Ideas for our Dream Home...

As I have mentioned in a previous post, GG and I are wanting to build a house. We are wanting to build within the next 2 years. We have some gorgeous views on our wooded property. I wish that we could put it smack dab in the middle near our half an acre pond. But the land dips down there, so we can't put it just anywhere. I absolutely love our trees. We have pine, sweet gun, catalpa, and large oak trees. It is nice and peaceful.

I want our house to be located quite a bit from the road. Our land is a corner property and runs along 2 different roads. Since I love nature, I want quite a bit of windows but don't want just anyone being able to look in. Having it off the road a bit helps alleviate this problem. Our old house is only 100 feet from the road. People could see us in our house when they would come down our road.

My idea of a perfect house is not ideal for our budget. If I won the lottery, then I could have my true dream home. Since I don't participate in it, there is little chance of that happening. So with working in a budget, these are our MUST HAVES!

1.  Large Laundry Room 

     

     My idea of a laundry room would consist of 2 washers and 2 dryers either side by side or one on top of the other. I would like a laundry sink with a hanging bar above it. There would be a counter for folding clothes. Baskets under the counters for dirty laundry, separated, of course. A window somewhere, since half of my time, I am doing something in the laundry room. With 6 of us, we dirty tons of clothes, towels, sheets, blankets, and other washable items like tablecloths, dishrags, and dishtowels.  For me, shelves look cluttered, so I wouldn't have open shelves or cabinets. It needs to be in a convenient place. I rather it near the garage and back yard since the boys play outside a LOT.

***Disclaimer: These pictures do not belong to me. They are some that I found on different websites such as houzz.com. They are my inspirations pictures for ideas in my homebuilding.

Traditional Laundry Room by Minneapolis General Contractors Stonewood, LLC

This is pretty much what I would want. However, I want either white cabinets or a light wood cabinet in here due to the lint that gets everywhere.

Traditional Laundry Room by Chicago Interior Designers & Decorators 2 Design Group

2.  Mudroom With 3/4 Bath Nearby

     My idea of a mudroom consists of a bench big enough for 6 of us to put on our shoes at one time. Cubbies above for storage. Coathooks for backsacks and jackets in the winter. There also needs to be a hat rack or hook on a wall. GG and the 3 older boys love baseball caps. I would also like a shoe storage closet preferably under the staircase. I don't like the boys bringing their shoes to their closet. It makes it dirty and nasty. I would rather have a closet for all the shoes to go. That way only one spot in the house is where the shoes will go. My dream would be that it would be easier to find shoes. I also would like a broom closet that houses all the cleaning supplies.

Traditional Entry by Brentwood Kitchen & Bath Designers Precision Cabinets & Trim

This one would be perfect if it had one more cubbie area.

Traditional Entry by Asheville Interior Designers & Decorators Kathryn Long, ASID

Contemporary Entry by Cambridge Architects & Designers LDa Architecture & Interiors

Traditional Closet by Toronto Closet & Home Storage Designers Lipa Woodwork

Traditional Spaces by Menomonee Falls General Contractors Carmel Builders

Traditional Bathroom by Minneapolis Design-Build Firms Metamorphosis Design-Build

3. Large Kitchen With Island
    
    My dream kitchen is a LONG list of must haves. That is for another post. I do know that I want Ivory color main perimeter cabinets with glazed stained wood cabinets for the island. Tumbled marble with bronze fleur-de-lis accent tiles as the backsplash. Soapstone countertops on perimeter and granite on island. Several appliances that I would like: Full Fridge with matching cabinet panel, Tall tub dishwasher with panel, Single dishwasher drawer, 36-48" gas rangetop, Double Wall Ovens, Warming drawer, Freezer drawer, Ice maker machine, and Undercounter beverage cooler. Lighting is key in a kitchen. I want recessed lighting, undercabinet lighting, accent lighting over the cabinets, and pendants/mini-pendants.

Traditional Kitchen by Alpharetta Interior Designers & Decorators Great Spaces!

