Well, today is the last day of summer vacation. Boy did it go by fast. The kids are excited about going back. All the supplies are bought, backpacks are packed and clothes chosen for tomorrow. They haven't enjoyed the going to be earlier, but I am sure that they are going to enjoy getting up early even less.

Things have been going better at work. From what I understand one of the managers is giving her notice, so that means more closes for me. Not that it makes much of a difference because that is what I mostly do anyway. I would like to change my schedule, but Chad isn't thrilled because what if the babysitter forgets the kids at school. Then I would have to leave work. I say whatever, maybe we need a better babysitter.

Anyway, I will have more later after the kids start school.
Bye

Flowers in my yard

Well, we have been in the new house for about 2 1/2 months now. We have painted the kids rooms and both bathrooms, but there is more to be done. I know, I know...we have a long time to get it the way that we want. There is something about white walls that make me want to paint.

Anyway, when we bought the house I didn't realize how many beautiful flowers there were going to be. I don't know most of the names, but I do know that they are wonderful to have. Here are a few pictures of them...if you know the names, please let me know!

Going a visitin'

Last Wednesday I went and visited my good friend Karla, who I haven't seen in ages. The kids and I had a great time. We went to lunch at Pizza Hut (kids eat free for lunch) and then went to the beach.

Karla just happens to be good friends with my cousins wife, Shell. So we invited her to stop by the beach with her kids. My kids got a kick out of it that they had cousins that they knew nothing about! They all played quite well together, being the same age. Great times. Makes me think that I should go a visiting more often!

We ended up staying over for dinner too! BBQ chicken for the moms and hot dogs for the kids! Lots of moans because it seems that all the kids enjoy BBQ chicken! Beans, chips, cherry fluff and olives finished out the meal. Made me wish that my day off could last forever and that I didn't have to drive an hour home.

Connor digging in the sand

Connor and his new bud Kaden.

All the kids getting in cold, cold Lake Michigan!

Savannah and Lilyanna playing in the waves!

Savannah digging in the dirt.

Savannah taking Lily for a ride.

Our new house

Master Bedroom

Livingroom

Familyroom

2nd garage

Savannah's room

Connor's room

Kitchen

Front view of our house.

Well it has been awhile since i posted. Alot has happened since then. School is out, summer is here and we are settled into our new home. We have bought our first home. It is really neat being able to do what we want such as paint color and the like. So far we have painted both the kids rooms and the big bathroom. I have the paint for the family room and small bathroom, just have to get them painted. We plan on being here for quite some time, so there is lots of time for us to do stuff, but I am excited and want it done now!

One nice thing is that there are all sorts of flowers already planted. Lots of them are blooming so it is very pretty here. It is really nice because we have about 1/2 acre lot. It is right in town, so close to everything. It is a great house!

Accepted Offer!

I know that it has been a long time (almost 6 months), but I have good news! We are finally buying a house. We have been looking on and off for the last 2 years and FINALLY everything seems to be working. We put an offer in on March 21st and we heard back the next day. Our offer has been excepted. We have already had it inspected and are waiting to hear back from our realtor on whether the owner is going to check on 2 things. There is a wet spot in the basement (getting that checked out) and having the furnace checked out (there was no sticker saying when it was last done).

Our (soon to be) new home is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath ranch right here in Pulaski. It has a large yard (almost 1/2 acre). It is actually closer to work for both Chad and I, which is a plus. It has a large family room and a gigantic basement. I am so looking forward to moving in there.

We are currently packing here, which I know will be a big process as we have lived here almost 4 years and have accumulated lots of junk. We are getting rid of a lot of stuff so hopefully moving will be a little less stressful.

Anyway, I have to go...there is a carpet calling my name! Here are some pictures of our new house!

Our new house!

Our second garage.
Livingroom
Kitchen

Diningroom

Long time no blog

Well, it has been close to 3 weeks since I had an entry. I guess life just kind of happened.

A few new things....

I have lost almost 14 lbs to day. I am so excited about that. I am finally getting to my goal, granted I have 85 lbs to go for my grand goal, but 14 lbs in a month is great. I know that I won't always lose like this, but I am happy how it is going.

My sisters barn burned down also. That happened about the time that I posted last. They are going to build a garage this time since they were only using it as a storage before. It was a old barn, and they have no livestock. I think that the garage will look nice, and it is going to be by the house, so it will be much closer for them. Here are some pics that I took....

Connor almost tore his thumb off.

I got a call at work on Monday evening from the babysitter. She was like, "Elizabeth, Connor cut his thumb really bad. It won't stop bleeding." So I rushed home and this is what I saw...

We took him to St. Mary's Emergency room. They flushed it out so they could get a good look at it. The tear went down to his tendon. Thankfully there doesn't appear to be any nerve damage.

He ended up getting 9 stitches in it. He was such a trooper, the only time he cried was when he had to get the numbing shot. Otherwise, he watched them stitch it up. The last two pictures are from this morning when I had to change his bandage. I know that he is going to have a wicked scar, but hopefully nothing to bad.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Well, it has been a while since I last blogged. Lot has happened since then.
The kids started school and I started my diet, to name a few.

The kids are enjoying school. At there school, half the kindergarten goes the first day and then has off the second, and then the second day the second half goes and the first half gets a day off. Connor had the second day off, which just happened to be his birthday. He didn't like it though, because in his words, "There's no one to play with!". Savannah likes 3rd grade. She has to read at least 20 min each night and then there is the occasional other homework. She hasn't said anything about that though. It is just weird to have the whole day to myself. It is nice when I want to go shopping, no having to drag a unwilling person along. I get to enjoy myself.

I also found the website www.sparkpeople.com. It is sooooo great. They have everything I need to get healthier. I can plan each days menu and it computes calories, carbs, fat and protein. It will keep track of my water intake. Also there if a fitness area to keep track of exercise. I think that my favorite area(which is part of it, but separate) is www.sparkrecipes.com. Here you can find all kinds of recipes with the nutrition info. You can also put in your favorite recipe and it will calculate the nutritional info on it. It is really great! We actually had something from there last night. Mexican Chicken and Rice. Here is the recipe.

Mexican Chicken and Rice
2 chicken breasts
1 c mild salsa
1 c chicken broth
2 peppers-any color
1 s onion
12 oz can corn w/liquid
1.5 c instant rice
olive oil spray
shredded cheese if desired

Chop peppers and onions. Set aside.
Chunk up chicken and put it in a large skillet that has been sprayed with olive oil.
Start to saute chicken. Add peppers and onions. Continue to saute until chicken is fully cooked.
Add salsa, broth and corn. Bring to a boil.
Stir in rice. Cover and remove from heat. Let sit 12-15 min to allow rice to absorb liquid.
Sprinkle with cheese.
Serves 6 1 cup servings
Cals 217.3 Fat 2.1g Protein 23.1g Carbs 26.8g Fiber 2.3g


I added a little pepper and chili powder to this to add a little heat. It was very good. Both the kids liked it a lot. I made a double batch so that I would have enough to freeze a few serving for later. I also used red, orange, yellow and green peppers and brown rice to make it a little bit healthier.