At Home with the Leymons

Love the Marc Jacobs Glow Stick

2016-07-21T19:39:00.001-07:00

I received this from Influenster in exchange for a review. This is a great all-around product that delivers an easy glow - especially on the go. I love that it's in a stick form versus a powder, especially in summer when my skin gets dry.

I am not at all skilled at contouring but this stick gives me a nice, soft glow that just looks sun kissed. It's perfect for professional day looks and fun at night, too.

Week 5

2015-06-14T16:03:00.004-07:00

This week's menu is all planned out, my meats are all prepped and it should be fairly easy to stay on track.

Sunday & Monday
I also had one dual-cooking day. Today (Sunday) we are having the Portobello mushroom burgers but I also prepared the Chicken Ropa Vieja for tomorrow's chicken tacos. It's a crock pot recipe and when trying new things, I don't like leaving them unattended for the day.

Here is the Chicken Ropa Vieja before and after cooking. It smells divine and took about five minutes to prep.

Tuesday
Asian Turkey Meatballs with Lime Dipping Sauce
Cilantro Rice - this is seriously the best rice ever. I follow these directions, leaving out the lime and cilantro if it doesn't fit the meal. I won't cook rice any other way again.

Wednesday
Clean the fridge/leftover roundup - I hate finding food in the fridge days later so since I'm doing a lot of cooking the first part of the week, we'll use this night to have a free-for-all on the leftovers.

Thursday
Probably pizza for the girls because we have a date to see Tears for Fears

Friday
Greek Feta Zucchini Turkey Burgers

Saturday
Vietnamese Shaking Beef

Sunday
Father's day/our 7th anniversary - TBD

Week 3 Went a Little Off the Rails, On the Road for Week 4

2015-06-14T15:54:00.001-07:00

Week 3 was plagued by the plague. It started with Charlotte, then Brian and I had it, then Madeline got it. Then we thought we were through it, and we had a middle-of-the-night trip to the emergency room because Charlotte had a very bad case of croup.

As a result, many of the things I'd planned to cook during this meal plan fell by the wayside. But the food I did make turned out great.

Carne Bistec

Feta-Stuffed Chicken Burgers

And by far, one of our favorites of the week (and we've already made it again) - Baked Dijon Lime Chicken

Lunches are typically left overs or a nice big salad. Here was two days' worth of salad with grilled chicken, a hard boiled egg and a dressing made of avocado oil, red wine vinegar, kosher salt and a little bit of splenda

Week four was a bit of a challenge for us because I was out of town for several days. I prepped another batch of that Dijon Lime Chicken for one night and they got pizza the other. This was my first trip on my new plan, and I did well. I actually ordered my favorite protein shakes and had them sent to the hotel (I love Amazon) and then made sure I asked what was in things, customized them if need be and packed 100 calorie bags of almonds for when I needed a snack.

Four-Week Check In

2015-06-14T15:40:00.004-07:00

This last week marked the completion of four weeks on my new clean eating regime, and I am so happy with the progress.

This pic was taken the first week of May during our Disney World extravaganza.

And this picture was taken last night. Just about six weeks between the two, but four weeks on my new plan. I'm so excited about my progress.

Here are my four-week stats:
Pounds lost: 23
Total inches lost: 14.5
Chest: -4.25 inches
Waist: -4 inches
Right & Left Arms: -.75 inches
Hips: -1.5 inches
Right Thigh: -1.75 inches
Left Thigh: -1.5 inches

I'm about a quarter of my way to my goal. Yes - I want to lose 100 pounds. So far, so good.

This Week's Fabulous Food

2015-05-31T10:00:00.001-07:00

This week I focused less on weekend breakfasts (mainly because it wasn't a holiday weekend and I didn't need to figure out three of them) and expanded our meals to bring in more chicken. I was a little red meat heavy last week so I wanted to incorporate more chicken this week. I think part of me as I started this diet knew I couldn't just do a bunch of chicken, so I strayed from it last week.

