Since we bought our place furnished -and brought quite a lot of additional furniture along anyway - I must use my blog to ooh and ahh over these pieces since it will be a few decades before we actually buy any.

This Mado bed by Koji Collection is a modern take on the old European-style enclosed beds:

It’s beautiful. I wonder if it comes in toddler size? If so, two please!

And this piece – also by Koji Collection - is supposed to be a pet bed, but wouldn’t it make a most excellent fort for the boys?

I see Jonah spending a few hours each day shimmying in and out of the holes.

And I’ve always loved the idea of bookshelves lining a staircase, but Apartment Therapy put a new twist on the idea of storing books in unused space:

Alas, we do not have a staircase.

Alas, we do not have rafters.

But we do have a heck of a lot of books.

Jonathan walked in the door the other day and nearly collapsed immediately. “What is that?” he gasped and pointed to a discolored spot above the baseboard on the wall outside the kitchen. “How long has it been there? Why didn’t you tell me about it?”

“Well, darling, I’ve been watching two toddlers all day and haven’t noticed a small spot appearing on the wall,” I answered sweetly. (Um, actually I was not this gracious.)

Turns out it was a water spot. Which was not good for a couple of reasons. One, we just had a major leak area repaired in the playroom and two, it was in the middle of the house – obviously and ominously not coming directly from the outside…. but wait, what if it was? That would be one serious leak. This worried Jonathan.

Since the boys were born (really since I got pregnant), Jonathan and I have divvied up who worries about what, in a casual and abstract sort of way. This system works pretty well, except for when we have major arguments about it monthly. But for the most part it’s Jonathan’s job to worry about the house. He’s really good at it.

But I did think about this particular situation for a moment and wondered aloud if this leak might have anything to do with the ice maker not producing ice for the past few days.

Jonathan pulled the fridge out of its alcove and – to his everlasting relief – that was indeed the problem. Something had happened to some sort of hose and there was water pooling on the floor under the fridge, into the cabinets, and into the wall. We will still have to re-do the drywall there, but at least it wasn’t a leak from outside.

So we monitored the situation over the next 48 hours and discussed our alternatives in case it was more than the hose and we needed a new fridge. Our plans to gut our kitchen next year impacted our decision. We were thinking of buying a separate fridge and freezer, but with the current configuration there’s only room for one.

Should we buy just the fridge part of the new set we were planning to buy next year? And live without a freezer for a year? But what if we bought the fridge and now then the matching freezer was no longer available next year. (Jonathan was the only one concerned about this.)

Should we just buy El Cheapo fridge now then replace it with a new set next year?

Should we buy El Cheapo and put a mini-freezer in the laundry room?

What about you - what would you choose? Would you go without a freezer for a year?

We decided on the first option. But 48 hours and no more leaks later, we decided it was just the hose and therefore the current fridge could stay put till next year. But I have started monitoring some good kitchen-design blogs to start getting ideas for next year. My favorites thus far are Trendir and Get Decorating.

If you know of any other good ones, let me know!

I first stumbled upon D’Andrea’s blog “Monsters In My Kitchen” because she also has two year-old twins. I keep returning because she posts an entertaining mix of delicious looking/tasting recipes, toddler activities, as well as photos of the monsters lurking about her kitchen:

D’Andrea also has an Etsy shop named Pupa where you can browse her cuddly natural doll creations – perfect for babies and toddlers - such as June and George below. (She can custom design a doll to match a child as well!)

And look at these little walnut people:

Miraculously (did I mention she has a three year-old in addition to the twins), she also manages to create cool wallpaper out of maps. I think I’ll fly her in from Toronto to do our bathroom as well. And I’ll offer her soooo much money that her husband won’t balk at watching the kids for a weekend.

On second thought, I’m not sure if I have sufficient funds. Because if it were my husband it would be a least $50K.

I visited an office building in Midland, Texas, that showcased a rather unusual collection of the owner's art.  (And I use the term "art" very loosely here.)

As you walk into the lobby you look up and see a large stuffed cat with it's prey.

A few steps later you see a stuffed cat suffocating what looks like a large deer.

Next we have some stuffed baboons riding in a wagon pulled by a stuffed zebra.  (It's a good thing I had my camera because you would never believe me otherwise.) 

Just wanted to make sure you saw the baboons up close:

Who would want to see these stuffed creatures in ridiculous poses or at their moment of death every time they come to work?  (Besides you, Bob.)