Best of '09: What's the best change you made to the place you live?

This one is so very easy. Because, while I've lived in this house since March of 2005, I just, this year, started making changes to my house. I stripped the wallpaper, painted the fixtures and walls of my ugly main floor bathroom, and I love it (I posted pics earlier this year.) But my favorite change by far has been in the kitchen.

Ok, first of all, ignore the boy in the pic - he will be irritated that I posted him, but this is the best photo I have of the kitchen before I attacked. I am not a wine and grapes kind of girl, and I really hate wallpaper borders, so that was the first thing to be destroyed - I mean, removed. There was also wallpaper in an odd shade of blue that had to be done away with. We ditched the builder-grade brass chandelier and the 1980's ceiling fixture, and installed brushed stainless fixtures. Patched up the walls, painted a sunny yellow...

I know, I've posted this before, but it really does bear repeating. I love the color more every day. I need to do something about the windows and backsplash, but I love being in my kitchen now.

Best of '09: Album of the Year and Best Place

I missed yesterday, and I'm all over the music posts, so I will blog on both topics.

Album of the year:
I've been totally rocking Franz Ferdinand - this year's album was "Tonight" and it was excellent.
Also - you know that Cadillac commercial with the wicked song playing in the background? The song is "1901" by Phoenix, and the whole album, "Wolfgang Amadeus" is pretty wicked. Thank you to my brother for turning me onto that one - I really dig it.

The Best Place of the Year

So I asked the Monkeybutt what he thought the best place we went this year was, and he, very immediately, said "Camino Real!" So here you see his birthday dinner at what has become our very favorite Mexican restaurant. The food is affordable and excellent, the servers are very friendly...have I mentioned the verde sauce? So tasty.

Best of '09 - Moment of Peace

I decided today to start Gwen Bell's Best of '09 challenge - a different prompt on which to blog for each day of December. I'm jumping in a bit late, but it seems like fun, so...

Both kids started full time school in August, they're a bit older, so compared to most of my mommy friends, I probably have multiple "moments of peace." Except - I spend a lot of time fretting, worrying, trying to figure things out. I've been looking for a job, I've taken on more than my share of volunteer jobs, and my kids fight all the time they are together...my husband, while a great guy, is not exactly the easiest person to get along with. So while I am not the busiest person, I am not always so very peaceful, either. Perhaps something to work on in 2010.



I spent several hours during the summer and fall walking the paths at the arboretum. Most of the time I plugged my MP3 player in and walked for exercize, but I did spend a few lovely evenings wandering the paths, enjoying the quiet. Those stolen moments of peace are why I don't coach my kids' soccer teams. Well, that, and the fact that I am not a good soccer coach...