Traditional Kitchen by Wayzata General Contractors Hendel Homes

Traditional Kitchen by Raleigh Interior Designers & Decorators Driggs Designs

Mediterranean Kitchen by Highwood Interior Designers & Decorators Letitia Holloway


4. Large Pantry

    I really need tons of storage for all the food, paper goods, oils, seasonings, and different items that I don't want stored in kitchen cabinets. Having 4 children means shopping bulk most of the time. An ideal area to store all of these items would be the pantry.

Traditional Kitchen by Asheville Interior Designers & Decorators Kathryn Long, ASID

Traditional Kitchen by Roswell Photographers Barbara Brown Photography

5. Keeping Room attached to Kitchen

    I am not one for two dining rooms. I would rather have a living area off of the kitchen with seating at the bar or island for eating.

Traditional Living Room by Beaufort Architects & Designers Allison Ramsey Architects

6.  Large Master Bedroom with Sitting area

    I would love a Master Bedroom that would fit a King Size Bed with 2 nightstands, a chest of drawer, and a large dresser along with two chairs and a small table. I love sitting in the room looking outdoors in the morning. I would also like a single French door to the back porch.

Traditional Bedroom by Bellville Design-Build Firms Mill Creek Custom Homes

Traditional Bedroom by Charleston General Contractors Priester's Custom Contracting, LLC

7.  Large Master Bath

    My dream bath involves a slipper tub with a window over it, a 48" shower, a water closet, a small linen closet, separated his and her vanities, and double door entry into a large walk-in closet. The shower would be tiled and have body sprays as well as a rainshower head.

Traditional Bathroom by Wooster General Contractors Weaver Custom Homes

Traditional Bathroom by Downers Grove Design-Build Firms Oakley Home Builders

8. Formal Dining Room

    I want a dining room that is separated from the kitchen area. It will be open to the living room and foyer.

Traditional Spaces by Tatum General Contractors Anthony Builders

9.  Living Room

    In my living room, I want it located at the rear of the house. There will be a fireplace that will be located in between 2 bookcases. On one side of one bookcase, the hall to the second and third bedrooms is here. On the side of the other bookcase will be the entryway to the Master Bedroom. I would love for it to have 12 ft ceilings.

Traditional Family Room by Novato Kitchen & Bath Designers Julie Williams Design

Traditional Living Room by Charleston Interior Designers & Decorators Alix Bragg Interior Design

10. Important Items

     There are many items that I want that won't have pictures because they aren't for the pleasure of viewing. There are some that are most needed here in Louisiana.

        a. Slab Foundation
              This is key in our home. I want stained concrete floors in most rooms except for the kitchen and keeping room. Those rooms I am wanting a brick floor.

Mediterranean Kitchen by Shreveport General Contractors Terry M. Elston, Builder

Traditional Basement by White Design-Build Firms The Southern Basement Company

         b. Blown closed cell insulation
             I have heard several people saying just how this keeps the cold air in during the summer and warm air in during the winter. I have fiberglass batts in the walls and blown in cellulose (newspaper) in the attic. It doesn't help our home keep temperature.

        c. Low E Glazed Windows
            These are really popular at the moment. I don't know if they work or if they are worth it, but I am willing to try it out.

        d. High Seer Air Conditioner
            I know the higher the seer number the more energy efficient you are going to be. I would like to have a separate zone system where you can turn off the bedrooms flow or keep it at a higher temperature while you are in the bedroom. I don't stay in my bedroom except for sleeping and waking in the morning to watch the sun rise.

School Uniforms

I have been buying uniforms since MG started public school in the 2nd grade. He was previously at a private school that allowed the children to wear "everyday" clothes. My experience with different name brands has been quite good. There are some that I most likely won't buy again. MG and JK always have problems finding the right uniform pants that will fit well. Pleated pants do NOT look good on any of my boys. Another problem that I have had with a couple of brands is that they fade quickly. By October, they are looking like cheap used clothing.

Since I am buying for three and not one anymore, I have to look more at prices than ever before. Paying in the teens for shirts and pants when MG was the only one that I was buying for. When JK started school, it wasn't that bad either. But when LG started school last year, it got to be too expensive to NOT shop when there were sales. JK and LG are in the same size shirt which makes it a LOT easier since I can just buy in bulk and be done with it. The pants, however, are a different story. JK wears a slim pants while LG wears a regular size pants.

