this and that

I was on such a roll there, actually posting on the blog.  And then Thea decided to stop being the easiest baby ever and her naps haven't been completely overlapping Elsie's.  And occasionally I have to shower.  Damn personal hygiene.

So bullet points for today.  Yay!

::  I'm pretending Thea is not a month old today.  How the hell did that happen already?  I'm planning to take her monthly photos on the awesome quilt my mom made (TamTam for the win again!) when she wakes up.  Until then, here are a couple from two weeks ago.

headband by Pretty Little Elm

::  Nursing hunger is like 1000x worse for me than pregnancy hunger.  I'm assuming it is the lack of a little human smashing my stomach and making me nauseous all the time.  But I am currently ALWAYS HUNGRY.  Everything sounds good.  I would eat almost anything.  I'm constantly hiding in our pantry snacking.  It's terrible.  I quickly made it down to only six pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight, like 10 days after Thea was born.  Considering the fact that I gained 10 pounds more than I did with the other two, and lost all the weight just as quickly as I did with the first two, I can only conclude I was carrying around 10 pounds of water weight in my legs.  Haha.  But seriously, I probably was.  But nothing has happened since then, and I can only blame my current snacking habits.  I want to make myself eat healthier snacks, but then I'm walking through Target and I'm all brownie batter Oreos, yes please!  For the record, they totally aren't worth it.  Get the Golden Oreo thins.  Way better.  Do indulge in some dark chocolate peanut M&Ms.  Those are way worth it.  ;o)

::  The upside of moving from 1600 square feet to 4600 square feet?  SO MUCH SPACE.  The downside?  SO MUCH SPACE to decorate!  I'm anxious for my house to feel more finished, but we can only buy so much at one time.  And I'm so indecisive that it is taking me forever to pick stuff out.  We still don't have mirrors in our master bathroom.  We've lived here almost two months and have owned the house since November.  Oy.  It'll happen.  In the meantime I'm trying my hardest to get the girls' rooms finished so I can post them on the blog.  I'm getting there!  But oh my gosh I simply cannot decide what color curtains to put in Thea's room.  Suggestions?  Would light pink be bad?

banner by Sharp Tooth Studio

::  We'd probably have more money for furniture if I didn't buy so many hair clips and headbands.  The etsy app is so enticing at 2am...  If there was a support group for headband hoarders I might have to go.

:: We were rather ambitious this weekend (for us) and took on a trip to KC for a few different things.  First up was a birthday party, followed by a trip to Rainbow Play Systems to pick out a new swing set (it's coming next Friday and I'm so damn excited!), and rounded out by a stop at a friend's house to meet their new baby.  Oh throw in there buying Christopher a new truck as well.  We hadn't slept much the night before, and the morning was a little stressful, but once we got to KC things were going alright.  But we were definitely wiped by the end of it.  At one point during the drive home Thea was screaming (I thought babies were supposed to pass out in cars?!?), Elsie's iPad was blaring, and Ryann was way in the back wearing a mini sombrero shaking mini maracas and I couldn't do anything but laugh.  Life with three isn't as terrifying or miserable as I expected it to be, but it sure as hell is crazy.

::  September 1st is next week.  Are you kidding me?  I seriously can't believe how fast time is flying.  But I can't flipping wait to have soup in the crock pot and wear comfy sweat shirts and bake some pumpkin goodies.  Plus that gets us closer to Halloween and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited to have three girls to dress and coordinate for the holidays.  We already snagged a couple of Halloween shirts from Target and I'm on the hunt for matching pajamas.  It is so hard to find pajamas in all three sizes though, come on stores.  You're killing my dreams.

That's all my brain can muster on a few hours of sleep.  Adios!

this and that + some nursery progress

::  My blog is annoying me.  The fact that I barely post anything and the fact that I haven't changed the look in FOREVER.  I keep wanting to, and start designing something, and then I hate what I've come up with and give up for a while.  The lack of posting is simply because I can barely sit still long enough to come up with a complete thought.  Restless legs are just no freaking joke and I am starting to lose my mind.  Hence the tidbit like post with crappy iPhone pictures.  You're welcome.

