Tomorrow is Easter. May this day bring you hope and joy, love and cheer.

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short post

I feel like my posts have been a little long lately.
Thank you for taking the time to read them. Today I just want to share a few pictures.
The weather has been beautiful here and we have been busy.

 

- digging up bulbs to move to the front yard -

- hint hint, mom -

- practice for the big egg hunt -

 

 

- we installed the new sink! -

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terrarium

Do you ever get fixated on something?
That was me today. I sacrificed folding laundry and dusting to make a terrarium. You all know by now that
I love house plants. I love plants and gardening, outdoors and indoors. I think my mind and body are antsy for spring and being outside, so this is what happens.

This took most of my morning and you know what- I don't love it. Do not let this deter you.
I was also playing with Koko and met with the landscape guy that may help us lay out the plan for the new patio (but that is this whole other story). I tried the terrarium on the built-ins, the mantel, the dining room table, and finally I figured out that it's the container I do not love. I've been looking for a an old glass jar, but haven't found the right one. And so, today's terrarium fixation landed me with a new, craft store jar. Dang it.

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Okay, here's what you need:  glass container (I recommend holding out for the right jar), gravel or stone, activated charcoal pieces, potting soil, moss and terrarium friendly plants.

And here are the steps to follow:  The gravel goes on the bottom, which allows for drainage.
Then add the charcoal. Charcoal filters the air in a closed terrarium, so it's not needed if yours is open.
Then add soil and your cute plants- this link will give you good plant choices.
Moss is last and holds in moisture. I bought clumps of moss at a local nursery. You can also use sheet moss.

Maintenance:  Keep your terrarium in a place where it will get indirect sunlight. If you see too much condensation in your closed terrarium, it's probably getting too much sun. Change the location. You can air it out, too. Your closed terrarium really should not need water- it has its own climate.

Feel the soil before you water an open terrarium. Too much moisture is bad. It's bad for either type of terrarium. Watering should be a sometimes activity- error on the side of too little water because you can always add more. Like any other plant, you can prune your terrarium plants and remove dead leaves.

Perhaps you are wondering why I bother with this post.
I guess I hope that one of you can relate to my morning. And, at least now you know how to make your
own terrarium! It was easy and fun, and I plan to make more. Yes, I am frustrated about the container, but I will keep looking for the right old jar and then replant.

 

p.s. I think it would be fun to have a planting party where everyone can make a little terrarium or plant their favorite container with fun succulents.

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weekend: sunday

We were too burnt out on Sunday to tackle a project.

Hubby knew I needed a few hours away. It is hard for me when hubby travels, especially when it's a full week. Managing three children and all of their activities and shenanigans is hard work when you are by yourself.

I heard about a local antique fair happening on Sunday, so this was the perfect opportunity for me to recharge. A friend went with me, so that was even better. I met this friend last fall. She was at a girls night gathering I was invited to by the first two moms I met in the new city. These two moms have embraced me from day one, but you still have to be brave when walking into a group of gals you do not know.

Trying to make new friends is this weird and hard thing. You tell your story, but not too detailed.

You ask the other person questions about their life and try to figure out what you might have in common.
You wonder if this person will be a good friend.
If you're in survival mode, like I was and maybe still am, you try not to cry.

This friend is easy to talk to about silly and serious stuff. I remember meeting her and her children for a few park play dates (when it was still warm... five months ago). I remember thinking, I want to be her friend.
I certainly have met some great gals and I feel like and hope friendships are forming.
I guess things happen in life and in friendship if they are supposed to, and you have to trust that.

I am thankful for new friendships. And hooray! I found someone that likes to frequent antique fairs, too.

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- my finds from sunday -

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weekend: saturday

Our weekend was not restful or productive.

At least, it was not productive in a way that we planned. We had planned to relax a little and start another project. After being in AZ for a week and then hubby leaving for a week upon our return,

we all needed a normal weekend. Unfortunately, that was not going to happen for us.

It was Friday and my four-year-old, who was supposed to be in his room, decided to do a secret flotation experiment- in the toilet. Later that afternoon, after he used the bathroom, S told me that the toilet would not flush properly. Seemed like it was clogged. No big deal, but gross, so I decided I would let hubby deal

with it when he got home that night.

A while later I noticed two book pages and two little people in the trash can next to the toilet. Oh no.

I called S into the bathroom and asked him to explain. He explained his experiment to me. Yes, he put the book pages and little people in the toilet. Yes, they all float. Yes, he retrieved them with his bare hands.

Yes, he washed his hands and sang the entire ABC's. No, he will never do it again.

Phew, all foreign objects retrieved and it's just a clog.