I absolutely LOVE the George uniform shirts that can be found at Walmart. They are cheap but not cheap looking AND they keep their color year round. ***Disclaimer: I do not own any of the photos that are shown. They were taken from the websites that are listed before the picture.

My favorite uniform pants has to be from The Children's Place. I've found that they last quite a while with my boys and stay looking new for quite some time as well!

However for MG, it is going to be a little harder this year. He doesn't fit in the sizes that are available at The Children's Place. When he first started, we would get him French Toast Uniforms. At the time, they were only found at Target. I absolutely loved them because they had the double knee. He is really rough with the knees of his pants. For some reason, he is the ONLY one who has had blow outs in the knees.

When these were at Target, they were really inexpensive. They have gone up in price since I bought them over 4 years ago. They aren't available at Target and I hate to buy something online just in case it doesn't fit. I always worry that I will send the clothes back and I won't a bigger/smaller size until after school starts leaving them without clothes. Without any other options, I would have to go and get them each a couple of pants and shirts and be out the money that I supposedly saved.

Old Navy shirts and pants wear well, but they fade horribly. I bought some Old Navy dark blue uniform pants. They faded within 3 weeks of wear. The same went for their shirts. I would probably buy their khaki uniform pants and white uniform shirts, though, but will probably not do anything colored.

Now, my children do not wear white on white or blue on blue clothes. They wear the khaki/blue or blue/white combinations. I usually buy my boys a couple of shorts, as well. The heat stays well into October and sometimes even in November, so shorts are worn quite often around here. Usually, I love the blue shorts, just because the shirt colors that our school allows go great with them. The shorts are from The Children's Place and the shirt is from Wal-mart.

These are what I buy for my children. Usually, it costs under $300 which is what I aim for when buying their school clothes at the beginning of the school year. It can get to be really expensive, but I try to cut cost wherever I see fit. Right now, all uniforms are on sale in my area. If these uniforms last the whole year, then I am proud of my accomplishment. If, however, they only 6 months, and I am paying full price in the middle of the year for more pants, I feel like I defeated the purpose. d

Good luck to all of you parents out there who have a first time entering student and don't have much more time before they enter school. It can be really stressful, I know. Just take deep breaths and you will be ok. The first day is the hardest. It never gets easier with each child either. Good luck to all you seasoned parents too. This means our children are getting older each time they enter a new school year.

Weight Issues..

I am trying to lead a healthier life. I look for healthier solutions to foods that I like to eat. It is hard. I have been overweight for most of my life. I did lose weight when I was in high school and was thin a few years of college but gained it right back plus some when I became pregnant with MG a few months after GG and I got married. At the time, we were living in the country and really didn't have an option of going anywhere to do daily walks except the country roads. People speed down those roads so I really hated to take MG in his stroller down those roads.

I know that I can give all sorts of excuses for why I am overweight. People who are thin and have been thin their whole life don't understand the daily struggles that we, overweight people, have. Even some overweight people don't understand why people are more overweight than they are. Some just don't realize just how big they are and speak quite ill of overweight or obese people. I have learned over the years that there are more than one type of  an overweight person. You have the ones that binge eat. You have the ones who eat constantly. You have the ones who eat small meals during the day and pig out at night. You have those who put too much on their plate at dinner time and overeat. You even have the ones who don't know just how many calories they are putting in their bodies. I am a combination of two: The "overeater" at certain meals and the binge eater. I don't eat all the time and I don't binge eat all the time either. Every so often, I get hungry for something and eat it. Usually it is during that time in the month that every woman has.

It amazes me that something that looks and tastes SO good could hold SO many calories. For example, I love Dairy Queen Blizzards. I got curious one day and went to their nutrition page online. Those things are such a high caloric food, one shouldn't eat much more the entire day. For a medium it was well over 700 calories. This was an eye opener. What I didn't realize was that calories are abundant in most of the foods that I like. I took a nutrition class that I needed for my degree. That was an amazing class. It helped me understand what I was doing "wrong" in my eating. It is all about choice and moderation. I got pregnant with NL not long after that class.

