House Update - Week 16

Well we have made a lot of progress in the last couple of weeks on the house and it seems to be moving double time now...probably because subs have taken over and Chris hasn't had to do as much. :) It is amazing what a crew can do vs. a one man show. Robert got an amazing deal on drywall and so we were able to drywall the entire house - including the basement - for the same price as just the top floor and they even did a good job. We were so excited about that!! The stucco is mostly finished. I was a little dissappointed with the stucco colors (ok, a lot dissappointed!) but I think it is growing on me and once the stone is on, I am sure it will look even better. It is also now painted and we are just waiting for the base/casing, soffit/facia, flooring and cabinets. Hopefully it will only be another 4-5 weeks now. Wow, that seems so soon! Woohoo! Here are the pics...

Ready for stucco...

Drywalled...and our beautiful front door...it wasn't the original one we wanted but it is still a great door.

Kids Pics!

Here are some pics of the kids and what they have been up to this summer besides playing in the mud...at the house! :)

Austin went to Camp Invention,
a science camp, for a week and
one of the days was crazy clothes
day...here is what we came up with!










Austin dressed Allie in his own clothes! Even dressed like a boy she is still a pretty little girl!





For the 24th of July (that's Utah Pioneer Day for those of you not familiar with Utah) we went to the Enterprise Parade where Austin and Allie rode on my parents 4-wheelers in the parade and threw candy at the spectators (or at least tried). (Just FYI: If you want candy at a parade you should come to Enterprise...the kids got a whole bag of candy plus two otter-pops each.)














After the parade on the 24th we went back to Newcastle and ate lunch and played in their big water toys!















After that we went to Chris' parents house and had dinner and watched fireworks. Most of the kids loved them...they just didn't like how loud they were.















Playing at the park


































Allie trying to hold Abigail...Abigail trying to get away and Austin being a ham!

Flashback Friday and some other random stuff...

I have been thinking a lot about mine and Chris' wonderful families lately because they have been so much help to us on building our house. So, in honor of all of them I thought for flashback Friday I would put some old family pics up. They will just love these!

This is my favorite one of Chris when he was little....1980
This is the only one with ALL 10 of them...1998
This is the only one of my entire family...1986
I also added some more pics to the slideshows at the left. And yes...I do have three children...Abigail finally got her own slideshow...even if it does only have a couple of pages. I am actually surprised I have found time to scrapbook at all but it has provided some sanity after the kids go to bed and I wait up for Chris to come home from working on the house.

Also, I have been meaning to mention to those who love digital scrapbooking freebies that there is another link that has a lot of great stuff....here is the link...go check it out!

One last thing...if anyone is in the need of a Structural Engineer (serving Nevada, Arizona and Utah) or a General Contractor (serving Southern Utah) then I added links to the left for contact info. HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

House Update - Week 14

For those of you who are sick of hearing about our house you may have to come back to reading our blog in about 3 months. Right now our house consumes our life and so there is little to report other then about the house. BUT things are moving pretty quickly. The framing is done. Windows are in. We now have the roof on and papered. The plumbing electrical, and insulation are done. We have picked out our stucco colors which proved to be the hardest thing on the house to pick out for me and brought me to tears several times. I am unsure why it was so hard but it was and I am still not completely sold on the colors we did choose. We continue to have amazing family who come to help us. Between our two families Chris usually has at least one other person helping him every night. We have been so blessed! Here are the pics!

We were tagged AND NOT IN A GOOD WAY! Chris got home from working on the house one night after 10pm and was back on the job site the next morning by 8am and this is what he found...

Yes! In the wee hours of the morning and in our little city this is what we found. We were very saddened but grateful that nothing was stolen and the house was left alone. The kids and I spent a couple of hours scrubbing but we got most of it off.

This weekend my brothers came and wired the house for surround sound, central vac, and extra cable/satelite/internet stuff. We have a 5.1 system upstairs and a 7.1 system in the downstairs family room. When I asked what that actually all meant, they responded that it meant "we will be bumpin'." Boys!