After a long week of traveling for work, hubby came home and plunged the toilet. No success.

I called S into the bathroom again. Me in my calm Mom voice:  Did you put anything else in the toilet? I can tell when S is lying; he said no. Me in my angry Mom voice:  Did you put anything else in the toilet? 

Yes, he also dropped in one of his sister's old princess figurines. No, Ariel did not float. Yes, he flushed her.

As you could, but should not imagine, our Saturday was no fun.

We learned how to uninstall and reinstall a toilet. I am nervous about giving details. The details are gross.

It was disgusting and smelly. Hubby almost barfed. We snaked the thing several times, but Ariel was stuck in the bend of the toilet base. Finally, hubby had to lay the toilet in the bathtub to get a better angle. He angrily tried one more time and out she came. We emptied the bathroom and cleaned everything with bleach, twice.

Here's the fun news though, this situation prompted us to buy a new sink.

The current sink is new and nice, but does not match what's happening in that bathroom. Fortunately, the current sink will be perfect in the main floor bathroom. It will replace an old, awkwardly short sink that we cannot seem to stop from leaking. I can't wait to show you before and after pictures in a few weeks!

Funny how a flotation experiment can put bathroom makeovers at the top of the project list. This is what happens when you live in the old house. This is what happens when you have young children.

- this is the clean, soaked and scrubbed in bleach, Ariel -

 

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friday morning

There was a new dusting of snow when I woke up. Weird.
I brewed the last of my favorite local blend and off we went to school. Earlier in the week, a gal I've been wanting to get to know called me, and I was excited to meet her for coffee. We chatted and gave our quick life histories. We were supposed to go for a run, but like I said- snow. Cold too.

I had some time between coffee and preschool pick-up.

I didn't feel like going back to the old house, so Koko and I stopped into a favorite antique shop. There are
a few cute shops right in the neighborhood, and I find myself dropping in if I have time to kill.

Perhaps this is not a good thing.

I always find something(s), usually small things (smalls or littles, whichever you prefer).

Larger items are also on my list. I want a chair or small bookcase to put under two of the windows in the living room. I will know it when I see it. And as usual, Koko and I had a few m&m's from the
vintage candy machine.

 It was a good morning and I am thankful.

- the treasures i picked up today -

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untitled

Is it the first day of Spring? Or was that yesterday.

I do not know and it seems irrelevant. It was snowing when I woke up this morning; I could tell without opening the shades. There is a distinct glow with morning snow. Spring morning sun and summer
evenings have their own glows, too.

I did not see beauty in the falling white today. I know after the coming seasons pass, I will long for another first snowfall. But right now, I want to sit on the back steps, in warm morning sun,
and listen to the church bells.

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dishtowel love

I had many confessions in my posts about house plants.
They would be the same here. The way to this woman's heart:  dishtowels. Just substitute the word dishtowels for house plant-  Confession:  I have more dishtowels than I can count.
Confession:  I feel like I need many more dishtowels. Confession:  It does not seem excessive to me.

And, yes, I sneak them into the old house and hope that hubby does not notice.

- a sampling of those currently in rotation -

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While in AZ, I visited my favorite shops with a few things on my list-  new jeans, wall art and dishtowels.
The new city does not have good dishtowel stores. Anthropologie and Crate&Barrel are the best,
and I knew I would find what I was looking for.

You see, I have this door in the little eat-in space in the kitchen. The door has a window (and no, this window is not counted in our 42 windows). There are also three large windows in this space and it's always bright, almost like a sun room. The window sills are filled with plants and we have enough privacy,
but the door needed something. It was the perfect candidate for dishtowel curtains.

- it will be so nice to keep the door open this spring -

 

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This is a fun and inexpensive way (total cost about $30) to add character to your kitchen or perhaps another room in your house. Here are some more dishtowel curtain ideas I like:

- mismatched - found it here -

- privacy with a view! - found it here -

in the details:

oil-rubbed bronze cafe rod and curtain clips - Lowe's, click here

colorful bird dishtowels - Anthropologie, click here

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heartache

I did not cry when we left AZ.

I cried when we got there. I don't know what that means.

I do know I felt relief and joy when I finally saw my friends. We talked about all the usual stuff. We have history together and they know what I mean, without me saying, you know what I mean? 

I left AZ with heartache, but I also felt refreshed, encouraged and recharged.

I was feeling empty in the new city. I know the trip back to AZ will not resolve these feelings, but I feel now like I have the energy to deal with them.

I'm back

I took a break last week because we were in AZ.
It was 90 and I was warm just one day ago, but today I can hear the wind howling through the windows.
It's not even 40. My fingers are cold and my cute pedicure is hidden under wool socks.