I feel that since NL is 19 months, almost 20 months, I need to get this body back in the shape it was pre-marriage and pre-pregnancies. Four pregnancies does a lot on a body. I don't believe in those "get thin quickly for a LOT of money" type diets.  My philosophy on those types of diets is that they don't work. (Weight watchers is probably the only one that I totally understand. It is not about skipping meals. It is about eating right even with a snack) Why don't the fad diets work in the long run? Because you are not eating as you should. By adding something to your food or drinking shakes or skipping out on your foods, you are defeating the purpose. You are not on those things for the rest of your life. When you do happen to stop taking the pills or drinking the shakes or whatever diet you are on, you start eating the foods that you gave up. This means more calories, more saturated fats. Sure you tricked your body into losing weight, but your brain hasn't learned the process of foods. You could be thinner for a few months or even years(as long as you are on that product), but when you quit doing the "fad" diet, you gain it right back and possibly even more.

I have an issue with paying money to lose weight UNLESS it is a gym membership that you use. Exercising is probably the best thing that you can do. You have to keep with it, though, or it is truly useless. Even if you just go once a week, it is better than sitting at home eating. This is how I lost my weight all those years back and I am determined to do it again. It is really hard to lose weight this way, I know, but in the long run it is the best way. You get used to eating things that are good for you and if you do go overboard once in a while, you have the exercise that gets rid of those horrible calories. Remember: EVERYTHING IN MODERATION!!

         

Almost that time of year again...School!

At this time of the year, my mind is always focusing on getting ready for three boys to enter into another school year. There are always supplies that are needed before they start. Last year I bought a ton of school supplies just in case the boys needed it during the school year. Stores have a habit of only selling their school supplies at a really low price at the beginning of the school year. I think about the whole year. Pencils break, colors get lost, paper gets used, folders bend, and glue is used. My boys are always coming home around Christmas time with a note that they need some of these items. This happened last year and every year since MG started school.

I like to get the list for everyone (MG won't have one in Jr. High) and write a list of everything I need then check off the items I already have such as manilla folders, folders with clasps, pencils, erasers, black composition books, crayons, glue, and rulers. Oh my, I have so many rulers that I have collected over the years. It is pretty easy to stock up during this time of the year. Thank Goodness, I would be paying an arm and a leg for things that are needed if not!

A new chapter in MG's life is about to start for him: Going into Junior High. How is that it feels like my own time in Junior High was not that long ago?! Yet it has been a little over 20 years since I started those years. I think every school year goes by faster than the last. Each summer zooms by so quickly that I get lightheaded just thinking about it. So anyway, I see a LOT of stores selling tons of schools supplies at a cheap rate. I really don't need much.  MG is going to need some notebooks, pens, and pencils to start off the year. Uniforms are another story.

Buying uniforms for 3 different children in 3 different sizes can be a pain. Usually I shop at Old Navy, The Children's Place, or JC Penney for their uniforms. I am hoping that next week will be the week that they put them on sale for a great price. I absolutely LOVE the uniforms. No fighting with them for what they will wear or what shirt and pants match. It is all there for them to just put on after they wake up and eat breakfast. Some people don't like them because of the cost, but I like them because they are convenient for my boys. 

This time of year also means that it is time to get back in the groove of going to bed and awaking early. I am an early riser; I love to see the sun come up as dawn peeks its beautiful head. My boys, however, love sleeping late. I made it a habit to see that they go to bed between 8-9 pm but I don't get them up early until the week before school. LG is probably the only one who is actually anxious to go back to school to see his friends. JK and MG are still on the fence about being ready. They have another 4 weeks to get ready. It is approaching quickly.

When do your children start school again?  How do you prepare your children to get ready for school time again? 

Thoughts...

Since GG and I are trying to save to build our dream home, I have been looking at areas in our budget to cut costs. Because we have 4 boys, it isn't always easy. They are always needing something like clothes or money for some kind of activity at school. Don't get me wrong; I really don't mind that my children love school activities even if it does cost more than I want to spend sometimes. It's also safe to say that they will always need clothes. They grow like weeds and rarely will fit in something a few months later.

