What Ana Does

New Bed!  This bed frame is from my childhood set (aww the memories) and has been sitting in storage for several years. And though I had originally planned to leave them in the garage until the Spring when I could sand and repaint them, we decided, due to recent events (Alice is creeping into our bed at night) we should set it up sooner. (Thanks Nana for bringing them over.) Old Bed, New Job With some help from Eric, Liza and Dave we got it up and running. The platform under the mattress fits better than the original (the siblings know what I'm talking about). Hopefully my night-time wanderer will decide to sleep until morning on her "big-girl" bed. Fingers crossed, her Mom could use the sleep. Meanwhile, the old bed makes a fantastic spot for the menagerie of stuffed animals (see right). This is just the before picture. The girls spent much of the afternoon piling on the stuffed animals  -- and sorting out the ones Leah wanted in her room.

Leah lost her first tooth on Friday while hanging out at Daddy's office. It had been dangling for a few months now, so I'm glad it's gone. She had been using it as an excuse not to brush her teeth, eat certain foods or anything else that would be inconvenient.

There is so much work that needs to be done to make this house feel like mine. I have a list in my head that is slowly being prioritized. (More on that later.) My first painting project is the chalkboard in the back hall (yes, I have a back hall). Despite being told that the key holder would look better in a contrasting color (coughEriccough), I went with a camouflage look and painted it with the chalkboard, too. I can't write on it for a few days but I think it came out quite well. Props to Eric and Dave for the help. PS. This wall will eventually go from awful beige to amazing olive green. It's going to be gorgeous!

This house is *much* larger than anything we've ever lived in. Example: We have almost nothing in our formal living room/dining room. Sparse Dining Room Donations are welcome!

Another reason to move out to Illinois came on Thanksgiving ... the newest Brand lives in Lincoln Park, just 45 minutes away! She's practically a fifth niece to us. (Girls rule in our family.) Sweet Baby Elise

Leah got a hold of my cell phone and took some pictures on Sunday afternoon. It kept her busy for about 10 minutes. Nana raising a glass to the new house Alice, looking unsure

Was going through my photos and spotted these from our last day in the Ferncliff Road house. Unbelievable how big the place looked without furniture. Master bedroom (with the two models) Leah's empty room The basement - ample storage, no? I've got a cleaning crew going in there tomorrow to scrub the place up -- in case we get any showings in January. Fingers crossed!