Saturday, February 19, 2011

Spring Cleaning

Our house has been a disarray lately. With plans to move we've been cleaning house. Our donation pile, from furniture to clothes and everything in between has been growing. In January, I wrote about how we combined the play room and office. The old playroom had been sitting empty except for Hannah's play gym. Warning: an empty room near the front door, quickly becomes a storage area. Sergio has been studying around the clock and taken over our kitchen table since there is not enough space in the office/playroom. Not to mention sharing with a busy toddler does not help him focus either. Sergio has a 3 day weekend so we decided to move the office into the old playroom. Now the playroom and office have been completely swapped. Here's the new furniture arrangements. These rooms are not complete, just our progress today.
I decided to finally get rid of the ugly 80s wallpaper. Before moving in the owners gave us permission if we wished to, so why not? All the paper except about a foot around the top has been stripped. We still need to paint and hang wall art too. We were able to fit all our books on the tall shelf in the corner so we could get rid of a book shelf. We'll keep it for a utility shelf in the garage, but never really liked it anyways.
We used to have all our office supplies neatly organized in the desk. When Hannah was old enough to reach things like staplers and batteries they had to be moved. They took over the tall shelf, where the books now are, and I hated it. We always have a junk drawer in the kitchen and it had become out of control. My parents can attest to that from their visit here at Christmas. Since half the stuff goes back and forth between the junk drawer and the tall shelf it was time to put everything in one place. Here is our new organized drawer. So nice to have everything in one place. The cute little black/white/pink divider was only $1 at Target!
I wanted seating in the office so we moved the love seat from the living room. We just love it. It is so cozy in here. I imagine evenings after Hannah is asleep with Sergio studying at the desk and me cuddled up reading. We also were out running errands today, and while we were at TJ Maxx (btw it was extremely crowded today. The check out line was 30+ people) we found the painting propped on the couch. It's of a city skyline. I know it's hard to tell in this picture. The piles on the couch are various wires we are keeping from our electrical bin. We had a whole plastic bin of just wires. Why? Other than the pile here the rest are being donated. I happened to take the picture while Sergio was sorting them.
Here's the living room with only the couch now. We scooted the couch forward about 4 inches and away from the backdoor about a foot. Much more open without the loveseat. Hannah loves, loves being able to run, spin, and tumble around now. She actually spun into the ottoman in excitement.
Hannah's playroom is not done yet. I placed her furniture and hung her wall stuff so tomorrow she can play. I still need to swap her curtains with those in the guest room, and organize some toys.
Some how we found time to let Hannah play outside too. Now that the weather is nice we moved her play gym outside. Of course she wanted to check it out and we felt bad for her because she spent several hours shopping.
Twinkle toes in her fairy forest.
We enjoyed putting our feet up for a moment.
Did I mention how we love our cozy office?
I know it seems silly to be rearranging when we will be moving. The reality though is we have a few more months here, and the arrangement is just more functional. As Hannah grows some layouts work better than others. It also helps me learn what floor plans in the next house will work best for us. Plus it motivates us to get rid of junk. Some stuff we are using, like our desk, we plan on replacing once we move. Then there are things, like the loveseat, I was considered donating once we move but figured out they are still keepers in the right room. So glad to have most of this done. Tomorrow we have church and after we want to go for a hike. Then in the afternoon we are doing a photo session for our friends. Even though Sergio has Monday off, he will be studying. The rest is decorating, which is my thing anyways. Today was really our only day to concentrate on this.

Friday, February 18, 2011

A Little Surprise in Williamsburg

Today we spent the late afternoon and evening in Williamsburg. First a stop at the outlet mall then Downtown Williamsburg.
Downtown Williamsburg is very charming and quaint. The College of William and Mary is right across the street. I have to say off topic, that as we started walking along the streets we were nostalgic of our college days at Berkeley. However, seeing all the young college students, and than us walking along with our tot, just made me, well, feel old. It's funny to think this May will be 4 years since we graduated. We've been out of college as long as we were in college. Such a weird thought to me. I guess because it doesn't seem that long ago, but when I think of all we've done in 4 years it seems more than about right.
Back on topic. We stopped at the college bookstore for some coffee. Then as we were walking along the shops we realized we were no longer amongst shops but historic buildings. Little did we know we were now in Colonial Williamsburg. We knew it was near by, but not right there. It was so surreal to be walking amongst a piece of history at the same time very charming. The streets of both the downtown and colonial area are blocked off to cars, so we were able to just let Hannah walk along without worrying about her going too close to a curb, or getting into people's way on a narrow sidewalk. She could just lead the way. There were college students jogging, families strolling with ice cream, and people walking their dogs. A little bit of Andy Griffith's Mayberry you could say.
"Maybe if I look cute they'll let my Daddy go."
Cute gets you far in life.
We're free!
Back in Downtown.

