Lake Erie

Thanks to everyone who voted on my poll! I have been remiss in making a decision on what to do for my commenters who know me, but don't have a blog, but I will make changes soon.

The Detroit Zoo was a fun way to spend our last day as a family together. Located only 20 minutes or so from our house, it was an easy drive and David surprised me by buying a full year family membership. Since we don't know anyone and the weather is warm, he figured we would enjoy spending our time together there. Having a membership also entitles you to visit special exhibits and, for example, feed the giraffes. The weather was overcast and a bit cool, so it was just simply a wonderful day to see the animals. No sweating whatsoever. : )

We tried to talk Rachel into getting her face painted, but she wasn't having it. Ha!

They currently have a neat dinosaur exhibit running, but Harbor was a tad intimidated by the mechanical animals. They moved, made noise, and blinked their eyes. It was very "Jurassic Park" in there, which made me want to watch the movies again at home. We didn't go in the exhibit, but hope to next time.

After the zoo, though we were tired from all the walking we did, we headed into the Lake Erie Metropark. The Metroparks system here reminds me a bit of Central Park in New York City. In a city where yards are nonexistent (our yard is the size of a shoebox! And we're paying a pretty penny for it, sadly!), the Metroparks serve as a huge area of uninterrupted green space where wild life roam and families can gather to experience a bit of the ol' outdoors away from smog, skyscrapers, and traffic.

It was a very foggy, cloudy day and it is hard to tell where the lake begins and the sky ends, but it was breathtaking. I certainly had never seen a lake so large in my life. It felt very "oceanish" and behind us, though you cannot see it, a huge white lighthouse stands on a rock platform amidst crashing waves. The lighthouse is white washed from years of spraying water and at its top is surrounded by a bright red lookout balcony. It is so quaint and strange even to live somewhere with real working lighthouses. I guess you can take the girl out of the south, but not the south out of the girl. It is an amazing sight and David's workplace is literally a five minutes drive to the entrance of the park. We also ended up buying a year membership to the park, too.. Sigh.. I simply cannot wait to bike the trails along the shoreline.

I think this picture is just dreamy. To the left is the Lake Erie water park with a wave pool and to the right is a cafe area, but dead ahead is the Great Lake. I can envision swimming here with Harbor and enjoying that cool, misty breeze. The Metropark is enormous with museums, nature preserves, a golf course, marinas, restaurants, sugar shacks in the winter for the making of maple syrup, and hiking trails. I'm sure we will have lots to enjoy that will make our membership worth the money.

In the first few days that my parents and Rachel left to head back to Arkansas- a grueling 15 hour drive if you only stop for gas- we have managed quite well, all things considered. I've been home full time for over a week now and my days are full and happy. I am so used to a full time career in teaching that I seem to have all my chores done by afternoon with plenty of play time. We have filled those hours with trips to the local Meijers (there is only one Walmart in Detroit. Period. ), the park on the river walk, and bike rides in the neighborhood.

I've been doing a lot of baking. Blueberry muffins and cookies have been fun treats for Harbor William and I to whip up.

And I don't care to confess that I bake both just to eat the dough, blueberry dough included. Gross, I know. But I love it.

We've played in the little pool in the backyard to keep cool. It is in the 90's here, too. If it weren't for the seagulls crying overhead, I could have an "Arkansas" moment in that heat. Thankfully, in Michigan, it only lasts a few weeks.

We've built cities of block. I have been architect, engineer, and demolition crew.

We've gone on long walks to the end of our street to watch the freight trains pass and listen to their lonely whistles as they head up into the city, barreling down the tracks to Chicago.

We paint and color every day. I take a good 30 minutes each afternoon and work with him in a pre-K home school type workbook that is very straight forward and has a great emphasis on basic early literacy skills. We have been working on "left" and "right" and matching, as well as beginning letter sounds. Harbor loves the workbook and because I keep our "sessions" short, neither of us tire out.

In other news, I have continued spray painting and shopping from our basement. I love having a basement. We had a walk-out basement when we built our house in Arkansas, and having another one is so handy. I have pretty much unloaded all of my decor and when I have an area I can work on, I go down, see what is available, and "shop." It makes it nice and easy.

I bought this picture a few years ago at a thrift store with no idea whatsoever of where I would put it. And so it sat, untouched for a good three years or so. On one recent trip to our basement warehouse, however, the blues of the sky seemed to speak to me, and I knew where it belonged.

Heirloom white by Rustoleum is such a great color. Finally, a white that is not bright nor cream! It truly is a great white for indoor projects.

A little computer paper under the edge of the frame (it always works best for me!), some painter's tape and a few sprays and the frame really felt right.

It looks great above David's tallboy dresser and goes perfectly with the whites and sea blues and greens of our fabric and furniture.

And this picture is for my sweet mom who spent many days sewing drapes for me out of fabric I bought and carried here from Arkansas. Do you remember this fabric? While I originally had planned on a shower curtain, I changed my mind when I saw how the light played off the blue silk. They became our bedroom drapes. She also made another set of bedroom drapes out of the bird material for an opposite wall. Thanks, mom! Enjoy your sneak peek of the room!

Our house has been a fun challenge in terms of decorating. With so much charm and character, a 1920's home really seems to decorate itself. Its wood floors, glass knobs, solid mahogany doors and trim, curved ceilings, trim and mouldings, and spindle stair case almost beg to be left alone. It has been a challenge to make it modern, but let the house speak for itself.

Here is a snapshot of some of the trim work on the ceiling in the kitchen, beyond the range hood.

You can also see some of the paint in the dining room. The ceilings are curved in there as well, so the trim is lower to encompass the arches.

And our foyer is just brilliant in all that rich, original wood!

I'm not saying homes built in the 1910's and 20's are for everyone. The floors creak, forget cute faux wooden blinds (we still have the original leaded plantation shutters), the front door is 82 years old and we have discovered no one in Detroit can make a spare key, and the walls and ceilings are cut at odd angles, but this is home now. And I honestly love it. Pairing a 1920's home with lime green and chevron? Yes, please.

Hart Plaza

One of my favorite places in Detroit is Hart Plaza. It is so refreshing and grand. You just seriously cannot take a bad picture of the skyline there. The splash fountain was busy as it was the first real warm weekend Detroit had experienced. Harbor was pretty timid, and rightfully so since the water was ferociously loud, but he enjoyed the spray cast off from the wind.

After Hart Plaza opens up, you can see the fist across the street, and not far down the road we saw a film crew making a new commercial. So neat to live in the motor city (where I'm taking some flak for driving a foreign car! Oops!) Hart Plaza drops down to open up back onto the river walk and it is a perfect place to boat watch- sail boats, motor boats, and the gigantic steam and freight loaders. With a view of Windsor dead ahead, there is a lot of action on the water.

Sadly though, on both of my trips to Hart, we've been hustled for money on the river walk. There are numerous homeless people sleeping around Hart Plaza that ask, and while Rachel and I were strolling along, we were even invited to a game of chess for money- winner takes all. The man was obviously homeless, but I whispered to Rachel that I would be tempted to play him if I were really, really good. We both got a giggle, but of course said nothing and kept our eyes ahead. I'm learning the ropes fast in my new big city! While it is beautiful and exciting, you must always keep your wits about you.

We live very close to several islands and have visited two in the last few weeks- Belle Isle and Gross Ile. Belle Isle is a very unique island in that is has one bridge and is the closest you can get to Windsor without needing a passport. You could literally jump off the island and swim to Canada in a few strokes. Border Patrol Police are rampant there and it is neat to be dead center between the two countries in the middle of the Detroit River.

Grosee Ile is home to the CEO of the company David is working for and is home to some very impressive water front homes. There is also only one public bridge on and off the island, and it turns to allow the fright liners to pass.The residents have immediate boat access as their yards have private beach areas and for those inland, canals behind their homes. On the island, their yachts line the water like parked cars. The view of Detroit from the island is unreal and many of them, David's boss included, have become close friends with their Canadian neighbors just across the water.

