Evyn Mae's nursery

Well now, I just might have my 9 month old Evyn's nursery about 90% completed. 

And I finally took some (poorly lit) pictures to prove it!

 Evyn would like to say... 

I wanted a simple, vintage feel to Evyn's nursery, without too much pink (but still a bit for good measure). I so enjoyed searching for the perfect little trinkets and treasures to make the room special, along with fabrics and baskets (which I'm still on the hunt for ones I love). All of the little shoes and dresses in the room were mine as a baby.  I DIYed a few things, repainted things (including the light fixture that we originally put up in Brynlee's nursery in our first house), and continue to swoon over a few things (read: that RUG). I'd be happy to supply any vendor info/DIY details if anyone is interested!

*** 

 Lots of happy and fun news to come regarding my shop. Soon!

currently: a thursday edition

loving:

the fact that in a few days, I will have a new kitchen! We are refacing, and my pretty glass knobs will FINALLY be attached to and doing their job on the cabinet doors.

reading:

"Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe." A few close momma friends and I are reading along together and discussing the questions at the end of the chapters and on the blog. I can't even tell you what this book is doing to my heart. I feel just drenched in encouragement and determination to be the mother God designed me to be and my children need me to be.

waiting for:

Spring. I planted almost 100 bulbs in my front beds this past fall and I can't wait for them to emerge.

excited about:

our upcoming annual OBX trip - just a few weeks!

trying to:

find a pretty chair for my new desk area in the kitchen. 

working on:

a cute little seat/bench for my sewing table.  My mom pulled it out of the trash on the side of the road and it's in perfect condition- just needed the worn red leather seat covered in pretty fabric and a spray of grey paint.  I don't have a before picture, but I'll share the after picture, well, after. :)

enjoying:

this little 5 month old... and the fact that she loves to politely fold her hands all the time.

using:

my coffee maker waaayyyy too much lately.  Oh but how I love a warm cup in the morning... and afternoon.... and perhaps a decaf in the evening [insert wide-eyed emoticon here].

wearing:

my new Stitch Fix mint striped cardigan today.

planning:

some great She {hearts} It reviews & giveaways to be posted in the next few weeks.  Isn't our new design pretty?

singing:

a silly "Evyn Mae" song that I made up.  We've also been calling Evyn "Mae-Mae" lately.  It has just stuck - and I so love it.

needing:

to go to bed earlier.

learning:

(from the "Desperate" book) that my mothering needs to be not based on the expectations of our culture, people around me, or even family.  It needs to be guided only by scripture.  Sally Clarkson has been blowing my momma mind.

listening to:

the Tinkerbell (Brynlee is currently obsessed with fairies) movie, a nail gun, and Evyn stirring over the monitor.

wishing:

I knew exactly when my best friend's baby was coming so I could guarantee that I will be there when the baby is born (and it is SO a girl - I am convinced, even though they are not finding out until baby comes).  I am going to try my very hardest to be there - I'm just praying it all lines up.

doing:

not well in my vow to start running (again).  This weekend is go-time.  Ryan and I, along with a few others, are doing the Color Run in two months and I need to improve this 13 mile/minute pace nonsense I've got going on here!

dreaming of:

finding a mentor, living out my passions, and truly & confidently embracing all I am called to do and be. 

playroom pretty

The entryway from our attached garage leads directly into what we've dubbed the playroom. It's a cheery room with the same light grey/taupe walls as the rest of (most of) the downstairs. Toy storage is an issue, and if it were my grumpy mom way, I would have all the toys always put away and there would be no trace of little gremlins in my decor. What a mean mother. But, the toy explosion is inevitable. Oh the toys. We have probably 2/3 of the kids' toys in the basement play area and the rest are in the playroom (minus a handful residing in Brynlee's room).

So I would like to have our "playroom" still be friendly and a little whimsical, but still mesh with the rest of the downstairs (since it's pretty out in the open) while concealing the overabundance of TOYS. My dear parents agreed to construct some MORE built-ins, this time for the playroom, much like the living room ones that they created to house all my favorite prettiness (these pictures were taken in August so things have changed a bit here and there since then):

The mercury glass knobs make me about keel over with delight.

My mom has already whipped up some window treatments in this fabric:

I'll add some new storage bins like these: 

And the grand finale... I just ordered THIS for a fun accent wall:

 

I can't wait.

We also desperately need a new light fixture. I'm thinking one that's pretty flush to the ceiling, and I love this drum shade. I love the pattern, but it may be too much... maybe one in a solid grey would be better. We will see.

I do have a rug in the room already (it's the "gold" version).  I can't wait to see it all come together in the end.

I promise to share before & afters. I'm silly over these upcoming changes!

