Wednesday, February 27, 2008

school

We found a wonderful school for our eldest today, just off 71 west and not too far from the new house. It is a Montessori and is a world of peace and focus for little people. The amount of concentration they are able to elicit from these little ones is incredible. And the kids do not appear to be coerced at all into "behaving." They just participate and stay engaged because they are excited by the challenging activities and the serene but also stimulating environment. We are excited to have found what seems to be a good place for her and will start her soon after our move. There are only about 17 kids TOTAL in the school. Nice and small.

The school is set in an awesome vintage-style limestone home full of stained glass and carved wood and hexagonal terracotta tiles. It has a fabulous vibe.

We hope it works out!

Saturday, February 23, 2008

craigslist rocks




Such a gorgeous day. And we scored three lovely Craigslist finds for the new house. A cool antique wicker bench/settee, which needs a little sprucing up but is very sweet. A cast-iron farmhouse sink with lovely fixtures, and a phenomal 8 ft long solid pine table and four chairs for our big new dining room. We are getting so excited.

The contract is signed and the close is tentatively March 7th. She didn't come down much on the price after inspection but agreed to convey some pieces of furniture, so we went ahead. We aren't willing to walk away from this house.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

spring is springing




As odd as it may sound to those of you in the rest of the country, spring has begun here in central TX. Fresh red growth is shooting up on our roses, the borage is pushing through, buds are adorning the pink jasmine. I will miss my plantings here!

The new house does have some lovely established roses, honeysuckle, cacti, rosemary, narcissus . . . It will be quite a learning curve for me to learn to combat deer, drought, etc. Lots of herbs might be the order of the day.

she's doing it!


My little one is starting to sit!

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

inspected


Inspection on the farmhouse was today and things seem pretty A-ok. A couple funky items--one being that the dryer appears to vent into the ceiling (not a good thing). We will likely have to remove the sheetrock (which has some little cracks due to the moisture that has built up due to this problem) and add new ducts to vent the dryer properly (ie--into the outdoors). The water softener also seems defunct. This might appear a small problem, but the water in the hill country is often caustic enough to corrode fixtures and pipes. It is extremely mineral-laden. So we'll have to negotiate a bit on that point. Things look pretty good compared to the last home we inspected, though (AC busted, pipes leaking, roof leaking, pool disassembled . . . the list goes on). So we are, cautiously, excited.

I've attached a shot of the downstairs living area. You guys tell me what you think of the brown paint (espresso bean, I think it's called). I think I may actually love it. It makes the room feel so cozy, almost English. And the light actually bounces off the walls in a lovely way, in stripes. Furniture and woodwork really pop against it, too.

I am trying to prioritize what my projects will be once we take up residence. We may fence the whole property so our dog can run hog-wild. We will almost certainly put in a larger window over the kitchen sink (one pane is fogged anyway). Might also truck in an enormous load of compost/topsoil for a little kitchen garden in the upper portion of the property. New bathtubs in upper bathrooms, new tile in the hall bath . . . hmmm.

Monday, February 18, 2008

my thrifty sister in law (and bro!)

My sister in law has started an awesome blog about living well but inexpensively here in Central TX. Check it out at http://texasthrift.blogspot.com/
It is true that we can whittle away our means so easily, without even noticing. And since we've got two kids to feed, clothe, educate, etc . . . we've got to be especially careful. This move to the country is, for us, one step in that direction. And my husband would like for us to continue driving the Toyota Echo indefinitely. We do deserve the HOV lane in that one, I can tell you.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

domesticities





My sister sent me an awesome vintage strawberry tea towel in the mail the other day. It looks so fab hanging on our stove.

I've taken up linocut printmaking. I am not very good, but it is fun. My first lesson occurred yesterday when I made a print of our house and realized--duh--that the print is the reverse of your carved image. Here are a few shots of my early efforts.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

can't live without

You know those blurbs in magazines about various things X person can't live without? I love those. So here's my list:

1. Kitchenaid bistro coffee-grinder. Holds all the beans. Flip the switch and grind. Heaven.

2. Baby Bjorn baby carrier. Our lives would be impossible if we couldn't tote our little one around in this thing.

3. Stand mixer. It's that third arm mothers always talk about needing. Great for bread, waffles, cookies . . .

4. Trees. I love our new house because it has both a meadow and a gorgeous grove of oaks surrounding the house. In Texas it is not civilized to live without trees. It is just too hot here.

5. Kiehls body products. Their shower gel, their lip gloss, their facial cleanser. All perfect and simple without allergens or additives.

6. Our herb garden. One of the first orders of business in the new house will be to plant one. I adore having rosemary, oregano, basil, thyme, bay. . . . all right out the back door.

7. Porches and decks. These were a definite requirement for our new home, and twinlake has three of them. Awesome.

8. Magazines. Domino, Martha Stewart, Country Home. I am addicted.

9. A pot rack. There is nothing worse than having to dig through your cabinets for pots.

10. Yoga. It is the lynchpin of this mother's sanity.

Friday, February 15, 2008

little wisdom

Our eldest daughter was practicing some yoga on a mat that I brought out for her and her grandmother remarked that "It feels good to stretch." Our girl responded, "It helps your body smooth up."

Indeed.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

contract!



We have a signed contract closing on or before March 31st! We are thrilled. Now we just have to make it through the inspection so we know what we're getting into . . .

The two-story home is Twinlake Farmhouse and the blue cottage is our Zilker home (which we are leasing back from our buyers).

pink sunrise



Here it is Valentine's day and the sun rose pink down our street here in Austin. Here's a shot of the sold sign in front of our house with the sunrise in the background. There's also a shot of the sweet suncatcher/spinner our friend gave us last night as a Valentine's present. We will miss living so close to them!

My mother-in-law comes to visit today and will watch the kids tonite so hubby and I can go out to dinner at Primizie. The menu sounds awesome.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

twinhearts



This home is the result of a many-months-long search for the right place for our family--within striking distance of Austin but with a piece of land all its own (twinlake is on almost two acres). Secluded but also with a community (twinlake has two community "lakes"--ponds really--one with a sandy beach and playground). We have fallen in love with the golden glow of the hill country, the way the grass moves almost like an ocean. Our search has taken us all over central TX, from the fascinating time-capsule town of Taylor to the shores of Canyon Lake to the cypresses leaning out over the Blanco in Wimberley. There is much to love here.

We made offers on two homes which fell through for one reason or another, both of which gave us cold feet. But no cold feet on this one--it just feels right. (Let's hope all goes well through inspection and the rest of our negotiations!) We kept waiting for some kind of sign on the others but never received one. But on this home we finally got a hit. I collect stone hearts (if it is fair to say "collect" when one has only two). The first is from a beautiful little island --Pender--off the coast of British Columbia where we visit with my family each summer. It is gray and striated with white. And the second we found on a long picnic table under an oak tree in the park adjoining that sandy beach I mentioned earlier. It is fragile and chalky, limestone, but a heart. And they are hard to find; I have been looking ever since I found the first on Pender.

buying twinlake


We have an offer on a farmhouse in Dripping Springs, TX. The current owner is in Philadelphia, which is in the thick of a blizzard, so she is slow getting back to us. Her agent seems to think she is ready to accept, though. We are so excited!

The house is at an odd crossroads. Dripping Springs address, Travis County, Lake Travis ISD. It is a treasure nevertheless.

What we leave behind is a 1949 cottage in the Zilker neighborhood of South Central Austin. I brought my first daughter home to this house from the birthing center and had my second in the master bedroom. My first's placenta is buried underneath a peach tree in the backyard. It will be a challenge to leave. But the country calls!