The Apartment at the Mall

I want to expand on the last entry where I mentioned Providence Art Windows. Providence Art Windows is a non-profit that takes local artists' works and displays it in empty storefronts rather than leaving them in a more depressing state. I love this concept and think it is such a nice use of the space. Because downtown Providence is just recently becoming revitalized, there are quite a few of these empty storefronts allowing Providence Art Windows to make a walking gallery of sorts, which they change out every few months. To see what I mean and get a little more information on the most recent installation, click HERE.

This latest group of artists was a little controversial because of one of the installations. Some of you might have heard about the New England man who was caught living in the mall. Well, Michael Townsend is a local artist, who actually comes in to my studio quite often. When the Providence Place Mall was being built about seven years ago, he saw this empty space in the core of the building that wasn't being used. He decided to make it into an apartment. He built walls out of cinderblocks and moved furniture in. He lived there off and on for almost four years before getting caught. This received national attention and he now lectures on the meaning behind his "work" there. For Providence Art Windows he recreated the "Apartment at the Mall" and had it open to the public. We went to the opening party, which was after our Giving Tree event. He also borrowed a couple of items from Design Within Reach to finish his space. Below are some pics of the recreation and a couple of links to his websites and information.




The blonde woman in the picture above is my coworker Ann from Sweden. The lamp in the picture below is from my studio.



http://www.trummerkind.com/mall/Living_in_the_Mall.html

http://thestory.org/archive/the_story_383_A_Home_In_The_Mall.mp3/view

The Giving Tree

Mike and I decided before Owen's first birthday that every year we would buy him one special present and then make a donation in his name. We have decided that we like this idea so much it is being carried over into Christmas as well. Because Owen is still too young to choose where he would like the donation made, we chose for him. Just like his birthday, where we donated money to one of our friend's organizations, Camp of Dreams of whom I had also designed the main office area, we wanted to pick something that has to do with our lives now.

Every month at Design Within Reach we have a major design event. This month we hosted The Giving Tree alongside the opening party for Providence Art Windows. The Giving Tree is a tree that is full of cards that I had decorated by Mike's students and other students from CVS Highlander. Inside each card is a child's name that is living with AIDS and what he or she needs, for example diapers or a gift card to Target. This is a very good cause and a wonderful project that is head up by Aids Care Ocean State, (ACOS), Rhode Island’s largest provider of services to persons affected by HIV and AIDS. People pick one of the cards off the tree to keep and then bring back the gift listed inside to our studio, which we then donate to ACOS. So, Mike's students decorated the cards, my studio hosted the event, and then we picked a card for Owen's donation. It was a very successful event and everyone had a great time. Even Santa and the Mayor made an appearance.

We had plenty of good food, wine, hot chocolate, and live entertainment.



If you are wondering what Owen's special gift is it is a collector's edition of Lincoln Logs.

Lincoln Logs (1916) are familiar to most of us, but what you may not know is that they were designed by John Lloyd Wright, son of the architect Frank Lloyd Wright. It’s rumored that the younger Wright’s inspiration came from the foundation of Tokyo’s Imperial Hotel, which was designed by his father. While touring the site in Japan, John was intrigued with the interlocking wood construction used by the Japanese. The simple solution sparked an idea and more than 90 years later, Lincoln Logs are still here. This Commemorative Set brings back the original all-wood construction, it’s true to the traditional Lincoln Logs scale and there are no plastic parts. The simplicity of this set appeals to the inner-architect in all of us, no matter what our age.

What? Video Games Already?!

Believe it or not, our son already loves video games. Or I guess I should say computer games. One day Riley, who will be four in January, was over and asked to play a game on our computer. We don't really have any games, but we brought up a few free demos of car races for the boys to "play". I thought this was hilarious and didn't really think anything of it at the time. Well, now we have a little problem on our hands. Anytime Mike or I am at the computer Owen says, "I want car. Vroom, vroom." Also, when we are sitting down for dinner he can no longer face the computer because he will start asking for it and not finish eating. He even goes to the computer on his own, climbs in my chair, and starts typing away like he knows exactly what he is doing. And you should see his mouse control too! Watch out world, the next tech savvy generation is on its way in full force!





Owen is definitely not the little baby boy sleeping in his vroom, vroom outfit that Great Aunt Debbie got him anymore. How ironic that "vroom, vroom" was one of his first phrases though. God only knows what he has in store for us.

Sentences

As many of you know, Owen loves to talk. Everyday he is saying something new, or at least trying by repeating the sounds or last word he hears. Lately he has been saying short sentences and phrases, some of which I thought were worth mentioning.

• I got it!
  

• I find it.


• Where is it? (Insert various words for it like ball, Diesel, drink, etc.)


• I want it! This one is cute sometimes and not so cute other times. But with the phrase, "I want" comes other important sentence structure building tools that I am impressed he has already learned. For example he often refers to his Daddy as Mike or the possesive my Mike. So rather than just saying, "I want ball", he has put it together to say, "I want my Mike" or "I want my Mama." I love this. Although it is often heartbreaking when he says, "I want my Mike," it is still very cute.


• Owen eat it. (Owen could be replaced with Mama, Diesel, etc. When he is done eating dinner Owen usually calls Diesel over with a loud "D" or "Bubba" followed by, "Diesel eat it.")
• More _________ please. (Sometimes the blank is filled in, but mostly it is referring to food and he just says more please.)
• I know! I know! I know!
  


