it's a wonderful life

December 9, 2014 Megan Rodriguez

Some may think from my past few posts that life in the Rodriguez house is in a constant state of bliss. Ha. The internet is a deceiving place. So, I thought that today I'd give you a glimpse into our lives and our home, as it is right now.

We are in the midst of a bathroom remodel. We have one bathroom. So...that's fun. My dear husband is doing the work himself, while I research and dream up great things to do with the space. (It's a bit of an unequal arrangement...shhh...don't tell him!) A couple weekends ago we (a.k.a Dan) exposed the brick chimney in the corner of our bathroom and over the past few days Dan installed a pedestal sink and pulled up the old flooring. I'm so excited about all of the space we've gained in our tiny bathroom! This bathroom remodel has been talked about since we bought this house over two years ago. This fall we made the decision to make it happen this winter, but then a surprise bathtub leak got the whole thing started with a bang (or, rather, a hole in the living room ceiling...a minor detail). So, amidst writing and administering final exams, hosting and attending holiday parties, making Christmas gifts, and putting Dan on a plane to Nashville, the bathroom is getting a make-over, one step at a time.

I'm so grateful for all of the work my husband has been and will be putting into this project and I'm so excited to see how lovely, clean, and crisp it will look when finished. But, for now, we'll be walking over floorboards filled with staples and searching for makeup and toothpaste in the spare bedroom.

It truly is a wonderful life.

filled with christmas cheer

December 2, 2014 Megan Rodriguez

The Christmas season has arrived! Call me cliche, but to me it really is the most wonderful time of the year. The winter is still exciting. The snow is still welcomed. There are fun get-togethers each weekend. There are gifts to make, dream up, and find. And the house is filled with Christmas cheer.

Last year, in an effort to save money, I made my own Christmas door hanging and loved it! It was creative, fun, and free (thanks to the woods on my Dad's property). And so this year, we decided to do the same and not only stop there, but also to fill the house with exciting little goodies from outside. It's lovely having our house smell of pine and finding fresh decorations in so many of the rooms.

Filling our home with pieces of nature, keepsakes from the past, and special things my hands have crafted is truly one of my favorite things to do. Pair that with the Christmas season and I'm one happy lady!

I hope your holiday season is off to a lovely start as well! I hope for each and every one of you that this time truly is merry and bright.

getting cozy

November 21, 2014 Megan Rodriguez

It's been a cold week filled with short days and long nights. Each evening we've been finding ourselves wondering if it's time for bed, only to realize that it's only 8:30. The cold and the darkness are catching up with us and making us want to stay in and sleep a bit more.

I've been thinking a lot lately about Minnesota winters (or cold climate winters in any part of the country/world). One of the things that I've really been mulling over is how our fast-paced lifestyles often demand just as much from us during the frigid winters as they do during the warmer months. However, the cold months also require much more from our bodies to keep functioning normally. As our bodies try to stay warm, whether it be outside or in a chilly house, we need to expel more energy. As we bundle up to head out the door, it takes longer and requires more effort. As we commute to work in snow, ice, and slush, we may find ourselves feeling frazzled, stressed, or late by the time we walk into the office. As we walk through the door in the evening hours, we have to turn on all of the lights just to see our way through the house. All of these things require more from us, yet our lives (generally speaking) don't seem to really slow down. I've been pondering these things and the pace of our own house, as this winter has begun to settle upon us, and I've been a bit more intentional about slowing things down. We've been eating warmer, heartier meals. We've been lighting candles throughout the house. We've been cuddling up in blankets with tea or tasty drinks. We've been reading more and doing a bit less. We've been keeping the house a bit tidier so that it's easier to just sink down into a comfy warm spot. And we've been going to bed early. All of these things, while they may be small, have helped me to begin to feel the coziness of winter. To begin to take things slower and let my body rest and hibernate a bit.

There is a word in Danish that perfectly describes this cozy winter feeling, hygge. While we don't have a direct translation in English, it seems to encompass everything from feeling warm and cozy, to being surrounded by happy, loving family and friends (read more about it here and here). It's like the feelings we feel during the Christmas season where everything is warm and magical and we are in love with the winter's chill. In the upper Midwest, I feel that we really understand this feeling through parts of the holiday season, especially when we're actually celebrating, but throughout the rest of the winter, we seem to lose sight of these cozy feelings.

