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Building the Dream: Cross Bracing

May 15, 2013 By: Stephaniecomment

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Welcome back! Be sure to check out my Email Newsletter. Thanks for visiting!

 

Cross-Bracing Building Our Home

This week they continued adding support to the floor joists and started laying the plywood decking that will support the first floor. (I don’t have pictures of that yet.) The excavator is also planning to come back and dig out the areas that will have crawl spaces.cross braces

house

We also planted a row of young maple and birch trees that will eventually hide most of our view of that commercial property you see on the right side in the first picture.

Nicholas loves this survey wheel. It marks how many feet you walk. He likes to just walk around and around the property. Once he went over a mile!

Measuring wheel

Out of all of the kids, Abby takes the most interest in the building process. She likes to look at the plans on our computer and try to get an idea of what everything will look like or go stand “on the concrete” down inside of the basement. Sometimes I print the plans on a regular sheet of computer paper and she will use crayons to “decorate” her room.

Dandelion

It won’t be long now until the framing starts. I can’t wait to get a better idea of the size of the rooms and see it start to come together!

 

 

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How to heal your heels for flip-flop season

May 14, 2013 By: Stephanie22 Comments

tips for how to heal dry and cracked feet

Warning: This post is full of nasty pictures of my feet.

My feet are gross. They are the only part of my body that my husband truly cannot stand. They are SUPER dry and my heels crack and sometimes bleed.

How to heal dry, cracked feet

Once, as a gift, my mom even gave me a cream meant for a cow’s udders, hoping it would help. It didn’t.

Yes, I have already had a pedicure this year (and paid extra for the “scraping”) and  my heels still looked like this:

healing dry feet

Yuck. I know.

But then I read somewhere (I think it was a Facebook comment on a recipe) that coconut oil made a great moisturizer, so I decided to try it on my heels.

Method #1: Coconut Oil

We had this one on hand because it is what I like to use to pop our popcorn. They sell it at our regular grocery store. You can also buy it here.

I’ll walk you through how I use it in case you need to heal your heels too.

coconut oil for dry feet

It is solid in the container and looks like this

coconut oil

I use about a teaspoon’s worth for each foot.

I spread it on with a washcloth because I don’t like the way it makes my hands feel greasy for hours if I use my fingers.

coconut oil on heals

Grease up your feet and put on a pair of socks. Otherwise you will slip and fall trying to walk on laminate or tile floors. Not that I would know. (Yeah, I totally fell on my butt the first time.)

This is after 2 treatments. I’m going to continue twice a day every day until Thursday. There are still a few small cracks in the back right now. Hopefully after a few more treatments I won’t be too embarrassed to break out the flip-flops when we are in North Carolina for Bloggy Boot Camp this weekend!

 

healing dry feet with coconut oil

I should also note that I have REALLY sensitive, fair skin. I can’t even use most laundry detergents without breaking out in hives. The coconut oil is very gentle and doesn’t cause me any irritation. It also doesn’t have any odor, which is a plus.

Method #2: Stridex and Vaseline 

I have also had very good luck in the past with a tip I leaned on an old episode of the Oprah show. The doctor on the show said to use a Stridex pad (if I remember correctly, the dermatologist on the show said it has to be Stridex because the active ingredient in those pads was a little different than other brands), and then coating my feet with Vaseline and sleeping in a pair of white cotton socks. After about a week of using that method my feet were perfect! 

Let me know if you try either one of these tips and how they work for you!

 

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Hello Monday

May 13, 2013 By: Stephaniecomment

I’m joining Lisa Leonard for her Hello Monday link-up.

I’ve been looking forward to this week for months, so it seemed like an appropriate time to jump in and say…

Hello to a week with only 3 “work” days.

Hello to more progress on our future home.

building a new house

Hello to the possibility of signing on the line for a temporary summer apartment (with a pool!) that would shorten Eddie’s commute by over an hour each way and give us back our family time.

Hello to the spa gift card I got for Mother’s Day.

Hello to a much-needed (and FREE!) get-away with my husband and my first ever blog conference. I’ve been reeling since October at the fact that I WON a trip to the Bloggy Boot Camp of my choice this year. I chose Charlotte, NC and the week is here!

Hello to the kindergartner’s parent/teacher conference this afternoon.

Hello to a toddler who seems to be learning 3 or 4 new words every day.

penny pooh

And Hello to a few more weeks of watching this through the window, while we have such a great back-yard here at my in-laws.

back yard fishing

Hope you all had a great Mother’s Day weekend. And remember, it’s not too late to sign up for my newsletter and get your free eBook.

 

 

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Welcome! I’m Steph.

This is a little corner of the internet we like to fill with honesty, heart, and humor. Read More…

Cover for Binkies and Briefcases with Stephanie Giese
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Binkies and Briefcases with Stephanie Giese

Binkies and Briefcases with Stephanie Giese

Stephanie Giese is an indie author based in Florida. She writes stories about realistic problems with humor, heart, and sass. Her work has a strong focus on mental health and consent. Her North Bay small-town romance series is set for release in 2025.

Binkies and Briefcases with Stephanie Giese

3 months ago

Binkies and Briefcases with Stephanie Giese
I know it’s a small thing, but I believe small things can add up to big changes. my entire North Bay series, including Out of Left Field, Right as Rain, and Way Off Base, is free on Kindle from Jan. 30-Feb. 3. Please take the funds you might have spent on my books this week and reallocate them toward the areas in our country that need them the most. Follow creators like Dad Chats who can direct you toward practical needs local to them. I hope my quirky romcoms can bring you some comfort and joy during difficult times, and I hope together we can take small, practical steps toward big changes. ... See MoreSee Less

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Binkies and Briefcases with Stephanie Giese

3 months ago

Binkies and Briefcases with Stephanie Giese
I know there is an overall feeling of helplessness in our country right now. So many of us are at a loss for what to do beyond making phone calls and social media posts (which are still important, but can feel like not enough). I believe strongly in the power of small things adding up to big ones. As one person, I might not be able to do much, but what I CAN do is use my voice and my books to work toward the change I’d like to see. That’s why, for the next five days, from Jan. 30-Feb 3, I’m making the Kindle versions of my entire North Bay series (Out of Left Field, Right as Rain, and Way Off Base) completely free. Art has power, and I do hope these comedies can bring you some comfort and joy in difficult times, but most importantly, I also hope you’ll consider redirecting the funds you might’ve spent on my books and donating instead to one of the many charities working tirelessly in our cities right now. If you are located in an area like Minnesota or Portland, please use the space below to make people aware of the organizations in your area that need help. ... See MoreSee Less
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