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Showing posts from January, 2016

BOOM! The Media Cabinet Grows!

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When we moved in, I wanted that TV wall in our family room to be dramatic and full of built in cabinetry, because there's a niche there. Because of price and lack of cabinetry skills, I went with a customizable cabinet. So we got a few pieces from Pottery Barn, which looked pretty good. But then Dave went and bought an enormous TV, so the media cabinet began to look dinky. Before - Dinky Media Cabinet With Huge TV Around Christmas, we collected a few of the gift cards we gathered from different places and ordered two more cabinets to complete the wall.  Long Wall of Low Cabinets I've got to reorganize the wall of prints and style up the cabinets, but the whole niche wall looks more custom and complete. And, of course, now Dave thinks his TV is too small.

A Second Dog? My Thoughts

We've been talking, at first jokingly and sometimes more seriously, about getting a second dog. I know, that sounds nuts because I wasn't altogether onboard for the first, but it's true. And oddly, I'm pushing for it. Here are my attempt at organizing my thoughts around this issue. Benny is a wonderful little dog. But he's scared of everything and doesn't seem very happy. I keep thinking a second dog would give him some companionship and challenge him to involve himself more. Maybe learn some play behaviors or commands. We all committed to having this dog, so getting Benny didn't fulfill all our preconceptions of actually getting a dog. If we're going to do it, let's do it 100%. We'd all love Dave to have a dog he can pal around with. Who won't run from the room when he enters it. He takes it personally that Benny is so frightened of him. This whole thing was his idea, he deserves to get the dog he wanted. The girls too were disappoin

What I'm Loving in My Bathroom

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Because I'm not that kind of girl who knows a lot about beauty products, when I find something I like that works, I'm super-excited about it. Here's a few things that are working right now ... Bumble & Bumble Surf Foam Wash Shampoo and Conditioner - I have used a lot of shampoos and conditioners. Changing your brand helps control build-up, and that's a fact. But it's not often I find one that makes my hair feel as clean as this does. And it smells great, too! Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum - I have had the SAME bottle for just under a decade, I'm not kidding. I only use a pea or two size of this oil before I blow dry my hair. Works to control those wispies and make my hair shine! I started using it on my kid's hair as a detangler, too. Body Shop Tea Tree Oil Blemish  - Tea tree oil, I've found over time, is too harsh on my skin. But if I dap this oil on a pimple, it will quickly diminish it. And make it go away a lot faster. Chamomile Ma

2016 Wins, So Far ...

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I've been feeling a little blue today. Just overall cold and bummed and low energy. So to cheer myself up I made a list of my 2016 accomplishments ... so far ... I sorted out all the holiday decorations , trashed some stuff (except for the Dancing Homer-Santa, I can't seem to part with it) and neatly put away the decorations into tubs, keeping like things together, and labeling each tub. (* I got a label-maker for Hanukkah.) There are two books that have been languishing on my ToRead piles for years: Longbourne and The Night Circus . I DO want to read them, but other books keep making more noise. I'm determined to clean out the pile, so I pulled the audiobooks from the library and started on Longbourne this week -- which I absolutely love. You can tell the author is a true fan of the Pride and Prejudice story, weaving it into the storylines of the house servants.  I dumped Facebook from my phone. It was sucking up my time and it wasn't all that interesting,

Planning My Summer -- Already

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Despite being the dead of winter with lows in the negative numbers and even too cold for Benny to walk to the bus stop, it's the time to start planning our summer camp plans. The park district camp registration is on Feb. 6 and if you aren't registering that day, there's a chance you won't get the sessions and locations you want. The horror.  We asked the kids what they want to do this summer and Alice insists on being home all day (there never was a more committed homebody) and Leah would rather "go anywhere" but back of the park district camp they were all last year. Neither of these scenarios is even close to possible, but I appreciate their input. After the success of the botanic garden mini-camp they attended for over winter break, I decided to break up their summer and send them for a few weeks at one camp then the other, which should keep them on their toes and not stuck in camp monotony. And the sessions really work together and will provide a go

Nana Was Here...