Finally, all the framing is done! I thought once I saw the roof sheeted that it meant the framing was done but there were still a million little things that needed either framed in or framed out...columns both downstairs and upstairs, fireplace wall, dormer on the roof, dry wall backing, venting on the outside of the house and attic access, etc. etc. etc. That took an additional TWO weeks.

The DeMille Family presents...

The last couple of weeks the kids, along with some of their cousins have been practicing to put on the Peter Pan play. Chris' awesome aunt Denise (who used to teach Drama) cut down the Peter Pan play to be about 30-40 min. long. She gave all the kids who wanted to be in it parts. The parents along with Denise made the costumes, props and scenery. The kids just LOVED it! They performed it for the DeMille Family reunion on Saturday and then again for other family and friends on Monday night. Austin was a lost boy and Allison was the crocodile and an Indian. Chris even got to be a pirate...the kids loved that! For those of you who couldn't make Monday nights performance here are a couple of clips from the play...forgive my camera...it is slowly breaking so there is this weird haze on everything.

Here are the little Indians performing with Tiger Lily...all the little Indians are between 2 and 4 yrs. old and Tiger Lily is only 8. They were so cute!


Here are the lost boys singing "Never Grow Up." One of the cousins had to go out of town for the second performance so Austin got to do two parts the second time. He did awesome with only one days notice!


Here are the Indians, the Lost Boys with Peter, Wendy and Tinker Bell performing "Ugh a Wug"...the scene when the Indians and lost boys become friends


The kids are already asking when and what the next play will be!!

Casualties of House Building!

This week was a very productive week and our house is finally looking like a house! YEAH! We had lots of help this week...and we can't be more grateful to all of them!!!! My sister and her husband and my nephew came up Thursday-Saturday. They helped all day! They even gave up their Lake Tahoe anniversary trip to come help us this weekend because we needed it so much! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you Ed, Stacy and Kody! Thank you to Robert and Keith too! Here are the pics....

The Concrete frame...

Poor Kody was so exhausted....

Two more bedrooms

Now...our last pic is "the casualty of war!" Robert was using the nailing gun and when he shot the gun three nails came out at once. The first one went into the correct target and the two others shot into his hand....ouch! For those with sensitive stomachs you may not want to look....

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Luckily, he is OK and didn't do any permanent damage!

Fun Weekend and a Bigger Appreciation!

We took a break on the house this weekend and hung out as a family. We even got a date-night where we actually went out and didn't just work on the house. I have always wanted to go rock-climbing but I am such a chicken and afraid of heights that I haven't ever done it...but I figured if I can go bungee-jumping I could go rock climbing so we went over to the University and tried their rock climbing wall. About half way up I got a little nervous but once I got to the top I was totally on cloud 9. I loved it...and I can't wait to do it again. Chris, who isn't afraid of heights, however, didn't like it that much...he went up the wall so fast and came down so fast that I didn't even get a picture of him...and he wouldn't do it again!

Kanarra Narrows Hike
We went on our first hike of the year. It was beautiful. Chris' sister, Angie, recommended it. One of the reasons we moved back to Southern Utah was to go on more hikes, fishing, camping, etc. This year we won't be able to do much of that but hopefully next year we will enjoy more the benefits of all of our beautiful surroundings.

We knew it was going to be a hard hike for kids but every time we said we should turn back... they said "we can do it!" so we hiked on through several river crossings, narrow ledges and steep valleys for about 50 min until we got to a point we couldn't take the kids any further.

On our way back we decided since we were wet anyway, we would just take the river back...I think it was actually easier and the kids loved it.

We also went to our first magic show this weekend. Chris' work got free tickets. The kids thought it was pretty cool but really it was a 70s show that hadn't made many changes in the last 30 years...lol. But the kids liked it and kept saying "how'd he do that," and "that is crazy!" so it was worth it.

I never thought that I took my husband for granted. I am usually pretty good about always saying thank you for all the little things he does around the house even if most people think that husbands SHOULD do them...I still appreciate it....at least I thought I did until now. Since he has been working on our house from dawn till dusk every day I have realized even more how much I depend on him for the little things like helping me clean up after dinner, getting things out of the garage for me (I hate going in there), helping put the kids to bed, changing diapers and even just listening to me talk, talk, talk. I guess it is always good to go through hard times so that you appreciate even more the little things that make your life so awesome!

