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Some updates.

Phew. Blog was down for the longest it’s ever been down…3 days! It is comical to me that I have a blog because I am so bad at running the behind-the-scenes technical side of things. The blog being down was half my fault…and half my host’s fault. Glad we’re back in action now! It was such a bummer because the blog redesign was finally done and I wanted to have time to oohh and ahhh over it and thennnnn the blog goes down.

Overall last week was just weird.  We had something happen that made me super uncomfortable that I’m not gonna talk about on the blog because it was just sucky…and then the blog crash later that week and I was just like UGHHHHH this week.

Fortunately we had a nice weekend.  We’ve been trying to eat at home more and more because 1) we just bought a new house and 2) we can’t really go out to eat for dinner because anything after 6:30/7:30pm is past Jojo’s bedtime AND I DON’T MISS HER BEDTIME lol.

Friday night I whipped up some meat sauce + cauliflower rice + parmesan + basil.  I mashed up some meat sauce for Jo and she ate that.  While I like cauliflower, I wasn’t really a fan of cauliflower rice.  I bought it at the store because I felt bored with everything at the grocery store and wanted something I’d never tried before.  Anyways…do you have a way to eat cauliflower rice that you love? Since dinner was low in carbs I’m sure I munched on something carby before bed.

As mentioned above…we’re moving at the end of summer! We bought a house and are currently in the process of doing some renovations.  I mentioned this on IG Stories a couple weeks ago.  We renovated our current house while we lived in it and Andrew and I decided we didn’t want to do that again (especially since we have Jojo now).  Andrew could totally be one of those home renovation people who sleeps on an air mattress and uses a trash bag for a shower curtain lol as he renovates the home he lives in.

A few people have asked if we got Jojo’s name from Joanna Gaines.  Nope.  A blogger I liked is named Joanna and I’d had the name in my head for awhile and never got tired of it.  When I connected the name “Joanna” with Joanna Gaines it confirmed my name choice because I think she’s awesome.

Here’s a couple house photos…

Pre-renovations:

Post demo:

I was hoping we could extend the vaulted ceiling into the kitchen (a dream!), but it isn’t going to work out due to AC ducts and structural beams.  It is going to be wonderful even without the vaulted kitchen though.

While I still like open, airy, white-toned kitchens, we’re wanting to go a bit warmer with this kitchen.  Basically add wooden features + a non-white, dark cabinet color + matte black finishes.  Below is some of our inspiration photos from Pinterest, but as of now we’re going with a darker grey/black/blue cabinet color than the one below.

Mother’s Day was packed with church in the morning (which we ended up leaving early bc Jojo was upset and the childcare area was packed with kiddos) followed by lunch at Andrew’s parents house and then a late afternoon spent with my parents.

We got home late Sunday night and just ordered a pizza for dinner.  Jo had a few interrupted, short naps yesterday so that set us up for the 45-minute intruder (aka baby wakes up screaming after one sleep cycle and has trouble going back to sleep bc she’s overly tired).  Andrew was able to pat her little booty and get her sucking her thumb until she fell back asleep.

I’m glad the blog is back up and running! Thanks for hanging in there with me through the technical difficulties!

27 comments

  1. I’ve tried cauliflower rice a few times and I do like the taste, but I find the smell when/after it’s cooking kinda off-putting! Your dinner with it looks pretty good though

  2. Such exciting news about your new house/congratulations!!!  Our son lives in the Heights, so we have been spending more time there, exploring restaurants & the area….so much character compared to “the burbs!”  I’m glad your blog is back up & running cuz it’s my fav!!! :)

  3. I’m sorry your week wasn’t so great last week and I hope this one is better! I’m so excited to see how your new place turns out. Those kitchen inspo pics are amazing!

  4. Congrats on the new house! We’re still in the process of searching for the right house…Boston is so expensive, though! 

    I love cauliflower rice in more asian-inspired dishes (even just like fried rice with a scrambled egg + soy + some veg) but it’s definitely not that exciting just on it’s own. Though, I don’t think rice is that exciting on it’s own, either. 

    Can’t wait to see how your kitchen turns out in the new place! That exposed wood/bard door inspired one looks soooo beautiful!

