Big Projects!

It's a new record! We've lived in our house about 4 1/2 months and we have already started working on it again! Of course, we have somewhat of a deadline, since we need a spot for the new little person that will be living with us in February. We started priming the walls and ceiling in the baby's room last night. I know that some people say not to paint during pregnancy, but I asked my mid-wife and she said it was fine, as long as the room was properly ventilated . . . so we opened the windows. I was also careful not to get any paint on my skin, which if you know me well, you know is a pretty big accomplishment! I also got out of cleaning out the rollers. We got the whole room primed (Andrew did the ceiling) and I went and bought the paint today. It is going to be a cheery yellow. Even though we plan to find out the sex of the baby, I think it sounds annoying to have to repaint that room, if additional children happen to be of the opposite sex! So, we're going with yellow and if it's a boy, the room will have blue accents, and a girl will, obviously, have pink accents. Both colors will look great with yellow.

Our biggest obstacle when trying to finish our upstairs it the cost of carpeting! We want to get the same stuff we have downstairs, since we love it, but it was pretty expensive. I guess I need to actually get a quote before I rule out being able to dig into savings to afford carpet right now. It would be nice to move up there soon! Hopefully the main cost downstairs was running the carpet down the stairs and around our winder step! I think I will go call the carpet guy right now for a quote. I have been talking to several plumbers to see if we can get someone to hook up our tub in the upstairs bathroom. It needs a drain, faucet, and shower run. One guy said $425 which sounds incredibly high! If it is going to be that high, Andrew would do the work himself. It will just save an enormous effort to have someone come in and do that part. The rest of the plumbing should be simpler. I do feel a bit overwhelmed by the thought of priming and painting the master bedroom (which is HUGE) myself, so if you live in the area (hint, hint) and want to help us paint, please let me know, and I'll let you know when we are doing it! :)

Ok, I'm ahead for a usual Friday, probably because I've begun to feel better, but I'd still better get back to work. I still gagged at my fridge and at the church fridge this morning but at least I don't feel nauseated all day! I hope it doesn't return! Happy home improvement!

Mom-in-training?

I'm not sure if my body is just trying to train me to function with sleepless nights or what, but I feel like I'm in training. I did take a significantly long nap yesterday, but I was so tired in the afternoon I felt like I couldn't walk another step when I got home. So I took a nap. When it came time for bed, I finished reading about midnight. I usually read until I feel like I have to prop my eyes open, which some nights is at 10:00 pm. I laid there (I may have slept a little) until 2:30 am when I fully woke up and couldn't sleep anymore. I went out to the couch, with the idea to pop in a movie (always makes me sleep), but just listened to music on my iPod instead. The fridge noises kept bothering me so I went back to bed about 4:00 am and I seriously don't think I slept much, if any during that time, since I had to keep skipping the fast songs on my iPod. I finally fell asleep (for good) about 4:30 am, only to be awakened by my alarm at 6. Well, I made it and I'm here at work today, and I haven't fallen asleep yet! Still being gagged by the fridge and feeling a bit queasier today than the last few days but I think it is lack of sleep and lack of water. I'm going to go drink some of that now! I don't think my bed has ever sounded so good before!

Training and Gross Things!

Dewey decided last night that we needed some training in the art of getting up at night. He was in the laundry room, like usual, except he was whining and barking for an extended period of time (we're talking 1/2 hour +, the time was fuzzy since I was half awake)! So, I finally got up and took him outside (in the rain) to pee. He continued to whine about 15 minutes after that, probably just wanting to sleep in our bed. Apparently, I'm a softy, because as soon as Andrew went out to him and just said "no Dewey" in a gruff voice that even scared me, Dewey was quiet for the rest of the night. I guess we're discovering who the disciplinarian might be.

Also, please skip the next part if you don't want to read about gross things!

La

La

La

La

I just had the pleasure of getting sick at work today. The worst part is that my nose started to bleed right during the "up chuck." Anyway, no harm done. It quit very quickly afterwards. I thought I was starting to feel better as I have been supplementing with B vitamins (and some say that helps morning sickness) but I guess surprises can still happen! At least I feel better now! So, hopefully this will make for smooth sailing during our staff meeting this afternoon, as I'm just not ready to tell the news yet, although the time may come more quickly than I anticipate! I'm looking forward to the rain they say is coming this afternoon and I'm looking forward to getting a lot of sleep tonight, after last night! :)

Dreams!

I'm beginning to have very vivid dreams. Two nights ago, I dreamed I was back in the midwife's office. They had me lay down on a table so they could inject my spine with something that would make me sleep. They wanted to record my brain waves. I remember the painful injection and the falling asleep in my dream. Weird!!

I'm already so sleepy today. If I had the guts, I would call in sick (since I still have all my days) and just sleep, but I doubt I can bring myself to do that!

First Appointment Update!

I had my first appointment yesterday! It went very well. It was really pretty short and simple. I am going to a clinic that has two midwives (I met with one of them yesterday) and about eight doctors. They like for you to have an appointment with everyone before your due date, just in case they are on call for the delivery. This freaked me out a little at first, since I've never been to a man doctor before, but everyone keeps telling me that I absolutely won't care during the birth. I like the place, so I guess I'll just have to overcome this one detail. The midwife set my current official due date as February 5th, 2008. I did the other standard things like pee in a cup and have a few other tests run. I still have to go have my blood work done in the next few days. There are about 12 locations in the area I can do it. I'm probably going to try and get it over with at lunch today. I hate needles and blood, so I was hoping they would do it while I had Andrew there with me, but oh well. She said my next appointment on July 27th would be more extensive. I would get to hear the heartbeat (they only can see it now with an ultrasound) and I would get more information about birth classes, etc. Yikes! Does that mean I actually have to give birth?! :) Anyway, my queasy stomach has just started for the morning, so I'm going to try and eat a healthy breakfast before it gets the best of me. I am going to leave you with a picture I took about four weeks ago, just in case you still had any questions or doubts.

Two Posts! You Guys are Lucky!

To take my mind off of my queasy rolling stomach, I was browsing the good ole' Target for some things.

*Disclaimer: Yes, I know it is very (too) early to be looking at this stuff. Yes, I know I have many months to plan and prepare but I'm not getting any of this (yet), and that's why I'm going slowly . . . one item at a time. But . . . it's fun to think about!

So, what crib do you like better?

Rochester Crib w/ Drawer at Target - $199.99

OR

Aspen Stages Crib with drawer at Target - $369.99

Both seem very acceptable to boy or girl. I just love a dark stain on wood but I'm also open to white (seems like that could be dirty). Ok, well that took about 5 minutes of my time. Perhaps I'll eat a cracker! :)

Plans . . .

My crazy and exciting plans for the evening include . . . . SLEEP! I have never been this tired in my life. Feel like I could sleep sitting up and I can't have a shot of caffeine as a pick-me-up.

Also, the refrigerator and I had another wrestling match this morning. The fridge won! The freezer doesn't have the same effect, weird!

We finally got a much needed soaking rain this morning. Hopefully our patchy grass will grow a bit. I made Dewey go out into the rain this morning to pee. He has been such a good dog lately. I can even let him out into the garage and say "sit" and he stops and sits before exiting the garage (so I can tie him up). He was scared of the thunder.

Perhaps I'd better work, so maybe I can go home early and catch a nap!

I'm Beginning to Understand!

I was thinking the other day that I really haven't been very hormonal (yet?). Apparently that day has arrived. I'm so glad the church is primarily deserted today, otherwise I might be discovered crying. My functional brain realizes that the things making me upset are very unimportant and would normally not bother me, but not today! Part of this problem may be due to lack of sleep. Normally I get between 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 hours of sleep per night. I've been doing about the same thing lately and it's just not cutting it for me. I actually took a nap during my lunch hour (in the youth room). It's not like I've been doing anything really important. I was mainly waiting to see whether some visitors were coming last night and got caught up in a TV show. I'm beginning to understand what all these books are talking about. My symptoms just show up a few days later than what the books says (so I naively think they aren't going to happen).

