What Ana Does

Just got back from a long weekend in Denver for a work-related conference and visit with my sister. A little business, a little pleasure. It was my first time in Denver. Here's what I thought. - Downtown is really building up! There's construction everywhere and, though it's still a little rough around the edges, it's only going to get better. - It's all pretty walkable, at least the downtown portion. - There are pockets of yummy restaurants all over the city and they're easy to find. I loved Kitchen. And Snarf's had a fantastic veggie sandwich. - In the four days I was there, I found three indie book stores , including a children's bookstore on Tennyson street. I can't think of another city I visited with so many indies bookstores. - Red Rocks Amphitheater is a music church , as Ben Harper called it. I've been to a lot of big city venues, but nothing beats the views, the vibe and gazing at the stars while listening to a great band....

Here's the After picture of our master bedroom now that the walls are a dark and moody blue. Maybe the best part is I was at work while the painters were here, so I walked in and found -- as if by magic -- the room no longer minty green but a bold blue. That's pretty awesome. They also painted the trim an eye-popping white, which I just love against this blue. And the angle is a dark beige-y, tan color that I hope goes with the headboard. I spent the evening cleaning and re-hanging the drapes, and moving the furniture back into position. It will be a while before I dare hang anything in here. I'm too in love with the walls to put too many holes in them right now. So, just in case I'm looking for this information later: The walls are "Everard Blue" by Benjamin Moore . And the tray is "Curly Willow" by Behr . Now, does that furniture look too dark against the walls or is it just me? And wouldn't a lighter wood or white look fabulous agains...

... and I'm not doing it. I really really really was going to paint my master bedroom. I picked out the colors and started moving things out of the room. But, ugh, it's a BIG room and that tray part of the ceiling is high. So the question became, how much do I have to pay to NOT paint this room? What's my time and muscle aches really worth? So the answer was a lot more then I expected but they could come this week, so I took the bid. It's the same team that painted our family room and foyer and they were awesome. No worries about mistakes or blots on the ceiling that were a certainty if I painted. The team usually painted houses in the summer, so they saved my room for a rainy day. Master Bedroom - Shady, BEFORE Picture After picture coming soon! Related links: More Master Bedroom posts 

Berries By the Barrel I have started a new tradition this year ... Strawberry Day. Here in the midwest, strawberry season is about 3 weeks max -- that's it. It's not a lot of time to celebrate my favorite fruit. And there is nothing like the taste of a strawberry at peak of the season, picked fresh from the plant on a sunny June day. Nothing.  A whole series of poetry could be written about fresh-picked strawberries.  So, when I got wind this weekend was the peak of the peak, I declared it Strawberry Day! In a nutshell, the day is like this: We head to the strawberry patch as early in the morning as possible -- can't let the best strawberries get picked. Then, back to my house to make all the glorious things from strawberries: shortcake, waffles with whipped cream, angel food cake with strawberry sauce and ... fresh strawberry ice cream. And freeze a good portion for smoothies and cobblers later.  A brief aside: if you have not sampled fresh, homemade ...

Here's what I'm currently loving ... The Man From U.N.C.L.E . -- this movie was on my must-see list since it came out: the two main actors are SUPER HOT, it's a Guy Richie movie and they are always quotable (we trade quotes from Snatch almost daily) and what's more fun than the Cold War?! Oh, and I'm a sucker for Hugh Grant. But David thought it looked boring, so we didn't go. Then, David saw it on a plane without me and said it was "boring." So I waited. Finally it's out on HBO and I made time to watch it ... and I thought it was awesome. Sure, it's missing all the intensity of the new Bond/superhero movies, but it's fun and Oh! the eye candy all around. Lots of expensive suits and cool Italian cars. The one thing I would add -- just one shirtless scene. Is that too much to ask? It's S'Well! It Really Is! My S'well bottle - I don't know what witchcraft is at work but the water in this bottle stays cold,...

Well, the rest of the year should squelch my wanderlust. I have five trips planned between now and the end of the year and they're all of very different flavors: a business trip in Denver (and time with my little sis), a week in Massachusetts reconnecting with old friends and road-tripping with Alice, a very grown-up weekend in Vegas with my hubby, quick drive up to Minnesota with the whole family, and then there's ten days in Spain with my Mom and sisters that's a little heritage trip, a little sight-seeing and a little beach vacation. A little business, a lot of leisure. And a lot of airports. And, as is my nature, a whole lot of planning ... Much more come.

Feeling super lucky right now, as I'm researching hotels for a trip to Madrid and Tenerife in the fall!! I guess I go to Europe once a year now. La di da!  Madrid has all these affordable boutique hotel apartments. With lots more space for a very similar price to a standard European shoebox hotel room. It can't be this good, right? And lots in Tenerife to be found, too. Though, we're opting to stay in Santa Cruz, so less in the mix. A Photo From Our Madrid Hostel The last time I was in Madrid was 2002 with my big sister. Like this trip, it was a quick stop over (just a few days) before getting to Tenerife where we have family. We were in our early 20s and stayed in a hostel near the Prado. I dug out the journal I kept on that trip and wrote a lot about the old-world charm of Madrid, the cobblestoned streets, old buildings, large plazas. And the food, of course. Though, I was less adventurous in those days. I was also impressed by how walkable the city was, so ...

This summer I really want to challenge the girls to read more. I was thinking of putting a poster on the wall where they can log the books they've read and create a rewards system -- including out for ice cream or manicure. I did a little search around and found some really cute ideas out there: This blogger has an adorable  downloadable summer reading kit that included book log, a book plate and a little report for the reader to jot down some things about the book. Simple as That! My Summer Reading Log kit   This Etsy store has this Summer Reading passport that challenges kids to fill out a page per book. Parents can "stamp" their passport as they go. There's also a cute checklist in the back for different types of books, such as: "read a book about a place you want to visit." Summer Reading Passport This Etsy store has this fun Reading Bingo download . They can use the cards for each reading session and get a Bingo! I really like the idea ab...