::  In less than a week the movers are coming to start packing up all our stuff.  I'm still in denial.  Partially because I don't want to move out of town and partially because our new house isn't finished yet.  How this renovation is taking so long I have no idea.  I'm 90% sure it will be in a state that we can move into next week, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't bitter that it is coming down to the wire.  But uh, yeah.  Moving in a week.  !!!!!!

::  Speaking of the new house, some of the progress!  I am absolutely in LOVE with our master bathroom.  I can't wait until it is finished.  The floors are awesome, the shower is going to be awesome (and huge!).  After spending the majority of this pregnancy attempting to shave in a tiny little shower stall you better believe I'm going to be taking some long showers in that thing as soon as I can.

You just have to pretend that you don't turn around and see this right now...

It will be done.  It will be done.  It will be done.  Maybe if I keep telling myself that it will actually happen.  My mom said all the kitchen appliances were installed today.  That is certainly a bonus!

::  This past weekend we were back in town checking on some things, and spent some time working on the nursery.  I am so excited to get the furniture in here and see the whole room take shape.  My mom had already painted the walls, but with Christopher and my Dad's help we got some stripes on the walls.  We did these stripes in Elsie's current room and I just think they are so pretty.  So the poor guys got stuck helping me with them again.  I'm lucky my dad and my husband love me so much.

And my dad, wow, he definitely wins bonus points.  After seeing this on pinterest I decided I really wanted to put heart decals in the closet.  Yes in the closet.  That still has doors on it.  My dad didn't really see the reason.  But he helped me measure out all the spacing for the hearts on father's day and I'm incredibly grateful.  I mean closets full of little baby clothes are adorable.  Closets full of baby clothes with little gold hearts all over it?  Exactly.  I purchased my decals from Wall Dressed Up.  Her prices were slightly higher than some I've seen on etsy, but her customer service is top notch and she is local.  She dropped the decals off at my door step just two days after I ordered them.

::  I wish I could sign up for a daily delivery of fresh watermelon.  That is all.

design disagreements

Our home renovation is trucking along and I'm loving it.  New kitchen cabinets have been ordered, a large opening has been created between the kitchen and the family room, all the trim has been painted and new hardwood floors are being installed.  I've only been over there once, but my mom and dad visit and send me updates occasionally.  I get so giddy to see the progress.

I'm hoping this weekend we will get to go and finalize the master bathroom design and finishes.  We also might try our hand at white washing the fireplace.  I don't want to paint it straight white, but the straight red brick just isn't working for me.  So I want to do a really really thin wash of white over it to tone down the red and help it blend in to my more neutral palette.

Now that the trim is painted we can get to work on doing the walls in the upstairs bedrooms.  I thought I'd be a good mom and include my kids in the design process as much as I could, but there is where we've run in to an issue.  When I asked Elsie what color she wanted her room, she quickly shouted "RED!"  Not exactly what I was wanting to hear.  As luck would have it, Ryann keeps requesting that I paint her walls purple.  Red and purple.  Quite possibly my two least favorite colors to design with.  In general I just find red too harsh.  And I think as a Jayhawk fan I just have this ingrained aversion to purple.  So I'm working on how to come to a compromise with their rooms.

For Elsie's room, I've actually become a little excited about the color scheme.  Along with red she requested pink.  Oh my little February baby, forever a Valentine!  Haha.  When I searched red and pink bedrooms on Pinterest I found this winner via 6th Street Design School.

 

via 6th Street Design School

Most of the main walls in our house are going to be varying shades of grey, so I was hoping to put some color on the walls in the kids room.  However I love how the bright colors of that room pop against the neutral walls.  I think the use of the red is just the right amount, and Kirsten was able to bring other colors into the room in fun ways.  Definitely a great jumping off point for me.  My plan is to use Ryann's pink upholstered headboard and probably her white comforter.  From there I'll add fun pillows, hopefully some DIY abstract art and who knows what else.

Ryann's room is a different story.  Right now we're leaning towards a coral, pink and purple color scheme.  I was imagining something like this:

via JB Smith Photography | via Phoebe Howard

But Ryann isn't sold.  She wants a 'real purple'.  Apparently I picked a fake purple?  And she is seriously adamant that I paint the walls purple.  I have never in my life imagined painting any walls in my house purple.  But maybe I'll cave just for her.  Really I'd be alright painting one wall purple (but more of my version of purple!) but her room stumps me.  It has a long hallway leading in to it, and then the wall attached to that hallway is where the bed will go.  Usually I would imagine the bed wall as the feature wall, but I don't know how to deal with the hallway.

