Sunday, June 23, 2013

Firsts

 
It has been a year of firsts, all in quick succession. We bought our first house,
 had our first beautiful baby girl Eleanor;
not only did Brian become a dad, but he started his first official job as a lawyer;
 I caved and let Brian bring home Rowdy, our first (and only) dog;
 I planted my first garden which is struggling mightily to survive,


 And I watched my first flowers bloom in my very own front yard.



It's been a whirlwind year so far, but we feel incredibly blessed for all the wonderful firsts  this year.

Monday, June 17, 2013

Changing Time

I know that changing diapers seems like one of the least pleasant things to do in the universe. But it does have its rewards.



I'd do pretty much anything for a smile and giggle from this girl.

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Happy Father's Day

 Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful fathers out there. Thank you for loving and cherishing your children.
 For standing as pillars of strength and conviction and examples of honesty, kindness, and integrity.
 Thank you for working hard and playing harder with your children.
And for raising sons and daughters who know who they are and what their purpose is. 

I'm so grateful to have a caring, funny, giving husband and father of my own child;
a father of my own who always made his girls feel special and loved, and who still amazes me with his strength, intelligence, spirituality, and compassion; a father-in-law who has been an example of deep kindness and selflessness; and a string of grandfathers and great-grandfathers stretching back over generations who live on as symbols of sacrifice, faith, and dedication.

Happy Father's Day!

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Nursery Reveal

 Our house is coming together slowly, which is why I haven't really posted much about it. The nursery is now the most finished room, although there are still a couple things I'd like to do, like add curtains to the windows and different knobs on the closet doors. For the most part though, the nursery is done. When we moved in we called this room the Neapolitan room because the previous owners had painted it bright, glow-in-the-dark pink, and deep chocolate brown with white stripes. I decided to go with a much more calming color--hint of mint by Benjamin Moore. I wanted a calming nursery with fresh clean colors, but still some bright stimulating colors as well. I also needed a nursery that didn't break the budget. The crib was the most expensive thing, just over $100, but that is a very reasonable price and I wanted to go with a new crib I knew was safe. The mattress was free from my mother-in-law, the chalkboard was a gift from her, and she made the darling blanket hanging on the back of the crib. All the toys were my favorites as a kid that I have had stored away for years.
 I knew a changing table wasn't an absolute necessity, but I have actually really enjoyed it because Ellie loves changing time and having her up higher next to me makes our laughing and playtime during changes more enjoyable than crouching on the floor. I also want to avoid changing her on furniture around the house because I haven't yet mastered the change without accidents. This one was reasonably priced from IKEA, the changing pad I got from a neighbor of my mother-in-law, and the cover was given to me at a shower. The baskets to organize I got at Gordman's for a few bucks each. The numbered bird cards on the wall were about $17 off of Amazon and I think they are very cute.
 I made the mobile hanging over the crib with craft paper. The balls were really easy to make and the birds I just cut out without even drawing a pattern or anything. It was time consuming, but certainly cost effective. Ellie can finally see far enough to focus on it and enjoy it now.
This is mommy's little nook. I bought the chair of KSL for $5. It was HIDEOUS and smelled like smoke, so after painting the whole chair, nailing broken bits back together, buying new foam for cushions and sewing the covers, I think I have a fairly good looking rocking chair that probably cost me about $25. The table was a KSL redo from a couple years ago---modge podged with some of the same paper I used to make the mobile. The dog silhouette mirror (and there is one with a horse on the other side) I also made a couple years ago with dollar store mirrors and again, paper from the same scrapbook pad. It really is amazing what you can do with paper. The little lamp was $7 from IKEA and the painting I brought down from my old childhood room. I wanted to make a space that both Ellie and I could enjoy being in. Where we could feel safe and whimsical and fresh. For the most part I think I'm happy with the result. 

Stay tuned (though it may be awhile) as I put finishing touches on the other rooms in our house. Summer projects abound...