What Ana Does

Now that we're settled here in Paris (a sentence I say more often than I should because it sounds so cool!) it's really time to thrive here. To that end, I have some aspirations for our first Fall season in Paris ... Enroll the girls in after-school activities. At least three a week. And not be limited by non-English classes. Throw them in with the French kids! Immersion!  I will consider finding a French tutor to help the girls. They are having trouble picking it up and a little help after school with a fun teacher might work.  I will also consider hiring a cleaning person to deep clean the apartment once a month. I'm not keeping up.  I will find weekly activities for myself. Such as: yoga, boot camp, volunteering, helping at kids' school.  I will book several weekend travel trips, that are three-hours or less on a train. Includes: Amsterdam, London, Strasbourg, Nice, Antwerp, Geneva, etc.  I will also book amazing family vacations for school days ...

Other than resolutions and the odd ambition here and there, I haven't thought much about my goals or an ideal 5-year-plan in a few years. But, the last time I did -- in April 2014 -- I aimed high and you wouldn't BELIEVE how many of those goals I hit.  Here's that post.  (Living in Paris is actually on there. Crazy!) I sincerely believe there's power or magic in saying your goals OUT LOUD and often. Publicly. I've read this before but didn't buy it until recently. I'm currently living the life of a Parisienne homemaker, so it's the perfect opportunity to really dig into some of my ambitions. What do I seriously want to pursue? Either here in Paris or when I get back to the States. It's a lot to consider. So here's my game plan: Step 1: Gather a list of what I'm passionately interested in. It's a big question: What deeply interests me? Looking at what I write about on this blog is a good start. And looking at past year's go...

In Progress: The Deck Getting Sealed Originally, this was going to be thorough post about waiting weeks for the right time to seal our new deck. Which, as everyone knows, must stay dry for 12-24 hours after being applied. I was going to write about the drama of having to halt on Monday when a freak thunderstorm jumped on the forecast. Then getting started Wednesday morning only to realize another Spring storm was going to pass through that night. It was a long post. But here's the upshot. I sealed it. It was super-easy and fast. It dried for about 12 hours before it was rained on. Not ideal, but that's life. The good news is it looks like it held up just fine. And now the deck is a pretty color and sealed against the constant Spring rain. And it was a super-easy project to sneak in among the Fireplace Project . Check that off the Spring to-do list! Related Posts:  The After-Pic of Super Deck

The other big project I'm tackling this Spring (can it be even called Spring if it's in the 40s?!?) is the front porch. It's forgotten because it's not used. But it's seen by anyone who comes over. So I want it to look clean and welcoming. Here's the Front Porch To Do List: Power wash the whole thing until it shines like the top of the Chrysler Building! Ok, but maybe  just looks clean.  Recover the cushions on the sofa that we've had for almost ten years. The orangey-red is dirty and washed out.  Paint shutters and front door a gorgeous navy blue. I've started looking at products because those shutters are aluminum. And there's four more shutters on the second four windows, so someone will be dangling out the windows sometime this summer to paint those. (Not it!)  Come up with something creative for the floor in the "living" area.  Hang plants, maybe ferns, from the ceiling to give it a Southern hospitality vibe and block the view ...

I think I post this every year, but I'm just so happy to see that SPRING is finally gracing us with its presence. I know... I shouldn't complain because winter was "mild." But my definition of "mild" is in the 60s, not 30s. So there. As is custom, I'm starting to think about spring cleaning projects and various tasks to spruce up the house and, more importantly, the yard. Everything is in need of a new coat of paint or at the very list a power wash. And who doesn't love a good power wash?! More to follow!

We finally got around to replacing the broken faucet in the kitchen sink, with the help of our fantastic handyman Rick! Get ready for some sexy faucet pictures! Before Faucet Picture. That Grey Button Broke Off Months Ago It took him all of 40 minutes to make the switch. The hardest part was cleaning out the cabinet below the sink last week.  After: New Swan-Neck Faucet Yup! Super thrilling post! Faucets are just about exciting as they get.  Thanks for looking at sink photos ... as a bonus, here's a sweet picture of Claire and Jamie from Outlander. Enjoy! 

Trying to get pumped up about working in my backyard this weekend. I'm viewing the chore with the usual resignation. During the winter months, we hardly trek into the wilds of our backyard, but it's finally time to get out there and make some much-needed maintenance. 1. Prep deck area for the new deck ... coming soon! Meaning, if I want to keep the bulbs or blossoming bush, I have to move them or they'll be covered/killed by the weed guard going underneath the deck. 2. Clean up the sand toys that were blown around the yard a few months ago. Let's not discuss the fact that the sand box was sold off last summer. (Why do I still have sand toys?) 3. Prep the veggie bed and plant some radish/spinach seeds. I've read they are hardy enough to withstand some frost. 4. Trim down the hedges. I've been researching cordless trimmers and they aren't that expensive. Just $60 and a few hours of my time and the wildness of the yard will be tamed. 5. Start adding...

I've been feeling a little blue today. Just overall cold and bummed and low energy. So to cheer myself up I made a list of my 2016 accomplishments ... so far ... I sorted out all the holiday decorations , trashed some stuff (except for the Dancing Homer-Santa, I can't seem to part with it) and neatly put away the decorations into tubs, keeping like things together, and labeling each tub. (* I got a label-maker for Hanukkah.) There are two books that have been languishing on my ToRead piles for years: Longbourne and The Night Circus . I DO want to read them, but other books keep making more noise. I'm determined to clean out the pile, so I pulled the audiobooks from the library and started on Longbourne this week -- which I absolutely love. You can tell the author is a true fan of the Pride and Prejudice story, weaving it into the storylines of the house servants.  I dumped Facebook from my phone. It was sucking up my time and it wasn't all that interesting, ...

