Elaine who? Semi-Homemade what?

Let me say this... Yes, I've been THE world's worst blogger.  I didn't even get to wish y'all Happy Thanksgiving (I hope it was full of blessings, btw!)  But yes, I plan to get so much better once we moved.  Who knew that my blogging was so incredibly tied to where we live?  But now we know.  ;)

So... an update on the house.  And I'm going back tomorrow and will have MORE updates (maybe even with bedroom pics - that's missing from this one).  Moving day is 2 weeks away!!!  Dec 18, one little week before Christmas.  And if that doesn't give you enough of a sense of my world lately.... here's a tiny peek:

~ Spent this week in a migraine.  Literally from Sun until Thurs, when my OB sent me to the ER for IV meds.  I finally started feeling better yesterday afternoon.  Never had one, tiny headache when I was pg with Sissy.  Had them with GT, but this was - by far! - the worst I've ever had!
~ Migraine and all, I traveled to Houston on Tues with my parents for my great-uncle's funeral.  It was sad and sweet...  and I wouldn't have missed it, even with a migraine!
~ Big Sis's big 5th birthday party is a week from today!  Because I'm not supermom (duh!), and because we're in boxes, we're holding it somewhere other than home.  She wanted a cooking party so.... Young Chef's Academy for a cooking party!  Pics of details, invites, etc to come!
~ Oh, and remember that new job I started a month ago?  Probably the biggest source of stress right now.. but that's for another time, preferably with a glass of wine (so that'll be awhile!)

But on to what you're waiting for... THE HOUSE!

I love, love the new brick and stone we picked out!

Pretty, unstained garage door.  And I have a thing about lanterns... love this one!

Y'all come in!  (Thru our unstained door, of course!)

The dining room.  Which has since been painted under the chair rail... some beautiful color like glazed pecan or something.  :)

Remember the bar from the last house?  Here's this house's version.... all the cabinets in the house are a distressed black.  This pic is pre-distressing!

A living room under construction.... but oh so pretty anyway....

The kitchen!  Always my fav place.  I have to say, mr. fix-it and I were a little nervous to paint that beautiful wood black... but we've gotta stay up with the trends, so distressed cabinets it is!  And I can't wait to see them now, in all they're stressed out glory. ;)

The back yard.  The patio has that odd shape because of what'll be going on at the end of it.  Can't wait to see it - not sure if that's a pre-move in project or post...

And I just love the beadboard ceiling outside!  I bet it's stained now - can't wait to see it!

Here's Sissy, checking out the test on the tub....  One of the biggest changes we made from the last floorplan was the layout of the bathroom.  We separated the vanities, and put the tub in the middle of the room, as a focal point.  I think this pic was as they'd been tiling the bathroom...

My vanity in the bathroom!

mr. fix-it's man cave!  I picked the color for the walls in here and I think it's perfect (if I don't say so myself!)  I wanted it to have that cigar room feel.... he has some sports memorabilia to hang in here.... Santa is bringing something that will sit on the counter and make the place smell like a movie theater... ;)  Can't wait for Family Movie Night in here!  Did I mention we move in 2 wks?!?!

I really have to hand it to my sweet mr. fix-it.  I just can't believe what he's been able to get done.  We broke ground on Sept 7 (after 3+ months of ripping our hair out with the financial world!), and wait til you see the pics I take tomorrow, Dec 5.  Amazing!  A beautiful house, in record time.  What a lucky girl I am....

Off Track...

I'm a planner, always have been. I do it professionally. I build plans and then change them, constantly (hey, that's retail!) I'm a planner when it comes to my personal life. We're going to lunch this week? I'd love to know where. You're planning a birthday party.. say, late summer? I'd love to help you start pulling together ideas. Mrs. Everything and I have been planning Summer of 2010 (the first summer where neither of us will be pregnant since the summer of 2006, when Big Sis was the only kid between all of us!) since.... oh, probably summer of 2007.

I love to plan... and I always have a plan..... mr. fix-it and I have had a long-term plan since we moved to TX... I'll spare you the details, but the premis is this: work as hard as we can, in order to afford ourselves flexibility to chase dreams and take risks...

