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.

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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!