twelve years

When I was trying to decide if I should marry Mike, it was almost as if I didn't even need to think about it. I knew the answer, and I haven't doubted it for one moment since. Mike is the man for me, and together we have a pretty great life. Our wedding day twelve years ago was easy and peaceful, and the years since have been so kind.

Happy Anniversary, honey!

the floors

It is difficult to photograph these floors. The color changes with the light and the time of day. It is a warm, stone-ish color (Flagstone, by Martha Stewart), but the clear polyurethane (which is actually amber colored) changes it a bit. I don't mind. I used a regular flat paint with a satin poly specifically made for floors. The finished product is thick and glossy, but not shiny. It feels good under my feet, and makes for excellent ice skating if wearing socks. So far clean up has been a breeze.

Once I finished the floors, we realized that the wall color was a little off. All of a sudden it was too bright and too green, so I used Martha Stewart's Garden Shed to tone things down. It sort of looks the same as the floor in these pictures, but it's actually quite a bit lighter. And now my kitchen perfectly matches my blog design (not on purpose, I guess these just happen to be my favorite colors?).

You can see our kitchen's transformation starting with the major before photos here, after I painted the cabinets here, and then once I put up the backsplash here.

a not typical/typical February day

Not typical: it's cold and rainy. I heard the Superstitions are even covered in snow! February is usually just right, but I don't mind cold days like this one bit, because any dip in temperature keeps us that much farther away from the summer time heat.

Number two: we are sick. I guess we are lucky, since this is the first time we've not been well all winter. I feel like everyone else I know has been battling one thing after another. We have runny noses and coughs and stuffy heads. Nothing a day (or two) in bed won't cure.

Typical: an afternoon snack, backpacks and shoes strewn all over the front hall, and no idea what to make for dinner. Blerg. What are you cooking tonight?

painted floors

I painted our floors this weekend, a pretty grayish-stone color called flagstone by Martha Stewart. I live by the motto "If you can't afford to replace it, paint it." Almost our entire main floor is covered by 35 year old parquet, which is a wonderful, durable, non-dish breaking floor covering, but ours had seen better days. In my dreams we have pretty wide planked wood, or reclaimed brick, or antique terra cotta, but not all dreams are meant to be realized. At least not yet. And so. . . paint.

Here is my word of advice: If you are planning on painting (and polyurethaning) the floors of almost your entire living space, send your four children and your hair-shedding cat away for a bit. Otherwise, it can be sort of tricky. The painting wasn't so bad, but to put down two coats of polyurethane required two late nights with my children banished to their bedrooms for the duration. Try telling that to a two year old who likes midnight snuggles and a cat who has a mind of her own.

We'll see how well it holds up, but I figured the paint would give us at least a few more years.

love

When we finished our run last night, Mike and I walked a loop around our neighborhood to cool down. While we were walking, he took my hand, and you know what? It was just as thrilling as it was the first time he did that, 15 years ago.

I'm so glad that he is my valentine.


photo from our hawaiian honeymoon, 12 years ago this month!

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

I dreamed the other night that I was searching for the best Lemon Poppy Seed recipe. I took it as a sign, and after a quick look on pinterest, I found this recipe. They were delicious. I like baking in small batches, and this recipe only makes 12 muffins, which is perfect for our little family. But, it could easily be doubled. I like that it calls for sour cream (because sour cream always makes baked goods better), and the glaze on top is just the right finishing touch.

Luckily I froze lots of grated lemon zest with all of my juice this year. It has come quite in handy, and seems to defrost and bake just fine.

My kids gobbled up these muffins in record time and declared them "the best muffins ever!"

weekend plans

We've spent lots of time outside and at the park this week and that makes for happy, healthy kids. Until I snapped this picture yesterday, I had no idea how similar Stella and Elliot looked. Same eyes, same biting of lips. Same noses, too? They've been having so much fun together, it makes me so glad. But what on earth is Elliot going to do when Stella is away at kindergarten next year?

So. . . I haven't finished scraping off my linoleum yet. Blah. I wasn't kidding when I said it was the worst. It is taking me forever and completely ruining my hands. I have high hopes that I'll get it off this weekend, though. And then I am going to bask in the cool smoothness of the concrete for a minute before I start thinking about paint.

Anything fun planned at your house this weekend? I'm sort of hoping for a long run with Mike tonight. And by long I mean no more than five miles. That's about my limit. I'm not sure when running became my "fun", but I guess I'm glad it has.

Have a happy weekend!

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

How do you feel about browned butter? I don't have much experience with it, but when I saw this recipe for brown butter chocolate chip cookies yesterday, I decided to try it out.

I wasn't sure if browning the butter would be worth the trouble. I mean there's the melting of the butter, the swirling of the pan, the waiting forever (ok, like 8 minutes) for it to brown, and then the waiting even longer for it to cool in the fridge! Ah! I was feeling pretty impatient.

At last, the butter was ready and the rest of the recipe came together in a snap. The verdict: the cookies were delicious. Rich, chewy, and salty. I'm still not totally convinced that the browned butter makes them better than regular chocolate chip cookies, but would I make them again? Yes, in a heartbeat.

Also, why is it that I can spend all afternoon baking cookies, but the thought of cooking dinner for more than one minute makes me crazy. Alas, soup and bread for dinner it was. With lots of cookies for dessert.

these days

February days are the best days. We go to the park. We sit outside in the warm sun and read books. We open our windows and doors and air out the house. We eat dinner early and go on family bike rides.

February is the highlight of my year and I am doing my best not to let it slip away.

What does your February look like?

weekend plans and hooray for February!

February is my favorite month here in Arizona. If you are searching for the world's most perfect weather, you'll find it at my house these days. We had to drive out to Gold Canyon yesterday, and I snapped this photo of my favorite Arizona mountains, the Superstitions, on our way. Aren't they beautiful? Anyway, come visit.

If you need me this weekend you can find me with the windows and doors wide open, listening to the Les Miserables soundtrack on repeat while I scrape the 35 year old linoleum off the floor in our little office. I've been working on it for a week, and not making much progress, so hopefully I can finish it up. Let me give you some advice: if you have linoleum anywhere in your house, leave it be. Cover it. Don't attempt to take it out! Even if the corners are curling up and it looks like it will be a cinch. I have done many home improvement projects in my life, but this is the worst. The worst!

Happy weekend!