I’m doing two things to be green on this Earth Day/weekend.

Refinishing my kitchen cabinets and cleaning out my closet (again) to find clothes to bring to Buffalo Exchange, in hopes that they accept them and give me some “green” in return.

DIY projects for the week.

• - Painting for my mom. She bought a canvas and told me, “Paint me an ocean with a sky.” I’ll see what I can do…and how much I get done this week.
• - Necklace holder. My dad started something like this for me, but it needs a little something and is not sturdy enough hanging on my wall. 
• - Cook! I need to go grocery shopping and when I do, I can make these (with a few of my own edits) and this (I was inspired by my cooking class) and maybe these.
• Paint kitchen cabinets. This is the big one and a project I have wanted to do for a while. My cabinets are white, but they were painted with the wrong kind of paint before I moved in - it’s a flat paint that doesn’t clean well - and I plan to paint them white again, but with the right kind of paint. Later in the week, I am planning to take all my kitchen cabinets and drawers off, paint the trim and drawers and then bring the doors up to my parents house. I just don’t have the room to lay them all out at my house. So my dad and I will paint them on Easter Sunday and then he will bring them down the next week and help me hang them up again.

Diet update and my new favorite snacks.

I have been doing Weight Watchers since January 12th. I allow myself one cheat day a week, where I can eat and drink whatever I want. If I go out for happy hour or lunch during the week, I try not stay as close to my points allowance as possible. So far, so good. My pants are even starting to fit better!

The one thing about “dieting” that I like is that it forces me to be creative in the kitchen. Last night I made a frittata with Egg Beaters, egg whites, veggies and lowfat cheese. I made taco soup, which consists of ground turkey, beans, corn, tomatoes, chicken broth and taco seasoning. My new breakfast go-to is fat-free Greek yogurt with berries and some granola or some Fiber One cereal for crunch.

I have also found some new points-friendly snacks. And a tip for anyone who might be looking for some healthy snack foods - Target has THE BEST selection. Some of my new favorites include Quaker Rice Snacks Mini Delights in Cinnamon Streusel, Emerald 100 Calorie Almonds in Cocoa Roast/Dark Chocolate, an apple with Laughing Cow Original Light Swiss Cheese spread on it (Don’t knock it ‘til you rock it! Thanks, HungryGirl!) and Fiber One bars. And Stash decaf tea in Chocolate Hazelnut flavor (with some skim milk and Splenda) is an awesome way to satisfy my sweet tooth at night.

And the diet continues…

This is my kitchen. I went to my condo, yes, my condo, yesterday and took some “before” photos of all the rooms.

I close on Wednesday. FINALLY! After all the delays and issues and bank accounts and question after question, it is finally happening.

Starting Wednesday, you can read my other blog, Adventures of a First-Time Homeowner.