Our Apartment

Thought I'd share Some pictures of our new apartment.


This is in the dining room.

This is in our dining room as well.

This is a close up of the picture on the wall.

Here is the top of our fireplace. It's electric.

This is above our TV.

Here are some pictures taken by Eric. They are on the wall by our front door.

This is in Elise's room! It says, Always Kiss Me Goodnight.

Elise's name on the wall above her dresser.

Here is Elise's crib and her little canopy!

This is her play area in her room.

This is in her room as well. We are using it less and less, but there isn't really any other place to keep it.

This is on the wall by her closet.

Life In Colorado

Well, since my last post, Eric has found a job. He is still looking for something better. He actually got a call today for a job he is really excited about! We will hopefully know more information tomorrow. If he gets this job, we will be moving to a different part of Colorado when our lease is up. Please pray that everything works out if this is what Eric is suppose to do.

Eric's parents came for 2 weeks to visit! It was wonderful to see them! We were able to do a lot with them! Randy even took some family pictures for us! We didn't get them yet, but I will post some when we get them.

We found a church! It is wonderful! It's called Discovery Christian Church! Everyone is really friendly, great worship and preaching. Check it out at dccsprings.com.

Little E and I visited The Little Gym and really enjoyed it! We decided to start atteding! I think Little E will really enjoy it!

Wednesday we will be visiting some friends! I am really excited! I need time with friends!

Until we get the family pictures, here are some recent pictures!

Just a few pictures

Just wanted to share a few pictures. Some of them are from TX and some of them are from CO!

This from May!

Family picture before moving.

The Hubs and I!

Me!

Biggest smile I've ever seen!

I LOVE this picture!

Off Road with Eric's New Ride

The Hubs found a dirt road that goes something like 45ish miles in the mountains. So we decided to check it out! It starts at Garden of The Gods.

It is beautiful! I haven't mentioned that Eric got a "new" vehicle because he wanted to surprise his parents when they came to visit in a couple of weeks. They accidently found out from one of their friends.

So, Eric took this picture on our journey and I am finally able to share that he got an 87 Toyota Land Cruiser! He loves it and I am praying he keeps this one for a while. In the 3 years (on the 14th) that we have been married, he has owned 5 different vehicles! Did I mention he likes cars a lot! Anyway, we didn't go very far on the road because Eric forgot to get gas before we started. Elise slept for most of the trip! It was very bumpy and we were both surprised that she didn't wake up!

The other day Eric installed cabinet locks in our kitchen and Elise decided she wanted to help!

She loves helping Daddy with projects and I expect this to last for many years to come! I loved helping my Dad with projects when I was young and it looks like Elise is going to follow in her Mommy's footsteps!

We've slowly been getting organized, Eric is job hunting and we've been relaxing! Last night Elise and I went to the apartment pool! Here is Elise ready to jump in!

A few fun things about Colorado Springs! One is, their main gas stations are called Loaf n' Jug! I think this is a very amusing name and it makes me giggle a little every time I see one!

Second, we went in in Albertson's (I was kind of surprised they have them here.) and they had a pop aisle! Can I just tell you, I have lived in fear of accidently saying pop the last five years of my life living in TX! The thought that I won't be made fun of if I say pop and just a little exciting!

Today, Eric and I got our driver's licenses switched to Colorado! That was exciting and I even get to keep my TX one as a souvenir! I was sad when I had to surrender my Michigan one when I moved to TX.

I still plan to post pictures of our apartment, but don't want you all to see what it looks like until everything is in its place. It's a little rough right now as we figure out where to put all of our stuff! We have a lot of it!

So, that is all for now! See you next time, hopefully with pics of the apartment!

Colorado

We have officially moved to Colorado! We love it! Before I write too much about our move, here is a picture of the dress I just bought. I wore it to our friends wedding! This was at the end of the night, around 11:00 or so.



I can write too much. We haven't gotten internet in our apartment yet, it's coming. We can't get anyone out until the 10th! We are organizing our apartment and I will post pictures once everything is arranged. I did want to share the view from our apartment! These were taken on our patio! Are you jelous yet?




