Off to Lake Tahoe...

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Emerald Bay in Lake TahoeLast airplane ride before baby, last time away with my husband before we become parents...and first time to Lake Tahoe!  Thanks to the generosity of Steven's parents, we're off to spend a relaxing family vacation in the land of clean air, blue/green lakes, and mountain lodges with real fireplaces!

Look forward to sharing photos upon my return...

My roses.

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For the last few years for Valentine's Day, my thoughtful husband has gotten me something that lasts much longer than a bouquet - an entire climbing rose plant that will provide beauty in our garden year after year.  I look forward to the moment each spring when my roses begin to sprout their buds and bloom.  I love to check out the progress each morning.  This year, they are spectacular...the pruning and trellising that my mom and I labored over a few weeks ago has paid off!

 

#33

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Well, I can now cross #33 off my "37 by 37" list.  Thanks to our friend Josh who got free tickets from work, this past Sunday evening was spent partying with my favorite fellow New Jerseyans, BON JOVI!  It was my third time to see them, and Steven's first.  Out of the three times I've seen them live, it was by far the best show, visually and musically.  The video show was unbelievable - screens that kept changing shapes and sizes and even turned into platforms for JBJ to walk on over the stage.  Baby Girl B loved it too - she was dancing the whole time!

My favorite part?  The encore - Wanted Dead or Alive sung entirely by the audience, and of course Livin' on a Prayer, the best song of the 80s.  As they say, once a Jersey girl, always a Jersey girl...

Baby girl room.

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So that "nesting" thing people talk about? It's real.

While I don't subscribe to the idea that we have to break the bank to create a nursery that the child won't even notice or even really enjoy for a few years, I also believe that the natural "nesting" urge is there for a reason. There is something fitting - perhaps essential - about preparing a place for your baby before he or she enters the world.  Whether that's a basket in the corner of a tiny apartment or its own private room, I realize now how important it is to have this experience.  

My philosophy is to use as much handmade or recycled items as possible...that's more meaningful to me anyway than ordering the entire room from a Pottery Barn catalog.  Ya know?

So, here's my little plan I've been working on...

{click image to view larger}

 

  • Bird mobile.  My friend Robyn is making this for me!  Robyn and I go way back to the Grassroots Music days, and she's always been a source of creative inspiration. She's using real branches and Amy Butler fabric for the little birdies.  I can't wait to see it!
  • Wallpaper.   My friend Michelle and I found this whimsical wallpaper online and had an idea for a project.  I already have these dark wood dressers that were actually my brother's furniture when he was little.  One of them has a top that folds out to be used as a changing table, and later, a desk.  They have great style but are looking pretty banged up.  At the same time, I honestly do not have the patience to prep, sand, prime, and paint two sets of dressers with all the other things on my plate right now.  Instead, I'm going to buy this bird/cloud wallpaper at only $20/yard and cut a piece to fit the front of each dresser drawer and attach it with spray adhesive.  So the drawer fronts will have the paper, and the rest of the dresser will stay dark wood.  Add some new drawer pulls, and we basically have a brightened and refaced dresser while keeping a family heirloom.  Voila! {Let's hope I can actually pull this off...tips, anyone?}
  • Anna Maria Horner bird fabric.  This fabric is from her Drawing Room collection. I thought it would be adorable for pillows for the love seat we're moving in from the living room, or for crib bedding.  The lovely Bre Taylor {who is also pregnant a few weeks behind me} has agreed to lend me some of her sewing expertise! 
  • Bird/branch wall decals.  Found these on Etsy and loved them!  They apparently look like the wall has been painted, although they're a non-permanent vinyl.  I can't decide which one I like best but am leaning towards the larger, sweeping branch that's shown over the bed in the above image.  Which one do you like best?
  • "It Is Going To Be OK" print. I already have this framed in the guest room.  It was given to me as a gift and reminds me everyday of this simple truth.  As a child of God, I really do believe it is all ultimately going to be OK...and I'm figuring I'm going to need this daily reminder even more once I become a mother!  Plus I love the colors.  Everything in the Studio Mela Etsy shop is amazing.
  • "Be Loved.  Be Free." print. Another Etsy find.  Love the birds, love the message.
  • Amy Butler fabric.  This kind of squiggly fabric is from her Midwest Modern 2 collection.  Not sure if I want this or the other fabric for pillows and bedding.
  • Branch curtains.  These are from IKEA, and I got them on Ebay a long time ago.  They're staying on the windows.
  • "Cascading waters" paint by Behr.  I painted this on the walls last spring and am keeping the color.  It's the perfect soothing, pale green, and I love it.  Several months ago, I had pondered repainting the room in a low or non-VOC paint, but then decided it didn't make sense given the fact that the entire rest of our house isn't using non-VOC paint...so is there really a point?  I just felt like I was being legalistic about it and felt so much better when I decided to keep the current paint on the walls.
  • Owl bank.  Once again, found on Etsy.  I just love supporting artists of handmade items!  How cute is this bank?  We always have random spare change around the house, so I thought we could gather it here and start a college fund for our daughter :)

So, one wall will mostly be taken up by one of the branch decals, and on the other wall, I plan on creating a big collage of mismatched picture frames in a cool formation...including framed prints and also photos of our family members as babies, including some of Steven and I.  I have some really cute ones of my mom as a toddler sitting on the front steps of her shotgun apartment in Jersey City in the 1940's with her mother - a grandmother I don't remember because she passed away when I was two.

We plan on using an Arm's Reach co-sleeper for the first while so our baby girl can sleep in our room with us.  Not sure when we'll move her to this crib, but my intention is that even after that, I'll still be able to be responsive for whatever she needs. I realize at first, the baby room will be more of a haven for me than anything.  Still, it'll house her tiny clothes and books and be a place where we can play and nurse.  And I'll dress her on the changing table that her uncle Glen used over 40 years ago.

I'll keep you posted on the progress!

Come on in!

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After about a year of watching the paint on our front door chip and peel in the scorching Texas sun, I finally decided it was time for a fresh look.  I wanted a happier, brighter first impression upon entering our home - something other than the boring, faded brown.  I'm a girl who loves splashes of bright color and thought a happy orange would mesh well with the mint green, cream, and burgundy colors on the outside of our home, while also providing a welcome contrast.

Here is the before and after...

What do you think?  My wonderful mom came to visit last weekend and is responsible for all the scraping and sanding and the first coat of paint.  After I realized the outdoor paint we chose was actually low-VOC, I was brave enough to apply the second coat this weekend and finish it up.  Depending on the light and time of day, it seems tangerine, or carrot, or pumpkin, or chai.

I love the color and hope it creates a more welcome entry to our home!

by night

Coming soon - new colorful doormats and this swing for the front porch {all gifts from my mom}, along with repainted wooden furniture that a friend found for me on the side of the road.  Stay tuned for more front-of-the-house makeovers!