The house is ours...

There are no words that can truly capture my feelings today. 

it is almost a silent joy.  the kind that lets that space in your heart that has been all tight and nervous, just relax.  to relax in the knowing that everything will in fact, be okay.  to know that all that sacrifice made for a greater good was in fact, for a greater good.  the sleepless nights are in fact, over.

it is time now to let the joy fully sink in.

We chose Vermont, but this Village chose us.  And I love it so.

Silo Sessions...

When I used to spend a lot of the summer back east for a few years, I would dream about the day we lived here... where I could walk in the woods everyday, go to concerts all summer long, ride my bike, lay in the grass and play in the snow... I never considered that my real life chores would not stay in Arizona and let me move to vacation land all by myself!

The fact is...

laundry followed

grocery shopping followed

a dirty house followed

homework followed

dinner making followed

the dog came 

the kids came

the work came.

I don't mind the work.  It is living. 

However...

Sometimes you have to go to the concert and leave the paint cans, flooring project, proper bedtime, math flashcards, dirty bathtub behind and do what is right.

So we had the pleasure of arriving to a farm dinner...

to eat with these fine folks...

and then hit the farm bakery for an intmate night of music... check out that awesome apron hanging up!!  I wonder who makes those??

and last but not least, the man of the hour, Mister Chris Dorman.  Delightful storyteller, singer songwriter, kind friend...

He put these silo sessions on all winter.  You can read about them HERE.  Sadly they are over for the winter but will pick back up when the summer air starts to chill.  They are oh so special so I recommend you join in!  For now, summer time is around the corner and Burger Night starts again!  Hope to see all you beautiful people there!!

PS: We traded with Chris and Corie, our couch for some kale!  And now we have our very own CSA card!  Their kale and other amazing products are fantastic so if you are in the area I suggest you join, you won't be sorry!  The info on that is HERE!

And if you don't live here but are dying to buy some beautiful kale I totally accept donations ;-)

Currently....

 Above is a note I found on Gabrielle's desk... Now it sits on mine ;-)

Thinking about:  My new home decor vision.  Trying to live with one step at a time.  This means painting the walls and trim knowing that the floors and furniture and lamps and tables and accents will all compliment...EVENTUALLY. 

Anticipating:  The closing date for our new home to be scheduled so that I may feel more at ease and also order the new floor to be put in.  Then my walls will match my floor and I can walk around barefoot again.

Listening:  To reggae in the car with the sunroof open.  Bliss.

Eating:  Grilled lettuce.  My favorite food until CORN comes back.  Then I eat them together every.single.night.

Wishing:   That Nate Berkus would knock on my door and make my new home decor vision come true.

 ** thanks Danielle, for the Currently post HERE today ;-)

Man Country

Matt has recently coined the term 'Man Country' in our house and it is now part of our everyday vernacular.

Wait... does everyday vernacular mean everyday language or everyday everyday language.  Is the everyday not necessary?  I just like how it sounds with it in there as opposed to leaving it out....

Speaking of words.  Mister Witt challenged me to a duel upon my use of a word he has not yet been familiarized with.  I think he secretly hates it when I know something he doesn't... It went as follows:

Me: Can you take down this horrible ceiling fan?  It is giving me agita.

Him: What did you just say? Um, I don't think that is a word.

Me:  Yes it is, it is totally a word

Him:  Get your phone out right now and check

Me:  agitation; anxiety.  That ceiling fan has to go it is giving me agita (dramatic I know...)

Him: look of disbelief that I knew a word that he was not yet aware of.

Me:  secretly loving that I am just a little bit smart even though Matt stumps me with a ton of words real AND made up ones...

  

 So...

Man Country looks like this...

 It is awesome to live in Man Country when you are a woman because suddenly all the jobs that are un fun and disgusting to do become Man Country jobs and it is lovely.  Also, new kitchen sinks get put in by men who have never put in new kitchen sinks before and it is super awesome to watch.

With that said...  I am terrified of power tools.  jeeeeez.  They are loud and dangerous and give me total agita.  And I have never been very good at prayer.  It usually goes like this (in my head):

Um, dear um... well... will you, well this is awkward... um. never mind.

However, I value my husbands life so much so that I placed my hands together (way in the other room) and pleaded:

Dear God please do not let my Mister hurt himself with that ridiculous tool. thanks.

and voila, a new sink in woman country.  the end.

And there is always Captain Ron...

