Hello & Goodbye

So I just said "goodbye" to that lovely house we'd finally finished renovating, which is why it's been over a month since I've written on this little blog.  It's given me virtually no time to do things like contemplate many of life's big questions like why "Maria" on Sesame Street doesn't go by here real name (Sonya), whether or not she's really married to Luis (probably not) or whether Gabby's her real daughter.  I haven't had much time to be doing anything too lush (or even to be a lush).  Moving is serious business, but even more serious with little kids. 

Amazingly we had an offer on our house within days of putting it on the market, which forced us quickly out of reveling in our real estate afterglow and into moving mode.  Temporarily,we're living in my husband's old bachelor pad in the city.  It's a 3rd floor walk-up, so I'm getting lots of exercise (I could use it), my girls have stopped asking when they're going home (so sad) and now are loving the four parks within walking distance, and my husband's getting a 5 minute walk as a commute.

I'm enjoying our closeness.  Did I forget to mention it's a one-bedroom loft?  I'm not sure exactly how long we'll be here, so we're all embracing our digs, at least for the time being.

My House Before & After

I just found some pictures that my husband took, when we were contemplating buying our house. Just a little over two years we flew back home to Metrowest from Chapel Hill, NC to buy a house in a weekend. I know people who relocate for jobs do that type of thing all the time, but we never had done anything quite so fast. The twins arrival was quickly approaching, and I was getting bigger by the minute, so we had to act fast: we needed to come home to our family.

There didn't seem like there was too much inventory, but that didn't stop us. We found a house with only one previous owner. A house with a good vibe, albeit not the best aesthetic, but we believed it had "good bones." Somehow we were able to see through all the pink ceramic tile and laminate to what would become our home.

Hall Before

Hall After

Kitchen Before: The giant TV came with the house, but so did the columns, all the shelving, and blue counter top.

After

After

After

In the kitchen we removed all the shelving, visual equipment, track lighting, etc.  Next my husband (with the help of some awesome friends) removed all the ceramic tile and a flooring company matched the oak in the living and dining rooms, sanded and stained it in Jacobean.  We replaced the laminate cabinets and island with painted custom cabinets and carrera marble counter tops, moved the refrigerator, and replaced the appliances.

Master Bedroom Before

 

After

One of the strangest things to contend with was the vanity and sink in the middle of the master bedroom.  I think most home buyers would have probably just walked out upon seeing it.  Luckily my husband had a quick solution: take it all out, and drywall.  We replaced carpet, patched, painted, and added a new ceiling fan.

Living Room Before

Living Room After

Peak into Nursery Bathroom Before

Peak into Nursery Bathroom After

For the months while I was on bed rest with twins (exactly this time two years ago) my husband spent every day at work and every night working on getting this house ready for us.  He lived in the basement while I stayed with my parents (one mile away) so that they could feed me my 3 meals, 2 snacks, 1 dessert, numerous decaf Arnold Palmer's every day, and make sure I wasn't walking around.  I'm quite pleased with the outcome of Phase I of our little renovation.

Too much time on my hands

Is it possible that I have too much time on my hands?  It certainly doesn't feel that way to me, but why then, for example, do I have enough time to search Giada Laurentis' art choices for her home  or go through slide shows of other people's houses when my girls are taking frequently interrupted naps? It sounds so trivial, but let's face it, no one's coming to me for a solution to stop the oil spill in the Gulf (it looks like the only solution is to do as the Russians did and detonate a small subterranean nuclear explosion....what?!).

I was struck by the "Amore" acrylic on canvas in Giada's kitchen and I wondered where it came from which led me to a really cool story about the artist, Darren Quinn.  He created the original "Amore" as a wedding gift for Giada and her husband. An original can cost between $3500 to $400.  Quinn is a talented artist but also happens to be a fearless Quadriplegic who created a board so that he could still windsurf!  http://www.darrenquinn.com/index.html

Then I was really mesmerized by the simplicity of the design of one of the featured house tours on apartmenttherapy.com.  This site is one of my favorite ways to waste hours viewing other folks' design choices.

The Conwallisville, NY house is really lesson in restraint and embracing the old.  The house's owners took 5 years to find the house and another 2 stripping away layers of paint and wallpaper, and whitewashing the interior.  As you can see it's stone house with a barn now used as a pottery studio.

I love that there's no Viking stove or a Sub Zero fridge.

The veranda and stairs in the library that go nowhere.  I love it!

A wood stove as the focal point of the room, a cozy guest room, and peeling paint on a bathroom  wall just became charming.

Outdoor bath or horse trough?  Who cares?

Next time: Musings on children's TV characters. 

