The Friday Five: Must-Haves for Relaxation

Phew! I completely missed Friday over here, so that surely tells you what kind of week I’ve had!

It’s the end of the semester which means university life has been chaotic. I had busy days and something on the go every night this week. While it was a fun and rewarding week, I need a bit of relaxation time this weekend. I don’t know about you, but if I don’t get “Jordana time”, I feel overwhelmed and cranky.

So…what do I do to relax after very intense weeks? These things usually do the trick for me (and yoga isn’t even one of them).

To do lists.
If I take a few minutes to regroup and think about what tasks need to be done, I feel calmer. I can see what needs to get done, and I can empty my brain of things that are taking up space in there.

Cleaning.
Seriously. I get in a zone, and I just go to it. Yes, most of the time, I find cleaning to be tedious, but it also forces me to clear my head and breathe.

Magazines.
I never tire of reading magazines on my big comfy couch. I have a few that arrived in recent weeks, so the build-up means extended periods of quietness. Print magazines also force me away from my computer, which is a good thing.

Baking.
Most of the time, weekend baking means bread making. Again, I get in a zone, make a mess in my kitchen, and end up with something delicious after a couple of hours. My dough is rising as a type this, by the way.

Sleep.
I’m not someone who naps, but sometimes it’s exactly what I need. Especially on grey days (or days like today where the weather sends over a surprise mini snow storm).

What do you do to relax after a very busy week (or several!)? I’d love to know!

Happy weekend, dear readers!

Uptown: Scenes from My Weekend

Well – the long weekend brought with it a visit from my dad and a whole lot of progress on my home renos. There was a wall that needed to come down, furniture to be moved, plants to be planted, electrical work to be tackled, and a lot of heavy duty cleaning to be done.

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In preparation for the weekend o’ work (and beyond), I made two lists: one for dad and one for me. His list includes a lot of my electrical wishes (and some of his too) and my list includes a lot of “buy major piece of furniture/lighting/vanities/things” and “make a decision about paint/furniture/lighting/vanities/things”. Needless to say, his list now has more crossed off of it than mine.

I learned how to remove a wall this weekend. My dad did most of the work but in between scrubbing everything in my kitchen, I watched what he did. What a big job that was. But now it’s done! I have full access to my dining room from living room and kitchen and the flow in the house is so much better. Awesome.

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 breaking the wall

My dad and I took down the two large mirrors that were in the upstairs bath. (Gosh those things were heavy.) Doing this meant that I could take down the last of the wallpaper (hiding behind the mirrors) in this bathroom. I felt like I needed to pop open some champagne to mark the occasion. What a task that was. And, yes, I still hate wallpaper. I will never put wallpaper up. Ever.

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upstairs bath – progress; mirror removed, wallpaper almost removed

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upstairs bath – all patched up; light to be removed soon; vanity to be replaced soon

I cleaned the heck out of my kitchen. As in – it took me 2 hours (or more?) to clean my fridge. Another 2 hours to clean my stove. And no, I don’t think I’m exaggerating. While the kitchen cleaning tasks were time consuming, they were also extremely satisfying. My fridge is especially beautiful.

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deep cleaning of the fridge

While I’m talking about the fridge – I would like to share my satisfaction with my fridge. It’s a Samsung. That’s all I know about the make of it. The fridge is on top and the freezer drawers pull out. So convenient and such a step above anything I’ve had in my previous rentals.

IMG_5761using power tools

I grabbed my dad’s electric screwdriver (with a little light at the end of it!) to put a cabinet back together. His screwdriver was awesome. I want one but it’s not in my  budget. Glad to have been able to borrow his. He loves it and is definitely not ready to donate it to me.

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You may remember that I took down the wallpaper (and the enormous amount of leftover wallpaper paste) in the powder room. I patched up a lot of the wall damage but there’s still a bit more to deal with. But never mind that. This weekend dad removed the vanity wall light and created a new light box outlet thing in the middle of the ceiling. I haven’t settled on the light fixture yet (remember all the decisions I still have to make?) but at the moment I’m thinking either a plain globe light or a small crystal chandy. There is still a lot to be done in this small room. I will replace the vanity, prime and paint the room, install a new light, and hang a new mirror (maybe this one).

What a satisfying weekend of home repairs and organization. I’m thrilled with how things are shaping up around the house.

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Interested in reading more about my reno? Keep your eye out for posts titled “Uptown”.