Living With Kids: Katie Garry
Katie Garry and her family live in Glendale, Ohio in a home that will feel familiar to so many parents — charming spaces touched with kids toys and piles of laundry that never seem to end. : )
Katie is the mom of two toddlers (not quite old enough to be in school yet). So, while her quarantine experience hasn’t had the home schooling aspect that many parents are managing, she is dealing with the unique challenges of trying to keep two little ones occupied, while she and her husband try and get their work done. Welcome, Katie!
…Will We Build Something Better?
Six weeks ago, when sheltering-at-home was relatively new, Sonya Renee Taylor shared this thought on Instagram, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.
As restrictions start to open, what have we learned? Are we trying to get back to what we thought was “normal”? Will we take this chance to do things differently?
Some of what’s on my mind:
…A Few Things
Hello, Friends. How are you? Are you looking forward to the weekend? I’ve had such a strange week. I’d wake up feeling fine, go about my day, and after one errand or task, I would feel so physically wiped out, I’d have to lay down. I’d post updates about the house to Instagram stories, or meet with the carpenter — and then it was like I was suddenly maxed out. But I had no other symptoms and I couldn’t figure out what was up. It was so strange!
I’m feeling much more like myself today, so I’m grateful for that.
It was also a strange week because I was attacked by this fringe group of Mormons that are super far right — like farther right than MAGA — who happened to find my God + Guns thread. I argued with some, and blocked others. That kind of thing can be so exhausting.
So anyway, it was an odd week. But luckily, that didn’t stop me from finding you some really excellent links. Here are a few things I’ve been wanting to share:
…Living With Kids: Rachel Kuhn
Please say hello to Rachel. She and her family live in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and like the rest of us, have recently been making quaratine-related adjustments to schedules and expectations.
In this interview, I love that Rachel shares a bit about their foster son, and what the fostering process was like for them. I had NO IDEA that so many kids needed foster care, and that a large part of it is due to the opioid crisis in the country. It’s so heartbreaking, and I am so glad families like Rachel’s are stepping up to make sure these kids have a safe place to land. Welcome, Rachel!
…A Few Things
Hello, Friends. How are you? How was your week? It’s a birthday week at our house. Flora June turned 10 yesterday, and Betty turns 14 tomorrow — plus we’ve got Mother’s Day on Sunday — so lots of stay-at-home celebrating around these parts.
Have your kids had birthdays during quarantine? These are the first ones for our family and of course it feels strange. Typically we would do a few traditional things with the family (breakfast in bed, light candles, open presents, etc.), and then do something fun with friends and cousins — a party, or bringing a treat to school, or going out to dinner, or maybe going on an adventure. Obviously the celebrations are really low-key this year, but we’re hoping the girls feel celebrated and loved.
For Mother’s Day, I asked the kids to make me cinnamon rolls. : ) I plan to sleep in, eat those cinnamon rolls, and if the weather is good, maybe we’ll go for walk out in the countryside. I know Mother’s Day can feel absolutely fraught for so many people, so I hope you’ll be gentle with yourselves this weekend.
One other interesting thing I wanted to note: Flora June will return to school on a modified schedule starting Monday. Half her class will be attending Monday and Thursday, and half the class will be attending on Tuesday and Friday. (They have Wednesdays off with or without quarantine.) On the days they aren’t in the classroom, they’ll continue with digital assignments. But Betty and Oscar don’t start again on Monday — I’m still unclear on if/when they will return to school. And like you, I’m very curious to see how all of this works out.
Ready for a link list? Here are a few things I’ve wanted to share:
…Random Thoughts
I hope you’re in the mood for a Random Thoughts post. Here are some of the things on my mind, including some of the bright spots we’ve experienced over the last couple of months.
-Have you already watched Little Fires Everywhere? I keep thinking about it. It’s a recent show on Hulu. It was being shared one episode each week, but the first season is officially out, so you can binge the whole thing at once if you’d like. The main characters are played by Kerri Washington and Reese Witherspoon and the acting is SO GOOD. The story is compelling and complicated, and I love that they used actual children to play the children. I was so happy every time there was a new episode to watch.
