Blurbs

Blogging has been tough lately and not just because of all the extreme weather. The hurricane knocked out our power Saturday and has been out since. It started coming back on intermittently last night but unfortunately it was more of a tease and not long enough for hot water for a shower. Fingers crossed it stops flickering and stays on soon. Indoor "camping" does tend to drag after a little while.

We have somewhere around 10-20 massive trees to clean up. We had what looks like a tornado go through one of the hills. The remains were trees splintered off at the trunks, some trees ripped out completely leaving massive holes in the ground from the old root systems and even massive tree tops and branches sticking out of the ground. Cleanup is obviously still in progress but we worked on it all day Sunday and every bit of my body was aching by the end of the day. My hands are also rather shredded from the thorns on the locusts trees that came down.

We also had a tree demolish the barn filled with all the tractor equipment. Very very grateful it wasn't one of the houses but it's still quite the pain to clean up and deal with. All of the pictures are on the DSLR so it may be a few days before I can post them. Really though, its hard to capture it all when you don't have befores and afters. It ends up looking like a mass of brush everywhere.

A number of the main roads are still shut down so it's been quite interesting getting to work each day. Even the emergency evacuation routes are shut down!

Vermont got hit pretty hard as well though we are grateful that Hub's parents are far enough north that they are not stranded by the flooding. Sadly many of the gorgeous old covered bridges were lost in the storm.

We are extremely grateful we made all the food that we did Saturday. It's been such a blessing to have fun snacks and meals to eat without having to worry about the lack of stove or running water. Also for the full tank of propane we made sure to have on hand. It's been perfect grilling weather ever since the hurricane passed through!

How is everyone else faring in the aftermath?

Going Down that Path...

I've been continuing with the acupuncture on my quest to "better" my health and I've actually really been enjoying it. Surprising huh? I expected it to be something that I would grit my teeth and just deal with because really, who wouldn't rather just be getting a massage?

Anyway, I've started to look forward to the trips. Each week I go in, she asks me how I'm doing, what I'm feeling and I tell her if I'm stressed or tired or tense or emotional or whatever. The placement of the needles is then based on how I'm doing that week. She's also recommended various herbs and supplements to treat various symptoms. While it's too soon to say how effective they are, I've appreciated having someone to discuss it with. I'm not big on antibiotics and drugs and will avoid them if at all possible but it can be majorly overwhelming trying to research and figure it out all on your own.

I find that after I leave there, I am much more levelheaded and at peace with things. I've often wished that my Dr was like this instead of always being incredibly rushed and prescribing drugs at the drop of a hat.

Completely unrelated to the acupuncture visits, Hubs and I have been exploring the world of gluten-free. Inspired by a number of posts by Amy, I decided I wanted to take a look at what all we've been eating and see exactly how much gluten were consuming. Other than the fact that it would appear that gluten appears in small amounts in practically everything, it wasn't that bad. In fact, right now the only switches that we're talking about doing are subbing in rice pasta and corn tortillas for their flour counterparts.

Just doing those 2 things will cut it back a great deal and I'm curious to see if either of us notices feeling any different. While I realize that we may not notice a change at all since we're not cutting it out completely, I figure at the very least, we'll be getting more fiber.

Mostly, neither one of us wants to give up our occasional homemade bread, muffins, pizza crust and other baked goodies. I've heard that there are some great alternatives out there and that you don't have to give those things up completely but for now it's an area I want to take my time exploring and testing out.

I've also decided to cut back on the amount of sweets I consume. I definitely wasn't eating a ton, neither of us do. My norm is maybe a couple of star-bursts/ tootsie rolls/chocolates at the end of the night or an ice cream treat a couple of times a week in the evenings. These last few weeks I've decided to cut it back to sweets on the weekends only and so far it hasn't been too bad.

I'm not making any of these changes to diet. In fact I've been more carefully monitoring my weight lately to make sure I'm not loosing. I've read that both gluten and sugar can cause inflammation in the body and I figured it couldn't hurt to see if I notice a difference.

I also recently read an article that said it's not recommended for woman to consume more than 20 grams of sugar each day, including natural sugars and sweeteners found in items like fruit, honey and pure maple syrup. On average, one serving of low-fat fruit-flavored greek yogurt contains 17-21 grams of sugar, already putting you at the limit. Once you count the sugar put in cereals, breads, condiments, fruit and all the rest of your non-dessert foods, its common to be consuming double-triple the amount of the daily sugar recommendation. And you haven't even had dessert yet! Crazy isn't it?

This Crazy Ride

Life has been blasting full steam ahead. Millions of things to blog about but just haven't had a moment to do it!

Weekends are a constant whirlwind of fun and the work week just seems to pause for a brief moment only to blast into another fun weekend.