Like last week, I find that the key to success is meal planning. Saturday morning I sat down with my cookbooks and my favorite website - Skinnytaste - and thought about what was already in our fridge/pantry and what would work for the week again given the fact that I'm high protein, low/no carbs, B is on weight watchers and we have two rather picky toddlers. I am not a short-order cook, so I want to find things I can modify as I go to fit the various needs.

Shopping this week was fun. I can honestly say I've never purchased this many vegetables in one shopping trip before.

Saturday
Carne Bistec - Colombian steak with tomatoes and onions
grilled brussel sprouts
corn on the cob (for everyone but me)

Here's how I did the brussel sprouts. I had always roasted them in the oven but figured there had to be a way to throw them on the grill. I combined a recipe I found online for grilling along with one I'd used for roasting, and the final product was fabulous.

I washed and halved about a pound of brussel sprouts, then dried them off. In a bowl, I mixed them with a bit of olive oil, kosher salt, pepper, diced shallots and minced garlic. Then I made a big envelope - dull side out - of foil.

I placed them on the grill at medium heat for about 15 minutes, turning once. I made sure they were all in the foil in a flat layer so all of them had exposure to the grill for the duration of cooking.

After pulling them from the grill, I opened the package slightly, added about two teaspoons of balsamic, mixed them up and closed the foil for a few minutes. That's it! Super yummy and little oil (and no additional fat or calories from bacon
like so many other recipes).

Sunday

For breakfast I threw together something based on last weekend's yummy Baked Eggs with Wilted Sausage

I started with two diced links of Jimmy Dean Turkey Sausage and some diced shallots in a frying pan with one swirl of oil. I diced the sausage versus just chopping it so the taste was spread throughout.

Then I added some fresh spinach and cooked it down. I pulled off the really long and obvious stems but didn't mess with all of the leaves.

Once the spinach cooked down, I added 6 tablespoons of Egg Beaters and stirred until the eggs set. I served it with 1 1/2 ounces of sliced avocado for a recipe total of:

Calories: 193
Fat: 10.2
Carbs: 6
Protein: 18.5
Sugar: 2.1

I'm actually prepping one meal and serving another today. This is because the chicken sausage I purchased expires today and I just wanted to use it quickly.

To serve today - Turkey Stuffed Zucchini with Hot Chicken Sausage: I made this last weekend but I'm modifying it this week to use the hot chicken sausage (the girls will get leftover steak)

To make today but eat tomorrow - Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Wraps

Tuesday

Feta- Stuffed Chicken Burgers

Wednesday

Mongolian Beef and Broccoli (from this cookbook)

Cilantro Rice

Thursday

Baked Chicken with Dijon and Lime

Grilled Asparagus

Friday

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Saturday

Citrus-Marinated Skirt Steak (from this fabulous cookbook)

Grilled vegetables (depends on what is left from the week)

Sunday

Herb-Crusted Roast (also from this cookbook)

Lunches will be a mix of leftovers, hearty salads with fabulous fajita meat (found ours at Sam's) and chicken salad (from Costco) for Brian.

Happy 3rd Birthday Charlotte Rose

2015-05-30T08:22:00.000-07:00

To our dear Charlotte on her third birthday
How is it possible that you are three already? It seems like just yesterday that we were going to the hospital - with mom in full labor - for your scheduled birthday. But at the same time, I have a hard time remembering life without you.

Right from the start, you made a big impact. I won't call you a miracle baby, but I do think it was by some divine intervention that I had a trouble-free pregnancy after the challenges I had carrying your sister. Looking back at my belly the night before delivery, I'm still a bit amazed none of us realized there was a 10 lb., 3 ounce girl in there.

You were such a good baby, sleeping through the night pretty early. You have grown into such a kind, fun, thoughtful girl. You definitely aren't shy and are willing to go anywhere and do just about anything. Mommy and daddy are so proud of the girl you are and so blessed to be your parents. We love you. Happy birthday!

It's All About Little Victories

2015-05-27T07:06:00.003-07:00

Even though I've lost almost 14 pounds, I'm still not feeling it completely in my clothes. Some stuff is looser, but overall it's not really showing yet. Except in this picture:

It had been a while since I'd been able to comfortably wear both my rings - and without my fingers looking like Vienna Sausages. And that made me really sad. So when I slid them on with relative ease this morning, I smiled at the thought that this was just the beginning of things fitting better.

