Eichler Home Tour

I love our sweet little community. Yesterday was the home tour and we couldn't be happier with our neighborhood. We loved looking at all of the houses, riding our bikes around neighborhood, and meeting new people! We got so many ideas for our landscaping renovation! Don't you love the bamboo?! I took a few photos between bike stops and juggling the toddler. Our son was a trooper- he was great at holding hands with us at every home and got a super surprise between house 3 & 4 where some neighbors had a slip & slide out for the kids. Since we didn't have a change of clothes, he asked if he could just take off all his clothes. What followed was basically the highlight of his life. And then to top it off, the "after party" had a few girls to chase & hug, which is really all he wants out of life right now. 

Here are some, hope you enjoy. 

Happy February!

Well, it's February. Did you set goals or make resolutions for 2012? I wrote about my Goals and Ideas for 2012 last month and I thought it'd be interesting to follow-up on that post. Excerpts from my original post are in italics, followed by the "update."

1. I'm currently reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin...My goal for the next couple of weeks is to finish the book and start putting the ideas into action!
I haven't finished the book, but I'm reading regularly and making progress. I am still loving it!

2. Continue to expand my photography business....
I redesigned my website last week and have submitted a few of my weddings to my favorite wedding blogs in hopes of snagging a little more attention. I'm getting new business cards this week (as soon as I find my Pantone book so I can get the color right!). Next I need to find some fabulous brides. I'm only booking a few more weddings this year, so pass along my info to anyone you know. 

3. Plant some edibles. We just bought a house in October and while we have a pretty solid vision for the interior, we're a bit clueless when it comes to what we want to do with the yard. Luckily, my mom is a stellar landscape architect. ...In the meantime, we'll probably join a CSA program (Community Supported Agriculture) and get fresh, local produce every week!
We got our first CSA box yesterday. It's full of a bunch of fruits and veggies than I've never cooked with! Luckily, I have cookbooks and the internet. And a super awesome juicer if I can't find a recipe ;)

4. Get back to my Daily Kid Pic...
I'm super excited I started doing this again! In January I posted photos for 29/31 days- only 2 missed days! My faraway friends and family seem happy the Daily Pic is back, too! My fave photo of our son was taken on January 8th and is posted below.

5. Learn how to write a book proposal and then write it!! I have an amazing idea for a coffee table/photography book... 
I haven't written the book proposal, but I have made a few new friends whom I'm hoping to photograph and interview. Not tons of progress, but it's a start :)

6. Finish the interior of our house! We have made a lot of progress in the past few months, but we still have a good bit of work to do on our sweet little Eichler...
Still working hard. The last few weekends have been spent on the hallway- painting the ceiling (3 coats), painting the door frames (there are 6!), painting the inside of the closet, laying down the floor and underfloor, fitting in new baseboard (cutting, painting, nailing, wood putty, caulking, and touching up the paint), and redoing the ventilation for the dryer. Whew! Much of the work has been done by my super awesome husband. My brother has been here a lot helping out, and I've been helping too, of course.

7. Have another baby! We've been working really hard at this and have had some bumps and bruises along the way (2 miscarriages and a complete molar pregnancy)... 
Still working on this one, but will hopefully have good news to share soon.

SOOO, how about you? What are you doing this year?





Want To Be Our Neighbor?

A house in our sweet little neighborhood is on the market. Here's a note from a local real estate agent, "Rare find open atrium style Eichler home on a large corner lot situated on a great Willow Glen neighborhood. This model like home is very bright and has been tastefully upgraded while preserving the original touch. Updated open kitchen over looks the large backyard w/ BBQ set up great for entertaining. All bathrooms are remodeled. A bonus room great for study or a 5th bedroom."

I went to the open house and it needs a little cleaning and some love. But I can certainly see the potential! Only drawback is that it's not on a cul-de-sac like our place ;)

Here are a few photos I took at the open house.

More info can be found here. 

PS- Word on the street is that it's bank-owned, so that price is probably flexible ;)

A Pretty Little Mess

Our house is still a work in progress, but we love living here! The community is wonderful and the house is coming along... slowly but surely!

We've unpacked a lot of boxes, but there are many left to go. Here are a few pretty pictures of our current state of living. I think they're kind of pretty. I'll be glad I have them once we're renovated, unpacked, and settled.

On tap for this week: finish painting the hallway so we can lay down some floor already!