Don’t hate me, but while the US is starting the long cold winter, I’m still wearing shorts and flip flops. The weather has been incredible lately, and we’ve taken advantage by traveling and seeing more of Nicaragua.

A few weeks ago, we traveled to the beautiful island of Ometepe, located in the middle of Lake Cocibolca. This lake is the largest lake in Central America and the 21st largest in the world. The island of Ometepe is large enough to take several hours to travel around via car or boat. It is made up of two volcanoes, one of which is still moderately active. I wish I had pictures of all the modes of transportation, but we were so rushed there and back that we couldn’t stop to breathe let alone take pictures. We took the bus from Granada to Rivas, a taxi from Rivas to San Jorge, and a ferry from San Jorge to Ometepe. From the ferry port, we took a taxi to the hotel. Two days later, we took the same trip in reverse. Travel time took about 5 hours in total. We left on Friday afternoon, and came back on Sunday afternoon. The ferry ride was my favorite part, as we were able to get a lot of pictures of the island from the distance. Mid way to port, a rainbow appeared in between the two volcanoes. It was so incredibly beautiful. As the hubby put it, “When in your life are you guaranteed to see this again?” I can’t describe how amazing it was to slowly chug through the water watching the rainbow shimmer and shift through the clouds.

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Today is one of those days. I’m not particularly motivated to tackle my to do list. Nor am I ready to tackle the 2 hour lesson I need to finish before tomorrow morning. I’ve spent the morning thinking of the friends I have been blessed with, thinking of Hurricane Ida landing on the coast, and capturing the small details of this beautiful day.

My sweet Jesse, waiting out the morning with me.

A clothesline filled with baby clothing.

A self portrait.

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After moving to Nicaragua, I realized that fashionable lamps were in short supply. The best option was to DIY a lamp, as hardware stores and terra cotta pots are plentiful and cheap. The entire project cost us under $10 for two lamps.

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When we first decided to move to Nicaragua, I had a vision of what our home would be like. That vision was filled with dark wood, open courtyards, hammocks gently waving in the breeze. I.e. a Gringo house, not a Nica house.

Shortly before we moved we received an email from our program director. He described a couple (Nicaraguan) who needed roommates. The monthly charge was only $200 including utilities, and they were happy for us to have our dog live with them. We happily agreed to a three month term, feeling relieved that we didn’t have to immediately start searching for a home.

I knew I was in trouble the minute I walked into the house. The lights were fluorescent. Geckos were on the walls. And oh the paint. It can only be described as sickly green. I was immediately homesick. I won’t go any further, to do so would be insulting to our roommates.

We spent the next week pondering reasons to move (prettier digs), but realized that nice cushy budget wouldn’t exist anymore if we did move. We decided to stay, but started making plans to paint and update the house just slightly. Not enough to lose money, but enough to be comfortable. I’ve lost the before pictures, so you’ll have to make do with the after.

First up, the living room. The HUGE living room. We have two front doors, double sized. Two huge windows and so much space it’s hard to fill up. Our life of dodging furniture is over. I can’t get over the space. These pictures only cover half of the space, it’s that huge.

We only painted and hung curtains in this room. Our roommates have been living in the house for seven months, and I don’t feel comfortable rearranging or buying furniture that we won’t bring back to the States.

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Hello EAD Readers! It’s been sooooo long since I’ve posted. As in, 2.5 months long. During that time, we have moved out of our apartment and into temporary housing, moved to Granada, set up our home, adjusted as much as we can to the heat, shipped one of our dogs, and attempted to learn the language and the culture.

Wow.

E has been patient while I figure out what I want to blog about and how much I want to show you of our life here. While I live in one of the oldest and wealthiest cities in Nicaragua, much of the country is extremely poor. So my life isn’t always lighthearted and adventurous. Sometimes it’s heartbreaking, and I don’t think it would be fair to share only one side of my life here. But for the first few posts I’ll be sharing my home with you!

I haven’t had much of the “living” inspiration I thought I would have until the last two weeks. The home we moved into was not at all what I expected, and we’ve struggled with the idea of moving and finding a “prettier” place while we’re here. Staying and doing slight improvements to the house, while saving some serious cash, was our final decision. I’m really happy we decided to stay, even if it ends up being for half of our stay in Nicaragua.

One of the biggest benefits and drawbacks to living in Central America is the cost of living. Benefits include amazing organic locally grown produce at really low cost. Drawbacks include a serious language barrier and lack of easy access to things like home goods and craft supplies. I’m learning to adapt in two key ways.

First, I’ve realized that its better to have a general idea of what you need instead of something specific. This applies to everything from lamps to recipes. For example, we have a HUGE bookshelf that contains most of our goods (medicine, clothing, shoes, small electronics, books, toiletries, etc.). It’s functional right now, but not pretty. I really wanted baskets to organize everything, but no one we asked knew of a place in Granada to purchase baskets. We ended up taking a bus to a mall in Managua to pick up baskets for our bookshelves. They were horribly expensive, even for American standards, and I still am not completely satisfied with them. Two weeks later, I saw baskets made out of recycled material that weren’t quite what I had in mind, but were prettier and about 1/5 of the cost. I picked up one as a test, and love it.

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I’m in an enviable position because I get to collect all the ideas I have for our new home in Nicaragua and our studio we’ll build next year. It’s like planning not one, but two weddings!

If I had to define my style, it would be ultra casual. As in, let the dogs sleep on the bed and sofa, soft comfy couches covered in couches, hammocks tied to trees, walk around barefoot, live at the beach kind of casual.

The best part? Both houses will have a focus on living space that seamlessly integrates with the outdoors.  The living, dining and kitchen spaces in Nicaragua traditionally open up to big courtyards, some with wading pools and fountains, and our studio will have one side made up completely of glass and doors that open up to a big porch and courtyard.