But, no matter how meticulous you are in that plan.... no matter how much effort you've put into it.... no matter how 'fail proof' it is... I'm starting to realize, the truth is this:

In the end, it's just our plan - me and mr. fix-it's. Apparently, someone else has bigger plans. I'm going to (try!!) to trust in those.... continue to work my ass off.... even if it appears that our plans are changing. It's kinda scary (and disappointing and a huge mix of emotions) and I'm not sure what the outcome will be... but as mr. fix-it said... it always works out, even if we have no idea how it possibly can. I have the best husband... :)

From the Semi-Homemade Cookbook: Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos & French Onion Soup

This is my view from the kitchen. Looking down. On G-man. As he gets more.....

.....and more upset......

....while I'm working on.....


French Onion Soup... I think ended up trying this one... or a combination of this one and a couple other ones from foodnetwork.com. IF you use this one (I modified it a bit but it was yummy... or what we could taste of it before we burned our mouths on jalapenos, anyway...) but please note that one cup of wine is NOT usually half the bottle, as stated in the recipe. Unless you already drank half the bottle, while sauteeing the onions. Which I say is a good practice.

....And while Mr. Fix-It is working on semi-homemade jalapeno goodness.

Seriously, do you need the recipe? Split open jalapenos (these are fresh from Mr. Fix-It's dad's garden and some of them were SPI-CEEEY!)

Clean out all the seeds. Or you'll be sorry.

Put a chunk of cream cheese (more, if they're super spicy peppers like ours were!) inside the jalapeno and wrap in bacon. Use cheap bacon here... yes, cheap bacon. Or in the least, THINLY sliced bacon. It grills better... Hold it all together with a toothpick and throw it on the grill. These are THE BEST for tailgating!

And a newly discovered Semi-Homemade dessert you must try..... okay, anyone who knows me knows that my absolute fav dessert is brownies. And now Pillsbury has totally read my mind. Brownie Minis! See, if there's a pan of brownies, I'll eat...... say, for example...... the whole pan. But with these, you can make a tray of just 6 mini-brownies. And 3 of them is only 150 cal! (So, even if you screw up, the worst you can do is 300 calories!) Finally, someone gets me!

SO this one is called: Tired of the struggle...

....or why I've started the 30 Day Shred. ;)

So, I've started this topic 100 times in the last couple months... and the drafts just keep piling up in my little corner of bloggy world. Partly because I've been at a loss as to what to say, how to say it... And partly because I've had even less time than usual to breathe, much less blog. I mean, tell me if you think otherwise, but life just seems TOUGH right now! I have friends everywhere who are going through hard times.... friends with moms/dads that have cancer... friends whose child has been diagnosed with autism.... friends who have lost their jobs or their spouse has lost their job.... friends dealing with depression.... friends struggling to deal with mommyhood....

And those are just my friends in real life! I'm reading similar stories from online friends, from the blogs I read.... like this one on Ashley's Closet.... and reading comments of people who can relate.... One reader even had this comment, which I just love:

"When God closes a door he opens a window...but it's hell in the hallway."

I have friends - like me! - who are really, really struggling with the juggling act that is being a working mommy. To the point, that something's gotta give. I can't say much about work, except that it's been beyond stressful - to levels I've never seen before. It's affecting my family, my health.... And it's leading me to think alot about what I can affect, what I can change. Because I'd rather spend my time caring for and helping my friends with these much more important life struggles! I'm not sure what it entails yet - maybe a small change that would have a big impact?

But there are a few things keeping me going....

~I keep having relevant conversations with good friends IRL... esp other working mommy friends like Sasha (my personal therapist, sometimes! my personal trainer, apparently, who got me started on c25k and the shred!)... She's such a good cheerleader and knows alot about the stresses I'm under..... Then there's my friend Julie, my current mom-spiration.... I think I've mentioned her before - she works 60 hour wks and has 2 kids (just like me!) But she must have gotten to that breaking point, too, and now, on top of everything, she's going back to school to become a nurse! WOW! We laughed about how we both have been working 12 hr days anyway... being a nurse is tough (my longest, dearest friend is the best!), but at least she's thinking 3 12-hour days a week (instead of 5 and occasional Saturdays!)

~And then I drop in on moms of all kinds, who blog about their struggles and I realize I'm not alone. Ahhh, that really does help, you know?

