New House Tour

Yesterday you got to see our little Louisiana house. She isn't the biggest, fanciest, or even prettiest thing, but did a good job as a first home for D and I to rent together and our sweet girl home to. With this move we contemplated living on post since it won't be for very long, but after exploring some of the off post options in the area, they were just too good to pass up.

We found a house with a big fenced in backyard (a must after this place), 4 bed rooms, and 2.5 baths. Cross your fingers that all goes well, but on Saturday afternoon, we should be pulling up to this:

Hello, lover.

You saw my old kitchen. I don't think I need to explain my excitement.

View from the kitchen into the living room.

Looking back the other way.

Dining room. Our table will go off of the kitchen and we aren't going to invest in a dining room set until we buy a house, so this will be home to my office! Since I work from home 95% of the time, I am just dying to make an enjoyable work environment.

A lot of the other rooms aren't very exciting because they are blank slates right now, but this is a view from the master, through the sitting area and into the master bath. 

That's all I have for now, but I will post more when we get there and get set up! With four bedrooms we will have the master, Grace's room, a guest room (without military decor- I promise you that), and a room that I am designating for D and his things...haha. I plan on having the new and improved guest room up and ready by the end of January, so mark your calendars and plan a visit, we'll be here through most of July! We literally had 3 visitors the entire 2 years that we were stationed at Fort Polk and I'd really like to beat that in the 7ish months we will be at Fort Benning. Let's go ladies...plan some road trips...or check out ticket prices into Atlanta. You know I'm a good time. :)

I'm off to figure out how to work at home while movers are packing and frantically finish a few things. I have a few posts scheduled for the next few days, so it won't seem like I'm gone for very long. Can't wait to update you on everything!

See you all soon?! (Visit, visit, visit...)

xo,
H

Old House Tour

We just had our walk through. Packers are scheduled to show up tomorrow and should have our house in boxes by the end of the day. I'll be making a double batch of cookies tonight...some to sit out as a thank you/bribe to the packers to please treat our things with care and some to accompany Grace to daycare for her teachers that we are going to miss so much.

Things are starting to get done:
-The cable/internet is set to turn-off on Thursday
-I've scheduled our power to be switched back to the leasing office as of Friday
-We have our route mapquested out (yes, I still use mapquest, even with GPS available...)
-Hotel arrangements are made for Thursday night on post

...but...

There are still things to do:
-Pack Grace and I with a week's worth of clothes, to be safe
-Find/book a hotel for our stopping point Friday night
-Do several loads of laundry while we still can
-Clean out and prepare our cars for the roadtrip

Want a peek into the madness? I've never done a "House Tour" before...mostly because there is not much to see! We live off-post, but our digs are very much like military housing. I wish I had taken pictures before D started taking things off the wall and moving some things in the dining/living area, but I'll keep it real and show you how it actually looks, right now. It's been pretty calm thus far, but here is a little look at our itty little piece of paradise as we prep for the move...

Welcome to our casa

Come on in...

 

View from doorway...coat closet to the left, kitchen to the right, dining and living room ahead

Kitchen. Ick. Note gate that leads into laundry room/pantry. It's for the dogs, not Grace.

It's "cozy"...hahaha

Pillows thrown about to keep dogs from jumping up on furniture. So hot right now.

Why do we have two leather chairs? Ask D. I don't want to talk about it. The one in the background is not welcome in my new living room. See that doorway? That leads to a hall were you can find three bedrooms and a full bath. There is another full bath in the Master.

Grace's room. Seeing all of her things down is actually starting to make me sad. Almost.

Hallway leading to the master. We are not stopping in the bathroom on this tour. Sorry if you really wanted to see it...

Remember I said "keepin' it real". I'm in the process of packing...

Bathroom in the corner- on my side of the bed since it was a must during pregnancy!

My most hated room in the house. This is the guest room/office/man cave. D really likes showing off his decor on the walls. There is Army paraphenalia everywhere. I'd like guests to be able to relax and not have dreams of going to war while they visit us, ya know?

Horrific desk area. My favorite aspect of the new house? The office, guest room, and man cave will all have their own place. Also, the man cave will have a door I can close as to not have to see the interior everyday.

A sampling of what is on the walls? D's plaque from his platoon. This ish is massive. Like 3' x 3'. It is actually super cool and I love to read all of the messages his guys wrote to him, but it deserves a space that is all man to be displayed. Did I mention he has another one of these coming from the Battalion. It is also very large and in charge. Yay.

So there is our quite humble abode. I swear it doesn't always look like a hot mess and used to be quite cute when everything in the living room was hung up and in it's place. Actually, seeing it in this state makes me very ready for change.

Up next (or at some point this week)? An intro to our new digs! Let's just say that we definitely are "movin' on up" and I've already started to make some home purchases. Can't wait to share. :)

xo,
H

Move week, move week!!!

