Vegas Baby

Sorry for the lack of post - Britt and I just returned from a trip to Las Vegas!!! It was a whirlwind good time and a delightful surprise. The hard working husband won/earned a free trip through the company he works for. Score!!!! Now I am just trying to get back into the grind of work.

Here is the only picture I snapped the entire trip from my iphone.....

2 Cute

I worked on the nursery all weekend. Painting and hanging wall shelves above the dresser, shopping, decorating, cleaning, and patching walls. It was very enjoyable (seriously) and the nursery is coming together slowly but surely. Only 11 weeks left!!! We are trying to buy a few things every month so our budget won't be hit to hard all at once. Here are a few of the things on my shopping list that have made it into the babies room already......

Pintucked Embroidered One-Piece from Janie and Jack for $10.99

Can't beat that price and this is one cute outfit, it even has a little embroider on the back pocket.

Animal Fun Flashcards from Anthropologie for $19.95

I picked my favorite three cards and used them for more art in the room. They are really sturdy stock cards from this Japanese artist named Junzo Terada. Very vintage and amazingly original.

Ikea Knipsa Seagrass Basket for $16.99

I got 2 of them and put them side by side in the big bookcase on the bottom shelf to hold toys and stuff.

Ikea Moolger Wall Shelf for $11.99.

I got 2 of these to hang above the changing table/dresser to put nicknacks on. I primed them and painted them white to match the trim. They came out really cute!!!

High and Wide

Hanging curtains - its never really fun but here are a 3 simple rules you can follow that will make all the difference in the world.

High, wide and gently kissing the ground.

That's the only rules I follow when I hang curtains in my house. I LOVE this illustration that dramatically shows how these simple steps make a huge difference.....

(via Homegoods.com)

Whenever I can I like to put them as close to the ceiling as possible and extend out about 6 to 12 inches on each side. (If you have really tall ceilings going 12" above the window frame is a good measure.) This simple little trick makes your window look taller and grand. Check out these curtains how perfect they look in this bedroom: they are high, wide, and kissing the ground.....

Here is another perfect example. It's simple, understated and follows all the rules....

(via West Elm)

And finally here are the curtains hanging in our living room. I put them as close to the ceiling as I possibly could and hung the rod about 10" wider than the window frame. They seem to be smooching the ground instead of a gentle kiss but I have not had time to hem them.

Happy Hanging!!!!

Week 27

Let the countdown begin: 13 weeks, 3 months, 90 days to go!!! My belly is the size of a basketball and this little mamma is having a big ole back ache from the extra weight, think its time for that prenatal massage. Our little baby is about 15 inches tall and a little over two pounds.

Spoiler

I was not going to post any more pictures of the nursery until it was all done, but I just can't help it. It's to cute to keep all to myself. We went to Ikea this weekend and got the finishing touches for the room. The curtains are up and I put my Sarah Jane print in the frame to hang above the crib. Still have a big to do list but it's starting to come together.......

I fell in love this this gator, he was so cute and only $14.99 at Ikea......

Lucky in Love

This weekend we had a little fun with my camera hoping to get some good pictures for my cousin to use for her Save the Date and Engagement pictures. All in all we had a blast and I think came away with some great pictures. It was really hard to pick favorites, it sure does help when you have such a good looking couple......

Did I mention that we had a little fun........

Here is a little sneak peak of the props we used for her Save the Date picture!!!

Kitchen Dreams

One of my best friends is on the verge of building a new home here in town. I am super excited she is moving back home and super duper excited to help her decorate her new home. All this talking has got me dreaming of the day we will have our dream home.

I know exactly what I want in my kitchen. My husband wants to live on a golf course and I want a dreamy kitchen - great compromise don't you think!!!! Kitchens are medicinal, everyone always ends up in the kitchen hanging out. Here are must haves in my kitchen: white cabinets, gray countertops, and a dark wood island.

And of course here is some of my island inspiration from the pros..............

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(James Howard)

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Week 25

Nesting and stretching!!

I can feel my belly stretching everyday, and the nesting bug as defiantly hit me. I spent about 4 hours taking apart the inside of the refrigerator to clean it out then I moved on to the washing machine. Who cleans the washing machine? But it was slimy dirty, now my baseboards are dusty.

Little Michael has been kicking lots lately. We read that he is starting to open his eyes this week and that he can respond and hear noises!!! He is weighing in at 1.5 pounds and is around 9 inches long. Only 15 weeks left till we get to see his beautiful face.

The Heart Knows

When opportunity knocks you answer the door - right? Ahhh but change is hard; change is also inevitable. Sometimes you just have to follow your heart, answer the door, and give it a try!!!!