…Living With Kids: Sabrina Lloyd
I’m so happy to get to meet Sabrina. She and her husband and two kids have a beautiful home in Vancouver they have lovingly remodeled from the ground up. Sabrina has that unique knack of finding vintage and used pieces and pulling them all together in really smart, handsome ways that feel collected and curated rather than messy. And Sabrina has been the solo parent for the last four months while her husband has been stuck at their other home in Kenya during the pandemic. You’ll appreciate her wisdom and candor and her stylish home. Welcome, Sabrina!
…Tall House: Wallpaper Tour
De-wallpapering at the new house has been a big task. There were eight different rooms, plus the entry, that were heavily wallpapered — including three rooms with wallpapered ceilings!
It felt overwhelming to get started pulling it down, but once we got to work, using a steamer and scrapers, we found it was actually quite satisfying. We made lots of time lapse videos while we worked, which have been wonderful to watch afterwards. We would typically do a 1.5 to 2-hour shift (just long enough to go through one full tank of steam), and it’s rewarding to see two hours of progress condensed into a tidy 30 seconds. (You can watch some of the time-lapse videos on my Demolition Highlight.)
We officially finished de-wallpapering about a week ago, and I thought you might enjoy a little tour of the eight different wallpapers we’ve pulled down at the new house. Something lucky for us: As we’ve explored the house, we found remnant rolls of most of the wallpapers we pulled down.
…A Few Things
Hello, Friends. Happy May Day! It’s Labor Day in France today. Schools and shops would normally close today, and they are — but it feels so different this year. President Macron spoke last night and told everyone that he knows today is normally a celebratory day, and that he’s sad this year that there can be no celebrations.
On a happier note, one sweet French tradition is to give little bouquets of Lily of the Valley on May 1st. Apparently, on the first of May in 1561, France’s King Charles IX was given a Lily of the Valley flower as a lucky charm and liked it so much that he decided to offer them each to the ladies of the court.
Other things to report: We cleared lots of rubble at the new house this week, and Flora June asked for a haircut — we cut off 9 inches! Her curls have bounced right up. And Betty finished reading Emma, and wants to watch some of the movie adaptations. Last night we watched the Gwyneth Emma. Tonight, we’ll watch Clueless. And tomorrow we’ll watch the new Emma.
Ready for links? Here are a few things I’ve wanted to share:
…How To Host A Family Reading Marathon
Last week, our kids were on “spring break,” and they didn’t need to check in to virtual school. So we set aside one day for a reading marathon. We wanted to do something that felt different — like a vacation — even though during this official school break our daily life was pretty much unchanged,
In the past we’ve tried to hold Family Reading Marathons somewhere out of town, because we’ve found there are too many interruptions and distractions at home. But not during quarantine! There are no surprise visitors or last minute plans these days.
This was our Family Reading Marathon schedule:
…Found Treasure: Vintage French Weights
When we were clearing out the garden shed, we found some old cast iron weights — they were crusted over with vinegar. We didn’t know what they were for, but we thought they were cool and decided to attempt a de-rusting.
It was a success! You can see the restored cast iron weights above, and we also restored some tiny brass weights too. Plus, we learned what the weights were originally used for.
This is how the de-rusting/restoring process went:
…Living With Kids: Tiffany West
Today you get to meet Tiffany West and hear her story. Tiffany married into a family where there were already kids and immediately became a mom to her step kids. She and her family live outside Washington D.C. in a really rural and beautiful area called Delaplane in Virginia. And just like many of our recent posts, she talks openly and candidly about the struggles and surprises about working from home, home schooling, and quarantine. Welcome, Tiffany!
…Flora June’s Name Change
You may remember me mentioning that when we moved to France, June decided to go by her first name, Flora (her full name is Flora June Blair, but we’ve called her June since birth).
We thought that sounded like a good idea and were fully supportive. So when we registered her for school here, and introduced her to people, we only introduced her as Flora, never June. We also started calling her Flora at home.
We’ve been here 8 months and I thought you might be interested in hearing how the name change has gone.
…A Few Things
Hello, Friends. How are you? How was your week? Ours was good. We cleared out two structures in the backyard at the new house — a potting shed, and an old building that was once a carriage house and is now a dirt-floored shed. It was really satisfying to empty them both out and clear the cobwebs — though now we have big piles we need to take to the “decheterie” for recycling and dumping. (Here’s a garden highlight if you’d like to see what we’ve been working on.)
We also had someone come take a look at the broken glass in the yard that needs to be replaced. That work is supposed to start next week and I’m quite happy about it. The garden is a pretty little spot — and then you see the broken glass and all of sudden it feels depressing — so it will be wonderful to have the glass replaced.