A Concrete Home...hmmm?

Chris, his brother, Robert, and their dad have been in concrete and excavation for many, many years. When Robert was on his mission, Chris hurt his back so after much prayer and inspiration decided to go back to college. Robert, however stayed in construction and a couple of years ago started his own concrete business, Landmark Concrete. After researching concrete homes and the benefits they offer he has now started building concrete homes. So, of course, he wanted us to build a concrete home too. Chris was sold almost right away but like every new situation I am faced with, I was full of questions and hesitations so I hit the internet trying to find all the pros and cons of concrete homes. How would I hang pictures? Would it interfere with the aesthetics of the home? Is it more expensive? etc., etc., etc. While it is a little more expensive up front, Chris and I have found that the benefits far out way the extra cost and will definitly save us on our monthly home owners insurance as well as on utilities.

Benefits of a Concrete Home:

• Energy Effecient=much lower utility costs (because of better insulation)


• Environmentally Friendly (It is sooo "IN" to be Green!:))


• Because concrete walls contain no organic material they don't grow mold, mildew or other harmful micro-organisms. (our inside walls are still wood so there is still the possibility but it is a lot less.)


• More sound resistent against high winds, storms and other outside sounds.


• More resistant to fire!


• Because a concrete home is less likely to grow mold, have termites, burn down etc. you have much, much lower home owners insurance.

Now that you all want a concrete home...you can contact Robert at http://www.landmark-concrete.com/ :)

Did you like my little sales-pitch for you, Robert and Anna? :)

Week 8...And Finally Some Progress!

For the first 5 weeks it seemed that everytime I went to the house, all I saw was dirt being moved from one pile to another. I have to admit I was a bit frustrated that I wasn't seeing much progress AND Chris was gone ALL day! WHAT was he doing? (YES! I was honery!) :) I had to actually go and work a couple of days with him to find out what he was actually doing with the dirt to realize that there was progress, it was just slow. But the last three weeks have been a lot better as far as the progress that you can see...here are some pictures!

The basement walls and Chris helping Robert layout the basement for framing...

Here is Keith, Chris' 17 year old brother. Both he and Robert helped to frame the basement while Chris was at work so they were able to get a lot done....we couldn't have done it without them!!! You can tell Keith worked hard if he can sleep on a concrete floor in the heat! I can't tell if he was thinking that the ladder would actually provide more shade...?


The basement is mostly finished being framed. There are three bedrooms, a bathroom, a food/cold storage room (my fav), another storage room, and a family room. We are only finishing the basement about 20% for now but we are hoping to have it finished within a year...that might be being overly optimistic but we are going to try!

Here is Allie walking in her future bedroom. And the other picture is of the garage walls being formed for the concrete walls. Did I mention we are having a concrete home? More on that to come...

All In A Days Work!

Here are some of the best recipes yet! And a kitchen tip!

Kitchen Tip #2

If a recipe calls for a different type of flour like cake flour (in the first recipe) and all you have is all-purpose, don't fret! Here is a substitution that works really well.

Put 2 tbsp. corn starch in the bottom of a measuring cup and add the rest all-purpose flour (I have tried this method on several different recipes and it works really well). If the recipe calls for less than a cup just shift a cups worth of all-purpose flour together with the corn-starch a couple of times and use required amount.

Blueberry Buckle

(Courtesy of Alton Brown)

For the cake:

Nonstick cooking spray

9 ounces cake flour, approximately 2 cups

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

2 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature

5 1/4 ounces sugar, approximately 3/4 cup

1 large egg

1/2 cup whole milk

15 ounces fresh whole blueberries, approximately 3 cups
For the topping:

3 1/2 ounces sugar, approximately 1/2 cup

1 1/2 ounces cake flour, approximately 1/3 cup

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg 2 ounces unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
For the cake: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Spray a 9 by 9-inch glass baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and ground ginger. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, approximately 1 minute. Add the egg and beat until well incorporated, approximately 30 seconds. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and beat on low speed just until incorporated and then add 1/3 of the milk and beat until incorporated. Repeat, alternating flour and milk until everything has combined. Gently stir in the blueberries and pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
For the topping: In a small bowl combine the sugar, flour and nutmeg. Add the butter and work into the dry ingredients using a fork to combine. Continue until the mixture has a crumb-like texture. Sprinkle the mixture on top of the cake. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 35 minutes or until golden in color. Cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. (I tasted it hot out of the oven and cooled slightly and it definitely tastes better cooled...the ginger is much stronger at a hotter temperature.)

