welcome

Born June 21 @ 7:30 p.m.

6lbs. 13 oz. 20 in. long

I am in love.

Letter

Dear baby,

Today is the last Saturday of my whole life that I won't know you. From now on, I will be forever learning your personality, needs, wants, dreams. My Saturdays will now be spent taking care of you, taking you to the zoo, going to your ballgames, wondering how you're doing, and waiting on your phone calls.

I can't wait to meet you. It is a bittersweet feeling to bid farewell to my former life. One that consists of Saturdays spent lunching, on sporadic housework, or the occasional shopping spree. They will seem much more important now, not just a lazy filler in between a hectic Friday and spiritual Sunday.

Thank you for the past nine months. You have already taught me more than you'll ever know.

See you on Tuesday.

Love,
Mom

nesting part II

Nursery completed: Check.

Clothes washed and baby gear ready for use: Check.

Downstairs baby station: Check.

Very cool and untacky European collapsable bathtub: Check.

As you can see, I am now in full nesting mode. The only thing missing in this equation is a bouncing baby boy. And fortunately for mom and dad, my nesting has carried over into our personal spaces as well. Our closet has never been cleaner. I am purging, scrubbing, organizing like crazy!

I can't stop!

Even in the kitchen!

And what baby-ready household would be complete without Summer pillows?

Oh who am I kidding! I've been nesting my whole life. It's just that now I can give it a cute name and a darn good excuse. Until now, I've just been labeled a psycho. Now, I am a "nesting mother". Much cuter.

Have a great holiday weekend!

button owl project

After hanging the mirror in the nursery, I realized that hanging a pair of something on either side would give a symmetrical look that I really crave in a room. In fact, after walking around my house, I noticed I have a pair of something hanging on either side of every mirror on the wall. So I dug out two old frames that I'd been saving. I got them at my local flea market for $10 each about two years ago.

I ordered vintage brown-toned buttons off of ebay for $8.50- a bag full of them! Then I went to Hobby Lobby and picked out two pieces of scrapbook paper that matched the decor of the room. I chose a green and white plaid gingham because of the other gingham accents in the room. It was much easier to find paper in this print, and I was afraid the buttons glued to the fabric might make it sag a little once I put it in the frame.

I laid out a design and played with it a little before actually gluing them down. For the glue, I used Liquid Stitch fabric glue. Elmer's would have probably worked too, but this stuff is really sticky, and I didn't want to risk the buttons coming loose.

After the buttons dried for a few hours, I wrapped the paper around two measured-to-fit pieces of cardboard and glued it down.

After that dried, I used a heavy duty staple gun to staple the cardboard into the frames. Overall, this project took about two hours, once I had all of the supplies at hand. I think it turned out great!

We also added a green stripe to the color pattern on the paneling, just to tie everything together. The nursery feels complete- now the only thing missing is a sweet baby boy!

Have a happy Mother's Day!

holy week

It's Palm Sunday. Hope everyone has a blessed week!

nesting

Like the mother bird that has made a nest over our front door, I've been doing a lot of primping, cleaning, and fluffing in preparation for baby Smith's arrival. I know he will really appreciate the new arrangement I added to the dining room table.

I bought an old toy box at a garage sale for $30. We had it professionally painted by a car painter with car paint. It looks great and the paint job is super durable.

I added a mirror on the wall by the crib. Note: an earthquake couldn't move this thing. It is secured with a three-prong nail hook that is made to hold up to 100 pounds. I also pulled the crib away from the wall a bit. Safety first!

This is a picture of my PawPaw when he was a little boy. Doesn't he look dapper? After all, baby Smith's namesake was PawPaw's grandmother.

In our room, recent additions include the crochet lace valences and new alabaster lamps. I used Pottery Barn burlap lampshades and love the way they turned out. Also, there is a white matelasse bedspread for spring/summer, and a new needlepoint owl pillow that was a gift from hubby.

The little shelf on my side is new too. It doesn't hold much, but I like the look of the white with the wood framed blue jay print.

Storage baskets for baby Smith's toiletries replaced an array of knick knacks that used to fill these bathroom shelves. These will be for baby wash cloths, toys, baby wash, hooded towels, etc. I like them so much better than the decorative items that were there before. These had been hiding in the closet for years! It's amazing how you can love something you already own even more when it's repurposed.

Last weekend, we had a very successful garage sale at Mom's. (Trying to bring OUT more than is brought IN.) Closets are sparse, and we even have a few empty kitchen cabinets and drawers. There's a lot to be said for simplifying! Feels so great!

Have a great weekend!

take it outside

Our poor little house has needed so much work. Not just on the inside either. Decades of overgrowth had taken over. Creeping slowly, taking it over like a disease. We knew it was not in the short term plan to start on the exterior. We had to get rid of the roaches and rotted floors on the inside first. But now, two years later, we have made our way outside.

Bad.

Better.

Best.

It's amazing what a little back-breaking work and a couple of thousand dollars can do. Of course, we won't be the envy of P Allen Smith anytime soon, but it looks great to us. Clean, manicured, not a rat or snake in sight!

Want to see more? Yeah you do.

Bad.

Better.

Best.

We planted azaleas, hydrangeas, boxwoods, and a bit of rosemary. They're babies now, but in a few years, this garden will be in full bloom. We also have a plan to add two crepe myrtle trees in front on either side of the front windows. I can't wait to watch it grow. The little garden statue was found in the backyard, under years of overgrown ivy. She now sits prominently in front as a reminder to water these little guys.

Before:

After:

We can't stop admiring it. We've been doing a lot of this lately:

Cheers to Spring!