Demo Day!

Friday, March 11^th, we received keys to our new home! With an eventful end to escrow, all parties were happy to close this deal!

As Anthony and I walked into our new home, the journey of new memories began. As the process of looking for a home started almost a year ago, (with the world’s best Realtor and BFF - Annie) we have anticipated this moment for some time. Now, with a new addition arriving is less than two months, we have our hands full in prepping for his big day. Not only are we moving, but our dream of taking on a “Fixer Upper” has become reality!

Once a week, Anthony and I watch the television show Fixer Upper. Not only do I LOVE Joann’s style and Chip’s personality, they have inspired us to take on our own fixer upper. With this being said, we purchased our new/old home and started demo this past weekend. For all who watch Fixer Upper, you know how much Chip looks forward to demo day. As Anthony and I woke up Saturday morning, I asked if he was as excited about Demo Day as Chip... I did not quite get the same reaction. Needless to say, we rallied all the troops and headed to the house for an eventful weekend.

The task to complete for Saturday and Sunday included: removing all wallpaper, tile from the entry way, two walls, wood paneling and prepping any light plugs and other items on the walls for the painters. As I should know from Fixer Upper, a plan is just a plan. Once we began the demoing process our plan quickly changed. The original items stayed on the list, but we added lifting the ceiling in the entry way/hallway and found mold behind the wood paneling. Though there were a few additions to the project, we did not break any windows taking out tile and there were no any serious injuries at the end of the weekend!

Here is a little breakdown of the projects!

Wallpaper: The master bedroom, living room and entry way all had original wallpaper on the walls. Luckily, the master bedroom wallpaper came off easy, but the story changed once we headed to the living room. Thanks to my mom and Val for their dedication and perfection of taking off wallpaper! We may have lost a steamer in the battle with the wallpaper, but the job was completed!

And, thanks to our smallest helper!

 Knocking Out Walls! This is what I looked forward to all weekend. Though I may be 7 ½ months pregnant, I was not going to miss an opportunity to take a swing at those walls!!! We spent Saturday and Sunday taking out sheet rock, removing wires and learning a lot about load bearing walls. All in all, the two walls I wanted removed opened up the house and will look amazing once finished.

Tile in the Entry Way: This was the most labor intense part of the weekend. Anthony, Larry and my dad spent the majority of Saturday swinging a sledge hammer and chiseling tile out of a small area. One thing is for sure, they definitely knew how to build homes back in the 70’s

Raising the ceiling: This was an addition to the project, but will be worth the extra work (Thanks to my husband who goes with the flow and my crazy ideas!).

Removing Wood Paneling in Baby Boys Room:  Thank goodness we did not leave paneling in this room! Kevin and Anthony removed the paneling and quickly found a large amount of mold on the sheet rock and behind. After looking into the problem, there is a hole from the outside of the house where moisture worked its way into the room. Once again, a little setback, but after we have some professionals deal with the mold, baby boy will have a fresh room to call home!

Fun Family Pictures

 Thank you to all who made the weekend possible! 

Stay tuned for the rest of our journey...

Levi's 1st Birthday

Last weekend we packed up the truck and headed to the Dickson’s house in Lake Tahoe. It seems far too long since we have seen the Dickson’s or any of the other crew in Tahoe. With much anticipation of a 5 hour ride and a 16 month old, we headed out late at night so Giada would sleep. 

Friday morning we met the birthday boy, Levi, for the first time. Giada couldn’t have been more excited to have a new friend to play with for the weekend. She also loved meeting James and having a few kids around that were her size (even though they are both younger!). As usual, the Dickson’s were wonderful hosts with delicious food, drinks and laughter. Unfortunately, there was not much snow but that didn’t stop us from fining some patches for Giada to play in. 

Saturday, Levi had a winter bash and Kailen did a wonderful job with decorations and entertaining. Though our weekends in Tahoe are quite different than five years ago, we wouldn’t trade it for anything. 

Thank you for a wonderful weekend and we look forward to seeing everyone soon!

Giada 16 months, James 7 months

She loved Levi's truck

      Cute gift for the kids

First time playing in the snow.

Appetizer - Cheese Dip

My aunt has made this dip multiple times and always tells me how easy it is to make - She was right! Though it is one of the easier reciepes I have made, it is definetly not the healthiest!


Ingredients

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup mayo
• Salsa
• 4-5oz. shredded cheese, I used Mexican Blend

Note: I recommend doubling the recipe. With this being said, I used an 8 oz bag of cheese.

Directions  
 
Beat cream cheese and mayo until blended. Add salsa until you have a light pink color. Blend in cheese. Place mixture in baking dish and top with shredded olives. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 min.

Enjoy!

Ice Box Chocolate Cake

In honor of National Chocolate Cake Day, I made this recipe from my mom and it is a MUST try!

