tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10491265557265971432024-03-05T15:52:18.787-08:00Adventures of the PowellsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430027775732446019noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1049126555726597143.post-20998583306385220192015-02-20T08:44:00.000-08:002015-02-20T08:44:28.128-08:00More Questions, More Answers<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We were iced in for a few days this week, so I had a little time to answer the next set of questions from the <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/open-gently/201310/36-questions-bring-you-closer-together" target="_blank">36 Questions to Bring You Closer Together</a>. Having extra time with the kids and Jason was a bonus, but the whole idea of not being able to leave the house is claustrophobic. And I am a lot like our shepherd mix: if I don't get a run in every day, I start to pace and get anxious. I usually run through any conditions, but it was too treacherous even for me. Running on the treadmill is terrifying. I'm afraid I will fall off, and that is because I have fallen off! But I've sucked it up and gotten through a couple of workouts inside and I'm just looking forward to running outside again after this d*$# ice melts! We're due for one more blast of ice today and then solid rain and warmer temps tomorrow. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Anyway, here goes:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">10. If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be? </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Not much, but I wish someone had pushed me more to try and stick to sports at a young age. I consider myself pretty athletic now, but I didn't pick up running or working out much at all until after college. I'm not sure if this is a fair complaint because I did take years and years of dance and tumbling lessons and played a few team sports. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>11. Take four minutes and tell you partner your life story in as much detail as possible.</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Who needs four minutes when you <b><a href="http://powellfortennessee.com/meet-jason/" target="_blank">have this</a></b>? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">12. If you could wake up tomorrow having gained one quality or ability, what would it be?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I'd like to wake up and be multilingual! And also have the answer to world peace and cures for things like cancer, AIDS, ebola, etc. That's all before lunch. Also, the ability to get my kids to eat anything and everything I make without complaint. I think world peace and curing diseases would be simpler. </span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">13. If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about yourself, your life, the future or anything else, what would you want to know? </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I don't think it could tell me anything that I wouldn't rather learn myself. The only thing that comes to mind are cures for diseases and perhaps the winning Powerball numbers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">14. Is there something that you've dreamt of doing for a long time? Why haven't you done it? </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Writing a book. I don't know why I haven't started. </span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">15. What is the greatest accomplishment of your life?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Raising my kids is and continues to be my greatest accomplishment. Nothing else comes close.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>16. What do you value most in a friendship?</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Loyalty</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">17. What is your most treasured memory?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">How can anyone pick one? Impossible. As a kid, going out for dinner on my birthday every year with my mom and dad. It was the one night of the year my dad would go out with us and we all dressed up. As an adult, walking down the aisle with my grandpa and Jack and seeing Sophie and Hawkes together for the first time. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">18. What is your most terrible memory?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sitting in a movie theater in college on a date and looking up to see another friend, Michael Sorrow, standing there in the aisle trying to get my attention. I couldn't figure out why he was there, but soon realized he had gotten a call from someone trying to find me to tell me my dad was dying and I needed to get home to say goodbye. I made it home to Galesburg and my dad died within a few hours. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">19. If you knew that in one year you would die suddenly, would you change anything about the way you are now living? Why? </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I would probably take more chances. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">20. What does friendship mean to you?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Being honest, loyal, compassionate, free of judgment and having fun. </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430027775732446019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1049126555726597143.post-37502480536025605152015-02-06T08:50:00.000-08:002015-02-06T14:49:00.751-08:00Plagiarism is Awesome<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I made a promise to myself to post once a week. So far I'm 1/1 but it's going to take thievery to go 2/2. Thank you to my college friend, Kristi, who I reconnected with thanks to the magic of Facebook, for letting me steal this idea. I love to write and I'm not delusional enough to think anyone but me will pour over my posts, so they're mostly just for me. But, if you're reading, that's icing on the cake!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here we go. Over the next four or so posts, I'll answer nine questions. This is the first set:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
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</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>1. Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a
dinner guest?</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Myself as a teenager. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>2. Would you like to be famous? In what way?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I have no desire whatsoever to be famous! I enjoy wearing old workout clothes to Target on Saturdays way too much.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>3. Before making a phone call, do you ever rehearse what you're going
to say? Why?</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">No, but I do think about it carefully if it's anything but a phone call to check in on a friend of family member. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>4. What would constitute a perfect day for you?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Everyone sleeps in until at least 7am, the coffee is ready the moment I walk in the kitchen and the kids wake up happy. We all go for a run on the greenway and out for breakfast before heading to the Zoo or to an outdoor festival. The kids magically take naps at the same time and I get to watch one of the 57 shows I have DVR'd but never catch up on, like Scandal or Downton Abbey. Kids wake up super happy and we all play outside until dinner, when we head to our favorite Mexican restaurant for lots of good bad food. The kids both go to bed in under 10 minutes after we return home with no encore calls for more stories. Wine and hanging out with my husband, and a solid night of sleep. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>5. When did you last sing to yourself? To someone else?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Last night, the Annie soundtrack in my car. And again, last night, singing songs from Annie with Sophie after we got home. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>6. If you were able to live to the age of 90 and retain either the mind
or body of a 30-year old for the last 60 years of your life, which would you
choose?</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I feel like a lot of elements of my body are in my control. I hope I'm still running when I'm 90. If I'm not, I know I will find something else I can do to stay fit. It's too important to me not to. I don't, however, feel like I can control what happens to my mind as I grow older so I'd have to say retaining my mind would be my choice. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">7. Do you have a secret hunch about how you will die?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">No. And I'd never want to know. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">8. Name three things you and your partner appear to have in common.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We both have careers focused on helping people in some way. We both love politics. We both love to run. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">9. For what in your life do you feel most grateful?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The health of myself and my family. </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430027775732446019noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1049126555726597143.post-15488807883052528942015-01-29T14:29:00.004-08:002015-01-29T15:00:03.686-08:00What?! A New Post?<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Skipping right over the excuses for not writing a post for months (and months), here's one that I grabbed from my favorite blog, <a href="http://www.iowagirleats.com/">Iowa Girl Eats</a>. I want to see what you have to say about yourselves, too! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><b> </b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Household chore I actually enjoy</b><br />Ummm… this is hard. I don’t really enjoy any of them but I do enjoy having a clean house! If I had to pick one, I’d say cleaning the wood floors. I love the way they look for the 90 seconds before dog hair and kid sludge reappears. <br /><br /><b> Biggest house disaster</b><br />Just one?? Our back porch and mud room. Both areas look like Sanford and Sons meets Home Depot. Bags of unused Quickrete, old toys that don’t work, three different strollers, all of our Christmas decorations that have been sitting there for over a MONTH… they make me crazy. We haven’t yet built in storage and hooks in the mud room so it’s just the place where all the clutter goes to die, plus we have approximately 15 cans of paint sitting in there. <br /><br /><b> Before company arrives, I hide</b><br />The five or six laundry baskets full of clean clothes that no one will put away. </span><b> </b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Most recent music download</b><br />The Annie soundtrack. One of the greatest joys in my life is singing every single song with Sophie, who loves both the original and the new movie.</span><b> </b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>The last thing I bought online</b><br />A new comforter for our bedroom. There was too much gray with the walls and our old gray duvet cover and I’m excited to see how the color in the new one brightens up the room.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>I hate to shop for</b></span> <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Bras. TMI, but true. There is nothing more humbling to me than post-baby, post-nursing bra shopping. And I’m not gonna lie, I would wear the stretchy nursing bras forever and ever if I could. </span><b> </b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Favorite family ritual</b><br />I hate to leave Hawkes out of this one, but I love the last few minutes of the evening with Sophie and Jason. I’m sure Hawkes will join in down the road, but for now it’s the three of us all snuggled into Sophie’s bed while we 1) read a book 2) Jason tells a crazy story with lots of direction from Sophie and 3) Sophie tells us about her day. Precious time and we learn a LOT about what’s going on in that brain of hers. <br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>I sleep in</b><br />Lately, these Zella soft pants that aren’t really pajamas. Pajama pants don’t work for me; they’re always too short after one dryer cycle. These Zella pants are awesome. </span><b> </b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>I have a style crush on</b><br />I have no idea! I like my own style. <br /><br /><b> I’m currently reading</b><br />Food: A Love Story. But let me be real: I'm in a book club and I don't read the books. At least not very often. I just love the people in the club and the discussions we have (especially after wine) about all kinds of things. </span><b> </b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>What’s up with the ___ trend?</b><br />High-waisted jeans. Why? I don’t mean normal-waisted, i.e. not low-rider, jeans. High-waisted. </span><b> </b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>How did I ever live without</b><br />My Brooks Ghost running shoes. Love them so much. I thought I was a Mizuno person for the longest time, but I hadn’t met the Ghost yet. Wine comes in a close second. </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430027775732446019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1049126555726597143.post-44175048271514531322014-09-25T13:38:00.004-07:002014-09-25T13:42:32.802-07:00Veggie White Chili with Poblanos<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I love fall. It's no secret in my family that October and November are my two favorite months. I love the crisp, cool air. I love running in that cool air early in the morning. The leaves, especially sugar maple leaves! I love fall clothes so, so much. Boots. Sweaters. Why does it seem like fall doesn't last as long as it used to? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Something else I love about fall is making soup. Sunday afternoons are my time to prep soups, stews and chilis that can simmer for hours and make excellent leftovers and freeze well. We are pescetarian (we don't eat meat but we do occasionally eat fish) and I rarely use my crock pot because I just haven't found a lot of slow cooker recipes that are vegetarian. I stumbled upon this recipe recently that is veggie and I had to try it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This Veggie White Chili with Poblanos may sound spicy, but it's really not unless you leave the seeds on the peppers. To cut down on prep time, I stock up on frozen bags of mirepoix (carrots, celery and onion mix) and Cajun mirepoix (green pepper, celery and onion mix). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I was a little nervous about roasting the poblano peppers, but it turned out to be really simple. Here goes:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Veggie White Chili with Poblanos</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://potluck.ohmyveggies.com/slow-cooker-quinoa-white-chili-roasted-poblanos/#WBekhqfsgR8aYv7f.99" target="_blank">Adapted from Potluck at Oh My Veggies</a></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">2 medium poblano peppers</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 frozen bag of Cajun mirepoix </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">2 cloves garlic, minced</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">2 teaspoons ground cumin</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 teaspoon dried oregano</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">¼ teaspoon smoked paprika (I used regular paprika)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">¼ teaspoon ground cloves</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 teaspoon sea salt</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">2 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">¾ cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed under cold water and drained</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Garnishes: Cholula hot sauce, sour cream, mexican cheese </span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Instructions:</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibElpqcjA5i_w62RmlnB3Cvlol8vkvZVYlFusJ8BJwFZoKp1NO0xWkmsB4DsMoqM-SipNJ37sF48yLn2NtZqTHKclBQWPnAGqvHL08TUNEEDIeT2GU6lhBrQrsno3utZromBh5h5t9uTKB/s1600/crock_pot_quinoa_white_chili_with_roasted_poblanos_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibElpqcjA5i_w62RmlnB3Cvlol8vkvZVYlFusJ8BJwFZoKp1NO0xWkmsB4DsMoqM-SipNJ37sF48yLn2NtZqTHKclBQWPnAGqvHL08TUNEEDIeT2GU6lhBrQrsno3utZromBh5h5t9uTKB/s1600/crock_pot_quinoa_white_chili_with_roasted_poblanos_3.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Photo courtesy of Potluck at Oh My Veggies</i></span></td></tr>
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<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">First,
roast your poblanos. Turn the oven on to the high broil setting and
move the rack to about one-third of the way from the top of the oven.
