Laowai

They were very good.

It’s still tomato season.

We have a spider problem!

The girls had Friday and Monday off of school so Brian and I decided to take a very impromtu vacation. Brian used his airline points (perk) and found a place to fly directly. 

I found a hotel – a very unusual hotel. The place was really a series of very old buildings that were purchased by an artist and turned into a hotel. It was super bohemian and lush with tropical plants. The pool was built around ruins. The whole place was a maze of indoor and outdoor rooms covered with sculptures and artworks by the owner. A big bright green lizard greeted us on our patio railing when we went to our room.

Adding to the ambiance of the hotel were four big birds – parrot types. They hung out at different perches at different times of the day and one even said Hola over and over. Bea and Claire were delighted to have the birds watching over them as they swam in the pool.

We stayed right in the old town of San Juan – it’s so colorful and pretty and interesting to look at.

We visited the Castillo San Felipe del Morro – one of San Juan’s old Spanish forts. The top of the lighthouse was super windy and it made us giggle.

Then we were off to the beach. The water was so much warmer than the Great Lakes ever get. And we certainly don’t have a cotton candy man at our beach at home.

What a lovely last minute trip! Just a few more photos.

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 bigger and bigger before my eyes. Sigh.

We used sidewalk paint made from one cup of corn starch and one cup of water and food coloring. 

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 the first crisp and cool day of the Fall and I really enjoyed showing my mom in-law and aunty in-law around. Now we must visit Aunt Sandy and Uncle Pat in Maryland.

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 while she worked on her project for for a very long time. She was proud when she finished.

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 lovely new (vintage) crane sink that replaced a blue sink. The blue toilet is also gone – replaced with a new white one. 

So it’s been on my mind – this little room. I had glimpses of the tile where the paint was peeling off and I’d ponder the color each time I was in the bathroom. I thought it was a pinky gray or a mauve when I saw a little patch of it. Well, knock me over with a feather – I got in there this morning and did some scraping and IT’S PURPLE. Purple. Purple is the only color that I truly dislike. It’s hard to get a good photo – but it’s a lilac color – a little more muted and matte than the other tile colors in my house. There is a darker purple band at the top and bottom. This is a huge development in my house updating saga.

So now I have a challenge. I can’t quite imagine painting over it – I feel like my house wants it’s original colors to be out for everyone to see. So I feel like I have to make it work – make that purple shine. 

Here are the other tile colors in the two other bathrooms in my house.

And here’s a sneak preview of my kitchen – I got my table base on Friday! Still waiting for the wood table top and a few final details. As soon as it’s done I’ll post some pretty pictures.

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 it.

I’m looking forward to getting in there to clean out the dust. And then I will have the best time filling the cupboards and doing things like hanging a pretty dishtowel on my new towel bar and putting a vase of flowers on my newly painted window sil. 

I’ve been looking for a fabric for my kitchen’s bench cushions. Something nice to go with my new kitchen colors. Here are the current contenders.

And here’s one more pretty fabric to look at. It’s from an apron that I bought at my favorite little antique store in Evanston. There’s just enough to make a pretty little pillow. I wish I had lots so I could use this for my cushions.

Stay tuned for some lovely kitchen photos.