Weight Loss Week 2 - Still Going Strong

2015-05-26T14:19:00.000-07:00

5-26 Check-in appointment: -3.8 pounds
Total to date: 13.8 pounds

Between the extended weekend and Memorial Day activities, this week was a tough one. I am actually finding being at work easier because I pack my food and I get what's in my lunch bag. No more. No less. So being at home for three days, with a party thrown in there, was a little tough. But I made it through with a nice loss for the week.

This week I also really focused on planning meals. I have always been more successful when I sit down and plot out my week. It helps even when not dieting because I don't come home and wonder what on earth to throw together to feed everyone. The challenge I threw out to myself was three-fold:

1) find foods I'd like eating that fit my plan
2) make that same food workable for B since he's watching his diet, too; and
3) find a way to make that same food work for the girls

I think I succeeded in this because at no point did I make more than one meal to satisfy either B or the kiddos. So here's what we ate:

Friday
Grilled flank steak with chimichurri - for this, I gave the girls the steak, sans sauce. Then I measured it out for us. The result was a perfect meal everyone loved.

Saturday
Breakfast: Baked eggs with wilted spinach and side of turkey sausage

Dinner: party at a friend's house

Sunday
Breakfast: Eggs with steamed asparagus and leftover steak

Dinner: Turkey-stuffed zucchini - this called for breadcrumbs on top, so I just made a serving without it

Monday
Breakfast: Carmelized onion, pepper and zucchini fritata

Dinner: Barbacoa beef - for this one, I cooked the meat all day. Then when I pulled it out for shredding, I reserved a good bit for the girls since it wasn't super spicy at that point. B and the girls had theirs as Chipotle-like burrito bowls with basmati rice and corn, while I enjoyed mine over a bed of greens.

Another thing that helps with meal planning? Having a pretty place to keep it all straight. I did end up mixing and moving some stuff around, but I knew I had everything on hand so it was easy to change up the meals based on our mood (or time).

It's Time for a Change

2015-05-20T12:21:00.000-07:00

One week ago, I started the FIT Medical Weight Loss program. I know it's not for everyone, but I needed to do something to make some serious life changes. Walking in the door, I weighed more than I did when I went into the hospital with Madeline. And that was unacceptable. I wasn't doing my girls or Brian any favors by indulging at every turn, but worst of all - I was hurting myself.

I was surprised I didn't get emotional during my first visit. And that may have been because I had already realized that this was something that had to happen. I knew that my health was impeding my ability to be a good mom and wife - as well as keeping from being the best "me" I could be.

My decision was also sealed by seeing myself in pictures during our Disney trip. I recognized the smile and the eyes, but the rest of it wasn't me. I have always been heavy and struggled with my weight, turning to food in times of good and bad. But something in those pictures flipped a switch in my head.

FIT's program is a high-protein, low/no carb and low calorie program that is supervised by a doctor. I am there every week for check ins, and in my first week - I lost 10 pounds! I made it through the girls' birthday party without touching the cupcakes - except to move them from the box to the cupcake stand. I didn't have any of the stuff I knew I couldn't. I had a few celery sticks and that was it. And here's the crazy thing - I didn't feel unsatisfied. I let the joy of the event take over me and didn't mindlessly eat.

This is an exciting and scary journey, but I feel like the progress I've taken these first steps are really good.

Birthday fun!

2015-05-17T12:01:00.000-07:00

Until this year, we always let the girls have their own birthday parties. But after the crazy fun and expense of Disney, we told them they could have a party but it'd have to be a joint one. Madeline invited friends from her old school and everyone from her new one. Charlotte invited a few friends from her new school. Sadly we didn't get much of a response but the little girl that did join us from Madeline's class had a lovely time. I know it had to be hard for her to go into a house full of kids she didn't know, but she eventually settled in.

...