Last Friday night Hubby and I went out for a date night. Saw Harry Potter part 2 in theaters, grabbed mocha & carmel coffee drinks at Panera and had a blast browsing and trying on workout gear at a local sporting goods store. Sadly, they all seem to be bringing out their fall gear and there wasn't as much warm weather gear to be found.

BUT, over the weekend I placed orders from zappos, nike and under armour to kick off the search for some much needed gear and it has been arriving throughout the week with the last few pieces expected to arrive today. I will post pics/reviews once I sort through it all.

Then over the weekend, Hubs took me out for a little shopping date and these gorgeous beauties were finally in stock and available for me to try on:

Source: shop.nordstrom.com via Jen | Life Accounts on Pinterest

Love love love. Pictured are the suede but they are also available in almond and black leather. I was a bit disappointed in the leather quality but I do tend to wear my leather boots a lot more than my suede so it's a tough decision. Plus the suede was GORGEOUS and so buttery soft.

After I got a few returns done, we stopped by Tiffany's. Would you believe that I have never actually been inside a Tiffany store before? Husband did a little recon action and I tried on a couple of things. He even picked out something he'd like for himself! It was quite a fun date and afterwords we peaked in the Louis Vuitton Store so he could see the couple I had my eye on (3rd anniversary is Leather!). I had fun filling a virtual Tiffany's dream shopping cart Monday and emailing it to Husband. You know, just in case he needs ideas for upcoming birthday, anniversary and Christmas. ;)

This week has been all sorts of crazy fun. We had the earthquake on Tuesday where I discovered the awesomeness that is my work building is made with ALUMINUM sheeting for insulation. I will never have to worry about missing an earthquake as the sound of the buildings walls shaking resulted in a dull roar. Ceiling tiles fell, light bulbs shifted, cabinets flew open and the computer screen nearly vibrated right off the desk. Fun times.

Thankfully no damage seems to be done to the house and we can now focus on preparing for Irene. Where frankly, I'd like to take all the arrogant twitter naysayers that have been mocking the whole thing and making fun of others concern and stick them right in the midst of this storm.

Last time a tropical storm hit the area power outages were about a week and a half long for most people. We're not even talking hurricane weather! The power lines are all underground but the weather combo of lots of rain and high winds take out the polls for the main power stations and takes us all down.

Our water supply comes from a well, which is awesome most times because its super clean, we can drink it and we don't have to pay for it. Downside? No power=no water. So whenever we have fun storms like this, tubs have to be filled with water in order for toilets to be flushed. Fun times folks.

Tonight I'll be stocking the house with lots of yummy food in the forms of Parmesan garlic monkey bread, homemade pizza, taco meat, blueberry muffins and peanut butter stuffed brownies. If the power goes out, all the meat and veggies can be grilled and cell phones can be powered by laptops and car charges. There is a nice stock of fruit, sweets and alcohol and I guess if we loose power, we'll just have to clean up all the ice cream before it melts. But I am curious. If you lost power for several days and didn't have to go to work, how would you occupy your time (assuming outside and going places weren't options)?

The following is the list I've come up with so far.

Eat
Drink
Read
Drain Laptop battery watching movies
Drain battery on cell phone playing Words with Friends with Hubs and tweeting endlessly
Get it on. a lot. ;)
Dance party
Board games, cards and puzzles incorporating various strip teases adult rewards and penalties.

What am I missing? Happy Friday Ya'll! Stay safe if you're on the east coast!

Hockey Mom

Car companies have really been knocking it out of the ballpark lately with their commercials. In my opinion anyway. This is another one of my new favorites. Add in a little princess or two in the third row seat (and change the car to a lexus) and it's my dream!

An Update of Sorts

Hubs and I took a bit of a last minute trip to the beach house this past weekend and it was just lovely. Tennis in the mornings, relaxing and walks on the beach, dips in the pool, card games at night and lots of yummy snacks, it was wonderful and much enjoyed. We're definitely planning to squeeze a few more in before summer is officially over! :)

Getting away gave me lots of time to relax and clear my head. There's been a lot swirling around lately and I haven't had the chance to really sit down and sort out how I feel about things.

I've been silent on the baby issue for awhile now but sort of feel an update is due. Really there has been nothing to report. We are still waiting on God's timing and in the meantime enjoying life and taking the time to shore up our finances and pursue other dreams! While certain times are harder than others, overall we are happy and content.

Last night I received a text from my mother letting me know she'd found her Lamaze manual. It has been missing in action for years. She'd loaned it to someone but couldn't remember who and didn't recall seeing it since. I know this might seem trivial to some but that manual is filled with her notes and tips from pregnancy and giving birth to eight kids naturally. Some in a hospital, some in a birthing center. Babies in size from 6 lbs 12oz all the way up to 10 lbs 1oz. It contains a lot more than just Lamaze techniques, to say it is a treasure would be an understatement. Really its just the beginning of one of her many books she will write one day on her experiences and knowledge.

