La-La Laundry

We did it.  We finally got a new washer and dryer, which has changed my life!  Who knew all that was standing between me and a love for laundry was a new washer and dryer?!  

Doing one load of laundry on our old set took hours.  We were up to 5 drying cycles per load.  And a load of towels? Forget about it.  Needless to say, I was about to lose it and decided to just take the plunge.  

What an amazing difference!  I'm still slightly shocked when I open the dryer after 40 minutes and everything is dry!  

We went with the Whirlpool Cabrio set and got a very nice deal from Sears. 

I went back and forth trying to decide between a top loader and a front loader.  I finally decided on this one because it fit our budget and got very high reviews.  I really wanted to upgrade to the dryer with the steam option and almost did.  However, our doorways in this old house aren't standard size and the steam dryer would not fit through our basement door.

Anyway, after a couple of weeks of doing laundry with these bad boys, I couldn't be happier.  

Laundry doesn't seem like a chore anymore. Truthfully, I kind of look forward to it. I love how our clothes come out fluffy and soft and smelling wonderful.  

It's also on my life list to own a high efficiency washer and dryer so I get to check that off!  I love that this set as an Eco option and results in major energy savings.  

Now, if only someone would invent a machine that would fold laundry and put it away...but until then, I'll just enjoy the luxury of these new machines. 

Ginkle Ginkle Little Star

Liam has started singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

I can't stop watching this video.  He is so sweet I can hardly take it!

I have to say, I'm loving this age....he is almost two and full of so. much. joy.  It's definitely high maintenance but so very worth it.

Enjoy!

Grateful Monday

Well here we are back to the start of another week.  It seems that summertime has a way of making time disappear! 

To start my week off, here are five things I'm grateful for:

• We pulled off a surprise birthday party for one of my dearest friends on Saturday night.  So fun!
• Andrew and I were able to venture out for some live music on Friday night.  It was a fun little date night.
• My sister-in-law who happily babysits for us so we can go out!  Love her.
• I'm starting to settle back into teaching again.  I got myself organized this weekend and now I'm feeling a lot less stressed.
• On Friday, we had our first family outing to the zoo.  Here's a little sneak peek.  Liam was in total awe the entire time we were there.  So cute.

Have a wonderful week!

xoxo

Grateful Monday

To start my week off on a positive note, here are five things I'm grateful for:

• A lovely Father's day spent with my husband and his family!
• My wonderful in-laws who are always so generous and helpful.
• A new washer and dryer.  Hallelujah!
• A successful first day as an adjunct instructor.
• A wonderful gathering celebrating Andrew's completion of his Master's degree with our friends and his family on Saturday evening.  It rained on us, but we still had some major fun!  It was so nice to reconnect with folks we haven't seen in awhile.  Below is a picture of two of our dearest friends reading Liam his bedtime stories.  He was completely exhausted at this point and content to snuggle up!

 Have a wonderful week!

xoxo

Happy Father's Day

This weekend we celebrate all of the wonderful fathers in our life.

I'm blessed to have so many strong, kind men around me.

My father is amazing.  He is one of the hardest working men I know and has always shown me such wonderful, unconditional love.  He is also one of the happiest people I know....always choosing to take a positive outlook.  No matter how old I get, I will always be his little girl!

Thanks Dad for all that you do and for being the best father a girl could ask for.  I love you dearly.

Watching my husband grow as a father has been one of my greatest joys.  Seeing him with our son always warms my heart.  Liam adores his daddy and so do I.  When Andrew gets home from a long, ten hour work day, he always has the energy to play and spend time with our son.  Liam's little face just lights up with joy when he sees him walk through the door.  

We are so blessed to have him.  He truly is my best friend and we work so well together as a team.  As a parent, he will do anything that I ask of him and is so devoted to his family. I just love that Liam has this kind, generous man as a role model.  

Thank you Andrew for who you are and all that you do.  I love you with all my heart.

Tonight we are having a bbq with our friends and family celebrating Andrew's completion of his Master's degree!  Fun times ahead!

xoxo

Home Sweet Home Part 2

I recently wrote about how my home is my sanctuary.  In that post, I showed you our living and dining room.

Today, I'll show you our kitchen.

Shortly after Andrew and I got married, we remodeled the kitchen.  Thanks to my handy dad and my father-in-law, we were able to do it rather cheaply too.

Because of the remodel, we have a lot more counter space, a dishwasher (perhaps the greatest invention ever...), several more cabinets, and a small pantry.  

Here is the view as you enter the kitchen.  I'm really quite happy with it.  I really love the contrast of the dark counter tops with the white cabinets.  I have often thought of adding crown molding to the tops of the cabinets but have never gotten around to it.  I would also love to have new stainless steel appliances but its just not worth the investment for the amount of time we plan to stay here.

