What Ana Does

Most of my DIY projects are inspired by what I have laying around the house. I don't like to throw out perfectly good materials. I had this extra plywood from a project my husband finished and had a fun, FREE idea for a Halloween craft... Spooky Halloween Silhouettes! Here's the step by step ... 1. I found three pieces that were imperfect squares and spray-painted them with white primer that I had in the garage.

All week I've been pinning on Pinterest like a madwoman looking for the BEST and most COST EFFICIENT option for the new bathroom in the basement. Here's my current favorites:  Two vanity options -- both are more than I had expected to spend, so David and I will be making a few trips to some area stores to check out what's REALLY out there (and not just online). We really like this wood-effect tile (bottom left) that we're seeing everywhere, and it's inexpensive! I'm also a sucker from the green/blue subway tile. This one is ceramic, but I also like the idea of glass tile for the extra shine. The white hex tile on the right is a second inexpensive floor tile, that could be used on the wall, too. So many choices out there! How will I ever choose?! For more stuff that I like, check out my Basement Please Pinterest board. Related Post: Check out the Basement Floor Plan!

I've told you about my favorite spots in Tenerife and shared the two-day itinerary of Madrid, so let's now get to the important stuff ... THE FOOD! Our first meal in Madrid: Tortilla Espanola on fresh bread with Cafe con Leche.  This Got Us Out There!   We ate lunch in Plaza Mayor ... which I KNOW is a faux pas, but we just wanted the views. And the ham. We got both. We were happy. Jamon Iberico -- Worth the Price of the Flight.  After sleeping through our hotel-provided breakfast the second day in Madrid, we hit the streets and found this little cafe near Plaza de Espana. Faborit Breakfast - a Mini Banana Muffin, Yogurt with Fruit and ... yes! Cafe Con Leche! In Tenerife, we had been walking around for a few hours and needed a bite. Glorious ham, manchego cheese and bread are almost always on the menu -- even at a tiny plaza cafe. Manchego Cheese and Jamon!  Seaside in Puerto, we dined on veggie pizza (surprisingly good), croquettas, a fish called La Vi

3. La Ortava A charming old town in the valley above Puerto de la Cruz. In my memory, it was green and lush, but in reality it's a small village populated by ancient buildings and nice locals. The Casa de los Balcones is a popular tourist spot to pick up local lace and your own little balcony. We walked up and down the hilly streets, and discovered two stunning public gardens and a nice coffee shop. We also watched fancy-dressed wedding guests entering an old church. The bride, I'm sorry to report, was very, very late. View Down a Twisty Street in La Ortava The Famous Tourist Trap - Casa de los Balcones  Jardin Victoria With Quite a View! 4. Hotel Mencey and Parque Garcia Sanabria In Santa Cruz, the small city we used as home base, we stretched our budget a little to stay at the historic Hotel Mencey. It was a comfortable, well-maintained hotel in a great location. I love a hotel will a lot of common spaces to relax in, and this one had a bunch, all with beaut

Yup, so I broke down and nailed a piece of wood to this wall. So there. The Bisecting Piece of Wood I didn't secure it too tightly, so basically I'm still looking at it as temporary. I keep walking past it thinking ... do I like it there? Is it annoying? Will I want hooks on it? Will it look better once the whole wall is white? Etc. Etc. Sometime decorating your house just takes extra time and thought. Related Posts:  Here's where I coined the term The Wall of Restraint So, here's the post where I congratulated myself on  not installing hooks on this wall. And here's the post where  I installed hooks on the wall near it . And, lastly, here's the post from 2012 when  I was so in wuv with this pea green color.  

Ok, here's what you need to know about Tenerife: It's one of the tropical islands that make up the Spanish-held Canary Islands, located just east of Morocco. They're basically unknown to most Americans but Europeans regard the Canary Islands similar to Hawaii. It's a European vacation destination. And yes, it's where my father was born and so was I. We moved to Minnesota, where my Mom is from, when my older sister was 5 and I was 3. That's your summary. And instead of getting into a travelogue of the journey, which was a lot of visiting with family and eating A LOT of ham, I'll list out my top 5 places to visit if you're lucky enough to get to this paradise island. 1. Teide  Teide is the ancient volcano that formed Tenerife and the Canary Islands. In all my trips, I've never visited, so I was please to get a day trip there with my Mom. The park is enormous, once we entered, it took about 40 minutes by car to ascend the park and get to Teide --

While I was away I was also emailing with our chosen contractor on the last few details of the basement project. We're finishing the unfinished basement! To catch you up, we weeded out the contractors we didn't like or had a HUGE price tag and decided to go with the guy who built our deck. His proposal was good and he was willing to work with us on price. I met with him yesterday, approved the proposal and hit the GREEN LIGHT to get this puppy started! He's going to redraw up the plans based on some changes we made and get to the city permits office to get that ball rolling. So exciting! Here's the second, but not final, version of the floor plan: Highlights:  We're adding a bathroom with a shower. This was a deal-breaker for my hubby since we are also adding a bedroom. There was NO rough-in for a bathroom so a large part of the budget is being spent on a plumber to add the necessary utilities. The bathroom is in this location because it's close

Here's a quick look at the Madrid itinerary, in case you're looking to plan a trip, and a picture of my map with our route highlighted. Monday Hotel Checkin -- Eric Vokel Madrid Suites   We picked this hotel because the price was excellent and we got an apartment with two rooms, a bathroom and kitchen. With four women traveling together, this made more sense than two small hotel rooms. The one drawback was no 24-hour hotel desk, so in the early morning, there was no one around to hail a taxi to the airport. Walk to the Prado from the hotel along the Gran Via seeing Banco de Espana and Plaza de la Cibeles where the Real Madrid fans party when they win big along the way. Oh! And the Hotel Ritz! Museo del Prado is open until 8 most nights. And most museums are closed Mondays, except for the Prado. The  Royal Botanic Garden is behind the Prado, but we didn't have time to walk through it. From there, you can choose a few streets to get to the Puerta Del Sol (see el Oso

Before I begin let's all just agree that Madrid is like your laid-back best friend that likes to stay up late and drink way too much wine. Ok? Madrid is a diamond in the middle of an arid plain in the middle on Spain. Though it's been an important Spanish city of centuries, it wasn't the Spanish capital until the early 1600s. The grand palace was built in the 1700s, which isn't that long ago given the ancient castles in Toledo or Seville. I arrived in Madrid on Monday morning with my Mom and two sisters. We got an apartment suite just north of the the Gran Via -- the main boulevard that cuts through Madrid east to west. We got lucky because the room was ready, so we were able to dump our luggage, freshen up and head out onto the street. Here's the most important thing you need to know about Madrid -- this is a very walkable city. And a walkable city makes like all the more easier. From our hotel, it was an easy 30 minute walk to the Prado, which was basicall

Off on holiday in Spain. Updates coming soon.

How do you do a major European city in just two days? Well, it helps if you've been there before ... which I have. And if you pick a hotel that's in a good location. Which we were fortunate enough to do. My Madrid (without kids) trip is just around the corner, so I spent the morning coming up with a game plan. Do I stick to my schedules when traveling? Not necessarily. But with a group of four ladies, it certainly helps to plan out the day and make democratic adjustments in the moment. I can almost guarantee I over-planned our first day and jet lag will get the better of us. Just hoping we can power through it. Madrid is only the first part of the trip. After the two-day marathon of activities I've planned (*evil laugh*) we had down to Tenerife for family and beach time. That part will be way more chilled out. Once the itinerary is finished off and sent to my travel companions, I'm off for Phase 2 of packing for a long trip. Scheming and Scheduling Relate