Here is a close up of the mountains!

Well, that's all for now. I have to go put the munchkin to bed.

Hey, I'm interested to see how many people read my blog. Please leave a comment here or on my facebook if you read. Thanks! More to come soon!

Way Too Long

It's been way too long since I have actually blogged a real blog. I hope you enjoyed the recipes I shared! Life has been crazy getting ready to move to Colorado! We are so excited about this new adventure!

We are packing this morning, then we are heading to a wedding of our friends Corey & Amy! So excited for them! Sunday is more packing and having lunch with my sister and brother-in-law. Rex is going to take some family pictures for us. We load everything in the moving truck on Monday with the help of my brother-in-law Rex, head to Amarillo on Tuesday and will arrive at our new home on Wednesday! Our friends are going to come down from the Denver area and help us unload! Thanks Matt & Tiffany! It's going to be a busy few days!

Eric has not found a job, but has some great leads! His boss here in TX called the El Paso County Assessor's office to see if they had any opennings for him! What boss do you know that would do that for someone who just said they were leaving? Please pray that Eric would not only be able to find a job, but that it would be a job he will enjoy!

In other news! A few weeks ago we took a trip to Frisco, to go to Ikea. We wanted to buy a new dining room set. We couldn't wait because the Ikea in Colorado doesn't open until next year. Here are a few pictures of Elise helping Daddy put the table together before bed. She was such a good helper!!

I wanted to take some before and after pictures of it, because we decided to stain it!

Here is the table.

Here is one of the chairs.

This was my first experience staining! Here is the finished table!

Here is one of the chairs. I have to put the last coat on three of the chairs.

I actually really enjoyed the process. It was very relaxing. I may have to find some other things to stain or paint. I found this great blog that gives you plans to make furniture simply and cost efficient.

Every Thursday, Elise and I have lunch with my sister. We had our last lunch before we move this week. I decided to take a few pictures. Here are a few cute ones!

I really liked her tongue sticking out in this one!

I'm not sure what she was clapping about here.

Look! She really does have hair!

Last night Elise kept sitting on my lap, she does it a lot if you sit on the floor. She really likes books! She love to "read" them! It is so cute! Last night she was "reading" me God Knows All About Me. A really cute book I got her before we took our trip to MI. It was so cute! She is growing up so fast!

Well, I may not have the time to blog until after we move. We haven't set up the internet in our apartment yet, so it may be a while before I am able to blog.

Neapolitan Baked Ziti

This one has a lot of steps, but it's delicious and well worth the work.

NEAPOLITAN BAKED ZITI

Serves: 4-6

INGREDIENTS

1 lb ziti
2Tbsps extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 medium medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, grated or minced
1 can whole plum tomatoes (28 ounces)
4-5 basil leaves, torn
Salt and pepper to taste
3 Tbsps butter
3 Tbsps flour
2 cups of milk
1 fresh or dried bay leaf
Grated nutmeg
1 large ball fresh mozzarella, diced
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

DIRECTIONS

Pre-heat oven 400 degrees.

Place a large pot of water over high heat and bring to boil to cook ziti. Once boiling, add some salt and the pasta, and cook just shy of al dente. Drain.

While the water is coming to a boil, start the red sauce: place a medium-sized saucepot over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pot of EVOO, about 2 Tbsps. Add the onion and garlic, and cook, stirring every now and then until the onions start to get tender, about 3-4 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and smash them up into small pieces with a potato masher or the back of a spoon. Add the basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil and simmer for 15 minutes.

Once you have the red sauce working, make the white sauce: Place a medium-sized saucepot pver medium heat and melt the butter. Add the flour, stir to combine and cook for about a minute. Whick in the milk, add the bay leaf and season with some salt, pepper and nutmeg. Bring to a bubble, turn the heat down to low and gently simmer, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and discard.

Combine the cooked ziti with the red sauce in the pot the pasta was cooked in and transfer everything to a baking dish. Top with the white sauce. Sprinkle the mozzarella and grated parmesan cheeses over the top, transfer to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.