This week’s newsletter from Better Homes and Garden was definitely what I needed right now. It was full of casual living inspiration, including a slideshow on outdoor dining spaces. Score!

Here are some of my favorites…

Suggestion: Add natural rugs to enhance the casual feel.

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We’re moving not once but twice in the next 30 days.

The first time will be this weekend to a friend’s house. She moved to the beach and is letting us stay (rent free!) in her house for the next month. Which includes access to her pool and extensive land with a lake (daily swims for the dogs!). This move requires separating everything we own into three categories:

• Things we will take to Nicaragua
• Things we will sell or donate - anything that doesn’t have real meaning to us
• Things we will store - one dresser, one side table, four chairs, one table, keepsakes, office supplies (paper, envelopes, printers, cutters, etc.), kitchen supplies.

The second time will be our move in late August to Nicaragua. Everything we need will be brought on the flight as cargo. We are taking the following:

• 4 lockers, measuring 32″ x 17″ by 12″
• 2 suitcases, carry on size
• 2 laptop bags

That is the sum total of all our necessary belongings for the next year. We ran into a problem when we realized the lockers (small enough to meet airline requirements) are too small to contain our printer. Which isn’t a true necessity (like, for instance, high thread count linens), but we really need access to a good scanner to transfer documents back and forth from the States.  Shipping is incredibly expensive (about $500 for the printer, not including customs). So we are trying to decide whether to buy a smaller model (really do not have the funds right now considering our vaccinations alone are $750, tickets are $1500, shipping the dogs is another $1000, emergency flights are $2000, medical flights are $1000…you get the picture), find a way to package it and pay for the extra luggage, or just leave it and take the risk that we can eventually pick up a suitable printer/scanner in Managua.

Oh, and I quit my job so our sole income is my husband’s graphic design business. Yay!

At the same time, we are meeting with a friend who is designing our future studio. Are we crazy? Yes! However, it’s really helping to have a short term goal (moving to Nicaragua) and a long term goal (building a studio and eventually a house). It’s allowed us to part with items that have no potential future use, and to truly appreciate the items we are keeping and/or able to take with us.

All I can say is that I am very happy to have read this book before the move, rather than after.

Miss me?! After a two week break for vacation, I’m back and ready to create.

I saw an article about art journals on decor8 that hit a chord in me. One of the areas I’ve struggled with is keeping memories alive through my journals and writings. I’ve tried my hand at scrapbooking, but the supplies can be incredibly expensive. Art journals are more informal and organic. I can use whatever objects strike my fancy, and I don’t have to worry about everything matching.

This art journal is by Patty Von Dorin.

A decor8 reader left a comment with a link to the website of Matt Mallams. I was completely absorbed by this male perspective on journaling and art.

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My neighbor Leigh built this amazing potted herb garden in her backyard and I asked her to share! She found a similar project at Ikea, but decided to DIY her own version. She’s pretty handy around the house, and if I ever needed a repair done she’s the first person I would call for help.

Materials:
2 landscaping timbers, cut to 6 feet each
1 6×2×12 board, cut into two  6 foot pieces
8 3 inch wood screws
10-20 screws (depending on type of pot rings)
10 7″ pots
10 6″ pot rings

Instructions:
Lay timbers on flat surface approximately 6 feet apart.
Lay 2×6 boards perpendicular over timbers approximately 3 feet apart.
Use screws to affix boards to timbers, 2 per board.
Prime and paint with preferred color (optional).
Once dry, layout and affix pot rings 5 per board, approximately 10″ apart.
Select garden location.
Dig two one foot post holes 5 1/2 feet apart.
Place structure into holes and use level to make sure structure is straight.
Pack dirt around post to secure (for more stability, you can use concrete).
Select herbs or flowers, plant in pots, place in rings and enjoy!

Originally posted on Honeysuckle Life

I’m turning 30 in October. My husband found my first gray hair yesterday. And my biological clock is ticking away.  Every time I see a cute baby, my ovaries twist. Seriously. I can actually feel my uterus trying to reach out and GRAB THAT CHILD.

But I can’t quite get past the fact that we don’t want children. Not now. Not for at least five years. I can’t quite say never because I genuinely love children of all ages. Most women who decide NOT to have children are deemed abnormal, selfish, unfeminine, etc. Or at least that’s how it seems in the traditional deep Southern states. Women usually go to college, grab a husband and start having babies as soon as possible. I say this without judgment as the women I know who have done this are happy.

I just don’t know if I should have children. Aren’t there babies I can find in an orphanage to make my own? Babies who have been abandoned out of choice or because of lack of resources.

I also find the thought of me being pregnant disturbing. Not pregnancy in general, just me being pregnant. Did I make that clear? I hate going to the gyno now. The idea of actually giving birth seems unnatural and this article from Dooce is not helping.

I’m also really afraid of something going wrong, even though my mom had eight pregnancies and only one of them ended in miscarriage.

Yes, I have six siblings and two sisters by marriage.  All but me and my youngest brother have reproduced. I have lots of nephews and nieces of all ages (from 18 years to five months). And I love them desperately. Each one of them is amazing to me. They drive me crazy and make me laugh at the same time. So I can say without one doubt that if I never had children, I would feel fulfilled in that way because of them. I also want to contribute financially to their lives, and I can’t do that if I have children.

I recently read this book, and it helped us make the decision in a logical way. We determined that adoption in five years is our first goal. It may happen sooner than that, we may end up never adopting. But we don’t feel the need to reproduce genetically when so many children are out there waiting for homes. That’s not to say that if I accidentally got pregnant it would be the end of the world. We would be happy, it’s just not part of our plan.

What have you and your spouse decided?