Combine

• 3 cups flour
• 3 cups sugar
• 6 T. Cocoa
• 1 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. salt

Melt/boil - add to above

• 1 1/2 cups butter
• 1 1/2 cups water

Add to Mixture

• 3/4 cups buttermilk
• 3 eggs slightly beaten
• 1 1/2 t. vanilla

Pour above and bake in a buttered or lined half baking sheet at 350 for 25-30 min. Be careful not to overcook - check after 25 min...

Frosting - heat below in saucepan till a boil

• 1 cube butter - melted
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• 6 T. buttermilk
•  
• Remove from heat, add l lb of powdered sugar until blended - pour over warm cake. 

Reclaimed Wood Frames (Custom Frames For Sale!)

I am in the process of decorating Anthony's office and filling in those blank walls. One of my first projects was to create a rustic picture frame look with hunting and outdoor pictures. After narrowing it down to three pictures, I was able to begin the process. 

I ordered 12 x 12 pictures and built my frames from there. 

I 

If you are interested in having your own reclaimed wood picture frame and personal picture attached to the frame, please contact me for pricing. I can customize the size, color and layers added to the frame!

Giada 14 Months

Giada turned 14 months on the 13th. It's beyond crazy how much can happen in two months. She is running (not walking) constantly talking, strong willed, self entertains, loves her puppies, eats more than Anthony and I put together and still a daddy's girl! Giada is a peanut wearing size 3 diapers and barley fitting into 12 month clothing. I love that she takes two, two hour naps and goes to bed at 8:00 and wakes at 7AM. Anthony and I are entertained on a nightly basis by her personality and feel truly blessed to be her parents. 

Potty training.... Still in the process. I took a little step back and mainly working with her on sitting on the potty after each feeding. We are now to the point where she doesn't fight me to sit, but still doesn't want to use the potty. Also, there is no diaper in the mornings before nap. This means accidents and carpet cleaning are a daily routine! We have had a couple success stories, but definitely not ready to toss the diaper altogether. That's ok- we are working toward the end goal! 3 1/2 months left for me to conquer this obstacle!

We love you peanut and can't wait to watch you be a big sister to your baby brother.

Antique Medicine Cabinet - For Sale

Solid wood, distressed, unique antique medicine cabinet. 

The outside of the cabinet is white washed and the inside is a distressed green with wax on top to seal.

FOR SALE $50

Ottoman

After two puppies using our ottoman as a chew toy for two years, it was time for a remodel.

Before

My helper!

NFR in Vegas!

We finally made it back to the NFR in Vegas! Thursday through Sunday we enjoyed some adult time with great friends.

By the time we arrive at the casino on Thursday night, my pregnant self was ready for bed! Anthony and the boys headed out for the night and I rested up for the rest of the weekend! Friday I worked till 11,  we ate lunch at a BBQ place on the strip, then, it was off to Cowboy Christmas at the Convention Center. Five years ago we attend Cowboy Christmas and let me tell you, it has tripled in size! Anything and everything you could image was available. As the evening quickly arrived, we headed back to the casino to get ready for delicious dinner at Craftsteak in the MGM followed by a trip to the Mirage to check out Easton Corbin. Once again, being pregnant in Vegas makes for a different experience, so we hung out for a bit and then called it a night. Saturday morning, we ate breakfast at New York New York; then I tried to win back some of our money Anthony seemed to do magical disappearing acts with. (Not his weekend in Vegas!).  Early afternoon we met up with some of Jeff's friends and rode over to the rodeo. Just as I remember, there was lots of food, drinks and people everywhere.  The rodeo was amazing! After rodeo, we were headed back to the Mirage for another concert. Before ending the night, for me at least, we checked out the dueling pianos at New York New York.

Sunday was here before we knew it and definitely time to head home! Another great trip in Vegas and I look forward to going back, not pregnant:)

Baby Boy Serpa

With a 14 month old daughter, a new job and a FOMO husband, we lead an extremely fast paced life that I wouldn't trade for anything. That being said, why not add to the journey and expand our family!

 September 5^th, Anthony and I found out our second child is on the way and we can't be more excited that Baby "BOY" Serpa is due May 14th. Giada and her brother will be 18 months apart and as the due date gets closer and closer, the idea of two under two is very real.

During my pregnancy with Giada I took weekly pictures, documented every place we traveled and every move she made. It’s funny how things change the second time around.  Each week I tell myself to take a “weekly picture” and each week I fail to complete the task. It's time to start before it ends or when he gets older I'm sure I'll be asked "Mommy, why aren't there many pictures of me? or Mommy, when did I first ............?"

Currently I'm 21 weeks and 3 days pregnant. Overall, the pregnancy is similar to my first, but all the symptoms are accentuated… I am not sure if it has anything to do with him being a boy or not. Sleep is almost non-existent and he never stops moving. 

The million dollar question at this time is, “What’s the name?” From the moment we knew we were having a girl,  I knew her name would be Giada  The second time around and having a boy, there are a lot of thoughts, but nothing definitive.  As I have posted, potty training is now on the books as I have no desire to have two under 2 in diapers.

I am past the half way point and baby boy Serpa will be here before we know it! Anthony is beyond excited to have his boy and I can’t wait to see what type of big sister Giada will be!