The Never-Ending House Hunt

Source: threepotatofourshop.com via Caryn on Pinterest

So, if you don't already know, Frank and I have been house-hunting for about a year now. To be honest, it has been an extremely frustrating experience. We started last summer when I was about mid-way into my pregnancy. We thought if we found something great and worth moving for, we'd do it. However, school started and I started getting bigger and bigger and moving just seemed out of the question....plus the right house just never came along. Then I had the baby and was home for 3 months and started looking again when Vivi was about a month old. I discovered that looking at houses online is now a hobby of mine. I'm REALLY into houses and love picturing in my mind what I would do. The thought of buying something and putting my own spin on it really appeals to me. Frank would rather a move-in-ready house. We expanded our search from the trendy mid-town area of Tulsa to the burbs...Jenks in particular because we just couldn't find what we were looking for in our price range. We actually found a house, put in an offer, got it accepted, did all the mortgage paperwork, got the inspections, etc, etc, etc......then the deal fell through with the repair requests. We lost about $1000 in that deal and were very bitter for awhile. We realized that it probably happened for a reason, but it was still frustrating, to say the least!

So...we have still been looking but just can't find what we want. We're beginning to think God just wants us to stay put in our little house. The problem is I have seen what is out there. I've seen the bigger closets, the counter space, the 2 car garages....and I want it. I've been so negative about our house that I need to do a complete 180. I need to appreciate what we have. We can survive in a 1,100 square foot house. It's not horrible, in fact, before I started house-hunting, I LOVED my house. So, I decided I have to change my attitude. I'm going to make a list of all of the things I LOVE about my house and just think about those instead of what is bothering me. Stay tuned....

I've got to go now...meeting my realtor at 2:30 to look at another house. I know...it's an addiction. Maybe I need to go back to work. ;)

Weekend Breakfasts

We have excellent weekend breakfasts at our house! At least one day each weekend Frank puts on his chef hat and goes to town. I love that he's experimenting in the kitchen. When we first started dating I think all he could do in the kitchen was heat up leftovers. Now he's a grillin' machine and a breakfast champ. The picture on the bottom is what Frank made this weekend. That is a fried egg panini and potatoes with mushrooms, onions, and goat cheese. Yum! Now, the pancakes and bacon...that was all me. I want to share these two recipes with you because I've tried a ton of pancake recipes and this one is the best I've found. It's the recipe my brother uses. AND the bacon...oh my gosh...once you have this bacon, you can't have it any other way. Trust me!

Fanny Farmer Griddle Cakes

1 cup milk

1 egg

2 tbsp. melted butter

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. sugar

1 cup flour

2 tsp. baking powder

(I also add a splash of vanilla and ground up flax seeds if I have them!)

This makes about 12 small pancakes...enough for about 3 adults.

Best Ever Bacon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Put a large scoop of brown sugar on a plate. All you have to do is lightly coat your bacon on each side with brown sugar and place it on the cookie sheet. That's it! I set my timer for 15 minutes then watch it carefully from there on out because it goes from perfect to burnt in no time. The brown sugar creates a caramelized coating on the bacon that makes it to die for!

Let me know if you try these recipes and love them as much as I do!

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July everyone! Isn't my patriotic outfit so cute? Mommy likes it because it looks like a 1920's swimsuit! :)

XOXO-

Vivi Grace

For The Hubs...

Source: microkosmic.com via Nikki on Pinterest

This picture is dedicated to my husband.....if you know Frank then you know that this is too perfect for words.

I Want This....

Source: amberlaneliving.blogspot.com via Katie on Pinterest

This would be my dream pantry! Who knew I even had a dream pantry?!? Not me!

4th of July LOVE

I doctored up some rice crispy treats for my two favorite boys, Drew and Brady, for the 4th of July weekend. I just melted some chocolate chips, put that in a ziploc baggie and cut off the tip, then drizzled them all. I topped them off with some stars and stripes sprinkles...can't go wrong! It's amazing how the simple smell of melted butter and marshmellows makes your house smell fantastic. I think they were a hit!

Revamping the blog....stay tuned!

Source: designeriphone.tumblr.com via Hope on Pinterest

SOOOO....this quote fits me to a T! I'm currently revamping the bloggy-blog and spending (wasting) a lot of my precious baby's nap times on this instead of doing what I need to be doing around the house. Oh well. Stay tuned...some more changes are coming!