Today I am feeling easy breezy and letting my ankles show even though it is gray and rainy out.  I think I am just super excited for 70 degrees this weekend and preparing early.

I was super excited to be tagged by Amanda to take part in this fun blogger game ;-)  I have answered her questions below and then will tag some other blogger friends o mine...  Thanks Amanda!

1. Where is your dream vacation?
A trip to England to sit in a pub and hang out with locals... oh wait, that is our summer vacation this year!!  I don't actually have a dream vacation.  I feel blessed for all the places I have been and for those I am destined to take...

2. If you could have lunch with anyone from any time in history, who would it be and why.
First gut instinct... My grandma Linda.  Because I remember her laugh and I can imagine it would be just as fun as having lunch with my mom.  On second instinct, some amazingly awesome history icon that I would have nothing to say to because I would be way to nervous and feel quite small.

3. If you were going to spend one year in outer space, and you could take one thing from home with you, what would it be?
I would take Mister Witt.  He is quite handy in these peculiar situations...

4. Do you like roller coasters?
Nope.  Not even a little.  If fact, I do not like amusement parks.  Not even a little.

5. Do you make a Christmas wish list (for yourself) each year?
Oh yes.  If you spent Christmas in the Witt family living room you would too... Plus they ask you for one in the beginning of August so you kinda have to.

6. The one song that always gets stuck in your head is...
Whatever ridiculous song Matt is singing out loud.   He is well versed in the little people jingles from the fisher price video in the car. Funky Cold Medina when shoveling cars out of snow. Jingle bell rock when storing stuffs in eves in a new house. and that list goes on and on......

7. What color is your toothbrush?
White.  and toothpaste color from not rinsing it properly...gross.

8. What is your favorite movie?
TOUGH ONE.  Harold and Maude will always be the movie that I think ever so fondly of.  The soundtrack gets me every.single.time.
BUT.  Wes Anderson out does himself every.single.time. So I will forever love The Royal Tenenbaums and Fantastic Mr. Fox.
AND. There is always Captain Ron.

9. What is the one beauty tip you know you should do, but you don't?
wash my face every night.  impossible.

10. Would you rather forget your mom's birthday or Mother's Day?
Oh my goodness, neither.

11. What kind of car do you drive?
A black Prius.  It is my moms.  We crossed the border into Canada in it.  The agent asked if the car was ours. Matt said it was my moms.  He asked us why we didn't have our own car.  I proceeded as follows: 
"Well, my mom was living in CT and I thought she should move to the city and you can't have a car there really and we just moved to Vermont and...."  suddenly I got the look of death from Matt clearly stating that this conversation with myself needed to end. now."   

The border makes me SO NERVOUS.

RULES:

• You must post the rules.
• Answer the 11 questions that the tagger posted for you and then create 11 questions to ask the people you've tagged.
• Tag 11 people and link them in your post.
• Post their button on your post if they have one.
• Let them know you have tagged them

I'm tagging:

Chandra at A Stylish Little Lady
Bri at Vintage Chic by Bri
Reachel at Cardigan Empire
Beth at Close to my Heart
Caitlin at Hue and Hum
Amanda at Little Tranquility
Sydney at The Daybook
Ashely at The Shine Project
Casey Leigh at Casey Leigh
Sarah Ann at Reverie
Jenni at Jenni Austria Germany

and YOU if you are reading this and it looks like fun!!  I always love to answer these simple questions that get you thinking about interesting things that do not include laundry, dishes, errands, dust bunnies, etc... 

Some of you I know personally, some just through interactions in the blog world and some of you I simply stalk twice a day so clearly we are best friends ;-)

1.  What is your daily mantra?  What do you tell yourself on a daily basis?
2.  Where is your favorite place to be?
3.  Rain or shine?
4.  What are you afraid of?
5.  What do you know about love?
6.  Outgoing or shy?
7.  What is your go to article of clothing.  The one that you will weep for when it fades away...
8.  What are you excited for currently?
9.  Mornings or nights?
10.  Who do you look up to?
11.  What brings you joy?

Please please please tell me if and when you participate, I just love to read the answers!

xoxo

Today is Grams' Birthday....

...and I have failed it miserably.

I am a lover of birthdays

a lover of cake

a lover of thoughtful preparations

and sending things that I make...

But this year someone else will get that award...the one you get when you try real hard.

Dear Jan,

I was up at midnight last night *gasp* and thought of you and your birthday, so I am pretty sure I was the first one to wish you a happy birthday (in my head)!!  I was tempted to text but I pretty much immediately blacked out when I saw the time, right after I wished you a very happy day (in my head)

 ;-)

So...

No card,

no calendar,

no ribbons

or bows,

no cake,

or skype

because our internet blows

But we have a gift you see!!  Just follow these steps 1,2,3...

1.  Find out dance recital date and call me so we can book your ticket, compliments of Southwest!!!

2.  Get on the flight.

3.  Join us for year # 2 of Vermont dance recital fiasco extravaganza!!

***Trip all inclusive.  Accommodations and dinner included.  Unlimited kisses and hugs. Catered lake dinner with amazing sunset. Fresh clean towel. A dance recital ticket and limo Prius service to and from.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRAMS!!!! 

with love...

Protection.

This was the text delivered to my mother on Saturday morning right after it became clear that I am the very worst moving partner ever.

There was... 

pouting

 doubt

tears

anger

excitment

laziness

hunger

annoyance

arguments

stomping off

coming back

rolling eyes

jelly fingers

naps.

and there was this guy.  he deserves a medal.  for delaing with me and lifting all of our heavy stuff.  and all of our light stuff too...

 There was lots of laughing as well ;-)

For the sake of privacy...

It became apparent relatively quickly that covers for the windows were needed for more than just pretty in our new abode.  So to protect myself from indecent exposure I opted for a simple shade that let both light and privacy come together on mutual ground.

Also, I thought I should document it and learned that this is easier said than done.  So here it goes...

First, find a super clean and inspiring place to work in.  Like the stove area where you cooked last nights dinner...

and the floor area in which you have not really scrubbed yet, on a towel that seems clean enough.

Okay, great.  

Now this is where documenting got tricky.  Trying to take pictures of my hands ironing and almost burning the fabric was super fun.  Obviously the lighting was my first priority too...

  Basically I took a fat quarter, cut a piece of muslin to be the same size and sewed them together.  

 

I left two holes at the very top sides for the tension rod to go through and also to allow for flipping it right side out, like so...

Then I ironed it and pressed the sides all nicely together and sewed a top stitch up top (remembering to leave enough room for the tension rod to fit through).  

This stitch does not have to be perfect.   

None of this does.  

In fact, I did not use one pin or ruler or pencil...nada.  This did result in me having to pull them down, flip them inside out again and make one the same size as the other... but whatever.

And there ya have it.  Done.  Privacy installed with a whole lot of pretty!

Here is to a terribly rushed and not so informative DIY post.  If you really want to know how to make these you can call me anytime ;-)

xo

Ta - Da.....

We bought a zoo.  I mean a Village.  I mean a house in the Village.
It is a condo really... What it is, is nothing short of a miracle.  I love it.  I want to marry it.   ** I have been notified, Ahem...mom, that the blog has taken a backseat to this new love affair of mine.  Currently we are...  submerged in paint, without a couch, without internet access,getting ready to move the heavy stuff,  living off fast food which is close to starvation when you are trying to stay vegan, and still trying to pack lunches and send the kids to school...  WITH THEIR HOMEWORK DONE!  It is A LOT!  But there is no better time to document the goodness that life is than RIGHT NOW.  So, no more neglect web space o' mine.  Get ready for some serious renovation postings... and possibly a few pictures of me passed out on the floor because moving gets so much harder after your twenties!
xoxo

Welcome March...

Oh the sweet relief of March 1.  I will take you anyway you want to come, snow and all.  There is just something about February that makes life seem very heavy and unkind.  But that changes today my friends...

Things that are awesome about today, GO:

1.  I received one of the very best messages from a very good friend that went as follows, in song form:  "Happy March to you, Happy March to you... February is ooooveeeer, February is oooveeer... Thank you Chris and Corie, that made getting thru this awful month SO VERY WORTH IT ;-) You can find the talented singer HERE.

2.  We got the keys to our new Village home today.  I have been keeping it on the DL so as not to jinx anything.  More on this new adventure to come... including lots of house renovation posts!

3.  It is snowing.  Finally.  Hooray!

4.  Just as I felt hopeless in finding something to wear due to a slightly expanding FEBRUARY waistline my Mister reached out and grabbed me from under his covers and smothered me with love.  Then suddenly my pants fit and I was saved.

5.  I feel happy today, like everything is going to be okay.