SNOW!

We woke up to a winter wonderland on Saturday morning-- everything was covered in a thick blanket of white snow. I generally don't love the cold, but there's something magical about the first snow of the season. 

We bundled Tai up in all of his gear and proceeded to dig our way out the front door. Our neighbor was outside on her cross country skis, so we pulled out Tai's snowboard and sled and spent the morning sliding down our street. 

I think what I love most about heavy snow is the break in routine--no school, no cars on the streets, neighbors outside shoveling snow and kids building snowmen. The snow definitely got me in the holiday spirit--time to put up decorations and bake some cookies!

COMING HOME

We've been officially moved into our new house for two weeks now, and yet things still haven't slowed down in the way I hoped they would. I haven't had time to really "nest"-- we're no longer living out of packing boxes, but I still have a long list of little projects and things that need organizing.

That being said, I loooove our new house. It's actually not new at all-- it was the house I grew up in, so it feels very much like coming home. I love that Tai and I will share some of the same experiences growing up here. He sleeps in my childhood bedroom and takes baths in the huge tub where I used to float my rubber duckies. 

My mom bought this house 30 years ago, and then she and my dad remodeled it after we were born. When I was a kid, I always dreamed of living in a pitched roof house with a white picket fence, but now, I love and appreciate how unique this house is. The soft, rounded, adobe walls make me feels so cozy and the ceilings here are really works of art. The house feels like it's an extension of the land outside-- earthy, organic, and warm. 

We're so close to nature here-- it's a nice change from the sound of car horns and sirens that were constantly in the background at our old house. A hiking trail is just outside our back door and the backyard gives Tai plenty of room for exploring and having wild adventures. 

Being closer to the mountains means it's a bit chillier here, but we've been having fires almost every night. 

DREAM HOUSE IN PERU

I've been thinking about "home" lately-- recognizing a growing need inside myself to build a forever home for our little family. Our land in Peru lays waiting for us-- it's a dream that is constantly in the back of my mind, a dream that feels temptingly close, yet impossibly far away. For now, I'm focusing on paring down designs and ideas, so that we'll be ready to build when the time comes. Here are some of my recent inspirations:

Our house will probably be a combination of stone and dried cane (similar to bamboo)-- both local, renewable resources. 

We've been getting a lot of inspiration from the Earthships here in New Mexico. They're made of recycled materials and incorporate all kinds of cool elements like gray water systems, passive solar heating, and indoor greenhouses. We won't have access in Peru to the materials usually used, but I'd like to follow the same concept of building with a light eco-footprint.

Firepit and outdoor shower-- absolutely essential!!

This will be the view on one side of us....

And this is what we'll see on the other. Not bad, right? (You can see our water tank in the far right corner.)

It's hard for me to muster patience sometimes-- it may be another 5 years before we're able to make the move back to Peru and make this dream come true. Which gives me looooots of time to keep browsing ideas and blueprints to create our perfect little home. :)

Join us on Pinterest to see more pictures of awesome eco-home ideas.

GLASS BOTTLE WALL

 I thought I'd share some pictures of the glass bottle wall that we built last summer at my Mom's house, outside of town. We built the wall around an outdoor shower ( really just an elevated stock tank with a faucet head :) in practice for the house we're planning in Peru. We were inspired by the EarthShip houses here in New Mexico, built completely out of recycled materials. And the end result was even prettier than I imagined!

Alexis scoured the city recycling center for the prettiest bottles--and found some awesome ones. My favorite are the square aquamarine bottles-- some sort of tequila, if I remember correctly. 

The process took longer than we expected-- it's pretty labor intensive to carefully mold cement around each bottle, but the blazing summer sun sped things up by drying the cement super fast. And, aside from a few bags of cement, it was free! 

I love how the sun illuminates the glass- they light up so magically. 

I would love to create an outdoor shower out of bottles in our future house in Peru (although there isn't the variety of colored glass that we have here.) Can you imagine showering outdoors, in a sea of colored light, and looking out at the ocean??

NUESTRO BARRIO QUERIDO

I'm in love with our town in the summer-- it's warm, colorful, and full of life. I find that my chronic wanderlust disappears between June and September. I'm content being here, being home. 

I've been snapping lots of shots on our walks around the neighborhood. It's a funny little corner of downtown Santa Fe that straddles the line between upscale and sketchy. We fit right in :).

I love this mural at the park near our house. The text reads "Nuestro Barrio Querido..Aztlan." (Our beloved neighborhood...Aztlan.) There are usually a few guys sprawled out in the shade, sipping drinks from bags. Street art and character...gotta love it. 

Windows at the one of the churches in town. So beautiful. 

Far away scenes, so close to home. 

A private oasis at the rock sculpture gallery next door. 

The virgin of Guadalupe, painted on an adobe wall. I love discovering new ones. 

Little bean in front of another mural in our neighborhood. How blessed we are to live in such an artful, creative city. 

A gate in our neighborhood-- next to a junk yard guarded by pitbulls. We keep it real down here. :)

More mural art. 

Banana Trees and Monster Vines

We spent last weekend up at my best friend's house in Taos-- catching up, cooling off, and enjoying some much needed soul sister time.  Rosie's house is so inviting and bright-- it feels like a burst of fresh air when you walk in the door.

I love how many plants there are, all over the house- a banana plant in the corner and huge, gorgeous vines wrapping their way around the room. We've tried to nurture a few hanging  plants in our home, but after three years, they still look scraggly and out of place. 

I left feeling very motivated to do some redecorating in our home. I've never put much time or money into decorating but I'm beginning to realize what a huge difference it makes to have a space that you enjoy living in. 

The hubby and I have a date to hit the thrift store this weekend-- hopefully we can find some cheerful pieces to breathe new life into our tiny house 

Don't you love this little corner table!?