Also, the fridge has become my enemy. I promise that we do not have smelly or moldy food in our fridge, however each morning when I go to open the door, I inevitably feel extremely nauseated. It's funny because the trash (in our house and in the garage) does not bother me much. We have been in somewhat of a dilemma what to eat for supper. Andrew has been spending hours finishing up his latest class (which is done with tonight!) and I can't hardly open the fridge to even begin to prepare stuff, so we've primarily been snacking. Thankfully, my main cravings include fruit, so at least it is a healthy snack. On the down side, we're slowly running out of food, so I'm going to have to face the dreaded grocery store soon. The only way I can get through it, is if I stay in the produce section (which isn't bad) or if I bring a mint along for the occasion. That flavor and scent overwhelms all others, and then I'm ok.

Please don't think I am complaining about all of this. The weird thing is, as uncomfortable as I am, I actually like feeling this way, because I know things are going ok! I'm very excited for this and I don't mind feeling a little sick for a while! I am getting very excited about our first appointment next Monday (partly because I took the day off). I just have LOTS of questions about what to do and what not to do, so I hope they can be answered. I even called our insurance today to make sure everything is covered and in network . . . and it is. Beyond the blood test and meeting with the midwife, I have no idea what all is going to happen. I've read that first appointments can be fairly long, so I prepared A for that, so he can tell his boss the appropriate thing.

Ok, I'm feeling better now, so I guess it's back to work!

Father's Day Reflections

This post is a little late, I realize, but better late than never. I just wanted to write a bit about how important my dad has been to me. I have many wonderful childhood memories of Dad reading to me. I don't remember these times, but I'm told that when it came time to read at night I would insist that my dad be the one to read. Many other fond memories include spending hours playing catch with a balled up sock in the living room (we were entertained with very little, I guess) getting "cork its" from Dad and getting the torture chamber. When Mom was gone to a church function or whatever, we knew we could get Dad to give us something that was a little forbidden from Mom, usually juice or milk in a bottle, etc. I do remember going shopping one time with Dad and getting the exact shirt that I wanted! :) Mom would always be very sensitive and nurturing when we were sick and I remember one time I had a bad reaction to a vaccine when Mom was gone. I went to tell Dad I had been sick and he said, "Oh, I'm sorry." This reaction definitely help prepare me for the way my husband now reacts! My dad loves the Royals, Wheaties cereal, coaching boys basketball, and CATS! As I grew up, I started to have more responsibility on the farm (like changing flood irrigation at 6 am) and during one of those times I had a bug fly up my nose while we were on the 4-wheelers and as I sneezed it out, I will never forget how hard my dad laughed. It was funny! My dad worked so hard (and still does) to give us a secure childhood and life and a happy one! There are times that I feel sad that my children won't have the same childhood that I did, but I am glad of the fact that I can send them off to the Fairchild Farms for a true farming experience with my dad!

You Guessed It!

We're expecting a baby in early February. My first appointment is next Monday and I have already taken the day off of work! Yeah for sleep! Andrew said he would have to tell his boss (since Andrew is coming with me to the appointment) and I think that is fine.

The rest of this post will most likely be about puking, so if you don't want to read it, stop here!

So, I really didn't think I would be the type of person to actually get physically sick (a little nauseated maybe) but my second episode was this morning! Both times have been because of something stupid I did. The first time I took my vitamins on an empty stomach (still managed to wait until Andrew had left the hotel room) and this morning I threw out some stinky soup. I knew the thought of it made me gag but I told myself it wouldn't be a big deal. It was the smell that got me this time. Andrew was in the bathroom and so I had to use our back yard! Sorry if this is too much information. I think things like this will spur Andrew on to finish the upstairs bathroom more quickly (which he already hopes to have done by August). I was hoping none of our neighbors were out for a morning stroll! I haven't tried the crackers in bed thing, but I may have to start trying that. For the most part, I feel fairly good, so long as I have something in my stomach and I don't think about yucky foods (like green peppers and eggs, which I'm sure I will love again in a few months).

I was feeling so good last night before bed that I was beginning to worry about my hormone levels or that everything was ok with the baby, so I guess that is what I get for worrying, a great big reminder. I'm hoping to have a new look for my blog but I need the help of my ultra talented husband, so it may take awhile before we have the time!

A Post from the Road

I apologize for my vague posts and lack of frequency. To see what news we've been holding in, please go to the bottom of the blog to view my new ticker! More news and hopefully a new skin to the site will be forthcoming!

I don't think we're in Kansas anymore!

We're on our way to Kansas tonight (actually stopping in St. Louis). I'm excited to get to see my family. I will make sure that Andrew brings his camera so we can have pictures for my blog. I hope blogging hasn't taken over my old scrapbooking habits. When we get back, I will convince Andrew to get my card table from storage (aka Grandma M's barn) and then I'll set it up in the basement. Now that I have an area to work, maybe it will be little easier. Anyway, a bit off subject there. Perhaps I'll blog from the road!

MIA

Sorry that I haven't posted very often and that my posts have been boring! I am in the midst of working on a new template for my blog to make things more interesting and will try to put it up once we get back from Kansas! Tonight I am practicing with the piano player from the Monroe Pres Church, as I am singing there on Sunday, and then tomorrow night Andrew and I are going to enjoy a nice homemade pizza and movie. We used to do this all the time, but haven't lately, since our small group meets on Friday nights. We used to get mexican food, so I'm still having a debate between making Mexican food or having my yummy homemade pizza (I use a WW crust and lots of fresh veggies. Of course, there is always plenty of cheese too.). The weather here has been absolutely amazing this last week. It's supposed to be in the 90's today and so I'm holding out hope for perhaps a swim this weekend. It doesn't feel like summer until I've been swimming!

Yards and Such

Our major project this last week has been getting our yard to grow. We thought that it might be hopeless, due to lack of rain, but we've begun to see a few little sprouts shoot up. There IS hope! I wish I had some pictures to post, but we just haven't gotten around to doing so. We enjoyed a nice little thunderstorm this evening to help water our grass. The next two weeks will be filled with us preparing to head to Kansas for a wedding the weekend after next. We are leaving on Wednesday night, and staying in St. Louis, in order to have Andrew arrive for the wedding festivities (he's a groomsman). I have to work ahead at work, so that's what I'll be doing. It works out well, if I know when I am going to be gone, and I can get stuff done ahead of time. Guess that's all for now!

Camping

Our camping trip went well. It was a little busy, but we had fun with everyone. We lived in luxury in our new tent, with out double high air bed, so it was very comfortable. The only thing that wasn't fun was the pit toilets, but we survived! :)

Andrew forgot his camera, but I'll try to post some pictures that other people took on the trip.

We have a pretty relaxing week planned. I canceled my voice lessons for the week, just to have a week off, so I'm looking forward to having a free evening. Maybe I'll actually do some work around the house!

Happy Anniversary Honey!

It was this day, 4-years ago, that I had no idea what I was getting into! :) I mean that in the very best way possible. I felt like I knew you very well that day, but I had, and still have, a lot to learn about you. Every day, I am impressed with your ability to laugh. You are able to laugh at yourself and you help me to lighten up and realize that it is ok to have fun and enjoy things. You are able to put up with me, with a kind patience, when I know that I am being very difficult. You love me even though I complain too much, demand perfection in house cleaning (you must make the bed this way!), and get so overcommitted that you are the first thing in my life that gets no attention. You know to head directly for the ice and a band aids when I start shouting "Andrew . . . emergency", as I have a lot of accidents, but they are rarely emergencies! You amaze me constantly with your giving heart, your kindness, your devotion to God and to your family, and your patience. I knew the moment we started the criticism fast that you would beat me, hands down, since that is the way you live your life, not judging other people. I have loved every moment of being married to you (even though it's not perfect), you have taught me so much more than I ever expected, and our life together is really only beginning. As all of my co-workers (all married 30+ years) say, "You guys are just babes". So, I can't wait for the experiences of the years to come. It's never been boring with you, and that is the last thing I'm thankful for, in the list of many wonderful things you have given to me! I love you!