I know it's not the most chic look, but I love to hang pictures and momentos on the refrigerator.  I believe that it's those personal touches that make a house a home, and really, I just like to see the smiling faces of my loved ones on a regular basis.

The paint job in this kitchen was a HUGE lesson for me.  I chose this yellow thinking that it would be much lighter than it was.  It has grown on me, but truthfully, it's still way too bright.  Though I do like a bright and cheery kitchen, I would have preferred a much paler shade of yellow.  Based on the painting we've done in this house, I have learned that paint usually appears darker on the wall than you expect it to.  And lighting plays a big role in how it will look.  Based on this experience, I now it make a rule to buy a small can of paint and actually put a few swatches on the wall before I decide.  That's really the only way to know how its going to look and it's definitely worth the few bucks that it costs!

Below is my tiny pantry.  I honestly don't know what I would do without this pantry.  It provides so much storage space and is packed full.  On the baker's rack you'll see the basket where I keep our cloth napkins as well as all of my cookbooks.  The container on the bottom holds dog toys. 

This sign hangs above our kitchen door.  It's a nice reminder for us to live more consciously and to make earth friendly choices. 

So there you go!  There is our tiny, but very efficient kitchen.  It's one of my favorite rooms in our house, and I really love the way the remodel turned out.  I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, so in our next home, I really hope to have an open floor plan.  Until then, I'll choose to be grateful and enjoy this bright and cheery space!

xoxo

Grateful Monday

To start my week off on a positive note, here are five things I'm grateful for:

• Our cool spring.  The weather has been so gorgeous with perfect temps in the 70's.  Usually it's really hot by now so these cooler days are welcomed!
• A new retaining wall in our backyard.  Our yard slopes down from our neighbor's and our retaining wall has been crumbling.  My sweet husband has been working non-stop to get the wall repaired.  It looks so nice and I'm so thankful for his hard work!
• Liam is learning to say "please", which sounds like "peas".  Sometimes in the middle of the night I'll hear him say "binky peas" over the monitor as he searches for his pacifier. So sweet.  
• I just finished my very first stage of data analysis for my dissertation work.  It feels good to get back into the swing of it and get the ball rolling!
• We had a lovely weekend filled with fun.  Summertime is the best! 

 

Have a wonderful week!

xoxo

Canoe Trip

Over Memorial Day weekend, we took our annual canoe trip to the Eleven Point river with our friends.  We've been taking this trip consistently for the past five years.  The only year we didn't go was the year I was pregnant with Liam....7 months pregnant riding in a canoe just didn't sound like a good idea! 

This year Andrew's sister, Mollie, and her husband, Jon, decided to join us, which made the trip extra fun.  

Usually we arrive late on Friday night, but this year, everyone had Friday off so we actually arrived at the campground before dark on Friday.  Here we are down by the river enjoying a few drinks as the sun went down.

When we started the canoe trip on Saturday morning, it was actually pretty chilly.  That was kind of a nice treat, because its usually really hot!

The Eleven Point is my favorite river for many reasons.  One, the water is clear and ice cold because it's spring fed.  It also has these beautiful trees and bluff lines all along the stretch that we canoe.  It also isn't too busy.  Though we do see other people, it's not like we are on top of each other like some of the rivers that are closer to the city.

We always pull off and camp along the river on Saturday night.  I just love sitting by the campfire and listening to the sounds of the frogs and Whippoorwills. 

Saturday morning we awoke to sunshine and a much warmer day.  

After five years, Andrew and I have mastered packing for this trip.  We actually had a lot of extra space in our dry bags this year because we were so efficient.  I kept worrying that we had forgotten something important, but we had everything that we needed, and our canoe was perfectly balanced.

I think Mollie and Jon really enjoyed themselves!

And of course, it was nice to catch up with our old friends Justin and Mylisa.

Fun times.  I really look forward to this trip every year and hope we can continue the tradition!

Grateful Monday

I'm back with my grateful Monday post!  To help me start the week on a positive note, here are five things I'm grateful for:

• Once again, we were spared from any major storm damage.  On Friday, we sat in the basement for 40 minutes as four different tornadoes were spotted around us. These storms definitely scare me more than they used to!
• Pedicures.  On Saturday, I was able to sneak away for a bit and relax while getting my toes done.  It's such a treat these days to have an hour by myself!  

• Liam is cracking us up lately.  Here he is doing his exercise.  He dragged my yoga mat out and started doing some of the moves he sees me do.  I think his downward dog looks pretty good!

• Since defending my dissertation proposal, I've had a couple of nice, relaxing weeks.  I have definitely enjoyed the slower pace, but now it's time to refocus.  This week I plan to hit the ground running!
• Summer concert season has begun!  We took Liam to our first outdoor show on Wednesday night.  Needless to say, he really enjoyed himself, and he impressed the crowd with his moves! 

Have a wonderful week!

xoxo