What Ana Does

I cut out and pinned the feathers on Leah's first owl wing, for her Halloween costume. I'm pretty proud of it, actually. Though, it looks more like a turkey, right? Half Done Ring Wing is Pinned! Hooray!  Now to cut even more feathers for the second wing. My scissors are going to be dull -- but it will be worth it.

I've got two little girls, so I'll pick up any books that features strong female characters with big dreams for the future. "Grace for President" is one of those books. Grace is horrified when she learns there hasn't been any female presidents, so she runs for president of her class -- against a popular boy who wins the science fairs. Not only is there a great message in the end, it explains the electoral collage -- which is a bonus for adult readers who find it confusing. ** This is the beginning of a new series of favorite picture books in the household. With a second-grader, she has to read 20 minutes a day. And picking among her favorite books helps. But, let's be frank, these are really my favorite books. 

I decided to order two of the dining room chairs I found on wayfair.com to confirm the match and see how they look. The priced dropped slightly and I had a 10% off coupon for signing up for their newsletter. Plus, the site offers free shipping. Amazingly, they arrived 24 hours after I ordered them. Wow!!! Luckily, I have a master furniture-putter-togetherer living in my house.   Mid Construction Look like a match? New and Old: New Chair in the Foreground Hooray, now I have seating for six! Come over and eat at my house.

The weather is turning cooler, with chilly nights and shorter days. Feels like fall! So, it's time for a seasonal spruce-up on this blog background. I choose a fall orangey-red texture to get ready for all those pretty autumnal colors. Hope you like it!

Me and My New Nephew Here's my dream job : I set up a desk in the maternity wing of a hospital and assist new parents with naming their babies. In this position, I'd inject more variety in the names and clean up the odd spelling choices people make (and, I have to assume, later regret).   Not that the "popular" names are bad. Olivia, Sophia, Emma/Emily and Lily are lovely names! And Braden, Aiden, Jayden are also beautiful for boys. But as a the bearer of the most popular name in my generation, sharing your name with three girls in your class stinks. So, while, yes, I love pretty names -- being a Jessica A, Jessica R, or Jessica C. is not awesome.   And why am I qualified for this job? I love names. I collect names like a hobby. New names are rolled around on my tongue, tested for possible playground variations and inherent characteristics. Then, I mentally collect a list of favorite names that change completely every few months -- just in case. Here...

It's going to be an awesome day -- according to my horoscopes. All those Aries out there, go out and reach for the stars! Standing at the edge of a new experience is a reassuring feeling for you Rams. You might even begin an extremely exciting venture now, for you have an optimistic sense about life and you are eager to play out your part. Be as adventurous as you wish. Live outside the constraints of negativity and reach for the stars.  -- DailyHoroscope.com You got it!

Starting a new job at a new company gives you a unique opportunity to become a newer version of yourself. Not so much a complete makeover -- because you can't maintain a persona that's not really you. But highlight some of those traits you've been shadowing. "Hi, I'm Jessica 2.0. I am a bit more opinionated, not as shy in meetings, and wear strips with small-patterned shirts. Have we met?" Oh! And I drink coffee. How cool is that?

Halloween is right around the corner and we're full-speed in the spirit of that most-fun holiday. Leah has decided to be an owl this year. And I, in turn, have decided to make her costume. I found instructions on how to make wings here (a blog called Prudent Baby)   but will use browns and oranges instead of the pretty pinks and blues. And if I feel really ambitious, I'll add feathers to the shirt, too! ( Like this. ) I was at the fabric store last weekend, rummaging through the remnant piles for owl-colors. And will need to make another trip this weekend for more oranges and reds. Then, a search through Etsy.com to find a felt mask -- that I can either remake or buy (likely buy -- I don't have THAT much time.) As for Alice, she's still deciding. For weeks, it was clear she was going to wear her Ariel costume (all that's missing is a red wig), but lately she's wavering. I heard her talking about being a witch or wizard. I gave her a Sunday deadline to m...

