Home repairs

This has certainly been the weekend for home repairs / beautification projects.

1. We replaced the pulls and knobs on our kitchen cabinetry. They were these cheap white plastic things that "blended in" with our cabinets. Now they are these fancy brushed nickel pieces that really make it look a whole ton classier.

2. When replacing the pulls/knobs, we noticed that our cabinets and stove could really use a cleaning. So, we put to use our 409 and elbow grease. And now, our kitchen is sparkling.

3. We spackled 10 holes in our wall. Yes, I put the holes there in the first place with a separate "repair/beautification" project that I attempted a few weeks ago. But that doesn't matter...because I learned from it and fixed it. I OVERCAME! And now, it looks fantastic.

4. We cleaned the dickens out of our BBQ. This BBQ was a "perk" of renting this apartment. It was actually one of the reasons we wanted to live here. The only problem is that it was filthy. I don't just mean a little bit of dirt had collected on it from the previous tenants. I mean...mold growing in and out, some sort of egg sacs inside the lid, layers of grime, etc. (sorry if you just got a little sick to your stomach. I did while cleaning it.) It was quite disgusting. So we attacked it with a homemade bleach solution. It looks 10 times better. We still need to burn off some stuff from the inside. But once that is done, we just might have a backyard BBQ party. :)

5. We got a hammock! Okay, I didn't buy one. My parents are kind enough to let me use theirs because they don't have room for it at their condo. We set it up last night, and I have already spent several hours in it. In fact, I'm laying in it right now with my laptop in my lap. Ahh, sunny summer day.

6. Our water pump alarm has gone off twice this week. Our landlord called a repair guy, and they spent the afternoon fixing it. Hopefully. Now maybe we can take showers without worrying that some pipe will blow up underneath us.

That's it so far. But I still have another day and a half before the weekend is over. Who knows what other things can get done! WOOHOO for prettier homes!

Family visits!

My sisters and nephews (Teresa, Mary, Marc-Andre, and Luc) came for a visit recently. I am still working on the pictures and such. So...keep checking in because I will soon be posting something on it!:)

Joe visits!

One of my closest friends from Japan, Joe Myers, came to Seattle recently for a conference. He and I were worship leaders together for Project 196 in Okinawa. He was here for a few days so I just had to show him around this beautiful city. I only had a few hours to play tour guide, so I had to be picky on what we went to see.

Here's a slide show of the day. :)

2 firsts for Jessica

1. Red Lobster
She had never been to a Red Lobster! Can you believe that?? So, back in college, we put that on our "To Do Before Graduation" list. Unfortunately however, it was never completed. Now that we are living together again, I had to rectify this situation. So off we went. :)

Cheesy biscuits...caesar salad...shrimp alfredo. Is your mouth watering yet??

We were even allowed to hold a lobster. Don't worry, we informed the little guy that he would not be our dinner.


2. Bubble tea
After living in Japan and experiencing the fantastic creation of bubble tea, I just had to share. And if any of you have never had it, go look for a place that sells it. Seriously. [exception: do not get a bubble tea at the Mud House coffee shop in Springfield, MO. that stuff is just gross]

Personally, my favourite flavour is Taro. Jessica tried coconut. Both were tasty, but she also preferred Taro. You should try it. :) And always, always get the tapioca pearls.

Here's the progression of her first taste of bubble tea:

new haircut

It was time. My hair had gotten so long that it was down to the middle of my back...the longest it has ever been. While I enjoyed it long, and will have it long again someday, I was desperately needing a change. Below are the before and after pictures.

Debt sucks!

But new cars rock!

For the first time ever, I had to get a loan to buy a car. I've always purchased cars with cash. But this time, it just wasn't possible. I definitely don't like the feeling, but I certainly am enjoying my car! It's a 2005 Honda Civic EX. It's a lovely dark silvery gray colour....moonroof, 4 dr, automatic, and absolutely gorgeous. If you can't tell, I'm pretty happy with my choice. Feel free to ogle. :)

Tempero do Brasil

I had never tried Brazilian food before, but man is it tasty! Our landlords gave us a great gift card to a local Brazilian restaurant, called Tempero do Brasil. It was a thoughtful and very generous New Year's present. We decided to use it to for Jessica's 25th birthday. My parents joined us (it was a VERY generous gift card) to help celebrate the occasion.


We started the meal by ordering two traditional Brazilian drinks: one was an alcoholic drink whose name I can't remember. But it tasted kind of like a strong margherita. If I drank more, I'm sure I could give you a much better description. I will have to work on that. ;) The other drink was called "guarana". It's an extremely popular soft drink made from a berry that grows in the Amazon region. They were both REALLY good.

For dinner, we all split two main courses and a side dish. We had the Feijoada, which is a black bean stew that incorporates a variety of meats (including smoked pork, sausage, and beef). That was served with a tasty black bean rice and sauteed collard greens. The second dish was called Moqueca de Camarao, which is prawns simmered in a fantastic blend of coconut milk, lime juice, vegetables, and palm oil...served with white rice. My gosh those were good! I think I liked the Moqueca de Camarao better, but just a smidge. :)

For dessert we split the Pudim de leite, which is the Brazilian version of a caramel flan. As someone who doesn't usually like flan, this was FANTASTIC! I could have easily eaten an entire one myself. It was certainly a great way to end the meal....a very very delicious meal!

I made her use the decorative table candle as a birthday candle on top of the flan. :)

While enjoying these amazing blends of flavours, we also were treated with live music....guitar and vocals. At the end of the meal, the musician (whom I now know is named Javier) came over and asked me to take his picture. Of course I obliged. ;)


All in all, it was a pretty addicting night. Amazing food, great live music, fantastic service with incredibly nice owners, and a fun ambiance. I will definitely be going there again!

Introducing....

Sophie and Grace

Right after Christmas, my parents decided it was finally time to buy a kitten...so off we went to the local humane society. We were told that it wasn't "kitten season" so we probably wouldn't find any. First of all, who has heard of "kitten season"?? Is there such a thing? Apparently so, because there weren't any....until we were leaving. Four little kittens were brought in as we were walking out. We decided to stay and look them over. We fell in love. We planned on one, but ended up with two. :)

Sophie is a bit bigger and the trouble maker
Grace was the runt, though is catching up well...and she's the main snuggler

I absolutely love them!

Oops!

Once again, I have been a slacker and I apologize. I am working on it! :)

Teresa is PREGNANT!

The title says it all! :)

They decided to tell us on Christmas day. (Though I have just now been allowed to announce it to the general population.) They overnighted us a little present that they said was "something extra," and we got it on Christmas Eve. So on Christmas morning we opened the package and there was a note inside that said, "We bought this the first year we were married and have been waiting for the right time to give it to you." Peek your interest? Yeah, ours too. So we opened the rest of the box and we found a camel ornament.

Yep, we were a little confused too. But, then I saw something inside of the camel, and wondered..is it a baby camel?...is Teresa pregnant??

Apparently I was right! Teresa is pregnant! They found out a few days before Christmas (which is why they had to overnight the present to us). The due date is August 30th. I can't wait to find out if it will be a boy or a girl. :)

Here's the first picture of little To-Be-Announced Ingalls: