San Diego

We spent a long weekend in San Diego.  It was warm!  It was sunny!  We were outside wearing sleeves that exposed our white withering arms to sunlight!   

Before booking the trip, we looked online to see some destinations to check out and found a place called the Gaslamp Quarter which has a lot of great restaurants and shops.  We booked a hotel in that area so that we wouldn't have to go far to find something to do.  

We spent some time in the Cedros Design District, which has a lot of neat shops & antique stores.  Within a few blocks of the Design District were some huge consignment stores. I could have spent a whole day there.

I saw so many neat pieces and a very pretty vintage ring almost came home with me.

We also went to Coronado, a little island right across from San Diego.  We checked out the Hotel del Coronado, which was built in 1888 and is still gorgeous.  The whole town is a cool place to explore.  If we go there again, I'd love to rent a bike and cruise along the boardwalk.  

Also checked out the San Diego zoo and really loved the bus tour.  And the landscaping was ah-mazing.

We took Marielle with us and she was such a great traveler on the plane despite some layovers and long lines.  We had to explain to her what that glowing ball of fire in the sky is: "See, Marielle, that's called the sun and it warms our planet but only seems to work in California."

And then we had to leave, put on our winter coats and fly back to Wisconsin to enjoy more of the polar vortex.

When we would chat with people on the sidewalk, they'd ask where we were visiting from.  When we told them Milwaukee, their face would fill with compassion and concern and asked (quite sincerely) how we were holding up.  At least we have others' pity to count on to get us through the rest of winter.  You hear that, Wisconsin?  Others are rooting for us to get through this thing. 

Small Things

I am a task-oriented person.  I like to check things off a mental list at the end of the day so that I can "prove" to myself that I spent my time well that day.  

You can see the problem with this list.  First, it is impossible to check off laundry.  There is simply no end, no completion of this.  Unless you live in a nudist colony.  Which reminds me....

Kidding.

Second, there is no checking off "raising children". As far as I can tell, there is no end.  Third, there is no foolproof toy organization; that is, if you have children.  I have recently tricked myself into thinking that if I purchase a lot of baskets and cubbies with pretty labels that toys will find their way into their neatly labeled baskets.  IT'S TRICKERY!  BASKETS AND LABELS ARE FOR DECEIVED PARENTS WHO THINK THEIR CHILDREN WILL FOLLOW THE SYSTEM!!! (But the baskets are really pretty and so well labeled).  

But I am fortunate.

I have a network of people around me who support and encourage me to write, to think about valuable things, to keep a sense of humor about the everyday, to be a better mom and better friend.  

It reminds me that I want to be the kind of person who shows up when life is difficult for others around me.  I want to encourage others to rethink what success is.  My days, like everyone else's, is filled with small and seemingly insignificant things.  Our lives are constantly being disrupted by things that aren't on our list and most of those interruptions are really inconvenient and annoying.  How can I [we] use our day today to inspire, encourage and be available to someone who wasn't on our list this morning? 

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Holiday

Christmas and New Year's Eve was a whirlwind adventure.  We had family Christmas celebrations, lots of time in the car traveling, movie & popcorn nights, dates with the girls, and snowy evenings by the fireplace.  

As I think about it, 2013 was likely the busiest year we've ever experienced.   We moved twice, renovated a home and added another two kiddos to the family.  And, as my husband pointed out, we actually still love (and like!) each other.

I think I can safely say we're on the other side of the house renovations now.  There's a couple odds and ends, but it's wonderful to begin the process of really settling in.  We still have loads of boxes downstairs that need unpacking.  Closets need to be sorted and all the miscellaneous stuff hanging around on the floor needs to find a home.   

I am so thankful for this past year, even in the middle of the crazy moments when we had our house taped off and marked as a biohazard, when my pregnant self painted trim in the wee hours of the morning, for the sawdust, for the parade of contractors we seemed to live with...everything.  

What a year.

Pinterest Day

Once or twice a year, my pal Megan & I get together to create some of the things we've pinned on Pinterest.  It's nice to actually create some of the things we like in other people's homes and use them in our own.  What a fantastic concept!

I recovered an old bulletin board with a subtle chevron fabric and used some brass railheads from Hancock's.  I love the result!  This will eventually hang in our mudroom once that space gets finished up.

Megan used pages from a vintage book to craft a pennant out.  She penned "Noel" onto the pages and it now resides in her home on a mirror.  

She has way nicer penmanship than I.

I also made a noel sign (?) for our mantel.  I spray painted the N a glossy white, the E a metallic gold and wrapped the L in a twine.  

I also sprayed the bottom fourth of a vase in glossy white to add a bit more modern feel.  I think I need to add more white berries to the wreath, but I like how the mantel looks now:

It will hopefully look even better when I paint the funky yellow on the picture rail….

Reality

This has been a difficult week for me.  I am five weeks out from my due date and four weeks out from moving into our house.  I am living in a two bedroom apartment with three little kiddos in a suburb that I am unfamiliar with.  Our possessions are scattered in one of three locations.  I can't sleep at night because I am either plotting something brilliant (a habit of mine), trying to figure out paint colors, or because I am simply too pregnant to sleep. And not too much has been happening with the house this week.

I have to admit that yesterday, I gave up.  I laid down in bed at four in the afternoon and would have sucked my thumb if my dignity would have permitted it.  Instead, Greg brought in some headphones, plugged me into my favorite Pandora station to help me decompress, and made popcorn for dinner.  My favorite.

I feel much more human today, especially after meeting with our contractor this afternoon.  People always tell you that renovating will move slower than you want, will cost more than you planned, and that there will be unpleasant surprises along the way.  I know all this in my head but experiencing it (especially in the height of my "nesting" phase) is just excruciating.

So tonight I am reminding myself of reality.  Reality is that the house will be finished eventually, I will not be pregnant forever, and that this is actually an opportunity that I have been wanting for years.  Reality check.

Goodbye, Old Friend.

 I love old homes.  I love the stories attached to the people that have lived there over the years.

This past weekend, we packed up our things and moved from a lovely home filled with memories and stories from the best 6 years of our lives.  

We moved into our home six years ago with a one year old daughter.  We left this weekend with three daughters and a fourth on the way.  

I don't feel sad about leaving, just nostalgic.  The tree I painted in the girls' room was completed just before we got the call from social services about a newborn babe who needed a home.  Our little Luciana is now adopted and part of our family.  The circle around the kitchen and dining room has been run thousands of times by our kiddos and our friends' children over the years.  Our dining room has had countless meals and wonderful conversations with family and friends.  We've formed friendships that will last a lifetime.  Our home has been filled with people, concerts, dancing, and laughter.

We dropped the keys on Saturday evening to another family who will love and appreciate this home as we have.  We are excited for the memories they will create there.

Our "new" home has a lot of work to do yet, but there is already a story there that we are excited to add to.  One of our new neighbors grew up in the yellow brick home and he passed on a photo to me of a wonderful memory:

This is his mother escorted out of the home by her father on her wedding day on June 28, 1947.  We are so fortunate to have a home already filled with beautiful memories.