52 in 1: WEEK 52 - stairs and favorites

For my last 52/1, I wanted to do something that was not only on my house to-do list but also something that would give me a good old before and after. Also, I gave myself a few extra days since it's number 52! I can't believe I did it! The stairs were originally covered in carpet, which we ripped up pretty promptly after moving in. I'm not really a carpet-on-the-stairs person, but I am not really a carpet person in general, so maybe that's why. I pulled a million staples from the stairs, filled the holes, sanded, and painted. I think I could stand to do another coat, maybe in time. :)

The shadows in the "after" picture are awful, and the light caught where I had filled the holes and sanded just so, but I promise that it looks great in real life. Super clean and fresh. Now to just paint every other bit of trim in the house!

 I'm so glad I stuck with this whole "project a week" vow for a year, even though some weeks I dreaded coming up with something and then other weeks I couldn't wait to share what I had come up with.

 Here are a few favorites from the past year: 

fluffy flower sandals 

a simple skirt 

Alyssa's baby shower  

pretty jewelry display  

Anthro-inspired leather ruffle flats 

feather earrings -- Anthro knockoff  

empty house 

ruffles & Wards  

a little boy haircut  

pretty plates  

a very special project  

wallpaper & a little stepstool

52 in 1: WEEK 50 - mulch

Today we weeded the front beds and Ryan laid mulch. Kids ate popsicles, practiced cartwheels (after momma poorly modeled one for them as they looked on in awe), pretended to mow the lawn with daddy, and got reprimanded when they played too close to the street.

before

after

before

after

Happy day.

52 in 1: WEEK 49 - wallpaper & a little stepstool - part 2

I can't believe I only have THREE more weeks in my 52/1 challenge. It's been a fun ride, although I must say I am not putting such pressure on myself for awhile! Haha.

So I knocked out two projects this week... okay, I'm lying. My mom did one, I finished the other! I had been wanting to put up wallpaper in the back of the built ins that my dad is working on for our living room and found exactly what I was looking for after a long search. My mom was over the other day and put the wallpaper up in in about two seconds while I laid motionless on the couch (this pregnancy is knocking me out in pretty much every way possible). It is EXACTLY what I envisioned! The color, pattern, subtleness (apparently spellcheck doesn't think that's a word, but I do!), everything.  Can't wait to finish up the cabinets and get all my pretty little doo dads up on the shelves.

{doors will be put on the bottom part}

And ta-da, a finished stool! In hindsight, I should have just spray painted it since I needed about 4 coats (and probably should have done like 5) of paint. Oh well. I am in love with the fabric and Brynlee gave her approval, so I'm happy. :) 

daybook

Outside my window...

it's chilly, almost freezing... hoping the tree buds that have formed in the freaky-abnormally warm Spring weather we've had in the past week don't freeze off.

I am thinking...

about many things... mostly about how I'm hoping and praying Brynlee doesn't have a high fever tomorrow like she's had in the past two days. It hurts me so to see her so miserable, plus I'm not feeling too hot either so it's a recipe for crankiness all around. Let's just say I'm pretty sure the past few days have been a mothering fail. Clinging to my word of the year.

I am thankful for...

quiet trips to the grocery store (with a Tim Horton's cappuccino in hand) after sick kids are in bed. I seriously circled Wegmans about six times tonight, just because I could.

I am learning...

that I would have loved to live in the early 1900s. Sometimes I think I was born in the wrong decade. I love today's technology and stuff, but the properness and tradition of that time intrigues me... or perhaps it's just Downton Abbey that intrigues me. Or maybe I'm obsessed. And maybe I watch the interviews with the cast members a little too closely. And maybe season 3 needs to come out, like yesterday.

I am creating...

decorations and a menu for my B's birthday party this weekend.

I am going...

out for hibachi tomorrow night (grownups only!) with our small group... as long as fevers don't make another appearance tomorrow (please please)!

I am hearing...

the monitor. The usual.

Around my house...

so much is getting done! My dad and Ryan are building built-in bookshelves in the living room and my mom has been painting the kitchen cabinets (eeeee!) and I have been cleaning up after them and pretty much just bossing everyone around.

One of my favorite things...

is giveaways!!! Don't forget to enter the Nourish Organics sugar scrub giveaway on She {hearts} It... and Keight is now hosting a giveaway for a free pair of earrings from my shop. Get at it (see how bossy I am?)!

A few plans for my week...

going out to eat, cleaning like crazy, party prep, taking a MUCH needed trip to see my hairdresser (I think I'm going to do something different for once), and partying it up on Saturday. Then the prep and packing for the OBX begins... ahhh I cannot wait!

A picture...

I feel lame for pretty much only using my phone to take pictures, like, always now... but it's better than nothing, right?! Plus my camera is totally in the process of biting the dust. Sad. I DID, however, take pictures with my real camera of my kids painting the other day, until Mac decided to paint his entire body and I had to toss him in the tub. He was not the happiest, to say the least.

My Net girls and I went out to celebrate Amy's birthday on Saturday, complete with lunch, dollar store candy, the biggest tub of popcorn EVER, and The Hunger Games.  So fun!

Brother goofing off with sick sissy, trying to make her feel better. :)

Painting kids!  The mess was worth it!