The Disney Adventure

2015-05-09T12:01:00.000-07:00

We are home and settled - but somewhat still recovering - from our fabulous trip to Disney World. We were amazingly blessed by two kind friends who gave us six nights in a one bedroom at Saratoga Springs. We had been talking about taking the girls at some point, but this definitely made us plan a trip. So we went over Madeline's birthday (late April into early May), and it was the perfect time to go.

At some point, I'll put together all my notes and ideas for other families taking a trip. But for now I'll just make a photo-heavy post to share our fun times.

...

Chicken Rollatini Stuffed with Zucchini and Mozzarella

2015-01-09T17:55:00.002-08:00

I have to preface this by saying I'm absolutely terrible at making stuffed chicken. When I saw this recipe in the Skinny Taste cookbook and it said "it's easier than you think - there are no strings or toothpicks required" I knew I had to try it.

I failed miserably at rolling these but they still came out really yummy. I also had to make some substitutions for what I had on hand.

1 T plus 1 t olive oil
2 t minced garlic
1 1/2 cups packed shredded zucchini
1/4 cup plus 2 T grated Parmesan
1/2 t plus 1/8 t kosher salt
black pepper
3 ounces fresh mozzarella (or 3/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella)
4 - 4 ounce chicken breast cutlets, pounded thin
1/2 cup panko crumbs
juice of one lemon

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly spray a baking dish with oil.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 t oil and the garlic. Cook, stirring until golden, about 1 minute.

Add zucchini, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, 1/8 t salt and black pepper to taste. Cook, stirring until the zucchini is tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temp and then stir in the mozzarella, mixing well.

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and remaining 2 T Parmesan.

In a separate bowl, combine the 1 T olive oil, lemon juice, 1/2 t salt and a pinch of black pepper.

Wash and dry the chicken and arrange on a cutting board. Spread 3 T of the zucchini-cheese mixture on each and roll up, seam side down.

Dip the rolled chicken in the lemon mixture, then in the bread crumbs, rolling to coat.

Place the chicken seam-side down on the baking dish. Spray the top with cooking oil.

Bake until cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

2015-01-07T20:01:00.002-08:00

We haven't had the best track record with making pizza at home, but I thought I'd give it another try after finding this recipe in People. I'm glad I did. It was yummy.

3 (4 oz.) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/8 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 package refrigerated pizza dough (I used the Pillsbury classic)
2 tbsp cornmeal
1/3 cup ketchup (it called for no-sodium but I wasn't buying special ketchup just for this)
3 tbsp yellow mustard (I'd only use two next time)
1 tbsp white vinegar
1/2 cup sliced red onion
{1/4 cup pickled jalapeno slices - I didn't include these because I don't like them}
4 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
2 tbsp chopped cilantro leaves

1. Place a pizza stone or heavy baking sheet in oven. Preheat to 450 degrees.
2. Chop chicken into bite-size pieces. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt and pepper.
3. Mix brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder and cumin together. Set aside 2 tsp. and rub the rest on the chicken.
4. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken and saute three minutes on each side, or until chicken is done.
5. Roll dough into a 14x9 rectangle or 14" circle on a lightly floured surface. Pierce dough with fork. Lightly coat with cooking spray (we forgot this step).
6. Carefully remove pizza stone from oven. Sprinkle cornmeal on pizza stone and add dough.
7. Bake pizza for 9 minutes. While that's baking, combine reserved spice mixture, ketchup, mustard and vinegar in small sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, and cook 3 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring occasionally.
8. Remove partially cooked crust from oven and spread ketchup mixture evenly around, leaving a 1/2 in border around the edges. Top with chicken, onions and cheese. Bake for another 8 to 10 minutes or until cheese is browned. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

Thai Beef Lettuce Wraps with Avocado Cilantro Cream Sauce

2015-01-06T17:51:00.002-08:00

I am going to say this without exaggerating - I've been rocking dinner the last week. I have dug out some old standbys and found some new gems.

