What Ana Does

Geez! It took me long enough to clear out some time to watch the Outlander series on Starz. And OH BOY am I glad that I did. I knew this show was going to be right in my wheelhouse. History? Check. Pretty dresses? Yes. Romance? Oh yes. Handsome boy? Check! And he's in a kilt! And often shirtless! And with a thick Scottish accent! Does it get friggin better?! Claire, the main character, is growing on me. She's no damsel in distress, which is excellently refreshing. She yells and heads people and knocks out attackers with a chair. She takes care of herself. And she wears thick knit scarves and fingerless gloves, so now all I want to do is knit chunky accessories. The only drawback is I can't understand some of the dialogue because of the Scottish accents. They slip into Gaelic and back to English while I'm lost drinking in scenery or longing looks. But it's moving slow, so I'm not missing any big plot points (I don't think). I'm already on ep

Eight years later, I finally get my Pearl Jam shirt. From a show I was able to attend. And it fits ... Totally Wearing It At Work Right Now P.S. The show was absolutely brilliant. Eddie Vedder is a rock god.  Rocking Out!

Okay, here's my favorite Pearl Jam story. Eight years ago Pearl Jam was touring and we got tickets. For May. Weeks after Leah was born. We see a lot of concerts, but this one band had been alluding us. Either we missed out on getting tickets or they weren't coming to our area or we had scheduling conflicts. Anyway, we were really, super excited when we got these tickets. We also know my attendance was iffy. Who knows how I was going to feel or if the baby was going to be on time. Etc. Anyway, the time came and I was OUT; Too exhausted, overwhelmed, not up for it. Dave invited a friend and OF COURSE went anyway. I was OK with it. Bummed but OK. These things happen. They played "Baba O'Reilly" for Pete's sake. And this was one of the first time they did. So, ok. I'm maybe still not over it. But it was Leah's fault. Really. I don't blame Dave for not skipping it. But ... THEN HE GETS HOME WITH A T-SHIRT. For ME. A size SMALL. I had just ha

We got out of town this weekend for a wedding in New Jersey. Sans children. This was a good good thing. We flew into Jersey on Friday and spent Friday night and Saturday with the in-laws. Quality time. Then, we saw "The Maze Runner" and I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH how much I super-really-totally enjoyed it. As a fan of the series, I was nervous they wouldn't get my favorite scenes right or cast it correctly. My worries were unwarranted. Chunk was exactly as imagined. Theresa was good. And Thomas, seriously, do NOT get me started on the PERFECTION of Thomas. I feel so totally relieved that Hollywood didn't screw this one up. So, good job! Go see it, even if you didn't read the book. (But WHY didn't you read the book? Seriously?) From there, it was time to get all prettied-up for the wedding. We stayed with our friends Josh and Lauren -- so there were a few girly moments spent over shoes and lipstick. (You know how it is.) It's been years since we've been

I'm annoyed. Like, truly annoyed. This year I sent out two care packages to folks I thought would really appreciate them. First, to my cousin who got married in April. Ok, it took me a few weeks to get it in the mail and I MAY have forgotten to get her RSVP out by the deadline, too. But that's my life. So I bought a bunch of cute kitchen stuff, wrapped it attractively in a box and included a personal card to congratulate her on her wedding.  It took some time and effort, people. And I got nary a word back to say We Got It! Or Thanks! Or anything. I mean, is it so hard to drop a Thank You note in the mail?  Now, too much time has passed to comfortably drop a subtle Facebook message to be all "hey, happy holidays, and did you get our wedding gift? Should I have included a box of Thank You cards?" I'm just disappointed.  So this August we stayed with some friends in Portland and were just horrible houseguests. I mean, there is four of us, we're un

It was one of those go-go-go weekends. The kind you need a weekend to recover from. Saturday, we had three soccer games -- Alice in the morning and Leah played in her first tournament. They did great on Saturday but lost on Sunday. Probably because we were there. As previously reported, we were downtown cheering our marathon man on! He finished in 5 hours. I can't even believe it. First Game - Sun Was Out!  Second Game - 8:30pm Start. First Game Under the Lights! Sending Daddy Off: Ts Said: "Our Daddy's Running ... Try & Keep Up" Waiting for Daddy to Pass By We Hung Out at the Art Institute and Did Some Shopping While David Ran, and Ran and Ran and Ran .... 

I just blinked and Summer was over. I made a "100 Things to Do This Summer" poster and we did about 10 things. It's seriously pathetic. Don't ask me how many times I rode my cool bike. That's the problem with living in a place that's only warm three months a year. That's really only 15 weekends. And it was a rainy summer, so cut that in half. That's a lot of pressure to get outside and enjoy it. It's cold. We didn't take enough advantage when it was hot. Get over it.

