The Nursery: Revealed!

It's been two months in the making and our Girl's bedroom is finally complete! So without further ado, allow me to present our Sweet Pea's Nursery!

Most items in our nursery were either refinished by my husband or crafted by me, including the crib skirt, window treatments, fabric banner, nursing pillow cover, hair pretty holder, dresser and side table. It was so worth our time and effort as Baby Girl's room is EXACTLY how I envisioned it!

Of course, there are a few more things we would like to do, but they are certainly not necessities, such as: 

• Install proper tie backs for the closet curtains {maybe some pretty glass ones that match the dresser pulls?)
• Cut out and applique fabric letters to the banner so "Sweet Dreams" really pops
• Build a simple closet organizer to maximize the floor space in that big ole' closet
• Install crown molding (but we would eventually like to do that in all the bedrooms)

All in all, we are in LOVE! Hope you enjoyed!

Next Up: Master Closet Redo

Now that the nursery is complete (post coming tomorrow!), we can finally refocus our efforts on the project we started back in March-the master bedroom!! While we were able to get a good chunk completed, there is still some work to be done. And our first major task at hand: doing a total overhaul on our closet(s). Because the truth is, we have a ton of closet space, but it's not the most functional and that drives us both insane!

The goal: To maximize our space and avoid the need for a dresser

I suppose I should show you what we are working with first. But be warned, it's not pretty and I am embarrassed to say that this is what we see when we're in bed...romantic, I know. Obviously we would like to change that to create a calm, relaxing atmosphere.

How's that for keepin' it real?! As you can see, we've got our work cut out for us! We've got smashed clothes, bowing brackets, piles of who knows what-basically, in need of some serious TLC. Here's how we're breaking down this project:

1. Sort through our clothes and make a trip to Goodwill (maybe I should also mention that half of the guest room closet is full of Chris' clothes)

2. Draw up a blueprint

3. Build/install closet organizer

4. Fashion pretty closet coverings (since one of the very first things we did upon moving in was rip out the unsightly closet doors). I'm hoping to add drape-like covering that create a flowy and romantic feel to the room.

Since we have plenty of other things going on, we're giving ourselves the entire month to complete this project. I'll do my best to post updates of our progress!

Weekend in Photos + A Nursery Teaser

Well my friends, this was a whirlwind weekend. And that is putting it very mildly! We were busy from Friday evening until the wee hours of Sunday night. But it was all worth is, as our Baby Girl's nursery will be revealed this Wednesday!! It is absolutely perfect! In fact, it is officially my favorite room in our house and I keep finding myself sneaking in there just to admire its loveliness:)

But the weekend wasn't all nursery, as we did find a moment for ourselves to savor a scrumptious stack of berry Belgian waffles and some iced coffee!

Which was a much needed respite from the two final sewing projects that turned out to be more than a little frustrating challenging than anticipated. But thanks to the incredible help of my mother-in-law, it looks like all will be completed tonight (hence the Wednesday reveal:). Trust me though, they will be so worth it when it's all said and done!

And because I've strung you along these past several weeks, I think you deserve a little teaser of what's to come, so here's your sneak peek:

Hopefully that will satisfy your palette until Wednesday! Hope your weekend was fabulous (and involved less pulling of your hair than mine;)!

{BabyBump} Week 27

We've made it to week 27 and according to Fit Pregnancy, our girl is now about the size of a small pot roast, which I fully believe as she has officially taken over my belly! Her kicks are now happening all.day. long! I love it and I love knowing that she's growing and healthy, however, this week has been peppered with some interesting pregnancy woes...

Let's just say I am now beginning to feel the discomforts of pregnancy. Mostly when I sleep, try to bend over and generally stay on my feet too long, but I can finally say that I feel pregnant! Sleeping has been okay for the most part, though I am now waking up a few times a night and having trouble getting back to sleep (especially when leg cramps are involved). And then there's the pee breaks every 30-45 minutes (no exaggeration!) which are nothing short of embarrassing when you're with the same people for a few hours. And finally, I experienced for the first time last week, the inability to bend over and buckle my sandals:(  Of course my husband graciously did the job for me (while we both laughed). I continue to be amazed at how rapidly my body is changing and how something I could do yesterday is a faint memory today.

But on the up side, we have much to look forward to this week with my third and final trimester beginning Wednesday, taking our first Bradley birthing class this weekend and getting the nursery ready to reveal next week!!

Hope you have some fun plans this weekend!

Do You Quinoa?

Experimenting with different grains is one of my favorite ways to add a little flare to our meals (a trait I like to thank my college years for!).  One of my personal favorites is quinoa for its versatility and hearty texture. Thankfully, I have a husband who is always willing to try new recipes I come across, like this simple side we had last night!

It was a delightful blend of warm, spicy undertones and that sweet bite for balance. Perfect aside grilled pork chops and a spinach salad!

What's your favorite grain?  Any must-try recipes? Do tell...

Quinoa and Avocado Salad
recipe adapted  from cookingquinoa.net

3 T dried cranberries
2 T dried apricots, diced
3 cups cooked quinoa (learn to cook the perfect quinoa here)
1 lemon
3 T extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp sweet paprika
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 avocado, pitted and cut into chunks
3 T almonds, coarsely chopped

Grate the zest of the lemon and squeeze the juice into a small bowl. Whisk with olive oil, coriander, cumin, paprika, garlic and salt.
Toss cooked quinoa with cranberries and apricots. Add avocado and almonds and toss with dressing. Season with additional salt and pepper as desired.

Homemade Headbands

It recently occurred to me that while Baby Girl has plenty of hair clips (both gifted and made my her mama), she was seriously lacking in the headband department. And by that, I mean she only had five total. And it is a very real possibility that she could be born bald like I was and not be able to wear her clips for a while. What a shame that would be!

So I took the liberty of spicing up her repertoire of hair accessories and made these pretty flower headbands! And no surprise, but I actually love these flowers way more than ones I've seen in stores. Cannot wait to see my precious girl in them!

A Welcome Distraction

First I would just like to say thank you for all of your kind words, condolences and understanding about our sweet Max! Somehow knowing that others have been here eases some of the blow. But the feeling that a special piece of our family is missing will likely be there for some time. Even Abby is aware that something just isn't right and has responded with highly increased affection.

Given what a sad note the weekend started on, we welcomed the distractions this weekend provided. Some of which included my monthly preggo massage, attending a friend's wedding, brunch with some dear girlfriends and finally, putting some finishing touches on the nursery. Hoping distractions like these continue, as we're missing our pup big time!

Here's to a better week, friends!