Author: Leslie
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The perfect cup of coffee
About a month after the initial pandemic shutdown started back in March, I slowly came to terms with the fact that I wouldn’t be doing any work in coffee shops in the near future. Along with thousands of other coffee lovers, I began searching the internet for tips on crafting that perfect cup of coffee […]
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Clutter-free kitchen counters!
One of our goals with the new kitchen was to keep our countertops free of JUNK and general kitchen clutter. Our kitchen is small and mighty, and our counterspace is extremely limited. We were constantly moving things around to free up a clear space for food prep, and the clutter is just mentally stressful. So […]
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New Kitchen: the final touches, a coffee bar, and before / after photos!
There are a few other major changes that we made to the kitchen to tie it all together: new appliances, new lighting, a backsplash, and a coffee bar. We chose stainless steel appliances and we’re THRILLED to finally have a dishwasher that doesn’t sound like a motorcycle gang is idling in our kitchen. We picked […]
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Black Lives Matter
The whole world has changed since the last time we wrote, and before we go on posting about what’s been going on in our household, I wanted to state as plainly and obviously as I can that Black lives matter. Like so many others over the last month, we have been reading, listening, learning, and […]
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Floyd’s View Farm
Happy Memorial Day! We are still in social distancing mode while Covid-19 continues to wreak havoc on 2020, but today we actually found a new adventure that was outside, away from people, and something new and different for Penny. Win win win! We took Penny and Goldie out to visit our friend Ken Marks’ new […]
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Put the "Social" in Social Distancing
In an effort to encourage some social interaction in this time of social distancing, we created ten prompts you can put on facebook, instagram, or in your instagram stories to get your friends and family interacting and hopefully laughing! Pretty much every comment to these puts a smile on my face, and that’s pretty valuable […]
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Staying Sane while Social Distancing: Rainbow Scavenger Hunt
I saw this idea in a mom group I’m in on Facebook (shoutout to my pretty good moms!) and I absolutely love it so I wanted to spread it as far and wide as I can. Post the idea in your neighborhood groups and on NextDoor and start some local scavenger hunts! Here’s the gist […]
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Toddler Watercolors and a Valentines Day Gift for Dad
Having a newborn in the middle of winter has been a challenge. This year both RSV and the flu have been widespread in Louisville and I didn’t want that anywhere near Goldie, so we decided to keep Penny out of her daycare for Goldie’s first couple of months home. The whole point of keeping Penny […]
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Making the Most of Paternity Leave
I am fortunate to work for an employer that offers 4 weeks of paternity leave with full pay. I was incredibly lucky that the policy was unexpectedly implemented the month Penny was born in 2017! This time around we actually had the opportunity to plan on my paternity leave after Goldie’s arrival and still take […]
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My Favorite Nursing Accessories for Breastfeeding Moms
I’m back in the throes of breastfeeding and I forgot that it’s basically a full-time job. My recent memories of nursing Penny were when she was older, and breastfeeding was more about bonding rather than a matter of sustaining her life. Nursing a newborn is a round-the-clock endeavor to keep her belly full and her […]
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Golden Louise is finally here!
Our sweet Golden Louise arrived a little over a week ago today after 41 weeks of waiting, and we have once again fallen head over heels for a beloved daughter. The beauty of this post is that it doesn’t have to be long and explanatory like our post about Penelope’s arrival (although I can’t resist […]
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A Song for Javier
Happy New Year!! Last year one of my resolutions was to write more music, and that didn’t really come to fruition until the latter half of the year when I wrote two little ditties for Penny…and then this anniversary song for Javier. Hopefully now that I have a little momentum I can carry on the […]
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Goldie’s DIY Nursery Closet Renovation
Well, we are officially one week from Goldie’s due date! As I type this she’s still nice and comfy on the inside, but she could come at any time! After Javier’s family left back in November we got to work with the final nesting stages – sorting through Penelope’s old newborn-6 month clothing to see […]
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A Special 10-year Anniversary Gift
Ok I have to take a moment to share this incredible gift that Javier gave me for our 10-year anniversary. It’s been hanging in our house for a week and I still have to stare at it every time I pass! It’s a handmade wreath with meaningful mementos from our lives as individuals and together […]
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Before and After: Three New Doors!
Ok, so we can’t DIY EVERYTHING that our house needs. Just like these projects back in 2017, there are a few things around the house that we needed to contract out to the professionals. This year we had a company come in and insulate / ventilate our house so that we have proper air flow […]
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Wall Paper Mural – Before and After
I’ve had wallpaper on my mind for over a year now thanks to blogs like A Beautiful Mess and Young House Love. I know I want to use some peel-and-stick wallpaper in our dining room, but I needed a trial run in a smaller space before committing a whole room to wallpaper. Last year Young […]
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DIY: Wood Poster Hanger Tutorial
We scored two beautiful Christmas posters today for less than $10 at Scout in NULU and decided to make our own wood poster hangers! We made a little tutorial video, and the materials / steps are detailed below. If this tutorial is useful to you, please pin it / share it and help spread the […]
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(Some) Home Improvement 2019
Lest you think Javi has spent even one day this entire year without SOME kind of project in our house, let me bring you up to speed on all of the ways our house has transformed since January! The first big project was building all of those beautiful cabinets that cover our open shelving in […]
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Bernheim Forest in the Fall
Javier’s mom and sister are in town from Chile for three whole weeks! We’ve been packing in all kinds of fall and Halloween fun these last few days, including Boo at the Zoo, a trip down Hillcrest Avenue (the most decorated street in Louisville), and a drive out to Bernheim Forest to see the beautiful […]
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Visiting Grandparents
We are currently spending the weekend in Nashville while I do my annual fall family photo sessions in town, and Penny is in toddler heaven spending time with her grandparents. Penny calls my parents “ama” and “granddaddy” and SHE CANNOT GET ENOUGH of them. Coming back here reminded me that I never shared some super […]
Los Rodriguez Life 