Moving into our nest

We are finally in!!
 

Building our nest {paint is on the walls}

A rough video of the house with the paint almost done, in the afternoon light through the windows so some colors might be hard to see! But the light at the end of the tunnel!

Building Our Nest {House Update}

It looks like we are in the final stretch(or at least the bank says so since our construction loan matures 9/25).  We tested paint this weekend, spent an hour and a half at Home Depot picking all the lighting, Kevin spent last Sunday picking up our laminate flooring and moving it, we picked our granite, finally settled the kitchen design, and we signed our loan submission papers for the end loan.  We still have to pick tile for the bathrooms, settle on a master bedroom paint color, pick carpet for the bedrooms, and I really need to get to sewing the window coverings I have planned!! Enjoy the rough video!! My narration got lost...

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Where did I go this summer?

A twist on the what I did on my summer vacation back to school essay. You don't have to travel far to enter other worlds and meet interesting people as long as you have a book!

The streets of Northern Italy, Ellis Island, and Liitle Italy in NY through a pair of love fated immigrants in The Shoemakers Wife.

The adventures of a time traveling teenager and her secretive family in Ruby Red.

A burn recovery unit and rehab center through the eyes of a depressed 8th grader in The Burn Journals.

New Bejing where Cinderella  is a cyborg and a gifted mechanic.

The planet Rakhat on a Jesuit mission to discover new life (and the perils of their interventions) in The Sparrow.

The island of Moloka'i with a group of lepers who manage to make life worth living and loving in Moloka'i.

The mind of a sociopath in the twisting thriller Gone Girl.

my read shelf:

What are we eating this week?

So summer is over :( I am heading back to school tomorrow.  School year means serious meal planning: time is a premium since it is tiring to start the year for me and I want to be able to workout and still have time for my family, so that means Sunday cook fests when possible to set up for the week.  I planned around my WW points and the fact that I had 4 pounds of chicken breasts in the freezer.  So I popped them in the slow cooker covered by chicken broth(you could use water) for 4 hours on high, then threw them in my kitchen aid mixer for a quick shred(thanks to Heather for that tip).  Then after lunch, I assembled these Chicken Enchilada Zucchini Boats(3 points a piece) 

and then  Chicken and White Bean Enchiladas(5 points a piece) for 2 of our dinners this week(plus leftovers). 

 

I also bagged 8 ounces of chicken and some BBQ sauce for BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad (8 points) for another dinner this week.  

 

I also prepped all my fruits and veggies for this Inner Goddess Detox Salad( 8 points--I add some blue cheese to this for a little more flavor) for lunches this week. 

And for some sweets I will make these Chocolate-Coconut Bars! These are a hefty 12 points a piece so they leftovers will be heading to school or Kevin's work.

• 

week 1 in the books

3 weeks left of summer, three weeks left for me to reach a goal weight of 170, this was a great week. I ate healthy(except for Sunday--holy emotional eating) and worked out almost every day--finally nailing the bump up in biceps in Body Pump I have been chasing for months. And weighed in at 173.2!!

the 4 week challenge

My summer is winding down, summer is over in 4 short weeks. My summer has been filled with workouts and mostly healthy eating--a time where I have focused on myself and a time where I have already whittled off 6 pounds. And ideally I have 4 more that I would like to get rid of, 4 pounds that would put me at 170...a weight I haven't seen in a year

I have been thinking, oh I won't go out to eat, I will cut out my weekend Starbucks, I will add some intense workouts; but the reality is, I haven't gotten rid of 6 pounds by doing that so why would I change. I want to be healthy and I don't want these pounds coming back. So I will stick with my WW tracking, my Body Pump and cardio workouts, my taking care of me. My wonderful online friend Amanda (who is a creator and contributor to a great blog called Cut the Crap) has proposed a little challenge. She wants to be down below 170 before her trip to some beachy vacation and I want to be there before my reality of work returns. So a little challenge. What should the prize be? Game on Amanda--thanks for inspiring me!