Tonight I took one of our old favorites - Thai Beef Lettuce Wraps - and put together an avocado cilantro creme sauce to go with it. I don't remember where this Lettuce Wrap recipe came from, but I'm so glad I saved it by posting it on the blog because I can't find my original printout.

I winged it on this one, but it came out really great. I kept tinkering with it because I felt like it still tasted like Greek yogurt.

1 cup no-fate Greek yogurt
1 Wholly Gucamole 100 calorie pack (I get these as Costco)
Handful of cilantro
Salt and pepper
Dash of Siracha

Blend it all together to your liking. I used my immersion blender, and it was very easy to make. I definitely think I'm going to experiment with more combos for other dishes.

Herb-Crusted Salmon with Mixed Greens Salad

2015-01-04T14:26:00.003-08:00

Found this one on PaleoOMG and modified it a bit based on what was in my pantry. Brian's not a fish person, but he really enjoyed this. We also felt like we could have done a four-ounce serving instead of six. I ate every bite but I could have gotten away with less.

For the Salmon
2 salmon fillets
1 Tablespoon flour (she called for coconut flour, which I didn't have)
2 Tablespoons fresh parsley (or dried)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
S&P to taste

For the salad
mixed greens
1/4 cup red onion, sliced thin
juice of 1 lemon
1 Tablespoon olive oil
S&P to taste

Preheat oven to 450. (Note: I actually cooked it at 425 so I could cook it with the roasted Brussel sprouts)
Place salmon on parchment paper or foil-lined baking sheet.
Rub olive oil and dijon on top.
In small bowl, mix flour, parsley, S&P.
Sprinkle toppings onto salmon, then pat them down to moisten.
Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on your preference.
{Note: I pulled the brussel sprouts at about 11 minutes and then topped it with cooking spray and put it under the broiler for a few minutes to finish the topping.}
While cooking, mix all ingredients for the salad and toss.
Place salmon on top of greens and enjoy!

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

2015-01-04T14:18:00.001-08:00

So I need to preface this post by saying we're trying to eat a lot healthier and reduce our processed foods, but I don't know that I have the willpower (or budget) for full-on Paleo. That being said, I found this amazing recipe on Nom Nom Paleo.

I also have to say that this was my first time ever having brussel sprouts. And OMG. These were so good. I easily could have eaten the whole pan myself. Here is her recipe because I made some modifications.

3/4 pounds brussel sprouts
2 to 3 Tablespoons butter, melted
2 slices of bacon, diced
Salt and pepper
Balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Trim the ends and any old outer leaves from the Brussel Sprouts. Then cut them in half.

Toss with the melted butter

Dump them on a foil-lined baking sheet. Make sure to keep it in one layer.

Sprinkle the diced bacon over the sprouts.

Roast for 30 to 35 minutes, tossing every ten minutes.

Drizzle the balsamic on them after you pull them from the oven.

Hummus and Veggie Wraps

2015-01-04T14:09:00.004-08:00

Gotta hand it to Ree Drummond. When I have time to watch her show, I typically make a lot of what she shares. I still haven't posted about Thanksgiving, but it was very PW (Pioneer Woman) heavy.

These wraps were on the show yesterday, and I immediately added everything to my shopping list. They took me a bit to put together, but they were worth the time. They were super flavorful with all the different veggies, and my resident foodie Charlotte even asked for her own after sampling mine and daddy's.

You could totally use store-bought hummus, but I'm really trying to have more fresh stuff in our diet and reduce the amount of processed junk we it.

Makes two wraps

1 Tablespoon Butter or Olive Oil (I used OO)
1/2 whole red onion, halved and sliced
spinach tortillas - I used Ole Spinach and Herb tortillas
1/2 cup hummus
1 whole roasted red pepper (jarred), sliced
3 whole canned artichoke hearts, chopped
mixed greens
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinaigrette (I made some with 1/4 cup olive oil, balsamic and S/P and stored the leftover in a jar
1/4 cup reduced fat Feta

Melt butter over medium-low heat. Add the red onions and cook slowly for 10 to 15 minutes. I had the heat too high and they burned a little but they were still quite yummy. Cook until soft and deep golden brown. Set to the side to cool slightly.

