Chap 6: The "School of Hard Knocks"



The laundry area portion of the eat-in kitchen before demolition started

Early on in the process of restoring and renovating Rosehaven Cottage, we realized that we needed to break everything down into phases in order for it to be more manageable. The fact the Hubby is an Information Technology project manager (and I'm a former project coordinator) probably helped bring that fact to the forefront early on in the process. We could both see that in order to manage such a massive undertaking, it was necessary to break it into more manageable chunks as well as work on some things simultaneously.

This got really tricky.

Sometimes it was obvious that we could work on two things at the same time because we were utilizing the same equipment. And sometimes it wasn't so obvious.

We had determined that "Pre-Phase 1" consisted of everything necessary to get the house in a state where we could physically move in and not sleep at my sister's house. We went down the list of things we absolutely had to have to make that happen:
  1. a bed
  2. a toilet
  3. a shower

We had a toilet upstairs so the installation of the downstairs toilet wasn't technically necessary to move in. We also determined that the kitchen sink was not a must-have.

So logically, one would assume that the priority would be to focus all our energies on the downstairs bathroom. Yes, well "logic" doesn't always apply when you've got two new homeowners on your hands.

During the escrow period of buying our home, we were so enthusiastic about thinking up all the new things we would do with the house once we had the keys in hand that we went out and purchased a new refrigerator, dishwasher, and stacking washer/dryer. They were on sale, so we couldn't pass up that! The problem was that, like the delivery of all our belongings from our apartment, we scheduled delivery of the appliances under the original delusion that everything would be done in 2-4 weeks. And because we couldn't delay the delivery much without running the risk of losing the appliances altogether, there were items on the "to do" list that got bumped up in priority over just simply finishing the bathroom.

Here's how the chain of identifying dependencies ended up happening in this case:
  1. Appliances being delivered on August __, 2000
  2. Appliances are hard to move once the delivery guys have set them down, SO…
  3. Appliances need to have a finished kitchen floor to be set upon by delivery guys so we don't have to move them around later, SO…
  4. Old kitchen floor needs to be torn up
  5. Also, the old laundry area wall plumbing and wall repair needs to be finalized for washer/dryer as well as having the flooring finalized
  6. So, technically, the new kitchen floor can be put down even though kitchen cabinets aren't done
  7. This will be a piece of cake!
"Logic" gets very skewed when you work through a project plan like this. Add to that my own need to personally be doing something productive at all times while the contractors and Josh were working, and "logic" really goes out the window. What I really should have been doing was just "supervising". I've learned from experience that when someone isn't the designated overseer or foreman on the job things happen that shouldn't. Holes end up in walls that probably didn't need to be there. Things get torn out when you could have saved time and money by keeping them where they were. And your husband shows up at the end of his workday wondering what the heck happened and why.

Yeah, "logic" gets really skewed.

And I'm surprised that Josh put up with it all. His work would jump from one room to another depending on what seemed really critical at the time. He started ripping up the old linoleum in the kitchen when I got frustrated at not being able to tackle the ancient glue on my own (I hadn't built up biceps yet).


Feeble attempts at removing the linoleum and underlayment until Josh devised the "human crowbar method"

As he often did, Josh devised a completely unique way of prying up the linoleum and underlayment to expose the subfloor underneath. He would get an edge up with the blade tool we had. Then he'd lay down on the floor on one elbow and shove one boot under the edge that he'd pulled up. Using his arm strength, he'd slowly shove his body under the edge until he could fit both boots under. With both boots under, he'd continue to push with his arms until he had shoved himself under the edge up to his hips. With half his body under the linoleum and underlayment, he'd twist around so he was in a position to do a push-up. Then with brute force from his arms, he would push his body up and literally use himself as a crowbar under the material that was being removed. It was quite amusing to watch the "human crowbar" in action. To this day, I wish I had a video of it.

With the subfloor exposed we could move forward with sheet rocking the laundry area wall where the plumbing contractor had cut out large sections to install new supply lines and a beefier waste line.

Above left: The new laundry area plumbing with updated supply lines and waste
Above right: The new sheet rock over the updated plumbing

Also with the linoleum and nasty underlayment up and out, we discovered that there were sections of the subfloor that needed to be replaced before any new floor could be put down. As often happened through our renovation process, when we tore something old out we uncovered another "to do" that hadn't been on the list before. And after a long conference under the kitchen sink, we determined that the cabinets were completely unsalvageable and had to go--so that was another "to do" on the list that was growing by the day (along with our budget).


