tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10273733588227717802024-03-10T15:03:35.410-04:00What Ana DoesMy Blog About Home, Travel, DIY, Parenting, Painting and More!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1377125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1027373358822771780.post-30600079258392727312024-03-10T15:03:00.001-04:002024-03-10T15:03:00.142-04:00Hello Green! Like a fresh spring green, like the chairs at the Jardin Tuileries in Paris. Like the leaves of my Monstera plant. I'm deeply in love with Matcha Latte from Clare paint. I get a hit of oxytocin every time I walk through here. Some early morning Sunday photos. This top one is filtered for max green impact! WOWZA!Just a few things about the color to review. I wanted to follow the same Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1027373358822771780.post-25156595051827601052024-03-07T18:30:00.013-05:002024-03-07T18:30:00.149-05:00Lighting Up the Dining RoomLet's talk lighting. I love the chandelier over the dining room table. I love how it's long and black, and pulls the color of the cabinet and also the shape of the table. It also matches the rest of the house chandeliers and eventually the one that will hang in the foyer. But a secondary light source is needed. I briefly considered tall lamps on the black buffet cabinet, but that Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1027373358822771780.post-51394868621203614772024-03-04T20:00:00.001-05:002024-03-04T20:00:00.131-05:00In Love With Our New Dining Room Chairs I have been casually looking at dining room chairs for months. And months. But not getting serious -- just gathering ideas of what is available and to my taste. And prices. I knew I wanted more stylish, less used-by-children, and more comfortable chairs so diners didn't feel like they were sitting on a block of granite for the meal. I was DONE putting it off, once I decided to repaint the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1027373358822771780.post-25392324501183760832024-02-27T13:43:00.001-05:002024-02-27T13:43:12.276-05:00The Dining Room Update PlanIt's been a while since I thought much about our dining room, other than the chairs that I'm desperate to replace. They're in terrible shape, too big and not comfortable. But, lately, every time I'm in the room I find things that annoy me. And since there's no major renovations in the budget for the year, I'm going to pour a little time and effort into this room. Let's review my to-do list .Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1027373358822771780.post-11187580294479020002024-01-15T10:51:00.002-05:002024-01-15T10:51:15.832-05:00Currently Digging Early 2024 EditionI haven't done one of these is quite a while! What some of the things I'm currently loving or using or excited about? Here's what comes to mind ... Nike Air Max shoes -- these are my new favorite shoe obsession. I bought a pair in San Francisco while on vacation this summer, that I wore the rest of the trip, including the two days I was at Disneyland. Let me tell you ... my feet, knees and Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1027373358822771780.post-36935465734073629812024-01-07T09:55:00.001-05:002024-01-07T09:55:00.359-05:00Open Shelves in the Kitchen Halloween EditionThe best part of having open shelves in the kitchen means I can decorate them for holidays. I went all out for Halloween this year ... Such fun. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1027373358822771780.post-16138536235638330712024-01-02T08:40:00.002-05:002024-01-02T08:40:59.097-05:00Basement Shiplap ProjectThe guys left me all the unused shiplap from the bathroom and I've been trying to think about where to use it. I had so many ideas but not a lot of shiplap, so I eventually settled on this corner of our basement. It's where the exercise mats and treadmill live, right behind the sofa. And also where the Marvel-themed bathroom with shiplap is located. So it made sense. It took much of a rainy Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1027373358822771780.post-11921504802770826072023-12-17T15:46:00.001-05:002023-12-17T15:46:00.148-05:00Family Calendar Improvement Made a quick improvement at the start of the school year that I'm pretty excited about. And yes, I'm probably the only one excited about it, but here goes ... Here's our "command central" in our kitchen. This is a good landing spot, and a central place to all look at the family calendar ... it's that huge wipe board in the middle of the photo. All our activities are supposed to beUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1027373358822771780.post-39346912876075120032023-12-16T15:58:00.005-05:002023-12-16T15:58:00.143-05:00Our Bathroom Is DoneCompletely forgot to post the