Warm the tortillas slightly on a griddle. You just want them warm, not crunchy.

Here's how to assemble the wrap:
Put 1/4 cup hummus down the center of each tortilla
Place the cooked onions and red peppers over the hummus
Add the artichoke hearts
Toss with salad greens that have been tossed in the balsamic
Sprinkle 2 T feta on each

Roll up and enjoy! These came out to about 315 calories each, including the tortilla.

Classic Hummus (Pioneer Woman's recipe, slightly modified)

2015-01-04T13:58:00.001-08:00

3 cans Garbanzo Beans, rinsed and dried
1/4 cup Tahini (she called for 1/3 cup plus another Tablespoon - it's pretty high in fat and calories so I tried it with the smaller amount and thought it was good this way)
3 cloves garlic
1/2 whole lemon, juiced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin or more to taste
salt to taste
(fresh basil or Italian parsley-I didn't include this because I totally forgot and it didn't seem to matter )
3 Tablespoons to 5 Tablespoons cold water
1 Tablespoon olive oil

Combine beans with all ingredients, except water or olive oil, in a food processor. Pulse until mixture because somewhat smooth and combined, but do not over mix.

Add water as necessary to facilitate blending. My mixture seemed really thick so I started right off with 3 T of water.

After it's nice and smooth, add olive oil and pulse no more than three times. You only want to mix it throughout, not continue to over puree the mixture.

Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to three days.

This made 4 cups of hummus, and I made my servings 1/4 cup. Here's the nutritional content for it based on my modifications and portion size.

Adios Leftover Turkey - Turkey Enchilada Verde Soup

2014-11-30T18:53:00.004-08:00

We are not huge leftover people. We can take them for about a day, but beyond that, we get tired of them. That's why I like recipes that take leftovers and turn them into something else. I stumbled onto this recipe on Homesick Texan, and tweaked it a bit. I've noted below how I made it but also what the original called for.

Salsa Verde

1/2 pound fresh tomatillos, husked or a 10-ounce can of tomatillos (I used the fresh)

1/4 medium yellow onion chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded and stem removed, chopped (original recipe called for two)

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Soup

5 cups chicken broth (original called for 4)

4 cups diced, cooked turkey (or you can use chicken)

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon oregano

2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (original called for 1 cup)

1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 cup sour cream, plus more for serving

1 avocado peeled, pitted and cut for serving

I omitted: 1 can black beans, drained; another 1/2 cup cilantro

Make the salsa verde first. Place tomatillos in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. They should be softened and a lighter green. Turn off the heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes. If using canned tomatillos, skip this step.

In a food processor or blender: add tomatillos, 1 cup of the cooking water or 1 cup of the canned tomatillos' liquid, tomatillos, garlic, onion, jalapeno and cilantro. Blend until smooth. It should make about 2 cups of liquid.

To make the soup, pour the salsa verde into a large pot. Add the broth, black beans (which we skipped), cilantro (I skipped this extra cilantro, too), cumin, oregano and some salt. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes. Add the shredded cheese and sour cream, and stir until the blended and melted. Stir in the crushed tortilla chips and simmer for 5 more minutes. Add the lime juice and then add more salt or seasoning, if necessary.

Garnish with sour cream, avocado, cheese (I didn't add this since I added extra in the soup) and cilantro (again, skipped this because I felt the flavor was already good).

Enjoy!

Two Weeks...And Feeling Nostalgic

2014-09-01T17:21:00.005-07:00

We close two weeks from today. Two weeks from right now we'll be arriving home with the girls (they're going to daycare the week we move so that we're not worried about them getting hurt), eating dinner and spending the night in the house - on an air mattress because we don't want to leave the house unattended after we've closed.

But as I get excited about the future in our new home, I can't help but get a little nostalgic about this house. This place that has been our home for almost the last seven years.

In February 2012, we stood on this dirt and staked our future here.

We even made ourselves part of the house forever.

This is the place we came home to after getting married. And it's the place where we learned to be parents.

