Busy Weekend

This last weekend just flew by. We had a great time visiting with our friend Tiffany and her children, from out of town. We got to show the house to some friends and take some measurements for furniture and such. Dave and Dave O went up into the attic to check that the wiring was up-to-date. We ran all the faucets to check water pressure. I forgot to take my camera for more pictures, but I'm sure I'll get another chance. The inspection is today. I hope it goes well.

Yesterday Dave and I decided to check out some of the antique and used furniture places. We found some end tables that we both really liked. They have some interesting angles, kind of retro. I can't wait to put them in our living room. I hope we don't find anything too big because I don't know where we'll store it until we move. We saw some beautiful desks and vanities, but none that we could afford right now. It is a gradual process but it is fun to look for just the right piece.

We Are Moving

We have been blessed to have my mom buy a house for us to live in. It was a deal we couldn't pass up and Dave and I were not ready to buy yet. For now we will be renting it from my mom and helping to remodel it.

We look forward to moving in about a month. We have lots of packing to do! It is 2.5 bedrooms (the third bedroom is very small), large kitchen and bathroom, laundry area, car port, living/dining area with high ceilings. There is no back yard, but David looks forward to fencing in the front yard so we can get a dog. It has a lot of potential.

Thanks to Rich for calling us when he saw this place on the market!

Here are some pictures I took in a rush the first night we went to see it, I will get better pictures up when I get a chance.


The House


Kitchen


Living Room

This is not the best picture. There is a huge window behind me and two south-facing windows to the left.


Master Bedroom


Bathroom
It is bigger than it looks in this picture. There is room for a piece of furniture to the right on the inside and shelves just in front of the door. It is kind of L-shaped.

EDIT: 12/3/2007 Move-in date has been pushed back to the end of December/first of January. So we'll be moving after Christmas.

Play-Dough and Coloring

Well, we got to spend some time with our nieces and nephew today, since Marie had to finish a school paper. We brought coloring books and Play-Dough to their house to keep them busy for a while. Ian noticed right away that we had some colorful stuff with us. He asked us "that?" (as in, what is that). We told him it was stuff so we could play with him and Cara. He liked that idea. First we got out the coloring books and the washable crayons. We got a Bob the Builder coloring book for Ian and Cinderella for Cara. We talked about the colors and the pictures, we traded crayon colors. We drew some pictures. Ian told David to draw a dolphin, and then he told him that his drawing was good. Then he told him to draw a whale, a sea star and some fish. Cara doesn't talk much yet, but she would scribble a little bit and then throw her arms up and yell "daaaa" and start laughing. We just played along and yelled "ta-daa" with her every time, but later Marie said that was her word for "star". Oh, well, we had fun with them. They colored for about 45 minutes before Cara was rubbing her eyes, the hint that she was ready for a nap. I was surprised she lasted that long.

Then Ian said "other?" meaning that he wanted to play with the other thing we brought. I told him "why don't you show Uncle David your cars, then we will play with the other thing we brought?". It gave me some time to clean up the coloring stuff. Well after about 2 minutes, if that, he said he was done with the cars and he was ready to do "other". So we got to introduce Ian to Play-Dough for the first time. He thought it was the best stuff ever. We got a kit that had cookie cutters of animal shapes and geometric shapes. It came with a spaghetti maker, which Ian liked because it made "worms". I made him a spider by attaching 8 worms to a ball of dough. David taught him how to use the roller and cutters and they made lots of sharks and "sea stars". I made him a frog and I asked Ian if he and Dave could make a lily pad for it. He got really tired by the end (about an hour later) but didn't want to stop playing when it was time for his "quiet time". We told him that we would bring it again another time. Dave put him down for a nap.

They are such bright children. Marie thanked us for sitting with them and giving them some individual attention. We had as much fun as they did.

October 31st

I was really sick and had to come home from work on Halloween day, but David was able to get it off too so he could stay with me. It wasn't too exciting but at least we were together. Last weekend we carved pumpkins with Dave and Holly O. We aren't much into this holiday, but there is something definitely fun about the messiness of carving pumpkins. It also brought out our artistic sides. These are our creations.

Doing Atkins

Three weeks ago we decided we were going to "do Atkins". For those who don't know, it is a controlled carbohydrate diet. Instead of counting calories, you count carbs. It is not a no-carb diet, you do get at least 3 cups of vegetables per day. You start off in an Induction Phase for 2 weeks you eat only 20 grams of carbohydrates per day, then you go into the Ongoing Weight Loss Phase where you increase your carbohydrate intake by 5 grams weekly until you reach the point that you are no longer losing weight. If you have more to lose, you cut back some and continue until you get to your ideal weight. The Lifetime Maintenance Phase includes many wholesome foods, even whole grains, fruit and legumes, but in controlled amounts. You determine through the process what your ideal carbohydrate intake is for maintenance of your ideal weight. As long as you don't exceed that amount, you will maintain your weight. That is our goal.

So 3 weeks ago we cut out all forms of sugar and grains. In the meantime I read the Atkins book and figured out what we had to do for Induction. We started Induction on the second week and after two weeks of that we have both lost about 6 lbs. I think this diet gets bad attention because it is really easy for people who cannot control their portions to go overboard, but if you do it correctly it has a lot of positive effects on your health. After doing it for 6 weeks I am going to have my blood tested again. My triglicerides were high last time, meaning I was eating too many carbohydrates, so I am hoping this will make that problem go away.

We have also been going to the gym. I love our gym. It is so big and clean. They provide towels and our membership came with 5 sessions with a personal trainer. Since we joined, we've had some friends join and so has my mom. It is great to see all these people make healthy choices.

David Started School

It's official, Dave has started school. It consists of a series of 5-week classes, taken one at a time. They are pretty intense. He should be done in about 1 year, so about next October. He read his first assignement on Satruday and has a paper due every Saturday night. It is an exciting new change that should bring us more opportunities in the future.

Change of Season

Well, it appears to be fall now. The temperature has gone way down and we find ourselves hanging out indoors more. We're staying active by going to the gym. When you live in a wet area, like the Pacific Northwest, it is really nice to have a gym to go to.

If all goes according to plan, David will be starting school in a week. It is really exciting. It looks like he will be able to finish his Associates degree by next summer. That means by this time next year he might have an IT job somewhere. How cool is that!

He also talked to his boss and they are letting him go home at 10:30pm until they hire someone new. That means I get more sleep. YAY! It will make a big difference for the time-being. Now we will be just hoping he gets on a day shift.