Oh life's dilemmas.  I'm sure we'll figure it out eventually.  Ryann's room will certainly need the most 'stuff'.  Most of her furniture is going to Elsie, and most of Elsie's will go to the nursery.  Speaking of the nursery, I'm not really sure what direction I want to go in there either.  I still love the dresser we have in Elsie's room, and it won't fit in her new room (color wise or size) so it will probably go to the baby.  But I don't think I want to stick with the same color scheme.  Here are a couple of rooms I've been loving lately:

both via Apartment Therapy, here and here

I'm not sure what exactly draws me to them, but I just love them.  I'd look to incorporate a little black and white, and a lot of color.  The room on the right gives me hope that I can utilize Elsie's dresser while pulling in some other fun colors.  The only thing I'm slightly sad that I don't think I'll be reusing are Ryann's curtains (see them here).  They are just a little too pastel for what I'm going for.

I can't wait to see our house come together.  The design and decorating process will be long.  It has to be.  I don't want to rush just to get everything 'done'.  But I'm getting more and more excited the further we get!

this and that

::  It's fall ya'll!  Or so I keep hearing.  My calendar says September, school has started, and yet if feels nothing like fall to me (which I guess it technically isn't until September 22nd, but hey).  That doesn't mean I'm not starting to collect fallish things on pinterest.  And the fall item that is concerning me the most right now?  Halloween costumes of course.  In past years I've had ZERO ideas.  Nothing that sounded fun or cute.  This year?  I just can't decide.  Do I do just sibling costumes (Doc McStuffins and Lambie, butterfly and catepillar, cat and mouse...) or do we go with a family set-up?  Right now I'm leaning towards the latter, and going as a circus troupe (so many options, ring leader, clown, acrobat, strong man, a variety of animals).  But Ryann isn't sold on that.  She keeps telling me she wants to be a unicorn, or a goat (WTF?).  So I'm not sure what to do.  What do you think?

::  TMI Alert, poop talk!  We started purees with Elsie a few weeks ago, and she has taken to it like a champ.  She rarely spits anything out, hasn't rejected anything we've tried and is super excited about it all.  Unfortunately it doesn't seem like the purees are agreeing with Elsie.  On Sunday it had been a week since she had pooped, so we thought we'd be all smart and feed her prunes for lunch to get something to happen.  She woke herself up from her afternoon nap by throwing up everywhere.  I thought maybe there was just too much in her belly since she had never had lunch before, so I laid her on a towel on the floor and went about cleaning up the mess.  Then she threw up again, and then was screaming in pain trying to poop.  After getting some out she passed out in my arms, only to wake up 10 minutes later throwing up again.  The cycle continued a few times until she just passed out on the floor and slept for over an hour.

It seems like all of the hard stuff has finally passed out of her system, and she is in a much better mood, but now I'm terrified to feed her anything again.  She often goes a long time without pooping (the record is twelve days right now), but they are always soft and fine and it isn't a problem.  This?  This is going to be a problem.  Anyone have any suggestions for how to deal with this?  She loves to eat, and obviously will have to be on solids at some point, so somehow I have to figure out how to make it work with her system.

::  Speaking of Elsie, I regularly get asked if someone has missed her nursery post because they can't find it.  Yeah, um, I still haven't posted everything about it, because I still haven't 'finished' it to my liking.  I need to take the curtains down and wash them to see if I can get them to hang right, I want to get roman shades to go behind the curtains, there needs to be book storage somewhere (more on that below) and the walls feel kind of naked.  I keep telling myself that this will be the weekend that I decide what is going up on the walls, but it never happens.  I'm so indecisive.  Here are a couple peeks at what it looks like right now.  Sorry the quality isn't the best.

::  In terms of book storage, I was thinking I'd really like to do a couple of clear bookshelves (like this) underneath the 'love' print.  But Chris doesn't think it is a good (safe) idea.  I see where he is coming from, but I see tons of rooms with book ledges that are in reach of the kiddos.  So I'm torn.  Thoughts on that one?  Do you like how I always turn to the interwebs when I need to make decisions?  You all are so helpful :o).