Bookcases

In our garage we have been storing a huge heavy bookcase from my husbands college days. It is in great shape and sturdy enough to hold up in a child's room. 

Insert problem here: its this ugly blonde wood from the 80's so its going to need the old sand and paint job. I have been going back and forth between painting it white to match the trim or painting it a slightly darker gray than the walls in the nursery. Here I go with the hunt for gray colors again. I think going gray will add some depth to the room but I don't want it to fade into the walls. 

I have been searching the internet for inspiration from the "professionals" that know what they are actually doing and they have some fabulous pictures that have inspired me.

(via) 

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Maybe I will get fancy and do some wallpaper or paint a stencil design onto the back of the bookcase!!!

(via)

And these bookcases are just breathtaking......

(via) 

When Food Works

My dear friend has started a food blog, and it's amazing. She has inspired me many times to jump out of my comfort zone in trying new foods, not to mention her out of this world cooking abilities. I guarantee her recipes are A+ and I can not wait to hear all her reviews of the local eating holes we have around town.  

Check out one of her first post about the new restaurant Cochon that opened in River Ranch Thursday by Chef Donald Link. We just got back from lunch and it was beyond superb. Just looking at the menu makes my mouth water. I hope you follow her blog and become inspired like I have. Here is a little excerpt from her blog......

When Food Works

Today is as good of a day as any to start this new adventure and let the whole world into my life as a long time food lover and cook. Some call themselves “foodies”, but I don’t really like that word, a little too trendy…and what does that really mean? Not to knock those that love that term, I just prefer to say simply that I love good food and will cook just about anything. And I can get a little obsessive, like when looking for a piece of pork belly and ending up buying a 60 pound case! Anyone need a piece of pork belly? But it did make a knockout Porchetta…later on that one. Am I sure about opening up my “food life” for public scutiny…not really, but this is a passion that I am willing to share, Anyway, why not! Do what you love and love what you do…isn’t that on some t-shirt somewhere…

(Click here to read the rest of the story)

Natural Cream

We finally decided on the perfect light gray color and FINISHED painting the nursery. Don't let the name fool you "Natural Cream" by Benjamin Moore is the perfect gray, it's the same color as "Egdecomb Gray" without the purple undertones. It has a boring uninspiring name but its the perfect color for me. Maybe I can write into BM and request a name change?? Gray's are hard - you have green tones, blue tones, pink tones, any color you mix with it takes on a life of its own. So to find a gray with a cream undertone was exactly what I needed for the room. After about 12 samples on the wall and weeks of contemplation my husband is sure glad we/I found the "right" color!!!!

(Benjamin Moore OC-14)

The color really pops with the "White Dove" trim.

Here is the wall color against the white Jenny Lind Crib and the gray crib skirt.

Here is another project I am working on at the moment with baby Michael's initials. I got them at Anthropologie this weekend and thinking about hanging them above the changing table/dresser with a shelf or some pictures from Sharon Montrose. The nursery is on hold right now until I can get to Ikea for a little shopping trip. The only problem is that the closest Ikea is 3 hours away in Houston but we have 2 trips to Houston to visit family next month. I can not wait to show you guys the big reveal. My goal was to finish decorating the room before the holidays!!! Looks like we are going to make it.....

So True

Week 23

What's in a name?

Yea I know we are taking all the surprises out of the day our little man enters this big bright world. But the whole birthing process is going to be surprise enough for me for one day. So the hubs and I have pretty much decided on a name for our first born son. We are going to name him after both of our fathers "Michael Raymond" around the house we have been calling him little Michael and it really is starting to stick!!!

My dad was Michael James and like most little girls he was my hero, he passed away 8 years ago. Britt's father, Raymond Lynn, is suffering from an inoperable tumor so we wanted to honor him as well with the next generation that would carry on his last name.

Naming another human being for the rest of their life is some pretty deep stuff. We threw alot of names out there but finally both agreed on Michael Raymond. It's such a beautiful name with so much meaning!!!

Here's my belly shot at week 23............

Who ever would have thought I would enjoy posting pictures of my fat belly on the internet. Stay tuned it's only gonna get bigger, and I'll try to get a side view next time!!!

With This Ring

My cousin is getting married and we are knee deep in the planning phase of the wedding. It's so much fun and she is letting me help her with all the details, color schemes, ideas, and venues. It's beyond exciting because the two people getting married are some of my favorite people in the world!!!!

Here is a board I put together with a few of the details she is thinking about, I am in love with the direction all the planning is headed in. Her colors are going to be gray and navy with pops of peach, which is perfect for her spring time wedding.

Congrats Rachel and Jim!!! I can not wait for the BIG day.