What do you get when a boy and a girl LOVE each other???

Baby Turner arrives in January 2012!

For now, we refer to our bundle of joy as our "Gummy Bear" or "Little MacFarland"... and we can't wait to find out if it's a cute little boy or girl that will join our family... one thing we do know for sure, he or she WILL BE cute! :)

Lindsay is nearly done with her first trimester- she experienced a couple weeks of nausea and all the glorious (not!) side effects- but she is feeling better each passing day as she makes sure to schedule in enough rest in her busy schedule.

The doctor said our little Gummy Bear has a strong, healthy heartbeat.  We're one proud mommy and one proud daddy and we are excited to share this joy with all of you!

What do you think?  BOY or GIRL?

Check back to the blog to join us in the journey and watch Lindsay GROW :)

XOXO

Like a Ton of Bricks!

What's that burning sensation you're feeling?  That's from our newly renovated fireplaces at the Manor!  Yes folks, we've gone from fireplace facades that would make you want to slap on a harness and repel to those of a more classic look.  Probably the most expensive but much needed reno to date was the removal of the sandstone rock and the installation of a ton of bricks for not one but two fireplaces.  We have dual fireplaces, one opens to each the family and living rooms.  Pretty nifty, eh?  

If this doesn't scream "HELP ME" I'm not sure what would!

Family Room Fireplace

As you can see, this particular 'place had a bit of a spit up problem.  

Living Room Fireplace

We're just not sure how this look was every popular!

Off with the climbing rock!

The rock coming off this thing was real, not that fakesy fakesy look alike stuff!  We had to have our very talented masonry come and handle the project for us.  

Due to an issue on the backside of this particular side, 

smoke was not able to properly escape through the chimney.

Hence the spit up problem mentioned earlier.  

(See below, right hand side)

The Help (Buffy and Amber).

It was quite fascinating watching the progress of our new fireplace(s).

He did his math in the mastic!  Ya do what ya gotta do!

 

He applied a layer of mastic over the upper half so 

that we would have some sort of finished surface to work from.

Family Room

Living Room

 I ended up sheet rocking and painting that upper half on both sides.

What you're seeing here is a more finished product.  

Join us next time for our living room transformation!

For additional photos of the fireplace project, visit our online photo album.

Welcome to the Manor!

The very first time I drove by the Manor, I knew we'd be lucky to get it!  It was so cute and had so much charm.  Unlike these newer housing tracks with a minimum of ten houses an acre and absolutely no yard to speak of and each looking like the next, this charming neighborhood consists of individual uniquely styled homes.  The Manor was built in 1964 so you know it was built well.  After speaking with the neighbors, many a family have lived here.  We purchased it from a ninety year old grandpa who liked to sit in his chair in the dark and paneled living room and cut out pictures of sexy women to hang on his wall.  He just got too old to take care of the property but we could tell that he had until he couldn't.

     From the sandstone rock fireplace to the stained blue carpet to the paneling on the wall, this place needed work but we never let that fool us.  We could see the potential this place had!  Okay, so maybe I had to convince L a little bit but, luckily, she bought into it and here we are!  While there is still so much to do, we've come a long way and we absolutely love it!  There's work to be done but so potentially incredibly marvelous!

With that being said, here are pictures of the very first project we started the night we got the keys -

There once was a wall between the family room...

...and the dining room.  The dining room was a cave between the family room and the kitchen.

EWWW GROSS!  Let's lighten things up!  Off with the paneling!!

Let's see what's behind wall number 1...

...the makings of an open floor plan!  Sarah would be so proud!

The room then required a beam because there once stood a load bearing wall.  Isn't it cute?  BTW - this is all on the backside of the house.  That cute little door there goes to the backyard.  If you look straight back passed the fireplace, you'll see a white wall with black spots.  That's the master and those are tar spots that held up the wall o' mirror!  Note the disgusting blue carpet and the naked fireplace.  More on that another time.

Before

 After

As you can see we've made a huge difference already and THIS party has only begun!  Stay tuned and we'll show you how we transformed our hideous 1964 fireplace into the magnificent gem you see here!

For additional photos of the family room project, visit our online photo album.

What I watched this weekend...

Take a few minutes to listen to this man...  his insights on marriage and family are INSPIRING.  The sincerity and compassion in his voice is compelling.  My heart aches for people who have not had the opportunity to LOVE as deeply as he has. 