52 in 1: WEEK 41 - kitchen tile

Ahhh, finally. After a little over a week, I have my kitchen back and pretty new tile to enjoy! The tiles are bigger than the others, and we used a super dark charcoal grout (even though in the flash pictures it looks lighter). Next up, painting the cabinets (white!) and installing the pretty glass knobs that are just waiting to be put to use and admired (I swear a ray of sunshine comes out of that box and I hear a choir sing every time I open it... baha!). I've been collecting lovely plates to display on the wall near the sliding doors and Ryan just ordered new blinds for those doors (the ones that are up now are so old, dirty, and, most importantly, broken).

So, of course I waited until there was practically no light left to take these pictures (and I hate using a flash) so I apologize for the orangey glow.

Our starting point:

Before and after!

The color looks like this in real life- had to turn the flash on to really capture it.

Yay!

A few more things to make me happy today:

Angel face baby boy.

Aqua nails (OPI's "fly" from the Nicki Minaj collection- can't believe I admitted that).

Abbott's in March- my husband is THE best.

52 in 1: WEEK 39 - happy hexagons

Ohh, special-looking, fun tile makes me just giddy. I've been keeping busy this week, between the kids, {still} unpacking, feeling quite under the weather, wiping noses, and the day to day. I've been attempting little projects here and there, but I feel like talking about and planning projects has been the way it goes around here lately. I am excited to share some fun projects my parents have executed around the house, big plans for the kitchen (I received a huge box of Anthropologie knobs the other day... squeal), oh I could go on and on. My head is spinning! Plus, sewing has taken the back burner since my machine is still sitting, apparently broken, in my sewing space in the basement. Boo. I'm excited to get my space prettied up and share that here too! I also need to share my Ward weekend recap. Bear with me!

So, this week, I decided on the materials for the project, but didn't actually execute it myself. Ryan is actually at the store as I type (I think getting grout or something) but he will be grouting our new entryway tile tonight! He laid it throughout this past week (not his favorite this to do, but he's good at it!). I wanted something that was a little different, not to crazy, but still special for the front entryway. It's not all that grand of a space, so I thought this black travertine hexagon tile was perfect. I'm in love, and it's (obv) not even grouted or cleaned yet.

Before: multi colored, chipped slate. Not my cup of tea.

After (almost): simple, fresh, and interesting! 

Sometimes I may or may not like to just pet the smooth travertine.

As Ryan laid tile today, I tried to entertain the kids and was failing miserably.  The combination of being sick and having a million things to do myself made it pretty impossible.

So, playdoh for the girl: 

And whipped cream for the boy.  He instantly ate it, rather than play in it.  I gave him cars to drive in it and little utensils to poke it with.  Instantly in the mouth.  No fear, no hesitation.  And as a result, he got two baths today.  Such a boy. :)

And how about a bit of miscellany on this chilly Saturday night:

1) Head on over to Keight's blog to win a pretty pretty PCB ring... the ring inspired by the sassy saffron lady herself.

2) I am SUPER excited to share that I will be writing for She {hearts} It, THE lovely review site featuring great products for ladies to love. So many giveaways, too!  Oh I am so lucky and so elated!

3) Just had to share a picture of me and my love on Valentine's Day before we went out for dinner. My mom and dad offered to come watch the kids and we ordered them a pizza in return. Have I mentioned at all how much I love being home again?!

The red lipstick made it out of the house!  I almost wiped it off at the last second, but I resisted.  I guess I was feelin racy! ;)

52 in 1: WEEK 37 - PAINT!

Ohhh I have such happiness in my heart over this transformation! I wanted to paint almost the entire downstairs the same color, since the floor plan in this house is not the most open and one neutral color would help the rooms to not appear so broken up. I found the perfect grey/taupe, ran it across my mom, and the Painting Diva {my mother} put her skillz into practice. She pounded out the whole downstairs in less than a day. I supervised and wrangled children (painting is not my forte... I don't have the patience and I'm admittedly not the best at it). I love the color, the softness, the clean look. Ahhhh.

Sneaked a pic of the PD (Painting Diva) at work

before & afters 

- please excuse our still-disheveled space and poor lighting! :)

kitchen (just a part of it)

living room

playroom

Not sure why I didn't take a "before" picture of the front entryway, but here it is painted... featuring my climbing monkey boy photo crasher.

I have a vision for my kitchen and I can't wait to get it finished. The cabinets will be white, a new floor will (eventually) be put down (I'm not a fan of the current tile- it just looks dirty in real life), and I picked out some pretty glass knobs:

I wasn't loving the backsplash when we first bought the house. It just looked wrong with the red walls. However, with the new greyish walls, the backsplash looks right and I actually really like it! It's amazing what paint can do.

I couldn't resist this little jar at Anthropologie and my SIL Laura suggested writing my word for this year on the cute little chalkboard label. I put it on my kitchen windowsill, and it's definitely been a strong reminder for me this week.

There's still so much to do, but I am loving the change so far!