March Madness

Yes - today is the start of March Madness, but that's not what this post is about.  The title is also an appropriate description of what's going on at Casa Tingey. Maybe I should have titled it 'February/March Madness!'

What have the Tingeys been up to that has kept Sarah from dutifully blogging their adventures? Well, let's see:

- We just wrapped up another Whole 30 challenge (strict grain-free, sugar-free, (+ more) paleo eating) which we did with Anna this time around. And yes, I said 'we' - Thor did it to this time AND we even went coffeeless this time around. If you've ever travelled with T and I you know we love our coffee, so this was a big deal. Keeping up with the meal planning and cooking kept us busy

- We're remodeling our house. We started with just the upstairs (putting in a bathroom to turn top floor into a master suite) and then thought "oh what the heck- everything's dusty already - lets embark on the kitchen too!" As though we have SO much extra time. So we're squeezing in tile tear-down and selecting fixtures and paint colors and appliances and hanging Sheetrock.  I need to give a special shout out to Thor here who has been a rock star and really carried the weight of the project on his shoulders. Turns out I would be a terrible GÇ/interior Designer. :) But I'm a good little jr. carpenter if you give me a specific task to help with!

- Since we didn't have much going on I enthusiastically committed us to participating in a 20-day Minimalist challenge with our friends Sarah and Scott. On day 1 you get rid of 1 item, on day 2 you get rid of 2 items, and so on up to day 20. (Technically it's supposed to be a 30-day challenge, but Sarah (the OTHER Sarah) had the good sense to suggest shortening the challenge a bit. Smart lady!) I'm happy to report I successfully combatted my hoarding tendencies and we took a whopping load to Goodwill last weekend. 

Okay! Here are some pics to give you a taste of these activities:

pear, fig, apricot, goji berry winter salad for a brunch we went to at Laurie & Dans

Paleo yum! Elk burger, roasted Brussels sprouts and sautéed chard with currants and almonds. 

Red beef curry with yams in the crock pot - Thanks for the recipe mom! 

Kitchen - tearing down that hideous lavender backsplash. 

Our attic - gutted. 

Thor will love me ever so dearly for this picture: hanging new Sheetrock. 

Day 2: ooooold glasses

Day 13: bathroom clutter

Day 3: college plywood bookshelves and falling apart baskets that scuffed our porch tile (hmph)

Day 14: old dog toys, t-shirts, etc

The whole haul off to Goodwill!