I will be honored if my husband is able to express this much affection and gratitude for me and the life we had together after I die. What a reunion it will be when these two meet again!

My debut at San Francisco & Los Angeles Women's Expos !

I've started another venture in hopes of achieving my goal to become a stay at home mom and still work from home doing things I love.  Timing is everything and my time is now to make this happen.  Some of you may think I am crazy- because this means I am working 60-70 hours a week while also attempting to get enough sleep and keep healthy for when we plan to have kids.  It will be worth it though, I can FEEL it.

So, in addition to my full-time job working for the State of CA, and my part-time job working as a cake decorating teacher at Michaels, I recently joined forces with a food product company based in Utah called "Shirley J" as an Executive Chef with exclusive territory here in the great state of California.  I am so excited about this, I do the pee-pee dance every time I think about it. (like right now!)

What do I do as an Executive Chef for Shirley J ?

I host "Cook N' Chats" or cooking classes/demonstrations to show off the Shirley J products and what they can do to simplify your life, save you money, and create delicious meals for you to enjoy with your family.  These products were tried and tested for over 30 years in commercial kitchens, and it is my job to make it available to every home chef and transform kitchens!

  In April, John and I will attend a weekend event at the world famous Sundance Resort to meet with the corporate executives and prepare for the product launch here on the coast. The Shirley J company is ALL OVER the state of Utah, so I am looking forward to seeing the success of other Executive Chefs while we are there.

In October, John and I will also be heading to Los Angeles and San Francisco for a couple weekends to participate as Shirley J vendors at the Ultimate Women's Expos. This is an opportunity we could not pass up- so look for us in a vendor booth giving out food samples and having ourselves some fun at these venues. I am pretty sure John and I will both enjoy the sightings of Kirstie Alley and Helen Hunt while we are there mingling with tens and tens of thousands of women who are looking to buy endless amounts of goodies.

You also may have seen my facebook and blog posts inviting you to attend the first ever Shirley J Cooking event and demonstration in Northern California:

 “Come Home to Dinner”

Class and Cooking Demonstration

Friday, April 8

7pm

Fairfield Inn by Marriott

10745 Gold Center Drive

Rancho Cordova, CA

(14 miles east of Sacramento)

John and I would really love to have the support and family and friends and we hope to see you there. I will make it worth your while, I PROMISE. You'll get cooking tips and ideas for over 30 recipes to prepare fast and easy meals for your family...You'll meet one of the Shirley J Chefs and you'll get to sample food products, and win FREE food items from the Shirley J product line. You don't have to be a master chef to attend- these products are designed to make you a Home Chef in a snap!

For those of you who are not local, or cannot attend, please send me an email at ShirleyJChef {at} gmail {dot} com and let me know if you want more information or what dates would work for you as I am scheduling and traveling more and more. 

Here are a sample of  dishes I have made in the
"Master 30 Meals" Shirley J Cooking program....
You can make these too  :)

BBQ Pizza

 

Strawberry Short Cake



Cookie Dough Truffles



Home style Mac N Cheese



Golden Onion Dinner Rolls



The Wedding Cake I Made

I overbooked myself... AGAIN... but I just had to make this wedding cake.  A student in one of my cake decorating classes told me her daughter was getting married and that her daughter was beyond frustrated with how expensive wedding cakes are...  (no surprise there!  Just the word WEDDING in front of the word CAKE nearly doubles the price just because bakeries can). 

When she told me her daughter was getting ready to place her wedding cake order at Safeway- that was when I offered to make it for her.  No bride should have to get her cake in sheet pans from the local grocery store.  She gave me her budget, and we worked things out so the bride was happy!

After lots of love in the kitchen, I made this wedding cake for her special day. It is a 3-tier, White Almond Sour Cream Cake with a Strawberry Cream Cheese filling.... just what she wanted :)

A BIG THANK YOU to my wonderful husband who drove me (with the cake on my lap & in the pouring rain) to the wedding venue.  I am pretty sure the delivery is the most stressful part... but we did it!

           

My Home Rehab Addiction...

I've discovered a few shows that I find inspirational on the home renovation front.  There are some very hokey shows on this channel.  However, there are some that I really enjoy.  They're what encourage me to keep swinging that hammer here at the Manor!  Take a look...