Wash and dry whole peppers and place on a sheet of aluminum foil on a cookie sheet. Place in the oven and broil until all sides are blackened. I suggest not walking away! All ovens are different but this may only take a few minutes. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Remove
peppers from the oven and carefully tent the
foil over them to trap the heat and make the peppers sweat, which makes the skin peel easily. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">While
the poblanos are cooling, heat the
olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat and add the frozen Cajun mirepoix veggies. Cook for a few minutes until the veggies are warm throughout and softened.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Add the garlic, oregano, cumin, smoked paprika, cloves, and salt. Cook, stirring, for one minute.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Add
a cup or so of broth and stir to make sure all the bits of flavor are
scraped up into the broth. Carefully pour into the slow cooker along
with the remaining vegetable broth, cannellini beans and quinoa.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Carefully
peel the skin off of the poblanos and remove the stem. Remove the seeds
for a milder chili; keep them for a hotter chili. Finely dice and add
to the Crock Pot. Stir gently to mix all of the ingredients together.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Cook
on high for 3 - 4 hours until the quinoa is
tender and the chili is relatively thick. Taste and add additional salt
and pepper to taste.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Scoop into bowls and garnish with additional toppings if desired. </span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I never know what to expect with the number of servings. We are all hearty eaters and something that is supposed to feed 6-8 often doesn't in my house! This chili went a long way so I would say it yielded at least 6-8 servings and thanks to all the quinoa and beans, it's very filling. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Do you have soup, stew or chili recipes to share? Anything that could be converted to veggie? I need some inspiration! Enjoy!</span><br /><a href="http://potluck.ohmyveggies.com/slow-cooker-quinoa-white-chili-roasted-poblanos/#WBekhqfsgR8aYv7f.99" target="_blank"></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430027775732446019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1049126555726597143.post-71292632690205849832014-05-27T08:30:00.002-07:002014-05-27T08:30:43.540-07:00Waiting is the Hardest Part<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It has been a long while since I've posted an update about our house project. Without going into too much detail, I'll just say it has gone over budget, long past the scheduled completion date, and we are way over it and ready to put the stress behind us and, finally, move into our home. No large project is without stress, but we have learned a lot through this process and I think have some valuable takeaways we'll apply to any future projects. We have renovated two houses previously, but this is by far the most extensive project we've had. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We are within weeks of moving in, and I'm working on putting together some before and after photos of the house. I'll share just a few photos here for now, all taken about two weeks ago. Since these were taken, cabinets have been installed, tile work has been completed and painting is underway. More pics to come soon.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_BlGjCZi6kAba4lH-P8qOIvU1tVYU6JNklb1LaeyZwrUjLsZzQtxvoisbyRKdKH3cq4MPI0o-z5thXqFo7WR-NlLKi0YCd-lQ14gecHHuLjCZQ6600RO_k0pxgwKQoOWvDvm3lJ3Yo88_/s1600/IMG_3859.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_BlGjCZi6kAba4lH-P8qOIvU1tVYU6JNklb1LaeyZwrUjLsZzQtxvoisbyRKdKH3cq4MPI0o-z5thXqFo7WR-NlLKi0YCd-lQ14gecHHuLjCZQ6600RO_k0pxgwKQoOWvDvm3lJ3Yo88_/s1600/IMG_3859.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Exterior of Addition</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> - the brick on the original house was impossible to match, so we elected to install durable hardy board siding painted to match rather than using a different type of brick.</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoZLuy-36KZyMLhYKCfP3gbFewRppFo78E5HyvE8MZzRs9ySfV5F6s7fSW8b9gTyYKzGOPNZWStFQRO0MKfZvT48DMyGFwFlKyszx473Od03D_8bUr29ZOSNAHYwLfJKUjsadXAlEAhhZE/s1600/IMG_3861.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoZLuy-36KZyMLhYKCfP3gbFewRppFo78E5HyvE8MZzRs9ySfV5F6s7fSW8b9gTyYKzGOPNZWStFQRO0MKfZvT48DMyGFwFlKyszx473Od03D_8bUr29ZOSNAHYwLfJKUjsadXAlEAhhZE/s1600/IMG_3861.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Master Bedroom</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPVZ6Ta11ig2x4R9QWwY8XkiBWmIJGv-P_GN6ZQpCwnuklD1dYY92mmOHO9uVhwGil541tO_ai7QWsvEGmpJtcdXqBy6uFnWxmOTdaiSxgaGr2_OFbNQencu_SXNSQcjQ9rIJdVwBk5p0M/s1600/IMG_3874.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPVZ6Ta11ig2x4R9QWwY8XkiBWmIJGv-P_GN6ZQpCwnuklD1dYY92mmOHO9uVhwGil541tO_ai7QWsvEGmpJtcdXqBy6uFnWxmOTdaiSxgaGr2_OFbNQencu_SXNSQcjQ9rIJdVwBk5p0M/s1600/IMG_3874.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Master Bedroom</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-W_wLhXZskW4aJX1kt4jJRv94MjtJfF6bQNxqWi36v3i5zISKhih8QYQnpD4vOrPvBttC7aFYz7q3mgGzTctz6h_qckWskmmlhUiAA7cX61wPkQHpSb-VXGAC3qlm-TiRU8b5AfGtGlR2/s1600/IMG_3873.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-W_wLhXZskW4aJX1kt4jJRv94MjtJfF6bQNxqWi36v3i5zISKhih8QYQnpD4vOrPvBttC7aFYz7q3mgGzTctz6h_qckWskmmlhUiAA7cX61wPkQHpSb-VXGAC3qlm-TiRU8b5AfGtGlR2/s1600/IMG_3873.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Master Bedroom</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcl0V20esTGvrQWBJfs07lmbrDXe7fwEKP_9v9CePUub39pWEUFK9-_6aDbDuzXJ1yokmVejVL3kIcO6U-fmTeWisBa2D-IFYkGi6WG0vTx8aWcSf0i5oMr-_ssIRmSB5Q8IjNl2K__phG/s1600/IMG_3862.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcl0V20esTGvrQWBJfs07lmbrDXe7fwEKP_9v9CePUub39pWEUFK9-_6aDbDuzXJ1yokmVejVL3kIcO6U-fmTeWisBa2D-IFYkGi6WG0vTx8aWcSf0i5oMr-_ssIRmSB5Q8IjNl2K__phG/s1600/IMG_3862.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Bonus Room</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM8XA8wM-03QKM9_EvEIhyphenhyphenVLl4s2ioqHAF4-Lot_u7pU-ohGkNv0I40o-ccD0mJYVpkh1rOjf3ntowX5iYHb5esn9_HOXpX9zVCFAdQXygtQ39J5tLa0RHmXa9Q6a00KE1vyf2d_NKfbPP/s1600/IMG_3863.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM8XA8wM-03QKM9_EvEIhyphenhyphenVLl4s2ioqHAF4-Lot_u7pU-ohGkNv0I40o-ccD0mJYVpkh1rOjf3ntowX5iYHb5esn9_HOXpX9zVCFAdQXygtQ39J5tLa0RHmXa9Q6a00KE1vyf2d_NKfbPP/s1600/IMG_3863.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Bonus Room</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipJNA5RFP96FYguRhVmRrpx3CjjCuhQittjNwWGgU4ObFvJOOl_moaEkXoNt_OD3KdFUuzKWcKOh4s4PErBY3b-fyLKkpQl4uE-5nz37TO60MLDdgzS_TZjdWyCDmC27qTd8wq0WHxKNuU/s1600/IMG_3864.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipJNA5RFP96FYguRhVmRrpx3CjjCuhQittjNwWGgU4ObFvJOOl_moaEkXoNt_OD3KdFUuzKWcKOh4s4PErBY3b-fyLKkpQl4uE-5nz37TO60MLDdgzS_TZjdWyCDmC27qTd8wq0WHxKNuU/s1600/IMG_3864.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Looking into dining/sitting area from bonus room. The new back entry way/mud room is to the left and the new powder room is to the right.</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFRpQynP3B98lBS0VzuMXZXubqAvmMjjCn9f16EhCi1mJ3nYrfTd1PpPHeLTH7V4iDIQTZS6ui_P7Dg590dS7GV8O7OA8d57ZAXzmR9btCsLpIE2JuWMAF8Jb4A10wK9XcVWzWa6_Y3eEX/s1600/IMG_3867.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFRpQynP3B98lBS0VzuMXZXubqAvmMjjCn9f16EhCi1mJ3nYrfTd1PpPHeLTH7V4iDIQTZS6ui_P7Dg590dS7GV8O7OA8d57ZAXzmR9btCsLpIE2JuWMAF8Jb4A10wK9XcVWzWa6_Y3eEX/s1600/IMG_3867.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Looking out into the living room and the front window from the dining room</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVly5_L4O-TDEheQyVvfE79d6T8CF3WQ0G_5ScoB_68D9iVhFZzqdcwPGHcUel2yzYGL5Ebu4cbCRBZ1SNQfJiYKzBDs8z6SXCLltIZnMyLoXwoKwU82aVsqdHrxcmozbPU1RYD7LygSrJ/s1600/IMG_3868.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVly5_L4O-TDEheQyVvfE79d6T8CF3WQ0G_5ScoB_68D9iVhFZzqdcwPGHcUel2yzYGL5Ebu4cbCRBZ1SNQfJiYKzBDs8z6SXCLltIZnMyLoXwoKwU82aVsqdHrxcmozbPU1RYD7LygSrJ/s1600/IMG_3868.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Kitchen</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSuqSKW0IX35LabPPrOESOPf9YUmsTIY3hjXb6V9VYF7xauc6AVQ9q7biF-Mg2qpX7Bjvm-amFlm4FYoijm1v6aYX_NTP3-VWPVHkb8nQRfBd3Esf1rP-9BeNzpEy5ILpQJ-1bB4dt3OXs/s1600/IMG_3869.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSuqSKW0IX35LabPPrOESOPf9YUmsTIY3hjXb6V9VYF7xauc6AVQ9q7biF-Mg2qpX7Bjvm-amFlm4FYoijm1v6aYX_NTP3-VWPVHkb8nQRfBd3Esf1rP-9BeNzpEy5ILpQJ-1bB4dt3OXs/s1600/IMG_3869.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Dining Room and Sitting Area / Fireplace. The doorway to the right leads to the original bedrooms and bathrooms.</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWLoHhf0SFbFiTncrgQF0ZlD0QptMfvo7O2I3AY7VlJxXtbr2ZLLZVrWY3NPX2kQdQB87JypFULZgZNJBfkFqcZh5XwLAAzbivmHjP7hsRkNoJSXyQ137VVyV6sItXF63fYoc1awQBWq50/s1600/IMG_3870.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWLoHhf0SFbFiTncrgQF0ZlD0QptMfvo7O2I3AY7VlJxXtbr2ZLLZVrWY3NPX2kQdQB87JypFULZgZNJBfkFqcZh5XwLAAzbivmHjP7hsRkNoJSXyQ137VVyV6sItXF63fYoc1awQBWq50/s1600/IMG_3870.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Living Room and Cabinets (lots of cabinets)</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLKQKaCDgU35sSAHqNUlXwdyFuVPpkhrI8vnzTP1F2pNmOEgowx_xVc64Xt9eniEQ6uMK-4YrDjNPsS86cqdSb0o1v-Pa8Rhk6KOueT2CPzrtfI4wDhpk5ehSGNH01Fdrc1TF5nYel6xg0/s1600/IMG_3871.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLKQKaCDgU35sSAHqNUlXwdyFuVPpkhrI8vnzTP1F2pNmOEgowx_xVc64Xt9eniEQ6uMK-4YrDjNPsS86cqdSb0o1v-Pa8Rhk6KOueT2CPzrtfI4wDhpk5ehSGNH01Fdrc1TF5nYel6xg0/s1600/IMG_3871.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Computer closet</i></span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIqSrboJ2qc1KlFNbVRTzXCfOG-aJ0G9Lfi6UJot9koPQGkgEWW9-UJxgHNd4jWGMmsloiPJOKLSPAVoh9UjaRXkftXy6JaUx1LiTgiZiRb3MdBV9e3bwlG2CURDcku2oB9o6tFQC3wwiO/s1600/IMG_3872.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIqSrboJ2qc1KlFNbVRTzXCfOG-aJ0G9Lfi6UJot9koPQGkgEWW9-UJxgHNd4jWGMmsloiPJOKLSPAVoh9UjaRXkftXy6JaUx1LiTgiZiRb3MdBV9e3bwlG2CURDcku2oB9o6tFQC3wwiO/s1600/IMG_3872.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Hallway to new laundry room and master suite</span></i></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr95HCCXpPvWwu5mAlwWkKa4HSgTRMM9yXem4HL3R2JSnh6am9lY2Nf2cLrqv9_96andDUE9eYHZt0NpE6WLFz87KDU73_q_6WinGfJHcB6RjC7Vmwb9rGDDFjkd7STdWE9RvKiqw7tJ9L/s1600/IMG_3875.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr95HCCXpPvWwu5mAlwWkKa4HSgTRMM9yXem4HL3R2JSnh6am9lY2Nf2cLrqv9_96andDUE9eYHZt0NpE6WLFz87KDU73_q_6WinGfJHcB6RjC7Vmwb9rGDDFjkd7STdWE9RvKiqw7tJ9L/s1600/IMG_3875.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Master Bathtub</i></span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4OEwMTvdVhDInK_-IF02P2xekYkoceuGLUeWNnoRtSUyTc1RvHce9liZ2HBmMstyUI9ICA1Rxp-dXwO-ZnneuN_yiPJ3ECC0Bx5NvQeLqtaELmmUn1w8YWeGGYoEpcpd-D5CwmieXsPAC/s1600/IMG_3876.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4OEwMTvdVhDInK_-IF02P2xekYkoceuGLUeWNnoRtSUyTc1RvHce9liZ2HBmMstyUI9ICA1Rxp-dXwO-ZnneuN_yiPJ3ECC0Bx5NvQeLqtaELmmUn1w8YWeGGYoEpcpd-D5CwmieXsPAC/s1600/IMG_3876.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Master Shower</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghkCea8AR_OztF9PxhtTNyhjiJJtwZ8ZOTiuj6Nw_NTR8loKgIzWdvlnro2O2SAs6XvQarInDKfFz2S0dz01cq16mnTaJRu-6DuIJqINM2yXypBum_12fehJDA5Sswmo9nqpwtXVyS86Fg/s1600/IMG_3878.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghkCea8AR_OztF9PxhtTNyhjiJJtwZ8ZOTiuj6Nw_NTR8loKgIzWdvlnro2O2SAs6XvQarInDKfFz2S0dz01cq16mnTaJRu-6DuIJqINM2yXypBum_12fehJDA5Sswmo9nqpwtXVyS86Fg/s1600/IMG_3878.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Master toilet closet</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnyI7ITmigNADN7P86bkd0RW2LsCCcxhDHuDAN31QzMiGJogtpl1P3-1BUtD1ra4ENL6Bv8y1NmNHb2lrwZuPOQTSjD3NfckrNY2KM9I4VGtonXu6a1Gys0qWABDLht6K8eOp2EdYmqI5Y/s1600/IMG_3881.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnyI7ITmigNADN7P86bkd0RW2LsCCcxhDHuDAN31QzMiGJogtpl1P3-1BUtD1ra4ENL6Bv8y1NmNHb2lrwZuPOQTSjD3NfckrNY2KM9I4VGtonXu6a1Gys0qWABDLht6K8eOp2EdYmqI5Y/s1600/IMG_3881.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>No more acoustic ceilings. All original rooms in the house had acoustic ceilings and we had to apply 1/4" sheet rock over them because they had been applied with a glue that proved impossible to sand down to remove.</i></span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv5aoldsTX-HODvvHm0te9J18MhTiPFtd5ijZh7a_YtIChh21r27SmHTn-MHp4xgdbhpiTZGx3u6bXUN89zAVcoE2ZYWwW38XBb6zkkqpYuc0rDoF9IqrBhI283V5m_AkzV9oSi40jC8u3/s1600/IMG_3882.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv5aoldsTX-HODvvHm0te9J18MhTiPFtd5ijZh7a_YtIChh21r27SmHTn-MHp4xgdbhpiTZGx3u6bXUN89zAVcoE2ZYWwW38XBb6zkkqpYuc0rDoF9IqrBhI283V5m_AkzV9oSi40jC8u3/s1600/IMG_3882.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Cabinets!</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRb_xiHGVr12Mcuu2yXwvpAYku-r8tPJ1r8Tt3iK6XBa3efPZpODqaKB6mTHu0ywy6zB_QZHuDj9gYTusy15q3eoBf-LwO8uvr5hW0Tyvq3CxspsGYs7o6DW4-XWgeieR678pYd_tkiutH/s1600/IMG_3883.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRb_xiHGVr12Mcuu2yXwvpAYku-r8tPJ1r8Tt3iK6XBa3efPZpODqaKB6mTHu0ywy6zB_QZHuDj9gYTusy15q3eoBf-LwO8uvr5hW0Tyvq3CxspsGYs7o6DW4-XWgeieR678pYd_tkiutH/s1600/IMG_3883.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Front door - surprise purchase Jason made. A solid walnut door with pretty side light panels.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430027775732446019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1049126555726597143.post-35740680378951043752014-04-18T07:27:00.001-07:002014-04-18T07:27:24.525-07:00Stitch Fix<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I posted some photos of my first <a href="https://stitchfix.com/referral/3533882" target="_blank">Stitch Fix</a> box of goodies on Instagram and Facebook last month and it's time again for a new box to arrive! I just got my shipping confirmation this morning, along with a referral credit. Every time someone signs up with my referral code, I get a credit, which helps me sustain my healthy appetite for new clothes. This is a shirt from last month's fix:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgorUhVGPIiF7jyQ2uKWI2u8vssCIe3nliLjI6LtxYdZa0hX51-JrYjf-6wWxIrhOz-htpEzVgB6VFuefx-Z27S1LaL0vuuyFI4AkjBaqgWzq7DsfbKkyPq5bbqDblj-iJ0yVLMtM8P2vVW/s1600/10007419_10152297635536250_3456875046602296109_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgorUhVGPIiF7jyQ2uKWI2u8vssCIe3nliLjI6LtxYdZa0hX51-JrYjf-6wWxIrhOz-htpEzVgB6VFuefx-Z27S1LaL0vuuyFI4AkjBaqgWzq7DsfbKkyPq5bbqDblj-iJ0yVLMtM8P2vVW/s1600/10007419_10152297635536250_3456875046602296109_n.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">If you haven't signed up for a <a href="https://stitchfix.com/referral/3533882" target="_blank">Stitch Fix</a> yet, please think about trying it! The deal is, it's a $20 stylist fee for each Fix, but if you keep even one item in the Fix, you're credited back the $20. If you keep all five items, you get the $20 credited back plus 25% off the entire order. There's no shipping for receiving or returning items and you can leave as much or as little feedback about what you liked or didn't like as you want. Also, you can receive fixes as often or seldom as you like. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Here's my referral link:
<a href="http://mandrillapp.com/track/click.php?u=3541274&id=0fc46ddae49c4289ba3b29ffa140fb29&url=http%3A%2F%2Fstitchfix.com%2Fsign_up%3Freferrer_id%3D3533882&url_id=9d2040ba72e4fb9ca8dd6ceb9018dfda25835cd0" target="_blank">
http://stitchfix.com/sign_up?<wbr></wbr>referrer_id=3533882. </a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Last month, I only kept one item of the five in the package, but I was tempted to keep three of the five. I can't wait to see what's in this month's fix!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430027775732446019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1049126555726597143.post-3079088194514145252014-04-18T07:17:00.003-07:002014-04-18T07:17:18.693-07:00Time is Flying<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I had every intention of writing two- and three-month posts for Hawkes, but that hasn't happened! He was three months old this week and I have yet to slap that three month sticker on his chest and take a photo, but it will happen! He is such a big guy now and really strong. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnc8Cf2ki0BACG_aEDTPRaoirW1YBpS3bC0WIe2A1olgnXk5AI6zrqCD4-SIsMiXkVLMHvA_opYjQRjw8NanB_5_2_kkQk2oszoWAO4h1Vkl8pOmHulsh0qWMIJNopQ7A0Un4R5mDlPGlK/s1600/DSC_0165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnc8Cf2ki0BACG_aEDTPRaoirW1YBpS3bC0WIe2A1olgnXk5AI6zrqCD4-SIsMiXkVLMHvA_opYjQRjw8NanB_5_2_kkQk2oszoWAO4h1Vkl8pOmHulsh0qWMIJNopQ7A0Un4R5mDlPGlK/s1600/DSC_0165.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Yep, I could look at this face all day! His eyes are not as blue now - they are a blueish/greenish/brownish hazel. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxWbtcXloqoXFFQQvM1HnxhqNZ3BhvGVHV1NlNRfkKk8h7Dzd5jNE96UB-G5ehzg8W1dRLG_2CN6zFHwM7hx2heuQpdSH5vKL8rLHj2Co5oJWw1IzTOU37_3s-lyOuOkB9xyxCbudLaxjw/s1600/DSC_0175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxWbtcXloqoXFFQQvM1HnxhqNZ3BhvGVHV1NlNRfkKk8h7Dzd5jNE96UB-G5ehzg8W1dRLG_2CN6zFHwM7hx2heuQpdSH5vKL8rLHj2Co5oJWw1IzTOU37_3s-lyOuOkB9xyxCbudLaxjw/s1600/DSC_0175.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I love this face - it's his skeptical face. He's starting to really enjoy his play mat, but he's apparently suspicious of some of the dangling toys.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCrs8GZLDDKS_ziNcWSncrD-5q0Hh1-I9W217FKTHNvAtPpv728ttf0nJ3Y4bCURanXWktX322bPGIr8F3VBudYyazmqqQGGQl_q3jH5BSRUjfYEEEMOq8HgrKd8B0V59N4BKvcCIk0wD4/s1600/DSC_0190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCrs8GZLDDKS_ziNcWSncrD-5q0Hh1-I9W217FKTHNvAtPpv728ttf0nJ3Y4bCURanXWktX322bPGIr8F3VBudYyazmqqQGGQl_q3jH5BSRUjfYEEEMOq8HgrKd8B0V59N4BKvcCIk0wD4/s1600/DSC_0190.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">My favorite face - the gummy smile! Hawkes is such a happy, smiling little guy. It makes the tired days a lot more fun after some sleepless nights.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Likes: Sophie, jumping/putting weight on his legs, putting his entire hand in his mouth, drooling, Sophie, blowing bubbles, Sophie, foot rubs, On Top of Spaghetti, Sophie, Twinkle Twinkle, Sophie, being naked or having his diaper changed, Sophie, baths, and pretty much anything Sophie does (except maybe when she grabs and squeezes his head or pinches him - gah!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Dislikes: Sleeping all night long. Ha! We were so spoiled by Sophie, who was sleeping 10 hour stretches at 9 weeks old. Not so much with Hawkes, but I know we'll get there. We had a crazy week last week as Houdini found ways to escape from virtually every supposedly inescapable swaddle contraption. At this point I'm double swaddling him for naps in a <a href="https://www.woombie.com/" target="_blank">Woombie</a> underneath a velcro <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Infant-SwaddleMe-Adjustable-3-Pack/dp/B003JHYDIQ" target="_blank">Summer Infant Swaddle</a> (both of his are for "big baby"!) and at night with his arms swaddled in an Aden + Anais swaddle with a velcro Summer Infant Swaddle on top. Crazy! While he likes to escape, he hates being unswaddled. Go figure!</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Last month, I spent the day with a wonderful young woman who helped me get Hawkes into a better routine during the day, including crib napping, and it was the best thing we could have done. We struggled a lot last month with bottles. We've been trying pumped bottles with him since he was about three weeks old, but he's never really taken to them and lately flat out refused them. Knowing that I was returning to work soon and he was refusing them made me a little crazy. We tried different techniques and bottles and finally found one, the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Comotomo-Natural-Bottle-Single-Ounces/dp/B004C053AQ" target="_blank">Comotomo</a>, that he's taking pretty well. Fingers crossed! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sometimes it feels like the entire last month of maternity leave is spent preparing myself and my baby to have the leave end. I just want the transition to be as good as possible for both of us. Just a little more than two weeks now! He's in good hands at the same school Sophie has been in since she was an infant and even in the same room she was with awesome and loving teachers. That makes it much easier!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Have a great weekend! </span><br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430027775732446019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1049126555726597143.post-58762012240286055272014-04-08T19:15:00.001-07:002014-04-08T19:15:25.719-07:00The Fun Stuff<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">If you've seen me in the last month, you've heard me say the house is behind schedule. Shocking! It will be amazing when it's finished, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't frustrated and over it. With that said, it's getting closer to being done and we're making some fun choices now with regard to the counter tops, tile, fixtures, etc. We looked at a lot of options for our kitchen and bathroom - granite, quartz, marble. We finally settled on Fantasy Brown quartzite for the kitchen and we're still trying to decide what to use in the master bath, but we've narrowed it down to a couple of quartz and marble selections. The kitchen needs 94 square feet of counters, but the bathroom is only about 14 square feet. We searched and searched and finally found a couple of fabricators that offer quartz and marble remnants and marble by the foot instead of by the slab, so that opened up our options a little more. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here's the Fantasy Brown quartzite: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrurDTcYFq_CgEfDvneqD_KKOusns6pjYTSb1MWVZVK1xruu3OMJgvEGCc8VEPrbOFCWR1Prwps1OvT1OB1ucKQo8Aabh3nTr-4Oq2js9byoa5Fh96RB7xtcXYlilWXhfBBwwViAtsfGbj/s1600/IMG_3295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrurDTcYFq_CgEfDvneqD_KKOusns6pjYTSb1MWVZVK1xruu3OMJgvEGCc8VEPrbOFCWR1Prwps1OvT1OB1ucKQo8Aabh3nTr-4Oq2js9byoa5Fh96RB7xtcXYlilWXhfBBwwViAtsfGbj/s1600/IMG_3295.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We're doing a simple glass subway tile backsplash in a light gray, laid horizontally and a herringbone accent piece with the same tile over the cooktop.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">In the master bath, we've selected the tile:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7IMY_y2HG2YdAkT7e5aQ99kzHaOCS3zcnhxHCNtHJ8yXru7tthGFllENKZoyUortUSKTspDpHW5v4vv3QyUwfdWbBO0MlEShuIioKTtHN4b4pI-MijIn4GmYpXWggzvwxIvlJP9PnpO11/s1600/IMG_3312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7IMY_y2HG2YdAkT7e5aQ99kzHaOCS3zcnhxHCNtHJ8yXru7tthGFllENKZoyUortUSKTspDpHW5v4vv3QyUwfdWbBO0MlEShuIioKTtHN4b4pI-MijIn4GmYpXWggzvwxIvlJP9PnpO11/s1600/IMG_3312.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The stria 12x24 tile will be laid staggered on the floor, tub deck and vertically in the shower. The hexagonal tile will be used as a tub backsplash, on the shower floor and in the recessed shampoo/soap cubbies in the shower. We'll use a glass tile in that shade of blue shown in the subway tile - but the glass tiles we're using are 1x6 and we'll lay 6" of that tile about halfway up the shower to break up the larger tile and add some color and interest. We want to keep the counters simple because there is a lot going on in the tile but we don't want to be to monochromatic. I think we found something we like today, but we need to see it again to make sure. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here are a couple more pictures of the house from this past weekend. This is just the kitchen - I'll share more from the other rooms and addition soon!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>My new kitchen! It's a horseshoe shape and will have a 5-foot square island in the center.</i></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjOu8mC2RaSYoFC1iN3ICWoUei5zO9tHi8snp-g0443avKSP7pT9fPfsNhVNnVitP2ad5W8L67UkLnp_6M_BrFgIR3GP1hgOjUlOEMGa-PgMjutay8JokSJbgEH8g9o5376CgY-haRMll-/s1600/IMG_3540.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjOu8mC2RaSYoFC1iN3ICWoUei5zO9tHi8snp-g0443avKSP7pT9fPfsNhVNnVitP2ad5W8L67UkLnp_6M_BrFgIR3GP1hgOjUlOEMGa-PgMjutay8JokSJbgEH8g9o5376CgY-haRMll-/s1600/IMG_3540.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>The view from the kitchen sink. Not bad!</i></span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2P-dK-8AIMQT5pa3h1vioAR-H7AbLENRF4-SBAj-mgG-doiXWX3t4buPYJV00RjwG_CetZJwE8TGeJCW4V8MgkUzSgHTtu1I8GpRYKT8xxQHkLhO1g-KCBuKUl8dALiy3rkfhG5nTfuf_/s1600/IMG_3546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430027775732446019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1049126555726597143.post-30653250886041068092014-03-13T13:25:00.001-07:002014-03-13T13:25:43.834-07:00Bathtub Find!<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Jason and I are seriously frugal and we have learned a lot over the years about how to save money on renovation projects without sacrificing quality. Since we purchased our first home in 2005, we've completely remodeled two homes and now this major renovation and addition makes our third. We have three rental properties and one empty lot and when we did the previous remodels, we did so keeping in mind that tenants would ultimately live in the space and knowing that it would need to be versatile to a variety of tastes and easy to maintain. This time, it's a little different because everything is being selected just for us. We have a little more room to be creative and build and finish the home to our own tastes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">One item that became important to me was finding a tub that would be big enough for either of us to enjoy using without feeling like a sardine stuffed in a can. We're not little! It became clear pretty quick that a five-foot tub wouldn't work, nor would a 36" wide tub. We ended up modifying our master bath floor plan slightly - changing the pocket door to the toilet closet to a swinging door - to make room for a 42 x 72" whirlpool tub. Tubs aren't cheap! We searched high and low online, in big box stores and at one particular liquidation store that I refer to as "the place where dreams go to die." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">A friend recommended a plumbing supply company in Nashville, and we checked it out even though we were skeptical about getting a good value. We were surprised to find out that a builder/contractor had ordered four very nice whirlpool tubs for a project and never picked them up, so we saved more than 66% on the tub we purchased. <a href="http://www.jasoninternational.com/products/products.aspx?productgroupid=246" target="_blank">This Jason tub (Jason is "son of Jacuzzi" - a brand started by a former Jacuzzi employee) is the one we selected. </a></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYevD3UVe4voSilzC4JA6G614ATKU-41J9FH-Mcu_jownZWltgkEYTouDaWCx50ZFlKodttXhHSpaGavVAXFo-OLxkR2QHWjdPUYYJ4Ol9EKy8qqyM19P-b6WBhm79L6HFBalrOLqjbB_Z/s1600/b4272sr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYevD3UVe4voSilzC4JA6G614ATKU-41J9FH-Mcu_jownZWltgkEYTouDaWCx50ZFlKodttXhHSpaGavVAXFo-OLxkR2QHWjdPUYYJ4Ol9EKy8qqyM19P-b6WBhm79L6HFBalrOLqjbB_Z/s1600/b4272sr.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We keep learning new things throughout the process and this was one of my favorite bargains. Now I know it doesn't hurt to ask about items on hand like this that can be purchased for a steal. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj26-sxjYb5hFRnSLbKod4jfegHCbmdV1vt_WBZ0GdqC4psxh9v5WQLTPoES02Pn21UnjDYRUELaHlcJt9tUFB5ie3KotYfrtpOWYNq9dIM7ZBhut6paSUxcgvKdRJkTla-tR4OiQ1y5jdt/s1600/House+Plans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430027775732446019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1049126555726597143.post-72997748765031156572014-03-06T11:23:00.000-08:002014-03-06T11:23:00.057-08:00House Update<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We've hit a point with the house where we're frustrated and ready to see things move along quicker, easier, and with fewer change orders! Overall, it's still an awesome process, but it is not without challenges. We knew renovating and adding on to an older home would bring a fair number of unforeseen situations, but the number of them has been a little overwhelming at times. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">First, we had the fireplace, the floor joists, the sub flooring and the popcorn ceilings. We removed the fireplace, replaced the sub flooring, added joists and we will be sheet rocking the ceilings in the existing house to cover the popcorn ceiling because it could not be removed by sanding. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">While the pipes were winterized, we ran into some serious leak issues when the temperatures thawed. Twenty-two leaks to be exact. We decided to replace all of the plumbing rather than repair the existing plumbing so going forward, we should be in good shape.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The latest challenge is too technical to get into too much detail here, but it involves the pitch of the roof. We hired an architect to draw up the plans for our addition and renovation for many reasons; one of the foremost reasons was the importance to us of not having a roof line that jutted above the existing structure that would be visible from the street. We had a near-miss with the construction of the roof over the last week but were able to work it out so that the pitch is as it should be.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here are some of the latest pictures:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSaQZVF5jiPU8XKkwN3MKt10uQSGVAEZWWNtF1V3cAUyDY7sdzSJOwIxM4Ez-t6G9H2UOpiBYEC3UBXbM3T3yeCJIZUIWjwBZKWGmBvzggjRpHabFqebnnfGcTLj-oq56S9DnXBgT9x2qE/s1600/IMG_3243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSaQZVF5jiPU8XKkwN3MKt10uQSGVAEZWWNtF1V3cAUyDY7sdzSJOwIxM4Ez-t6G9H2UOpiBYEC3UBXbM3T3yeCJIZUIWjwBZKWGmBvzggjRpHabFqebnnfGcTLj-oq56S9DnXBgT9x2qE/s1600/IMG_3243.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Part of the roof pitch problem-solving - we had to decide between 45" or 24" overhangs. The 45" would have required additional support, so we're going with 24".</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHnFcAaYSwqQb0yejJ9-CknMeVYRwshitdM5Z3ZeaAG-dDsc2nJIUUsR7bxNhpmBhBwmPjiVxX7Al-9oGourXxvtx8l0446dofSJuwMwmGuc6WDCYigBzldACd7x1I-KNJLRLw2OFRpY2H/s1600/IMG_3245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHnFcAaYSwqQb0yejJ9-CknMeVYRwshitdM5Z3ZeaAG-dDsc2nJIUUsR7bxNhpmBhBwmPjiVxX7Al-9oGourXxvtx8l0446dofSJuwMwmGuc6WDCYigBzldACd7x1I-KNJLRLw2OFRpY2H/s1600/IMG_3245.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">View of the kitchen from the living room. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9v9yvvcSIGRKCgs1g-x1GRya-2dTkHKKYifGsrre4F4DDBYpOGpDnvM6XtwO3sZ4IMl72hjbLlb6hw27c6wwHrrnHJ7bstFnHZyj-ZGmXAS7Rkd1lmGywmEB-KB8dSivBvxcfP1HD-yBN/s1600/IMG_3247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9v9yvvcSIGRKCgs1g-x1GRya-2dTkHKKYifGsrre4F4DDBYpOGpDnvM6XtwO3sZ4IMl72hjbLlb6hw27c6wwHrrnHJ7bstFnHZyj-ZGmXAS7Rkd1lmGywmEB-KB8dSivBvxcfP1HD-yBN/s1600/IMG_3247.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Pantry - located within the kitchen on the end of the right side of the horseshoe layout</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1jPMrDRN08Fl9mnaq-BynQf0eknhFypVGoRm_CaYcONPeD_SdHD0i_e390lwzHKtzA8jDuZVb-xT_URe6fh0eHFONsGvlfpjSQEJm5AZf7noITgNwGS2UqEkqFMotKUBdAhb6idZi3cC/s1600/IMG_3248.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1jPMrDRN08Fl9mnaq-BynQf0eknhFypVGoRm_CaYcONPeD_SdHD0i_e390lwzHKtzA8jDuZVb-xT_URe6fh0eHFONsGvlfpjSQEJm5AZf7noITgNwGS2UqEkqFMotKUBdAhb6idZi3cC/s1600/IMG_3248.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Hallway from the existing house to the master suite and laundry room - to the right of the new kitchen</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Laundry Room</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Linen closet in the new hallway to the master/laundry</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Closet in the master bedroom</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">New master bath and toilet closet. It will have a separate whirpool tub, shower and water closet. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Master bedroom. The hardest to capture because I had limited camera sight lines.</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">More to come soon!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430027775732446019noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1049126555726597143.post-34109768126573112792014-02-27T05:45:00.003-08:002014-02-27T05:45:45.229-08:00Hawkes' First Month<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Wow, it has been six weeks already since Hawkes joined our family! None of us has ever been so tired or happy to have this little guy with us. I forgot how exhausting it is to have a newborn and also how sweet. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Likes: being held, being rocked, baths, riding in the car, stroller rides (after a rocky start, he likes them now), his bouncy seat, SOPHIE, the Ergo carrier, the ABC song sung by Sophie, pretty much anything Sophie does! The love is mutual - <a href="http://youtu.be/gxSheiGJrSM" target="_blank">watch this</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Dislikes: the witching hours of about 6pm to 8pm, crib naps (see above - likes behind held!), waiting more than 0.3 seconds to eat when he's hungry, the swing</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Personality: loves to gaze at the ones he loves. Gets excited hearing Sophie's voice and gave her his first real smile. Loves snuggling. Makes a true bird call noise just before sneezing. I have tried for a month to capture this hilarious and endearing bird call on camera and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0fa0u1CFsU" target="_blank">finally got a second of it here</a>. Now that we're on week 6, he's really developing a personality - making funny faces, discovering body parts (hands, feet, tongue, blowing bubbles) and reacting to our funny faces. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This month has been full of challenges, not just the kind that come with having a new little guy and making lots of adjustments. Many of you know Jason had back surgery just 9 days ago after suffering tremendous pain from a disc herniation. We may share more about that another time. What this means for him is that he hasn't gotten to pick up, rock, play with Hawkes like he wants to. He hasn't gotten to share those middle of the night moments with him that you would think a guy wouldn't miss, but I know he does miss them. We're confident that in a few short weeks, Jason will be able to do all of those things and make up for lost time. He is the best dad and my best friend, and we all look forward to seeing him back in business! Sophie and Hawkes and some precious moments as a family, despite the challenges, have made this the best month we can remember.</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430027775732446019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1049126555726597143.post-65768292761058713442014-02-16T07:17:00.001-08:002014-02-16T07:17:25.848-08:00We Get by with a Little Help from Our Friends<div class="_1x1">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">It
seems like a good time to ask for prayers if you pray or vibes and
positive thoughts if that's more your thing. Jason is having back
surgery on Tuesday and we are hopeful that it will bring relief in every
way for him and our family. Without going into too much detail, he has a disc herniation and some accompanying issues that he's tried to tackle in every other way, but now that those other avenues have been exhausted, it's time for surgery. We're confident in the abilities of the surgeon, Dr. Richard Lebow, and look forward to seeing good results. This hormonal and tired new mom looks forward to finally seeing him be able to rock our baby and move without pain. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">We appreciate every single thought and
prayer and will post an update after the surgery!</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430027775732446019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1049126555726597143.post-55033272454965543602014-02-06T10:40:00.002-08:002014-02-06T10:40:26.936-08:00Hospital Bag Checklist<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Having a second baby gave me a slight advantage when I packed a bag for the hospital because I knew what I wished I had the first time around and kind of remembered what I was glad I had. Here's what we brought, and it seems like a lot but it all fit in one small weekender bag:</span><br />
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<u><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">For me:</span></b></u><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://www.glamourmom.com/store/shopexd.asp?id=47" target="_blank">Glamourmom nursing tanks</a><a href="http://www.glamourmom.com/store/shopexd.asp?id=47"></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://www.target.com/p/gilligan-o-malley-reg-women-s-2-pack-nursing-sleep-bra-assorted-colors-patterns/-/A-14000718" target="_blank">Gilligan & O'Malley Nursing Sleep bras - Target</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.bravadodesigns.com/shop/the-body-silk-seamless-nursing-bra" target="_blank">Bravado Silk Seamless Nursing Bra</a></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Robe</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">2 button-down nightshirts</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">2 pair leggings, 2 cardigans</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Slippers</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Comfortable flats</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Pillow</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Phone/iPad and charger</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Camera</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Glasses and enough contacts for a few days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Toiletries, including Cetaphil face wipes and heavy-duty lotion (your skin will be DRY from the hospital air and especially if you are breastfeeding)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Toilet paper!! You do not want the hospital-grade TP. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Forgot to bring a bath towel! Also might want to pack a blanket for the new dad. Our hospital had plenty of blankets but you never know!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<u><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">For Hawkes:</span></b></u><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">2 newborn sleepers</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">2 three-month sleepers (we weren't sure how big he'd be and low and behold, he was born almost too big for NB clothing!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Miracle blanket for swaddling (we've moved to Halo Swaddle Sleepsacks and SwaddleMe swaddles now that we're home) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">A couple of receiving blankets</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Carseat</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">To pack all these things in my weekender, I used a couple of sets of <a href="http://www.ebags.com/product/ebags/slim-packing-cubes-3pc-set/107842?productid=1283923" target="_blank">these eBags packing cubes</a><a href="http://www.ebags.com/product/ebags/slim-packing-cubes-3pc-set/107842?productid=1283923">.</a></span> <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I can't say enough good things about the packing cubes - they're great for keeping things organized and separating my clothes from Hawkes', toiletries from clothing, etc. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Vanderbilt has a variety of room service food options and snacks available at no cost (outside of the $$$$ we spend to be there!) so I didn't pack any food, but otherwise might have packed granola bars, nuts, etc to have on hand because having a baby for me is like running a race - I am starving and parched for days after! I also didn't pack diapers and wipes because I knew those would be available. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">That's it! Hope this helps someone out there! </span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430027775732446019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1049126555726597143.post-55824724991114137362014-02-04T13:26:00.003-08:002014-02-04T13:26:40.793-08:00The Blocks are in!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCKbcZT2oQcbTkdll6M-0SR09vP1P_SDoQ9r-Kqq6XqAHmdEB2y4ogLwCgsgq71u73okH6T_OcoYQ9IGtf1M-SoPtuXEPR4bpTQ4OrvZpF8Axv7EPt0Ss9U0YYJJBbOc5I73lz8Kxrl8wO/s1600/Blocks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCKbcZT2oQcbTkdll6M-0SR09vP1P_SDoQ9r-Kqq6XqAHmdEB2y4ogLwCgsgq71u73okH6T_OcoYQ9IGtf1M-SoPtuXEPR4bpTQ4OrvZpF8Axv7EPt0Ss9U0YYJJBbOc5I73lz8Kxrl8wO/s1600/Blocks.