my kinda kitchen

I’m so excited.  We had our first real meeting about the kitchen and while patience is not my virtue, and therefore it feels like one million years away that it’ll actually happen, it’s going to be our kitchen.  Exactly what we want.  Our cabinets, our countertops, our drawers (yes, drawers! can you believe the house had NONE?).

So here’s where I we start:

gray cabinetry and white quartz countertops

built in hiding spaces for the ninja & the keurig

a double farm sink below the window

Space is limited, so no built-in island, but what am I missing?

okay, i get it.

Yes, I realize I am (very) late to the party on this one, but I learned something this weekend…

Organic produce tastes better.  Or maybe it’s organic produce from the new PCC down the street.  I’m honestly not sure, but here’s what I can say: I have spent too long looking for the deal, trying to save $0.10 on a bag of grapes.  So much so that I will on any given Sunday, visit three grocery stores for the satisfaction of having paid the least for everything we need.  This past weekend was a different story.

The things we take for granted

Such as… a silverware drawer.  You heard me.  Who doesn’t have a silverware drawer??

When we were looking for houses, I made a mental checklist of a dozen or more very specific things I wanted to make sure would be in whatever spot we chose.  Never in a million years did I think this would need to be on the list.  It’s amazing, the things you don’t think about and take for granted every day.  I know it sounds ridiculous, and in the big picture, it’s really NBD, but seriously??  Also on that list – a junk drawer, the egg shelf in my fridge, and a spot in the bathroom for both Sonicare toothbrushes.   Who knew…

Which leads me to the Pinterest board currently getting the most action: Small Space Solutions.  Not the most beautiful, but oh so useful.

A home for cutting boards

A pretty place to store all kinds of odds and ends… cat food, tea bags, chip clips, vitamins, and all the junk that normally goes in the junk drawer…

A place for aluminum foil

Our fridge doesn’t take magnets. Whaaaaaa???

More options for cutting boards and cookie sheets

Ah yes, our new silverware drawer.

Hi.

Well, hello.

I know, it’s been a minute. But for now, I’m back, with a new resolution to visit this little internet place of sharing a bit more often. The past few months have been one heck of a birth canal (literally, the frequency of birthing babies dreams was out of control) and I find myself sitting at my desk, post vacation, more present and grounded than I have felt in some time.

This was no usual trip to the Bay. No daily circles through SF-OAK-Marin. No excessive bridge tolls, gas costs, multiple dates a day. Instead  this trip involved a lot of respite, few plans, a bit of anxiety about disappointing people, and ultimately, my own ability to let go of what I think I should be doing when I am home.

I rested. I ate more steak than I have in a year. I layed in the sun. And, I let myself be in the place that I try to avoid missing.

For the first time since I moved, I asked myself why I don’t live in the bay area. I mean, that place is heaven, and minus a few people in NYC and a certain someone in Seattle, my people are there. It was nice to tap into the place I love. To slow down enough to ask some questions about what I want and what the plans, er really dreams are, over the next few years.

A theme that wove itself through many a conversation was the moments in our lives that show up and invite us to new places in ourselves. Sometimes we miss the moments. Sometimes, if we are so very lucky, they find us, with our eyes open and hearts a beating for an adventure, and we step through a threshold. This can be towards a smaller thing – simple changes in food or exercise or other habits that keep us feeling good. Or, they can be a bigger thing – like clarity about our roles, work, loves.

A door opened up on this trip. And, I am happily dancing through the threshold.

More on this soon.

how long is too long?

 

I’m getting my hair cut tomorrow, and like clockwork I’m debating a serious chop.  Okay, this girl clearly has extensions, and my hair clearly isn’t that long, but it’s close.  Or it feels like it.  I don’t even know – it’s been in a bun for the last three weeks.  So how short can I go without any regrets?