Fix it Friday

Well here is our home! Luckily it is super cute on the outside so we can fool everyone as to what it looks like on the inside.

The house was built in the 70’s and many of its features are original to the home including the kitchen and the bathrooms. The bathrooms are the first thing we started on when we moved in. When you walked in the front door the first thing you saw was a straight shot into the super yellow guest bathroom.

Our old luxurious master bath had a grand entry of closet bi-fold doors. Once you were in you discovered a beautiful 3x3 foot hot pink bathroom with a shower that couldn’t fit a smurf. Needless to say it was a joke. Over the next couple weeks I will show you the transformation.

 

Thought Full Thursday

Last night I hosted the young women from my ward in my home to carve pumpkins. I was sitting on the floor with one of the girls while she was working with something intricate on the ground. I was talking to her just asking casual questions and she was working on what she was doing and answering me. I didn’t think twice about the situation. Then she stopped looked up and said “I am sorry, I am not looking at you while I am talking to you.” She said it very politely as if she really wanted my pardon. It really took me by surprise. I have always been to multi-tasking type. I talk while I am doing something and rarely look people in the eye while I am talking to them. I thought it was so amazing that this girl half my age had been raised in a way that shows respect to all she interacts with. I hope I can be better in that regard and for that matter I hope I can be a parent like hers.

Weigh in Wednesday

Surprisingly I am down two pounds this week to 191, YAY! We will see how that goes after all of the Halloween candy I have this weekend. It is so hard to lose weight during the holidays. One benefit of Jeremy’s schedule here in Burley is that he doesn’t go in to work until 9am. Garrett usually gets up about 6:30am and I feed him and change him and put him right back down and he will sleep while Jeremy sleeps and I go off to the gym. We have a really nice gym in Burley and no one ever seems to be there so it isn’t over crowded. I get there at 7am and am very content to watch Family Feud for an hour while I run on the treadmill. I am so grateful that we can afford a gym membership because I know I would have zero motivation in this freezing temperature. Here’s to next week!

T.V. Dinner Tuesday

This past week of cheap T.V. Dinners was AWESOME! I had a lot of fun making these simple recipes and having leftovers to make second meals.


This Episode of Sandra’s Money Saving Meals aired October 11th and was titled

Retro Easy/Kitchen Classics

(link): http://www.foodnetwork.com/sandras-money-saving-meals/retro-easykitchen-classics/index.html

The two main dishes were Chicken and Dumplings and Salisbury Steak. The round two recipes were Beef Empanadas and Chicken Crepes.

Jeremy gave the Chicken and Dumplings 8 out of 10 and at first when he heard we were having Salisbury Steak he asked if he could just have his on a bun with ketchup but I convinced him to try it and I won him over to Salisbury Steak.

The Chicken Crepes were yummy but it took me a long time to get the hang of making crepes, and the Beef Empanadas were an easy thing to make and store in the fridge for when we needed a quick meal.

Over all a great success! The hardest part was remembering to take pictures. Enjoy them below.

Make It Monday

Well I am sorry I didn’t get a chance to post on Friday. I was running around trying to get ready for a Craft Fair that I was in on Saturday. I made Pillow Monsters and Burlap Wreaths. I also shared a booth with my dad and he sold his Gourd Items. It was a lot of fun and a good time to sit and chat with my dad. I felt a little bad because I didn’t sell very much just 4 pillow monsters and that was it. I made $50 which didn’t even cover entry costs let alone materials. Like I said, I had a lot of fun and if I could pin down exactly what would sell I might do it again. Here are some pics.

Thoughtful Thursday

Isn’t technology a sly and tricky thing? I must admit I have been sucked in. After I get my husband off to work and my baby down for a nap the first thing I did was “LOG ON”. I could spend hours, even an entire day surfing the internet, and as a result my spirituality, home, and family suffered. I didn’t take time to pray I didn’t take time to read my scriptures; I didn’t take time to play with my child or tidy up the house. At the end of the day I never found any satisfaction. There is a family in my life that I have watched and admired for years. If there was someone to build my life after it would be them. I often ask myself what they would do in a situation. I have noticed 3 foundational things in their lives that I believe create their happiness and I would say they are: Putting the Gospel first, Staying Fit and Healthy, and Getting out of Debt. The debt thing is a little out of control right now as we currently own 2 homes but we are trying to figure things out and hopefully get back on the right path. As far as the being healthy thing, you will be able to read about that on Wednesdays. But Thursdays is where you will hear about my testimony and spiritual growth. I have decided to set aside time each morning to read my scriptures and write in my journal. Before I even look at my computer I must have touched my scriptures. When I can I will catch Jeremy before work and include him in the spiritual nourishment. Hopefully as we begin to recognize the sweet spirit returning to our home it will drive us to build upon it even more. Someday I would love to have a home where the Spirit overwhelms you as you walk in the door. Until then we will take it one day at a time.