Kevin Henkes is a storybook genius. He's also a long-time resident of Wisconsin, so I'm going to assume he's a neighbor and future best friend. And one of his first books was called "Jessica," so it's fated. Anyway, all of his books are a completely perfect, but "Chrysanthemum" is a particular favorite. I had to read it a dozen or so times before I stopped getting weepy at the end. "She didn't think her name was absolutely perfect ... she knew it." Sob. There's nothing better than a little girl dealing with name-calling mean girls, thanks to the wonder of Mrs. Twinkle. Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes. Absolutely perfect.  Lately, we've been reading his Penny book series, and loving them. Especially "Penny and Her Doll." Rose is the perfect name! **  This is the beginning of a new series of favorite picture books in the household. With a second-grader, she has to read 20 minutes a day. And picking among her ...

In June, I started tackling two problem areas in my backyard ( as blogged about here ). With help from my Mom to move some of the black-eyed susans and lots of new cedar mulch, the area has come a long way. If you recall, a pine tree died just beyond the spot. I have plans to replace it but not anytime soon. The area in front probably had a good variety of plants, but they all died out years ago -- suffocated by the weeds. Here's the before picture: BEFORE: Pine-Tree-Less Area of Landscaping. Screaming HELP ME! AFTER: Several New Perennials and Fresh Mulch. Area in the Back Awaiting New Pine Tree. Then, there's the spot near the house on the other side of the patio. We put Asiatic Lillies in last fall and they were glories, but there were too many other bald spots. Especially after the other bulbs (tulips and irises) went away in mid-summer.   BEFORE: Kinda of a Pile of Dirty. There are Some Plants, But Spotty. AFTER: Slightly Different Angle. A Lot of the...

I'm currently in love with this adorable picture book. It fuels my Parisian obsession each time I read it to the kids. The photographs are beautiful, the story is perfectly charming and the doll is so cute! I want to go to Paris with Kiki and Coco! Relate posts: Read more of my book posts

Do you read any blogs routinely? I have a bunch of favorite blogs that I check in with frequently. Mostly, I find the bloggers friendly or I aspire to their lifestyle or great decorating tastes. Thought you might enjoy the list. The Martha Blog , obvi. The original domestic goddess loves to share long photo galleries of her travels, and life on her farm in New York. It's amazing how her pickiness and perfectionism shines through. Given my penchant for imperfection, we'd not get along -- but her drive is definitely something to aspire to.  Decor8 was one of the first blogs I really started to connect with. Holly was just moving to Germany in those days and did features on Etsy stores and European decorating magazines. She's gotten huge since, even publishing a few books. Such an inspiration! Her blog still contains her gorgeous designers eye, though she's been busying and using frequent (less-fabulous) contributors.  Making It Lovely is one of those contributor...

As was mentioned a few weeks ago, I moved the white kitchen chairs into the dining room and was super happy with the results. But since the chairs were bought 7 years old, I was having a hard time finding more of those exact chairs. (Dave isn't a fan of the mix styles in the same color.) Until today! Viola! Wayfair.com , a discount online shop, has them. The only question is, how many should I order?

I'm not alone in this, but, yes, I love Trader Joe's. I will drive 20 miles out of my way to shop, every two weeks, at the nearest Trader Joe's. And I load up on fruit bars, applesauce, cheese, whole-grain waffles and chocolate chips. Why? Two big reasons. 1. I have sensitivity to high fructose corn syrup and likely other chemicals found in processed food. For someone who has to read labels, it's super nice to walk through a store and not have to worry about it. 2. It's way cheaper than shopping anywhere else. Especially if you want organic products. Unless my shopping list has high-ticket items (nuts, protein powder, tons of produce and meat), I can fill a shopping cart for about $100. A recent example: Six bags. $120. About 30 Minutes, the Usual List of Necessities, Six Bags = $120. There are about 80 more reasons to drive out of your way to shop here, like the variety of food (where else can you buy quinoa-black bean tortilla chips?), the quality of t...

My Totally Awesome Paris Metro Map Coffee Mug at Work  I've been on a mission to add caffeine to my life in the form of coffee. (I know, there are people who are weening off of coffee but me, I want ON the addiction bandwagon. Go figure.) Anyway, here's the thing about coffee: it gives people the jitters. And being the total novice that I am, it gives me crazy-major jitters. So I don't usually finish a whole cup. I use a LOT of milk. (Sorry to the rest of my coworkers who usually find an empty milk carafe next to the coffee.) And I try to snack on animal crackers or the kid's Bunny Grahams while sipping it, so protect my tummy. I drink a lot of water all day. Lots and lots. Which is according to my web research, the best way to combat the jitters. But, even with all this, I DO feel more focused and less sleepy for hours after my little cup of coffee. And I'm drinking way more water during the day. So, it's a double win. Right? Related posts: ...