The Best Age

Not biting or pinching each other, so it looks like a good day!

Despite the fact that one of my daughters handed me a poopy diaper that she had covertly removed (sadly, we've entered the diaper self-removal stage), I just realized that my girls are at a very cute age. They're talking a lot, just like little parrots, and they really let me know what they want (and they want a lot).

Things they love:

• their BFF Maya (and her little brother Tino)
• Mummy
• Daddy
• Grandmummy & Abuelito
• 'beats (this is Sophie & Sienna-speak for the Fresh Beat Band on Nick Jr.)
• the hose
• dancing (They have a clear preference for Latin music.)
• maracas (Sienna) & drums (Sophie)
• pops (orange juice popsicles)
• swings
• climbing into the car themselves
• Grandma Bruna's meatballs

Things they don't like:

• anyone's dirty shoes
• band aids (= boo boos)
• riding in the cart part of a shopping cart
• the baby pool
• waking up from naps
• most food other than hot dogs, pops, or grandma Bruna's meatballs
• mowers (they shout "no mow")

This morning: waffles & art.

The clinginess has decreased and now I actually can prepare a meal without a child attached to my leg. I took a shower AND blow dried my hair STRAIGHT today (although there was a diaper removal incident during the blow drying).

Are these the faces of angels or what?

My mommy obsessed girls are becoming more and more independent (sassy) and I have to admit that I get a bit of a kick out of it. It takes a lot not to laugh when Sophie doesn't just tell me "no" but instead says "no way." A friend's son of the same age says "never" which I think is hilarious.

Don't drop the drumsticks!

I love that they're quite willing to share with other children, and when one twin is upset, the other can usually be counted on to bring her a pacifier or toy to cheer her up.

Loving (kind of)

To top it off it looks like they also adore the beach, so it looks like it might be a great summer.

The Power of Advertising: Shoes

I was contemplating a new pair of shoes. Actually they are sandals. So I went to Cole Haan's website to give them another look, but this time there were "other images" to click on. As soon as a I saw the picture of the chick playing her guitar in her closet while wearing the sandals, I knew they would be mine. I'm such a sucker.

They are the most comfortable sandal, and I can run around after my girls all day, not wishing that I was wearing sneakers or my usual flip flops.

Air Whitney Gladiator, colehaan.com

Swimming Pool Dreaming

Hot days deserve a swimming pool. Note, I didn't say that I deserve a swimming pool. Additionally, my yard deserves a swimming pool. If you took a picture of my back yard there would be a post-it note centrally placed that reads: insert pool here.

I've assembled a bunch of pools that I love from Apartment Therapy and various other locations (thanks!). Here they are:

Like a lake....I think this could be Sixx Design's home in Great Barrington.

For this one you'd need a pool boy.

Here's Maria & Larry just lounging on a Friday afternoon. I wish!

The pool at Chateau Marmont. I like that it's oval.

Simple pool, simple chairs, and a hedge of bamboo for privacy.

Babe Paley, the queen of Palm Beach cool.

The circular pool, like the house, seems to work with its environment, although it doesn't look like it should.

Realistically, I shouldn't even be pool-dreaming until my little angels are a lot older, or can at least swim. I just need to keep reminding myself, and when it's time I'll be ready with my idea folder. In the meantime you can find me cooling off in their baby pool.

Coppa Enoteca

You know I'm really fond of a restaurant when I say to my husband "every place should be like this." That means it's the whole package to me: ambiance, food, and usually location. That's how I feel about Coppa Enoteca. Like a lot of restaurants in Boston's South End it not only attracts the neighborhood folk, but also suburbanites like me, but it's no-reservation policy, and 40 seats luckily seem to hinder too many of us from making it uncool!

Coppa opened in January and is the latest and greatest from chefs Jamie Bissonette and the very busy Ken Oringer of Clio, Toro, and La Verdad (to name just a few) fame.

As you know, I don't hit too many hot spots these days, but we were able to get a table at the early-bird hour of 5:30 on a Saturday night. We thought our strategy was so smart, but we were wrong. The friends we were meeting began calling us at 5:10 saying the line was getting longer and longer. But don't let this deter you, because it's totally worth it just to try the Farro Salad, Salumi, Fois Gras (one of the best I've ever tasted), Oysters, Wood Grilled Pizzas, or any of the nine other small plates we ordered. Like most tapas menus prices range fron $5 to $15 per plate, and they recommend each person orders two or three and sharing is recommended.

The vibe's friendly and a little boisterous, a great place to meet with friends who will land the perfect table!

Like the kids on Yo Gabba Gabba sing: Try it. You'll like it. http://www.coppaboston.com/