I remember looking at my mother's furniture as a kid, dark wood and grown up, and thinking that when I had my own house, I was going to buy bright and pretty furniture. Yet, somehow, I ended up with a bunch very dark furniture.  These things happen.  On a whim, I tossed up two pieces of furniture on Craig's List this week. Things we had bought for the old house and didn't really fit in here.  And Ah! They sold! So goodbye console table, that lacked closed storage and was to deep for the foyer .... Console Table Goodbye adorable, little bench. We never found baskets that fit perfectly in the cubbies, but you fit nicely by the front door in our house in New Jersey. Too bad we never found a place for you here. Good luck! 

I would never have believed David would have any desire to run a marathon when we first met over a decade ago -- or even first dating. Heck, even three years ago! I still don't know what got into him, but he ran the Chicago marathon this weekend. He's officially crazy.  Pre-Race! And we're all so proud!! I even got the girls t-shirts to wear while we cheer him on on this chilly October day. Related posts: All the weekend posts

Because I know you're dying to know what my lunches looked like this week, here's the highlights. Note: The yogurt was an epic fail on Sunday night. I forgot to pull them out of the yogurt maker after my family conference call. So, I made do. Wasa Crackers, Cheese, Homemade Granola Bar and Pears! Rice cakes and Cheese, Yogurt Tube (Swiped from Leah), Pears and Hardboiled Egg Leftovers: Spaghetti Squash and Shrimp (Parsley from My Garden) with Pears I picked up a lot of pears from the CSA last weekend, so I'm eating through them. Delicious. 

Ten has always been a lucky number for me, so I was looking forward to the magical date 10/10/2010. Four years ago today I was in Milan and Lake Como with the girls as part of our European adventure. It was a very good day. There was a train ride, a boat ride, ham sandwiches, George Clooney's house, and a cheese burger for dinner. Relive the day with me on the Berlin blog . They Were There! Oh my gosh, look how little these girls are! And that bird is not actually on Alice's head. Related links Traveling with kids is the BEST!

I found this little gem on the blog we created for Leah when she was a toddler. Sometimes I can't believe I'm not her anymore. I can't believe Dave and I are not just building our family. Getting to know our little Leah. Waiting to meet this little baby. Leah on Her New Playset in our New Jersey Backyard. Alice is in the Photo (Under the Stripes), You Just Can't See Her Yet. This time went by in a blur of sleepless nights, tantrums, tickling, laughter, dancing, chasing, zerberts, worry and tears. What would I tell her if I could get a message back in time? A Few Minutes Later ... Snotsville!

One of my favorite things about Fall is all the new books that come out. Fall and Spring are the big seasons for new books. It's also the time someone should ban me from the book store and my Amazon cart, because things get crazy. This weekend I got to spend a blissful hour at the Barnes and Noble sans children. I browsed all my favorite sections and some new sections (Travel!) that I hardly ever get to explore. I may have made a lot of purchases. A whole lot of purchases. My To-Read Pile -- Well, One of the Three Piles Snow was spotted Saturday morning (already, right!!) so it feels like time to settle in and read all day. If only ... 

Hairline on the Move! Dear Self, You are aging and here's how I know: First, you pulled out the yoga mat after a several-month absence (inexcusable, I might add) and now, two days later, you can't walk without wanting to cry. Tying your shoes for soccer practice later will feel like cruel torture. You've known sore muscles in your youth, of course, but nothing this serious. We hear it's a sign of age and we don't like it. In the future, if you want to take a few days off from yoga/exercise, FINE. But never again take longer than a week away from your mat. You will be sorry. You saw the way that guy looked at you as you limped down the hallway and stairs. Not OK. Let this be a lesson to you and keep moving. For today, take some Advil and stop sniveling. You can also see the aging all over your face. The little wrinkles next to your eyes are getting deeper -- which isn't so bad, really. It's giving your face a little more character. But they're

We started decorating the house for Halloween this weekend. The big party is only a few weeks away. Spooky lanterns are hanging from balcony and a big spider's web has been installed by the stairs. Next up, the large spider that lives there! Oooooo! Lanterns -- and Another Look at the Navy Wall Through the Spider's Web -- and To My Messy Entryway Related posts: All the Halloween stories

I can't help it. Every time I paint another wall navy blue I fall so in love with it, I start considering what the next wall is that should go blue. This weekend, I tackled the piano wall. It was quick and simple to do. The only difficulty was moving the piano out of the way to do it.  The best part is the carpet in the entryway is navy, so there's a lovely complimentary thing going on. And the piano looks a little fancier done up with a dramatic wall behind it. The Piano Wall - Before. Beige, Of Course! After the First Coat Waiting For the Paint to Dry What will go NAVY next?!

Found this picture from last year in my folder today and it just made me smile. 

Odd fact of the day .... The French government pays for a mother’s tummy tuck after the birth of her third child (you do have to have at least 3 babies to qualify). Found on this blog about raising kids in Southern France. Yes, I'm day-dreaming again. Related posts: All the fancy quotes My love of France runs deep, people