Madeline's first day at home

Charlotte's first day at home

We also said goodbye to the three dogs that Brian had when we met. We lost Lenny shortly after we moved in. We lost Roxanne about two years ago, and we lost Max about a month ago. But we also added Oliver in July 2008 and Daisy in May of this year.

From top left around to the right: Roxanne, Oliver, Max

From left: Lenny, Max

The newest canine Leymon - Daisy

This house has seen so much change over the years. We've added cabinets and flooring. We've replaced appliances and furniture. But I think the yard has gone through the largest change. We had initially rocked the whole thing, but when it became "baby makes three" Brian oversaw the addition of a beautiful lawn. And that perfectly shaded lawn that's nestled behind the house and the afternoon sun has been a beautiful play area for the girls.

Packing is probably about 70% done. Yes - there is a packing calendar. Anyone who knows me can't find that as much of a surprise. We've got all our utilities scheduled and the movers are set. All that's left is to anxiously await that big day and say goodbye.

It Pays to be Persistent

2014-08-30T07:47:00.003-07:00

I went into detail in the Hiccup post about my frustration with the look of the tile backsplash. As a reminder, I was upset that there was some issues with the fact that the window sill wasn't level and that the tile looked unfinished.

Here's what it used to look like:

I worked with the construction super and talked about my concerns. Beyond the crooked window sill, I just wasn't satisfied with the overall appearance of the tile. There was such a huge gap at the bottom, and once we looked at it together, he saw my frustration. He agreed to work with them to add another row of tile along the bottom and to add some beveled grout along the edge as we saw in the model.

I'm so happy with the result. It looks so much more polished now.

Here is a closer look with a few fabric samples for Roman Shades I have been looking at. I have more samples on the way, too, because I'm not sure what direction I want to go in. They still have to paint the wall, but the finish on the tile work is done and I'm thrilled with the results of my work with the builder.

During that last meeting with the super, he also mentioned that once the roof was done, they'd put our solar tube in the closet. We had seen it in the model but didn't realize we were getting one. I love how it adds natural light without it being an actual window.

You can really see the difference in this picture from a few weeks ago from the same angle, prior to the installation.

So things are getting really close. All the drywall touch-up was done on Thursday, and I think they were finishing up the painting touch-ups on Friday. This next week will be the last touch-ups and then we do our walk-thru on the 11th and close on the 15th. Yay!

Not My Finest Moment

2014-08-20T10:29:00.000-07:00

I wrote yesterday about the journey to getting a walk-thru date, which is what triggers the closing date. What I left out was that the conversation to get the date got a little heated. I had been through three very hard days of phone calls, and I'd reached my boiling point. I got very upset with the super and may or may not have told him "at this point I don't trust your company to build a birdhouse."

He did laugh and took it in stride, but I felt bad. I texted him after and apologized, and he let me know that he didn't take it personally and understood we had been put through quite an ordeal the last few weeks and months.

Even so, I firmly believe in saying "I'm sorry" and "thank you." So I took a Starbucks card over there today and as a result, got a chance to walk through the house with him to discuss concerns and see the progress.

A few more things have happened, including completion of our shower and the hanging of our mirrors. We opted for framed mirrors, and I can't believe what a difference it makes.

We got to talk more about my concerns over the kitchen backsplash as well, which was good because it's been a lot of texts, phone calls and emails up to this.

We also got some great news in that the appraisal on the house came in higher than the amount we're under contract for, so we're already building equity, and we haven't even closed yet. And the appraisal was done without any appliances or landscaping taken into consideration, so it's worth even more than that,too! They're also raising their prices, so we're getting more home for our money than if we'd waited to buy.

So all in all, things are rolling along and this time next month, we'll be unpacking!

We Have a Date!

2014-08-19T18:28:00.002-07:00

I'm going to tell the story of trying to get our closing date in gifs.

Overall this process the last few weeks has been a lot of this:

And feeling like this:

We'd talk to someone, either the super or the sales manager, and they'd say "tomorrow we'll get you a closing date". And I'd be like this as I waited for the phone:

Then the conversation would begin, and I'd quickly realize we weren't, in fact, going to get the date and something else needed to happen for them to actually set the date. And I'd start to feel like this:

And this cycle went on for about a week and a half. There was screaming. There were tears. There was probably some devil eyes along the way.