::  And speaking of the hubs, he sent me a link to an article this morning that was an interesting read... The Trouble with Bright Girls.

::  Lastly, Ryann napping officially has come to an end.  Well, actually most days she will usually fall asleep, sometimes with zero trouble at all.  But that is because she has been getting up at 5:30 IN THE MORNING.  I mean I get up at 5:30 in the morning, but nobody else has to take care of me.  She also has been telling us she isn't tired, even at 9PM, some nights not falling asleep until almost 10.  So I'm thinking the naps have got to go.  I had planned on putting some quiet bins together a few weeks ago, because that girl is DEFINITELY going to have some quiet time for my sake, but never got around to it because she started napping again.  Now it is time.  Better go get my butt in gear!

nursery design round two

Well, I was asked for a nursery update similar to the one I did when planning Ryann's nursery.  And since I really needed to get my butt in gear and actually make some more decisions on the nursery it seemed like an excellent idea.  So ask and you shall receive!  Here is the current direction I'm going in for the nursery...

1.  Quaterfoil Shade Pendant.  The fabric we are using for the crib bumpers (see #11) has some gold threads woven through it, so I really thought it would be fun to incorporate some gold in the room.  I found an awesome light via a google image search, only to find out it costs $4400.  Not happening.  But if anyone comes across something like that let me know!  Until then, I think this white pendant light is where we are going.

2.  Coral Tall Chevron Pillow Cover.  Snagged a 14x20 pillow cover in this fabric to use in the glider.

3.  Let's Pretend Artwork.

4.  Ruffle Rings Drapes.  Oh the curtains.  They are giving me such a hard time.  Well really I just can't find anything in the colors we are using that I like (surprise, why do I pick difficult colors?) that doesn't cost a million dollars.  So we decided to go white.  But now I'm wishing I would have made something like the ones in this room.

5.  Carnival Wall Art.

6.  Painted Frames.  Also from the room I linked above in the curtains section.  I like the alphabet print, and I think I'm going to use some of our accent wall paint to brighten up some frames and bring some color to the walls.

7.  Urban Lifetime Convertible Crib.  Same crib we had in Ryann's room.  She nicely gave it to her baby sister with little resistance.

8.  Luca Glider.  This baby should arrive at my house January 2nd.  It wasn't my first choice, but I think it will look really nice.  I was tired of the big poofy look of our other glider, so hopefully I can get it cleaned up and sold.

9.  Painted Dresser.  Love the look of a painted dresser, and think it will pop up against our white walls.  Now I just need to aquire a dresser.  I've found one that I think will work, but it is 40 minutes away, so I need to figure out checking it out in person and actually getting it before it sells to someone else.  Don't you think it would look nice in aqua with some fun knobs?

10.  Ottoman Pouf.  I want something that can be moved out of the way easily, but can function as an ottoman.  A pouf seems like a great answer.  Haven't decided if I'll order one, or try to make one (which means have my mom make one...).  I really REALLY love the one in this room, but it was a TJ Maxx find, and I doubt I will find one like it.

11.  Paisley Minky Fabric and Floral Fabric.  The paisley minky I am hoping to have made into changing pad covers.  Nice and bright on my aqua dresser.  The floral fabric we are using for the crib bumpers.  Just need to find someone to make those too.  I would have loved to use more of that Caitlin Wilson fabric in the room, but it costs a pretty penny, so we had to pick one thing.

Edited to add:  I am completely aware that bumpers are not recommended in the crib.  With Ryann we had them in until she started rolling over and sleeping in her room at night.  Then we took them out until she was around 10 months old.  Bumpers or any other soft objects should not be in the crib with an infant.  But I do think the crib looks pretty with them, so when I personally feel it is safe they will be on there.  At about a year old Ryann started using hers as a pillow, plus she is one crazy sleeper, so the extra padding definitely helps.

12.  White Shag Rug.  We didn't actually purchase that one.  I couldn't find a white rug that I could see in person that was actually white and looked good.  So we went to a carpet store, picked out a sample and are having a section bound into a rug.  I can't wait until it's done!

As far as where we are at with the room right now?  Here is a little sneak peek...

probably should have taken those before the sun was blasting into the room...