• Oh man! This one is very funny. I don't typically think it is fair to blame something on daycare, for example many parents will say their child learned to hit at daycare. I think most of what they learn at daycare they could have learned anywhere or even started doing it on their own like hitting, which is instinctual. But this is a phrase that Mike and I don't typically say and Owen uses often and in context, which leads me to believe that one of his little friends must say it at daycare. Either way, it is hilarious and we love it when he says it.

Three New Friends

Owen has been blessed with three new little friends. The first is Keller Soloman Greene born on November 2 in RI.

Here are Owen and Riley entertaining his new little brother, although he is already fast asleep. Oh, to be a newborn again. Or even to have a sleeping newborn again!



The second new little friend is Isabelle Sky Goodwin, born this past Tuesday in OR. I can't believe we aren't going to be there to visit her in the hospital, but I am sure we will have plans to get together soon. You can see more of her birth on the Goodwin's new blog.




The third little friend, also born on Tuesday, is Hagan Elizabeth Power born in NH. Here she is with her proud big sister Carey.





We can't wait to meet our new little friends and the new ones still on the way!!!!

Thanksgiving

Nana and Papa came to visit us in our new house as we hosted our first family Thanksgiving. It wasn't the same as getting all the Barretts together in South Bend, but we had fun starting our own family traditions. A couple of days before thanksgiving we went to IKEA to get a dining room table and some essentials that every new house needs from the great big blue building. Owen thought it was hilarious to chase Papa around the loading area as we waited for Nana and the new table.



Although not Swedish at all, Owen sure looks like he belongs at a Swedish IKEA with his blonde hair and blue eyes.

Thanksgiving day was a lot of fun. In true Barrington tradition, the boys went to the local high school football game while the women were at home cooking and setting the table. Owen and Riley had fun playing in the dirt of course.


The table set with the first course. I made squash soup in the half shell, which turned out surprisingly well.

Then Uncle Timmy, Sadye, Mimi, and Grandpa came in from the Boston airport. The boys made themselves comfortable watching football. Then we all sat down to eat, except for Owen who had played too hard in the morning and slept through dinner.

Once he woke up, we all had fun playing with Owen again.


The next day it was time for everyone to go home including Nana and Papa, who sat down for a goodbye picture because I realized that we were having so much fun while they were here that we never really took any pictures. Owen squirmed away so that he could sit on the stairs just like Nana. He copies whatever we do now, including helping out around the house, which I love.


Doesn't he look like such a big boy sitting there on the stairs?! We are going to miss everyone who came to visit. Thank you all for a wonderful time. We love and miss you!

Our New Home

After living on the east coast with Grandpa and Grandma Willard for the past three months, we have finally found our new home. Although these past months haven't always been easy, with four adults, three large dogs, a loud bird, and a baby in one house added to a commute of three hours every day, we couldn't be more grateful to Bruce and Angela. We have loved spending time with them, eating dinners together, and watching them enjoy their first grandchild. We love them very much and can't thank them enough.

Ok, so no family portrait in front of the house yet. It is raining today and because some of you are impatient I went out in the rain to snap a few shots of the front of the house from across the street.

So, here is the grand tour starting at the front door, making our way around the first floor and then to the second. Because we are in a flood zone we do not have a basement, but we do have an incredible back yard, which you will see after the interior.
When you walk in the door this is what you see. To the left of the staircase is the dining room.

Beyond the dining room is my extremely small office,

the downstairs bathroom with utility closet that has a door to close it off,

and our huge two car garage with plenty of room to have a work area and to store the jetski.

Then we head back through the dining room to the front door.

To the right of the staircase is the family room.

Then you walk through the family room to the back of the house, which is one big open space including the den with fireplace,

and the eat in kitchen, kitchen, and door to the porch and backyard.

Then you can either walk back through the family room or the dining room to go upstairs. The two doors that you see are big pantries. There is lots of storage space in the house because there is no basement.

On this tour we are walking through the dining room.

When you get to the top of the stairs, straight ahead is Owen's bathroom.

Then you can either go left to the master bedroom and hallway to the laundry room, or you can go right to the two other bedrooms. Let's start with the master bedroom. This is looking towards the front of the house.

Here is looking towards the back of the house. We have a walk-in closet, another closet full of shelves to the right that you can't see, and a master bathroom.

The master bathroom.

Since we are on this end of the house, we will go to the laundry room, which has another huge closet and a built in ironing board that comes out of the wall.

There are two other bedrooms. The first one is a little smaller and we are going to set that up as the nursery. Owen will have that room for now and then when we have another baby he will move to the guest room as his big boy room.

The nursery looking towards the hallway.

Looking into the guest room.

Now we are actually in the room.

That's the end of the tour of the house. We have a lot of work to do moving in and making it our own, but we are very excited to get started. Now for the back yard. Our house is on a 11,300 square foot lot, most of which is protected land. The protected land includes a tidle pond that has a stream leading to Hundred Acre Cove and eventually the ocean, so the water is brackish water. I am especially excited about our property and really want to embrace the fact that we are trying to protect the local wildlife.
Here is the actual back yard that is usable space, with the path leading to the pond. There is also space on both sides of the house where I plan to put a vegetable garden on one side and play area on the other. Maybe even a Kubb set for when the Goodwins come.


This is the pond looking to the right once you are at the end of the path. The water is deep enough to have kayaks.


This is to the left where the water starts heading its way out to the ocean.

So that's it! You are all welcome to come and visit whenever you are on the east coast!

We thank God, (and our patient realtor Sandra who we love), for blessing us with this amazing house, land, and new life.