A Home Gym: The Plan

I've been bad about keeping the basement clean. Like Really Bad. 

Boxes of seasonal decor, bedding, and books. Clothing, art, and all the glorious wood panelling. It's my mission to get it cleaned out this year and turn it into a home gym!  I had been on a trail pass at a local gym, but with the first time ignition fee, and the monthly pass I could just buy my own treadmill and save money. So that's what I'm going to do! Phase one involves clearing out the basement so I can start planning the space! 

So I think the soft plan right now is to paint the panelling white, and maybe put down some foam tiles. I have most of the stuff above except the treadmill and TV at this point. I'm hoping this doesn't turn into something much more expensive than I have planned though. It's a very loose plan, contingent on how well I can actually get the basement cleaned out. In the meantime I've been talking lots of walks in this amazing spring weather, even if it is a little rainy. 

Do you have a home gym? Any tips?

Life Recently.

Spring is finally here in Cincinnati! It's been raining all week. Do you know that statistically were more overcast than Seattle? The more you know I guess. I'll take all the rain ever over the snow though.

Hot Ham & Cheese at Arnolds.

Yes, I'm team dogs in the bed. But really, you try saying no to them when they're being that sweet. 

It's Cincinnati as seen from the Cincinnati Museum Center. Sometimes my friends and I like to spend friday nights doing a double feature at the Omni-max. Last week it was Journey To The South Pacific and The Mysteries Of Egypt. Union Terminal is one my favorite places in the city though. It was actually the inspiration for the Hall of Justice.

Working downtown leads to me eating Holtman's Donuts more than I probably should. They're so good though, and the shop is so cute. 

Lastly here's some pretty decent french toast we had at the Apple Tree Cafe.  Total down home dinner food, but that's not necessarily a bad thing! 

How has spring been going in your neck of the woods readers?

Dining Room Update & Rug Pad USA Review

First, I haven't blogged about the dining room in what feels like a million years. We've gotten a new rug, rearranged, and put up a gallery wall since you last saw it. The china cabinet isn't in the pictures, but it's just on the opposite wall. Were still working on getting the gallery wall completely up, but I need to buy more frames, and I've been extra lazy about that. 

Check out our new rug. It's pretty cool. It's a bit nubby right now because my cat is a verified rug torturer, but what can we do? Now I had only just gotten this rug when someone from Rug Pad USA contacted me and asked if I would be willing to review a rug pad for them. It was pretty perfectly timed because of me newest purchase, which although was much loved, wasn't exactly "cushy". So I hopped at the chance to try out one of their rug pads. I feel a bit funny saying I was excited to get a rug pad. Definitely one of those moments looking back where I'm worried that yes, this is the moment I have become a boring adult. Oh well! Just so my lovely readers know, this rug pad was provided to me free of charge. As always I will try my hardest not to let that influence my opinion. 

I chose the Eco-Cushion rug pad. I'm one of those people who is rightly concerned over the environment and the fact that this rug pad is manufactured in a way that is less damaging to it is awesome. 

Eco-Cushion rug pads are manufactured using a process that has minimal impact on the ozone layer and constructed primarily of bio-based, renewable, and eco-friendly materials - including 100% natural soybean oil and a non-slip organic polymer coating.   Many of the imported pvc padding on the market my contain potentially harmful fillers (such as phthalates) that are toxic and could potentially out-gas after long term use. 

Score right? I ordered the a size corresponding with my rug, and asked that it be trimmed down an inch on all sides to fit nicely underneath. It arrived quickly at my door soon after! This is how it arrived. 

The package had a tear on one side exposing the rug to the elements. If I hadn't had a covered porch my rug pad would have been pretty wet given the rainy weather. It might help if the company had another layer of protection over the rug pad. Not a deal breaker, but just a note. Maybe my post office is just extra rough with mail, so who knows? Excuse the pug butt in the picture ;)

So I ripped the package the rest of the way, and got to work moving furniture and rolling up the rug. #protip: This is a two person job! Don't pretend you're the She-hulk and end up throwing out your back because you can't wait for a certain helper to get off of work. (ahem, Brian.)

The rug pad has a rubber smell when you first open it. Nothing chemical, it just smells like a natural rubber. It dissipated before I even finished putting the carpet down on top of it. So it's a non issue.

I moved everything, laid down the rug pad, and put the rug on top. It was too big. Not a huge deal, my craft scissors cut through the rug pad like a dream. An extra step where I didn't expect one, but really not that much effort after moving all the furniture. This rug pad is definitely way more luxurious feeling that I thought though. A guest I had over even noticed that it was more "squishy", which is totally what I was looking for. I can't comment too much on the grip of the rug pad. My rug didn't slip much before, it's pretty high quality and very heavy.  It gave the rug a bit of lift, you can feel, but you can't see unless your laying on the floor like I was when I took these pictures. Left is before the rug pad, right is after.

Overall I think my boring adult excitement was worth it. A little cushion goes a long way in making a room feel more homey. The fact that I can be nice to the environment at the same time is a big added bonus! 

Do you use rug pads or have you ever tried Rug Pad USA?