Happy Monday!  I know this is long overdue but I thought what better way to start the week with a quick house update as to how things are progressing.  Our move in date has been solidified as December 10th.  Kind of exciting for sure… but still a bit of work left to do.  With literally three weeks left to go we have to be sure to have everything ready to go on our side to avoid slow downs.  The big question mark is the kitchen.  It is supposed to arrive late this week which if it happens we are in decent shape.

I have the appliances slated to be delivered on Nov 27th.  We need the cook top on site for the cabinet guys to measure for the counter top.  Here is a rough list of what is on the schedule for this week below.

Upcoming this week

1. Complete Hardwood Flooring Upstairs
2. Start on the baseboard
3. Install Fireplace and propane line for cook top
4. Continue painting trim work
5. Continue work on the lighting
6. Install tub and faucets
7. Wrap pillar in main entry with wood
8. Complete decking out front
9. Kitchen arrival

Still outstanding we have the main floor stairs as well as the stair railing.  I am heading over to see the railing people later this morning to make sure they can build the steel railing with a glass insert.  This is my fault if they can’t as I left this to the last minute.  Hopefully they can pull through for me!

I took a bunch of pictures yesterday for you but I am not sure how great they turned out.  It is kind of hard to visualize what rooms are what without seeing actually stuff in the room.  So I apologize in advance if these look just like a construction site.

Some of the decisions we went with thus far:

1. Solid Hardwood Floor Upstairs ( Cappuccino )
2. Torly’s Laminate Concrete Tile on the Main Floor
3. Ceramic Tile in Mudroom, entry way, laundry and all washrooms
4. Peter Kohler Windows ( grrrrr to that decision so far )
5. Moen Taps for showers/ tubs and sinks

Not the real door knob

A shot of the play room floor on the main level

Dining room.... looking out

A look into zesty's kitchen

A close look at the mudroom tile

The kitchen pantry

A peek into the family room

From the stairs... a look into the family room again

From the stairs... a look into the kitchen again

The upstairs hallway.... how exciting

The free standing tub that cause a little bit of grief but not much

A bedroom shot with dill pickle on the walls

A close look at the thermostat

A bedroom shot with Catepillar Construction Yellow on the walls

A close look at the torly's laminate concrete tiles

A Recap of Zesty’s Live Food Demo

As I mentioned briefly on Friday I was speaking to a group about cooking and Christmas.  My chosen topic was “Not so Traditional Food Ideas”.   I had a lot of fun and the crowd was great.  Around 200 people were there to listen to zesty.  As I was in the kitchen prepping  – I thought to myself…  I hope this turns out OK.  I will share the full recap of the demo tomorrow and share with you a super simple twist on a great holiday treat!

Have an awesome Monday and let me know if you have any questions.

Take care

zesty

Another Monday gone and Tuesday begins.  I hope you had a great day yesterday.  It seems like the days are flying by even faster with the time change on the weekend.  It is getting dark so early.

I want to talk about a couple of things… one being about a killer fruit salad with a honey lime dressing and the other topic being the house.  The fruit salad is simple yet so refreshing.  I am always trying to find nice fruit all year around but it gets tougher as the season comes closer to winter.  This recipe will give you a great idea for a  breakfast/lunch addition or just something to have on hand at all times for both kids and adults.

As for the house, it is coming along quite well ( minus the window issue ).  The painters started yesterday and rolling on the primer like there is no tomorrow.  We hope to have the whole house primed and painted one coat by Thursday.

Before the update I have a funny story.  Last night we drove out to the house after work to take some new pictures on the progress thus far.  We were rushing as it was getting late so we ran up to the front door, turned the knob and looked at each other – uh oh it was locked.  We started to laugh as we both knew there was no key for the door knobs as they were just old knobs the builders had hanging around at their house.  We ran to the side door…. locked.  Back door…. locked.  Windows…. locked.  Oh dear the only reason I went to the house was to get pictures for you.  I then realized that the tiny little basement window was left open for the hoses to run outside so I crawled in there and jumped down.  All in all… too funny.

Ingredients

• Any fruit you want  ( cut into cubes)
• 1/4 Cup fresh lime juice
• 1/2 Cup honey
• 1 Tsp. grated lime peel

Method

1. Peel and prepare all the fruit in a large mixing bowl
2. Mix the lime juice and honey and add the lime peel at the end.
3. Toss, let rest and serve
4. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: The acid in the lime juice will prevent the fruit from bruising and becoming brown in color.

House Update

As promised, some interior shots after the drywall, seam filling and now some painting.  The picture quality is not great due lack of lighting.

Upstairs Hallway

Bonus Room

Family Room

Kitchen

Interior Doors (just delivered)

Awaken your Senses Reminder

Here’s how to vote for me:

1. Go to www.youtube.com/quakertalk. Click on the VOTE tab. Click on my video entitled “Autumn Medley.”

2. Click on the BIG GREEN THUMBS UP to cast your vote. Voting closes Friday, November 6th.

3. Please tell your family and friends and pretty much everyone you know to vote too!