Friday Fives

I have decided to blog about my top five favorites of the week. It's a bit cheesy, I know but I want to be held accountable for the small things and also focus on the abundance that is around me. It's more of being thankful rather than my favorite things. And I enjoy each day so much that I never want to forget why I enjoy them or the little things that I do enjoy. So here they are:

Number 5:

We started planning a family trip to Venice. I have always wanted to visit Doges Palace and the Piazza San Marco - the heart of Venice. A few museums, some lovely cafes...it's going to be great...the 3 of us. Really looking forward to it!

Number 4:

I Dec 2010, I was awarded the IDTA's teaching certificate. It's the highest dancing achievements for professional teachers. I am currently working on my Ballroom IDTA qualification, which I have been studying since around Feb 2011. Almost a year, and I am finally ready to take the exam in March. Dance is great and my instructor is the latin world champion from the late 80's. I feel exceptionally blessed to have this opportunity. And one step closer to my dream. So thumbs up for 9 weeks of buckling down and getting that qualification!

Number 3:

I have just started reading "How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci." I wish I had read this years ago, maybe when I was at University. But it's never too late. My mom was the first to mention it to me. I'm only on chapter 3 but my eyes and mind have been opened. I'm looking forward to the adventure this book will bring and for the insight to allow me to focus on what makes me be great. I've always felt that I have been good at several things but never really great at just one thing. I'm willing to be open and let this book lead me to that one great thing. (And Steve is reading it too :o)

Number 2:

Playing "Sink or Swim" with Isaac. The idea is for Isaac to see which objects sink and which ones float. I don't know if he "got" the idea of the game but he had loads of fun and was soaked afterwards...we both were. I woke up in the middle of the night thinking that our "down time" is repetitive lately. We are out every morning at various music classes, etc. but it's our time at home that I don't really know what to do with. I found an excellent website that list more meaningful floor and home games to play with your baby.
www.gameswithbaby.com

Number 1:

Isaac discovering Elvis. Since Isaac has become mobile, this is unbelievable. They are glued together and their relationship is so much fun to watch. Isaac pulls at Elvis' fur and puts his fingers in Elvis' mouth. And they both love every minute of it.

So, those are my favs for the week! My little moments that made me smile or make me want to be a better person. The moments that I will never forget...because I have them in my blog.

Thanks for reading! xoxo

To Feel like You're Outside Without Actually Being in the Rain...

...and that's what our Conservatory is designed to do. Make you feel like your outside without having to get your hair wet. One of our walls is a glass door that slides open so we can get the feel of outside and step right in to our garden (which needs a lot of work). Most houses in England have a conservatory as an additional room. For some, the entire room is glass with a glass ceiling and glass walls. Some people dine in their conservatory whilst others use theirs as a kiddie playroom. I am certain that ours will be the later already equipped with our LoveSac...the biggest beanbag in the world.

Our Conservatory:

The fireplace is a see-through fireplace which can be seen in the kitchen. We can't decide if we want a fire place with crawling baby!!

Making Serious Progress

As I wrote in the last post, our house reno project has come a long way and I honestly forget about how rough it has been. I can remember the winter of 2010 when I was pregnant and the house was freezing with only half being heated. It honestly felt colder inside than out.
Now the entire house is heated and cooking in our kitchen is a pleasure...imagine that!
Here are some pics of the kitchen, which is about 90% complete. It's gorgeous with under floor heating and great amenities. The only mistake we made is our glossy black floor tiles. When you have a long-haired GOLDEN retriever, best not to have black tiles.

Here is a pic of our old kitchen which is still here but will eventually be our office

I can't believe that I was actually able to operate in here.

Now we get to the "pleasure of cooking" kitchen designed with the plan of hosting lovely parties and cooking 5-star meals. First are some pics of the "work in progress:"

The kitchen is still a work in progress. We need the wall tiles (in between the cabinets and the counter), the backsplash and the extractor above the stove top *Hob in England*

But as you would most likely agree....we have come a long way!

2011 Renovations in Pictures

I have to start out by saying that my husband is absolutely amazing. I think most times, my eyes glaze over when he is talking to me about the electrics, plumbing, etc. but when I can actually see the progress, then I know how much work has been done. I think that making something out of nothing is a gift and it is the definition of creativity. I used to think that renovation and building was black and white but now I know that it is more than that - it takes an eye that can visualize something before it exists and a heart and mind that can actually get it done.
For our little family, 2011 was mainly centered around the house and getting it to a point where we not only live comfortably, but where we enjoy being "home." I can't say that I've enjoyed every step but I can say that I have learned a lot not only about myself, but more importantly, about my husband. Our house in pictures from 2011: these are work in progress pictures. We have finished rooms now including a fab kitchen and will show those pics in the next few posts. Just wanted to show where we started from. I think that it's important to have these pictures and to look at them from time to time to see how far we have come and how blessed we are. And of course, I had to add in some pictures of our other 2011 blessing!