And then today, we got the date. And I left work like this:

And drove home like this:

So we walk the house on the morning of September 11th and then close a few days later. Woo hoo!

So Close... But Still Feeling So Far

2014-08-15T17:19:00.001-07:00

We've had a very difficult time getting the builder to commit to a date.

When we first walked the lot for our pre-construction meeting, they said we'd set a date when we installed our counters because the availability of granite could impact a date.

Then as we went on, we were told "no - it's not counters - it's when we finish final floors." In our case, that's the carpet.

Well counters are in.

Carpet is in.

But we can't get a date that anyone on their side is sure will stick.

I was literally get a text message from the superintendent with September 16th as our walk-thru date (which is a week later than the latest timeframe we'd been previously been told would likely be the week) as I was getting a call from the sales manager saying the superintendent wouldn't commit to a date.

I'm sure one day we'll laugh at all of this. But not now. I feel like we're in this constant state of flux where we can't get details. I'm upset. Brian's upset. Our realtor is upset. And we're all confused by their inability to figure out when this house will be done.

When we walk around, this house doesn't look like it has a month of work left. If they hustled, it may not even have a week of work left.

Sigh.

Monday we're supposed to hear back from the sales manager with a more realistic date because they are going through all the "backlogged" houses with the regional manager. Keep your fingers crossed for us.

Master bath - since we were there on Wednesday, they put in the counter and sinks.

Love my illuminated pantry - with no wire shelves! I've said it before, but I'll say it again because it makes me happy.

Love our beautiful front door

It's a sad little tree, but it's our tree. Since this was taken yesterday, the house numbers are up.

I just didn't get a pic today.

Hiccup

2014-08-10T11:37:00.000-07:00

Since we signed our papers in February, the building process has been fairly smooth. Other than weather-related delays, for the most part it's been fairly smooth sailing.

Until now.

I very briefly mentioned in this post that there were some issues with the backsplash in the kitchen. We are on our third sales person, and I know if our previous sales person was still there, this wouldn't be such a stress point as it has been.

We love the colors we picked.

That's not the problem. The problem is the quality (or the lack thereof) of the job that was done installing the backsplash itself.

When you stand back and look at the whole area, the tile looks crooked. On top of that, they didn't run the tile up to the edge on the window, which is how it's been done in the models we saw.

When we went back to the house over the weekend, we took a level with us. The ledge of the window is definitely crooked. Unfortunately we also had our new salesperson in tow.

Our previous sales person was awesome to deal with but she left to work a job that had better hours since she has kids. I totally understand that, but if this had happened when she was still working, it wouldn't have been so hard. The current sales person we're dealing with kept saying "it's too late - I don't know how they'll fix it" and had no sympathy as we stood there looking at the level and seeing that the ledge was not level and the whole window just looked terrible. And keep in mind this is someone who has worked for the company for 17 YEARS! Then when she did say it could possibly be fixed, she said it would take THREE WEEKS!

She then insisted that somehow the backsplash was throwing the whole ledge off kilter. I'm not a construction expert, but even I knew that was a load of crap. So I showed her that the ledge was fine by putting the level on top of it.

This is why I can't stress enough that you should have a realtor when you are building. I sent all these pictures to our realtor and she is going to handle it for us. I don't have the energy to deal with this woman, and our realtor can take it above her head for us. It WILL get fixed before we move in. Not only that, she will make sure from here on out that the house is unlocked when we want to stop by so we don't have to deal with "the woman" to get the house unlocked.

Here's the thing. I understand that mistakes happen, and up until now, when they've come up, the company and our previous sales person were pretty easy to deal with. My issue is that this new sales person was so unapologetic about it and the subtext of our conversation with her was basically that we were out of luck and would have to accept it as is. And that's just not gonna happen. I can guarantee you that.

Hopefully we'll have an answer on this and a closing date this week.

At least my fingers are crossed for that.