Winter is long in Minnesota, and this year it seems to have gotten a nice early start. But, whether we like it or not, it's here to stay and stay for quite some time. So, we can either keep on with our busy, crazy lives, all the while begrudging winter, or we can choose to step back a bit, to let our bodies rest, hibernate, and get cozy. In our house, we want this winter to be a true hygge winter. So, tonight, I'm going to fill my house with flickering candles, cozy up with a good book and blanket, warm myself with a mug of something delicious, and enjoy the quiet and rest that winter can bring.

the seasonal shuffle

October 20, 2014 Megan Rodriguez

Fall has most definitely arrived. The temperatures are dropping and the swirling, falling leaves are quietly whispering that winter is most certainly on its way. With the changing of the seasons, my house tends to go through a few changes as well. The sandals and slip-ons by the back door have been replaced with boots. The mittens have found their way to the top of baskets. The summer blankets for the yard are being moved to the basement and the warm living room blankets are taking their places. The Crockpot has taken up residence on the shelf by the stove, in a place where it can slowly cook meats, broths, beans, soups, stews, and roasts for us during the long months ahead. The napkins have found a new home (as they've been evicted in order to make room for the Crockpot). A fern now graces our dining room in an attempt to make it through the winter so that it can be restored to the outside world come spring. And the sundresses and tanks have been tucked away, so that the sweaters, wool skirts/pants, and cable-tights and long underwear can take their turns.

While the seasonal shuffle can be a somewhat time consuming task, I found myself thoroughly enjoying it this year. In part because it gave me a change to organize and clean (both of which were much needed!), and partly because I found myself really assessing each item's value. Do we really need this napkin basket? Why do I still have this shirt?? Am I really ever going to wear this again? These shoes were pulled out for summer, but I don't really even like them. And so the assessments continued. I found myself purging more than I have in a long while. It felt so good, so freeing. You see, living in a small house somewhat limits the amount of things we can collect. There is only so much room for coats and shoes (neither of which live in closets, since we have none...), and there is only so much room for clothes, and blankets, and kitchen items. So, we prioritize, and organize, and purge. One of the things that I've come to love about living with a little less is that it really does make life easier. When there are less options, the decision making takes less time. When there are less things, the cleanup goes much quicker. When there is less to do, there is more time to simply enjoy life.

How about you? What does the seasonal shuffle in your home look like?

wall of memories

August 20, 2014 Megan Rodriguez

The hallway in the house I grew up in was always filled with pictures. Family pictures that were taken for the church directory. Pictures from vacations. Pictures from weddings. Pictures from the cabin. Pictures of memories. I loved that hallway. Being a rather nostalgic person, I would often pause as I walked to and from my bedroom to look at the those pictures and would then carry those memories with me throughout the day.

As I've mentioned before, we have a lot of windows in our little house and very little wall space. So, while I've always loved the idea of filling our house with photo memories, it's easier said than done due to the lack of wall space. Over the past few months, though, I started looking at our staircase and realizing that there was perhaps some wall-space potential there that I had been missing. Because, while I love the idea of a hall/stairway filled with pictures, I also love the simplicity that comes with clutter-free walls. Our stairway has two walls that can only be seen when you are on the stairs, and so it was decided that these would become the designated pictures walls!

A project soon commenced. Photos were selected and printed and a frame search began. I love finding old frames at thrift stores and then spray painting them all the same color to make an eclectic collection. The different frames add character, while the matching color unites them. Not only does this make for a fun project, but it is rather economical as well. I have a rule that I won't buy a frame it if is over $3.00, and I usually try to get most of them for $2.00 or less. I was able to buy 11 frames, two cans of spray paint, and print my pictures for $25-30. That's not bad at all, if you ask me!

We left room in the collage to later add other pictures as we make more memories. I'm so excited to watch these walls fill up with images of our lives and the things that make us who we are.