While one crew was tackling the garden, some of us were working on the last room of wallpaper. It’s one of the smaller rooms but it’s taken longer than any other — the glue is particularly sticky. I think it will take another 2 or 3 sessions with a full steamer.
Up next? I think we’ll be knocking out some old plaster in the attic. But before I head over there, here are a few things I’ve wanted to share:
…Tall House: Do We Need to Replace the Front Door?
I need to discuss the front entrance with you a bit more. The two doors are big. They are essentially garage doors and both of them open wide, which is nice when we need to bring in building materials, or trailers for hauling debris.
What you wouldn’t know unless you’ve been to the house is that these doors don’t open into the interior of the house. Instead, they open into the “garage”, and then, there is another door (that also feels like a formal front door), that opens to the interior.
…Tall House: Do We Need to Replace the Front Door?Read More »
Living With Kids: Riche Holmes Grant
Welcome to Grant Central! That’s the name that Riche and her family have chosen for their home. With all they’ve got going on, it’s a fitting name. Riche is one of those people who is a serial entrepreneur — she’s been a clothing designer, a blogger, a YouTuber and so much more. And looking at these photos you can get a sense of the creative energy that abounds in her home. Plus, she was kind enough to give us a realistic peek at what quarantine has looked like for her and her family. Welcome, Riche.
…A Few Things
Hello, Friends. How are you? Does it seem like Friday to you? Are you feeling the relief of making it through another week? Any updates on school closings where you live? President Macron spoke earlier this week and said May 11th is the earliest schools will reopen in France. (School here ends the first week of July, so that would still give a couple of months of learning.)
Something new for us: We tried a bit of gardening at the new house this week. Nothing major — we just dead-headed the hydrangea bushes. But it felt good to work outside. And we found the little nest above! Those eggs look absolutely pretend, right?
Now I need to figure out: 1) where I can buy stuff like a rake and some garden gloves while most stores are closed, 2) if there’s a community composting spot where I can drop off clippings and leaves and other yard waste, and 3) what we can reasonably do to improve the garden this summer, even though we’re not living in the house yet.
Maybe we can plant something? Figure out a path and some ground cover? The interior of the house is definitely the priority as far as work projects go, but if there’s something small we can do outside, I would be open to it.
Ready for some weekend reading? Here are a few things I’ve wanted to share with you:
…Tall House: Exterior Paint Color
Back before we were sheltering-in-place, we hired a window tradesman. He met us at the house, looked at each window, and we discussed the project. We want to keep all the current windows, but they need some attention. Some open and close easily, but many do not. And all of them need to be painted inside and out (after the loose old paint is taken off).
There are 9 windows at the front of the house, and 7 windows at the back of the house, and we hired him to get all 16 in good working order. We especially love the windows at the front of the house — the wood at the top has a gentle arch to custom-fit the arched stonework, and they are quite lovely.
…A Few Things
Hello, Friends. How are you? How was your week? On the calendar is it Spring Break for you? Our two-week school vacation officially begins after [home] school today. If travel was possible, we would likely be on a road trip to Spain or Portugal. So strange to think of it now! It’s like a faraway dream. Instead, this school break will be hardly noticeable — though I do think the kids will be relieved not to have home school responsibilities for a couple of weeks.
Sunday is Easter and I think this will be the most low-key holiday we’ve ever had. You’ll laugh, but we asked the kids how they wanted to celebrate and the only request was funeral potatoes (a comfort food popular among Mormons). I can’t remember the last time I made them, so it sounds like a good plan to me. Speaking of Mormons, today our church is holding a fast for worldwide COVID-19 relief. It’s a small thing but it feels good to be participating in something mindful and positive with millions of people around the world.
How about you? How are you feeling about your spring holidays? Any plans? Will you be dying eggs and having a hunt in your garden? Having a traditional meal? Face-timing with your extended family? I’d love to hear.
Here are a few things I’ve wanted to share with you:
…Tall House: Bathroom Floorplans
We’re finalizing the floorplans for two bathrooms — the kids’ bathroom and the owner’s-suite bathroom — so we can communicate the plans to the plumber. I thought we were pretty settled on both, but I spent some time over at the new house and ended up making some changes to one of the floorplans.
Here’s the floorplan for the kids’ bathroom:
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