A Weekend In Minnesota

Two weekends ago I ventured up to Minnesota to visit my dear friend Erika. She and I lived across the hall in our sophomore dorm at Miamia and quickly best friends. We've shared a million laughs, cries and countless hours talking on long walks, drinking wine and now over the phone. Last fall Erika, her husband Jim and their sweet baby boy moved to Minnesota. I couldn't wait to visit her and see her in her new element.

I am not sure if it comes through in the photos, but friends like this are once in a lifetime! Even though we're separated by hundreds of miles, I know we'll always be incredibly close.

I missed my first ever (and hopefully last!) flight there and was delayed 10 hours returning home, so we didn't get much done that weekend. We did manage to hang a few picture frames in the basement. My peanut was so intrigued by what her Daddy was doing.

We have very little on the walls in the basement, so anything was really an improvement.

And, my sweet friend, Erika visited us in March and was cold in the basement when we were hanging out. I realized I didn't have a blanket, so I took one that was just sitting in the closet in the guest room and slung that over the couch. I don't do much sitting down there, but I am sure in time that will change...

I have tons of little things left to do down there -- find artwork for the back wall, a mirror to hang beside the sofa, hang a shelf, a place for Scarlett's pictures... More for the following weeks. :) Little by little...

Weekend Goal

I have a new goal: to get one project done each week. It could be super small like cleaning out a pantry drawer or part of a larger project, but will hopefully keep things moving along. The to do list on a house can be never-ending and a little daunting if you don't try to tackle it piece by piece. So, what was our first project? Painting the master bathroom cabinet. You may remember the room looked like this when we started.

UGH! Honey colored faux painted massive ugliness is what I call this monster. And you can only spot the also faux painted chandelier hanging as well. Total miss. Alex and I wonder what the builder thought when he installed this bathroom gem. Did he love it and thought that would sell the house (surely no...) or did he find it on super clearance and just want to drop something in the spot (this is what we guess must be so)? At any rate, we gave it a mini face-lift - or have at least started one. We put a few coats of dove-gray paint on the cabinet. Alex and I tackled the project together, which made it even more fun. 

After we first moved in last summer we got the shutters. Much needed for a little bathroom privacy. The light fixture we installed about a month ago from Horchow. I love it -- so much better. And after all that it now looks like this:

Naturally we are planning to get new mirrors and spruce up the room a little more. I'll post more pictures as it evolves of course. ;)

15 Was a Long Time Ago

I have a sweet neighborhood girl who has started helping with my peanut. Just an hour here and there. She couldn't be sweeter and having her parents about 100 yards away sure puts my mind at rest when I leave her in charge of my sweet toddler. :) I learned quickly that times have changed A LOT since I was babysitting. While I am still getting used to referring to myself as Mrs. Abraham and to Alex as Mr. Abraham to our sitter, I am very happy with how eay it is to schedule her to come over. I simply shoot her a text and I usually get a response within minutes. While Alex and I were sitting on the sofa after dinner this week I got a message that was clearly not intended for me. It read, "Hey hun....ima need a hug tomorrow." Oh, my heart kinda ached a little. Who doesn't remember being 15 and all the drama, heartache and craziness that seemed to swirl around you at that age?? My phone quickly buzzed again, with an "omg!!! I am so sorry!" I know she was probably totally mortified. I sure hope she got her hug.

Overdue: The Chairs Are In

These chairs have been in our family room for many weeks now, but I somehow have managed to not post a picture until today. Oops! We've actually had a lot on our plate - we've been sleep training our peanut! Thankfully, it's been much more successful than we ever thought it would be and after a few rough bed times and naps, she is understanding that she has to fall asleep and stay in her crib until morning. Our morning comes at 5:30 am, but a huge success after months and months and months of sleepless nights for momma.

So, back to the task at hand. Our chairs! I was curious if online shopping would result in some duds. Check them out below. We like the way the look enough, but they aren't the most comfy chairs in the house for sure. Overall, we are happy enough with them. We really needed something there and didn't want to break the bank. In a few years we'll do an overhaul of the room and then we can get something to sink into. In the meantime, I am looking for some soft pillows...

And you can see that our peanut has designated space in every room in the house. We are now fine with that (helps keeps her entertained wherever we are...). I meant to tidy up the shelf, but this way you can see how it really looks day to day :)

My House Isn't Clean Anymore

Ask people who have known me for a while and they will tell you I "track" some odd things. Track? What does this possibly have to do with anything, right? I know, I know. Well, it all started with tracking a budget actually. I was in my early twenties and was struggling to shop like a queen and live on a little "just out of college budget." I walked home from work one night because I didn't want to spend the $1.50 for the bus. It was only a few miles, but still! That night, once I got home feeling a little sweaty and irritated at myself, I decided I needed to manage my money better. And, a very basic Excel budget was born. That is the only tracking I still actually do. Not a bad thing to do.

From the budget, came my passionate cost per wear, or CPW as I call it in my head. We all have conversations with ourselves in our heads, right? I started a much larger tracker to determine what the cost per wear of all my clothes, shoes, bags were. Weird, right? You probably think I only did that for a week -- tops. Nope. I did it for years. Probably close to 10. Really weird! I slowly added in what I wore each day and then calculated what it cost me each day and then rationalized what I should shop for.  It became this very cathartic end of my day. Excel, kind of a weird wind down. I entered my budget and CPW every night. When did I stop? My CPW actually started tapering when I was pregnant (I just hated maternity clothes) and then came to a complete standstill the day my daughter was born. The tracker hasn't been opened since then and probably won't ever be. At the end of the day now, I collapse into bed. There is very little ritual - and certainly nothing with Excel - to get me to fall asleep.

So, does this have anything to do with a messy house? When I lived alone to keep my condo clean I put away 20 things (yes, I counted) in the morning before leaving for work and 20 things again at night before going to bed. Spoon and glass in the dishwasher, that's two. Toss the napkin and magazine in trash, that makes four. Quick wipe off the counter, there is five... You can see how 20 things added up quickly and within minutes. My house truly was always pretty clean this way. OK, except for the few times I unexpectedly was running really late and left the kitchen a mess (I can only think of two - pathetic, yes). So, when Alex and I started living together I just kept doing it. Easy, easy. So, do I put away 40 things now that we are a family of three? No. It doesn't work. I never do it. And I am racing around and don't count anymore when I clean. I am home all day and the house is constantly in a state of use. Good, you think, because it's so strange that I ever counted, you probably think. Yes, I know. I just thought about it while looking at the kitchen that is cluttered with a highchair tray, dirty cookie sheet, miscellaneous mail and papers. Some nights I clean it all up. But tonight I am letting it sit. It will be there in the morning and I am so glad it's the weekend. Cheers to a messy house tonight.