This Little Piggy!

My little piggy (actually my big piggy on my left foot) got smashed by the vacuum last night and is quite sore today. I won't go into detail but it has to do with a bent toenail being quite battered. It's amazing how someone can be both accident prone and have such a low pain tolerance, as I do. It's amazing, I should be put on display! :)

My recital went very well. The students over came their nerves (a lot of them) and all performed wonderfully. It all went so well, that if I have consistent numbers, I will try to have another one in December, so we can get in two per year. I will try to sing something at the next one, although it's difficult for me to have time to work on my own stuff, in between working with everyone else. I'll just have to pick something and start now.

In other news: my cousin, Laura, got engaged this weekend. We're all very excited for her. They think the wedding will be next May.

We have a camping trip planned for this weekend. We're going to eastern Ohio near Belmont to camp with Andrew's family. We're especially excited to try out our new tent that my in-law's bought us for Christmas. Our old one got broken in some stong Kansas winds on it's second use! Unfortunately, due to some long distance trips in the middle of camping, Dewey will have to be boarded for the first time ever! I'm already feeling a bit sad.

Yeah for Bloggers new feature. It's now automatically saves drafts in the middle of typing. This will save us much heartache for those "lost" blogs.

Returning and Recipes

I have just now returned home after a very fun and enjoyable trip to Grand Rapids, Michigan to meet up with my sis and her friend to visit my Grandma. We had a great time together, going to a concert, playing games, watching a movie, eating, and shopping! It was such a fun girls weekend together! I wish I could say that I have pictures to post, but I forgot to bring my camera.

Here is the recipe for the Bulgar Pilaf. It actually calls for Quinoa but I couldn't find anything so the Bulgar worked well.

1 3/4 cups water
3/4 cups bulgar
1/2 cup shelled unsalted pistachios
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra=virgin olive oil, divided
1 small red bell pepper, finely diced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat oven or toaster oven to 350.

Combine water and bulgar in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and place in a mixing bowl. While bulgar is cooking, spread pistachios on a baking tray and bake until lightly browned and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Cool and roughly chop. Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add bell pepper and scallions and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add to bulgar, along with pistachios, vinegar, and remaining oil; stir to combine. Season with salt and peper to taste and serve.

Landlords

Well, we're landlords once again. We were considering selling our house in Sterling, but we could never move forward with our realtor, then within about 24 hours, we had 3 inquiries of renters. So, we're renting it out again. The good thing is our new renter is moving in on Sunday, so right away! I was worried about covering the payments on everything until we sold it and so now we don't have to worry about that. Let's hope the house holds out!

Whirlwind 2 weeks!

Well, we've got a busy two weeks planned, but it's not as busy as last year, when I was singing with the May Festival Chorus (check out www.mayfestival.com). I am going to miss their concerts this year, but hopefully, in the future, I'll be able to join them again as a singer!

Tonight is my dress rehearsal for my voice students. I think they are mostly ready. I have a few that need a bit more work on their songs. We'll see how it goes tonight. I'm giving on lesson tomorrow night. Then the rest of the week (in the evenings) I will be preparing for the recital and reception afterwards. I'm also in charge of our 3 and 4 year old classroom at church. I've been putting together the summer schedule, and it's finally starting to take shape. It's more of a responsibility than I bargained for, but it's only for the summer. Then on Friday, I'm meeting my sister in Michigan to visit our Grandma for the weekend. It should be lots of fun. Next Monday, we will be at the recital, then Tuesday will be another lesson (I have one girl not participating), then on Wednesday evening, we will go down to the Creation Museum in Kentucky to view the grand opening (we are members). Thursday will take us to Grace Chapel for a going away party for some of our friends. Also, two of my voice students have a performance at their school that night, so I MIGHT try to make that. The day after that is our 4th wedding anniversary (I can't believe it) and we are going camping for the weekend.

I can't believe that summer is already upon us. Besides the things listed above that keep me busy, I've been enjoying my kitchen lately. I do wish I had more time to experiment and cook, but I enjoy what I've been able to do anyway. I hope Andrew enjoys it too! :) I'll try to post some recipes on here, when I get a chance.

All for now!

Yard Work!

We finally had our yard graded yesterday! It looks so nice and smooth now. We've still got plenty of work ahead to get our yard presentable, but we're on our way. I took about an hour last night to mow most of the back yard, so our good view has returned. I should take an early morning pictures sometime. It's beautiful! The excavator is still going to come out and rock hound, since the front yard is full of rocks. Hopefully that will help our grass to grow a bit better. Andrew will probably be planting grass the weekend I'm up in Michigan with my sister, visiting my Grandma. I'm looking forward to that trip!

Today is Dewey's day to head to the vet. We're switching vets because the other one was so expensive. We'll see how today goes. Thankfully, Dewey has never been scared of the vet. He loves to meet new people so much that he doesn't care that he gets a little shot at the same time. The only thing he really doesn't like is a bath (or any water of any kind). Perhaps it is because he fell into a swimming pool as a pup, but I'm not a doggy psychologist, so I won't try to figure it out!

Have a great day, ya'll!

Local Happenings

I came across this article today and wondered if my mom made the trip over to see the President (I kind of doubt she knew he was going to be there). Greensburg is approx 1 hour away from my childhood home. I'm so glad that President Bush showed his support for this small Kansas town.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070509/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush

Kansas, Kansas

My poor home state has been wracked with terrible storms lately. The town that's been making national news due to its 95% destruction (F5 tornado), was one that I played tennis in frequently. I'm glad I was able to visit the worlds largest hand dug well, before it was all collapsed. Please remember Greensburg in your prayers, as they work on rebuilding their entire town!

I am thankful that my parents are safe, with minimal damage to their property. I believe they had a branch fall on their garage (separate from the house) so it could have been much worse, since there were tornados close by their area. Mom said she spent much of the night in their storm shelter (I heard a rumor of over 50 tornados in the state that night). I'll leave you with a picture looking out my grandparents balcony to their land and the Rattlesnake Creek, due to all the rain.

Our Weekend!

Our weekend went way too fast, but we had so much fun! On Friday night, we had our small group again and like usual, we had some great discussions, and it was a lot of fun. Then Saturday, I cleaned the church, cleaned my house, saw Spiderman 3, went birthday shopping with Andrew (see paragraph below), and went to a Red's game. I have pictures of the game, so we'll see if I ever get around to posting them on here! It was so much fun, but it got started late because of the rain and we were sitting by a few obnoxious drunk people, but I had a good time anyway.

If you've never discovered Andrew's hidden talent for shopping, you should. Anyone who knows him, knows that he is generally free with advice and will say what he thinks (in a nice way) about stuff. Well, this shopping trip I decided to actually listen to him. Besides him picking out a few things that were much lower cut than I would ever wear, he really had remarkable taste. He picked out a fabulous shirt that I would have never looked at, because I thought it would be too small. When I tried it on, it was perfect. He even suggested combinations for me, that looked great (aka, this shirt would go great with jeans, this skirt would go great with this other color). I've had this great fashion resource for almost 4 years now and I never knew he could be such good help when picking out clothes. I know he was uncomfortable for most of the time (me in the dressing room and him standing looking through clothing in a women's clothing shop) but he was an excellent sport and would even go get me a different size, if needed. So, that was a great birthday gift!!!

