What Ana Does

Paella Swatch Watch 1999 - There's Even a Paella Recipe Along the Band While going through old clothing tubs to donate out to charity, I found this beloved circa-1999 Paella Swatch watch. It was around 1999 that I finally had a little extra disposable income. And because I could never afford a Swatch watch growing up in the 80s when they were COOL, I gifted myself one. And then another. I had a pretty nice little collection by 2001. I stopped buying them when other fancies caught my eye and eventually their batteries died out and they got retired to the back of drawers and the bottom of sweater tubs. When I found this paella Swatch a few weeks ago it loosened a piece of information I had forgotten: Swatch replaces batteries for free. Energy for a lifetime, is the slogan. So, this weekend I dropped two found Swatches into my purse and stopped by the Swatch store at the mall near where Leah played in a soccer tournament. And BAM! new watches!

Oh yes, I was in the sun and sand all week. We'd wake up and decide: pool or ocean? Nothing like a family vacation to paradise. My Toes Related posts: More vacation stories

Summer's over. The girls are back in school. The big whooshing sound you heard was my deep exhalation. Finally , we'll get back into some semblance of a schedule! Fourth Grade Says Ta-Ta First Grade Better Watch Out. She Was Pumped Up! ... until we blow it all by running away to Paris for a week. Worth it. 

My little weekend makeover is complete. And right on schedule. Hooray! After! Here's the breakdown: Light Fixture ($60 at Home Depot): I seriously dislike the Hollywood lights the builders used in the bathrooms. They're cheap, ugly crap. So, I replaced it with a REAL light fixture. It was a lot easier to remove that old fixture than I thought. And, though the new one included a trip back to Home Depot for different length screws, it was the easiest change with the biggest impact. Wall Color (No cost): I'm pretty sure I liked that green color when I painted it on the wall three years ago but it started to look almost florescent during some parts of the day. No thank you. This aqua color is just as vibrant, but a little less electric. And it matches the new bike shower curtain. It took two coats to get the green covered. Plus, I had some "help" from the girls. Extra bonus: I had a gallon of this paint laying around the house, so no additional cost for th...

Went with the sea foam blue color. it's really more like a teal. We like it. Now, on to the the mirror. Single or double? Two Mirrors Mean the Girls Each Get Their Own One Mirror -- I Pulled This Down Off the Wall in the Family Room Decorating is fun!

Here are the paint choices: I dug around my house and found nearly-full cans of these colors. There's a sea-foam blue, gray (there are so many cans of gray paint in my house thanks to the dining room) and yellow. I'm trying to match the shower curtain.  Which one? Related posts: Other Home Improvement adventures

This is the time of year that the Black-Eyed Susans remind me what part of the yard belongs to them. And to prove it, they double in population each year. A few years ago, this patch was just a few plants I moved over from the other side of the yard. But it doesn't take long for this wildflower and spread out. (There's a little pine tree in there somewhere.) Being the generous/lazy gardner that I am, I'm going to allow this. Go to it, girls. The Black Eyed Susans Are Such Showoffs The best part about these little sunflowers: their long blooming season. They'll be around into the fall.