~And Mr. Fix-It.... i.e. Mr. Wonderful..... a few weeks ago, on a particularly crappy Monday..... I came home to a Starbucks giftcard (that man is genius!) and these:

....orange gerber daisies. He's the best. He understands that a grande iced sugar-free vanilla latte can make my entire day better. Or at least until it's gone. ;) He has been my rock.... He's kept the kids while I've worked all hours of the night. And he makes it fun for them - whether it's Wacky Pack night at Sonic, or shoulder rides, or even playing with dolls! He kept the kids most of the weekend my friend Amy was in town, so I could have some girl time and recharge from all this work nonsense! He entertained them last weekend while I hosted the Pink & Orange Baby Shower at our house - and he even helped me prep for the shower! And this weekend.... while I'm likely working on Sat... he'll have the kids again. He deserves a medal. Or an iphone. Or something! But instead - he has traded in his truck so that I could get a new vehicle! What?! The man's generosity tears me up....

~The 30 day Shred. It's killer! But it was great when I was on hiatus with that bum toe. ;) And I had been meaning to jump on the Shred bandwagon.... ever since Sasha first started talking about it You see, I have plenty of motivation, ALOT to look forward to this summer... but when I envision all these fun things, I picture a skinnier, more toned me... not this person who has been working 60+ hour work weeks and eating entire bags of Smartfood popcorn. ;) And I had been doing fairly well... even worked up to jogging 3 miles at a time! 3 times a week.... But then, the toe injury. ;) I can see a difference, as far as toning goes! And I intend to add jogging back in and I think that the 2 of them could have me feeling great! Maybe after swimming lessons are over....
.

Speaking of.... swimming lessons have been the face of my working mommy stress in general. Meaning, that my 3 1/2 yr old child is just in her first swimming lessons EVER in her life. Which is unheard of in TX suburbs. She's a good year older than anyone in her class - but the next class up is only for kiddos who have had lessons before. I spent all of last summer stressing about not having the time to take her to lessons, while I was working late hours (oh, and being 9 months pregnant!) So, as swimming lessons represented ALL that I miss - all that my kids miss out on with 2 working parents - they are almost a sad subject to me. And now, Big Sis has to watch the girl her age (with the Ariel swimsuit, who Big Sis went made friends with in 4 seconds, while waiting for lessons to start!)... because she's in the next class up, on the other side of the pool....


Which is why I'm now taking applicants for a fill-in mommy.... who could do a better job with extra-curriculars than i am! ;)

So, thanks for listening to my therapy here.. ;) And don't give up on me yet - I know my blogging has been sporadic.... I promise to have semi-homemade greatness for you soon! In fact, G-man's Pirate Birthday Bash is just 10 days away! Ahoy!!

Where You Live Friday: Entry Ways

This week on WYLF over at Kelly's Korner is Entry ways! I think ours is beautiful and - as always - full of a few special memories!

This is the view from the living room, which is how I most often seen our entryway (I rarely come in the front door!) Doesn't it just look peaceful? Or maybe it seems that way, after the chaos of the family room! ;)

This is what you see as you walk in the door.... (this pic is from moving day, obviously, since there is no furniture!)

Here's a recent one that shows the view to the right...
And a view from the gameroom upstairs....

Here you can see our double staircase - one comes down to the front door, the other to the family room. I LOVE having it this way! (And Big Sis likes to race me upstairs at bedtime - we each get our own staircase!)

Some of our special memories that we keep in the entryway.... this is our wedding picture, which we finally (after 7+ yrs of marriage!) had custom framed. And I love it!

Can you see the frame detail? It's not the best shot, but I tried....

On the console table, we've got G-man's newborn pic (watch for his 1 year pics soon - Kristie and I have been brainstorming his photo shoot!), a family pic from last summer about a week before I had G (from yet another Kristie photo session!), and a candid from our wedding day.

There's generally not much action in the entryway, seems like... but last summer, every Monday, it was the home of my weekly belly shots! (I've never followed thru on something like this before and I'm so glad I did! I have a weekly pic from 3 months pregnant until 3 days before I had G!)

Thanks for viewing our entryway! For more of our house tour, visit here.

Where You Live Friday: Master Bedroom

Y'all, it seems I'm just getting worse at these as we go along. It's almost time for the next Where you Live Friday and I'm just now doing last week's. Oops! At least this week is yards and I think I can handle to get that one up in a more timely fashion. (But I'm not gonna promise...)

For those of you who don't know, my hubby Mr. Fix-It is a builder and homes are our biggest hobby. We move often and we love, love picking out new floorplans, granite countertops, flooring, you name it. And I love to decorate!

This is the entry into our room....


