What Ana Does

This is the type of post I really appreciate when I look at all my favorite DIY blogs. Because, you see these great renovations and wonder: "Cool! I wonder where they got that {fill in the blank}?" It's so much easier to shop what other people actually bought and installed, instead of scrolling through lists and lists of lamps and reading comments, etc. Happy shopping! Shower and Tub View The Shopping List:   Grey Floor Tile | Shower Faucet and Dial | Subway Tile | Hex Tile  |  Freestanding Bathtub | Bathtub Faucet The Vanities Wall The Shopping List:   Dove Grey Vanities | Gooseneck Vanity Lights | Round Mirrors | Black Matte Faucets | Small Clock | Toilet  (in water closet) In The Closet The Shopping List: Wall-Mounted Shoe Storage   Paint Colors: Walls are Halation from Behr , water closet is Forever Denim from Behr , and pop-of-color yellow in the linen closet is Behr's Hawaiian Pineapple  (all purchased at Home...

Souvenirs come in all shapes and sizes. For me, I was so excited to bring home these inexpensive fixtures we got at Ikea in Paris. They hung in the long entry hall of our Paris apartment and were the first light we flicked on when we got home. Of course I wanted to hang them in our home when we returned. Just After Hanging the Lights The electrician we worked with in our bathroom said we'd need new hardware, as European electric standards are different than the U.S. They recommended these pendants  that fit perfectly in the shades. And the electrician spent is last hour here hanging these three lights. And now they grace our back hallway and finish out the laundry room! The Back Hallway Lighting Improved Before: Ugly Little Boob Light After: Happy BIG Paris Light The bulbs give a soft light, so I may upgrade to a brighter bulb for the laundry room for a brighter room. But they're a perfect souvenir to remember our time in Paris every time I look up. ...

This is the view walking into the master bathroom from our bedroom. Notice the Door Opens the WRONG Way AND the Light Switch OUTSIDE the Room Related posts: Need a reminder of what this space looked like? See the BEFORE pictures More Bathroom posts

Other than everything being SUPER UGLY, here are the FIVE big things we finally solved with our master bathroom remodel: The bathroom door swung the wrong way! It went into the wall, instead of into the room. It was exactly opposite of every other door in this house. And it drove my logical mind crazy.  The light switch was outside the bathroom. Why? Weird and illogical.  The bathtub was too large, took up too much space, and was too deep to ever be filled high enough with warm water to use the jets.  There was only ONE outlet in the entire space.  All the lighting was problamatic. The vanity lights were extremely cheap strip "hollywood" lights that got soo hot, they scorched the ceiling. And the closet was so dark, we never knew what we looked like. The vanities has no organizable storage. They were just two LARGE cabinets. It was impossible to organize and thus became a huge dumping ground.  Before Grout, Mirrors Ordered Before Grout More A...

It's 1996. I board a train in St. Paul headed to Rhode Island where I'll be a domestic exchange student (yup, that's a real thing). My boyfriend at the time and sister Liza see me off. I'm a wreck, but I'm confident in my decision to follow my dream and go to college on the east coast. Even though I've never ever been to the east coast. And certainly never ever been to Rhode Island. And I don't even have any family or friends there. It's completely foreign to me. And I've never been on a train before but the ticket to Rhode Island was cheaper than air travel (though, this was pre-google so I had a hard time making that comparison), despite it taking two days of travel. It just sounded more "romantic." So ... I get myself loaded and find a seat and stare out the window and ... I start crying. Sobbing. I sit in the bathroom as the train leaves and I cry harder -- that crying that hurts your belly and produces little whining noises. It...

I find that my mind is a lot clearer when my kitchen island is clear, too. Is that normal? Does my brain have a metaphysical connection to my kitchen counters? Since this is basically my "office" that seems pretty consistent with the concept of keeping a clean desk. Though, in my case, I found a cluttered desk helped me to multitask a bit better. But, after I launched a website or moved on to a new project, a quick tidying up did help me refocus. Is this a Marie Kondo thing? Is the key to joy really a clear kitchen island? Maybe the key to life is finding the thing that unclogs your mind, and then keeping the pathway clear. I don't know. All I'm sure of is a clean island seems to help my days be happier and more productive, and that's not a bad thing. Related links: More thoughts about staying home  

Work continues in our master bathroom. We're in our fourth week and it's looking good that we'll be close to done by Friday. Fingers are crossed. Here are some in-progress pictures ... Floor Done and Grouted The Shower Gets Enclosed The Start of Subway Tile  Before Paint ...  After Two Coats of Wall Paint It's been so fun to watch this all come together. Related posts: Need a reminder of what this space looked like? See the BEFORE pictures More Bathroom posts

When I was in grade school, an elderly lady used to come to my classroom and tell us stories. We'd sit in a circle around her and marvel at her tales. And in my memory she was angelic and bright and lovely and I wanted to be just like her when I was older. She started each session with this little song: One misty moisty morning when cloudy was the weather I chance to meet an old man a-clothed all in leather He was clothed all in leather with a cap beneath his chin Singing how do you do and how do you do and how do you do again We'd shake hands with the kids around us ... the lucky kids at the front got to shake her hands. I've since taught my girls the song, especially as we're walking to the bus stop and the weather is misty and moisty (we pronounced it "moss-ty"). This morning was one of these mornings ...  Like a cloud fell on the street. Bruce is getting pretty good with the leash, most mornings. Related posts: More Bus Stop stories and ph...

It's been a while since I did a roundup of things I'm really into these days. So here it is ... A Discovery of Witches  - have you seen it? Did you read the books? I listened to all three (very long) audiobooks in 2015 and was completely sucked into this vampire-witch romance that is also a thriller ... and super detailed because the author is also a historian. ( Read my ode to Matthew and Diana  and Best Books from 2015 ) I heard it was made into a TV series by the BBC and saw some press in Paris and London, but it wasn't available for me to watch ... UNTIL NOW! As of this month, in the States, you can find it on AMC, on demand. I'm currently binging the season. Let me just say they are staying SO true to the books -- at least all that I remember with any clarity. They're hitting the lovey-dovey with creepiness vibe so well. And I always had trouble picturing Diana, but I really love the actress they choose. Actually, they're both perfect. Even if you did...