Anyway, last night after I got her first text, I responded back saying hopefully we would need it soon. Hubs and I had been heading to bed and were praying before calling it a day. That night, unbeknown to my mom, I had decided to start praying for a sign. A sign just to know whether or not we were on the right track and if I should keep hoping or move on to other options. Literally right after I finished praying, I got a text back from her, saying "maybe its a sign". It just made my heart smile, knowing there was no coincidence in that. It will happen in its own time and when it does, it will be perfect.

In other news, at our current pace we have 4.5 months left before we will be finished with the student loans once and for all. Debt free. It's hard to believe we are in the home stretch. Those dumb things were monstrous from the beginning, it will be incredible to have them all wiped out!

With the loans out of the way, we will be able to move forward with other dreams. Replacing our 30 year old cars; buying our super badd@$$ dark pearl with black interior F250 w/a super cab and extended bed; purchasing a great deal of acreage and building our dream home and homes for our families; extensive traveling and many many upgrades & replacements are in our foreseeable future. We are very excited to have nearly gotten to this point. While we have not followed Dave Ramsey to a T and don't necessarily agree with some of his opinions, we definitely agree with him about the burden of any kind of debt.

I have so many posts I've written in my head about our hopes and dreams, I'm excited to put them down as Hubs and I work to make them a reality together.

It's Nearing That TIme...

It's starting to get to that time of year again...traffic is picking up a bit in my commute, and back-to-school posts and school shopping lists are starting to creep into my reader.

Dare I say it? My Favorite season of all time is on the horizon? I know that realistically we have another solid month of warm summer weather. Perhaps even a month and a half. And I will surely enjoy what's left of the summer. Cheap electricity bills and not having to heat the house may top my list of summer pleasures at this point but its the little things right? :)

We still have lots of beach trips to get in before the summer is gone. Lots of homemade ice cream to make and fresh veggies to pick from the garden. None of this means I won't be outside doing a little Autumn dance to encourage the weather to hurry up just a bit! ;)

Fall is my absolute favorite time to shop and I kicked off the first of my fall shopping this past weekend. J.Crew has some fabulous new arrivals and Ebates offered 8% cash back just in time for me to spend my fall rewards card.

I had such fun with Hubs trying things on at the store, so many pretties it was hard to narrow down but here are some of my favorites:

J.Crew Fall Pretties by ourlifeaccounts featuring knit tops

I am trying to hold off from doing any crazy fall shopping until at least September but I will definitely be tempted to bite sooner if any great deals cross my path. In the meantime my summer wishlist is dwindling down to those last few must-have items that just refuse to go on sale! Don't these retailers know that it's time to clear out summer stuff to bring in the fall? Anyone else spotted any fun new fall arrivals that they love? Any price point goes, it's always fun to dream!

Summer Weekends

Another fun and busy summer weekend!

Lots of laying around the house and relaxing but we managed to squeeze in a couple of fun dates out.

Saturday we hit up a couple of Goodwills in search of a few items from my list. Mainly old frames (to all be repainted for the gallery wall), old tupperware (lifetime guarantee even if its cracked!) and vintage toys and books (a necessity).

We had good luck at both places and ended up finding quite the stash of golden books for 50% off! Lots of favorites from our childhood, I think I bought 30-40 of them!

I also added two more frames and two more pieces of tupperware to my stash so all in all it was quite a successful trip!

Saturday night we visited the mall to do some returns and check out J.Crew's new arrivals (post coming soon!). I ended up returning all three of the Nordstrom capes, they were just too billow-y and poofy and not as comfortable as I had hoped. Nowadays I strive to never settle on anything just because it was a good deal but instead only keep the perfect items! Sounds like common sense but I think most of us have experienced that "but it's only $5" or whatever is too cheap of a deal to pass up. :) I have definitely weeded out plenty of those "deals" over the years.

Sunday we started the day out with some local trail running in prep for some 5ks runs we're looking into. The new trails we tried out were so beautiful, we both commented to each other that we can't wait to run there in the fall!

The rest of the day was spent lounging, napping, visiting a free book warehouse and baking for the upcoming week.

All in all a perfect weekend with my Baby! We try and soak up as many of these as we can, we know they will be few and far between once we add kids to the mix!

How was everyone else's weekend?

Scrumptious Sunday

Meant to post this last night but was too tired to lift my head off the floor and type it in. :)

Breakfast and snacks for the week: Apple Cinnamon muffins, Glazed doughnut muffins and Bacon, Egg & cheese biscuit muffins.

