I’ve been making all kinds of lists for summer. Lists of things I want to try, projects to start (and finish!), places to visit, and books to read.

Below is my (initial!) list of things…

TO READ…
Fueled by my love of the Olympics and specifically gymnastics, I’m adding this book to my reading list, by our very own hometown girl, Shawn Johnson, and this book by one of my favorite gymnasts, Dominique Moceanu…it sounds scandalous! I don’t expect either book to be a very long read – perfect for poolside entertainment.

TO PLAN…
We never had a housewarming party last December, so a half-year later, we are planning a 4th of July shindig prior to heading out to seeing fireworks. Because so many friends now have children, it will be the first kid-friendly fiesta we’ve thrown, so I’m having fun pinning party ideas that work for kids and adults alike.

TO BUILD…
With our landscaping and bookcase projects nearly behind us, we are turning our attention to the basement. Funny enough, it hasn’t evolved MUCH past these “in progress” shots from last fall when the house was being built. You will notice a guy in pro golfer costume Page demonstrating the general direction of a tv room, and we would like to add a half bath (for easy access off a hot tub on the patio) and a small bar area where the stairs meet the lower level.

We have a lot of sketching to do to plan out what we want (and before we can obtain a permit), but then it will be game on this summer and we hope to do several of the steps (framing, tiling, painting) ourselves. We’re hoping to have it COMPLETE by the one year anniversary of our move-in date (Dec 1) but as we all know, the best laid plans…

To visit…
I don’t have a particular town in mind, but I’d love to explore an Iowa town I’ve never been to – maybe Dyersville to see the Field of Dreams? The past couple of summers I introduced Page to Decorah for a friend’s wedding, and we checked out Pella for the tulip festival. I’d love to do another “local” road trip around here some summer Sunday…I also wouldn’t mind a trip to my beloved Iowa City – not for a game, or for a wedding, but to just lounge around town in favorite spots and discover some new ones as well.

To eat…
We are somewhat creatures of habits when it comes to our dining experiences. There are a couple new (to us) places I would like to get to for a summer cocktail, or a morning cup of coffee (depending on the time of day!) and a delicious meal. Hoping to check out Christopher’s in Beaverdale, Mars Cafe downtown, and Luna Bistro in the East Village, to name a few!

I’m sure this list will grow quite a bit in the coming weeks…anyone have any fun to-dos on their list for the upcoming season??

Liz in Des Moines, IA

James in Toyko, Japan

Adam in Cedar Rapids, IA

Happy Mothers Day, Mom, from your three.

And a happy mothers day to my mother-in-law, my grandmothers, my friends who are mamas and mamas-to-be…wishing you all a very special day!

Now that our mamas have received theirs, there is no surprise to spoil.

I attempted one of my many Pinterest “to try” projects and made a sugar scrub for both of our moms with lavender and lemon essential oils. I followed this recipe and found the jars at Hobby Lobby and designed my own “Mothers Day” version of the labels in Illustrator.

Love a good body scrub!

Last month while at our company meeting at a Hilton hotel, this appetizer was one of a few served during our cocktail hour. And it was DELICIOUS.

When I got home, I made more for myself as a mini meal one night. How easy are these – three ingredients, no cooking, and super low maintenance when it comes to serving…they can sit out (safely) for a bit, and don’t need to be overly warm or cool to be enjoyed. Plus, I love anything that indulges both sides of any food spectrum – these are both salty and sweet, creamy and crunchy, all in one delectable bite!

To make these (did I mention? SUPER easy!) just roll goat cheese into balls, roll the balls in crushed pistachios, and top with a dollop of a sweet jelly. I used some Georgia Peach jelly still in our pantry from our trip south,  but I believe the hotel used an apricot flavor. Either way, the unexpected bit of sweet is awesome. If you don’t have a jelly on hand, you could throw some craisins in with the pistachios and roll the cheese in the mixture of both to get the fruit aspect.

Bon appetit – and invite some friends over for an excuse to serve these!