Happy Move Week!!! Even though I'm the only one celebrating, I had to throw it out there. :) It's finally almost here and I feel like a kid the night before Christmas...except we have 3 more days until it's really go time. I need to calm down.

We spent the weekend getting in some last minute quality time here in Louisiana, starting with a Tacky Sweater Party at a friends house. Of course I didn't take any pictures. Boo! We had a blast and it was a great way to relax on our last Friday night at Fort Polk.

Saturday started bright and early because my number one girl can't seem to figure out that weekends are for sleeping in. We all seriously haven't slept past 5:30 am in longer than I care to remember. Can't fall asleep after a crazy night of holiday partying? Still awake at 5 am? Give me a call...I'll be the one clutching my coffee mug with a death grip and muttering curses at Goofy for being the most annoying character I know on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Kidding. Sort of. Luckily we're morning people over here.

After a stellar almost 3.5 hour nap for Grace (and a solid hour for Mom and Dad), we ventured out to the PX for some Swamp People...and ya'll, it was everything I hoped it would be. Except the line was ridiculously long, so we loitered to the side and stared for a few minutes. I think D was secretly disappointed that he didn't get a picture with them, but he has the patience of a 14 month old...haha...so obviously the line wasn't happening. We should have taken stalker pictures from our view point, but again, I'm terrible with taking out the camera...maybe this has something to do with the 25 lb monkey toddler that prefers to be permanently perched on my hip. Who knows? Here's a pic from the web for those of you who aren't familiar with Swamp People or Joe and Tommy. You should look into the show...highly entertaining. It follows several teams of alligator hunters in the bayous of Southern Louisiana. Some of the accents are so thick they have to have subtitles. Simply amazing stuff.

 After our stalking sesh, we hit a park on post where I did get some pictures. Check 'em out....

My new fave G pic. (Heart explodes.)

Ignore the nugget she is clutching...

Joy.

Staring down a big kid who came to play nearby

Needs to be cropped, but LOVE.

Curls!!!

Sunday we took turns working out, lazed around for much of the afternoon, did our last grocery run, and started to address Christmas cards! We got most of them mailed out today and I'll share them on here later this week. I'm not thrilled with them this year...the quality of paper was less than what I had expected and we

I started to get frustrated and just went with my top choice after getting "feedback" from D (major eye roll here). Whatever. They are getting done...early...and there is a pretty sweet girl featured on the front, if I do say so myself. ;)

Hope you all are having just as exciting of a start to your week as we are over here! I'll keep you updated on our move progress as things get underway and am hoping to get a little post up on this house, before it's all in boxes, and then introduce you all to the next one!

So much to look forward to...like the change in time zones that I pray tricks Grace into sleeping until 6:30 instead of 5:30...

xo,
H

Short and sweet

Tonight D and I are going out, sans child, to our first holiday party of the season. I am just a little excited. :)

My dessert to share has been made, our gift has been purchased for the Oh well, Noel game, and a tacky sweater is hanging in my closet thrown on my bed, ready to be worn it all of it's over-the-top, festive glory. It's gearing up to be a fun time.

 I'll try to get an outfit picture tonight. It should be pretty heinous. (But note I'm super psyched that my tacky sweater has little gold beads that coordinate with my Kate flats that were a STEAL!) Remember these?

Swoon

Then begins our last weekend prior to next week's move. We don't have very much planned aside from our last Louisiana grocery trip and the usual errand running, but here's a fun fact: Joe and Tommy from the hit series Swamp People are making an appearance at the PX (on post Walmart-type store) on Saturday. Would you think I've gone completely off the reservation if I say we might go check 'em out?! Obviously the camera will be capturing the moment if that occurs. Guess you'll just have to come back and see what happens on Monday!

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend.

xo,
H

Back to the dreaded Shred

Well hey, Thursday! Remember back in college when Thursday's were dubbed "Thirsty Thursday" and the weekend began after your last class that afternoon? Those were the days. :)

Now my Thirsty Thursday's involve way less booze and way more of sweating my booty off in spin class each evening. I kinda wish I'd spent a few more Thursday's spinning in college...haha. Oh Freshman 15, how I despised you...and then lost you Sophomore year...and welcomed you back Junior year...and kicked your ass to the curb again Senior year. I guess it was a love/hate thing. Kind of like my relationship with Major...

Anyways, I guess you could say that I get on a workout kick and rock it out for periods of time and then occasionally go through lulls, where I'm not as focused or dedicated. I wouldn't say I'm in a lull right now, but I'm definitely not as hardcore as I was earlier this Summer when I finally dropped the rest of the baby weight. I feel like I've been coasting...and I think I'm starting to look like it too. You know that "soft" feeling...where, sure, you might still be fitting into your clothes, but you can feel that slight difference? I'm afraid I'm starting to border onto that territory and with the move coming up (our house will literally be in boxes on a truck one week from today), my schedule is getting crazy, my stress levels are on the rise, and working out has been moved down a couple of notches on my daily to-do lists. It's still happening, it's just not as intense, more rushed, and less enjoyable since I'm usually thinking about what I should be doing at home.

