Pinterest Challenge: Week 6

My project for week 6 did not happen!  It was the sweatshirt makeover that I had been putting off and it just did not work out.  I did actually buy two sweatshirts, but just did not have time to complete the projects.

But there were some other really great projects that were completed!

Week 6 Projects:

Zucchini Crisps:

http://www.essentiallyeclectic.com/2013/03/parmesan-zucchini-crisps-easy-appetizer.html

Spinach & Artichocke Melts:

http://www.halfbakedharvest.com/spinach-and-artichoke-melts/

Fruit Wash:

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/21241_330558780404896_562720774_n.jpg

Cauliflower Alfredo:

http://www.theskinnyfork.com/blog/guiltless-cauliflower-alfredo-sauce

Cardboard Playhouse:

http://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/967135/diy-collapsible-cardboard-playhouse

English Muffin Bread

Pinterest Challenge Round 2 begins Monday, May 27th!

Pinterest Challenge Week # 2

Week 2 was much more successful for my project - yah!  I tried a sangria recipe and I thought it tasted pretty good.  I took it with me to a 31 party and other seemed to enjoy it as well.

The recipe can be found here: http://lindawagner.net/blog/2011/07/skinny-girl-cocktail

I used frozen peaches & ended up putting in 5 packets of the Stevia.  Although next time I am thinking about trying this recipe, because I think I would like something with a bit of fruit juice: http://www.ohsweetjoy.com/search?q=sangria

Here are a few of the other Week 2 successes:

Some wall art & crafts: 

http://pinterest.com/pin/127930445637460112/

Roasted Summer Squash: 

http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating-roasted-summer-squash/

Shower Head Cleaners (works amazingly well): http://pinterest.com/pin/239464905159259981/

Stuffed Breakfast Biscuits: 

http://richestoragsbydori.blogspot.com/2012/03/stuffed-breakfast-bubble-biscuits.html

Waiting...

     Summer vacation officially started Friday (June 17th) afternoon.  It was a long and emotional few days, so I took the weekend to rest up and relax.  Now, I am just trying to find little projects to keep me busy (yet rested) until Baby Oslin arrives!

     The house is clean and ready to go, I have finished 3 books, made some curtains, prepared a few frozen meals and have done a little bit of scrapbooking. Tomorrow I may try to tackle the many crates I brought home from my classroom.  My goal is to eventually organize everything and put them in labeled totes, so that they don't get destroyed!  But, that would also require organizing the basement, so that I have a place to store said totes...

 Curtains for the upstairs bathroom.  Not quite the color I wanted - oh well!

Curtains for the guest bedroom!

 Some scrapbooking & my classroom stuff to be organized...

My relaxing buddy! 

Vacation Day # 1

     The first day of vacation was pretty productive.  I already spent most of the weekend cleaning the house from top to bottom.  In the morning I focused on baking.  I had cupcakes to make for cake decorating class tomorrow and then I finished off the leftover whoopie pie mix.  I still have a flavored filling to make and a batch of frosting, which I will finish tomorrow.  

     After lunch I decided to take Sage outside for a nice walk in the snow.  Unfortunately, the smaller set of snowshoes were in Mike's car, so we had to do without.  We managed quite nicely, because the snow was already packed down from other snowshoers.  Sage certainly enjoyed the freedom and was running around all over the place.  We just don't make it out to the trails very much in the winter time (too cold for me)!  Afterward I even found the motivation to get on the treadmill for a bit.  Then finished off some errands, enjoyed some dinner and now I am ready for bed!  

     Hopefully the rest of this week will be just as productive and I can get some school work accomplished!  We shall see...

Snow Day!

  

     For the first time ever, school was canceled the night before the storm.  Everyone was home to enjoy a snow day today (although technically Jon was still working)!  Because of the storm our doctor's appointment was rescheduled.  So, no new baby photos until next week.  

     Mike was feeling quite motivated today: cleaned out the fridge and went outside to build an igloo.  I ventured outside briefly to take pictures of Sage and Mike.  I love watching Sage try to run full speed in the deep snow! 

      I was not quite that motivated today, but I did manage to get some scrapbooking done.  Other than that it was a pretty lazy day!  

April Vacation

April vacation is finally here!  It was a wonderful feeling to wake up this morning and not have to go to school.  I don't really have any major plans, so I will be hanging out in Scarborough working on a few little projects/errands.  Here are a few of my goals for the week, and I'm sure I will come up with a few more along the way.

* Finish the guestbook
* Set up a new walking/gym routine I wouldn't call it a "routine" yet, but I have a plan & hopefully I can stick to it!
* Complete a few sewing projects
* Fix the ceiling/paint job in the bedroom
* Stain the deck (with Mike's help)
* Car registration & license renewal
* A few lunch/dinner dates with friends
* Read at least 3 2 1 book(s)
* Think about/plan out possible garden
* Get all planning/correcting done before Sunday!
* Clean the car inside & out!

Move # 3 - Storage to the House

Move # 3 was a success! We were homeless when we came back from the honeymoon on Sunday, and by Monday at 10:00 AM the house was ours. Mike went immediately to Budget to rent a truck and fortunately he had his dad and brother Phil meet him at storage to start loading everything up. I also lucked out because Mike's mom and Sarah met me at the house to help me clean before everything was moved in.

The bottom floor was pretty much ready to go when the boys arrived. They brought in most of the furniture for downstairs, and then the rest went into the garage. Once the upstairs was vacuumed and cleaned then they started assembling beds and bringing in the bulky furniture. We did what we could, but by 5:00 we were all exhausted. So, we took a little break. Mike's mom started to put together dinner and I went to pick Sage up from daycare. She was certainly confused when we arrived at the house. But, she just walked around, sniffing and exploring the place. I think she is very excited about her new home!

After dinner, Mike's family headed back to Littleton. Mike and I did a little more unpacking and then went to bed early, because it was a long day. Plus Mike had to go back to work on Tuesday. The process has certainly been very slow - unpacking, organizing, and finding a place for everything, but we are getting there. I should be able to post pictures of the house all put together soon. Especially, with our new living room furniture!

Clean Sweep

I decided to take the day off from school today to lounge around with Sage. She was fixed yesterday, and we thought it would be best if someone was home to keep an eye on her during her recovery. She spent most of the day sleeping and resting. She walked around a little bit. I even snuggled with her and we both took a little nap on the floor.

At one point during the day while she was resting I decided to tackle the spare bedroom. The main goal was to organize all of the wedding stuff, especially because we have started to buy the many mirrors and vases needed for centerpieces.

To begin with I could not even get into the room because the doorway was blocked. Here are some of the before shots...

It of course reminded me of the show Clean Sweep on TLC (which I don't think is on anymore). I was very pleased with the end result. Hopefully it will stay this way while I am back in Kittery (right Michael?)! Here are the after shots...

Who knew there was actually bed underneath that mess?