Construction Week 12 and a Few New Green Products

Hello friends. I just realized I haven't given a construction update since Week 7! I'm not trying to keep you in suspense - things have just been moving so slowly since that point that I haven't felt like a post would really show you much. Here we are at Week 12 and the construction process is almost done. We of course hit a few snags (what project doesn't?) with the wood countertops and the final floor coat. They're finishing up the floors tomorrow and I will post after that I promise :)

In the meantime, here are a few sneak peak pics.

Knobs and pulls :)

Soapstone soapstone soapstone! Oh I love it and can't wait to show you all of it.

Wall sconces :) Matt thinks they look like peacock tail feathers but I love them!

OK back to my green products.

I've been searching for a more "green" bug spray for a while. I recently came across an article on natural bug spray in Whole Living magazine. I think you can download the article here if you're interested.

Anyway, they gave a bunch of examples of natural plant-based repellents.



Badger! Love it - $12 for a bottle of Badger Anti-Bug Shake and Spray. We've been using it the past few weeks and it really does work. Matt is a harsh critic as he's pretty much a bug magnet. A warning...it still has a strong smell like most sprays do...a bit like citronella and lemongrass :) Go get one today.

Next up....sunscreen.

I am loving Alba Botanica's Mineral Sunscreen (for the face but I use it everywhere because evidently it won't clog pores - I'll take all the help I can get).

If you want a complete list of good sunscreens out there, you can find it here.

Happy Thursday!

xo

3 year Anniversary!

Happy Anniversary to us!

How have 3 years already passed since this day?



Our wedding was one of my most favorite days ever, but the reason we got married was to have days like we do everyday. Nothing fancy - most of the time - just us.

It's wonderful and I'm so thankful for it. Love to my husband of 3 years - boyfriend of more than 11 :)

xo!

Baby Shower!

I was so lucky in college to become friends with an amazing group of girls. We are still close and it's so FUN when we can all get together.

I cannot believe it has been well over 5 years since these were taken! Such fun times :)

Now 3 of our group are pregnant!

We are really growing up. I am beyond thrilled that these ladies are becoming new moms. We threw a girls reunion and baby shower for them this past weekend to celebrate. It was so amazing to have the chance to spend some time with my friends and their baby bellies! It is times like this that make me sad to live so far away because I would love to hold these babies in my own arms in their first days of life. Guess I'll have to find a way to make that happen in spite of the distance.

By the way girls - this is a pic that I can't wait to show your children someday :)

OK - back to the weekend celebration!

We all met in DC where Lizzie and Cabba were our gracious hostesses.

When we studied abroad in Italy, our favorite restaurant was called Aqua al Due. They have recently opened one in DC so Lizzie made dinner reservations for us on Friday night :)

Saturday on our way to Cabba's house in Alexandria from Lizzie's in DC we had a quick and unexpected tour. I need some props for my from the car photo taking skills :)

And we saw lots of reminders that we were in the city...

Saturday afternoon we had the shower :)

Cabba made these cute frames for the nurseries. We all signed a sheep with some words for the babies.

This was my contribution! A onesie clothesline that the ladies could take home with them.

The new mamas also took home some diapers :)

And we all enjoyed some delicious food!

We did some present opening.....

And hanging out....

Lizzie and I set up the self timer -

So we could get an updated group picture!

Yay for baby bellies!

We ended the evening by putting on our pyjamas and putting together baby presents - oh how times have changed :)

We also had the chance to see Lizzie's new house! Fingers crossed for her Friday!!

Thank you girls for such a great weekend! I miss you already!

xoxo

Happy Anniversary

Happy Anniversary to my parents!
~ Thank you for providing such a wonderful example of a loving marriage ~



I love you!

A few new recipes...

I promise I'm working on downloading pics for lots of posts! I owe you a house progress post, baby shower and other Burlington fun updates, and LOTS of DIY excitement. It's just that I've been busy - and my new favorite excuse is that it's HOT. It has cooled down to 88 degrees in the house as I'm writing (remember that few people have AC here in VT).

While I'm getting my act together I thought I'd share a few recipes with you that I've tried this week! They were all delicious.

I found this one on pinterest. Yum.

Black Bean Salad with Corn, Red Peppers, Avocado and Lime-Cilantro Vinaigrette

Our garden is really in full swing these days (I should post on that too)! In spite of the attempts of the squash bugs to ruin our squash/zucchini...we have PLENTY, which means we ate zucchini 3 times this week. Here is one of the more unusual things I tried. They were good!

Baked Zucchini Fries

Last one. We also have plenty of basil, so I could make this delicious pesto dish :)

Spaghetti Squash Pesto with Tomatoes

Happy Wednesday!

xo

This is what I was doing...

Right before my phone fell into the lake.

For some reason, it has decided to work normally today after it spent the night drying in front of the fan. Fingers crossed it doesn't change its mind tomorrow.

Fun times

Hey Y'all - sorry for the long absence! I've been in VA again...this time celebrating all my new mama friends :) Such a fun weekend! It will take me a while to upload and post the photos (especially since I dropped my iphone in the lake this afternoon...that could take up an entire post itself) but I'll get there!

I want to share another fun weekend with you first!

My cousin turned 29 last weekend - yikes we're getting old! We celebrated with a family mexican fiesta, beer tasting, and pinata :)

Here are some photos of the celebration...

Happy Monday!

xo