I don’t want moments like this to end. Moments where we lose ourself in the simple fun and the bright colors. I know we will always be crafty and we will do new and different crafts that little kids can’t do… but these simple sessions, I feel them slipping away while my girls are getting…

We had a delightful little visit from Aunt Sandy and Grandma C. What a treat! I showed off the kitchen and they brought treats for all of us (including delicious pear cake!). And then when the girls were at school and Brian was working we had the most pleasant walk at the Chicago Botanic Garden. It was…

I feel like I haven’t taken enough everyday photos of my girls lately. Here are a few of our little beauty, Claire. We went to the the neighborhood Catholic Church and their Oktoberfest on Saturday. Claire made a little sand art thingy. She is so slow and meticulous lately. We stood there and chatted with friends…

Welcome to my downstairs bathroom. Now that the kitchen is nearly done I need to tackle this bathroom. Right now it has horrible chinoiserie wallpaper, and painted tile that is in bad shape. With the kitchen makeover it got new floor to match the rest of the back area of the house. And it has a…

And cleaning up too. I promised the girls pancakes this morning. Now I will spend my day cleaning up all the construction dust and going up and down the stairs a bajillion times to bring up the contents of the kitchen.

My kitchen is so, so close to being done. The carpenter put all the knobs on my drawers and cupboards yesterday. The painting is mostly done and I’m just waiting for the electrician to finish a few small details. The floor needs to be sealed with a protective coating. So close I can hardly stand…

For our Labor Day weekend we visited a couple new places that are close to home. First we went canoing at the Skokie Lagoons. File this under why didn’t we do this sooner. Skokie Lagoons is a nature preserve that has man made ponds winding through it – and it’s only about a five minute drive from our…