One day I'm going to learn to sew.... like my mom, who made these amazing brown velevet curtains that pool on the floor.

I'd prob spend more time in my room, if I had the time... to relax and watch tv:

... or read... this is what's on my nightstand! Kimmie recommended Jen Lancaster's book and I'm starting with Bitter is the New Black and I love it! I just finished the next book, The Sweet Potato Queens Big Ass Novel. If you've never read any of the SPQ books by Jill Connor Browne, you don't know what you're missing! The next book is one of my child's Birthday Books. I love these! It's a way to document what you do to celebrate each birthday for your child. You know how much I love entertaining... this is perfect to document all those details! Also has room for funny interviews of your kiddo. Then my new Semi-Homemade Cookbook by Sandra Lee (all healthy recipes!) and my collection of InStyle mags...

Right above our dresser, you can start to see our beautiful ceiling...


And - of course - some special pictures hang out on our dresser... oldies but goodies... the top one is one of Mr. Fix-It and I's engagement pics from 2001 during my former life as a blonde. The bottom right is a wedding photo... and the left is a family pic with my parents and sibs.


It's also where I keep my amazing photo album from my maternity photo session with Kristie. Check out her work here! Funny, Big Sis is wearing this same top today...

Man, I got HUGE with baby G-man.... but these are a few of my fav shots in the album:

I pictured the master bath in the Bathroom Tour, so check it out!

And on to the master closet. In our last house, we had his & hers closets off the master bathroom.... so you can imagine my hesitation when I was told this floorplan had us sharing closets again. ;) But there's a divider down the middle (where my dresses are hanging) that keeps us separated. And it houses the full length mirror that Big Sis uses every morning to inspect her outfit and her 'do before school.

As a huge shoe fan (and someone who was formerly in the shoe business), Mr. Fix-It knows by now how to make me happy when it comes to closet space.... he and I worked on this shoe storage in our closet, and it's perfect! At least for displaying all my in season shoes. ;)

One thing on my agenda at home is to CLEAN this crazy closet. I can tell you that I don't wear 1/2 the things in here.... I have a huge range of sizes in here, from 6-16 (yep, I was a 16 when I went back to work after having Big Sis!) But I maintain the same size (when not pg)... so why do I need all these clothes?! I don't!

Thanks for visiting! In 2 short days, we'll be touring yards and garages! I love our backyard in this house - room for lots of fun.

Be sure to check out the rest of the house here! Happy 4th, y'all!

From the Semi-Homemade Cookbook: Cowboy Ribeyes!

Nothing says 'Happy Father's Day' like a nice ribeye... At least, that's what Mr. Fix-It would tell ya! So.... after a fun filled family day..... Mr. Fix-It's famous omelets in the morning... a trip to the beach club (I forgot my camera!).... and a family lunch.... we had planned to make dinner together, a recipe we'd seen on Food Network that looked yummy and right up Mr. Fix-It's alley.

Oh.mi.god. Y'all. It was amazing. I felt like a steakhouse chef had come over and made us dinner. Except that we made it! The recipe is Pan Roasted Cowboy Ribeye with Creamed Swiss Chard (we did spinach)... from the show Tyler's Ultimate.

The basic idea.... is that you infuse heated olive oil with fresh rosemary and thyme. In a cast iron skillet. This made the house smell amazing! And now that I have these fresh herbs in my house, I'm looking for millions of other ways to use them! Anyway, then you sear the ribeye by cooking it a few minutes on each side in the olive oil. Then it goes into the oven to bake!

It's topped with the creamed spinach..... heavy cream and more fresh herbs..... and then on top of that, breadcrumbs that you season and toast yourself.

We took a few pics, but they don't do it any justice....

The cream actually thickened up a bit after I dished mine up, but....

Then it was on to dessert - s'mores! Big Sis loooooved them....

After dessert, we headed up to the movie room for Little Mermaid (Big Sister's pick, not Mr. Fix-It's!) Today was just one of those days where you can't believe how sweet life is.

I took this picture today, on Mr. Fix-It's 4th Father's Day as a daddy.

Funny how similar it looks to one of my fav pics of all time.... Mr. Fix-It with Big Sis on his first father's day as a dad.... in 2006.

Happy Father's Day to the sweetest daddy, Mr. Fix-It.... and all the daddies! Here's a picture of my crew from today... Big Sis was pouting because she wanted to be on daddy's shoulders - ha!