final bathroom pictures. We're so pleased about the way it turned out. And the room feels so much largerFirst, this might be the most important view. It's what I see from bed while I'm reading at night. Before it was super ugly, especially when I put paint samples up on the wall. And the terrible tile around the huge tub and all the junk we put on it. Isn't this Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1027373358822771780.post-85481931274531543182023-10-23T21:10:00.003-04:002023-10-23T21:10:51.085-04:00Surprise Bathroom Reno Surprise! We're renovating our bathroom! At the beginning of August, we noticed a wet seam in the ceiling of the kitchen. We assumed it had something to do with the kitchen renovation last year, so we called our contractor to come out and take a peek. Lo and behold our toilet in the primary bathroom, just above, was slowly leaking. Gross.To sum up, we got the mold remediation guysUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1027373358822771780.post-72004550697163223362023-10-12T10:59:00.005-04:002023-10-13T15:57:35.357-04:00Reading Armchair SearchI'm on the hunt for a cozy reading chair for our bedroom. While I have plenty of cozy reading spots around the house, I'd really like one up in our bedroom where I can hide away with a book in late afternoons. While I was sick, I really missed having that second place to curl up, too. So, I'm hunting around for the best option. My criteria is comfy, a little higher on the back so I can Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1027373358822771780.post-21439894660801077242023-09-21T10:33:00.003-04:002023-09-21T10:34:57.924-04:00California Summer VacationCalifornia here we come! I planned this family summer vacation to California like it was a European vacation -- minus all the cultural and ancient sights. And more driving and modern shopping malls. We wanted Leah to see LA with us first, a city she may someday end up in if she continues to pursue directing. And we wanted to show the girls where we lived in the Bay Area and the beauty of Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1027373358822771780.post-52387828260389372462023-07-19T14:47:00.000-04:002023-07-19T14:47:26.410-04:00Halfway to 100 Books in 2023It's July, the half-way point in the year and a good time to look over where I am in the "Books Read" list. I took a month off from reading around Leah and Alice's B'nai Mitzvah, as I was using all the brain space to plan and work through my introvert-planning-huge-party neurosis that I couldn't fathom digging into a book. Regardless, I'm still on track to hit 100 for the year. Here's Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1027373358822771780.post-79438940508887211052023-07-12T16:55:00.003-04:002023-07-12T16:55:44.213-04:00Looking for Colleges With Leah We've now spent a bit of time the last four months touring colleges with Leah. Either through official visits or swinging by the campus and walk through. And it's such a weird feeling on a few accounts. First, perspective for me is so different. When I was looking at colleges and making this decision, it was obviously a much different time, a different world, everything. Totally Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1027373358822771780.post-24336009646082881522023-06-13T13:43:00.001-04:002023-06-13T13:43:24.931-04:00No Surprise, I Choose Blue for Our BedroomIt was time to paint our bedroom. The flat gray was just too dull and the hue didn't work with our furniture. It's like matching grey pants with brown shoes -- fashion faux pas. And, sure, I considered replacing all our furniture, it's a decade old and showing a little wear and tear. But quickly realized that it's just cheaper to paint out the gray. Though, I'm committed to switching out ourUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1027373358822771780.post-30872276997442492882023-05-03T10:49:00.002-04:002023-05-03T10:49:29.651-04:00Back Hallway (AKA the Boot Room) is DoneJust so good! I'm so happy with the final result of our back hallway. Removing that wall... just the thing. And I added some fun framed art along the top to bring UP the eye (don't look at all the shoes on the floor) and add a ton of character. An English boot room? For sure. Ok, I'd be remiss if I didn't think about the next "phase." Because, as much as I love this, I'll be Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1027373358822771780.post-89374880490452450972023-03-31T06:00:00.001-04:002023-03-31T06:00:00.178-04:00The Back Hallway ProgressAs mentioned, we found some extra budget and made all my back hallway dreams come true this month. This is where we started. Note the awful pink "terracotta" floor tile that was cracking in the laundry room. The door to the left is the garage, the powder room is to the right. And that door at the end is the coat closet. And the laundry room door is at the end to the right. Make sense?&Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1027373358822771780.post-62228641015387596932023-03-27T10:48:00.001-04:002023-03-27T10:48:00.183-04:00Reading: You're Doing It WrongI love books and read lots and lots. When I tell people how many books I read a week, they think I'm crazy and say "I could never read that many books, no matter how much I love to read." To that, I say, you're probably doing it wrong. (YDIW series)First off, some people don't care about reading or they're just not in the "book reading season" in their life ... totally get it. When I had young Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1027373358822771780.post-68065459794292048072023-03-20T09:59:00.001-04:002023-03-20T09:59:00.204-04:00Social Media: You're Doing It Wrong As someone who makes a living creating social media content I have a lot to say about this subject. But mainly most people are DOING SOCIAL MEDIA WRONG. Don't get mad at me. We didn't have any of this 10 years ago and we're all not on the same page about how to use it. We've been experimenting. But, yes, there's a right way to do it. And most people do it WRONG. At its core, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1027373358822771780.post-62272257960500492662023-03-13T09:58:00.006-04:002023-03-13T09:58:55.565-04:00Houseplants: You're Doing It WrongIn the first of my series of "You're Doing It Wrong (YDIW) we're starting with houseplants.Lately, I've been collecting a lot of houseplants. This house loves the plants. Our windows are large and bright, and I'm home to look after them. So, I'm covering every available surface with plants. And I have a few friends who also like plants, but mostly, I hear "I can't do houseplants" and "I love Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1027373358822771780.post-18930339896069377002023-02-26T09:18:00.001-05:002023-02-26T09:18:00.189-05:00I Tiled! I'm a Tiler! I Tile Now! One of the DIY merit badges I've been excited to earn was as a tiler. Every show and contractor/construction guy I've talked to has been insistent it's an "EASY" DIY. "You can totally do it," they say. But I never had the opportunity to give it a go. A nice easy low-risk project. Until the powder room! I gathered up my courage, watched all the how-to videos, picked up all the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1027373358822771780.post-85628139383644275412023-02-24T09:17:00.005-05:002023-02-24T09:17:48.608-05:00New Floor and Vanity in the Powder Room The downstairs powder room is really coming together much faster than we thought. After an initial text with our contractor, once we had all our materials picked out and our vanity delivered, he was able to fit us in THE SAME WEEK due to a two-day hole in the schedule. So BAM! In two days they removed the old vanity and floor tile and had to new floor down and vanity nearly installed. Ugh, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1027373358822771780.post-18843530506225592252023-01-28T07:00:00.001-05:002023-01-28T07:00:00.186-05:00Super Green Guest RoomI've always thought this house deserves a lot of green. And dark blue. It's that center hall colonial vibe I love so much. So when it came time to paint the guest room, I wanted to use one of those colors. And after painting the back hallway blue, green just seemed to be the right direction. The guest room gets a ton of light, since it faces east. So it can handle a moody color. I picked Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1027373358822771780.post-34614637731911627382023-01-13T10:35:00.001-05:002023-01-13T10:35:00.194-05:00Back Hallway Progress Just a few more updates from the back hallway. And here's where we currently stand. (Will I be buying a third dark gray basket for the top shelf? Yes, yes I will.) So last weekend I painted the pinky/terracotta floor tile a matte black. Other than not being able to step on it for a few days, it was one of the easiest DIYs and cheap -- about $70. Looks just like the black tile in Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1027373358822771780.post-55380458655047397372023-01-07T11:04:00.001-05:002023-01-07T11:04:00.173-05:00Powder Room Design BoardThis winter I'm all about updating our Powder Room -- the bathroom off the kitchen our guests use. It's ugly. Just plain ugly. I painted it last year and switched out the horrible light fixtures, just to improve it a little, but now I'm ready to tackle it.Before - The Powder Room when we moved inWith a small budget, I was planning to work with the vanity and either paint or tile-over the floor. IUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0