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This may not seem cheer-worthy, but it is! After weeks of weather-related delays (too wet to dig the footers, too cold to pour the concrete, etc) all the stars finally aligned long enough to get those footers dug and concrete poured so that the blocks could go in and the framing of the addition can start soon! As you can see, this photo was taken from the comfort of my car because it was raining like crazy today. The space closest to the car is the kitchen, with the laundry room in between that and the master suite and hallway on the farthest side. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We've also selected cabinets for the kitchen so I'll have some photos of the sample gallery to share soon and some details about the type of wood, the company, and some of the features we're including. For now, though, I'm feeling ecstatic about the progress!</span><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430027775732446019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1049126555726597143.post-79983664796454658032014-01-30T13:29:00.002-08:002014-01-30T13:29:20.395-08:00Is it Just Me Or...<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Is the doorbell that much louder when you have a sleeping baby in the house? I swear, every delivery (accompanied by ridiculous dog-barking) arrives just when Hawkes settles in for that last late afternoon nap. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I'm trying to get my act together to write a real post, but wanted to share some photos of the first two days Hawkes was here with us at Vanderbilt until then. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN1sWn5mVGYWpwBqlsw1hTXZCGB6YqGPvWop7ht3nu1lPalyh94Kv5TNCJzIpPxZgWob8xM_yu3t1hayMjuW8Hj69OVz6Ir6zpPhW2HiU6sLKv2RQpsB4HwbUJue22FY6Tj2jnksKmyceS/s1600/DSC_0057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN1sWn5mVGYWpwBqlsw1hTXZCGB6YqGPvWop7ht3nu1lPalyh94Kv5TNCJzIpPxZgWob8xM_yu3t1hayMjuW8Hj69OVz6Ir6zpPhW2HiU6sLKv2RQpsB4HwbUJue22FY6Tj2jnksKmyceS/s1600/DSC_0057.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Our first family photo, minus Sophie. Someone asked if I was wearing makeup and the answer is I might have had a little residual makeup from the previous day at work - I was in labor from about noon on 1/13 until I delivered at 5:24am on 1/14. Washing my face wasn't exactly a priority!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaIvL9dzowwEN31IWnSTTcNT0v3rLcGnPHK4HZbeQw6uct543IEmg08c1skSgsOT9qABv4OBruuhTV7AxmN5jitx0Z5QfMQncIJAAgzLJKhXEPxSGjndXtg4OBrOTmWaGzTM52hcL6U_jA/s1600/DSC_0062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaIvL9dzowwEN31IWnSTTcNT0v3rLcGnPHK4HZbeQw6uct543IEmg08c1skSgsOT9qABv4OBruuhTV7AxmN5jitx0Z5QfMQncIJAAgzLJKhXEPxSGjndXtg4OBrOTmWaGzTM52hcL6U_jA/s1600/DSC_0062.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Hawkes!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvVtRMi8Rfo5HLf6_8NAYTVQhiT8kJcf9MUyT8fZVrzPoVNo5wWTYgz4Ie-wtZgFyRqWU94ediq0RikEF8dWxj3I0nIKwr4TlgFHMWhVRR_E0ZjwLQufCJz-KfcZeHF9htp6iU6m1eh_sK/s1600/DSC_0064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvVtRMi8Rfo5HLf6_8NAYTVQhiT8kJcf9MUyT8fZVrzPoVNo5wWTYgz4Ie-wtZgFyRqWU94ediq0RikEF8dWxj3I0nIKwr4TlgFHMWhVRR_E0ZjwLQufCJz-KfcZeHF9htp6iU6m1eh_sK/s1600/DSC_0064.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Kids, in case you don't know the conversion, 4.080 kg is NINE POUNDS!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuQSbM8kajXlBFiKpUGinaumN4KObRb_hwu9llg0-iF2FUeAOKAxn2EUnqAlGaLeZdLLEfFR5kSxaOBjIx3U9T__V2DoINoaMz96JNE4QJjynrSaaAHl1tkIzlHJ8wMju6wD4Z3hfUJoki/s1600/DSC_0068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuQSbM8kajXlBFiKpUGinaumN4KObRb_hwu9llg0-iF2FUeAOKAxn2EUnqAlGaLeZdLLEfFR5kSxaOBjIx3U9T__V2DoINoaMz96JNE4QJjynrSaaAHl1tkIzlHJ8wMju6wD4Z3hfUJoki/s1600/DSC_0068.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Proud dad</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF5pWZDTlKiScfjyAxytCj9bE3QZumet1AgyzQUwXWfact6cN3_hAhnMf9CNdBRlBAGcl5D-0jt3L9VMoJ95B7ae1gr9r2MMZu4GIPLkf5nBdi95GgHjFk3YIF0YOgeqxyZRNNK8zKiVkD/s1600/DSC_0069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF5pWZDTlKiScfjyAxytCj9bE3QZumet1AgyzQUwXWfact6cN3_hAhnMf9CNdBRlBAGcl5D-0jt3L9VMoJ95B7ae1gr9r2MMZu4GIPLkf5nBdi95GgHjFk3YIF0YOgeqxyZRNNK8zKiVkD/s1600/DSC_0069.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwRb6DuqKOj836NhgXZil-vIEaFogKrfqHcDOJkD0KGnf8RRw45EulPAWI8yyiljD6CgwOQgqGxKm2lKnohXincOtJnF0IJjmhPfYvuMguLORz-P8YOjZU6Oxs20FCmbHaEPUwGOlY9RH4/s1600/DSC_0076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwRb6DuqKOj836NhgXZil-vIEaFogKrfqHcDOJkD0KGnf8RRw45EulPAWI8yyiljD6CgwOQgqGxKm2lKnohXincOtJnF0IJjmhPfYvuMguLORz-P8YOjZU6Oxs20FCmbHaEPUwGOlY9RH4/s1600/DSC_0076.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Keeping it real. She was excited about Hawkes, but she's still three!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJKPpirTpHpMIo4Lj3Mn7Dk7_0SKe7rw52LKEnY4p8GQEogYiMQ5MyqHSRXNPB2SxZ3NtlVMRGTnE6KG3RtINwcNia7XVMrvAEH6FZV8g2wMNCKCXS9DukJRDRrKnMyJ2bZ8kYGIvaWqKY/s1600/DSC_0092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJKPpirTpHpMIo4Lj3Mn7Dk7_0SKe7rw52LKEnY4p8GQEogYiMQ5MyqHSRXNPB2SxZ3NtlVMRGTnE6KG3RtINwcNia7XVMrvAEH6FZV8g2wMNCKCXS9DukJRDRrKnMyJ2bZ8kYGIvaWqKY/s1600/DSC_0092.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Who knew we'd have a great hospital room view? And gorgeous flowers from some thoughtful well-wishers.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUfTYltZyN-kH81uk0h4IDA-AX_NQVOjbwxfvSVb3R3ZVdrxVQFgRF84c1n75lnsUaBueczElELTNivkpUioWaLkcMDDj0aUdpqUDW2CKriLCwhVNnAHrNuPDsaypHXRWFdFUkt3q82cyv/s1600/DSC_0097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUfTYltZyN-kH81uk0h4IDA-AX_NQVOjbwxfvSVb3R3ZVdrxVQFgRF84c1n75lnsUaBueczElELTNivkpUioWaLkcMDDj0aUdpqUDW2CKriLCwhVNnAHrNuPDsaypHXRWFdFUkt3q82cyv/s1600/DSC_0097.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Love this pic of the proud big sister</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRjQ59xFjZAd2X-PyG3Fjkck2wmuKmg56qQfBcU3-aN-Q1dYuYbv1JPEY2fMDLC5OPugWNajsvZLBRwXL4Xxfgyle3I4H-ABjpzHKMo9CZx1X1qcPey80SIKAhU_8Y6-QYY1vyTICg7BIe/s1600/DSC_0099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRjQ59xFjZAd2X-PyG3Fjkck2wmuKmg56qQfBcU3-aN-Q1dYuYbv1JPEY2fMDLC5OPugWNajsvZLBRwXL4Xxfgyle3I4H-ABjpzHKMo9CZx1X1qcPey80SIKAhU_8Y6-QYY1vyTICg7BIe/s1600/DSC_0099.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">And another...</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYE3b_KfhHTwq9BgCg-Hi9KDbzn9d4DtQa0V1t3OH4sQ7Z8LJsHyqTZjziyUXHQVI-Dqcz7dAk7eGy5JwKp6x9c2teFi0vA6TI4Z0JbNhJLIs-UpcN9GuBId3hkcXydchuutM8WlntYUHd/s1600/DSC_0106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYE3b_KfhHTwq9BgCg-Hi9KDbzn9d4DtQa0V1t3OH4sQ7Z8LJsHyqTZjziyUXHQVI-Dqcz7dAk7eGy5JwKp6x9c2teFi0vA6TI4Z0JbNhJLIs-UpcN9GuBId3hkcXydchuutM8WlntYUHd/s1600/DSC_0106.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Headed home!</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdOPjiFR4yjRFN0_OTYVkVmwso3Zk1QscyWzpdyRLKWAmvuhjCw04ajVHQJpB5aIi3etK_aT72AlRE74rKX4j212R3dNGKfKtEKUoTH6cRrSn60QHB7_wRapzMqtYy6EMs6wuARegvvjuV/s1600/Sophie+Newborn+Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdOPjiFR4yjRFN0_OTYVkVmwso3Zk1QscyWzpdyRLKWAmvuhjCw04ajVHQJpB5aIi3etK_aT72AlRE74rKX4j212R3dNGKfKtEKUoTH6cRrSn60QHB7_wRapzMqtYy6EMs6wuARegvvjuV/s1600/Sophie+Newborn+Photo.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Just for fun, here's us going home with newborn Sophie!</span></td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430027775732446019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1049126555726597143.post-81453090356492392952014-01-23T08:13:00.002-08:002014-01-23T08:13:22.264-08:00Hawkes is Here!<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">On Tuesday, January 14, 2014 we welcomed Hawkes Lee Powell to the world and to our family. He arrived five days past his due date, but right on time. Hawkes' official stats were 9 pounds, 21.25 inches and perfect in every way! I delivered at Vanderbilt, like I did with Sophie, and I can't say enough great things about the OB team and labor and delivery teams. We had a small scare when Hawkes was a few hours away from delivery, but it was well-explained to us and we felt reassured and confident that teams were in place to jump in as needed when he was born. Thankfully, no intervention was necessary but we had quite an audience in the delivery room. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Vanderbilt uses Bella Baby Photography to capture some of those sleepy and early newborn moments. Here's one of the many photos taken of Hawkes:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKUrGlln2ddDLNPlFSn-yA_B_y8F_aah3K6rd1SJQ0hYuaHSiofr043C4heArR6tetxi-jEcG_F7UxHDi4rgdw-_4pgeYY3XwWO-BZMfDj0NThARpaJKe4cxV_Etez4kBsczDZL7WhfTEY/s1600/05-DSC_7032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKUrGlln2ddDLNPlFSn-yA_B_y8F_aah3K6rd1SJQ0hYuaHSiofr043C4heArR6tetxi-jEcG_F7UxHDi4rgdw-_4pgeYY3XwWO-BZMfDj0NThARpaJKe4cxV_Etez4kBsczDZL7WhfTEY/s1600/05-DSC_7032.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We know Hawkes isn't a traditional name and lots of friends and strangers and even family have asked how we chose his name. Jason's great-great grandfather was John Hawkes Mellard, an angus cattle farmer in Kansas. We both love one of the stories about John Hawkes that has been passed down through the family about how he and his wife protected their homestead and cattle from neighboring ranchers who weren't too fond of this new breed of cattle and the fencing the Mellards constructed to keep them safe and secure. After Jason's mother reminded us of some of these stories, we knew Hawkes was going to be the name. His middle name, Lee, is both Jason's and Jason's late father's middle name. Sophie is a name that goes back many generations in my family, although we didn't know that until after she was born. Her middle name, Marcella, was my grandmother's middle name. It feels good to know both Sophie and Hawkes have names that connect them to our families. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sophie is smitten with Hawkes and couldn't be sweeter with him. We've had a few tough moments when she needed one of us and we couldn't be there for her like we would have before Hawkes, but we're figuring it out together. I'm so grateful to her teachers, friends and parents of classmates who make Sophie feel special. Seeing her with her brother for the first time was truly one of the highlights of our lives and we've had lots of sweet moments since then, like this one. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0CVeLcagGkmNQ6msreCu7x5HMfmtRU1lU5tPjTib0KWuHqrdzkARTcEi9X515GCRL-X3lalONY4sQZgTMxmiTw2bXoz0EnfOXOTGgEvRKP9jNqq_lzMzvKYCBLgNOJxj9LYtaCeKpVOOO/s1600/Sophie+and+Hawkes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0CVeLcagGkmNQ6msreCu7x5HMfmtRU1lU5tPjTib0KWuHqrdzkARTcEi9X515GCRL-X3lalONY4sQZgTMxmiTw2bXoz0EnfOXOTGgEvRKP9jNqq_lzMzvKYCBLgNOJxj9LYtaCeKpVOOO/s1600/Sophie+and+Hawkes.jpg" height="195" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">In other news, things are finally moving along at the new house after a few weeks of delays due to wet weather that prevented the crew from digging footers for the addition. We finally had a stretch of dry weather, so they're rocking and rolling again although now we have bitterly cold temperatures. One more unexpected situation came up with the acoustic/popcorn ceilings throughout the original house. The crews tried several methods of removal to no avail - it seems as though these ceilings were applied with a crazy process that makes them impossible to remove so we will have to cover them rather than scrape or sand them. We made some progress just before Hawkes arrived with choosing cabinetry and some appliances and we have a great lead on tile and a powder room vanity through Costco of all places. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I hope to have some new photos to post next week of the progress and some of the products we've found. Until then, I'm happily holed up at home with Hawkes, getting to know him and sharing lots of snuggles. I've gotta share one more newborn photo - I think this is Jason's and my favorite. Somehow both Sophie and Hawkes inherited my crazy feet, so seeing that the photographer captured them was just perfect. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6IWWBLcAkETi1CXtmf220iod_YoS5WtkK8NoNbXL8nB4R3ZNS9NkoVlYHcZEsKLYRUzr3c-LNnpsuGcGdTuIxbS43WLQWf_VWff6CIw0d2CXy7lpC2vEMORDXuaECtxnhQDTvFupkR6OM/s1600/13-DSC_7136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6IWWBLcAkETi1CXtmf220iod_YoS5WtkK8NoNbXL8nB4R3ZNS9NkoVlYHcZEsKLYRUzr3c-LNnpsuGcGdTuIxbS43WLQWf_VWff6CIw0d2CXy7lpC2vEMORDXuaECtxnhQDTvFupkR6OM/s1600/13-DSC_7136.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Finally, I have to say it wasn't lost on us that Hawkes made his debut on the first day of the 2014 legislative session. Sophie was born on the anniversary of the day Jason and I met at the polls on election day in 2002 so of course Hawkes had to have his own tie to politics in some way! Until next time...</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430027775732446019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1049126555726597143.post-64029207006024156842013-12-30T09:01:00.000-08:002013-12-30T09:03:49.768-08:00Last Post of the Year?<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I think this will be my last post for 2013. As soon as I typed those words, it's entirely possible I ensured I will deliver a baby in the next 36 hours and be forced to eat my words when we post a baby update. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Speaking of baby updates, I don't have much to share except that I am in fact still pregnant! I have about 10 days til my due date and all is well. Strangers and near-strangers have generously peppered me with commentary on my size lately, with Jason's and my favorite being "you look like you could pop!" What a way to describe a pregnant woman. And how terrifying! Also at the top of the list "you're really coming along now!" and "you can't get much bigger than that!" Why, thank you! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I've been terrible about taking bump pictures, but snapped this one in the pre-dawn hours today. Huge shout-out to the makers of Puma and Asics running apparel for making ridiculously stretchy clothing that's gotten me through the last 39 weeks. Although I jogged through my entire pregnancy with Sophie, I switched to walking at 37 weeks this time around when I was dilated to 2-3 cm and not quite ready to get the show on the road. It's still nice to be able to exercise and work off some stress!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho6NJMhRDEMw-k_zi62Tqie-BFepWUeSj33IPAWhGeCpAwQQK-YF4VRcMij0vasDHmrqzmfqgJy5kO1ebY6kPunFisVz1HdrDUcMo5DIcWdCVzL5y8CjqT3wMN2XFwGOlR2fYaz646mf8d/s1600/39+weeks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho6NJMhRDEMw-k_zi62Tqie-BFepWUeSj33IPAWhGeCpAwQQK-YF4VRcMij0vasDHmrqzmfqgJy5kO1ebY6kPunFisVz1HdrDUcMo5DIcWdCVzL5y8CjqT3wMN2XFwGOlR2fYaz646mf8d/s1600/39+weeks.jpg" height="320" width="115" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We had a fantastic Christmas and I had a great, happy birthday on 12/24. Jason taught Sophie to sing Happy Birthday to me, so when I came downstairs (at 7:30, woohoo!) I got a lovely serenade, which we repeated over and over all day!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sophie has had a lot of practice singing at school and especially thanks to a great program called <a href="http://musicu.jescleland.com/" target="_blank">Music U</a> taught by the awesomely creative Jes Cleland. Here's a video of the Older Toddler (Sophie's class), Young Preschool and Older Preschool classes singing carols on the McKendree UMC church steps:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I'm a terrible gift-giver. I know this about myself and I've learned not to stress out about it as much over the years, but I do wish I were better at it! I'm married to a fantastic gift-giver, though. Sophie and Jason gave me a really beautiful set of rings with all of our birthstones in them - November (Sophie), December (me) and January (Jason) plus Baby Powell, who will either have a December or January birthday. They're stackable and made locally by a jewelry artist named <a href="http://judithbright.com/" target="_blank">Judith Bright</a> and I absolutely love them! Jason also found a really cool necklace by another local artist named Marrah Florita (<a href="http://www.mfloritajewelry.com/tennessee-state-necklace/" target="_blank">M. Florita Jewelry</a>) shaped like the State of Tennessee - how appropriate for us! I also received many thoughtful gifts from my parents, in-laws and friends and felt totally under-deserving of all of them but also really excited to feel the love! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzXOOVAnk0PNXOj9KU5bWe6Vxys00q8f7V8FpQcYIChQu8HqmY-ACPYBHyw6oHXoeuG6D9tjYh2x9_B_llfohA0mAJvcFC2xm33ixiJ_sPDNI293_cmY8Re5sOge7V7A-7fS7E7YI2JlZa/s1600/IMG_2684%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzXOOVAnk0PNXOj9KU5bWe6Vxys00q8f7V8FpQcYIChQu8HqmY-ACPYBHyw6oHXoeuG6D9tjYh2x9_B_llfohA0mAJvcFC2xm33ixiJ_sPDNI293_cmY8Re5sOge7V7A-7fS7E7YI2JlZa/s1600/IMG_2684%5B1%5D.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sophie had a great holiday and received lots of fun gifts, including a new drag queen outfit (or Sleeping Beauty costume, whatever) that she wore until we finally had to force her to remove it and wash it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The new house is coming along, too. Although we were set back a week or so after running into a 14-foot boulder, wet ground and special ordering equipment to break up the boulder, things are progressing! We were able to move the 10x16 shed out of the way on Saturday to make room for the equipment that will break up the rock, making it possible to finally finish digging out the area where the addition will be constructed. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEKkBvDD43Y98O2z9rwGY4xb2yQzvuzlJfIHh0voIUqpRsM_fau1xWm72niHwr4M0d7w7u8-a9NxmCICWWgC_nIpSk4SEceX2na1A7GXxwDq6dHsWMn6ltHR9YYEjsXvt-xbp-CxnxwjKP/s1600/IMG_2659.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEKkBvDD43Y98O2z9rwGY4xb2yQzvuzlJfIHh0voIUqpRsM_fau1xWm72niHwr4M0d7w7u8-a9NxmCICWWgC_nIpSk4SEceX2na1A7GXxwDq6dHsWMn6ltHR9YYEjsXvt-xbp-CxnxwjKP/s1600/IMG_2659.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">View from the bonus room into the former living room / kitchen / sitting room / fireplace - no more wall!</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUesqyh7iyc-6oQbqHbFiAhamb_h_FVwTPLBWn3Do91sxznH-OpUB4G-re5zOe6LzV0czU6xJXquYXc4NrQKQRuFWXn48xUtnYoCUzxw4p0Cfw0azOstVTABUUb95fHvHm2oRHd7POTcGH/s1600/IMG_2660.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUesqyh7iyc-6oQbqHbFiAhamb_h_FVwTPLBWn3Do91sxznH-OpUB4G-re5zOe6LzV0czU6xJXquYXc4NrQKQRuFWXn48xUtnYoCUzxw4p0Cfw0azOstVTABUUb95fHvHm2oRHd7POTcGH/s1600/IMG_2660.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">New subfloor</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7RjUAJTRWPdQqibbUlApzk_StALfAK3DTW7A21LI6N0XbMczjM8XBSDO7bhD_QVS4kDPmfOnHHYyPD7O0SGrBcTfnf76vujhcmlOQb8FQFK2EHw3GEIwTtSxnPIC44FYwjbVTa6A6toMg/s1600/IMG_2661.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7RjUAJTRWPdQqibbUlApzk_StALfAK3DTW7A21LI6N0XbMczjM8XBSDO7bhD_QVS4kDPmfOnHHYyPD7O0SGrBcTfnf76vujhcmlOQb8FQFK2EHw3GEIwTtSxnPIC44FYwjbVTa6A6toMg/s1600/IMG_2661.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">View toward the back of the house - this exterior wall is next to come down</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif6NoWVmLlleJ_CtHQG1l0VPyyaixzd25F74IEmJY1GA3mNw0hEQr1boV53_vGDqpNpbQOeWkZ0OKNI4iohQeTCc1o_xgmtNp0tdatufjP16ZEQIlUy1zbUxUCQhlIcoW1mdzuKAuQ3oVC/s1600/IMG_2685.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif6NoWVmLlleJ_CtHQG1l0VPyyaixzd25F74IEmJY1GA3mNw0hEQr1boV53_vGDqpNpbQOeWkZ0OKNI4iohQeTCc1o_xgmtNp0tdatufjP16ZEQIlUy1zbUxUCQhlIcoW1mdzuKAuQ3oVC/s1600/IMG_2685.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Exterior / future addition site</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We were able to look at some finishes and products last week, including kitchen counter tops, cabinets, tile for the master bath and entry/mud room at the back of the house. We gravitate toward granite companies that have both slab yards and do the fabrication as they're straightforward with pricing and there are no extra steps involved in hiring fabricators to install. After shopping various solid surfaces, we're still in the granite camp simply because it's so durable, easy to maintain, cost-effective and we've found the look we want. In the past we've used <a href="http://www.brothers-sons.com/" target="_blank">Brothers & Sons</a> (a local Nashville company) and this time around have found most of what we like at a newer company called <a href="http://www.mcgranitenashville.com/" target="_blank">MC Granite</a> in East Nashville. We may choose a quartz or marble surface (also available at MC Granite and Brothers & Sons) for our master bath both because we love the look and because it's more cost-effective in a smaller area that won't see as much abuse as our kitchen. We'll see! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Although we're leaving the vast majority of the work to professionals, we are doing a few things ourselves, such as removing the wallpaper in the bedroom hallway of the untouched portion of the original house and repainting the three existing bedrooms and two bathrooms. Jason is off to score and peel wallpaper this week and I hope he's taking some good footage!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I haven't posted much about food lately, but we have really enjoyed the cooler weather and more soups and casseroles that are easy to make and even freeze. One of my favorites is this tomato basil cheddar soup (can't find the source but I think it was <a href="http://iowagirleats.com/" target="_blank">Iowa Girl Eats</a>!):</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Tomato, Basil, and Cheddar Soup</span></b></span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">2 28-oz. cans of diced tomatoes (I used one fire-roasted and one regular)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 yellow onion, chopped (save time and use a bag of frozen chopped onion!)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">2 cloves of garlic, chopped</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 tsp olive oil</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">2 cups of vegetable broth</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 cup of plain Greek yogurt (we used light sour cream last time)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 cup cheddar cheese, grated (grate it fresh - so many fewer preservatives and tastes/melts better)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1/2 cup basil, chopped, loosely packed (reduce this amount by about 1/4 if using dried basil)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">2 tsp of oregano</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 tsp sugar</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">salt and pepper to taste</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Directions:</span>
Over medium heat, add the olive oil to a large pot. Add the chopped
onion and allow to cook until tender, about three to four minutes. Add
in chopped garlic and cook for an additional two minutes. Pour in the
two cans of tomatoes (juice and all) and the vegetable stock. Stir in
the basil, oregano, sugar, and salt and pepper. Place the lid back onto
the pot and allow to simmer ten minutes. At the end, stir in the Greek
yogurt and cheddar cheese until well blended. Use either an immersion
blender or food processor to puree the soup if you prefer a smooth
texture. Garnish with chopped basil and grated cheddar cheese if
desired.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Enjoy! Happy New Year to you!</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430027775732446019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1049126555726597143.post-48106599445100262822013-12-06T08:15:00.001-08:002013-12-09T09:23:44.984-08:00Progress!<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We closed on our new house a little more than two weeks ago and a lot of progress and demo work has been done already! Here are some before and current shots of the kitchen, living room and bonus room. All furnishings in the before photos were the previous owner's, photos taken before closing. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Some of the demo work completed or in progress right now includes: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Removing all flooring in the living room/kitchen/sitting area and bonus room, half bath and laundry room</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Removing the brick plantar at the front door</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Replacing subflooring in the living room/kitchen/sitting area and repairing/reinforcing floor joists</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Scraping textured ceilings</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Removing the wall dividing the living room/kitchen/sitting area</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Removing the wall enclosing the half bath and laundry room in the bonus room</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Demolition of the existing kitchen, bath and laundry</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Demolition of the fireplace wall and chimney</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Demolition of the current patio area to make way for the addition</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Construction work will include:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Laying hardwoods throughout the original house in all areas where the flooring was removed</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Building a new fireplace in the former sitting area </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Old kitchen area becomes a dining room adjacent to a new sitting room and fireplace</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">An entry way/drop-off area will be built in at the existing back door</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">A half-bath will be constructed within the bonus room, accessible from the living/dining/kitchen, etc </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The existing back exterior wall will be pushed out to make way for an addition with a new kitchen, laundry room, hallway and master suite </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Bonus Room Before:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcEBtuzem1pPwAtAzPvjpLrdy6qyB_e3Wci7NtBdvRP7BJUvGRLanOhS6Vf38co-oS2Ld2-Rzu5fHkBLzUztQryFLUljqEUpAufjbOXsRm2XEmeP7kV3JsCx_8_d-B8Qf7ph9xh22-ma3d/s1600/IMG_2306.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcEBtuzem1pPwAtAzPvjpLrdy6qyB_e3Wci7NtBdvRP7BJUvGRLanOhS6Vf38co-oS2Ld2-Rzu5fHkBLzUztQryFLUljqEUpAufjbOXsRm2XEmeP7kV3JsCx_8_d-B8Qf7ph9xh22-ma3d/s1600/IMG_2306.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Bonus room view into laundry - before</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimmQEbn-lOLMy3c0piqRRvlO-HP3N4ThiWKGTE0nygoeUyUaa_-X9z8o4RWSsqcAKSWcK6HNu2TdffempuGzzPThHCcPtidYxatViobm7RjShP7cu1iyHGYKpvAhTu_gvi-RL1VyasVGzl/s1600/IMG_2305.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimmQEbn-lOLMy3c0piqRRvlO-HP3N4ThiWKGTE0nygoeUyUaa_-X9z8o4RWSsqcAKSWcK6HNu2TdffempuGzzPThHCcPtidYxatViobm7RjShP7cu1iyHGYKpvAhTu_gvi-RL1VyasVGzl/s1600/IMG_2305.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Bonus room view into half bath - before</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7FsmjIpXLy97c6UBH-fCAQPjcd8kCkkRD6ptJI4sZpXofggN8G69eTN8ug3ipLwZm1d33zY4Zl8SfzVsyD1lMify37SS5c5_-eRLxXsmzD1KILIgd-ZUVcDHwj4ncNauXNvXemF7qlDC/s1600/IMG_2310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7FsmjIpXLy97c6UBH-fCAQPjcd8kCkkRD6ptJI4sZpXofggN8G69eTN8ug3ipLwZm1d33zY4Zl8SfzVsyD1lMify37SS5c5_-eRLxXsmzD1KILIgd-ZUVcDHwj4ncNauXNvXemF7qlDC/s1600/IMG_2310.