princeton, nj

Larry is working in Princeton for the summer, so Nina and I came along.  We usually stay in an apartment for these longer stays, typically Residence Inn if there is one available.  But we have stayed at the Residence Inn in Princeton, and it's on a busy highway with nothing around to walk to.  So we asked for a house this time.  And boy, did we get one!  It's a Craftsman style, three story house right in the middle of Princeton.  The top floor is the master bedroom/office, second floor has three bedrooms and two baths, and the first floor has kitchen, bathroom, informal eating area, living room, formal dining room, front parlor, and entryway.  The basement is finished and has workout equipment, couches, another bathroom, and tons of storage (also an air hockey table).  It has the pillared, expansive porch that this architectural style is famous for...if only it wasn't sooo hot here!  It has been in the 90s and humid both days I've been here so far.

In short, we have a lovely house, come visit us!  

nina's room...finally!

Nina loves to do arts & crafts, and I love for her to have all the supplies and tools she needs.  Unfortunately, arts & crafts can be super messy and neither Nina nor I are the tidiest people around.  So once I gave her free access to all her supplies her room started to be perpetually knee deep in paper, crayons, etc.  I was at my wits' end because it's not fun or good for the floor to have people skidding across said floor on a piece of a crayon.  Something needed to give but I couldn't figure out a way to make her room bigger.  And then I looked up.  She's a very short person and that means that the space that's 4 feet from the floor to the ceiling was fair game.  I hunted up a bunk bed on Craig's List, put a sheet of plywood on the top (twin size) and moved all of the craft stuff up there (after a quick trip to IKEA for organizational furniture).  Her room has stayed much neater since.  Though not completely neat, which is why it has taken me so long to write about it.  I wanted to wait until the whole thing looked good, which required me to have some free time where she wasn't there to interfere.

Oh, and don't forget to oooh and aaaah over the stairs/bookshelf that Larry made in his woodworking class (the bunk bed didn't come with a ladder).






Also? I think I could open a bead shop with all the beads I vacuumed up off of her floor.

two milestones

• Nina can read!  When we play Eloise Monopoly she can read her own "chance" cards.
• Nina has a loose tooth!  It's super wiggly!  We did a happy dance and everything.

hiatus

It's been a long time, I know...so much has happened and changed. But the really important stuff stays the same. Larry loves his job, Nina is as amazing as ever, and I struggle to stay ahead of mundane tasks that seem to come easily to others. Sigh.

Lots has changed too--Nina is just about to finish kindergarten and I have a part time job that I love.

I hope to give more details soon...