Elle is 2!!

Dear Elle,

You are 2 today! Your doctor asked us words that describe your personality and here is what mommy and daddy said..."busy, energetic, curious, independent, fun, verbal." You have 2 speeds--100% and sleeping.  You wake up and are raring to go, after drinking your milk you immediately start something--a stack of books, playing blocks, coloring, playing with your train, puzzles, anything.  You love to read, we probably read 10-20 books a day. You have started loving to color with your color wonder markers, you want us to color "Y" or "dubby"(which is a W), letters you are learning on Sesame Street.  You love Elmo and could watch videos for hours if we let you.  You and mommy started gymnastics this summer, and you love it.  You love to swim, dunking yourself, jumping off the wall, riding the gator, and just splashing in general.  You constantly ask "What's That?" and "whatcha doing?" and don't stop til we answer you. We can't wait to see what this year brings for you!  

We love you!

Mommy and Daddy

 

Building Our Nest {House Progress}

Some friends pointed out to me that I hadn't really updated with the house in a long time. Which is true, it was a foundation and walls for a long time but here is some of the pictures... This is looking from our backyard, there will be french type doors from the master and the eat in kitchen onto the patio.  One of the things that took so long in framing out our house was the amount of windows we had.  The blocks had to be fitted around and then framed out before they could fill in with cement. 

Our house is being built with a product called Fox Blocks, this is what they look like in a cross section--they are then filled with cement, making the house very energy efficient!
  one of our major splurges was putting in in floor heat throughout the whole house.  But after a winter of below 0 temps for a month or so, it is worth it.  This is the view from the front door of the tubing being laid in--then cement over the whole thing and then they can start the roof and interior!
  This is a view looking at our master, a french door, a large window, and then windows flanking and above the bed. And Elle proudly carrying a fox block around.
  This shows most of the back patio(and Kevin's shadow), the retaining wall we plan to make into some sort of seating bench type thing for when we entertain.  We put it close to the house instead of further back to define that space, then we have a ton of area for grass and possibly a gazebo type set up.

We have also chosen and ordered windows--again emphasis on the energy efficiency! They have a Sun Smart coating and in some we got a prairie style grid installed.  The bathrooms will have frosted obscure windows. 14 windows in all. And we want to get some solar tubes in the laundry room and guest 1/2 bath where there is no windows.

 I am still pinning like crazy and collecting paint chip after paint chip...

Elle's Book 2

Nothing like a coupon to get your butt in gear to finish Elle's book. I had a coupon to save 50% on a photo book plus free shipping--Elle's book was going to cost 80 bucks and I got it for 35! In 3 days, I scrapped these final pages.

And here is the final result:
 

Click here to view this photo book larger

Shutterfly photo books offer a wide range of artful designs and embellishments to choose from.

As we race into year 3 with some party planning, can't wait to scrap some more of my girl's many adventures!

scrapping {gymnastics}

This summer, I signed Elle and I up for mommy and me gymnastics classes--they were a hit!

scrapping the spring festival

 

Our hometown has a Mike the Headless Chicken Festival in celebration of a real headless chicken who lived here way back when--google it!  We took Elle on the 5K run and then hit the booths.  She loved the jump house after getting a hang of it and then we had her ride a pony.  We weren't sure how she would react, but she loved it.  She rode Tucker a very gentle horse, she kept petting him and saying, "Good Tucker".  She was all smiles and giggles.  A great afternoon in Western Colorado!

scrapping {easter 2012}

Months later...
GG Springtime Blooms Kit
Simply Tiffany WildChild Templates

Summertime!!

Summer started today--11 weeks of freedom--started early when Elle was awake at 5:30 am--guess she didn't get the summer memo! My goals for summer: get in better shape, have lots of fun adventures with Elle, and hangout with friends. Here is my bucket list:

Building our Nest {Update 2}

My hubby has been taking pictures as the walls have gone up and the floor has been put down and the garage laid out. And as we start to make decisions--the windows are ordered

and our door has been chosen.