Settling In.....

So, we are now moved and settled into our new place! It's kind of crazy but it's been over a month and half already! Things have been busy as usual, coupled with the vacations we have been on and trying to wrap up a few work projects, not much time to organize. So that's my next goal :) But, I have included a few pictures from our move in late June and some updated pictures of some of the projects Tim has been working on at the house! He has been SO busy getting our interim lodging in good shape and trying to get things ready to build our new house. I am so excited for the new house, but not excited for all the work it's going to be. And, I'm not even the one that will be doing most of the manual labor. I know that Tim will be really busy and under stress with work, and the house during the next 6 to 9 months, so I will do my best to keep the peace with the little guys so he can keep moving along. So, I'm excited, but just ready to have it done already....or started at least :)

Actually, we are making good progress right now with getting the building site ready. We had a total of 7 buildings on the property when we moved here, and our intention is to only have two left evenutally. So, Tim has already taken down two buildings, a neighbor took one across the field (see pics below, it was crazy!) and is waiting on a few people to pick up two more. We have had so much rain, that it has been difficult to get the buildings moved. With the constant rain we have had lately, some of this has been postponed several weeks. Who knew July and August would seem like April and May? Hopefully that means we'll have a dry fall which would be perfect for building! There is one building still scheduled to go this weekend, and then the last little building to be moved is small and out of the way, so that one is not a huge rush. There have been a few bonfires and lots of help from Tim's Dad and brother (and a few others have stopped by to pitch in along the way) to get things moving here. Once the buildings are moved Tim can work on putting the driveway in. We are also finalizing the house plans so once that is complete, then the next step would be to dig the basement. We are hoping to have that project underway soon! I've included a few demolotion pictures below as well to show some of the progress!

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De-toxing after one too many trips and treats!

So, now that we have finished our move and are settling into our new home, and have taken two trips over the last month, I have decided to detox a bit and eat clean, do an Advocare cleanse and just get back to normal, healthy eating. So, with that being said, when I go off the sweets, I crave them really badly...yikes! So, in order to have something on-hand to feed the need and not go overboard I am making some Paleo fudge. I LOVE this stuff. There are a few home-made snacks/treats that I really like, but this fudgy yummy treat pretty much tops them all. My SIL introduced the recipe to me and I have included the link to the original author here. I love coconut and the coconut oil as well as the toasted coconut really add good flavor to them!

PRIMAL FUDGE
1/2 Cup Coconut Oil
1/2 Cup High Quality Cocoa Powder
1/2 Cup Smooth Almond Butter or Natural Peanut Butter
1/8 to 1/4 Cup Raw Honey or Real Maple Syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted (optional)

Melt coconut oil. Blend all ingredients except for cocunt together in a food processor or blender. Fold in most of the toasted coconut. Pour into foil-lined mini-muffin liners in a mini-cupcake pan, and sprinkle each one with a little of the remaining toasted coconut. (The small size is perfect for a treat...or you can eat two or three :) ) Chill for 30 minutres or freeze for 10 minutes. When firm, remove from the pan. Store in a sealed conatiner or freezer bag in the refrigerator or freezer...I usually keep these in the freezer as they are really yummy that way!

ENJOY!!

Summer Vacation(s)

Since the February 2011 I have been on two trips - a cruise to the Bahamas and a short weekend in DC for family weekend. So, I have been missing my vacations! Solution: I have taken 2 trips in the last month, both ALOT of fun! Overall, it's led to a pretty busy month and putting off unpacking/cleaning up ouir new place (more to come on this in a post next week!), however, it's been a nice break from the craziness we have going on our lives! In early July, my parents and I took Luke and Logan on a trip to visit my family that live in North Carolina. My first cousin, her husband, and three wonderul children were the best hosts!

We had to drive abour 8 hours one way to get there, and we chose to do so during the day, which looking back...was an OK decision ;) Overall the boys did well in the car, but they did have bouts of shrieking and my dad even had to put in some ear plugs a few times. But, we did have 2 ipads to keep them entertained so that helped as well. We arrived and spent the week just hanging out, eating delicious meals prepared by my cousin (she's a GREAT cook!) and took a few a small day trips to the water park, costco, and a small zoo/amusement park. Overall, we had a blast, but it was probably one day too long for the little guys, as they didn't sleep well there and had several meltdowns throughout. Oh, well, lessons learned! Either way, it was nice to visit and relax with family and kind of fun to get away!

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 2nd trip I took was a girls weekend to Virginia to visit my sister. My mom, other sister and I drove to Virginia on a Friday and stayed through Monday morning. There are so many yummy places to eat in the Virginia/DC area! I definitely indulged a bit, which has lead to my strict clean eating/cleanse going on currently (I really needed it after the sugar overload I have had recently!). We also, took a little trip to several Virginia wineries which was so great! I found out I really like Chardonnay and there were several dry reds I enjoyed as well. We also, made sure to squeeze in some quality exercising, so we tried out aspin studio that I think my sister will be going back to and went to a flow yoga class at the studio she has a membership to. These were new experiences for my mom, and I think she enjoyed trying out something new. The weekend away from all my boys was kind of a nice way to relax and take a breather. As I have mentioned before, they keep me very busy and always moving, so having just a little break was nice. Here are some pics from travels!

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Souvenir for the little guys :)