Half Marathon

My dear hubby ran his first half marathon (and maybe his last as well). He did a fantastic job. He ran it under 2 hrs which is amazing to me.

The kids and I were able to see him run in and finish. Things just worked out right in order for that to happen.

Fun With Food

We have had some fun with some new recipes. I tried my hand at making some different cupcakes as well as cake bites. I know I posted earlier about that with links, but I found some pictures of the cake bites and thought I better share them.







We also tried some new pizzas one night. We did bbq chicken and an chicken, spinach, artichoke pizza. Here are some pictures of that as well.

Appliance Time....

Apparently it's time to go appliance shopping. The sooner we get the shopping done, the sooner they can start working on the kitchen. :) It's amazing how fast this process is. I'm anxious/excited for this time. So, this weekend we will be out buying a gas cook top, double wall ovens, microwave, and a dishwasher. If you have any thoughts about appliances, please share. I'll be gathering all the info I can between now and Friday/Saturday!

Things seem to be changing everyday. We now have shingles on our roof and insulation up in the basement (which is how it'll be for awhile). It also looks like all the electrical work has been put in. I got to run out there this morning for my run and it's fun to see the changes that happen and also to see it before anyone is there. I have seen some arriving during my runs, but that's about all.

Life sure is interesting, isn't it? I am so blessed!

House Update!

Here are the latest house pictures!

Front of house...


Back of house...


View from front room into the garage...


I have a ton more, but I don't think you can really tell what everything is, so that's why they aren't on the blog. If you want more, let me know and I will add some.

Last we heard, the finish date is for July 28th. We know the date may change, but for now that's what the plan is. For those wondering, we still have yet to sell this house. We started this path feeling really good about it and felt like we were directed in this route. I know that things will work out. I wish I knew the details, but I don't. We keep going along and things will be good. It's amazing the clarity we felt when we first thought about building. We had gone to the Temple and felt so good and then we talked to 4 different builders and only one got back to us. It sure made it easy for us to know where we needed to go next.

We are very excited about the progress on the new house and anticipate the sale of this one and the move that will follow. Trials make us stronger and through this one for me/us, I have gotten stronger (the lesson isn't over yet, so I have yet to get stronger) and learned much. I am grateful for the things that I have learned and the struggle that it has been. I just have to keep enduring to the end. :)

Thank you all for letting us bore you with the details. Also thank you for your help and advice and suggestions it has been great. Any other ideas and suggestions are welcome as well. :)

Hole in the Ground

Who would have EVER thought that I would be so excited about a big hole in the ground?? I can assure you that I never thought it would be me. Building a home always seemed like something that would be *fun* to do, but I never thought I would be one to do it.

When you learn that a new developing location feels just so "right", how do you not listen? Here we are now in the first stage of actual building and it still just feels so "right". It's a wonderful feeling. I guess I'm posting pictures of this hole because I want you to be a part of this journey with us. I don't think I've ever shared all that has gotten us to this point and maybe I'll have to do that in the next post.

Anyway, here is our hole as it sits now. I know things will change quickly and I will try to continue to show you the progress. ;)

Preschool Graduation!

I have the cutest 5 yr old. He is an easy going, good kid. I'm excited for him to start kindergarten next year. He is too. :) Here are some pictures from his Preschool Graduation. Enjoy!

Cupcakes and Cake Pops

I was wanting to make cupcakes, so I went internet hunting and found some things that I could mix together and make what I want.

So, I took the chocolate cake recipe from the "Red Checked Cookbook" (Better Homes and Gardens) to make the cupcakes. I added an extra 2 Tbls water to compensate for cooking in high altitude.

I then made the filling from here: http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/hostess-inspired/
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

I used this method to fill them: http://www.beantownbaker.com/2007/09/cone-method.html

I then used the buttercream frosting recipe from here:
http://iammommy.typepad.com/i_am_baker/2011/01/cake-decorating-ideas-valentines-day-edition.html







When I made the cupcakes I ended up having more batter than liners, so I sprayed the cupcake pan hoping that I might be able to get more out....it didn't work out so well, so I decided to just get the cake out and make cake pops/bites with it. I used the buttercream frosting recipe to mix in with the cooked cake and shaped them into balls. I then dipped/rolled/spooned them into chocolate.



I had never done either of these things before (I've made cupcakes, but never filled them). I also used the cake tips that I have to try different things on top of the cupcakes... I didn't really know what I was doing, but it was fun to pretend like I did. :)