before - baby death trap
after - ta da! no more rusty nails or sharp chicken wire for babies to cut themselves on!
yeah...that only took two years to fix. alright, what's next!
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
new baby gate
I also spent the weekend finishing this:
before - baby death trap
after - ta da! no more rusty nails or sharp chicken wire for babies to cut themselves on!
yeah...that only took two years to fix. alright, what's next!
before - baby death trap
after - ta da! no more rusty nails or sharp chicken wire for babies to cut themselves on!
yeah...that only took two years to fix. alright, what's next!
stuff
There's definitely some kind of fall juju in the air right now and it's sending my nesting instincts into overload. Last weekend I spent a good amount of time weeding through closets and storage containers and cupboards in preparation for a garage sale I'm planning to hold in a couple of weeks.
What I'll actually be able to sell remains to be seen. (What doesn't sell will be donated so it will still end up out of the house.) So far it feels great just to purge and know stuff is finally going OUT instead of always coming IN.
After the garage sale is over and I have lots of dollar bills and quarters in my money box at the end of the day, it can't just end there. One of my new goals is to try to be much more mindful about stuff. Making sure as much (if not more) goes out than in, and making sure the stuff that comes in is quality and has value. Whether clothing, housewares, toys, whatever - I've got to have some tougher standards or I'm going to end up right back where I started.
See this quote? (from a page out of Domino magazine, R.I.P.)
Uh huh. Now THAT'S what I'm talking about.
You know what else is awesome about that picture? That round yellow pan on the shelf under the counter. My family had a whole set of that cookware and most of it ended up with my Dad. Two days ago he called, said he noticed in a photo that I had one of the pieces sitting on my stove, and offered to send me the rest of the set. (Thanks, Dad. What a wonderful, unexpected gift.)
Yes, technically, this is more stuff. But I love those yellow pots and pans and I will keep them forever. They are beautiful, they will be used often, they are well made, and they have sentimental value.
These are some of the criteria I've come up with when deciding whether something is a keeper. What kind of criteria do you use? How do you decide what to hang on to for years and what to pass on? Please share - this is a work in progress and I still have a lot more stuff to go through!
What I'll actually be able to sell remains to be seen. (What doesn't sell will be donated so it will still end up out of the house.) So far it feels great just to purge and know stuff is finally going OUT instead of always coming IN.
After the garage sale is over and I have lots of dollar bills and quarters in my money box at the end of the day, it can't just end there. One of my new goals is to try to be much more mindful about stuff. Making sure as much (if not more) goes out than in, and making sure the stuff that comes in is quality and has value. Whether clothing, housewares, toys, whatever - I've got to have some tougher standards or I'm going to end up right back where I started.
See this quote? (from a page out of Domino magazine, R.I.P.)
Uh huh. Now THAT'S what I'm talking about.
You know what else is awesome about that picture? That round yellow pan on the shelf under the counter. My family had a whole set of that cookware and most of it ended up with my Dad. Two days ago he called, said he noticed in a photo that I had one of the pieces sitting on my stove, and offered to send me the rest of the set. (Thanks, Dad. What a wonderful, unexpected gift.)
Yes, technically, this is more stuff. But I love those yellow pots and pans and I will keep them forever. They are beautiful, they will be used often, they are well made, and they have sentimental value.
These are some of the criteria I've come up with when deciding whether something is a keeper. What kind of criteria do you use? How do you decide what to hang on to for years and what to pass on? Please share - this is a work in progress and I still have a lot more stuff to go through!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Friday, September 2, 2011
end of summer weekends
This weekend we don't have much on the calendar. Other than a family party on Sunday we plan to be out and about, savoring this last long summer weekend.
Last weekend was lovely, too.
Last weekend was the Orton Park Festival - another neighborhood festival known for great live music. They also are known for hosting a performance of a local dance group that performs Cirque de Soleil-type, aerial dance acts hanging from a giant oak tree. I snuck out by myself to watch it after Matteo went to bed Friday night, but unfortunately got there too late to get a good spot. This was my view.
As you can see, there was some slight visual interference between me and the performers, who dangled from the tree right where that ladder is standing.
Ah well, it looked like an enchanting experience for the people who were much smarter than me and came early to get good seats. And it got me out of the house, walking around and enjoying the neighborhood on my own, on an absolutely gorgeous summer night. While I love being with my guys, sometime I forget how great it feels to get away for an hour or so to just soak up what's going on with the rest of the world.
Last weekend was lovely, too.
Last weekend was the Orton Park Festival - another neighborhood festival known for great live music. They also are known for hosting a performance of a local dance group that performs Cirque de Soleil-type, aerial dance acts hanging from a giant oak tree. I snuck out by myself to watch it after Matteo went to bed Friday night, but unfortunately got there too late to get a good spot. This was my view.
As you can see, there was some slight visual interference between me and the performers, who dangled from the tree right where that ladder is standing.
Ah well, it looked like an enchanting experience for the people who were much smarter than me and came early to get good seats. And it got me out of the house, walking around and enjoying the neighborhood on my own, on an absolutely gorgeous summer night. While I love being with my guys, sometime I forget how great it feels to get away for an hour or so to just soak up what's going on with the rest of the world.
he's back
This Tuesday was the first day of school. Right now he's the biggest kid in the room and definitely means business. Watch out!
Thursday, September 1, 2011
where a kid can be a kid
Last week we took Matteo to Chuck E. Cheese with Adam, Stefanie and Ayla. He had already been there the night of Joe and Carrie's wedding with his babysitter, but Matt and I hadn't been to a Chuck E. Cheese since we were kids ourselves.
I remember Chuck E. Cheese as being kind of dark, slightly creepy, and having a particular smell - like the weird smell of a roller skating rink, but mixed with pizza smell. It also didn't help my perception of kiddie pizza restaurants when I watched the movie The Rock-afire Explosion a couple of years ago, which was about people who are obsessed with the Showbiz Pizza (Chuck E.'s predecessor) animatronic characters and keep whole, working sets of them in their homes.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yNitSBXzsA&w=420&h=345]
Also making me skeptical of the Chuck E. Cheese experience was back in 2007-08, there was a Chuck E. Cheese outside of Milwaukee always showing up in the paper for fights between parents that had to be broken up by police. I kid you not, in a 15-month period during 2007-08, police had to be called to that Chuck E. Cheese to break up fights 81 times! That's crazy!
Apparently my Chuck E. Cheese prejudices were totally unwarranted. Chuck E. Cheese circa 2011 wan an altogether new and improved experience. (At least in Madison. I can't speak for Brookfield.) Matteo absolutely loved it and there were a lot of rides and games that even little ones his age could enjoy.
One of the rides they have is this huge horse, big enough for me to ride, and seemingly way too big for Matteo. At the end of the night when he had gone on almost everything else, I plunked him on the horse and off he went. He gripped that thing with his tiny knees and rode like the wind, even lifting his hand in a cheery wave when Matt came over to watch him. Check it out:
[flickr video=6083244250 secret=b39347cbfd w=400 h=300]
Toodle-oo Chuck E. Cheese! We'll be back!
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