To Rent or Sell, That's My Question

Time for all my readers to weigh in!

The decision: to rent our house or sell it?

The back story: Nate got a job in California!  We're moving in early June.  There are a few sad parts of this exciting story and one is that we have to leave our house. I absolutely love our house. So does Nate. So does Ries. So does Louisa.  But, do we want to not only accept new jobs in California, but new jobs as landlords?  I'm really not sure how to make that decision, so we've enlisted the help of our favorite relator, Gene.  He is coming next week to list our house.  That way we can let the market decide.

That being said, here are some pictures of our house.  If you know anyone looking to buy a beautiful house close to downtown Madison, send them my way.

Manageable garden and a lovely front porch

I'll never forget the lion above the front door

A new, two-car garage

New cherry cabinets, quartz counters, glass tile blacksplash and stainless sink

New hood, vented outside and Bertazzoni gas range

New Bosch dishwasher

The backdoor and slate sided cabinets

New oak breakfast bar with laptop charging station underneath

The dining room...so many good meals shared here

Bedroom #1

Bedroom #2

Living room

Living room

Upstairs office with sun porch

Bedroom #3 with door to walk-up attic

Happy Birthday to Lou!

Louisa will be turning one on Sunday, April 29. Good thing she won't remember her first birthday party, because I've really slacked on making it the best party ever. There will be a party at our house though, and you're invited! Saturday at 2 o'clock. Lucky for her, I have not told her about the party, so she's sleeping soundly upstairs.  Who would be able to sleep if they knew they'd be having their first taste of pie in 4 days!?  I made a chronological picture collage because I've always been fascinated by how a baby's face changes over the first 12 months. See you Saturday!

"Hello? This is Lou"

It's amazing what these little minds pick up on...

Our Little Ham

I can't say that I've frequently used the word "ham" to describe a person or a child as often as I have lately.  As Louisa's personality is starting to show, that is one the words that most easily comes to mind.  She can be so silly which is so much fun!  This picture was taken on my parent's patio in Washington DC, after Louisa crawled over, head first, the bar she is holding onto.  Louisa and I were staying with my parents earlier this week - I was attending the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Public Policy Workshop and Lou was spending her days being silly with Belle Mare (also known as Grandma Terry). 

Spring on North Baldwin

A party poof from Laura's birthday party on April 1 - it's festive and fun, so I left it up

I love our crab apple tree in the front - the perfect shade of pink

"One little bird, sits near my doorstep.  Singing sweet songs, of melodies pure and true..."

Ries doesn't really have anything to do with spring, but she is famous now!

A permanent fixture, even when Lou isn't sleeping. But yes, she was asleep during this photo shoot

In the foreground, my blue spruce juniper. In focus in the background, a transplanted rose bush that I hope will bloom

I love Mondays

My new work schedule leaves me with a 4-day weekend.  I thought I would miss the mid-week break (having Wednesdays off), but so far, I'm enjoying life as much, if not more, than I was before. Today has been so nice, so I thought I'd write about it.

7:15 am: wake up to what I think are little calls from Lou's adjacent room.  Listen. Maybe not?
7:20: I was imagining her little calls.  I decide to go to the bathroom
7:21: Now she's really awake.  Open Lou's door and find a sleepy, stuffy-nosed, but happy girl
7:25: If anyone else is awake, Ries insists that she must go outside right away.  Nate takes her out
7:25: Lou gets breakfast in (my) bed.  She is happily nursing at least 4 times per day
7:55: Run, literally, Ries to the vet clinic down the street for her first ever teeth cleaning. Good-bye bad breath
8:25: Lou plays, Nate and Georgia pack their lunches and head out for the day
8:30: Lou eats orange pieces in her high-chair while I vacuum.  I love a clean house
9:00: Lou and I take a bath.  She is nervous about the water and clings to me, but then happily relaxes
9:30: Warm, comfy outfits - one for Lou and one for me.  Later I realize we match again - pink and brown
9:45: Secure top of the stairs gate, gather dirty laundry, make our bed, change Lou's crib sheet - Lou explores
9:55: Lou's second breakfast in bed.  Lou sleeps.
10:00...11:00...12:23...Lou is still sleeping.  I clean, eat breakfast, make a latte, read my new book Bringing Up Bebe by the fire, fold laundry, check email, blog.  What a nice day.
12:28: She's awake.  Great 2 1/2 hour nap, Loubear!