  5. Hmm cauliflower rice isn’t my favorite, but one way I’ve tried it (that was pretty good) is in a stir fry. I think if the little cauliflower pieces soak up a salty sauce (like soy sauce) they kind of caramelize and are more flavorful.

    Love the kitchen ideas. I think darkly painted cabinets are so pretty.

  6. Sometimes excuses to eat at home more are kind of nice!!  Especially when there’s a new house to motivate you!!  Glad you’re blog is up & running again.  You are so good at inspiring people to live a better life!!  

  7. Love the new blog design and love the kitchens!!!

  8. Ahh loving the inspo for your new kitchen! And the ceilings are a d r e a m!

    I feel you re: trying new things in the grocery store for fun/boredom with usual foods! It’s fun because you’re taking that ‘risk’ but also risky if it’s gross, lol!

    Congrats on the new house!!! <3

  9. Wow! I love the new blog redesign!! ???

  10. I’m so glad your blog is back up because 1. I wanted to make those cookies you just posted because I was home alone all weekend!! and 2. I’m 30 weeks pregnant and have been seriously reading and re-reading your pregnancy posts because my body is doing a lot of the same things you wrote about…generally no appetite (I’m actually still just so sick…never got rid of the nausea. At all. Hope baby boy is getting what he needs in there and is enjoying all the brownies.) And I have similar goals with childbirth AND definitely have a 9 pounder brewing in there. Really glad to be able to read your posts.

    Nobody I know is pregnant (or even close to that stage– it feels like everyone’s getting married this summer!) and it’s nice to read your updates on pregnancy and motherhood for a little camaraderie. Good luck with the renos! I LOVE the inspo pics!

  11. Man I so despise having a string of things happen, especially ones that leave you feeling so gross that really just set the tone for a sh!tty week! I am glad you all had a lovely weekend to recover!

    Wow your kitchen ideas sound beautiful!

    Your hair looks so pretty!

  12. Here’s an ‘oooooh’ for the blog redesign! I always access via mobile and it’s amazingly easier to read and navigate! Well done indeed!! 

  13. The only way I like cauliflower rice is with cilantro+lime, as a bed for a burrito bowl. I love eating it this way because regular rice in this instance fills me up too much, and it feels unbalanced. I also like to eat my burrito bowl with chips.

  14. I’m so sorry you had a weird/awful experience, but I hope you’re doing so much better! Matt and I love rice, but we’ve experimented with stir fries as others have mentioned as well as in muffin recipes. Anne posted a delicious berry oat muffin recently that incorporated cauliflower rice.

  15. I’m sorry you had a rough week – glad things are looking up.

    Your mention of a blogger you like being named Joanna made me think that I would love a post of your favorite blogs, whether related to IE or anything else in life!

  16. Wow your house is going to be so beautiful! And I really love your side part. When I saw it on IG stories, I was just like “YES! I love it!!” :)

  17. Yay for so many new changes! Although I know sometimes it’s super frustrating….lol! I am with you on doing the reno BEFORE you moved in. We renovated out last home while living there and it was HELL. Definitely never doing that again!

  18. so glad the blog is back and running! im so excited for your new house..the kitchen inspo already looks amazing!

  19. I find cauliflower rice most appealing when I do 50/50 cauliflower rice and regular rice. Otherwise I feel like I’m cheating myself out of carbs and then psychologically I want all the carbs! I like it in tacos with whatever other toppings you want, and especially with corn shells for some reason. I also like it in bowls with random leftovers from the fridge – e.g., chicken, pesto sauce, and leftover veggies is one I’ve done, or the other day I threw in leftover breakfast potatoes and breakfast sausage and it sounds weird but was a really good breakfast bowl. The latter was all cauliflower rice, not 50/50, but the rest I prefer 50/50. Finally, I’ve added cauliflower rice to some premade frozen entrees that need a few extra veggies. Not quite as versatile as spinach, but it works for some cases. Hope that gives you some inspiration!

  20. Not sure if anybody else has recommended this, but I love adding cauliflower rice to a stir fry in addition to regular rice. I feel like mixing the two rices together is nice plus then you get some carbs. Also, congratulations on the house! Love the design vibe you’re going for! 

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