July 2011

odds and ends

Published on July 29, 2011 by cara.b.b.5 Comments

if you read my last post, you know i’m trying to get more on the ball about creating a ‘system’ for this house to get it running more smoothly. well, two things popped up in the last couple days that are related, and thought i’d share. first, after reading my post, my sweet mother in law suggested that i read sidetracked home executives, a book she read when she was at this very same stage in life. mr. amazon was kind enough to deliver it today, so i’m going to see what these ladies have to say. the first few pages are pretty funny, so i think it’ll be a pretty entertaining read. second related note is that emily over at jones design company has started a new offering, a monthly printable collection. well, one of her printables is a ‘house duties’ grid for both adults and kiddos. if you’re like me, having it printed out on something pretty will make it more bearable to look at.

so, enough housekeeping talk, and on to something more fun. the short guy’s favorite new activity is to climb the stairs and make a b-line for the bathtub. whether or not there’s water, he wants to get in and play with his toys. too funny. that sweet little outfit is one that jared’s aunt deb made when he was a wee one – that means it’s 30 years old – totally vintage. i had to get him in it for a few photos.

one last thing – a hot tip for parents of kids eating mush. i really can’t claim that this is my own hot tip. i’ve watched a few other mamas (meredith and regan, i’m lookin’ at you) do this and thought ‘what a great idea’, so thought i’d share with you. if you’re trying to feed your little one on the go, i think these are the best. you can just squirt a ‘bite’ at a time straight from the bottle into your little one’s mouth, and there’s no clean-up…well, other than that sweet face. the ella brand comes in some unique flavors (i mean, when was the last time you had parsnips or rutabaga?), and b-man loves them.

getting a hold on the house

Published on July 27, 2011 by cara.b.b.6 Comments

i really thought that when i decided to be a stay at home mama that i would be able to maintain a clean house, put a great meal on the table every night, and have some free time. i misjudged. life with a kiddo is busy – everything takes longer than you think, and i find myself leaving little piles of papers or toys or shoes that i’ll come back to later – and later turns into a few days.

i like to think i’m a pretty organized person, a big time list-maker who also likes to check things off – sometimes i write down something i’ve already done just so i can put a nice little check beside it. the mister might say that i have a few ‘monica’ tendencies when i go on a cleaning rampage. so why can’t i keep this house consistently under control!?! i’ve come to the realization that i just feel a bit overwhelmed.

with more kids in the future (no, not right now), i’ve decided i need to create a system for myself. so, i’m going to institute a ‘chore of the day’ to (hopefully) help me feel less overwhelmed by it all. i’ll assign myself a section of the house, or a certain task for each day, meaning we should consistently have a pretty clean abode – i can use beckett’s nap time for this. i’m also, at the end of the day, going to do a 10 minute pick-up. my mom put this into action when we were kids, and i hope to do it with beckett too. you can do more than you think in 10 minutes, especially with help – “many hands make short work”, as my mom would say.

this is what i’m thinking:

monday: bathrooms, grocery shop

tuesday: living room

wednesday: errands, vacuum

thursday: kitchen – clean out frig and mop floor

friday: dining room and family room

Saturday: bedrooms

Sunday: free day

here are a few helpful tools: martha’s six things to do every day and weekly checklist. another example of a chore lis for adults and a customizable chore chart for kids.

i think this will put me on the road to creating a little more order around here and not feeling consumed by it. do you have any secrets to keeping your house a well-oiled machine? do share!

{via}

{she makes everything look easy}

short and sweet

Published on July 24, 2011 by cara.b.b.Leave a comment

stupid good. the end.

peachberry crostata

Published on July 21, 2011 by cara.b.b.1 Comment

so i was walking through the grocery store earlier in the week, and they had a recipe for a summer peach crostata sitting next to the peaches, so i picked it up. i tried it out last night, and i put my own spin on it – mainly because i didn’t have enough peaches, but i did have blueberries (of course). it seems like every time i make something, i take a bite and say some thing like ‘next time, i’ll (fill in the blank).’ this time was no different. it was great, but i was hoping for a different crust experience. cooking is a lot of trial and error, and next time i’ll try a new pastry crust – probably ina’s, because i think she can do no wrong. the insides, though, were delicious (i did add about 1/4c of sugar to the fruit). this is one of those dishes that looks nice, doesn’t take a lot of time, and you could change it up based on what you like. a good foundation recipe that you can make your own. it’s nice to have a few recipes like that in your back pocket.