1) Rehab Addict (DIY Network) - "Nicole Curtis is a sweet-talking, hammer-swinging whirlwind.  Working in Minneapolis and Detroit, Nikki discovers historic houses once the pride of the neighborhood that have fallen on hard times.  Pushing her rough 'n' tough crew, arguing with her family, wrangling with city officials and dealing with the usual litany of old house headaches, it's not always pretty.  By the time the dust clears, a house that was ready for the wrecking ball is restored to its former glory."   She shares with you tips and tricks she's learned throughout her experience.  The girl does it all!  She despises building codes - "I'd rather burn the house down than have to comply with somebody's building code!"  After having to deal with our new city of residence and their stinky permit processes, I can relate to this!  I find her to be quite humorous and sarcastic and I love it!  I especially LOVE the Minnehaha house she's been working on this season, built in 1885 and approximately 4000 square feet!  It's beautiful and has so much character and charm!


2) Family Under Construction (DIY Network) - "Greg and Danielle Bryk have shared 17 years together and 20 houses. They have finally set their sights on their first real home to share with their three children. The only issue: The 1940s house needs to be torn down to the studs. With Greg at work and Danielle trying to balance her role as mother and general contractor, building their dream house may be more than they bargained for."  This is one cute little family!  It's amusing to watch as this couple fumbles through the renovation of the former crack house. It's quite enjoyable.



3) Sarah's House (DIY Network) - We follow Sarah as she purchases a house and renovates room by room.  While her budgets are much more than ours will ever be, she still strives to shop sales, getting the best bang for her buck.  I really like her taste and her rooms are quite stylish.  



4) Kitchen Impossible (DIY Network) - "When it comes to a kitchen, renovation can literally bring down the house. Homeowners want a showplace but often end up overwhelmed, out of money and frustrated with the process of overhauling their kitchen. On DIY Network's Kitchen Impossible, carpenter and electrician Marc Bartolomeo works with homeowners to achieve the kitchen they've always wanted. But getting the job done right can mean changing plans or ripping out existing construction. Our cameras are there to capture the twists and turns that come with home improvement. In the end, Marc shows homeowners that with a little work and ingenuity, getting their dream kitchen is never impossible."  This is one of the better shows as he explains how and why he does some of the things he does.  

Less Eating Out... Means More

John and I love to cook.  I think most of our blog readers can say the same.  If you don’t like to cook (and you are still reading this), I think I can convince you to realize the benefits of getting in the habit.  Nothing gourmet or fancy…just cooking… instead of eating out.

With the rise of popularity of the Food Network and other cooking shows, there is a new interest in home cooking that has not been seen in a generation or more.  Would you agree?  There are a number of cookbooks, blogs, and food sites springing up EVERYWHERE that allow people like you and me to share cooking advice, chat, and view recipes.

 

We are truly witnessing an exploding trend happening all around us- cooking is cool !!!  This trend is shaping our lives, our buying habits, and our home economics.

Why is cooking becoming so popular?  I have a couple theories.  The economy is suffering… and all financial experts agree on one thing—the effect from the current recession is

“that habits, values and priorities
are being changed fundamentally

in families that will go far beyond any recovery…

…the move to a more frugal, home centered lifestyle is not temporary, but is shaping families for years to come.”

 

I know your budget is being stretched, just like mine.... are you searching for ways to free up precious budget dollars? Try eating out less and looking for good ways to enjoy your favorite foods at home.

Do you feel the need to simplify and strip the unnecessary from your life? Reset your values and priorities. There is nothing that signifies “home centered” more than a family meal, prepared at home and enjoyed together.

Are you looking to rediscover lost home skills such as home repair, sewing and, most of all, cooking and baking? Commit yourself to cooking- really cooking for your family- and realize all of the benefits mentioned above.... AND join John and I as we host the

“Come Home to Dinner”

Class and Cooking Demonstration

Friday, April 8
7pm

Fairfield Inn by Marriott

Rancho Cordova, CA

(14 miles east of Sacramento)

Come and enjoy a night with friends ...
Recieve cooking tips and ideas for over 30 recipes to prepare fast and easy meals for your family...

Meet one of the Shirley J Chefs (she's flying in from Utah JUST for this)... 

Sample food creations, and be present to win FREE food products. 

Comment Here or Contact Me At:

ShirleyJChef{at}gmail{dot}com

for more information

Text in this post is partially used from Shirley J Executive Chef Manual