July is almost over!

So apparently, I am only good at blogging once a month, toward the end of the month. Oh well!

So yes, July is almost over, and that means that Jennings and I are just inches away from moving into this cute little place:


It is actually only a block from where we are staying now, so I have been torturing myself by driving by it and wishing that there was a moving truck in the driveway. But, by next weekend, we can finally be settled! Ever since the tornado, having to move and stay in temporary places has really made me appreciate having my own space and being settled. Without that stability, I feel frazzled most of the time. I'm really ready to kick that feeling to the curb.

In other news, thanks to our friend Dominic, we are also adding a new addition to our family:


We think she is about 4 months old, and they've been calling her LuLu. I need to spend some more time with her before I decide if we're keeping that name or not. I've been bugging Jennings about getting a kitten for way too long now, so I'm sure he'll be glad to hear me shut up about that. Ha!

The end of July has also brought the end of my Summer Slimdown program, which is actually sad, because I had so much fun with the ladies in my group. There may be a chance to do some personal training with our trainer from the program, so I hope that works out. But I am happy to report the following:

• 5 pounds lost! yippee!

Before the program I did:

• 7.5 laps around the track in 12 minutes
• 30 push-ups in one minute
• 37 crunches in one minute

After the program I did:

• 8.25 laps around the track in 12 minutes
• 38 push ups in 1 minute
• 49 crunches in one minute

Also, I lost some inches on my waist, hips, and chest, and even got my BMI down by 2 points! So all of this tells me that even though the scale number is not that much different, I have made real changes on my overall fitness, and that is all a girl could ask for. I'm really looking forward to continuing down this track to see where I can go. Yay!

And, last but not least - there are only a few more days to take orders for houndstooth cookie baskets. My plan was to make enough baskets to donate $250 to the UA Acts of Kindness Fund, and I am only THREE BASKETS AWAY from that. So do yourself a favor, and go check it all out on the Etsy shop or on the Blue Bird Baskets blog. You can thank me later.

Happy Friday everyone!