Wonderful Start

I've had a wonderful start to my birthday. I received a wonderful birthday package from my parents yesterday. My mom had picked out three tops for me. Although they are different than what I normally wear, I like them (which impresses me) and I've already started reading a book my mom sent. Also, Andrew got up early and made me breakfast. I am wearing my pink shoes today and Dewey got to sleep with us last night (and mostly on Andrew's side of the bed). The plans for the rest of the day include a lunch with my co-workers, supper from Abeulos with Andrew (I'm debating just getting takeout, since gas prices are so high) and then just relaxing with a movie and dinner. We are also going to do a few more things on Saturday. Andrew is going to give me my birthday present then. It's what I want every year, and I don't think we've ever done it before. It is for him to go clothes shopping with me (no whining allowed). I like it when he does this because 1) I have someone to carry my bags, 2) I have someone who will be nicely honest with me about what does and doesn't look good (plus I have an issue with looking youthful, so he helps me), and 3) he encourages me to try things on that I never would have thought I liked. I honestly have so little clothes that fit now. Probably 4 or 4 pair of pants, no capri's, one pair of jeans, so it is high time to do a little birthday money shopping. So, we're planning on doing that on Saturday, as well as going to a Red's game. For someone who grew up going to a lot of sporting events (and I wasn't very interested in sports) I have a surprising love for professional sports. I just like the atmosphere and the relaxing "American" feeling that baseball games give.

I'm posting another blog today on my weightloss blog. If you want to read that, send me and email and I'll send you the link to that. Otherwise, I'd like it to be a bit more private!

I hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Pig-Skin Roundball

Andrew's company has tickets to an event tonight, in Middletown, called the "Pig-Skin Roundball". Since Andrew's boss is out of town, we got the tickets. It is a charity event that helps to fund scholarships for Middletown athetics/academics. Tonight we will hear David Pollack (a linebacker for the Cincinnati Bengals) and Sean Miller (Xavier men's basketball head coach) speak. I think there are also some raffles and whatnot. Anyway, that's what we're doing tonight!

Bye Bye Bloggers

So many of the blogs I read are ending. I have such a short "blog roll" already and now two of them are quitting! So, if anyone has read any good blogs lately, post them and I'll read (and if I like them) I'll link!

Wood Sugar!

My mom introduced me to Epic gum a few years ago and I just want to promote it a bit, since it's great stuff. The secret of Epic gum is it's use of Xylitol, a wood "sugar" that actually classifies as a sugar substitue. The great thing is that Xylitol is not a chemical, like many sugar substitutes (and real sugar, actually) but is a naturally occuring sugar in your body. If you want more info, click the links below.

http://www.angelfire.com/az/sthurston/xylitol_natural_sweetener.html
www.epicdental.com

We are starting up our small group again tonight. I am excited to get together again with our friends! Also, since I can't remember the password to my weightloss blog (it's been a while since I logged on), I'm going to have to create another one. If you want to read it, shoot me and email @ jaime_schechter@yahoo.com and I'll send you a link. I'm going to try and update it several times a week, as I hope to have a lot to report!

Also, I am finally going to be a paid blogger. I have to wait for the company to start sending me a few assignments, so be warned, there may be a few more links on here in the future. Hopefully, I can tie everything together, so it doesn't seem random! I'm excited to start that. Have a fun evening! It's FlyLady date night and so I'm going on a "date" with my husband to Bible study with our small group!

Truck Pictures

Here is Andrew's "new" truck. We removed the detail from the side of the truck.

We removed it using a hair dryer and that's why I'm being silly. I can't believe I'm showing my silly side on my blog! *gasp*

2 acres

I spent the majority of my weekend mowing. I had no idea how long it would take to mow our property. The main problem is that our ground is very bumpy and strewn with endless metal objects left by the previous owner. I think I stopped over 20 times to pickup and move some sort of dangerous object or a large rock, etc. I know it will get easier every time because this stuff will eventually get all picked up, but for right now, it can be a bit overwhelming!! We are having our excavator haul off a bunch of junk. It needs to dry out a little bit before he can come to haul and grade.

A college friend of ours is coming to stay the night. We're having a small cookout which should be good! :)

I have been enjoying my elliptical machine. I have a very nice setup in the basement. I have a TV and DVD player, a matt, weights, and my elliptical machine. I have been renting and watching musicals from the Library. I really need to be familiar with more musicals (although I know a lot) so this is the perfect way to do it. It's amazing how fast 20 minutes on the elliptical goes while watching Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat! :) I'm done with that now, so I'm going back to the Library today for another one.

Sorry for the lack of pictures. I keep meaning to do that, but it seems everytime I'm home, I'm either cleaning something or the computer is busy! :) So, they will come eventually.

Things to come

Yes, I will post recipes soon, as soon as I have time to quit making them and actually post them. My newest endeavor in the kitchen was to make my own pie crust last night, with organic, chemical free "crisco" (no, not the crisco brand that says it's 100% trans fat free, which is even more unhealthly, but this is a pressed palm oil made by spectre). I threw in some whole wheat flour for good measure. I am taking a meal tonight to someone in our church who has cancer and so that was my motivation for chicken pot pie and the healthy crust. We didn't eat until 9:00 pm last night, but (in my opinion) it was well worth it. The crust wasn't heavy or dry from the whole wheat, like I feared, but was flaky and tender. If I were to do this again, I would make the crust ahead of time and just refridgerate. It was a bit much for one night. It was hard to roll out because it was so crumbly, but I finally managed, even though my crust edges weren't that pretty! :) I'll try to post this and the salmon cakes soon.

My elliptical machine arrived last night. I have felt guilty for spending the money on it, but I'll just have to make sure I use it, in order to get my money's worth. As my mom said (in her wise counsel), maybe it will save on medical bills later in the life. Andrew will put it together for me tonight. I will hopefully take some pictures of it.

We are finally going to be able to grade our yard next week or the next. We've been waiting for the cable company to come and bury our high speed internet cable. I called them and bugged them about 10 times, so that might have helped the speedy process. I let them know that they were holding us up from finishing up our outside grading. The excavator is going to come early next week, if there is no rain. It will be nice to be able to plant some grass seed!

We are also, finally, finalizing our mortgage. I've been on pins and needles getting this worked out. One company wouldn't finance us because our upstairs isn't finished. I told them this was ridiculous, since most people have an unfinished basement too, but it was no avail. So we had to agree to a higher interest rate at the bank where we had our construction loan. It will work out in time. We'll probably refinance eventually, but I'm just glad we can get started paying this thing off (even if that will take a while). I'm mailing the final papers back today.

The rest of our time has become engulfed in a crazy obsession with Battlestar Galactica. Andrew has always watched this TV show, and I tried to watch it a few times, just to see what the fuss was about, but could never really get hooked. Well, a few weeks ago, we started out from the very beginning (I have bought Andrew all of the seasons, for different birthday's/occasions) with the miniseries. It's amazing how much more I enjoy it when I understand what is going on. Normally, I have an intense dislike for Science Fiction shows. I'm not a fan of aliens! However, this show not only has Science Fiction elements but it also includes human relationships, human emotions, politics, ethics, etc, so it makes for a very interesting show. We are close to ending season 2 and season 3 has yet to be released on DVD, so our obsession will soon end! It's been a fun thing to enjoy with Andrew and now I can watch the upcoming episodes with more interest, since I know what is going on. I can't believe I have enjoyed it so much. I guess it's just a lesson to all of us (but mainly to myself) not to dislike something like this, until you've actually given it a chance!

A Slice of Heaven (not)

This won't be long.

Last night, as I was chopping an onion for our crock pot chili (for tonight). I turn to look at Andrew and listen to what he was saying.

Slice . . . . . . I howled with pain (Andrew hates it when I cry loudly), and discovered I sliced open my left pointer finger. No stitches required. I thought I was going to die, Andrew assured me that I was fine. It was our shapest knife, so the cut wasn't too big.