Source: bakingbites.com via Jen | Life Accounts on Pinterest

Source: sweetpeaskitchen.com via Jen | Life Accounts on Pinterest

Source: cookingwithmykid.com via Jen | Life Accounts on Pinterest

Monday: Spaghetti alla Carbonara with Peas and side salads.

Source: closetcooking.com via Jen | Life Accounts on Pinterest

Tuesday: Chessey Chicken Sandwhiches w/homemade dinner rolls and side salads.

Source: joelens.blogspot.com via Jen | Life Accounts on Pinterest

Source: mykitchenaddiction.com via Jen | Life Accounts on Pinterest

Wednesday: Bacon Chicken Alfredo pasta, green beans and side salads.

Source: justgetoffyourbuttandbake.com via Jen | Life Accounts on Pinterest

Thursday: Mozzarella-Stuffed Bruschetta Turkey Burgers with Balsamic Glaze and Oven-baked Garlic Parmesan Fries.

Source: iowagirleats.com via Jen | Life Accounts on Pinterest

Source: blogs.babble.com via Jen | Life Accounts on Pinterest

Friday: Chinese Honey Chicken w/brown rice and stir-fried veggies.

Source: blogchef.net via Jen | Life Accounts on Pinterest

Saturday: Homemade calzones (sorry no pictures! it's my own recipe)

Sunday: Chicken Roasted Garlic Lasagna & Italian Bread with Gorgonzola & side salads.

Source: fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com via Jen | Life Accounts on Pinterest

Source: thibeaultstable.com via Jen | Life Accounts on Pinterest

Treats for the week (we have some events to attend): Cookies & Cream Cheesecake Cupcakes & Pretzel M&M blondies.

Source: handletheheat.com via Jen | Life Accounts on Pinterest

Source: bakeat350.blogspot.com via Jen | Life Accounts on Pinterest

Bringing It Back

I mentioned recently that I've been doing a new fitness routine and it's going really well. For those of you that asked, it's a combination of plyometrics, weights, cardio and core work circuit training-style with A LOT of stretching. Hubby has been doing it with me and he's even mentioned noticing a bit of a difference in his hockey playing. That probably says more to me than anything else because that man is in shape!

My typical workouts in the past have been more basic. Running, biking, traditional weights and a bit of dancing or yoga. Perhaps because its been on and off for the last several years, but it just wasn't cutting it anymore. My body wasn't overly responsive and I was bored so I'd often half-ass it or skip it all together. Our lifestyle is pretty active so my body didn't plummet into flabbiness but I really wanted something that would kick my butt AND that I'd look forward to.

A very tall order.

Anyway, I've been doing it long enough now to see quite a difference and to know that it's not just a passing fad. Hubs and I have tossed around the idea of using it to segue into some races and other fitness pursuits and I'm pretty stoked about the idea for the fall. You know, when its not 120 degrees out and I can actually enjoy a run outside again!

However, the idea of working out around other people only enforced the fact that my fitness wardrobe is sadly in need of an update in some areas. I have a few cooler weather tops from Under Armour that I love and I also picked up a couple of the famed Lululemon-style 'booty' pants and capris during the mega Nordstroms sale and holy-moley they are amazing!

Source: shop.nordstrom.com via Jen | Life Accounts on Pinterest

Source: shop.nordstrom.com via Jen | Life Accounts on Pinterest

Source: shop.nordstrom.com via Jen | Life Accounts on Pinterest

Warm weather gear is a whole other story.

I've been recycling the same two sports bras these last several weeks and even those don't fit well at all. It can actually be a challenge to take a deep breath when wearing them, which doesn't work too well with working out. The few workout specific warm weather tops I have are also kind of small and its irritating to feel like a squeezed sausage while working out (actually I don't ever enjoy the squeezed sausage feeling). I have a bunch of ribbed tanks that I've tried but those get disgustingly drenched too quickly and then stretch out and take forever to dry. Yech!

I haven't shopped for workout gear for years but I did a couple of quick searches on polyvore and shopstyle and came up with several options:

Fitness Options 3 by ourlifeaccounts featuring under armour t shirts

Fitness Options 2 by ourlifeaccounts featuring nike activewear

Fitness Option 1 by ourlifeaccounts featuring sports bras

Nike Shorts by ourlifeaccounts featuring nike activewear

I had to throw that last one in there just for fun, such awesome bright colors!

These boards are primarily based on looks, though Nike, Under Armour and Lulemon are all stellar brands and it's probably tough to find products that are anything less than awesome.

Where do you all shop for fitness gear? I would love to hear your favorite sites and stores. Also would love to hear any fitness gear recs or favorites you have, I know a lot of athletics swear by certain brands and styles.

Hubs has offered to take me to the local bigbox retailer to shop and I am definitely considering taking him up on his offer just to try stuff on. Ideally though I don't want to have to pay full price...fitness gear is expensive!