What Ana Does

Let me tell you how much I dislike our kitchen table and for how many years I've been trying to make peace with it.  It all started in 2019 when it was time to replace our round Crate & Barrel table that we loved but was now falling to pieces ( post here with photos ). In that year, I ordered four kitchen tables, two from Pottery Barn that I returned ( here's another post about saga ). Then ordered a cheap Target table when the one I really wanted was back-ordered ( details here ). Then the one I wanted arrived and it wasn't the farmhouse table of my dreams but a rustic table with an uneven top. So I settled.  You can't even imagine the teasing from my family about ordering that many kitchen tables. It was relentless. So I gave up.  We moved into our new house and that "kitchen table I settled for" moved along with us. (Incidentally, the Target one did too and lives in our basement, getting used for Thanksgiving.)  Summer 2021 - Right After We Moved In Las...

Of all the social media, I think Pinterest is the most powerful. If you have a home or a garden or a dream or any hobbies, Pinterest is your friend. But are you doing it wrong?  First, visit and "pin" often so the algorithm learns you and shows you stuff you want.  Doing searches and pinning anything that strikes your fancy is a great way to get better content.  Create "catch all" folders. Use these folders for large categories to catch anything that makes your heart sing, gets your attention, looks great, makes you happy, etc. I have a "Home Decor" folder where I drop interiors that are inspiring and pretty. I have one that's about "Books" and a "Eat Me" food folder. Travel, too. These folders are meant to collect those joy-inducing pins.  Then create a specific project folder. When a project or need pops up in my life, I'll create a specific folder such as "Main Bathroom." I'll start in my already-collected ...

As in the last few years, I'm always aiming for 100 books (including audiobooks) read each year. I like having a goal to strive for while doing something I enjoy (reading!). And, as my latest post details, I read most nights before bed, and listen to audiobooks during mindless tasks at work or when I'm driving, so the number is achievable with my daily routine.   My 2024 TOTAL books read is ... 104 books and audiobooks! This was the year of cowboy rancher books, more historical romance (some rereads of longtime favorites) and some fun, very-light mysteries. It's hard to pick my favorite by  Swift and Saddled by Lyla Sage book, Folk Around and Find Out by Penny Reid and The Riley Thorne Series were standouts with characters I still think about. Honorable mention to Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey and Bride by Ally Hazelwood for being the spiciest but also the most heartstrings-pulling of the group.  Also to note: Not listed in my annual total is my Kindle Reading To...

When we last saw the back hallway (AKA boot room) it looked pretty good. Lots of hooks, new floor, fun gallery art. But the issues were many: I wanted a wood element to warm up the space. The new shelf was the wrong color ... but really it was the walls that were the wrong. They were just "off" the blue cabinet color.  So, obviously something had to be done. And with Leah off to college, I needed a 1-weekend doable DIY project that I could focus on.  Off to Lowes for $200 worth of shiplap and new pine boards for the hook rails.  Demo started! All the rails came down easily. The wall to the right of the garage door (on the left side of this photo) needed to go white, so I primed that a few times to cover over the erroneous blue.  Shiplap install time! Went up pretty quickly once I started chopping. I wish those half pieces/cuts were on the bottom of the wall, instead of the top, but I'll know better for next time!  I put three coats of the ("SW: Denim") blue pain...

I'll just admit it: I get a great night sleep.  Even as a upper-40ish perimenopausal lady, I sleep well most nights and I know this is special because most of my friends complain about their poor sleep. I suspect it's mostly on them, because, when asked, they're clearly not prioritizing the habits that will help them. And with just a few tweaks and some focus, they'd sleep better. But do you ever notice some people make "I'm a poor sleeper" just part of their personality and they don't really care to change?  Anyway, I'm documenting all my sleep secrets here because maybe you're doing it wrong. And maybe you want to sleep better.    First, do the stuff everyone says to do, because these habits are  obvious and they work.  Stop eating after 8pm (or 7pm, if I'm really paying attention). Go to bed just a teeny bit hungry. If your body is digesting, it might be hard to fall asleep and stay asleep, too.  Stop drinking anything after 8pm, too. ...

Off We Go! This summer I was introduced to the concept of Travel Hacking! And it's fascinating!  What is Travel Hacking? So, you open a (for example) Chase United card and they'll give you a 65,000 points bonus after reaching the "minimum spend." Meaning, you have to put (eg) $4,000 on the card in the first 3 months. (They very.) To reach that minimum spend, travel/points hackers use these credit cards for all their usual household expenses and pay off the balance at the end of each month (carrying a balance would defeat the purpose!). And they open multiple cards a year to gather more points/miles.  In case you don't know, 65k points is two round trip economy flights in the US. And 1 round-trip to Europe. So, just that alone is a pretty sweet deal.   I'm so intrigued by this. Travel is my favorite thing. And making it cheaper for us to do more often, in any way, is exciting.  Just think, in five years we're going to be empty nesters. I'll have kids t...