This is a reminder that I'm a big wimp when I comes to pain. I got light headed when I saw the sink full of blood and again this morning when I changed the bandaid in the shower! I try to be brave but my body (blood pressure) just reacts without any consideration for what my brain wants it to do!!



We bought a truck! I'll post pictures when I'm at home (by the memory card with the pictures) and when my finger doesn't throb when I type (tomorrow???).

Have a Happy Monday!!

Happenings

I certainly still feel pretty busy, but life has settled down for us, since we're able to be in one spot and have our own place. It's quite nice! I've been enjoying myself lately while cooking (and sometimes while keeping house). The best thing we had this week was Salmon Cakes. I'll try to post the recipe on here this weekend, it's at home.

We are in the midst of trying to find a vehicle (a truck) for Andrew to buy. He has some contacts through his work, but nothing has worked out for us yet. We are going to look at a truck in Indiana tonight. It's a Sonoma, I think. He has been needing a vehicle for some time and we are able to just outright buy one (yeah for the power of cash when bartering with car sales people) with our tax refund and savings. I hope this one we see tonight is the right price and has good features. I like it because it is an automatic transmission (aka. I can drive it). So we'll see.

I've been doing well with my eating (we've been having yummy stuff, so it's not hard) and have just started an exercise plan that I hope I can stick with. I've lost approx. 8 lbs so far. Our bathroom scale isn't very good, so it's hard to see exactly what's happening. I finally ordered my elliptical machine yesterday. I thought I would walk more outside, but it's been so cold lately that I haven't been doing anything. I would like to do something for 30 minutes per day, so I may have to break that down into two sessions, to fit into my schedule. Andrew is going to help me set up a little workout spot downstairs, this weekend, in preparation for the arrival of my elliptical. Eventually, I also need to add a weight bench, a exercise ball and exercise mat, since the floor down there is concrete.

Next Tuesday evening, I am going to begin to take voice students on Tuesday nights, as well as Mondays. My original hope was that several of my Monday night students would switch to Tuesday, so Monday's wouldn't be so full. Only one has switched so far. I have promised Andrew that I will only take 8 students total (the plan was 4 on Monday and 4 on Tuesday) and right now I have 7. I definitely realize that I have overcommiting disease, so I need some sort of regulation (or regulator) in my life, so Andrew has to approve if I am going to add any more students. We are also starting up our small group from church again on Friday nights. It's been so much fun and can't wait to get together with our friends again. The only other thing I've committed to was to take over being "coach" of the 3 & 4 year old classroom, just for the summer to give the current coach a break.

All for now. If we buy the truck, I'll post pictures, and hopefully we'll have more inside and outside (which isn't very pretty right now) shots of the house soon!

Pictures!!

I will begin the picture segment of my blog with a lovely shot of our pup, Dewey. We were trying to capture him smiling, but we didn't quite get it. It's a cute picture anyway.

Dewey leaping in the air!

The office. The only thing that needs finished are the windows!

The bathroom with the beautiful curtain that Susan made us.

Our bedroom with Dewey messing up the neatly made bed. Notice our new bed skirt, also made by Susan.

A view into the living room. Sorry, I didn't get a picture of the piano.

A picture of the kitchen. Sorry, it's kind of dark.

The mudroom/laundry room.

My shiny sink!

Not sure why Andrew took this one, but it's of me, the sink, and the Bar Keepers Friend that I used to make it shiny.


Unfortunately, we didn't take any pictures this weekend, when Jenny and her boyfriend Luke came for the weekend. I'm not sure why we didn't get around to it but we'll have to take twice as many next time.

Somewhat Boring Life . . .

So here's an update on our somewhat boring life (which has been such a nice change). Andrew continues to plug away at his new accounting class. I'm not sure the course work is more challenging but it certainly is more time consuming. We've definitely been watching much less TV than before and I've had lots of good time to sit in the office and read while he is working on homework.

My sister and her boyfriend are coming this weekend for a visit. They are arriving Friday and leaving Sunday. If our plan works out we'll have tea on Saturday noon, supper at the Montgomery Inn Boathouse (Andrew and I have never been there) and then we'll catch the Red's game. Unfortunately, you can't make reservations for the Boathouse but you are only able to call ahead and find out available times and we might not go to the Red's game if it's too cold. Right now, they are saying 39 degrees, which is up four from yesterday.

I've primarily been working on getting my Flylady routine's in place. So far, these are my routines. I think I'm about ready to move on to weekly routines as well, but I don't want to go to fast (and crash and burn).

After Work Routine:
Start load of Laundry
Unpack Flylady "Office in a Bag"
Supper (Prep, eat, and cleanup)
Load Dishwasher
5 Minute Room Rescue
15 minute Filing (This will drop off, as soon as the pound of paperwork we're buried under is flung).

Before Bed Routine:
Shine Your Sink (Which lead to washing the dishes, putting away the dish drain dishes, and wiping counters)
Laundry to Dryer
Start Dishwasher
Prep Lunches (all but Sandwich)
Water Plans
Lay out tomorrow's clothes
Think about what's for dinner (put meat in fridge to dethaw, etc)

Morning Routine:
Let Dog Out (Brr, it was cold this morning)
Shower, fix hair and face
Swish and Swipe the bathroom (I clean the toilet and sink with a spray of Clorox and a paper towel each morning)
Morning Devotional Time
(By this time, Andrew's out of bed)
Make Bed
Get Dressed
Finish Lunches
Empty Dishwasher
Fix Breakfast
Fold Clothes and put Away

My morning routine is a bit too long, I think. I was about 5 minutes late for work this morning. I'm trying to figure out another way to fold the laundry, as I've never actually done this before in the morning, it's just in the plan. If you're totally confused, you can check out www.flylady.net or feel free ask me questions. It's so much fun!! I'm going to try to remember to take pictures and post soon!

Recipes

Below you will find some of the recipes that we had this week, including the yummy crab cakes and spinach artichoke dip some people wanted:

Sausage Cheesy Frittata
2 teaspoons butter
½ cup sliced onion
½ cup sliced red bell pepper
2 small plum tomatoes, diced
3 slices turkey bacon, crumbled
1/3 cup sausage, browned and crumbled
1 tablespoon basil
Black Pepper
½ cup eggs
½ cup 1% cottage cheese
¼ cup fat-free evaporated milk
¾ ounce shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Coat an ovenproof 10” skillet with cooking spray and place over medium-low heat until hot. Melt the butter in the skillet. Add the onion, bell pepper, and meat and sauté over medium-low heat until the vegetables are lightly browned, 2-3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, basil, and black pepper to the skillet and stir to combine. Cook until the flavors are blended, 2-3 minutes, and remove from the heat.

Preheat the broiler. In a blender, combine the eggs, cottage cheese, and milk and process until smooth. Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables. Cover and cook on medium-low heat until the bottom is set and the top is slightly wet. Transfer the skillet to the broiler and broil until the top is set, 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with the cheese and broil until the cheese melts.


We also had Taco Salad (Andrew had his with WW wraps and I just had mine on a bed of romaine), chicken stir-fry with no rice or carrotts/corn, and our usual baked Mustard Salmon.


Asian Broccoli
1/2 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon canola oil 1/2 (11/2-pound) head broccoli, cut into florets (3 cups) 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce 1 garlic clove, minced 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
InstructionsHeat oil in a large wok or high-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add broccoli and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add soy sauce, garlic, and lemon juice; continue to stir-fry until broccoli is crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Serve hot

Savory Chicken Saute

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 large onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
½ cup fat-free chicken broth
Pinch salt
Black pepper

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the chicken breasts in the oil for 4 minutes, then turn them over and add the onio. Cover and cook for 3 minutes longer, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, rosemary, and broth. Cover and cook until the onion is tender-crisp, about 5 minutes longer, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.

Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip –
1 (10oz) package of frozen chopped spinach
2 (13 ¾ oz) cans artichoke hearts
½ cup of mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup grated pepper jack cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Greese a casserole dish with nonstick spray.

Heat the spinach in a microwave oven on high for 5 minutes and squeeze dry. Drain the artichoke hearts and coarsely chop in a food processor. Combine all the incredients except the jack cheese in a large bowl. Stir well. Scrape into the prepared casserole dish and sprinkle the jack cheese on top. Bake for 30 minutes. Transfer to a chafing dish and keep warm over a low flame. Serve with bagel chips.

Avacado Crab Cakes
1 avacado
1 lemon
1 tsp chives
1/2 tsp dill
1 egg
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 Tbsp mustard
3/4 cup italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 pound crabmeat
salt and pepper
olive oil

Chop avacado and crab meat. Cut lemon in 1/2 and squeeze 1/2 over avocado. Beat egg, add mayonnaise, mustard, chives, dill and 1/4 cup bread crumbs. Add crab and avocado. Season with salt and pepper. Shape into patties. Dip in bread crumbs. Fry patties and turn once until brown. Use lemon to garnish.

If you live close by and are going to make this, I can lend you the bread crumbs. I doubt I will have much use for them, unless I make this recipe again.

When I get a chance I will take and post more pictures.

A Lot of Nothing

Sorry for the lack of posting. I seem to have been very busy unpacking and keeping my house clean, which is fun, but haven't had a lot to blog about, which is also good. We decided to have an open house tonight to have friends and family over to look at our house, even though it's not finished. I'm not sure I'll ever consider it "finished" so we figured that two weeks after we moved in would be a good date to have a party. It also motivated us to get stuff moved in and unpacked. We have had several improvements to the house because Andrew's mom is helping us by making curtains, bed skirts, a padded headboard, etc. I'll try to take pictures this weekend and post more on here. I am also hosting all of the Sunday School helpers for our age group (3's and 4's) at my house on Sunday, so that will be fun.

I guess that's all for now!

I cheated!

No, I did not cheat on my diet, but I did cheat on weighing myself. This program recommends only once a week but I broke down and weighed myself today, even though it's only day 5. I have lost 3 lbs! I couldn't believe it. I know most of it is water but I don't really care. Ok, I'm not trying to turn this into a weightloss blog (as I've got another one for that, that is a bit more private) but wanted to share. I hope to remember my login info to the other blog soon!

I hope to have more pictures on here this weekend, especially of the beautiful new curtain in the bathroom that my MIL sewed for us!!

Recipes!

Below you will find a few of the things we are eating this week. Sorry, I don't have my mom's tomato soup one with me. I'll have to put it on, since it is so yummy!

Mustard Baked Salmon - (just like it says, salmon baked with a coat of mustard. Yum!)
Jaime's Salad
Greens (I usually use a spring mix or romaine)
Chopped Onion and Tomato
Sunflower Nuts
Feta Cheese
Dressing: 2 tsp olive oil, 2 tsp red wine vinegar, 2 tsp lemon juice

Oven-Roasted Vegetables (So Good)
· 1 med zucchini, cut into bite-size pieces
· 1 med red bell pepper, cut into bite-size pieces
· 1 med yellow bell pepper, cut into bite-size pieces
· 1 lb fresh asparagus, cut into bite-size pieces
· 1 red onion, chopped
· 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
· 1 tsp salt
· ½ tsp black pepper
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the zucchini, squash, bell peppers, asparagus, and onion in a large roasting pan, and toss with the oil, salt, and black pepper. Spread in a single layer.2. Roast for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are lightly browned and tender.

- We had this with a steak and celery with either cheese or natural peanut butter (has no sugar, only roasted peanuts)


This is what we are having tonight, so I can't say how good it is . . . yet:

CHICKEN WITH TOMATOES AND BALSAMIC VINEGAR
1/3 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons basalmic vinegar
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
dried rosemary
crumbled plum tomatoes
drained 3 whole chicken breasts
1/4 teaspoon salt cut in half Freshly ground black pepper

1. Combine chicken broth, vinegar and rosemary; pour over chicken, cover, and refrigerate overnight. 2. Remove chicken and pat dry, reserving marinade. Heat oil in a heavy frying pan and brown chicken in two batches. 3. Remove checken from the pan; add onions and garlic. Saute over medium heat for 5 minutes, until onions are softened. 4. Add marinade to pan and bring to a simmer. Add chicken, baste with some of marinade, cover and simmer 25 minutes. 5. Remove chicken and keep warm. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper; simmer about 5 minutes, or until thickened. 6. Pour sauce over chicken.

Thursday night's meal:
Chicken Chili Stew
3 whole cubed skinless boneless chicken breast halves
1 chopped onion
1 chopped green bell pepper
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tablespoons oil
2 15 oz. can canned stewed tomatoes
1 15 oz. can canned pinto beans
3/4 cup picante sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt

Saute chicken, onion, green pepper, and garlic in biggest pot til chicken iswhite. Add everything else; simmer 20 minutes.

Fresh Mozzarella Salad
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cucumber, peeled and seeded
1 large Roma tomato, sliced
1 oz fresh mozzarella cheese
3 leaves fresh basil, chopped
Instructions:Mix the balsamic vinegar, olive oil and garlic in a small bowl. On a salad plate, layer slices of the cucumber, tomato and cheese. Drizzle with the dressing. Sprinkle with the chopped fresh basil.

More recipes next week!

We're moved in!

We are officially living in our new house. I also started the South Beach diet (again) today, and so far it is going great. I had a few cravings at lunch, but they were easily quelled by some delicious soup. It really helps me to have the meals planned out for the whole week, so I don't panic and eat something I shouldn't. I'm going to try and post a few pictures on here now.

Our young marrieds small group from our church. The boys surprized us with a fun and fancy "night out" last Friday. We even had a stretch SUV limo!

Our new bedroom. Don't worry, it's much messier now!

Our messy kitchen. I'm still sorting and unpacking, although we can pull one car into the garage now.

Andrew's office. I'll try to get another picture later with the computer and chair.

Do Good Work

A few weeks ago, this world lost a very comic and caring man. I just felt like I should write a few things about a person who made an impact in my life as well as many others. Andrew and I had lived with them for the past 16 months, so I got to know his grandparents better than most granddaughter-in-law's may. I appreciated Grandpa mainly for his humor and his enjoyment of life but also for his protection of me. I will never forget the day I was scheduled to have my wisdom teeth removed. He was laying in bed, in pain that had lasted years and years, yet he was very concerned about me and how I felt that day. He also prayed with me on my first day of work. I'm cerainly not the best person to write about Grandpa, as I haven't known him long, but his life had an impact on mine. As the family has been saying, I know he is singing and praising God and now free from all traech's, peg tubes, and pain. He is greatly missed.

We've Moved

When I got home from work last night, Andrew said, let's move our bed tonight. I still wasn't quite sure we could do it, but Andrew, Nick, and Wayne loaded up the bed, nightstands, and dresser and we slept at our new house last night. After envisioning this experience for the past year or so, I never thought that I would describe the experience as emotional or sad, but that's what I felt. I felt so sad to leave Andrew's grandma by herself. I knew we couldn't stay there, but I just didn't know how hard it would be! :(

We both slept fairly well except for me being a little disoriented when I went to the bathroom at 1:00 am and Dewey still slept at W/S house until we get his stuff moved. I'm not sure how we're going to manage him during the day. He may have to be an outside dog.

Hopefully pictures and another post to follow. Right now I'm trying to sort out who we should get our permanent mortgage from. Any advice?

Easy Fix!

The septic guy found the problem, and it was an easy fix. It's hard to explain but a pipe leading into the septic tank was pushed against a piece of concrete, so it couldn't drain. Easy fix and we can move in anytime. All we have to do is move our bed!