Rakin' and a Bakin'

The last 3 days we've had wonderful weather.
Wednesday, I took Hannah outside to play, and while outside I decided to rake. What started as raking some of the grass area (or dead grass that is) turned into the whole yard.
After pictures
Yes this whole yard was covered in pine needles. Fairy Forest, in the back there, was at least a couple inches think. During the summer and fall I raked about every 2 weeks, but once winter arrived, haha, you rake in 30 or below.
Hannah admiring our hard work.
She's a big helper, who loves to rake.
She certainly deserved to lay down, kick her feet up, and stretch with a cool sippy cup of juice medley (right on the threshold of the back door).
An afternoon of yard work is not complete without a wagon ride of the grounds.
All aboard...
Please fasten your seat belt and keep all hands and feet inside the wagon. Ms. Hannah's wild ride is a bumpy (tree roots) and curvy (circling around trees) ride.
As much as Hannah loves Fairy Forest, our next house will NOT have pine trees!

Monday, February 14, 2011

Happy Valentine's Day

We began celebrating Valentine's on Friday with none other than roses and chocolates, and watching Charlie St. Cloud. The rest of the weekend Hannah and I lounged around while Sergio studied, studied, and studied.
Our Valentine's was mild, but just as special and full of love. Today was an absolutely gorgeous and WARM day. Sergio had a full schedule and Hannah has a lingering cold, but I did not want to waste weather like this. Some vitamin D and sunshine is exactly what we needed.
Hannah mowing in Style.
Frolicking...
My brown eyed girl...
More frolicking...
My sunshine.
And more frolicking...
Why use the door, when you have a window?
Excitement...
Curiosity...
Bye...
And away she goes.
Hannah and Sergio took a nap while I made a batch of sugar cookies and frosting. After they woke, Hannah and I got our V-day cookie decorating and munching on (note how small that cookie is, a little cookie monster couldn't wait, but still wanted the last couple bites decorated).
All things sweet, romantic, and lovely.
Daddy helping Hannah open her Valentine mail...
Then we enjoyed some Cheesecake Factory take out for dinner, before Daddy had to get his study on.
Before having Hannah our Valentine's were made for movie Valentine's. I'll never forget our first Valentine's in San Francisco, or our second at a little restaurant in Berkeley, a stroll from my apartment. But in honesty I love our family Valentine's more. I love getting to play up the cheesy part of Valentine's with Hannah while still kindling the romance with my husband. It's the small things that melt my heart and put the icing on the Valentine's day cake for me. Amongst the flowers, chocolates, and other gifts the smallest gesture of romance is the lasting...Today I found a coffee mug next to my coffee maker with a love note inside. Since about November I've been searching high and low for the perfect coffee mug. It's pictured in a photo above and on the other side of the mug it says, love. I don't think I could have picked a better one for me. And you bet I enjoyed a delicious cup of Kona in my new mug while baking cookies. Even put a little frosting in it. Mmm...
To many more Valentine's with my 2 beloved Valentine's!!!

A Little Here and There

While uploading photos from the camera I found a few from this and that.
Hannah's first time painting...
she has a flair for modern art.
Made ice cream with our ice cream maker I received for Christmas.
Chocolate walnut.
Sleepy, sick tot. Just an angel.
Gorgeous sunset.
The Hannah and Elmo show...
A couple of her dance moves...
...
Last week while at Grandpa and Grandma's, Hannah fell in love with the "tap, tap, tappy" noise her dress shoes made on their hardwood floors. Then she watched part of An American in Paris, and was mesmerized by the dancing. She debuted on Grandma and Grandpa's fire place, and we now have broadway shows (singing too) in our very own living room.

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About Me

Family is my life. I'm a stay at home mom to Hannah, and wife to a wonderful Naval Aviator.