{ingredients}

{dough – made in the food processor – so easy!}

{assembled crostata – not yet baked}

{ok, so i forgot to take a picture before we served ourselves}

organizing – get to it!

Published on July 18, 2011 by cara.b.b.Leave a comment

i probably laid in bed an hour before i fell asleep last night, all the while making a list in my head of all the little projects that i need to get done. i am on a little organization kick, and i really need to finish up some things that i’ve started but not yet brought to completion. nothing big – just stuff like hanging shelves, giving a few things a fresh coat of paint, and weeding out stuff that we aren’t using. so for a little kick in the pants i went to visit martha. she has a plethora of great ideas for organizing. i could peruse all day, but i’ve got to get busy!

house exterior – before and after

Published on July 14, 2011 by cara.b.b.4 Comments

we were drawn to this house from the start. in fact, we weren’t even looking to move the day that we found it. it was for sale by owner, so we called, took a look that day, and made an offer the next. about six weeks later, we were living there. i still can’t believe that we only looked at one house – sheesh. we have never regretted it, and i guess it just felt like it was for us the moment we stepped inside.

it’s a cape code, and we love that it has an older feel, but it’s only 25 years old. the exterior has gone through a few different looks in the last 5 years. here it is not long after we moved in.

{before before}

when we moved in, the front door and shutters were hunter green – not my favorite. shortly thereafter, we did a quick fix, and painted the shutters black, and the front door red. we were happy with this look for a long time, but after a few years, it was evident that we needed to paint the entire house, and make a few repairs. we were ready to make a big change, and wanted to go darker, so there would be more of a contrast between the body and trim colors.

{before}

just last week, the project of painting the exterior of our home came to completion. hooray! you might also notice that the landscaping is a little lighter – i cut down the random shrub to the left of the steps, and the ‘christmas tree’ that was on the far right of the house. they were getting a little out of control, and i am so happy they’re gone. all combined, it was a huge facelift, and we are so happy with the results. it kind of feels like we’re driving up to a new house.

{after}

colors: trim: sherwin williams ‘snowbound’, body: sherwin williams ‘gauntlet gray’

we had a great painter, so if you need a recommendation, shoot me an e-mail – carabrooner(at)gmail(dot)com.

day of independence

Published on July 11, 2011July 11, 2011 by cara.b.b.Leave a comment

we celebrated our independence by starting the day on a family hike. the scenery – oh my gosh – the scenery! (lindsey, you’re not in these because you were running 7 miles in crazy altitude – no big deal)

oh my – these boys sure love each other.

next we went kayaking on dillon lake in frisco. we went with chad and lindsey and rented a couple of tandem kayaks. it was a picture-perfect day – sunny with big lofty clouds and about 75 degrees. would have been great to hop in the water, but we didn’t swim for two reasons – the lake was 40 degrees and they don’t allow it – but mostly because it was 40 degrees.

jared might look like he’s selling tickets for the ‘gun show’ here, but he’s just trying to even out his farmer’s tan from a few days before.

we headed back into breckenridge to meet up with my parents and the short guy. turns out, breck throws one heck of a party for the 4th. they have a parade (which we missed), and then main street stays blocked off for running around and hosing off kids. the kids were having a blast, and the fire-fighters could not stop smiling. no one could.

and b-man donned his captain america shirt for the occasion.

well, now that i’ve assaulted you with pictures, i’ll be on my merry way. a great time was had by all, and we enjoyed the purple mountains’ majesty, and saw a whole lotta amber waves of grain on our drive home through kansas.

i’m back in the saddle on this here blog, and hope to see you again soon. until then…

back from the rockies

Published on July 8, 2011July 8, 2011 by cara.b.b.Leave a comment

we have returned to the midwest, and a much higher percentage of humidity (thank goodness!), after a great trip to breckenridge. my fam-damily met for 4 fabulous days in the mountains. the short guy was a pretty great traveler, considering he was strapped into a car seat for 10+ hours on each travel day, and no one got eaten by a bear. yay! we stayed in a pretty incredible house, and we busied ourselves with activity and nothingness all at once. the break was just what we needed, and i feel so refreshed.

{there was fishing…}