Plumbing Problem

Well, our small plumbing problem has turned into a bigger plumbing problem. The plumbers at our house yesterday discovered that the drainage problem was not a blocked pipe inside or a capped vent, but a problem with the drainage pipe running out to the septic tank or the pipe from the septic tank to the leech field. The septic guy is supposed to stop by and diagnose the problem today, but we've probably got a crushed pipe or one that came loose during the grading of our yard.

So, we can legally move in, but we can't use any plumbing right now, which is a major issue! I'll update as soon as I know anything! I'm mainly anxious to get started on my diet. I need to find my cookbooks!

Certificate

I just called the county and found out that our certificate is going to be issued today at 1:00 pm! Yeah! Now, we are just figuring out who is going to go get it. I have been talking with the permanent mortgage guy and so hopefully we'll get stuff worked out tomorrow. We need to settle while the interest rates are low!

We're still having a few plumbing drainage problems. I called the plumbers and they won't be out until tomorrow, so the earliest we will live there would be Thursday night. I still need to find my pots and pans, so we can actually cook and eat.

Yeah!

P.S. I'm sort of ashamed to admit that my QVC diamonique ring came yesterday, and I LOVE it. Susan, I forgot to show you when you were at our house! Oh, and that dish soap smells so good, it's like being at a spa!! It was good that the kitchen sink water backed up into the bathtub, because then at least it was lavendar scented waste water! :)

We've failed!!!!

Well, we did fail our driveway inspection today, because the inspector couldn't see through our culvert pipe, but he is allowing us to pass anyway on one condition. We have to write him a letter saying we'll fix it within two months (I already faxed the letter). Even though that pipe has worked for twenty years now, I am appreciative that the inspector is letting us get our Certificate anyway. He could have made us fix it before getting it! Yikes!

It now looks like I can probably pick it up tomorrow afternoon or sometime Thursday. The certificate will mainly allow us to roll over our construction loan into a permanent mortgage with a much lower interest rate. We're still plugging away at moving in, with mainly kitchen stuff at this point. We'll try to take pictures and post. Our computer is now at our new house without internet access, so it may be a week or so before new pictures arrive. We are getting the internet hooked up on Saturday.

We've Passed!!!!!

We passed our final final inspection today! Yeah!

We still cannot get our certificate of occupancy, until the driveway has been cleared. The guy is supposed to do that today, so I should be able to pick it up next Monday or Tuesday, but . . . . no more inspectors in our house! :)

Liar

I am such a liar. I have not posted like I said I would! I kind of forgot that I was going to a musical last night. Three of my voice students performed and it was fantastic. Very professional for a high school musical. I was proud! :)

We are having another final inspection today. I will be quite floored if we don't pass, as we did everything the inspector told us to last time. We are also supposed to have a driveway inspection to look at our culvert. I hope we pass that, because it would be the only thing stopping us from getting a Certificate of Occupancy. I will post on here again, once I know the results of our final.

Yes, a post will follow this weekend, but it won't be today! We have snacks at small group tonight, so I have to make something between when I get home at 5:30 and when we leave at 6:45 tonight.

Final Inspection

Well, we had our final inspection this morning. We have a few things that we need to fix but they are very minor. We'll have another inspection on Friday and we should pass that.

We need to have a 3x3 landing out the mudroom door and off the front porch. We have to fix how some insulation is laying upstairs in the FROG (future room over garage), and we have to have our sump drain permanently installed.

Hopefully there will be another post tonight.

Posting

Keep your eyes peeled for a post tonight or tomorrow. My husband's grandfather died last weekend, so I haven't felt much like posting here lately, but I do want to write something. So check back.

Good Morning

I received this email from my mom this morning. It's a picture of my dad and his favorite cat, Puff Daddy, saying "Good Morning" to us. I thought it was so cute that I wanted to share. :) I'm not sure why my dad is squinting so much.

We passed!

I just talked to Andrew . . . and we passed our final electrical inspection! Yeah, no more electric!

Crazy Weather!

In a perfect world, we would have had our grading done today, Andrew would have built outdoor steps this weekend, and we would be having our final inspection next week. However, February has been quite a brutal weather month for us. We've had three fairly large snow storms in the past two weeks and today we're having "freezing fog" or whatever that is. All of this weather has delayed on of the major things we need to accomplish before our final inspection, our yard grading. I spoke with the inspector this morning, and he said he would let it pass if it weren't perfect, as long as water couldn't stand near the foundation. So . . . um, we have some work to do especially since we have two very large holes next to our foundation.

Things to finish before our final inspection:
Banister (I think will be done this week)
Carpeting (Middle of next week)
Grading (Whenever the snow melts off our yard)
Steps or landing out the back door (After the grading is done)
A "sidewalk" from the front porch to the driveway. I think we're going to use some crushed gravel. (After the grading is done)

We're having our final electrical and final plumbing inspections today. I'll let you know how those go. Originally, our goal was to move in on March 3rd, but with all this weather, I believe it's more realistic to think it will be on March 10th (ish).

Water!

We have running water!! Yeah!!

We had a little scare this morning, because the plumber couldn't get the water meter to turn on. So, I called the county, they came out and helped him! Yeah!

I also met with the carpet guy today! Decisions, decisions.

Sorry this is short. I'm swamped at work! I'll write more later with updated running water pictures!

Picture Update

Pictures I took last night, after our plumbing fixtures were installed:

Kitchen sink area. Notice the dishwasher, sink, and fixture! The dishwasher isn't actually pushed back into the cabinet yet.

Our messy kitchen! Notice the new lights, which I LOVE!

The bathroom shower tile. I'm not very happy with my job, but it works. We just need to decide on a shower curtain.

Toilet! We put the seat on last night, but this picture was taken before that. Andrew was in charge of getting the toilet. He got an elongated bowl, of which, I'm not a fan!

The bathroom sink fixture.

A different shot of the kitchen sink!

Enjoy!

Valentine's Day

My wonderful valentine is giving me the best present ever, hard work on our house. He has asked me for several weeks what I want for valentine's day, and I told him that I wanted him to move some appliances into our house for valentine's day. Next year perhaps I'll want something more "romantic" but this year, the gift of working on our house, is the most romantic and loving thing I can imagine!!!

I've finally got my camera back in my purse, so I'll take pictures of our progress tonight.

Also, the plumbers decided to venture out in the ice today to work in our house. They said that they won't be done with everything until Friday, so we still had to push back our geothermal schedule, but that's ok. It's finally supposed to warm up next week (into the 40's) and I have our excavator scheduled to do grading on Wednesday, we may have to push that back a bit, but it looks promising.

New Business?

It's snowy, icy, and cold here today. Our plumbers called and canceled this morning, as did the drywall guys (they are touching up a few spots). So, hopefully they will be able to "make it" tomorrow. The plumbers are putting in our finished plumbing (toilet, sink faucets . . . running water!!). I made it to work just fine. I even left a little later than usual (I blame scraping my car, although the laying in bed and watching the weather didn't help) and got here just after 8:00 am.

I am thinking about starting a little side shopping "business" after we are moved into our house. I would mainly focus on grocery shopping (someone will give me their list, I buy the groceries and deliver them). I need to start out by thinking of a good name. The only one I've come up with so far is Schechter Shopping. I don't particularly like it and neither does Andrew. If you can think up a cute or meaninful name, please post a comment and let me know.

I Love Survey's!

Since I love survey's and love my husband, I thought I'd fill out one about him! Enjoy!

All About My Man

His age: 26

How tall is he? 6'4" (tall!)

How long have you been together? Six years or so (we met Fall of 00 in college)

How long did you know each other before you got together? Not long, a month or so.

What physical features attracted you to him first? His build. I don't like scrawny guys!