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Half bath in bonus room - before</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoWEZkqIKhUo3xXY6Yu0pZNmJGflSq6wkUcqhDLFreUHr0E8seQi_PxUVAnvnQ5XEQaLeeKxLYvUjuvG_gT9_LBHSV4YPskcH2gwgVQ8wufU1m1oH4aIYWHIwHfTm1cmUPJDW8VEkL30jC/s1600/IMG_2311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoWEZkqIKhUo3xXY6Yu0pZNmJGflSq6wkUcqhDLFreUHr0E8seQi_PxUVAnvnQ5XEQaLeeKxLYvUjuvG_gT9_LBHSV4YPskcH2gwgVQ8wufU1m1oH4aIYWHIwHfTm1cmUPJDW8VEkL30jC/s1600/IMG_2311.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Laundry room in bonus Room - before</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimmQEbn-lOLMy3c0piqRRvlO-HP3N4ThiWKGTE0nygoeUyUaa_-X9z8o4RWSsqcAKSWcK6HNu2TdffempuGzzPThHCcPtidYxatViobm7RjShP7cu1iyHGYKpvAhTu_gvi-RL1VyasVGzl/s1600/IMG_2305.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimmQEbn-lOLMy3c0piqRRvlO-HP3N4ThiWKGTE0nygoeUyUaa_-X9z8o4RWSsqcAKSWcK6HNu2TdffempuGzzPThHCcPtidYxatViobm7RjShP7cu1iyHGYKpvAhTu_gvi-RL1VyasVGzl/s1600/IMG_2305.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Bonus room view into half bath - before</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Bonus Room Now:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLUQ2nxDsMqZu2fnOrMqvNozWhIYCJNfAjvf9DxhFFh_KrZhPyGUdR6PQpYfAC872ZOWR3U0nGK5MTmvFGphzPOKAwYJaFnBjggfDvMVsV2srXbox2vUsdEJkW8XgAXUZeZJt9H_dsRDfz/s1600/IMG_2568.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLUQ2nxDsMqZu2fnOrMqvNozWhIYCJNfAjvf9DxhFFh_KrZhPyGUdR6PQpYfAC872ZOWR3U0nGK5MTmvFGphzPOKAwYJaFnBjggfDvMVsV2srXbox2vUsdEJkW8XgAXUZeZJt9H_dsRDfz/s1600/IMG_2568.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Wall enclosing the half bath and laundry room is gone! Half bath is demoed. The layers of flooring have also been removed.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-UryTdXdC2edjRNAQvaOQU7rv_zR8UsyDAb2Nv5fO1b7lsCQ9QWo2JwNT9qXC8NJ3OnhbDtPtzZLJm8ywPHPW-75m49iU1H35CcgbC4pa7DqysPqUCVaJ9B_6_ZJxUUpBEqxZqt2YSjun/s1600/IMG_2570.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-UryTdXdC2edjRNAQvaOQU7rv_zR8UsyDAb2Nv5fO1b7lsCQ9QWo2JwNT9qXC8NJ3OnhbDtPtzZLJm8ywPHPW-75m49iU1H35CcgbC4pa7DqysPqUCVaJ9B_6_ZJxUUpBEqxZqt2YSjun/s1600/IMG_2570.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Laundry Room has been demoed and plumbing will be capped off. Windows are exposed that were previously behind the wall!</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfqlIMH4JesGqvK5n97wgTZrWa0Oil4hrMuQJAA26xj71RYULhfuqQM1HxGcvl5z_P4OmOAblJgjX59jsaur3zlO54grlV_RpPeVqjRJQHH5McMw9-LNkhupRXFWWy1BhDjdag57-3Razi/s1600/IMG_2567.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfqlIMH4JesGqvK5n97wgTZrWa0Oil4hrMuQJAA26xj71RYULhfuqQM1HxGcvl5z_P4OmOAblJgjX59jsaur3zlO54grlV_RpPeVqjRJQHH5McMw9-LNkhupRXFWWy1BhDjdag57-3Razi/s1600/IMG_2567.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The bonus room is now a staging area for all demoed appliances, cabinetry, fixtures, etc. (Hi, Aunt Nancy!)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Kitchen and Living Room Before:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDgPDsrvneqJVmTsmC2NoROcvqhKF-FpqUiV4tvSfi0K-0ctdPt9nFmpljqQMwscDSXbxeAP-eiDY7OfuWwFwDpSuA0o9Bi4RDm5LHYtxeNT0Am-xtMhCjV2AZyrrjVytCNsBiM-1ArnOl/s1600/IMG_2294.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDgPDsrvneqJVmTsmC2NoROcvqhKF-FpqUiV4tvSfi0K-0ctdPt9nFmpljqQMwscDSXbxeAP-eiDY7OfuWwFwDpSuA0o9Bi4RDm5LHYtxeNT0Am-xtMhCjV2AZyrrjVytCNsBiM-1ArnOl/s1600/IMG_2294.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Front door entry into living room - before</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ADJ_KATtjUQrviLBp1Pd_fRID_NWRUQlq9wkiunfFaX8Ld58SX3PkKJLcO5uiQLVN_j2ZrWZLRG6_IIqe6Wx97D3bM7coW0rPjkJcsFBazv_7gxIyRuuTIFAvhYs4EktWCwSvVGbIwlZ/s1600/IMG_2296.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ADJ_KATtjUQrviLBp1Pd_fRID_NWRUQlq9wkiunfFaX8Ld58SX3PkKJLcO5uiQLVN_j2ZrWZLRG6_IIqe6Wx97D3bM7coW0rPjkJcsFBazv_7gxIyRuuTIFAvhYs4EktWCwSvVGbIwlZ/s1600/IMG_2296.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">View into living room and plantar - before</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPynBf6U5jqsa9ilRZrHG-BspuI6ZzGMqMcWNmC2tc1hCgalETlakmJSdj5Rz8kFPIW4_WJnVa7QBXaRcAOnhdfsaG-3Q9e36TBXSlfRG1IkVIeSmYMDeTtuCerhgw_-ESxXQ0KGJlt9XG/s1600/IMG_2297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPynBf6U5jqsa9ilRZrHG-BspuI6ZzGMqMcWNmC2tc1hCgalETlakmJSdj5Rz8kFPIW4_WJnVa7QBXaRcAOnhdfsaG-3Q9e36TBXSlfRG1IkVIeSmYMDeTtuCerhgw_-ESxXQ0KGJlt9XG/s1600/IMG_2297.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Living room before</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilyXhyhOD4OQzWly_8JIIy4HyAbN_VxWnCHjygmyAB3LyEPsWGj_eCL6Z-xhUL6sBf2dQAjBX5rQXetsBc_zSSjAeB6Kg8XlC9KDv2_bIxhQeLSHeETFBFAN1NlN9W-tw8se1XCB5knFzb/s1600/IMG_2301.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilyXhyhOD4OQzWly_8JIIy4HyAbN_VxWnCHjygmyAB3LyEPsWGj_eCL6Z-xhUL6sBf2dQAjBX5rQXetsBc_zSSjAeB6Kg8XlC9KDv2_bIxhQeLSHeETFBFAN1NlN9W-tw8se1XCB5knFzb/s1600/IMG_2301.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">View of kitchen from fireplace wall before (hello Bill, home inspector extraordinaire!)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-QqTf70dAHhJ84OUd7YG7104KDDWALaRkVzitktTXbIytBGuiqhDxHgL4Vcl5F_O8qnoFxQSBHmj6SerzqgETxpFajrdGpBuOWejxxTQw-Pa4CyxVHjMl_I0FV0sMSyCgunLenPwBQAsL/s1600/P1010002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-QqTf70dAHhJ84OUd7YG7104KDDWALaRkVzitktTXbIytBGuiqhDxHgL4Vcl5F_O8qnoFxQSBHmj6SerzqgETxpFajrdGpBuOWejxxTQw-Pa4CyxVHjMl_I0FV0sMSyCgunLenPwBQAsL/s1600/P1010002.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Diagonal fireplace wall - before (and Mary & Phil!)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Kitchen and Living Room Now:</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCqxopDH_kwggdP2vxiyjKfBVTOufi9OTEeGExcLXezlk4aMRrQwR06m3J6X2e7gFnD9Pb3H-RqEakXV6k7HLaU_H3o8vpPnOrSXQWUh0UGveJkNwxEJPWj9atvBUo-hVTVuUDMI_nHZGm/s1600/IMG_2564.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCqxopDH_kwggdP2vxiyjKfBVTOufi9OTEeGExcLXezlk4aMRrQwR06m3J6X2e7gFnD9Pb3H-RqEakXV6k7HLaU_H3o8vpPnOrSXQWUh0UGveJkNwxEJPWj9atvBUo-hVTVuUDMI_nHZGm/s1600/IMG_2564.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Wall is coming down - it's now completely gone (pics to come) and no support beam will be needed!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOlHhNIWW7C-O-6MbkbcKgwUrZTMNPemiDp6z26-R2itSPzx6pmuFI91HHjhxTkcUxuDaZwqS5wEd7ckcEQMgA5e6v9KzbDO_VgM_UBkeJR4D6gSo5OGVqQcj0bl3BpUN5mkHvMeLbprrU/s1600/IMG_2565.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOlHhNIWW7C-O-6MbkbcKgwUrZTMNPemiDp6z26-R2itSPzx6pmuFI91HHjhxTkcUxuDaZwqS5wEd7ckcEQMgA5e6v9KzbDO_VgM_UBkeJR4D6gSo5OGVqQcj0bl3BpUN5mkHvMeLbprrU/s1600/IMG_2565.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Many, many layers of flooring were removed, along with wainscoting. The heavy brick fireplace wall and chimney contributed to our need to replace the subflooring with 3/4" subfloor and reinforcing the joists below. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiADteIJIxev0h63LpgsHPtw-3ljrNjZ_YCmfXYiClHe132xZO7WAieKZ9azeD-qIGrFJZ5nyvtWI8Q_3RISLCo-I3zZSUMfpxh_pArhlpUfjNVXWcIFXIGBLJ2JywsqEdw2RceIW2PT_Lj/s1600/IMG_2566.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiADteIJIxev0h63LpgsHPtw-3ljrNjZ_YCmfXYiClHe132xZO7WAieKZ9azeD-qIGrFJZ5nyvtWI8Q_3RISLCo-I3zZSUMfpxh_pArhlpUfjNVXWcIFXIGBLJ2JywsqEdw2RceIW2PT_Lj/s1600/IMG_2566.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">View from living room into former kitchen, which is demoed. The exterior wall is the next to go!</span> <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> The addition will be in this area, including the new kitchen, laundry, hallway and master suite.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBATsjqwkPWUrlf6WZlr6sA3tcUOtac6-vJY73YjL7QRMNzft4k5ry7f-W7NgHecLIWEhS-FSqVcEJFJWsjLdHlLLpg1lttZjozhDmMpFPQbycVEQo5VYXTQZDe-uapcJgFM6gViSTX2qA/s1600/Fireplace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBATsjqwkPWUrlf6WZlr6sA3tcUOtac6-vJY73YjL7QRMNzft4k5ry7f-W7NgHecLIWEhS-FSqVcEJFJWsjLdHlLLpg1lttZjozhDmMpFPQbycVEQo5VYXTQZDe-uapcJgFM6gViSTX2qA/s1600/Fireplace.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Diagonal fireplace wall is gone! Chimney is the next to go. So much brick!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Like any home renovation or addition project, we'll run into challenges we didn't foresee. We've had a few good news/bad news situations arise already, but it all balances out for the most part. Great news was that we didn't need a support beam where the wall used to be diving the living room and old kitchen. Not so great news was the need to replace the subflooring and work on the joists. The big question mark in that area of the house was the diagonal fireplace wall. We knew the wall had to go because we need to be able to square off the room and be able to build the addition and hallway to the master suite from that area. What we didn't know was what we'd find behind the wall! We didn't expect the massive, crazy chimney but that's what we got. We planned on keeping the chimney and flute but in the end we'll demo what was there and build a new fireplace.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It's great to see things happening, and a little overwhelming to know how much is going to happen over the next few months. Looking forward to sharing more as we continue!</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430027775732446019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1049126555726597143.post-9469132216950310832013-11-20T11:18:00.002-08:002013-11-20T11:18:45.481-08:00A New House for the Powells!<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">After many, many (MANY!) months of searching for a new home for our family, we finally found the right one and closed on it this week! Some might say we're crazy for choosing multiple life changes simultaneously (having another baby, buying a new house and doing some extensive renovations and additions on said new house!) but it works for us and we couldn't be happier. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We won't move into the new house until sometime after the first of the year because of the work we're doing on it first (would I rather live through days of no heat, no plumbing and no electric with a newborn?!), but I'm excited to share the photos before, during and after and the craziness of the project. We've been working with an architect for the past month or so to complete the design and a contractor who will be managing the project, the biggest we've taken on so far. Work begins tomorrow, so we're wasting no time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Although we're not quite ready to share before pics, I have to share this one because one of my favorite things about this house is the amazing lot - look at all the green space! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Dvhi_s88bDqR-U9-jzRHBIRcO5CiQoPgEKjQqL9C_ig0Nrbe2NuU4tUn2XuaNWr7JN5p5mpt2UqzVLS4oB5Xd-NsKNb0f8pL_qkrVkfLtpBYzUaBs46DKTmSoyYM_ZQtXYDKBxZ1W_F2/s1600/IMG_2314.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Dvhi_s88bDqR-U9-jzRHBIRcO5CiQoPgEKjQqL9C_ig0Nrbe2NuU4tUn2XuaNWr7JN5p5mpt2UqzVLS4oB5Xd-NsKNb0f8pL_qkrVkfLtpBYzUaBs46DKTmSoyYM_ZQtXYDKBxZ1W_F2/s1600/IMG_2314.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Finally closing on the house has been a great milestone after a challenging month. Can't wait to share more as we go along, starting tomorrow!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430027775732446019noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1049126555726597143.post-88787839899045987992013-10-25T09:53:00.001-07:002013-10-25T09:57:24.412-07:00Losing Someone<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
Robert Allen "Robbie" Corum Jr., 47, of Lebanon Junction, died on Monday, Oct. 21, 2013. <br />
He was a production line worker for James B. Beam Distilling in Boston.
He was a Baptist who loved fishing, ATV riding and his Dodge truck. <br />
He was preceded in death by his father, Robert A. Corum Sr.; and
grandparents, Dorothy and Hershel Ricketts and Lula and Ervin Corum. <br />
He is survived by his mother, Sharon A. Ricketts Clark of Lebanon
Junction; two sisters, Melissa Corum of Boston and Sara Beth (William)
Brown of Lebanon Junction; several nephews, Corey Mathery, Sebastian and
Christopher Brown, and Parker Grant; and a niece, Lydia (Squishy)
Brown. <br />
Funeral services will be at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 23, at
Kappel Funeral Home in Lebanon Junction with a private burial at a
later time. Visitation will be after 1 p.m. on Wednesday. - See more at:
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/pioneernews/obituary.aspx?n=robert-allen-corum&pid=167668298#sthash.1BJrKuyk.dpuf</div>
<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
Robert Allen "Robbie" Corum Jr., 47, of Lebanon Junction, died on Monday, Oct. 21, 2013. <br />
He was a production line worker for James B. Beam Distilling in Boston.
He was a Baptist who loved fishing, ATV riding and his Dodge truck. <br />
He was preceded in death by his father, Robert A. Corum Sr.; and
grandparents, Dorothy and Hershel Ricketts and Lula and Ervin Corum. <br />
He is survived by his mother, Sharon A. Ricketts Clark of Lebanon
Junction; two sisters, Melissa Corum of Boston and Sara Beth (William)
Brown of Lebanon Junction; several nephews, Corey Mathery, Sebastian and
Christopher Brown, and Parker Grant; and a niece, Lydia (Squishy)
Brown. <br />
Funeral services will be at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 23, at
Kappel Funeral Home in Lebanon Junction with a private burial at a
later time. Visitation will be after 1 p.m. on Wednesday. - See more at:
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/pioneernews/obituary.aspx?n=robert-allen-corum&pid=167668298#sthash.1BJrKuyk.dpuf</div>
<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
Robert Allen "Robbie" Corum Jr., 47, of Lebanon Junction, died on Monday, Oct. 21, 2013. <br />
He was a production line worker for James B. Beam Distilling in Boston.