Rachel and Harbor William had such a fun time playing together while she was here! I think after two weeks of just being with David, my mom, and me, he was ready for some new faces.

Rachel was a blessing coming with her fancy phone equipped with Internet. I know it will shock most of you, but I don't have a cell phone with Internet. In fact, I only got text messaging a few months ago (and all of my friends jumped for joy! Ha!) In the month I went without Internet here, I also went without cable.. and to this day haven't watched a single television show. I guess I'm not that hooked on technology or reality TV, although I do love my blog since I use it as a photo journal of sorts.

Anyway, when Rachel came with her phone, she found "hot spots" in the house where she could get a really strong signal and would read her email or twitter or check Facebook. Pretty soon, I was trying to do the same and now that she is gone, I wonder if I got Internet on my phone if it would help or hurt me! Ha!

She and Harbor William practiced making faces....

 This is their "serious" face, which is a new face for Harbor. He is such a character!

 And this is what we call his "cheesy" smile. When I ask him to smile now, he makes this face. I'm not sure what our Christmas card picture will look like if we can't break him of it soon! Ha!

I still have more pictures to share... we went to the zoo and Lake Erie, as well as some fun times just around the house since my family has left.

I'll leave you with a fun house project I worked on today for Harbor's big boy room. This "Spa Blue" color is a great accent color to go with his drapes my mom made while she was here. The drapes were made from the inspiration fabric I bought a few months ago in Arkansas. It is a stripe pattern of blue, red, black, white, and a kelly green. Such fun, bright colors! And we all know that shopping your house is a great way to find the perfect piece for a new room! His new twin bed is black with a pretty tall headboard and footboard, and I plan on hanging this above his headboard for a splash of color.

 We are working hard on the house every night, getting unpacked, and more settled and our master bedroom and sitting room are almost done! Can't wait to show you! Take care!

Life in the "D"

Goodness! I never meant to be gone for so long, but uprooting and moving almost 1000 miles will definitely turn your world upside down (and putting a working kitchen back in order is no easy feat!) 

In the last month, my mother and I single-handily tackled a moving truck (David had returned to work when they came to unload and he instructed me to be 'firm' and 'direct' when telling them where and what to do with our our 3000 pounds. Gulp!), unpacked a three story house (though it is still in the process and we empty a few boxes a day even now), and happily awaited my dad and Rachel who have already come for a visit.

My mother happily took care of every need that arose with sweet Harbor while I color coordinated closets (See honey, what I did all day while you worked! Look at my shoes! Aren't I making wonderful progress on this mountainous to-do list I have!? Ha!), matched Tupperware lids to bowls, and trooped up and down two flights of stairs unloading lamps, sheets, and area rugs. She graciously took Harbor William and Bichon, our dog, for many afternoon walks up our tree-lined street. She later admitted she wanted to admire all the homes up close, but I can't blame her. This street, our home, this historic district is amazing. I miss my mom now that she has left after almost a month here with me. We hung drapes, made drapes, and mopped all the hardwood floors. She helped me as much as she helped Harbor, if not more.

After a month of furniture, family, and fun, I'm in a season of "newness". A new stay-at-home mommy, a new big (really, really big!) city to learn, new roads to conquer (and this whole Michigan "U-Turn" to get the hang of! Anyone else know what I'm talking about?), and life in the far north have been an adjustment all at once. Thankfully, our Heavenly Father is my sustainer and whenever I feel overwhelmed, I simply turn to Him and know that He will clear a place for my steps if I am only brave enough to pick up my feet and move them.

I have so much to tell you and show you and gush to you. I have so many funny stories and epiphanies to share. But for now, I have a kitchen to clean and a few more boxes to tackle tonight. I'm alive and well, living in my 1920's Cape Cod off the coast of Windsor, Canada and just happy to be back online (Did I mention I just got Internet today? A month offline was like living through A&E's Intervention! It was like a full blown detox! It was also amazing how much decorating I accomplished! Ha!)

My camera chip is in need of being emptied and I plan to share more with you very soon, but for now, I'll leave you with a few happy shots from the last week or so.

Hugs from windy Detroit!