Three-Family “No Crap” Garage Sale: Name Brand Clothing and Tasteful Home Décor Items

Saturday, May 12 from 8am to 3pm
1200 NE Ewing Court, Grimes

These items and more will be available for sale:

• Name brand clothing in range of sizes (women’s and men’s)
• Home Décor items (Crate and Barrel, World Market, Pier1 and more)
• Organizational items
• Cookbooks
• 2-drawer file cabinet
• Books, CDs, DVDs
• Computer chair
• Ceiling fan with light kit (brand new)
• Golf clubs
• Women’s Uggs (size 9)
• Women’s Coach boots (size 10)
• Cookware, bakeware & other kitchen items
• Table linens
• China storage set
• Armchair
• Electric leaf blower
• 1998 Honda Accord

I had to title this post because I do love how whenever Page is working on something house-related I can hear him whistling…even if I’m inside and he’s in the garage, or he’s all the way in the basement, I can hear him – and he’s really good! Ha! Anyway, I’ve been hearing a lot of whistling lastely, as we’ve been tackling our never-ending house to-do list.

Several of the items in this list deserve their own post, but I haven’t gotten around to photos or writing up the details, and some of these things just aren’t totally finished yet. But for the sake of a quick update, here’s what’s been going on project-wise at our house:

1. Landscaping

One of the downsides of new construction is the landscaping is ALL up to you! And as someone with a very, very black thumb, it freaked me out more than a little that I would have no previous owner guidance and groundwork to go off of. But I did my research, talked to people who knew their stuff, and claimed landscaping as a “me” thing on the list of to-dos. (Since I’m all but worthless with finishing the basement or any other skill-related jobs!) I began with this little bed out front, dug up the sod, laid down a weed barrier, and put in three little boxwoods that will get as big as we let them to create a nice hedge. We also added a bench to the front porch that I scored at a favorite freight salvage store in Cedar Rapids a few weeks back. I love that there’s finally a little personality out front!

Before…

After!

I want to expand this a bit further around the front-left corner of the house and add a taller element to anchor the whole thing. I’m thinking a sun-happy magnolia bush that would give us some pretty flowers in the spring:

And you know you’re a homeowner when you get SUPER excited that a few budding leaves on your stick of a new tree out front start sprouting. We have plans to add a couple slightly more mature trees around our lot to speed up the process of having a (tiny!) bit of shade.

We still have to add some edging to the bed (once the magnolia is in) and we’ve had solar lights in the garage for months that are ready to go in as well. A few tall grass plants to hide the electrical box in the backyard, and we can check landscaping off our list!

2. Bookshelves Progress

I have a new appreciation for those who build detailed indoor projects like this – there are so many cuts and measurements and details…and with me doing the priming and painting of all the pieces, and Page having to cut each “round” of pieces, there is a lot of back and forth and waiting on the other. But we did get really big pieces cut and painted in the last week, not all of which are installed yet here…but I do love that I can get a feel for the space they’ll take up now – and it’s hard to tell in a photo, but the room feels larger now in person.

When we last left off…

And with the backboards and wall-sides mounted. Next up is the trim to hold the shelves in place, adding the other sides, and putting the trim on!

3. Master closet and bedroom

I picked an accent color for our master bedroom, and while I can’t wait to post pictures, I’m waiting for one final thing from Etsy to show up to pull it all together. It’s no major investment, but the pop of another color was something the room needed. While I wait, I’ve turned my attention to our master closet…particularly this shorter wall from which I’m going to rip out this hanging shelf and put in a more savvy storage solution for folded items, shoes, and other random things that need corralling.

So that’s what has been on our plate the last few days…and none of that counts the next BIG project – the basement! Before we do ANYTHING down there we have to get the garage organized and put together (and a garage sale next weekend to clear out some clutter throughout the house). We have to line up our contractors and draw out exactly what we plan to do so we can apply for our permit. One step at a time, but I’m really excited for that next adventure!