Reno upon reno ...

We are currently in the midst of our downstairs bathroom renovation and things are looking great! Thanks to my Uncle David (carpenter extraordinaire!) our bathroom is getting a new lease on life. Our old bathroom had a "dusty rose" tiled wall and a horribly brown and white tiled floor. For added offense, it also had a lowered ceiling in the shower area because apparently dropped ceilings were all the rage back in the day! The only thing the poor space had going for it was the new toilet we had installed when we renovated our upstairs bathroom and the deep tub. Here are a few pics of the before situation:

*Would you just look at that beautifully tiled ceiling!!

We decided to save the tub since it is in excellent condition. Turns out that was a huge money saver! And since Magnus likes to stay out of as much of a reno as possible, I decided we would use white subway tiles throughout the entire shower area and covering a large portion of the walls. As for the floors, they will be a white carrara marble in a herringbone pattern. 

I did manage to sneak a few photos of how things are going so far:

Pics of the new sink (pedestal was not my 1st choice, but with such a small space I couldn't find the exact console I wanted under 26 inches) and newly tiled tub area. Hallelujah folks! You have no idea how skeeved out I was by this bathroom. I remember as a new Mom pumping on the floor of the bathroom in the middle of the night to try and keep things quiet in the bedroom, and even though it was clean, it still just always felt dirty in that old bathroom sort of way. 

So of course, once we got going on this reno, other projects started coming out of the wood work: Moving our closeted washer/dryer combo to the basement (*shiver), pushing out our side entrance and making a petite mud-room and then a much needed patio out back with french doors off of one of our current guest rooms. I guess this is what home ownership is all about ... the projects that never end! I must admit though, these are the types of things that keep me sane. I love renovations and am hoping to get my hands dirty in the future and help out with some of the manual labor myself.

Hoping to have some new updates soon and as per usual, striving to blog on a more regular basis!

I'm back at it folks!

After a very long silence over here, I am going to try my best to blog again more regularly. I have been meaning to blog for quite some time now, but every time I start a post, Astrid wakes up, or the washing machine beckons to me ... yada yada, you get the picture! So here we are, zooming towards Christmas at a rapid rate, so why not throw some blogging into the mix of get-togethers, present shopping and entertaining!

With the holiday season upon us, I have been thinking a lot about different ways we can fix up both our apt and UpstateHaven. The man of the house asks for a list every year of items I would like and even though I certainly have enough "me" items to make for a pretty lengthy list, I also have hit the age where I would like things to spruce up our living spaces as well.

Currently, we have these 3 whimsical prints on our wall from Ikea. Don't get me wrong, they are fun and add character, but with all the toys and toddler gear we have floating around here, I think it is time for something a bit more grownup.

I have been talking about hanging some sort of bright abstract behind our couch for a while now and this just may be the perfect opportunity (Santa, are you listening?). Both Rachel Robbins and Christine Dovey of Art & Reverie via Etsy have pieces that are right up my alley!

I've also been pining for a leather armchair for UpstateHaven for ages. This one looks like it might be able to fill the position:

Stay tuned ...

So much stuff!

I type this as I am running around prepping our apt for a new paint job and simultaneously packing for our long weekend upstate. We are headed to UpstateHaven tomorrow morning until Monday, so that means we basically need to pack up the entire nursery for A. Why do children require so many things? You would think since the boobs are coming with us, courtesy of myself, not much else is required ... wrong.

Knowing I left diapers up there and wipes last time, I THINK we are covered on that front, however, lest we run out ... I need to pack more of each. Then there are the many many outfits in case of stains and a girl needs options, right? Poor A ... since she is my daughter, she will probably inherit the constant need to overpack and pack away our entire closet in case something is left behind that may want to be worn. So there are the clothes, the necessities, the breast pump ... the BAIN of my existence ... blankets that she requires to nap and sleep, my clothes, Hubs clothes and then Emma the cat and her paraphernalia. Add in all of the crap that we have been meaning to move upstate for storage purposes and Easter goods and this should take me another day to complete. PHEW! Also, don't forget the Baby Bjorn and anything needed to get out and exercise.