My List App Profile Page I have always love lists. Why? Here are four reasons: 1. Because they organize my thoughts. 2. I can check or cross things off as I get them done. 3. Crossing things off is a motivator. 4. They're generally pretty fun. So, I'm pretty excited to find this new app called The List App. There's a bunch of funny people contributing lists on everything from hard news to stuff their mom says. It's all pretty creative. And geez, I needed YET another thing on my phone to distract me from my real life. For example, here are the last few lists I favorited recently: "Everyday things that are great in Paris" by Ina Gartner "Facts that sound too good to be true." by Mental Floss (that magazine with crazy facts in it) "Long-haul flight must-haves, must-wear, must-dos, AKA: Travel hacks" by a pilot's daughter who travels all the time. "TV & Movies with Perd Hapley as a newscaster" "...

Here's the best way to spend a weekend morning:  Fill a table with cookbooks, back-issues of magazines you haven't read yet, your grocery list, your weekly menu planner, to-do notebook, plenty of tech so you can check in with social media and listen to music, and a hot cup of coffee (with lots of milk). Don't forget to throw in a soft blanket and send the kids away on a sleepover.  Then, simply bask in the glory of Me time.  

Hello, my name is Jessica and I am addicted to lists. There. I said it. And because of my love of lists, I started shopping around for an app that would help me organize them. I'm not unhappy with using paper, but I tend to leave the Target list on the counter and don't remember it's there until I'm getting out of the car. DOH! What was I supposed to buy? Time to turn to technology. My criteria to move to the "digital age" of list makers & keepers was mobility; It had to be available on my phone, iPad, computer -- everywhere I had access to electronic tools. Therefore, I could update that Target list at work, at gymnastic class and still have it with me at Target -- right on my iPhone. Viola! I also wanted to tag and search my past notes, in case I'm looking for last year's holiday shopping list or the list of girls we invited to Leah's birthday party. Plus, I wanted to save links to sites, helpful information and photos while wanderi...

Leah's List This was a very important weekend to get things checked off on my todo list. There are only a few precious non-visitor weekends before the holiday craziness and, therefore, much to do. Leah helped me out by writing out the tasks. Plus, there were several she didn't include. As of Monday morning, I'm feeling very good about all we achieved. Holiday cards ordered. Hanukkah gifts under control. Dave cleaned out and organized the garage. Bunk bed ready to move back into the house (though not close to being finished). Light bulb changed. Drain-o used on the girls' tub. See? Little things that just needed some focus. Done and Done! We even booked a babysitter for Saturday night and saw "Thor" -- which was like a mini-vacation from all the work being done. Soo good! Hooray for ToDo lists and empty (stormy) weekends to do them in.

I had my annual little visit to the lady doctor today. It was thrilling, as always. And, pretty short. This year, she asked a lot of questions about my calcium intake. Am I on supplements? Is it part of my daily vitamin? It's important to make sure I keep my calcium levels high, "at my age." Don't want to lose bone density and all that ... What I heard was: eat more ice cream, yogurt and cheese.  Splendid.

Before: Pine and Unfinished It's amazing what a little stain can do on a cheap Ikea table. But first, the background: Right around Christmas, Mom took matters in her own hands and bought us a coffee table from consignment shop -- mostly because she was tired of us not having one. We'd been stymied by the choices, the height and price. ( See here ) We like the table (really, we do, Mom) but it's too short, the wrong wood grain and not the right size. Finished Table So we found this table at Ikea and I felt pretty confident I could match the color of our entertainment unit. Here's what I learned on this staining project: The two-in-one stain-and-poly is awesome. I was glad not to do have to do the coats of poly.  I tried using the recommended pre-stain again -- I really don't see the point. The wood just feels greasy.   Don't be so conservative with the stain. The first two coats were too thin. By the third, I was slathering the stain on with ...

One night this week I was doing my usual Pinterest-ing and started to see these neat-o lists for "100 Things to Do This Summer." I thought (as I often do while trolling Pinterest), " What a GREAT idea! " Today, Leah and I stopped by Michaels for a big piece of tag board and we sat at the table and started a list. By about 8 this evening, it was all filled up. In fact, it was A LOT easier than I thought. We all got involved and everyone's ideas were added. Come on over and join in! Our 100 Things to Do This Summer list ** the camera cut off the bottom row -- there are 100, I promise.

We're in full-swing house-project mode here. Lots to do! This week my focus is on Leah's room.  I found this lovely comforter set from The Land of Nod , which land on a blue/teal walls and citrus-green accents.  I also decided to construct a desk and shelves in that troublesome nook, instead of trying to hide it. I found great desk wood at Lowes and applied several coats of poly. I'll post photos soon.  I'm also painting a chalkboard on the angled wall with a painted scolloped boarder around it. It's going to be very cute!  I've pulled all her toys and smaller furniture out of the room and it's all over the hallway. So, I'm motivated to finish it up, reorganize her stuff and reclaim the hallway. Before and after photos are coming!  I also finished painting my master bathroom in a dusty blue. Leah helped with the area below the cabinets. It looks very soothing. Related posts: More bedroom stories