What Ana Does

This weekend we celebrated Leah's sweet 16. 16?! How?!   Had a great time. And can't even SAY how proud we are of this girl. 

It's nearly Earth Day and in celebration I thought I'd share some of my favorite Earth Day sustainability swaps. Because, here's the thing: plastic sucks and we can all do better. Also, and I'll mention this a few times, when I first started talking about sustainability, the swaps were hard to find or at a much higher cost. Things are changing in this industry and sustainability is getting easier to find and less pricey. And more accepted.  1. Laundry and dishwasher pods in cardboard packaging. These are now super-easy to find. I use Dropps but there's a few other brands out there that are just as good. And the cardboard box gets recycled.  2. Toothpaste tabs. I've tried a few brands and really love the Hello tabs because they fizz up the best and leaves that minty fresh taste after using them. They're also packaged in a cute tin. I've tried mouthwash tabs, but haven't found the one I love yet. 3. Shampoo and Conditioner Bars.  Another product th...

I've looked at a lot of design inspiration photos for kitchens, and given the style of the house, my "modern colonial" theme, and what I think will last the next decade, this is the two directions I'm considering for the new kitchen:  I'm really drawn to the green, white and black option. The butcher block counters, the bold floors and subway tile on the wall is just the modern statement I want to make, but simple so hits that colonial vibe. On the other hand, bright white would give me the light and airy kitchen that sitting in the middle of our home -- with no direct sunlight -- would need. I also really love those slate black floors.  So, I ordered a few samples of tile. And looking at a ton more pictures to get my direction.  I also worked up a few sketches for our contractor to piece together some estimates, and some inspiration images so he knew where we were going. Because our next step is getting the COSTS and deciding if all of this is actually realistic....

It's starting! We have our first meeting with the contractor we used in the basement to talk about the KITCHEN remodel. That's right, it's time to tackle this crazy, dark kitchen!  One thing you need to know: Dave and I have been talking about a kitchen remodel for about 9 years. If you recall, the kitchen in our last house was OK, workable, but certainly nearing retirement. And we talked often about our wish list and what we'd do.  I had a pretty good layout in my head and have looked at hundreds of inspirational photos. So we're not walking in cold. If I'm being honest, I regret not tackling that kitchen in Illinois years ago. It had such potential and I carried that picture in my head for years, so it was sad to not see it get done. Though, I don't think we would have seen the return on investment, even in the crazy market. It would just been my satisfaction of knowing I gave that great house a great kitchen. But I digress.  This kitchen in our Modern Col...

A few friends recommended the Formula 1: Drive to Survive show on Netflix so I started watching it on my own one afternoon ... and have really gotten into it.  I think mostly because it's SUCH a departure from my usual interests. But also because there's interesting characters and it's a world that's totally new and foreign to me. So it's super fascinating. As I'm starting season 3, I started to think of all the new things I've learned about racing from the show ...   Did you know they are in those race cars for about 90 minutes? So not only is it taxing for the cars and tires, etc, but the drivers need to maintain that perfect focus for more than an HOUR on the track. I can't even imagine it how intense that is.  It's a rich, white man's sport. Just know that going in.  There are teams from all over Europe, but it's an English sport, so the official language is English. All the accents are entertaining.  Drivers must be pretty fit to compet...

Last year I started a Pasta Week. Why? I was tapped out of ideas for dinners after cooking almost every night for me and the girls during quarantine. So, to get creative juices flowing, I made the last week of January, a long and boring month, Pasta Week. We loved it!  So we did it again.  It takes a bit of planning to pick the pasta dishes that fit our criteria:  New recipe!  Low on dairy (Leah is lactose sensitive)  Includes veggies  But once we get the dishes picked, and the grocery list made, the week has a little bright spot each night to see if we're going to LOVE a recipe or not. And the recipes we love usually make it into our repeat favorites -- like the Leek Carbonara we made last year and at least once a month since.  Here are the Recipes, and links, if I can find them.  Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower and Lemon Zest from Martha Stewart Meatless (link)  This recipe was pretty simple and came together quickly. But it was not a star. ...

You know when there's a color you just want to TRY is some room? A hue seen on Pinterest so many times it just looks too good not to do. Well, I've always wanted a dark, energized green room. And I found the perfect place to try it. Yup, the laundry room. Another house, another laundry room. This one is just as good as the last, and just as abused -- I've been jamming random stuff in all those cabinets for the last seven months with no rhyme or reason.  Just as many good features as bad, too. I appreciate the white cabinets (that's a lot of storage) and sink for projects. We lock the dogs in here when we're out. But, I'm not a fan of the tight space, "vintage" washer/dryer and beige color. And the terracotta-ish tile floor was definetly slapped in here with missing grout.   What's on tap for this room? Well, there's a HUGE organization project needed. And I already updated all the pulls from white plastic JUNK pulls to this fun, modern black pu...