He was a Baptist who loved fishing, ATV riding and his Dodge truck. <br />
He was preceded in death by his father, Robert A. Corum Sr.; and
grandparents, Dorothy and Hershel Ricketts and Lula and Ervin Corum. <br />
He is survived by his mother, Sharon A. Ricketts Clark of Lebanon
Junction; two sisters, Melissa Corum of Boston and Sara Beth (William)
Brown of Lebanon Junction; several nephews, Corey Mathery, Sebastian and
Christopher Brown, and Parker Grant; and a niece, Lydia (Squishy)
Brown. <br />
Funeral services will be at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 23, at
Kappel Funeral Home in Lebanon Junction with a private burial at a
later time. Visitation will be after 1 p.m. on Wednesday. - See more at:
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/pioneernews/obituary.aspx?n=robert-allen-corum&pid=167668298#sthash.1BJrKuyk.dpuf</div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">My half brother, Robbie, passed away this week after a battle with lung cancer. We didn't know each other well and hadn't seen each other in probably 20 years. However, he was my half brother and another connection to my dad, who also died of lung cancer at the age of 52 in 1998. Most people who know me don't realize I'm not an only child; I also have a half sister, Melissa, in addition to Robbie. She and Robbie are twins, and much older, from my dad's first marriage. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Suffice it to say that our family dynamic was not typical, but I always imagined we would find a way to reconnect one day. I've talked before about reminders that we don't have all the time in the world for things, and this is yet another reminder. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Robbie's obituary can be found here:</span> <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/pioneernews/obituary.aspx?n=robert-allen-corum&pid=167668298" target="_blank">http://www.legacy.com/<wbr></wbr>obituaries/pioneernews/<wbr></wbr>obituary.aspx?n=robert-allen-<wbr></wbr>corum&pid=167668298</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We've struggled
with sickness in our house this week - two cases of bronchitis (Jason
and me), one probably cracked rib (me) and a bout of a stomach virus
(Sophie) - and we're all more than ready to be healthy again! I have no pictures to share this week, not because I didn't capture any moments, but because we laundered my phone with one of the many loads of laundry we did in the middle of the night when Sophie got sick. There is not a bag of rice in the world that could bring it back to life! Poor Sophie was really down for the count, but woke up feeling a little better today. It's amazing how resilient kids can be. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Even though this week has been challenging on many levels, it has also been filled with some great moments. We're one step closer to finalizing plans for something that we're really excited about but not quite ready to share. I (or at least my belly) also seem to have grown every day this week, and I'm beginning to wonder if this baby will outsize Sophie's 9 pound debut. Regardless, we're enjoying the kicks and punches and looking forward to meeting the little guy in just about 10 weeks. We've also had a lot of fun talking to Sophie about Halloween, finding all the parts for her costume (Ariel - including a red wig that alternately makes her resemble a drag queen or a Troll doll), and making plans to dress up and head to the Zoo for Ghouls at Grassmere this weekend.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Like everyone out there, we're ready for a weekend and have our fingers crossed for all of my data to be safely stored in the Cloud and for everyone in our house to rebound, feel better and enjoy the weekend together. Hope yours is great, too!</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430027775732446019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1049126555726597143.post-25154595211984294722013-10-22T09:26:00.002-07:002013-10-22T09:26:53.490-07:00Something Moms Will Understand<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It's here, and earlier than I remember last time. That moment when your skin feels stretched as tight as it could possibly stretch, but you know how much bigger you're going to get. So. Uncomfortable. That's really all I have to say today but please chime in with your own complaints or miserable memories because, despite all the joy and blessings and all the good stuff, sometimes it is just uncomfortable being pregnant!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">However, Sophie is super cute in this photo and I felt pretty good yesterday. Love this Old Navy dress that I bought for $20 this summer and Sophie loves her new rain boots! </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0W787MjPiKBCHicI0auAlRUqTDq5mfsbQUwpucEHPVLlBgJDR3G_9kAgP51HxOyKypzArLNGVTwmmx6RYHnz9tFIAIIHKNGRRtdxwIOD744_QS4CbnMcHQA9u4Wlvhij4A_Ml4MwiSjCJ/s1600/Heather+and+Sophie+by+Corvette.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0W787MjPiKBCHicI0auAlRUqTDq5mfsbQUwpucEHPVLlBgJDR3G_9kAgP51HxOyKypzArLNGVTwmmx6RYHnz9tFIAIIHKNGRRtdxwIOD744_QS4CbnMcHQA9u4Wlvhij4A_Ml4MwiSjCJ/s1600/Heather+and+Sophie+by+Corvette.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430027775732446019noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1049126555726597143.post-24706977637458014752013-10-18T09:10:00.003-07:002013-10-18T09:12:20.380-07:00Goodbye, Old Friend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia_7m01MxMu9Rq7u8plJvO5Ha2gnvo1QxJhIgBIBo4LPZJLSI31G-oQI3gsdd3vjrYbyNP9nYOlbp3TbRKMh60Vbbg9P_b3N8pElrHgfF7uzYD4gW2mYA1c-yBN0pec8SRwphDn7hQDipw/s1600/IMG00011-20100515-1412_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia_7m01MxMu9Rq7u8plJvO5Ha2gnvo1QxJhIgBIBo4LPZJLSI31G-oQI3gsdd3vjrYbyNP9nYOlbp3TbRKMh60Vbbg9P_b3N8pElrHgfF7uzYD4gW2mYA1c-yBN0pec8SRwphDn7hQDipw/s1600/IMG00011-20100515-1412_2.jpg" height="238" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Ok, I'm being a little melodramatic about saying goodbye to my old friend, my reliable, dependable, gas-efficient Honda. But we had a lot of really great times together! Like this one (above) when I was just four months pregnant with Sophie on the day we bought the car. Or this one (below) when we were loading up the Honda with all the gifts from our family baby shower in Moline and stopped to take a quick family photo before jumping in to make the long drive back to Nashville - one of the last times we would be together with my grandparents when they were both healthy. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYSfmgagmsboCo0vbcDibOia_p_4YDulbGs2boRzv1yM3FVI_QHLCZsolAQoNn7sBHjnzGuwerkWkEHiy3jtZZcUgH0e2WqZ5-oZzg_du2jfdjr0I1GEOhHRNR0XhF1CgBccTfzE1FUcAJ/s1600/Baby+Shower+-+Moline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYSfmgagmsboCo0vbcDibOia_p_4YDulbGs2boRzv1yM3FVI_QHLCZsolAQoNn7sBHjnzGuwerkWkEHiy3jtZZcUgH0e2WqZ5-oZzg_du2jfdjr0I1GEOhHRNR0XhF1CgBccTfzE1FUcAJ/s1600/Baby+Shower+-+Moline.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">That little car got us to all of our new parent classes at Vanderbilt, like this one where Jason and all of the other dads had a chance to wear the pregnant belly. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzCa7Hi6WnRVdJKPXxh6-7SijW6sYtj0Sxx5ydelsLU5PsWewkYRacDbWnz-_n8h8lLss9U_-pV5uVOeCB0BJuUfONJGuur1IpYvw5rL0VkZan1Ewsii1Tm0Ca8LLFvq8N1qarKmvLIXcS/s1600/IMG00034-20100920-1943.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzCa7Hi6WnRVdJKPXxh6-7SijW6sYtj0Sxx5ydelsLU5PsWewkYRacDbWnz-_n8h8lLss9U_-pV5uVOeCB0BJuUfONJGuur1IpYvw5rL0VkZan1Ewsii1Tm0Ca8LLFvq8N1qarKmvLIXcS/s1600/IMG00034-20100920-1943.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Although the Honda didn't bring us home as a family of three from the hospital, it got Sophie and me around town countless times over the past three years, provided an outlet for me to get out of the house with a newborn, gave me white noise to blast loudly as I drove a crying baby around town and carried us to all kinds of destinations near and far. I think the car could navigate itself to Target, the Zoo and some of our favorite playgrounds because of all the miles burned between our house and those places over the past 35 months. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sophie cried last night when we told her that someone else had my car now, but we explained (again) that we needed a bigger car so she'd have room to share the backseat with her brother in just a couple of months and she's pretty excited about that, just as we are. I'm not really sad about selling my car, but I am a little nostalgic thinking back on all the memories from the last three years since we bought it, because these have been the most eventful and monumental of my life so far. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">On another note, we won't be able to bring home our new car for another week or so and, in the meantime, my parents have graciously loaned us one of their cars. It happens to be a sort of small, low muscle car with just two seats and I can't wait to see the looks I get when I try ever so mightily to gracefully get into and out of that car with my over-sized belly. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I can't go a week without a picture of Sophie, so here's a shot from one of our many visits to see Boo, Sophie's favorite horse, at Ellington Ag Center. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ20nZVXB84rnmqZrp0AY4BMBJeH8QvudqB0pcGMuIDuFjaqh06Mf9UWf9xZiF2cWmdxGpjDUacYfqdvt9u2tIYiIL-NrUHBjuSalNMWGVUb3Ig-HoDSviaqez1UfojLBeMWzestJK0Lxr/s1600/Sophie+and+Boo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ20nZVXB84rnmqZrp0AY4BMBJeH8QvudqB0pcGMuIDuFjaqh06Mf9UWf9xZiF2cWmdxGpjDUacYfqdvt9u2tIYiIL-NrUHBjuSalNMWGVUb3Ig-HoDSviaqez1UfojLBeMWzestJK0Lxr/s1600/Sophie+and+Boo.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Boo was one of her first words, that's how much she loves visiting and talking about him. This picture was taken just before another horse walked over and gave Sophie a big kiss on the head, so sloppy that we had to go home and give her a bath! She loved it. If you haven't been to the <a href="http://www.tn.gov/agriculture/general/agcenter.shtml">Ag Center</a>, check it out sometime. This weekend is the Music & Molasses Festival on Saturday and Sunday, a great chance to see the trails, the stables, creeks and more. Until next time!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430027775732446019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1049126555726597143.post-18193597780808518982013-10-11T08:37:00.001-07:002013-10-11T08:39:25.753-07:00Reconnecting with Family<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I've taken another long break from writing, however unintentionally! Like everyone, we've had a million things going on, some of which I hope to share soon in a future post! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">On Sunday, I got to have dinner and spend a couple of hours with my Aunt Pat and cousin Cindy, neither of whom I've seen in almost 15 years! It's safe to say we've had some interesting and challenging family dynamics on both my mom and dad's sides over the years, falling in and out of touch with aunts, uncles, cousins and even my half brother and half sister. Say what you will about social media, but without it, I may not have reconnected with several family members this year, including Pat and Cindy. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhonqLcNaiKE1Vxj4dp7JdTCyjCX8jgQrxrEwB6H6arEj0WQEZZxgWK5xpzsJkGVRNrvHNXI-kAoIiwXB2lHortK3LBkScINTAHJ2ABhSlf4dn2w0z9DZWzlN1Jkw1pgoqBH8SXKENphevi/s1600/photo(6).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhonqLcNaiKE1Vxj4dp7JdTCyjCX8jgQrxrEwB6H6arEj0WQEZZxgWK5xpzsJkGVRNrvHNXI-kAoIiwXB2lHortK3LBkScINTAHJ2ABhSlf4dn2w0z9DZWzlN1Jkw1pgoqBH8SXKENphevi/s1600/photo(6).jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Lucky for me, they were in Nashville (from the Louisville area) for a show at The Ryman and were willing to drive in early to meet and have dinner. The time we spent together was one of the best times I've had in a long time and it was priceless finally getting to introduce Sophie to more of her family from my dad's side. You can see from our smiles that we really enjoyed seeing each other. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We've had some sad news recently about my half brother, Robbie, as he was diagnosed recently with terminal lung cancer. It is difficult to think about him suffering in much the same way my dad suffered with lung cancer before he passed away in November 1998 and I ask for those reading this who pray to offer prayers for his comfort. Although I haven't seen Robbie in years, I hear from Pat and Cindy that he looks a lot like my dad and that's not surprising given that I remember him looking like a younger version of him the last time we saw each other. This is yet another situation that reminds me that we don't have all the time in the world to do things or reach out to people. I always assumed there would be time to reconnect with Robbie and my half sister, Missy, if we all felt like that was what we wanted. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">On a much happier note, the last few weekends have been full of fun family adventures, including taking Sophie to her very first show, Disney on Ice. She managed to come home with just a little bit of swag and has especially enjoyed torturing Sparky and Lucy with her magic wand. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We also had a fun birthday party for a little girl turning three at The Painted Cupcake in Green Hills. I had no idea they had a party room, but it was something different and the little girls all seemed to have a great time decorating little pizzas and cupcakes and coloring. Sophie wore her crown all weekend!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Last, but definitely not least, things are going well at almost 28 weeks with Baby Powell #2! Sophie continues to be excited about being a big sister and talks a lot about all the ways she wants to help her baby brother. She's also named him... Daddy. With both pregnancies, we've been with the Vanderbilt Women's Health OB group. We absolutely love our provider, Dr. Hemingway, but after our last appointment when we brought Sophie with us, we walked away even happier. Dr. Hemingway embraced having Sophie in the room with us and even allowed her to help find the baby's heartbeat. Sophie had already declared she wants to be a "princess doctor" when she's older, so you can imagine how excited she was! I debated whether or not to share this picture, but I love it and it was such a happy moment!</span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Happy Friday and until next time!</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430027775732446019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1049126555726597143.post-57601201673031090272013-09-13T07:32:00.003-07:002013-09-13T07:32:46.281-07:00A Little Beach Time<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here we go, go, go, go... on an adventure!</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">A couple of weeks ago, after lots of planning and waiting, Jason, Sophie and I took off for a week on Hilton Head Island with my mother-in-law, Mary, Jason's sister, Shannon, and her family (husband Michael, son Andrew and daughter Olivia) to celebrate Mary's retirement. Despite the early hour we departed, Sophie was so excited to get on the road to see her cousins, she was all smiles. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Seriously, the best I could do to get her to stay still long enough for a pic!</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">After about eight long hours, several pit stops, lots of screen time (introducing her to Cinderella and Tangled) and a time change, we arrived on Hilton Head and couldn't believe how beautiful the beach was or our good fortune in finding a large oceanfront rental in Sea Pines where we could all stay together. It looked good online, but you just never know! We used <a href="http://www.vacationcompany.com/">The Vacation Company</a> and were really happy with their customer service and prices. They even have an app that allows users to access all rental info, attractions, gate codes, etc in one place and that was really convenient. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The highlight of our week was seeing Sophie and her cousins have a blast together. We have the best niece and nephew, 10 and 13 years old, who love playing with their two-year-old little cousin. She's a lucky girl! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Our condo had four bedrooms and the kids decided they had to sleep in the same room and, even though I'm still sometimes an anxious parent about doing anything out of the ordinary or out of our normal routine, I didn't let that get the best of me and went with it... and it turned out to be great. So good, one morning I had to wake Sophie up after 10am because she was passed out cold after having so much fun.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">We did a lot of good eating during our week on the beach, so we tried to round it out with a lot of running on the beach. It was great to get up and hit the sand with Jason, Shannon, Michael and Andrew every day and feel a little less guilty about all the good food. And the food... here goes the list: <span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.giuseppispizza.com/">Giuseppe's</a>, <a href="http://www.steamerseafood.com/">Steamer Seafood</a>, <a href="http://www.oldoysterfactory.com/ordereze/default.aspx">Old Oyster Factory</a>, <a href="http://www.redfishofhiltonhead.com/ordereze/default.aspx">redfish</a>, <a href="http://www.santafehhi.com/">Santa Fe Cafe</a>, <a href="http://www.hudsonsonthedocks.com/">Hudson's</a> and our absolute favorite, <a href="http://skullcreekboathouse.com/">Skull Creek Boathouse</a>. I'd be remiss if I didn't add that we had ice cream at least 4 out of 7 nights and our favorite place was <a href="http://colignyicecreamcone.com/contact.php">The Ice Cream Cone</a> in Coligny Plaza. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">22 weeks</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">There's a bump now and I got a few stares and second looks on the beach but I decided I didn't mind. This was taken at 22 weeks, proof that Baby Powell was with us at the beach! I had a chance to be pampered, along with Mary and Shannon, when we took some time out to visit <a href="http://www.ahhgreenspa.com/">Ahh Green Spa</a>, where I had not only the best prenatal massage I've ever had, but one of the best massages overall. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We took a break from playing in the pool and at the beach for a two-hour boat ride through the Broad Channel, dolphin and bird watching and just enjoying the ride. We had a fantastic captain who took our family out in a small boat and we were excited to see lots of dolphins up close as well as plenty of beautiful birds and other scenery. <a href="http://youtu.be/wbv0rW0JU40">Here's a video of the dolphins swimming and playing next to our boat</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It was great to spend a week with our extended family and have it be unencumbered by the stress of holidays or the other events that usually bring us together. We got to just have fun! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The ride home was uneventful and long, like rides home always seem to be. Sophie fought valiantly to stay awake for the entire drive, only to fall asleep about 15 minutes from home. Isn't that always how it goes?? Overall a great week and we can't wait to do it again. </span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430027775732446019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1049126555726597143.post-22836127231815872572013-08-28T11:52:00.000-07:002013-08-28T11:52:02.549-07:00Just Wait Until...<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/mom-phrase-really-8217-t-stand-143100536.html">This parenting article really struck a chord with me this week</a></span>. Maybe it's because I'm more than halfway through my second pregnancy and people are full of advice and warnings along with the compliments and criticisms. And sometimes the compliments and criticisms are one and the same; one person says "It's so great that you're still running!", while the next person says "I can't believe you're still running - isn't that dangerous for your baby??" <i>(Side note: that makes me want to scream. Of course I wouldn't run if it were in any way uncomfortable or unsafe for me or my baby. I have the blessing of my OB team. I ran through all 40 weeks last time and, once again, I'll take it one day at a time. Every woman and every pregnancy is different. I'm not exactly eating blowfish and drinking hard alcohol at my daily happy hour.) </i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sometimes it makes me crazy to hear people say, "if you think this is bad, just wait until..." because I just want to be in the moment and feel whatever happiness or despair that particular moment might bring me. I don't want to compete with your happier or sadder moments! When Sophie was born and we relished how much we enjoyed being parents, we heard "just wait, when she starts to smile, it will be even better!" and when she started to crawl and we talked about how much it changed life in our house, people said "if you think this is bad, just wait til she walks!" We didn't want to just wait and see, we wanted to experience what was at our fingertips in that moment.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">As the author of the article says, this is a total first-world problem. However, it will make me stop and think about what I'm about to say the next time I talk to a parent-to-be or new mom or dad. Just because I've been through it doesn't mean they're not entitled to experience it for the very first time themselves, in their own way.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Rant complete! Happy Wednesday, and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWBhP0EQ1lA">a link to the commercial that makes me laugh over and over</a>. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">And this, just because she makes me smile!</span></i></td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430027775732446019noreply@blogger.com2