It is difficult to write about our trip to AZ, but I am working on it.
Today, though, I want to follow-up my last post (front door) - click here for a refresher.

pictures from move-in day:

- movers, plumbers and our neighbor, bruce -

- walking home from school -

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break

Hi friends- I am taking a break this week.

Please check back because it's only a break. I am excited to share with you some new stuff next Monday, March 18!

front door

The night before we moved in, I drove over to the old house by myself.

It was hot and the air was sticky. It was so quiet in the old house that my ears strained. I walked into every room. The late, summer light shown through all 42 windows. I didn't need lights. I sat on the steps wondering what the next day would be like. Tomorrow was move-in day; it was also the first day of school and the plumbers would be there to dig up the front yard and install a new water service.

Hopefully, we would have water for our first night in the old house.

- taken the night before we moved in, August 2012 -

The next day was one of my hardest days.
I was determined to walk E to school. I wanted us to embrace this new experience. We walked down tree-lined streets, passing beautiful, historic homes. E was courageous. We exchanged i love you's and hugs and she disappeared through the doors. I turned around and cried. No one knew who I was. No one had ever seen me there before. I felt invisible.

It was already uncomfortably warm when I got back to the old house. The boys were waiting for me on
the porch. The moving truck and backhoe had arrived. The drivers were trying to figure out a way for the two large vehicles to share the space on our small street. Ours and a few of the neighbors' trees lost branches. The drivers didn't care. They did not say a word about the broken limbs lying in the street.

The neighbors must have been watching from inside their homes. Most of them have lived on this street for
30 or more years, but it was move-in day for them, too. They said goodbye to their old friend and neighbor several months ago. The old house sat vacant for a long time and now there were new people.

Our neighbors immediately picked up the branches from the street. They all came over that day.
We were welcomed with homemade cookies, brownies, healthy breakfast bread, a stuffed and ready to roast chicken, flowers, wine and chocolate covered strawberries. They never said a word about the broken limbs. One of the retired guys stayed and supervised the plumbing work (I learned later that he does this for any major project happening on the street). I remember rushing past the dining room windows, then stepping back to look out and see Bruce standing with the plumbers in the seven foot deep hole in our front yard.
I am thankful he was there that day.

We did have water our first night in the old house, but the bathtub would not drain.
I could not stand to be in the old house. It felt weird and the endless piles of boxes made me feel anxious. For the first several evenings, after the kids were in bed, I sat outside on the front steps until my bedtime. Hubby and I would have a beer and talk about the old city, the new city and what project we wanted to do first.
We talked a lot about the front door. I love the front door.

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untitled

Instead of blogging this afternoon, I watched a movie with S and napped.

Instead of blogging this evening, with the kids tucked in their beds, I spent nearly two hours on the phone.

The rest and conversation with my friend was needed.

Goodnight friends.

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snow observations

It is never more quiet than when it snows.

 Kids love the snow and could play in it without a coat and not notice.

I discovered it is exhilarating to go out for a run when the snow is swirling.

I have seen snow fall all day without one hint of white on the ground.

Snow is welcomed and perceived beautiful until the first 50 degree day of the new year.

All of our snow melts, but across the street, the grass is still covered in a layer of white.

But when I think of snow, all I can picture are desert mountains.

I listen to The Writer's Almanac every morning, and I recently heard a poem by Louis Jenkins.
Please, click here and read Paradise.

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weekend painting

It only took seven hours, but we finished painting the boys' room this weekend.

It's a big deal! We had to sand the built-in beds, prime them, paint them, cut-in the ceiling, paint inside the closet and paint the baseboards. Oh, and finish the door, door frame and jamb.

We maximized our time by being ready to work the second we put Koko down for his nap. From the time you close his door until the time he wakes, you have 3-3.5 hours (most days). Ready, set, paint.

So it's done, but I am frustrated because we still have a crib and changing table in the furniture mix.

They take up so much space. I told hubby we will have to move them out and put the new dresser in place, temporarily, for our official photo shoot. He is really excited about this task.

At least we're to the fun part- accessories and decorating.

You know, when you have hubby hold the picture on the wall and you stand back and decide if it is in the perfect spot. Or when you stand in the home store for at least an hour looking at drawer pulls and knobs.
Or when you move this over there and that over here, but it still isn't right. This will be my week,

and I am excited about it!

The official after photos are coming soon. In the meantime, here's a look at our weekend work-

If you want to see before photos of the beds, click here.

- the drawers are huge and a major bonus for this room! -

- we love kilz primer! -

 

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