Eye color: Blue

Hair color: Mango (red)

Hair style: Buzz (which I cut every few weeks)

Normal Outfit: khakis and a nice shirt- ‘business casual’ or jeans and a sweatshirt

How did you meet? Music Theory 1 Class at Sterling College

How serious is it? I'd say it's pretty serious! Actually, we do like to have lots of fun together!

Are you “in love”? Yes!!

Do your parents like him? Like him? They LOVE him (not to mention how much my Gparents LOVE him).

Do his parents like you? Yes, I think so!

Do you trust him? Yes, 100%.

Would you share a toothbrush with him? It would take a VERY dire situation for me to do that.

Would he let you wear his pants? Yes, I actually did wear his pants once to class, after I had gallbladder surgery! It was funny (since he's 6'4" and I'm 5'3").

Do you have a shirt of his that you sleep in? Lots of them actually, every night.

Do you like the way he smells? Yes, except when he farts :)

Can you picture having kids with him? Yes.

What bothers you the most about him? When he ignores me. I know it's unintentional, but still, it's not fun.

Does he have a temper? Very very rarely. I've seen it maybe once.

Are you happy to be with him? Yes!

Does he embarrass you in public? Not usually. I can't think of anything.

Does he smoke or do drugs? nope.

Does he have any piercings? nope.

Any tattoos? nope.

Does he have any scars that you know of? Yes, many from his childhood "adventures."

Is he a Party dude or Stay at home? Stay at Home guy, no doubt.

Is he Outgoing or Shy? He’s friendly, but I wouldn’t call him outgoing.

Does he love his mama? Yes! He's very much a family guy.

Would he hang out with you and YOUR friends? yeah he has before.

Sing? Yeah, the boy can sing. He doesn't anymore but I still swoon to hear some of the recordings he made for me in college. Hopefully he'll sing again in the future.

Domestic Bug

Yesterday I caught a bug. The domestic bug. I have not felt this way in a LONG time, over a year, perhaps. For example, yesterday at work, I planned out a menu for a week (yes, South Beach Diet "y") that looked so incredibly yummy to me (I'll post the recipes as soon as we try them out). I also keep day dreaming about all my cooking equipment that is packed away, about to be unpacked, and where it should all go in my kitchen. I also signed up for FlyLady again and I can't wait to shine my new sink (www.flylady.com). I read all of the reminder emails today to "declutter" and I can't wait to start all of that again! It didn't help that Andrew thinks we may be able to call in our final inspection the week of the 19th. Most of this all depends on getting our yard graded and steps built out the back door. I hope we can get lots done this weekend because I have certainly been infected with the domestic bug again, and can't wait to do that stuff again! It's been so long since I've shopped, cooked, and cleaned my own place!!

We should have some appliances moved in this weekend, which will be totally exciting! I'll take pictures.

Another subject: Last night we headed to Lowes to buy our shower tile. After about an hour of deliberations, we decided on matte finish white tile (6x6), with an accent border running through about 3/4 up the shower stall. After Andrew consented to letting me get the accent piece I wanted (a.k.a Andrew dislikes it) I decided to ask the Lowes-tile-lady's opinion. She said she loved it. When we were checking out, two Lowes people said how much they loved that tile piece. http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=190688-74035-DE4038DECODCC1P&lpage=none

Click on the link above to see the tile piece. The bathroom is nautical blue and will have brushed nickel fixtures and a silvery brushed nickel framed mirror. I thought this tile would be beautiful with it. Please give me your opinion!

Home Improvement: For Women

I decided, after looking at the power tools in Lowes the other day, that someone should come out with a line of pink power tools. I would certainly be tempted to buy something like that. Someone told me that they had already been invented, but certainly aren't available at your local home improvement store . . . believe me, I've looked. We'll be making a run to Lowes tonight, to buy our shower tile, and some painters tape for me, so I can paint the trim in the house.

Since our hardwood floor guys weren't able to make it out yesterday, due to the snow, I was able to walk on the floors last night. So, while Andrew was writing his paper, I went out to the house and wired up a whole circuit . . . by myself . . . . and it even works . . . . I tested it all! I wired up 9 plugs (outlets) last night in the living room and they work. I am quite proud of myself. My plan is, when Andrew is putting up the backer board for my tile in the shower (much to heavy for me to lift) then I am going to help him out by wiring a few more plugs upstairs. Hopefully this will save him some time, since he's got a long to-do list before we call in a final inspection. We're still hoping to complete the tiling and electric this weekend so we can call in plumbing and electrical final (whoo hoo) inspections early next week. I'll post pictures after the weekend of the shower, and the electric.

Cancel(l)ed

I discovered today that cancelled can also be spelled canceled. I was in the process of making signs for the church saying the evening activities were "cancelled" due to snow and I couldn't figure out how to handle the second "l". The dictionary told me it was acceptable to make the choice either way! Imagine that!

We are supposed to be having our hardwood floors finished however . . . due to circumstances that would be too long to go into here, the heater in our house does not keep it warm enough for the second coat of polyurethane (sorry for the misspelling) to go onto the floor. So we put some heaters out to the house, hoping to bring it up to 70 degrees! My desktop thermometer says 13 degrees, which is fairly warm considering the last 24 hours.

Our goal this weekend is to finish the shower tiling, kitchen counter and sink, and electric. That way, next week, we can have the plumbing finished, our geothermal heat hooked up (again, long story), and have a plumbing and electrical final inspection!

We are currently being hammered with a big snowstorm. I hope the roads are cleared by tomorrow, so that the hardwood floor guys can get out and finish our floors!

2/3/07 House Pictures

We broke down and hired a guy to hand doors and run baseboard. It was the best decision we've made thus far. Two guys hung all our doors, and ran all of the baseboard in about seven hours today. We're leaving the windows to be done after we move in. Here are pictures from today!

Walking into the kitchen from the mudroom. All cabinets are in, and notice trim on the downstairs doorway! :)

Closet doors in Andrew's "office". I still have quite a bit of door and trim painting to do. I got several doors painted but not all of them, as you can see in this picture!

Bathroom lights and sink were installed (by Andrew) today. I LOVE this kind of sink because it is so easy to clean, no lip on the sink!

The door to the hallway and closet in the bathroom all trimmed and pretty! :)

Baseboard in the living room, looking into the kitchen. You can see two of our IKEA stools. We need to store those downstairs before the inspector sees them!

Andrew opening the pantry door. You can see more cabinets this way. Andrew just has to install the countertop and sink along the wall with the window.

All the cabinets are in the kitchen. We're missing a backer board on the pennisula, but it will get done. Andrew's standing where the fridge will be.

Our house today. It is SO windy and cold!

Memories and Poems

I got permission from my sister to post a poem she has recently written about the Walter home in Downs, Kansas. She is so talented!

You have been an immoveable friend of the truest kind

You have held us through bitter winter winds and glorious summer evenings.

Your air is thick with innocence.

Your walls echo with the laughter of children and the comforting, familiar voices of the old.

You have a fire, ever burning—Started by the old, but fed and tended by the young.

In you, the simplest of things became majestic, grand events,

And the simplest of people were seen as royalty.

You sat humbly in a small corner of the world—scarcely recognized,

watching beautiful stories unfold—untainted by the world.

You saw how the true greats lived, And witnessed giants in the ways of love.

You beheld one of the greatest love stories ever told— Truest love of God and fellow man.

But you have seen sorrow, yes you have seen sorrow.

You saw death come like a thief in the night and take before it’s time.

You saw us sit by your ever burning fire and ask, Why?

You have watched the glowing embers of youth slowly die

And stood strong and steady as the old became weak and frail.

You have seen a thousand goodbyes,

Some fraught with tears and filled with wishes that we could stay in your sanctuary.

Yet you saw with us the truest beauty that exists on earth

And held it humbly and gently for these many years.

You have been an immoveable friend of the truest kind— We depart in reverence.