Weekend Adventure #4: Reading Terminal

Down in Center City there is an old-train-terminal-turned-market. It's pronounced Red-ing terminal, something you learn quick as a Philadelphian. It's full of various vendors including, but not limited to, produce, books, honey, fresh seafood, meat, fancy cheeses, bakeries, chocolate, and my favorite, food-court-like restaurants. We went with our new friends Jeff and Annalisa. Here are just a few shots. This place just can't be experienced through pictures.

The Amish are all over the place selling candy, produce, dolls...just about everything.

Where I ate lunch. Yum!!! Still dreaming of my Chicken Gyro.

Where Alex ate lunch. Chicken quesadilla.
Mom- the chicken tasted like it was seasoned with the same stuff as your spicy beef sandwiches.

Jeff and Annalisa were troopers. Dean cried the whole way there. Then fell asleep when we were walking around... the part he would actually enjoy. Stinker.

Just one of the many building murals of Philadelphia.This was in our parking lot.

Get ready family and friends. When you come to visit, we might just have to take you! Chicken Gyro, we'll be back!

Sunday Dean

In his Sunday best.

Weekend Adventure #3: Our house.

Boxes are unpacked, furniture is in it's place, and we're starting to feel settled. This weekend we cleaned, organized, and started putting homey touches up. There are plenty of projects I still want to do, but we're getting closer!

Take a look.

Front Room:

This:

To This:

To Finally THIS:

future project, recover rocking chair

We found out that we were allowed to paint! But I am so non-committal when it comes to paint colors. I stress about getting it up and painted then not liking it. Yes, it's paint, it's easy to change or fix. But these days, that $25 for a can of mistake-paint can be put to better use. Plus, with a plan to incorporate more color in accents around the room, I got used to the idea of white walls. So we spiced up the white by using clear gloss paint (usually used to protect faux finishes) to create subtle horizontal stripes.


Alex made these wood valences with a $5 plank of wood from Lowe's, left over stain, and some old nails. Love them almost as much as I love Alex for making them.

I had wanted colorful, printed fabric for our front room curtains, but when Spool proved expensive, and fabric row proved fruitless, I turned to my #1 go-to: Ikea.

A light and soft look with just enough color to tie in colorful frames.

My other #1 go-to...Spray paint! I've been collecting (ok, more like accumulating) frames since the beginning of college. I have a lot. With trusty spray paint I can keep changing their color to fit different rooms or styles.
The latest style: color!

future project, making fabric covers for squares with ugly speakers.

future project, fill gold frame and paint lamp light blue

Dean's Room:

This:

To This:

Future project, rearrange/decorate this thing

Future Project, cover pillows. Already have felt from JoAnn's sale to cover them! Maybe felt pillows sound weird, but I'm really excited about it!

Completed project! Art for Dean!
Click to make bigger.

Bedroom:

This:

To This:

Future Project, still need to hang pictures and decorate this room

Future Project, organize and make pretty my accessories shelves in the corner

I love the closet doors for their height and handles. They are the same throughout the whole place.

It feels so nice to have gotten so much accomplished in one weekend. Stay tuned for those future projects. Hopefully they won't stay "future" for long!

Dean: 4 months

What a fun age.
He talks
laughs
is active
fun to watch
but still cuddles when he's sleepy
he gets excited when he sees me
when we lay him in his crib to sleep he rolls onto his left side
he has started the teething process with drooling, chewing, and crying
he has discovered his feet and his boy parts
his legs are getting stronger and can hold his weight a little better when we stand him up
he has been from West Coast to East Coast
everyone notices how big he is. I went with a friend to the Italian Market and an old Italian man with a Jersey accent said "Hey, it's a football playa"
he has rolled from his back to front, then back onto his back
he has figured out how to work the jumperoo

4 month present for Dean and mom. Now maybe I'll be able to get stuff done.

Working the Jumperoo

The Beach. East Coast Style.

Yesterday we went to the beach! It was so fun! Pretty, sandy, salty, everything a beach should be. Except... it was an 1 hour 30 minutes away instead of 30 minutes. That is not how a beach should be. Definitely worth it though. I wish I would have gotten more pictures, especially of Dean's feet in the water, which he loved, but it was a little harder on such an outing without Alex there to help. Still learning to do the 'single mom' thing. Lucky I have such a good kid to learn with!

Yeah, cute. I like to think he has his arm around me because he loves me so much, and ignore the fact he just likes to grab my hair.

More grassy and less crowded than my beaches at home.
And hey California people, get this. There was plenty of street parking! I parked one street away, FOR FREE! I know, right?!

Everything looks the same facing this way. The water felt a little warmer than our Pacific waters, but there was also some insane heat going on.

The kiddos of our group
And Dean. Of course.

One of Dean's talents: Funny Faces.

Can't wait to take Alex back!

Weekend Adventure #2: Ft. Washington Campsites

This weekend we met up with some friends for dinner and s'mores. The location, in part of Fairmount Park, was beautiful. The weather was pleasant. The company exceptional.