Josh and me having a conference under the kitchen sink regarding the state of the cabinets
(thanks Hubby for this "lovely" photo)


The hope of having a new floor for the appliances to be delivered onto was diminishing rapidly. We decided that if the appliances got delivered onto a solid subfloor, we'd be happy.

I was learning an important life lesson again…

Because I didn't just sit down, supervise, and stare at the kitchen cabinets long enough to realize there was no way they were in any condition to be salvaged, I ended up slathering layers of non-toxic-paint-stripper-monkey-snot (and irritating my brother in the process) on cabinets that eventually had to be torn out altogether. And I would have seen that the original cabinet configuration wasn't going to work at all with modern appliances anyway.

I learned that it is important to sit down and simply ponder before moving forward with decisions both big and small. Now, when I'm changing a space either inside the house or out in the garden it is critical that I take time at various stages throughout the change process to sit down at a vantage point where I can take it all in, ponder, and let inspiration come.

I know that now, thanks to the "school of hard knocks".

To be continued…


Orignal From: Chap 6: The "School of Hard Knocks"

Drug Rehabilitation

The greatest problem with drug or alcohol abusers is that they are not usually aware that they are out of control. They look around and make comparisons, with other abusers, and argue that they are normal. These people need objective and honest feedback on their behavior. Motivation of a skilled counselor and the support of family and friends can help him realize the situation. The process that helps an abuser recognize the gravity of his problem is called intervention. Many believe that a drug abuser could only get better if he was self-motivated to change. This is an outdated idea. A skilled professional can motivate an abuser toward recovery at any stage of addiction. In fact, addiction intervention is the best way to provide help to those struggling with addiction. It is a non-judgmental, non-critical, systematic process, which makes an addict come to terms with the impact of his alcoholism or drug use on others. 

Getting the addict to seek treatment as early as possible is the main, if not the only, purpose of intervention. But, this can be a challenging situation. You cannot force an abuser, under most circumstances, to undergo treatment. At the same time, you cannot afford things getting worse. Experts suggest many ways to overcome this dilemma, like training ourselves to stop protecting the abuser from the consequences of his behavior and leaving him no choice but to seek treatment. But sometimes people who don’t want to go on this process end up in drug rehabilitation center. Cause maybe they think aside from talking this intervention thing they think that it’s much better to go straight at the drug rehabilitation center. They use this drug detox to help you cure slowly but surely. So if you want to more about this. Visit the www,chapmanrehab.com and find more about this thing. Be sure to make a clear choice.



Orignal From: Drug Rehabilitation

Georgia Cheesecake Pie


Somewhere about 20 years ago I had a bunch of very ripe peaches that needed to be used up and I wasn't sure what to do with them. Thinking along the lines of peaches and cream that my Grandma Foster served, I found them to be too ripe for that, but perfect to put into the bottom of a cheesecake.

I added a regular pie crust and dubbed it 'Georgia Cheesecake Pie'. We've loved it ever since. This recipe first appeared on my Family Favorites page and I've revamped it since then to use egg whites and more cream cheese. The egg whites make the cheesecake nice and fluffy. Please don't use canned peaches, part of the flavor of this comes from the fresh peaches cooking as the pie bakes and infusing the cheesecake layer with peachy goodness.


Georgia Cheesecake Pie
Serves 8

1 9-inch single crust pie crust-unbaked
5 large very-ripe peaches, pitted and sliced thinly - peeling is optional
1 pound cream cheese - softened
1 c granulated sugar
3 egg whites
1 t. vanilla
2 T. flour

Flour bottom of unbaked pie crust with 2T. flour.
Add peaches to crust.
Mix remaining ingredients and pour over peaches.
Bake at 350 degrees F until top is set and partially browned ~ about 35 min.
This is absolutely delicious served warm or cold.

© 2009 cookingwithanne.com. This RSS Feed is for personal non-commercial use only.
If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement.


Orignal From: Georgia Cheesecake Pie

25 Tips to Stay Young



bluezones


Remember back in April how we reported the discovery of mysterious, anti-aging Blue Zones? And in May we talked about optimism as a common factor among these health zones?


For our convenience and in a well-written, thorough post, our friends over at The X-Ray Vision-aries Blog have listed a total of 25 amazing health tips gleaned from this research. I highly recommend this read and they even link to the Blue Zone Vitality Compass!


