large homes

Round Two of our recap of Mountain Bridge in Mesa. Thomas and I spent a lot of time ogling the houses and thinking “If we won the lottery…” because some were just so outlandishly large we really couldn’t imagine living in them unless money was no object. Then, it doesn’t matter. We could live in a McMansion. Actually, probably not. We think even then that anything over 2,600 sq. ft would just be too cavernous for us. We noticed in one home how much of an echo occurred in the expansive bathroom. That’s not the feeling we want in our home.

I know as much as I go on and on about my love affair with looking at homes and home design, I don’t reveal too much about my personal life on here, so I will try to balance out that aspect of my writing. I am going to start on a rather sad note, so reader, please don’t mind. Today is the 13th anniversary of my mother’s passing, so it’s a bit of an awkward day for me. I let myself be a little sad in the morning, but I really don’t know what all to do with my day. Even when I go back to Rhode Island (where I am from and where she is buried), I don’t often go by her grave. I drive by it and think of her, but that’s not where I feel her.

It’s like the Lee Brice song, “I Drive Your Truck”; certain songs and certain places remind me of her more than going to her grave. She’d also be a little surprised that I am mentioning a country song here because my mom was not a fan of country music, but I understand that aspect about her. Music should be for one’s own enjoyment, so enjoy what you enjoy. To this day, I think it’s still a little funny that she liked Notorious B.I.G.; the music was very different from her demeanor and lifestyle.

Here are some random things about my mom:

-She had a particular beef stroganoff recipe that she loved (and I feel bad admitting this but I enjoy Hamburger Helper beef stroganoff more than any other beef stroganoff that I’ve ever had)

-She was given an apple cake recipe (Aunt Mary’s Apple Cake) that she was told to never share outside the family and to this day, I’ve never given it to anyone else

-She was the baby of her family

-We called her purse a “black hole”–you really could lose anything in there; one time an earwig came out of it….ahhh!

-She would drive us to our middle school in Coronado since we lived outside of school boundaries and we’d get honeybuns for breakfast. Best times ever!!!

-After my first pet, Iris, died, she gave me an inscribed heart shaped key ring and let me bury the bird in our backyard (For the record: I do realize how big of a deal this was, because my mom didn’t like birds but I still got one for a pet. I happen to love birds, but now that I am older, will not have one as a pet. They are too messy to keep.)

-Her nickname was Monty (Mom+Aunty=Monty)

And some things about me, since I am trying to personalize this blog a little more:

-I like Toaster Strudel, but will always have a fondness for the unfrosted strawberry PopTarts as one of my favorite treats

-Yankee Candle’s Midsummer’s Night candle is my favorite scent

Best scent ever!!!

-I think men look best when they are clean shaven.

-I didn’t learn to really cook until I was 23 and didn’t learn to bake until I was 25. Now, I like both so much and really would spend all my day cooking and/or baking, if I had unlimited financial resources. And I’d have to seriously take up a good workout so as not to gain 15lbs in a month.

-I really hate Monty Python and the Holy Grail…I am blaming an ex-boyfriend for this one. It was his favorite (or one of his favorite movies) and I didn’t find it all that amusing and less so, when he kept repeating all the lines.

-I am not really a girly girl: a pair of jeans, comfy t-shirt and a ponytail suit me just fine. I dress up fine when I want to impress and/or I have to go to work. Any other day and I’m craving a good pair of jeans.

-On the flipside, yes I don’t care much for being a girly girl but I do have some makeup favorites. I like Benefit, Tarte, and Smashbox (I wear their tinted moisturizer in lieu of foundation) cosmetics. Don’t ever buy me makeup…just a gift card to Sephora so I can pick out my own things.

-One of the coolest gifts I’ve ever received was a K-bar!

-I will not pay someone to decorate/design my home. I don’t trust someone else to know what it is I want in my home or how I want it to represent me.

-My nicknames: Cheerios, Cherri, and Chewy (and Lambie, when I was real young, but every kid gets those kind of nicknames)

So, that’s just a little bit about me and here’s the second set of lovely photos from our adventure.