What Ana Does

For the last week we've been meeting with contractors -- pulled from various sources -- to talk about the deck project. I work with vendors (albeit code and design vendors) at work, so I'm pretty comfortable with this part of the process. Here's the secret to hiring out work: Be clear about your project and then LISTEN when they explain it back to you. If they are picking up on what you're going for, that's your guy. If they are way off or pushing you into a directions that you're not comfortable with, they're not worth working with. You'll spend way too much time explaining your point of view and won't be happy with what you get. Sure, hearing their recommendations as the experts is important. But, I'm the type of person who generally knows exactly what I want. Especially on this deck that I've been envisioning for the last three years. Overall, the deck design is super simple: A large rectangle that's low enough to the ground that...

When we started talking about this flooring, way back on Friday, I would have said no to more carpet. Having a dining room table on carpet is odd. But after discussing with the floor guy and looking at some samples, I got pretty comfortable with it. Ideally, we would continue the hardwood floors from the house into the living room/dining room but unless I discovered an elf with magical flooring powers that can match the 15-year-old wood, it's not going to happen. So, we got new carpet that's designed for the traffic and use of this room. It's low pile (but not berber, that snags!) and very family friendly. And it was installed in about 2 hours. Obviously, the dogs are very happy on it. New Carpet Now that the furniture is moved back, and not the clutter, it is making me rethink all the junk that sits on those white shelves. Do we really need it? Also, that coffee table really should be white, right? Related links: More posts about the Living Room 

We're not going to blame this one on the dogs, but ... we're replacing the carpet in our living room/dining room. First, why is there carpet in this room anyway? Putting carpet under a dining room table is ballsy, right? And this carpet is high-pile, the same that we have in the bedrooms. Plush is awesome for bedrooms, but in high-traffic areas, it's the "wrong carpet" as the floor guys says. And yes, the carpet is a little yucky because the dogs love this room.  Not stained, but a few areas that look more frayed than others. Anyway, Dave called the floor guys and they gave us a pretty good deal to get it done quickly. I guess they had a crew with nothing this week. So posting some BEFORE pics: Dining Room Looks Magazine-Ready .. But Focus on the Floors Living Room - With Benny Wandering Around

Gathering contractors and quotes for the deck -- which we decided was the next BIG project we absolutely needed to tackle in this house. The crumbling back staircase is now officially a health hazard -- I've seen two guests nearly bite it trying to access our backyard. Not to mention our paver patio is likely a decade or more old. I've made attempts at repair and maintenance, but it's too far gone. More to come on this ...

This seems to be a very midwestern thing to do because we've not witnessed it on with coast we've lived in. Enter fast food place (with ample seating, mind you), order and pick up food, exit building, turn on car, and eat food IN THE CAR while it idles in the parking lot. They don't even drive anywhere. They just sit in the parking lot, in some instances staring INTO the place they got the food, and eating their food. Then, at some point later, they drive away. Now why is that?! ** Editor's Note: I'm doing my best to make this about the behavior of eating in the car and not my personal repulsion of most fast food chains. It's not about the crap they are eating but the way they are consuming the crap. 

With Lots of Butter

Pictures in cookbooks are essential. I need a visual goal of what I'm cooking, especially if it's something new. And the more lovely and artistic the picture, the better. This week I attempted a recipe sent to me via the hubby. It came from the The New York Times, and printed as a PDF, it had no image. But the many beans and veggies in the recipe followed my ongoing goal of EAT MORE PLANTS, so I attempted it. It was kind of like cooking without a net. Does this look right, I kept asking myself. Maybe? Keep going.   Here's the link to the Ribolita recipe  (there's a picture on the website) and here's what it looked like in my bowl. It was the perfect winter soup! Delicious.   Related posts: More cooking posts 

We live in the midwest in a very-outer-tier suburb. So for obvious reasons it's not a very walkable area. But here's the totally weird thing we've noticed: On the coldest and snowiest days, we will see someone walking along the side of the road. And not for exercise or away from a disabled vehicle. Just walking along. The odd thing is we don't see people walking in the summer or even spring months. Nope, when it's so cold we drive the kids the bus stop -- those are the days when we see people walking along the road side. Now why is that?!

I was flipping through a journal I created in 1995 that included magazine pictures that once hung from the walls of my teen-year's bedroom. When I moved out for college, I had to clear the walls (and room) for my little sister who moved in. So everything got pasted into this journal -- except for the large posters of Keanu and the Young Guns movie poster, they were probably trashed. OK, so my taste in cute boys was flawless, but this makes me feel a bit old, right? Bruce Willis with hair!?! Leo! My darling, tragic River?! And friggin' Jordan Catalano! My So-Called Life and LEO This journal also had my thoughts and feelings on life, poetry and profound quotes, neat vocabulary words, names of my future children, and MANY more pages of cute boys. It's actually pretty cool. I have diaries and journals dating back to when I was 11 stored away, but this one is a definite favorite. I can't wait for Leah to page through this when she's a teenager.  

The Peace of Wild Things When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free. -By Wendell Berry I found this posted on this beautiful baking blog.  

I'm starting a new thing! We all know Spring Cleaning. And we all know I'm programmed to do Spring Cleaning like a boss. But, I'm adding the Winter Declutter. Because when you've been stuck in your house for several months thanks to very cold weather you get sick of looking at things. Donation van is coming tomorrow. If I didn't use it/wear it in the last 12 months and won't likely need it in the future (that's tricky) ... of it goes!

And then it became way too cold to wait outside for the school bus ... All Bundled Up in the Warm Car Relate posts: More more and more Alice

It's very slow, but there's a little relationship starting to develop between these two doggie brothers. Benny's pretty reluctant about this hyper interloper but seems to enjoy being outside more. And Lando just wants to be his best friend. (Sound familiar?) We're getting there. Sharing a Hug Alice says now our family is even: Three girls and three boys. 

Audiobook: Longbourn Author: Jo Baker Read by: Emma Fielding Genre: Historical Fiction, Austen Homage If you know Pride and Prejudice and have read it a few times (like me), this book starts out a lot of fun. You can follow the timeline of P&P in the background as the servants play out their own stories -- which tie slightly to the original text. Sarah immediately hates the new coachman James because he doesn't give her the time of day. Sound familiar?! The narrator did an excellent job, too. Her accent and dramatic reading were perfect (especially for Jane). And the descriptions of the countryside and the house drew me further into the world of Austen. Elizabeth probably wouldn't have been such a walker if she had to wash her own petticoats, too true! It's far too easy for me to romanticize the life of the servants in a country estate and long to be in that kitchen while they are baking the bread or tarts. However, I did not like the last (third) volume of ...

If you would have asked me 5 years ago if I'd ever have two dogs the answer would have been a quick no. Even after we got Benny, I still would have answered no. But, as I posted about last week, those feelings have changed. Benny was a good starter dog, but we're ready for a full-fledge puppy. Puppy Snoozing So when I saw a posting about a beagle/mini-whippet mix puppy named Groucho (6 months old) available for adoption I decided to pursue it. Just give it a try. I had a list: Not a yappy dog. No biting. Mostly house-trained. Short haired. But more energy and playfulness. And he's have to have a connection with Dave, the girls and Benny. We met Groucho on Friday night and he fit all those criteria, except the biting thing -- but it was mostly just holding with his teeth (it's a puppy thing). He didn't bark at the door and he was happy and jumpy when he saw us. He was ready to play. We made the next move and brought him home for a weekend tryout -- he nee...