This week my family celebrates three birthdays, all in a row! My baby brother Nic is turns 28 (gah!), my lovely niece Alessandra turns 4 (congrats for making it out of the 3s with some sanity, big sister!) and my baby girl is turning 5 years old. We should just all take this week off to celebrate three major arrivals. Happy Girl on Her Birthday!

My Lips are Sealed I've got a little secret ... and I'm not able to tell. This is very hard for me. I should not be trusted with confidential information because I want -- NEED -- to tell someone. Especially if its good. Really good. Bad secrets are easier, I'll make myself forget them (and I'm super good at forgetting). But good secrets? Forget it. Dave will know within the day, at the least. And then maybe someone at work ... and it spirals from there.   Anyway don't ask me any questions because I don't know anything!!! But, really, it's just a small secret. Not a big deal. I just can't tell. 

I was in the mood for some Frenchy soup last weekend -- despite the miserable heat (in September, really?) so I found a recipe for Leek and Potato soup, which sounded incredible Parisian to me. It was also super easy. I even made Crème fraîche for the topping. Because of Dave's lactose issues, I found a cream-less version (he passed on the topping), which is apparently even more Frenchy, on this adorable blog run by a gal living in Paris (Montmartre, to be exact). Just look at her picture! Adorable. (Her cookbook is now on my Holiday Wish List, family members take note.) Oh, and the soup was pretty good, too. A large amount of it went into the freezer for a rainy day. Potatoes Getting Peeled Leeks Sliced and Ready for a Boil Related posts: All the cookbook posts What I learned about menu planning

Orange and Pink! What am I up to lately? The answer, knitting small leg-warmers for the kids. After attempting to knit in the round, which given the circumference of the leg, turned into a total disaster ... I knit rectangles that I sewed together to form the cylinder. Pretty cute Hanukkah gift. Shhh, don't tell the girls.

Sometimes the solutions are so simply, you don't see them right away. I have four white chairs around my kitchen table. On a whim, I moved them into the dining room with the idea to see how white would play in the now-gray room. Suddenly, it all made sense. I don't want to buy another set of white chairs, that would be redundant. And these look perfect around the table -- tall enough and the curve in the back matches the table legs. Viola! My White Chairs in Their New Home There's one problem: I only have four chairs. The long dining room table should have at least six chairs around it. I bought these from Overstock.com six or seven years ago, and I've combed the site with no luck. So, so I live with four chairs around the table and move non-matching chairs in when I have more than four guests? Or do I continue the search for new dining room chairs and move these back to the kitchen? Decisions, decisions.  ** PS. That bromeliad on the table is heading to...

Here's the awful before picture of my entryway from the office. The main door to the house is on the right, the rest of the house is on the left. And it is just .... not good. Entryway -- What Happened Here?!  I've been pricing entryway furniture -- something with hooks, a shelf, a bench. Maybe some storage. A mirror would be nice. But, DO YOU KNOW HOW EXPENSIVE THAT STUFF IS?! I just can't justify spending hundreds of dollars on the foyer! Plus, I want to keep the profile thin -- so it doesn't jut too far out into this hallway and cut off running space. So, I have this CRAZY idea. Whatif Whatif Whatif I BUILT IN a piece of entryway furniture? Trim, beadboard, some hooks, pre-made shelves and bench? I'd get the style and sleek profile I want. And get to decide on color and overall look. Than reality check (!), I don't have carpentry tools or skills to undertake something that big! So, I did some shopping around IN MY OWN house for other options. ...

Spending the Labor Day weekend with my two sisters, their adorable daughters and playing at a summer camp we have full run on -- the best. Throw in an adoring Nana and great-grandma, and happiness and joy were everywhere. As were slivers, bug bites, camp fires songs and playhouse performances. Fun fun!

First day highlights I have an office! With a door! And large windows! And paper-thin walls! View From My Desk The office building have not been updated since the '60s. It's a little kitschy and cool. My office is filled with 1960 furniture, an old aluminum desk and a teal wall. I've brought in some personal touches, but it will take while before I'll feel moved in. Too bad I can't paint the walls! Early Attempts at Personalization