Videos of the Lou-est Lou of all Loubears

No snow? It's cool - we can skate!

We've been in our house for almost three years now. Other than sometimes dreaming about building a house together someday, we're completely content on North Baldwin Street. I think the whole building a house fantasy was brought on by my parent's recent endeavor in Oconomowoc as well as this cool project a few blocks from our house in Madison. It's good to have dreams, so for now, we'll let this one remain just that - a dream. In the meantime, we'll enjoy all our house has to offer, including an amazing spot for ice skating 2 blocks away. We walked to breakfast one morning last month and afterwards, wondered through a nearby thrift store. They happened to have skates in our sizes, so we bought them. Nate got the blades sharpened and the next weekend we headed to Tenney Park. No triple axels, but we had fun. Lou and Ries enjoyed the outing as well.

Taking this very seriously

Walking to Tenney Park

Lou first photo. Kidding of course. Georgia was with us

Something else our house has to offer is a sink that is perfect for Loubear bath time. She was a bit nervous at first since lately I've been taking baths with her in the real bathtub, but after some reassurance, she seemed very happy. We made her pose for these photos because someday, she's going to be glad she has a bathtub picture.

Laughing at Dad

My what big teeth you have, little girl

My Girls

It seemed that there was quite a while when toys were not that interesting to Louisa, but now they can entertain her for quite a while. One of her favorite activities seems to be tipping over a basket of toys and picking through them, one by one, often viewing each from different angles and eventually tasting each toy as well.

Here is a little video of play time today that includes a shot of Ries' new awesome haircut. (The word "awesome" is used with a heavy dose of sarcasm, for those of you who aren't sure how I feel about the shaved look)

Park City, Utah

Nate and I were married 4 1/2 years ago and the only wedding gift left unused was a week in Utah from my childhood neighbors, the Youngs. Their house provided a fabulous get-a-way for us this past weekend - actually extending into this week too. A snow-packed trail runs right along the side of their gorgeous mountain home, leading you to the bottom of Sunrise Lift which gave me, a snowboarder, and Nate, Travis, Jess, Paul and Kristy, all skiers, access to Canyons - a Park City ski resort. Although no fresh powder fell while we were there, the thick snow-base was glorious compared to our non-existent base here in Wisconsin, so we were happy.

On Sunday morning, after feeding Lou and putting her down for her morning nap, I awkwardly made my way to the lift to meet up with my skiing companions. Nate and I both learned to ski as kids, but when I moved to Denver in 2006, I took up snowboarding. Whether he bought a snowboard for himself to win my heart or because he really enjoyed the sport, I don't know, but for this trip, Nate decided to rent skis instead of a snowboard. This worked out fine...I was just a little slower than everyone else. I'm not sure that skiing would have been any better though, because my risk-taking score (ie enjoyment of speed) is fairly low either way.

We only skied/boarded one day, leaving plenty of time for snowshoeing, walking, sheepshead, cooking, reading and sleeping in. We all took turns cooking breakfast and dinner and as a result, enjoyed delicious food everyday. I often wonder why I don't write more about food on this blog, so here goes:

• Friday dinner: Red Iguana - fantastic Mexican food in Salt Lake City
• Saturday breakfast: Travis and Ariyl made pumpkin cinnamon rolls, bacon, fruit and yogurt
• Saturday dinner: Nate and I made grilled chicken sandwiches, potato leek soup & brownie sundaes
• Sunday breakfast: Seth and Laura made veggie scrambled eggs and toast
• Sunday dinner: Erin made penne/Gorgonzola pasta bake and turkey/spaghetti/marinara bake
• Monday breakfast: Jess made scones, lemon curd, yogurt and fruit
• Monday dinner: Paul and Kristy made quinoa with roasted vegetables, red pepper soup and homemade bread for grilled cheese sandwiches
• Tuesday dinner: Travis and Ariyl made chicken nachos

Enough talking, you say? Okay, okay - here are some photos!

My favorites from Seth and Laura's engagement photo shoot

Snowshoeing