because they have giant bins or metal troughs that are just full of all the junk other Goodwills couldn’t sell. I got there right before they opened, and there was a giant mass of people. You can only imagine the type of people waiting outside this place before 8am on a Saturday. I decided it wasn’t worth waiting and kept going. Luckily another mile down the road I found a mini mart that finally opened and bought a bottle of water to fill my Amphipod. It does suck though to end up having to buy water when you purchase hydration tablets to save the cost of drinks.

Oh well, I was hydrated and happy. After my run I stretched out a ton and then had to prepare for a first birthday party. I was exhausted, but I will say that it was awesome getting to eat tons of cake and ice cream guilt free for the rest of the day! According to my Garmin I had burnt 2107 calories. Sweet!

I am going to review a few knives every once in a while. I know a lot of people like it and it is an hobby that I enjoy.

Today I want to spend a few minutes on a blade that is one of the best I ever seen and carried. I am talking about the Benchmade Griptilian Doug Ritter.

Let’s go through the name. Benchmade is a high end knives company based in (near) Portland, Oregon. The Griptilian is probably their most successful knife in terms of sales and criticism. The names says it all: if you want a blade with a perfect grip, this is the one to get.

Doug Ritter is a well known authority on survival equipment and practical survival techniques and you can read a lot about him on his website.

The knife features what I think is one of the best locking mechanism ever designed, the so called Benchmade Axis. That means that your knife is going to stay rock solid once opened. And not only that: that also means, in the specific case of the Axis, that it deploys really quickly.

The handle is made of composite fiberglass it’s great for aesthetics and functionality (really lightweight), but is not outstanding. It could be better. There are actually a few scales (the 2 sides that are screwed together compose the knife handle) on the market that can retrofit your griptilian and make it an outstanding knife.

The blade of the standard Griptilian is not bad at all. The one that comes with the Dough Ritter version is truly great. Probably one of the best blade I have in my collection for shape, material, finish, and profile.

There is not much to say about this knife. Just get one if you are looking for a great knife without spending a fortune. It comes in two sizes, small and large and various handle colors. They retail around $130. This one pictured from my collection is a large orange with stonewashed blade.