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My Mom lives about an hour away. I'm her closest child (of the five), so I'm lucky that she visits me often. Well, let's be honest, she visits her granddaughters and spoils them, thus her nickname "No Rules Nana." When she leaves, there are certain tell-tale signs that she has been here ... Opened Wine Bottle. Less M&Ms in the Jar ...  A Damp Rag. We Don't Use Rags For Cleanups ...  Plants Have Been Watered and Pruned of Dead Leaves ...  Not that my plants die when she doesn't visit. She just takes extra special care of them. And of all of us, I guess. Related posts: More with Nana

Glass-Fronted Cabinets - Solutions

I've got a bunch of glass-fronted cabinets in the house and, let's face it, there are some things I'd much rather hide. So I've been brainstorming ideas for how to cover the glass in a "nice" and "not so DIYey" kind of way. Fabric - laid flat or gathered.  Paper - from Paper Source or neat wrapping/scrapbook paper. Craft paper?  Contact Paper - frosted or neat design Wood Panel - remove glass and replace with panel or bead board. Is that possible?  Collage of family pictures - messy? Egg cartons - just kidding Paint the glass - What does glass look like painted? Can I remove it later?  Chalkboard - pull out the glass and replace with MDF with chalkboard paint?  Tin panels or faux tin panels - I've seen them at HomeDepot Lace - what is available?  Hmmm ... Now I'm a bit overwhelmed by all the possibilities. 

The Golden Globes: This is MY Super Bowl

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Don't judge me but I loove award shows! And particularly the Golden Globes because I get to see TV and movie stars mingle. So last night, I sent the girls up to play Mario Kart, I poured myself a glass of wine and basked in the glory that is red carpet and award show hoopla. Not that I saw any of the movies or TVs up for awards -- that hardly mattered. Especially when Christian Slater high-fived Leo on the way to get his reward and my 15-year-old-self exploded. Or when Brad and Ryan were on stage together and my brain couldn't comprehend the hotness on my TV -- or maybe that was just the wine. Anyway... I also used my NEW pressure cooker last night for the first time, making a Beef, Barley and Vegetable Stew from the Martha Steward One Pot cookbook. The pressure cooker is a little intimidating to use, just think about all that built-up pressure sitting on your counter. Plus, you can't see into the thing to know what's going on inside there. But the stew came ou

Sketching Out the Basement

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The first draft of my basement master plan: Basement Sketch 1 The important thing is I'm outlining all the functions I want to see the basement used for: workout, storage, movie theater. If I can't finish the basement, I can surely move things around and make it more attractive and useful, right? Related links: See alllll the basement posts

The Chaos of the Craft Drawer

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I'm convinced mischievous little elves go through my junk drawers every few months and scatters everything I had organized. The Craft Drawer! Yikes!

Basement Woes and Fixes

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Again we hosted Christmas with my family and again I was frustrated that we have a large space -- the basement -- that we couldn't/didn't really use. Sigh. In discussing plans to finish the basement, it became clear that we won't have the funds to do it in the next 6-8 months, at least. And maybe not at all this year. (It's a lot harder than you'd think to prioritize house projects/improvements.) But, I have to do something about it or this icky feeling of having a space in my house that I can't use will eat at me. So, I'm gathering my goals and figuring out some ways.  Goals Lego Land:  The girls use the basement as their Lego playroom. We've thrown Ikea tables and pieced together some rugs down there, along with some lights. I need to maintain that and maybe make it more comfortable. ( Note: the neighbors came by this weekend and moved a majority of legos back to their house, but I have a feeling they'll be back. )  The Home Gym:

And How Was Your Morning?

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Just putting this here so I can read it in a few years ... and laugh. Morning started off as usual. Get dressed while Leah gets dressed. Leah insists on getting Molly, her American Girl Doll dressed, too. Alice doesn't want to get dressed, which is normal. Head downstairs for breakfast. The crockpot full of chicken bits that's been simmering all night to make chicken broth is ready to be put through a sieve and frozen for future use. Triumph! Make toast, open smoothie drinks and get everyone eating. Crisis: Alice's Netflix isn't working. I turn on the radio and let her pick a song. Crisis averted. I make my breakfast smoothie, pour out some of the broth through a sieve and pack Leah's lunch. While stowing lunch in backpack, and taking a cursory look to make sure math book is in there (as I asked her to do last night), I notice there is only one gym sneaker in there. She wasn't allowed to do a gym activity yesterday because she forgot her shoe ("it

Happy New Year

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I love the start of a new year. The concept of shedding the old and welcoming the new. A pin that separates the past from the future. Like everyone I'm making all kinds of goals and plans and promises for this new year. I'm optimistic about what's to come. And grateful about the many wonderful things that happened in the last 12 months. Happy 2016!!  The Stars in My Pretty Dining Room Related posts: More about my pretty dining room