Is it just me? Or does everyone feel this way before going anywhere for more than a day?

At least the weather is looking up and the sun is out again :)

Have a Happy Easter or Passover!!

A light at the end of the tunnel!

I had pretty much given up all hope of ever feeling settled and at home in our current apartment. We moved in after breaking our lease on an apartment 2 floors down to get more space and since we broke our lease early, we hadn't planned out the move and everything was tossed in boxes and/or carried upstairs and put away without giving it much thought or a proper home.  Since Hubs is not a big fan of purging or really "cleaning things out" and re-organizing/re-decorating, we have a bit of a mess on our hands and an apt, that is in my eyes, lacking any sort of cozy/homey feeling.

There was talk of painting our walls, but then we weren't sure how much longer we would stay in this building and who wants to go through all that trouble or pay someone to paint when it would need to be painted white again when it was time to move out?

Turns out, since we are renewing our lease come May and have been here 2 years, we get to have our walls painted for free ANY COLOR WE CHOOSE! Hallelujah!! Can I get an AMEN?! haha

If you can't tell I'm pretty pumped! We have always been a white wall loving family (case-in-point below), but let me tell you, after moving several pieces of furniture, moving around wall decor and just general everyday living, these white walls are beyond scuffed and the person who painted in the first place did such a sad job. Plus I'm completely over the Clockwork Orange nonsense. Bring on the color :)

* White

* White

* White

* Practically White

I'm sure you have already guessed we aren't the type to go wild and paint anything bright or crazy, but our walls will be receiving a lovely shade of gray (Titanium (OC-49) Benjamin Moore). We could not be happier!

I'll be sure to post before and after photos!

Scavenger ...

Is it normal to go around eating your daughter's uneaten Puffs that are laying about because you are starving? I sure hope so!!

Juggling it all ...

while dealing with a crazy 7 month old ... HAH! That is what I say about that! I WISH I could juggle it all. Sadly, if I get all the dishes done and a child who is alive and not screaming by the time Hubs come home I call it a successful day. Please someone enlighten me on how you can get everything marked off "to-do" list with a baby who is now on the move (ALL THE TIME!) and going through a new learning period which is making her irritable, whiny and needy. I recently purchased an amazing book called: "The Wonder Weeks" by Hetty van de Rijt, Ph.D. and Frans Plooij, Ph.D.. Let me tell you, the authors really know what they are talking about and hit the nail on the head with each and every week/month the babies are at in their development. Thank goodness I finally broke down and bought it because I was starting to feel like maybe I was giving A too much attention, or maybe not enough attention, overwhelming her with toys or perhaps she wasn't eating enough?! ... and the list goes on. Turns out, A is just at a new learning phase and when this happens the babies are more needy, whiny, sleep less etc. I'm really relieved to know it isn't something I inflicted or brought out of her. PHEW!

We will traveling this weekend to Miami for our first mini family vacation, so please with us luck! We will need it.

One of THOSE days ...

Today is shaping up to be one of "those" days. You know the type ... child goes down for nap (that said child is typically down for 1.5 - 2 hours on a normal day) then decides after MAYBE 30 minutes, they are over it ... the washing machine decides to overflow (right as child decides to get up and practically barrel roll off the bed) after being  told it was "fixed" months ago and then the computer mouse decides to just stop working, ARGH!!!! I have an appt with the dermatologist this afternoon and am PRAYING A goes down for a nap again beforehand so we don't have any mental breakdowns on the subway or even worse, the Dr. office. Lest all those fancy women living in Tribeca witness a child act up in their place of sanctuary ;)

I should have known this morning that we were headed towards a downward spiral when A decided to start throwing temper tantrums at the tender age of 7 months. I mean if this is how she is now, what should we expect come 2 years?!?!

*Warning: This is not the clearest nor the prettiest photo, but it is reality:

Wish me luck folks!!