Fruit Dip

This is a great recipe to dip fruit in for something a little different and I like it because I always have the ingredients on hand...

2 pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 cup brown sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

Blend ingredients together and refrigerate for at least one hour. Serve with any fruit.

Sandwich Ka-bob

Cut up sandwich ingredients into bite-size pieces and put onto a stick/skewer. Kids think it is fun and different! Serve with the following...

Domino Squares

(Courtesy of kraftfoods.com)

Blueberries, (or raspberries) whipped cream and graham crackers. Arrange to resemble domino's. Fun! Fun!

Chili's Bar and Grill Southwest Egg Rolls
This recipe is the recipe for the Southwest Egg Rolls that you can get from Chili's on the appetizer menu. I usually get them for dinner because they are so filling especially if you eat them with a dinner salad. The recipe seems a little long but it is totally worth it!

4 chicken breast fillet

4 tablespoon vegetable oil

8 tablespoons minced red bell pepper

8 tablespoons minced green onion

1 1/3 cup frozen corn

1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained

8 tablespoons frozen spinach, thawed and drained

8 tablespoons diced, canned jalapeno peppers

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons salt

4 dashes cayenne pepper

6 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

20 egg roll wrappers

Avocado-ranch dipping sauce

1 cup smashed, fresh avocado (about 2 avocados)

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup sour cream

4 tablespoons buttermilk

6 teaspoons white vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

4 dashes dried dill weed

4 dashes garlic powder

4 dashes pepper
Preheat barbecue grill to high heat. Rub the chicken breast with some vegetable oil then grill it on the barbecue for 4 to 5 minutes per side or until done. Lightly salt and pepper each side of the chicken while it cooks. Set chicken aside until it cools.
Preheat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat. Add the red pepper and onion to the pan and saute for a couple minutes until tender. Dice the cooked chicken into small cubes and add it to the pan. Add the corn, black beans, spinach, jalapeno peppers, parsley, cumin, chili powder, salt, and cayenne pepper to the pan. Cook for another 4 minutes. Stir well so that the spinach separates and is incorporated into the mixture.Remove the pan from the heat and add the cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted. Wrap the tortillas in a moist cloth and microwave on high temperature for 1 1/2 minutes or until hot. Spoon approximately one-fifth of the mixture into the center of a tortilla. Fold in the ends and then roll the tortilla over the mixture. Roll the tortilla very tight, and then pierce with a toothpick to hold together. Repeat with the remaining ingredients until you have five egg rolls. Arrange the egg rolls on a plate, cover the plate with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4 hours. Overnight is best.
While the egg rolls freeze prepare the avocado-ranch dipping sauce by combining all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Preheat 4-6 cups of oil to 375 degrees. Deep fry the egg rolls in the hot oil until golden brown. Remove to paper towels or a rack to drain. Garnish with the dipping sauce, chopped tomato and onion.

Cookies and Cream Freeze
(courtesy of Kraftfoods.com)

4 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate
14 OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, divided
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened (I used Neufchatel)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed
MELT chocolate as directed on package; set aside until ready to use. Line 8-1/2x4-1/2-inch loaf pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Arrange 8 of the cookies evenly on bottom of pan. Crumble remaining 6 cookies; set aside.
BEAT cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in medium bowl with electric mixer until well blended. Stir in whipped topping. Remove about 1-1/2 cups of the cream cheese mixture; place in medium bowl. Stir in melted chocolate.
SPREAD remaining cream cheese mixture over cookies in pan; sprinkle with crumbled cookies. Gently press cookies into cream cheese mixture with back of spoon; top with chocolate mixture. Cover. Freeze 3 hours or until firm. Remove from freezer about 15 min. before serving; invert onto serving plate. Peel off foil; let stand at room temperature to soften slightly before cutting to serve.