I'm thinking Jillian Michaels might have to make her way back into my rotation while we are in transition between houses. I need to explore the class options at our new (and totally amazing, compared to here) gym on post at Fort Benning. There is also a mile track on post and I'll have to look into local trails. Winter is the hardest time of year for me to stay motivated, so I'm trying to keep on track by keeping my workouts interesting and different. In the past I've never been able to make it 30 full days on the shred. Not because it was too hard, just because I got lazy or bored of the repetition. I don't know if I'm going to commit to the full 30 days in a row...but if I do, you all will be the first to know. :)

Anyone have other suggestions for video workouts or easy things to do outside of the gym? I'd love to add one to my Christmas List for some variety while we are traveling over the holidays!

Aside from the present plans, I'm really looking forward to settling in and starting to train for another half marathon this Spring. A few of my college bffs and I are discussing the OBX Flying Pirate Half in April. By "discussing", I really mean, have already committed to running it together, so I need to jump on board and start planning out my training schedule. It is looking like D's coursework is going to allow for lots of free weekends for a good part of the next year, so we I am already planning to take advantage. I've asked him to train with me...we'll see what comes of that. ;)

I'm off to finish up the work day and get prepped for the some sweating. Everyone ready for Friday!?!?

xo,
H

The Reveal

Now you see it:

Long, dark, frumpy, and a facial expression that is in the midst of telling the hubs to quit messing around and take the stupid picture. What a team player.

Now you don't:

A little lighter, a lot shorter, and a picture of the "self-portrait" variety, because D has this awesome photo-taking ability that lends itself to making me look like I'm 30 lbs heavier and been dragged through a sewer. I swear I'm not exaggerating. Not that mine are much better. ;)

I think it's okay. I am pumped to not spend forever drying it just to throw it up in a messy bun later in the day. I'm still figuring out how to style it and all that fun stuff, but so far, so good. Although, someone at the office may have told me they liked the old hair better.... (b*tch).

Here's where you tell me how much you like it! Totally kidding. I feel kind of creepy posting pictures of myself, but I've had some pressure from my adoring readers/besties. :) Does anyone else make a huge deal out of hair cuts and color? Are you one of those lucky people (like my mom) who have found an awesome style and can just maintain it without stressing every 6-8 weeks?


xo,
H

Crockpot Turkey

I mentioned in my Thankful post last week that the family crockpot made an appearance on Thanksgiving. You might even say it was the star of our holiday feast. :) Don't think I got off completely free though, there was some actual effort that went into planning and executing our meal (but not much...)!

The original plan was to invite over D's single soldiers who weren't going home for Thanksgiving, but since his NCOs already had that covered and he *ahem* may have procrastinated at extending the invitation, we got off easy and it ended up being just our little family for dinner. We met up with some of his guys for dessert later in the evening. I was a little relieved at the prospect of only having to cook for us, but was still excited to make a yummy meal, so I came up with the following menu and had a fun day of cooking. Click the menu item for a link to the recipe!

The Menu
Turkey Breast
Brown Gravy
Mashed Potatoes
Sweet Potato Souffle
Green Bean Casserole
Parmesan Knot Biscuits
Chocolate Pie
Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Note that there is no fruit. I may have been getting a little overzealous with my menu and D was quick to nix cranberry sauce from the list. I still think you gotta have some at an official T-day meal, but I wasn't complaining about having one less thing to make. Also, the two potato dishes? I refused to give up mashed potatoes and D has a thing for the sweeter variety, so we had both.

It was a great day. Thanks to a certain early riser of ours we were up and at 'em before 7am. I had desserts made, potatoes peeled, and the turkey in the crockpot by 10am and made my way out for a mid-day run around noon. Wine was uncorked and the table was set by 4pm and we were seated and eating by 5! Everything turned out really well. The sweet potatoes were way better the second day and I will probably play with another recipe next time. The biscuits didn't necessarily go with the meal, but I was looking for an excuse to try out an easy Pinterest recipe- and they were the biggest surprise hit of the night. The turkey was awesome and moist, the mashed potatoes have already been made again this week and the green beans were a classic. We all know how the cookies were. If you haven't made them yet by this point, you are missing out. I had soldiers trying to get me to friend their mom's on facebook so I could pass on the recipe. If that isn't success, I don't know what is. :)

All in all we had a great Thanksgiving with our little family. I love spending time with the rest of our relatives whenever possible, but this was the best way to spend the holiday with our move so close on the horizon. I do look forward to potentially hosting a big T-day bash in the coming years. This was a good trial run....but I'm not sure they make crockpots big enough for a full sized turkey, so I have a ways to go! :)

xo,
H