I’m almost 2 years younger than my calendar age, expected to live until I’m 87, disease free until 75, and could add another nine years to my life by taking the Blue Zone health tips. How young are you?




Bookmark and Share

Digg!

[Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post 




Orignal From: 25 Tips to Stay Young

I Vote for Nutritious Food!



With all this talk about processed orange juice and nutritional supplements, we’ve been asked to assess the quality of our food supply. To help us out with this, two Live Lighter readers recommended the new movie, FOOD Inc.


I’m psyched to watch this documentary on the globalization and industrialization of our food because of it’s constructive message. The intention is to educate consumers and promote conscious purchasing. It reminds us that we have the power to change things!


Check out the official movie trailer (2:16 min):



Thanks for sharing this great info with us, Emmanuel and Denise!




Bookmark and Share

Digg!

[Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post 




Orignal From: I Vote for Nutritious Food!

Processed O.J. vs. Fresh-Squeezed



girl-pouring-juice-from-a-big-orangeTwo weeks ago, we published Say it Ain’t So, O.J.!” which revealed important information consumers should know before buying processed orange juice. Two days after publishing that post, the Florida Department of Citrus contacted me via email with the subject heading, “Orange Juice Facts”.


The PR director was respectful and simply wanted to communicate their side of the story. She offered her phone number and email in case I wanted to discuss it with her in more detail.


I replied the next day and suggested she leave a comment on the post to get a conversation going with Live Lighter readers. I also requested an interview.


As of today, they have not posted a comment nor have they responded to my email. So in attempts to remain objective and on behalf the Florida Department of Citrus, here is the main content from their email:


Orange juice is one of the healthiest morning beverages. In fact, an 8-ounce glass of 100 percent orange juice delivers essential vitamins and nutrients to support good health and is also more nutrient dense than many commonly consumed 100 percent fruit juices, such as apple, grape, pineapple and prune. By law, 100% orange juice is made only from oranges with no added sugars or preservatives.


Approximately 68 percent of Canadian orange juice comes from the United States. By utilizing state-of-the-art technology, Florida is able to provide a consistent supply of high quality orange juice year round. For more than 100 years orange juice has been processed through pasteurization to ensure food safety, which is in strict compliance with all USDA and Canadian Food Inspection Agency regulations. When oranges are processed, natural components such as orange aroma, orange oil from the peel, and pulp may be separated from the orange juice. After the juice is pasteurized, these natural orange components may be added back to the orange juice for optimal flavor.


Please visit www.OrangeJuiceFacts.com for more information about orange juice.


Since it doesn’t look like I’ll get an interview, I thought I’d share my questions with you and see if you have some of your own to add:




  1. Is “not from concentrate” (a.k.a. pasteurized) orange juice stored in million-gallon aseptic storage tanks to ensure a year-round supply?

  2. Is a process called de-aeration used by most citrus manufacturers? Alissa Hamilton, author of Squeezed: What You Don’t Know About Orange Juice, says this process strips oxygen from the juice, along with flavour-providing chemicals, so it doesn’t oxidize in the tanks.

  3. Does extracting the “natural components” from orange juice alter their molecular structures in any way?

  4. Are fabricated flavour packs added to processed orange juice after pasteurization so that it tastes like orange juice again? Ms. Hamilton explains in her Toronto Star interview that these “flavour packs are derived from the orange essence and oils that are lost from orange juice during processing. Flavour houses break down these essence and oils into their constituent chemicals and then reassemble the chemicals into formulations that resemble nothing found in nature.”


  5. If yes to #4: Do those flavour packs contain especially high concentrations of ethyl butyrate? A quick internet search revealed that ethyl butyrate is found in cigarettes and EnvironmentalChemistry.com lists it as a `hazardous material’.

  6. How can processed orange juice last longer than fresh-squeezed without preservatives? Fresh-squeezed orange juice expires after only 3 days. Some orange juices have a 60+ day shelf life!

  7. Would you share with us any nutritional data you have comparing fresh-squeezed orange juice to processed?

  8. If it wasn’t state regulated, would the Florida Department of Citrus use pasteurization? Some people question whether the process is a health risk or a safety benefit (here’s a great article that considers both sides). Those against pasteurization say it kills beneficial bacteria that aid digestion, as well as the harmful bacteria, along with a large portion of the nutrients, enzymes, antibodies and hormones. Those for pasteurization, like the CDC, believe it effectively prevents outbreaks of foodborne illnesses.


Please share your opinions and any questions you have for the orange juice industry in the comment section below!




