What Ana Does

And for my first trick ... HOOKS!  Our back hallway connects the kitchen to the garage, bathroom and laundry room. There's also a few closets. It's a great space but it (obviously) needed hooks for organization. For bags, pool towels, hats and eventually coats and backpacks. It was a quick and easy first project. When we moved in, the back hallway looked like this ...  That's the garage door to the left, and coat closet at the end of the hall. And to the right is the bathroom, closet and laundry room. A great little hallway, but not practical. And you know I love practical.  We pulled the sliding doors off this closet and I painted it green/grey (Behr: Greenwich Village). We're using the same cubbies from our last house to organize bags, shoes, etc. It's not pretty, but it's organized!  Then, I made a really inexpensive hook rail with a piece of pine and some "farmhouse" hooks I found on Amazon Prime Days sale. They were $1 a piece! What a deal! YAY, i

 It's been a WEEK since we got the keys to our new house. And what a whirlwind it has been!  The movers arrived the next day and we spent the entire day directing a team of five where each of our 1,000 items should go -- from furniture, to art to boxes and boxes and boxes. It was a very long day. But it ended with us all sleeping in our own beds for the first time in almost three months. So worth it.  For the last week, we've been trying to empty boxes as quickly and efficiently as possible. We want them OUT and the moving company will only come once to pick them up. It's not a perfect science, as a lot of things don't have a place to live yet. So, we're negotiating around a lot of piles.  Regardless of all the work of unpacking, and all the home improvement plans and ideas I have swirling around in my head, I'm so happy to be here. The house is 100% better then I ever thought -- it's roomy and comfortable. And the pool is 100% more than I thought it would b

We're getting so exited about moving into our new house. Just a few days away! We're going to have soooo much to do once we get the keys and the moving trucks arrive. It will be madness -- so, we're taking this next week of relative quiet to get some decisions made. Yup, we've had a lot experience with moving and being relocated. Our first cooperate move was 2000 from New York to California and we've been around the country, and to Paris and back, since. And given all these relocations, I've got a few steps that I generally follow.  Step 1 is inspiration! As I've mentioned before, I've been on Pinterest for weeks and, once we got this house, created a  New House board  with the rest of my family to share ideas and inspiration. Looking at pretty pictures always helps direct me to the style and design I want to see in the house.  Step 2 is to decide what needs to be done in the next 2 weeks and next 6 months. For me, it's hard to create a comprehensi