The aqua accent wall is Botanical Tint by Behr, and we painted the white on white stripes using Sherwin Williams' Snow Fall in matte and high gloss.  The stripes are super subtle, but I LOVE them.  To paint the stripes first I decided how many stripes I wanted.  Then we measured the height of the wall, and divided that number by the number of stripes.  Chris then measured out the stripes starting from the top, and making tick marks where each stripe should start in a few places across the wall and in the corners.  Then Chris, my dad and I just lined some painters tape up, making sure the tape was outside the stripes the spaces we wanted high gloss (I guess the first step was to paint all our walls in the matte, whoops).  The stripes aren't perfect, but they are pretty dang close.  Because our walls aren't level or perfect, it was actually much more efficient to simply measure from the top as opposed to using a level.  The bottom stripe might be a little off, but you'd never know, and the stripes line up with the ceiling.

I still need to find a fabric for the crib skirt.  Stupid coral is tough to match!  Also in the search for some soft light grey crib sheets.  I know I can have them made, but honestly I'd prefer to just be able to find them in a store or online.  I like either a jersey cotton, a flannel or a minky or something.  Not a regular cotton.  So if you know of any please share them with me, or if you have an etsy seller you've used for crib sheets before.  I wish Pottery Barn would make Ryann's crib sheets in a grey.  I love those things.  I want to make some sort of giant 'E' (I'm such a tease :o) for above the crib, something like this would be gorgeous.  And I also will need some book storage in the room.  Just again, haven't figured out quite what I want.  But we are getting somewhere!

If you come across any coral, aqua or goldish items or artwork that you think would work great in Baby Sister's room definitely pass the info my way.  I'm always open to suggestions on stuff.  And let me know if you have any questions about the room or anything I've linked to above.  You can find more of my nursery inspiration on pinterest.

Happy Wednesday!

ryann's yellow and grey nursery

Well, my current goal is to have Ryann in a 'big girl bed' by the end of the summer.  When she starts back to Mother's Day Out in the fall, she will be sleeping on a cot.  And I'm hoping we need the crib for another little babe sometime in the next year, so why not go for it, right?  She hasn't climbed out since the one time she attempted it and I scared the crap out of her, but she frequently swings a leg over the top of the rails just to tease me.  So better to be proactive I suppose.

I figured before I went and switched her room all up, I better share some pictures of it as a nursery.  I never really finished the nursery, in the sense that I never got artwork up on the walls.  And there were a few little things here or there that I wanted to do.  But overall I still love Ry's room, and I think she does too.  I'll do my best to give a source list at the end of the post, but I did put this room together over two years ago...

And um, please excuse the wonky lighting and poor editing of these photos.  Currently I'm in the it is better done than perfect mode, so you get what you get and you don't throw a fit :o).

A couple of random things to note... I made the hair clip holder the same way many people have put together a jewelry organizer.  Just glued (with liquid nails) a piece of radiator cover (that you can find at Lowe's or Home Depot) into an open back frame.  I wanted a mirror for my grouping, but couldn't find one the right size.  But you know they sell frameless mirrors right?  I grabbed an 11x14 mirror from Michaels and stuck in a frame.  Woot, perfect sized mirror.

The changing pad has a sheet of rubber shelf liner underneath it.  It doesn't hold it completely in place, but definitely keeps it from sliding around.

I hand stenciled the wall with the help of my friend Katelynn, and the hubby of course.  You can read about how we did it here.

I spent a LOT of time in that rocker during Ryann's first year.  And it shows.  My dark jeans definitely rubbed off on the fabric.  Just something to think about.  Or maybe you are wiser than me and know how to avoid that/get the color out!

We used breathable bumpers in the crib from when Ry was around three months, to around ten months.  A lot of people go completely without, but she was ALWAYS stuck in the rails, so we got the breathable ones (kid is a crazy sleeper, just like her daddy.  we have a king bed for a reason).  By ten months I personally felt comfortable with her having the pretty ones in, even though that is against current recommendations.  To each their own.

