Welcome to the world Sylvia Doris!

Born on April 7, 2012 at 10:49 PM

7 pounds 10 ounces

20.5 inches long

For Our Next Magic Act....

We are thrilled to introduce our future daughter, Tiny Tacco! The world premiere will be around April 4, 2012.

Alfred

How pretty our new house looks with a small blanket of snow. Unfortunately, the beauty quickly melted and left us with nothing but broken tree limbs and a week without power.
Even Darcy was a bit surprised that Halloween would be snowy this year.

Our Damage:

The magnolia tree on the side of our house was the hardest hit. The pictures do not truly show how much of the tree was lost. When the electricians chopped down the broken limbs to repair the electric line, we were left with two thirds of the limbs on the ground.





The oak tree in the back also didn't like the storm. A rather large limb shredded two floors up. It has yet to fall. We don't have any way of reaching it and chopping it down. It isn't in the way of any power lines, so we couldn't have the electricians take care of it when they were here. Sooo... I believe it is what they call a "widow maker". Anybody have a chain saw and a sturdy ladder?

Announcement

You are one month from a big announcement.
More to come November 16, 2011!

Making the House Home: Kitchen

We probably did the most to the kitchen when we moved in. We were given a $1,000 appliance allowance. If you have ever been shopping for appliances, you know that won't take you very far unless you do some leg work. We probably ended up spending around $500 of our own money, but we put together a nice kitchen, I think.


BEFORE:AFTER:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

BEFORE: (So glad to see that filthy, crooked fridge go!)
AFTER:

Walnut Hill Rose Garden

A block from our new house is an awesome park, Walunt Hill Park. We first heard about it when Chris raced in their annual bike race. He loves the crit there because it is relatively flat and it is great for spectators. Within the last few years they have revitalized the park.

Walnut Hill Park was commissioned in 1870, the park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. Olmsted is also famous for his designs for Central Park in New York City and the "Emerald Necklace" in Boston including Charlesbank, Back Bay Fens, Riverway, Leverett Park, Jamaica Pond, Arnold Arboretum, Franklin Park, and Marine Park, and connecting parkways. The park (especially the hilltop rose garden) reminds me of some of the parks I saw in Europe. (especially Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna and St. Stephen's Green in Dublin, Ireland)

Here are some pictures of the roses. These were taken with my cellphone, so please excuse the grainy quality. Note that there is a WWI monument that reminds us of our beloved Soldiers and Sailors Monument in East Rock- New Haven.

Walnut Hill Park Rose Garden

House Stalker

* I am not sure how this post will turn out. This is my first post using the Blogger app. Forgive me if the pictures don't come out clear because they were taken with the crumby Android phone.

These are pictures I have snapped of houses that I liked. The first picture comes from a house in New Britain that overlooks Walnut Hill Park. I love the house, but love the rocking chairs on the porch! The next three pictures came from houses in the East Rock neighborhood of New Haven (where we lived). The first picture has the landscaping that I imagine we will do. That house was directly behind our apartment. They did a ton of work on it within the past year. The other two pictures show adorable picket fences. I think a picket fence may be in the future. To me it is a throw back to the 1940's and 50's. I can't stop thinking of It's A Wonderful Life and the scene where Mary and George walk home from the dance. Sigh...

Sigh... again. Well, I will continue to stalk until I can find a decent source for semi urban landscaping!

Courtesy of the Marketplace.....

I just downloaded the Blogger App, probably should have a while ago.....anyway while you're here, go here:  http://gplus.to/TaccoInSpandex

Yay for blogs.

First Event in the House: Katherine's Shower

Like a complete dolt, I decided to throw my sister Katherine's bridal shower two weeks after our closing date. I was confident that everything would be put away and ready for the shower. I completely forgot about the whole fact that buying a house cost money. Luckily, the shower came together and I created as lovely of a day as I could for my sister.The Spread: Katherine's shower was a classic tea party. I primarily served pastries and desserts. I was very fortunate to have my best friend send me her famous scones from Iowa. She shipped them over-night and they were a huge hit. (Scone flavors included: Baileys, dark chocolate & coconut, cheese & cracked peppercorn, and currant) I also baked several types of breads from my grandmother's recipes. Grammy was unable to be there, but her legendary banana bread was!


Activity/Prize: For an activity and a chance to win a fabulous prize (cheesy, love-themed kitchen gadgets) my youngest sister Kimberly and I made sugar cookies that were in the shape of wedding cakes. I bought a variety of decorating materials and challenged the guests to a contest. Katherine voted for her top 3 favorites and the prizes were awarded.

The Presents: The timeless tradition of gathering in a circle and watching the bride open homegoods to choruses of "ooos" and "ahhs" wasn't skipped. Katherine got a number of wonderful presents that she and Tim will put to great use.

Receiving the teapot from Kimberly and I
A Lenox vase

Salad Claws

The Groom: In the end, Tim showed up in time to cut the cake and see the loot that he was going to take home! My sister is very lucky to have found someone that compliments her so well. He's a great partner and a fabulous match for her.


Note:
Darcy refused to be left out of the festivities. After all, it's her house! She was a complete lady and behaved well.

Additionally, Tim illustrated that the house was perfect for Chris and I. Neither of us are over 5'8". However, Tim soars to at least 6'5". We had a great laugh over how spacious our stairwell is.