Bookmark and Share

Digg!

[Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post 




Orignal From: Processed O.J. vs. Fresh-Squeezed

Justice - The Party



Justice - The Party

Orignal From: Justice - The Party

Are Nutritional Supplements Necessary?



vitamins


This blog is all about natural health. If most nutritional supplements are synthetic, why are we even discussing it on Live Lighter? Well, recently I came across two separate sources that provided the same sound reason for supplementation in today’s society. It convinced me that this topic warrants discussion.


The following is a synopsis of what I found researching this fascinating health debate:


Those against nutritional supplements say:



  • Every nutrient we need can be found in food. “If you’re generally healthy and eat a wide variety of foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, lean meats and fish, you likely don’t need dietary supplements.” (source: The Mayo Clinic)

  • Poor quality nutritional supplements are useless. Many supplements sold on the market may not be as potent as they claim to be or their bioavailability is questionable. If supplements are not in a form our bodies can  absorb, they simply pass through our system and provide no value. (source: Surefirewealth.com)

  • Will do more harm than good. Reports on poor quality nutritional supplements have found that they are full of fillers and preservatives. For example, many kids’ supplements are packed with sugar or aspartame to make them taste like candy. (source: suite101.com)

  • Are ineffective. Many nutrients depend on other nutrients in order to work in the body. They need to be available in proper proportions and at the same time. If one of these nutrients is taken without the other, severe deficiencies in the one not taken can occur. (source: surefirewealth.com)

  • There’s such a thing as too much of a good thing. It’s been well-documented that nutritional supplements, even natural ones like St. John’s Wort and Echinacea, can be fatal. Some have been found to interfere with surgery and post-op recovery as they can have negative effects when combined with particular prescription medications and other supplements. (source: homefrontonline.com)

  • Can encourage overdosing. While our bodies easily secrete water-soluable vitamins, fat-soluable vitamins can build up in our systems and become toxic. For instance, too much vitamin A can weaken your bones and stunt your growth. (source: freefitnesstips.co.uk)


Those for nutritional supplements say:


“Unless you are ready to leave the city and start growing all your own organic food, the best way to ensure you’re meeting your many vitamin and mineral requirements is through supplementation.” Dr. Natasha Turner, N.D. The Hormone Diet.



  • We now have poor quality crops. Conventional farming methods, the use of pesticides and herbicides, and the effects of pollution over the last 50 years have all contributed to lower quality crops. Consequently, even those who eat a well-balanced diet with nutrition in mind may be lacking in some of the most basic nutrients for optimal health. (source: suite101.com)

  • Supermarket food is nutrient deprived. Much of our food has been picked before the fruit or vegetable has reached it’s peak nutrient content so that it ripens before it reaches the supermarket shelves. (source: surefirewealth.com) In addition, most of the food we are provided has been frozen, cooked or processed in ways that strip much needed vitamins and minerals. (source: The Hormone Diet)

  • Our society craves nutrient-depleting food. Many of us have developed a taste for foods made from white flour, trans fats and sugar. These foods have no nutritional value while still requiring nutrients to be processed in the body. They in effect rob us of nutrients.

  • We pay to live in our pollution. Today, we ingest an abnormal amount of chemicals through our food, water and air. Like the nutrient-void food in the previous point, these chemicals require nutrients from our bodies in order to excrete them.

  • Typical lifestyles today require additional nutrients. There’s no denying that we live stressful lives. “Some sources say our vitamin C is completely sapped after 20 minutes under stress.” In addition, most of our activities to reduce our stress require additional nutrients: prescription meds, recreational drugs (like smoking and alcohol) and even exercise!

  • Other factors that deplete our nutrients: diseases and genetic disorders and pregnancy (source: freefitnesstips.co.uk); dieting and those with digestive troubles, such as food intolerances, sensitivities and allergies (source: successfulaging.ca); and those living in Northern climates lack sufficient vitamin D (source: CBC.ca).

  • Some synthetic supplements are better than the real thing. If you can believe it, several man-made nutrients are better absorbed than from food. For instance, folic acid is 50% more absorbable than it’s counterpart (folate) found in food. (source: everything.com)


What do you think of supplementation, dear Readers? Do we need nutritional supplements in this day and age? Did I miss any of the arguements from either side? Please share your thoughts below and let’s get a discussion going!





Bookmark and Share

Digg!

[Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post 




Orignal From: Are Nutritional Supplements Necessary?