What Ana Does

Just Hung the Rod I'm about to tackle my biggest sewing project yet ... the dining room curtains. My plan is to use chevron (zig-zag) curtains because I love the dynamic feel of them and the navy will continue my theme. Over the year, I've picked up chevron placemats and made a rainbow chevron throw pillow. I also found chevron contact paper, though I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it yet. I thought I'd just buy pre-made panels, but no store is selling them. Etsy had a listing and at $165.00, I thought it was a pretty good deal but never got around to pushing the "BUY" button. So, when I was at the fabric store last weekend, and saw it for $18.97/yard -- about $100. I thought I could make that work. Add in the $40 curtain rod from Home Depot and we're rolling! This should be pretty straightforward -- I'm just doing a pocket for the rod at the top and a hem. Two panels and I'll swath them out with some hooks. (Heh, easier sa...

I know, I know ... the summer just started ... but I'm already looking forward to the Fall and all the SWEET sequels I'm dying to read. Just One Year by Gayle Forman -- because I can't get the ending of Just One Day out of my head. The book was based in Paris and was romantic and lovely. Sigh. More! More! (Due in October.) The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2) by Maggie Stiefvater -- because, as I said last year , I'll read anything Maggie Stiefvater writes. And I didn't love the first book, it did set up an interesting story for the second. (September) Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins -- because Lola and the Boy Next Door and Anna and the French Kiss were so fun-tastic to read that I don't want to miss out. And I love all the interweaving of characters in these books. (May 2014 -- they moved this date. BOO!) United We Spy, Gallagher Girls #6 by Ally Carter -- because this is the LAST book in the series and you practically...

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 ...

Family Room Window The rumors are true ... there's a Loomcraft outlet 20 minutes from my house. (I know, you're pea-green with envy.) It's conveniently located next to a popular kids birthday destination, so last weekend I dropped Leah off at a party there and wandered the aisles of home decor fabric. Pretty sweet. My goals were plenty. David has been campaigning for curtains in the family room to block out the light while watching TV in the middle of the day. And I've been pining for chevron curtains in the dining room for the last year. I'm also thinking about updating my duvet cover in the master bedroom. See, lots and lots of ideas.  Dining Room Window In the end, I decided on a great navy chevron for the dining room and a dark navy fabric for the family room (Dave is ecstatic). And, I spotted a remnant that looked vaguely Scandinavian with birds similar to those in the kitchen. It was marked rather high for what it was so I bargained down to $3....

Planted as bulbs by my Mom last year, the Asiatic Lilies are finally blooming. Looks like there is a lot of potential for a lot of flowers this summer. Yay! Related links: More BACKYARD posts

I have lots of reasons for coaching Leah's soccer team and I just confirmed a big one: Sitting and watching soccer practice is torture. I see bad passing and I need to get up and fix it. Energy level is waning and I want to jump up and cheer. Why must I just sit here! I am getting good ideas for drills and watching them executed by professionals is helpful. So, there's that. Ugh. Longest. Hour. Ever.

First day of soccer clinics and Alice is ready ... despite the rainy morning that sent her practice inside. This is the first time out for Alice and shin guards, so big moment in our lives. When she's playing for Olympic gold, we'll look back at this picture. :) Leah's practice was outside, when the "clouds finally gave the sun a turn," as Alice phrased it. Leah had never had another coach than me and she'd never played with boys. She handled it with her usual style.