Making Improvements

When we bought our house, we had an enormous deck that covered the majority of our back yard.  The raised part of the deck was actually built over an above-ground pool.  Kind of ridiculous, right?  The plywood you see is a covering a big hole in the deck--our realtor had to cover it so our house would pass inspection.   

This is what Mike and I have seen every day in our backyard since buying our house in 2010.  Really pretty, huh?

This spring we decide that enough was enough and the pool and deck were coming down!  I don't know where my pool demolition pictures are, but here you can see that the pool is gone.

Champ wishes he could go out and play on the deck, but I was too afraid he would fall/jump off!

One of Mike's former co-workers  has started a handyman business, so we hired him to finish our deck for us.

In progress...

The finished product!!!!  Champ loves being able to play outside!

Our next project is to get the big sandbox filled in, we're hoping to have that done this fall.

Our other backyard addition is our new firepit.  I built it on Memorial Day and we've enjoyed a few bonfires with our friends!

We are loving having a great deck and firepit for entertaining!!!

Friend Makin' Mondays: In the Kitchen

If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section at: All The Weigh so we can all see your FMM questions and answers.  The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

In the Kitchen

1. How often do you cook at home? I cook at home at least 5 days a week.  Definitely 4 days during the week (we go to Mike's parents on Thursday nights) and it depends on the weekend if we go out or have leftovers.

2. Do you eat more fresh produce, frozen or canned produce? Definitely fresh produce.  My fridge and counter are covered.  I don't buy any canned veggies except chick peas and black beans.  Sometimes we'll have some frozen vegetables.

3. What are a few unusual staples that can always be found in your kitchen?  Mangoes, coconut oil, pickles...not sure how unusual those things are!

4. Look in your fridge, then tell us about the healthiest thing in there. A ton of fresh fruit and veggies--strawberries, blueberries, bananas, watermelon, grapes, tomatoes, and cucumbers.

5. Now share the most unhealthy thing in it.  Oh boy, let's see--frosting, Pillsbury biscuits, pepperoni...lots of fun stuff :)

6. Do you eat leftovers? Not usually.  I'm not a huge fan of most leftover, however, Mike loves when we have leftovers so he can take them for lunch!

7. Do you use coupons at the supermarket?  Yes--all the time!

8. How often do you try new recipes? At least 2 or 3 times a week.  We don't eat the same thing too often :)

9. Do you make grocery lists? Do you stick to them? Yes, unless I'm just running to the store for a couple things, I always make a list.  I typically stick to it pretty well, but some deals I just can't pass up!

10. If you could buy one food item that would magically be calorie-free, which item would you choose? Brownies!!!