Weigh In Wednesday

Well here it goes; I am going to declare to the world my weight in hopes that it creates some accountability on my part. This week I weigh in at 193lbs. This is pretty much the heaviest I have ever been in my life. If I were try to pinpoint a specific reason I would have to say having a baby. Not necessarily the actual weight I put on while pregnant but more like since I have given birth. I fully realize that I am an emotional eater. Raising a child is a lot more stressful than I ever could have imagined and every time Garrett is having a bad day I am having a bad day and I clear the cupboards. So here I am at 193lbs. My pre-baby weight was 170lbs and my pre-marriage weight was 160lbs. I recently joined my local gym and had a complimentary fitness evaluation. I was told my ideal weight should be 150lbs, so that is my goal. I will be weighing in each week and letting you know the different steps I am taking to get to my goal.

T.V. Dinner Tuesday

Man this trying to remember to post everyday thing is hard! Sorry to disappoint but today I won’t have any pictures it will be more of an explanation of what is about to come.


Twice a week I watch a cooking show called Sandra’s Money Saving Meals. I love this show and have decided to follow her recipes and post about them each week. The great thing about her show is that she teaches you how to save money making 2 Large meals and then with the leftovers she shows you how to make 2 more DIFFERENT Large meals. 4 meals for very little money! It works perfect for us because with my husband’s work schedule the way it is he is only home for dinner about 4 nights a week.

Starting next week I will be posting pictures of my meals and talking about how they turned out. I will also post the link to her show and recipes. I think it will be a lot of fun to cook from the Television. I always loved T.V. Dinners.

Make It Monday

For the last 2 years I have been serving as an Enrichment Leader for my ward and have been gathering many craft ideas for the sisters to do at Super Saturday. Sadly I moved from that ward before I was able to use my collection of ideas; so I have decided to enter a craft fair. It will be held this Saturday October 23rd and I am in a mad rush to get my projects done. One of the items that I will be selling is this cute Bat Swag. It is just one of the many paper crafts I enjoy doing. I will also be listing some of my other craft fair projects on this blog in the coming weeks. If you see anything that you like and are interested in purchasing please visit my ETSY site at:


http://www.etsy.com/shop/emsteranne?ref=top_trail

The Pioneer Woman With A Bad Attitude

So there is this woman, many of you may know her as THE PIONEER WOMAN. If any of you know her story she essentially finds herself in a situation that she never expected to be in (the wife of a cowboy living in the country) and her blog is about how she makes the best of every day in her situation. But, if you are familiar with her blog you know that her situation isn’t too shabby and she is having a ball with her life! Though I know I will NEVER have as good of an attitude about life as she does I have decided to do something similar with my blog.

About 6 months ago I found myself utterly discontent with my life. My husband had been begging to relocate to his home town of Burley Idaho and completely fed up with my circumstances I gave in and agreed to move 45 minutes away to his rural home town. We bought an older home that needs some work and settled in about 3 months ago (July 2010). Well I should have known that I couldn’t run from my problems they only followed me as I discovered a few more issues like ZERO friends, new ward and calling, and a very slim retail selection. So I am going to take the next year and document each day how I am trying to make the best of my situation. (And I Do Not Promise To Have A Good Attitude About It)

Mondays will be about the crafts I am making and the fun I find in my hobbies

Tuesday will be about cooking and trying new recipes (which is one of my new favorite things to do)

Wednesday will be about my new diet and what I am doing to try to healthy-up my family

Thursday will be about building my testimony and helping my family draw closer to the Savior

Friday will be about the improvements we are making to our fixer upper home

The goal is to improve my life and find happiness in the process and you are invited to join me along the way!