What Ana Does

Remember when I made those art ledges in the old dining room? Here's the post to jog your memory .  Of course I wanted them in my new dining room and I wanted them MUCH LONGER than the old house. 8 feet!  Now that I've made a few, they are super speedy to create. 30 minutes accumulative and $70ish at Home Depot -- I used cheaper Select Pine instead of the fancy Oak in the old house.  I LOVE the way it turned out -- though I need to spend a few days styling them out.  Just to take a trip down memory lane ... here's that wall when I started.  This suites are style much better.  I've got two more things planning for this dining room: a new chandelier and installing curtains (need the texture). But those are low on the budget, as I've got the basement and other projects to tackle.  It's never ending. In a good way. 

 I just love this picture ...  Princeton in the fall. Dreamy. 

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...

As is tradition, Bruce comes to the bus stop every morning to drop off the girls. He's still figuring out how to walk on a leash and that it's OK to pee outside. House-training is 100% underway. But it's going to take some time.  Rest assured, he takes a very long nap after we're home.

I cross the Pont de l'Alma bridge a few times a week, to go to the American Library and other errands, and this bridge has an AMAZING view of the Eiffel Tower. And it's so beautiful everyday , in every weather, in every light and I have to restrain myself for taking out my phone and taking a photo every time I'm on the bridge. Because my photo storage would be clogged with Eiffel Tower pics. But I do take some pictures, because I can't help it sometimes. The Eiffel Tower is art, people! And even after a year seeing it on an almost daily basis, I could continue looking at it forever. In the Snow!  With the Girls at Halloween With the River and Bridge The View at Twilight ... Ahh!  Related posts: More Paris Life stories

Now that we've mostly gotten our apartment settled and our weekly routine (almost) under control, plus the weather is improving bit by bit, it's time to explore this incredible city that we live in. So on weekends, we're making an effort to get out and walk around. The French even have a word for this wandering about, it's a verb, "flaneur." And that's the aim of these days out. So I've started to put together a list of "off the beaten path" type places and neighborhoods that I read about or see in Instagram accounts I follow. And we try to include a restaurant, too. This plan is only in the early phases, and we've had a rocky start. I picked a really popular restaurant one Sunday morning (in the rain) and the line was out the door! It made for some hangry/wet/cold family members. We abandoned the day altogether. Also, the French have dedicated a day to close up shop and visit Maman for a big dinner/lunch. (You gotta love a coun...

Current status: Registering for summer camps, buying village pool passes and looking at possible road trip ideas. My view while pondering all this ... Our first significant snowfall since December. It's been a weird winter.

I used to make pies in my 20s. Not great pies, but I got almost confident in my skills. Then, I didn't make a pie for a long time. With my father-in-law, a huge cherry pie fan, coming to town, it just felt like the right time to pull out my pie skills and see what I can still do. Not to mention I had a TON of sweet cherries from the CSA in my fridge. First, it was all about pitting. And I used my tried and true technique of popping pits out with a ... paperclip! Fancy gadgets abound. Pitting Cherries Ok, so things got a little dicey with the crust. I made it a few days ahead of time and tossed it into the fridge. But when I attempted to roll it out, it didn't exactly hold together.  Pre-Baked Crust. No, I Didn't Use That Avocado In the Pie.  So, it wasn't going to look beautiful! But how about the taste? Baked to golden-brown-ness, it was sweet and very good. And, best of all, my father-in-law loved it.  Ready to Slice!  So maybe I won...

Every family has a ham ... quick to make silly faces or tell a joke ... Alice is ours: "Grumpy Old Man Face" She Perfected in the Lunchroom at School Opps Face Shoving Food In My Face Face Fancy Glasses Face

Yup. 40. I know. I'm doing just fine with it, actually. You can't stop the flow of time, it's ridiculous to deny the years, but you CAN make the most of your days. Isn't there a poetic saying about that somewhere? Dave threw a SURPRISE birthday party for me on Friday night at my favorite restaurant. It wasn't something I would have done for myself. But I loved it. It was fun and great to chat with friends all night and eat pizza and drink wine. And not have any of the stress of planning it. Perfect. And now I know why Dave thought next weekend for Leah's party made more sense. heh. It's My Party! I love birthdays and the weekend was so fun. And the next year will be just as exciting. Besides, I always like even years better. 

My first concert was Cyndi Lauper when I was 13ish. My uncle took my older sister and I and I remember finding the whole thing overwhelming but fun. It wasn't until I met David did I start attending concerts often. In our 20s, concert-going was our main expense after food/shelter and we saw a LOT of amazing shows. He took me to my first Bruce show in 1999 at the Meadowlands in New Jersey. It felt like a religious experience. The showmanship! The talent! The excitement! Being in a stadium with the lights up for Born to Run and the whole crowd singing a long. I was hooked. Bruce is doing a concert to commemorate The River, a double LP he put out in 1980 and a big turning point in his career -- and we immediately knew the girls had to get tickets, too. It was time for them to come along. (Who knows how many more tours Bruce has in him!?) We got tickets, I ordered Snug ear protection for their little ears, and ignored the fact that the show, in Milwaukee, was on a school night. ...

I snapped this picture just before I removed all the breakables to prepare for the carpet installation. I thought it looked kinda pretty, so thought I'd share.  Dining Room Wall

With Lots of Butter

And then it became way too cold to wait outside for the school bus ... All Bundled Up in the Warm Car Relate posts: More more and more Alice

It's been a fantastic eight crazy nights of Hanukkah. Lots of gifts, smiles and laughter exchanged. And I just love the glow of the menorah with all of the candles lit.

I take nothing away from the folks who have professional in-studio pictures taken of their families. Growing up that's exactly what my mother made us do. Every year. But I have a quality camera and a good sense of lightening, so I'd rather save the cash and do it myself. Am I the best? Oh no. Not even close. But I usually get what I'm looking for and the kids think it's hilarious to be silly in front of the camera for the 10 minutes shoot.  This year, we used the snow in the front yard as the background. I didn't even bother brushing their hair. Folks, this is what they look like ... crooked teeth and all.  Sisters! I just love these gals. Here are photo tips I put together during last year's photo shoot .

This Saturday we went to a party in downtown Chicago with work colleagues ... and no kids!! Sure, there was a fair amount of office gossip discussed, but it wasn't too bad. And there were a few spouses to chat with. And adult beverages. And no juice boxes. And lots of adult language. It had been awhile since I've been to a party and didn't see small kids running around. A nice change. And the view from his windows were pretty cool ... View of Chicago From the Condo Sometimes, being an adult is kinda nice! 

I was a princess AND a ballerina. And I'm pretty sure my Mom made this costume, even though my baby sister would have been 1 month old. (How Did She Do It All?!) And I hope I didn't give her too much of a hard time about the white turtleneck. Halloween 1979 Also, that's my Great-Grandpa Jack looking very impressed by my costume in the background. He lived up the street and seemed to enjoy the chaos of my little family. I believe my older sister was a clown. Also a handmade costume. Related links: More History posts 

It's beginning to get a little spooky around here ... Frank, Drac and a Little Devil Related posts: Read more of my Decorating stories

I was flipping through my pictures and found this GEM snapped by Dave. We were walking out to dinner in Paris and we were all wearing snazzy scarves. When in Paris, wear scarves. Smiles in Paris - September