One area that I have been trying to cut down on is our grocery bill. I cook from scratch almost every night. GG and I occasionally eat at a local place once a month or so. I keep a meal planner two weeks at a time to alleviate costs. I know that you are supposed to buy what you need for each day that you currently don't have with the money that you set aside for groceries. I tend to do it differently.

For example, this week's meal plan started out with Monday's menu being Ground Meat and Shells. I always buy ground meat when it is on sale. I never pay over $3/lb. Last week, a grocery store near GG's work office was selling ground meat for under this price, so I told him to get a couple of packs of it. Truthfully, I probably do meal planning by what our local stores have for their meat prices. For example, a local grocery store has chicken leg quarters at $0.49/lb this week, which is pretty darn cheap when you consider how much it is at full price. i will get a couple of 10 lbs bags, separate them into zipper closed bags, and freeze them. Then when I meal plan again, I can put into place this in it.2 bags of chicken will probably feed us 4 or 5 times depending upon the size of the leg quarters.

GG always brings leftovers to his workplace. It tides him over until he gets home. It also saves money. I usually only cook enough to feed us the night and leave him with enough left overs. He works out in the sun and heat. It can get pretty stifling here in Southern Louisiana. I try to experiment with food as well. Last week, I made a Chicken, Broccoli, Carrots, and Pasta meal that my kids loved. They don't usually like carrots that are cooked, but, in this, it was simply amazing. I will try to post a link to the recipe in a later post.

BTW, the best thing that I have found to keep using the items in our freezers and pantry is to make a list of everything you have in them. That way, you know exactly what you have and can scratch off each item as you use them. This has been a really great idea for us. There were food items I didn't know we had until we did inventory. This has been a useful tool in our grocery budget. Knowing what we have and what we are almost out of, makes it easier than trying to decide at the store if you have any more of something. Then once you get home, you realize you already have the item you bought but were out of another item similar to that item and have to run back to the store to pick that one item.

Now, I don't know about you, but the idea of getting into my vehicle after just spending most of my time going up and down grocery aisles is not a pleasant thing. The issue that I have is that I will be paying twice as much because gas prices are really up there and don't look like they are going down anytime soon. That's for another post though. I need to get my booty in gear and head to the post office to drop off a package that needs to be delivered.

Ground Meat and Shells (feeds at least 8)

2 lbs   Ground Meat
1 can  Diced Tomatoes
2 tbsp Taco Seasoning
16 oz bag Medium Shells
1 small onion, diced
1 tsp minced garlic
season to taste
(I usually sprinkle kosher salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, onion powder, & garlic powder while meat is cooking.)
Shredded Colby Jack cheese (optional)

Fill a medium saucepan 3/4 of the way with water, add a small amount of salt, bring to boil, then add shells, boil for 12 minutes unless you like them a little tough then it's 10 minutes. Drain, once cooked.
While waiting on the water to boil, in a large 11 1/4 fry pan, (I use Magnolite brand) fry down the ground meat. Add seasoning, let brown, stirring occasionally. Once brown, add onions and let fry until they get translucent. Then add dice tomatoes, minced garlic, and taco seasoning. Let simmer for 15 minutes. Combine Shells and Meat together. Turn off heat and let stand 5 minutes.
You can either add cheese to the whole meal or individually. LG is lactose intolerant so he gets his own special veggie cheese to put on top of his.

Starting out

Sometimes life pushes you in a direction that you never thought you would go in. I started school almost 4 years ago. My education past high school is almost complete. While it isn't where I thought I would be a whole 17 years ago, it is going in a great direction. It has been a really wonderful experience to be in college for the 2nd time around and accomplishing my goal to have a degree.

This blog is not intended to be a sad, lonely place to go. I find that being positive about something always ends with positive results. Believe me when I say that GG's and I's lives have had their fair share of ups and downs. It is nearly impossible to be positive 100% of the time, but I DO try to be. I want to be able to share all sorts of things with you from everything to do with kids to everything to do with food to everything to do with finances.