And the source list:

• crib and dresser - bought at nebraska furniture mart, urban collection by munire
• dresser pulls - hobby lobby
• chair - bought at nebraska furniture mart, quinn swivel glider by best chairs
• curtains - urban outfitters
• rug - anthropologie
• bookshelf - my friend and her mom found it at a garage sale for $5, score!
• owl mobile - custom made by eleni creative
• crib skirt & pillow - made by my mom with this fabric
• crib bumpers - made by my mom with this fabric & this fabric
• crib sheet - pottery barn kids
• owl night light - pottery barn kids
• little pink 'r' - hobby lobby
• white frames - spray painted garage sale finds
• paint - sherwin williams sensible hue and aloof grey

Let me know if you have any questions about something!  I'm excited to re-decorate (probably, we haven't decided if Ry will stay put or move to the guest room or whatnot...) and create a big girl room, but I'll be kind of sad to see this room go.  It is definitely my favorite room in our house right now.

7 weeks

Baby girl is seven weeks old today. I can't believe it. She looks so old to me. This weekend she really started smiling, as in, not only when I am touching her face :o). She is definitely a daddy's girl. She grins whenever he talks to her. Me, I have to work really hard for a smile, but I can still get one. She is also finding her voice. The noises she makes are just precious.




Ryann would also like you to know, since so many have asked (and I have failed to answer, sorry!) that the curtains in her room are from Urban Outfitters. You can find them here.


I finally have ideas for the wall decor I want in her room, now it is just a matter of doing it. In due time...

nursery progress

My nursery is no longer an empty room!! Our furniture was delivered yesterday, and my mom was kind enough to bring the bedding and the pillow she made up today. I'm in love...

The nursery got small really fast, and I have yet to figure out a good angle to see the bedding. I'll figure that out when the room is completely finished.

We changed out the knobs that came on the dresser, for some with a little more sparkle. I wanted some knobs from Antrhopologie, but at $10 a pop and 12 knobs, I thought that was a bit ridiculous. I found these babies at Hobby Lobby, originally $5.99 each, on sale for 50% off. Much better on the wallet and I still think they look great.

And because I think he is adorable, here are a couple shots of my crib assembly man :o). He is definitely going to kill me for the second one, but hey, it is completely necessary.

Next on my nursery to do list? Figuring out what the heck I want to put on the walls!! We are also looking for a little nightstand/bookshelf thing to put next to the chair.

Hope you like the look so far!

rug drama

So originally we ordered this rug from Home Decorators for the nursery...


When it arrived, it wasn't quite the color I was expecting, plus it was a little thin and kind of scratchy. I would have liked it in another potion of the house (I think) but it just wasn't right for a nursery. So then we moved onto this fun rug from Anthropologie, and it arrived yesterday.


The picture makes it a little hard to see but the grays don't quite match. The rug almost has a blueish lavender tint, and our walls don't. I'm wondering if I when the furniture gets in there, you won't notice the gray difference, but overall how do you feel about the rug?

Here is the 'mood board' I had created for the nursery, so you can see we are planning to pull the yellow and other colors in through the chair and fabrics. Because of that I think I want a neutral rug, either gray or white, but is the one I have the right one? Or do you have a better suggestion?

If only I could find a rug in a store that I liked... so I could stop paying shipping fees!!!!

stenciling galore

To start, let me just say my little girl better LOVE her room. A lot.

So I got the idea to stencil my wall from a nestie, Myst33. You can see her powder room tone on tone stenciling project here (scroll all the way to the bottom). She has some great instructions posted as to how she did the stenciling, so I'll let you read those, and let my visual directions do the talking.

First hubby measured out a 20 x 20 inch grid on the wall. I'll admit it was really fun to see a grid on my wall, because way back when I was in graphics 1 making posters on the grid was my favorite project. The grid was something I could handle well.

I practiced making my stencil shape on computer paper. Then I moved to tracing paper to make the larger shape. I cut my stencil out of illustration board.

While painting I first centered the stencil in the square. Then after all 24 squares had been stenciled (and dried) I centered the shape over the cross hairs of the grid. Thanks for the help Katelynn!! :o)

For the edges I had to cut my stencil up. I had actually made two stencils, because my first one warped so much through the first set of painting. Surprisingly, today the stencil worked pretty darn good because it had dried flat, and the paint then acted as a barrier between the stencil and the new paint, so I didn't experience any warping. If you can find a sturdy plastic material to cut your stencil out of that would be the way to go.

Although the wall needs some serious touch-ups (paint seeped behind my warped stencil) I have to say I am pretty pleased with the results. I think it adds a little fun, texture and whimsy to the nursery. I seriously can not wait until I get everything in here. Two weeks until the furniture arrives!!