The Table (and Bench too) ::

I can't postpone this any longer.  Here is my birthday table!!!  The table itself Adam built using a free design offered on Ana White's website (do check out her website - Ana has some serious skills) for the Big Ur Farm table.  I may have to edit this post later if I get the wood wrong, but by my memory, it is completely made out of fir.  The legs for the benches and table are made of "heartwood" and the planks of the bench are pink fir while the table top is blue fir.  Adam special ordered the 4 by 4's and the planed 2 by 4's from Spenard Builder's Supply.

These photos were taken at Monday night's dinner.  We ate beef basil and coconut quinoa.  And the kids gobbled it up.  I hadn't ever cooked flank steak before, and for this Adam sliced it up nice and thin for me before cooking it.  This was the second time we had this meal - the first time was so good it was a quick repeat.  {As in, "Home run babe, home run."  And, "Yummy Mom!!  I love this."  And a boy who quietly shows his appreciation by eating.}  I recommend it - find the recipes I worked from here and here.  The cucumber radish salad was from one of our cookbooks.  (Probably my favorite cookbook, but Adam actually made it so I forget.)

The chairs and dishes are new, and the lovely place mats and napkins were a gift a few years ago.  This is a whole lotta newness for us.

The flowers were a random surprise from our neighbor's friend who owns the CSA we participate in.  I am always excited about flowers, and cosmos are some of my favorites.

We recently discovered good beer in cans.  Who knew?

A toast - with Sockeye Red IPA.

So what do you think of the table?  I confess I am quite smitten.

Kitchen Inspiration

Remodelista, Schwartz Kitchen, More here.

Bit by bit, Adam and I intend to update our new home as we did our old home in the Sonoran Desert.  Last winter when we were living at my Mom's house, in fact ever since our home deal closed 2 days before Miles was born, I have been obsessed with nesting.  It was particularly rough having nowhere to actually nest, and having all of our stuff stored in my Dad's garage/horse stable (photos from inside).

Canadian House and Home

So last winter I collected these photos and have been unearthing them as I reorganize my photo stash, only to discover that many of them I still really love.

From Apartment Therapy

I think that the style I like is warm rustic modern.  And the good thing about it is that I think Adam can get behind a warm modern look too, which is essential.  Yesterday he said, "So how does remodeling our kitchen down to the studs sound?"  And I had to confess, it sounded good to me.  Though without him, I can only dream.  So I'm glad he is on board.

From Skona Hem

It is funny to me how many of the photos I save feature my favorite color.  I do not do it intentionally.


Here, check out what our friends Shelby and Joe did with their kitchen.  I think it looks awesome.

The Completed Kitchen

These pictures show how the paint alternately looks yellow and green. Adam says it looks like the color of glow in the dark paint. I wish he hadn't ever said that, because now it is all I see too.

June is sick again. It is rough, and all she wants to do is snuggle, sleep, and nurse. While the snuggling is nice, I miss her bright playfulness and I can't wait until she is better. She definitely is suffering from thrush from her round of antibiotics after the ear infection. I don't think the fever from last night [102] is related. It makes me think that the ear infection came back. Any other moms out there fearful about antibiotic-resistant bacteria?

I have such a love-hate relationship with antibiotics because of the cyclic battle with Candida [thrush]. I have suffered enough from it in my own way, and now I just hate that it is troubling my baby girl.