What Ana Does

A Look at the Mirror We were supposed to be heading to camp this weekend to help Liza and Eric get their cabin and camp ready for the summer. But those plans were canceled (long story) and instead, Leah and are spending these three weekdays at home on a "stay-cation." I have tons on my to-do list, including cleaning out the office (check!) and getting to the DMV (not likely). But the top of that list is painting the guest half-bath across from the laundry room. I picked out the colors sometimes in March and have been staring at the swatches on the wall ever since. Complete! The painting project is a little more advanced because I want two colors: avocado green and a steely blue. And the ceiling are super-high; only a ladder is going to get into the tippy-top corners. And bathrooms, with all the tight corners, are my least favorite rooms to paint. But with the day off and Leah willing to assist me, we set to work. Before, the room was a beige box. I replaced the ...

Thanks to a package that arrived in the mail today, I have two little girls who are ready for the 4th of July! Thank you (Great) Grandma! Red, White and Happy!

We finally got the girls out to their very first ball game. To be honest, we always thought it would be Shea (obviously) or Citi Park. But here we are in Milwaukee at Miller Park. We got tickets behind home plate, and right behind the cameras. We made friends with the camera man, who gave us a ball from batting practice and put the girls on the jumbotron TWICE! The girls got ice cream, we cheered, we watched the hot dogs race around the park. We saw a home run that made the mascot slide down his twisty slide and fireworks go off. Sure the Brewers lost but it was a great dat at the ball park. Ball Park Beauties

About two weeks ago I decided I had had it with the traditional rug in our family room. The Carpet It's a quality piece of carpet, antique and 100% wool -- and we got it from the people we bought our house from in New Jersey, at a pretty deep discount. And the bonus; we didn't have to move it. It stayed with us for the last six years. Leah and Alice took their first steps on it, we wrestled on it and opened gifts on it every year. We added to the stains and spilled birthday cake into the fringe edges. The Boxes Arrive It served us well... but it's leading the family room in the wrong direction. Traditional? That's not us. I want vibrant, solid colors with a richer navy and more greens. I need to anchor the room, not jumble it up with more intricate pattern. I had known what my solution would be since we first saw the house. Flor makes carpet tiles that are colorful, fun to design and super easy to clean. Plus, you can move with them, add to them and re...

I've got dirt under our finger nails, but got started on the garden beds today, as a Mother's Day morning treat. Here is the first bed all marked out with twine. I've got peppers, sunflowers, basil, tomatoes, spinach and other goodies planned for this garden. Ready for Seeds and Plants

Finally! It's been a long month waiting for our new playset to arrive. It's finally here! It took two men about 3 hours to put it all together, but well-worth the wait. 1. That is a LOT of pieces 2. Even more pieces 3. The platform comes together 4. Finished! Now, come over and PLAY!

Just thought I'd share a little art by Leah. Alice took the photo.

It took me a few months after moving to settle in and get back into books. And May 2012 was a good time to restart because there were two sequels I has been waiting years for. The first is the final book in my friend's trilogy "This is So Not Happening" which is a year long in the making. And the second is "Bitterblue," which follows up a book (called Fire) that I read on maternity leave with Alice. That was a very long time ago ... Too long to be waiting and anticipating a new book. Happily, they are both finally in my possession. Don't call be after 9pm because I'll be reading.

On Friday, after eating too many Hershey Kisses, I took a walk from my office in Evanston to Lake Michigan -- which was surprising close. Just a few blocks away. Every time I visit, I can't believe it's just a lake. There's a well-formed beach with rocks and waves. This sign made me giggle. Eliminate dogs and litter. In that order? When the weather gets better, I plan to bring my lunch down to the lake front and get used to the view.