Testing the Water

Remember when I said “see you in six weeks?” and my beautiful girl is three months old?

Oops.

The truth is, I’ve been scared of jumping back into this blogging thing. I don’t feel like it’s my forte. Part of it is my lack of confidence. Every time I start blog-surfing again, I feel this overwhelming sense of intimidation. Thoughts start to surface about  my inadequacy. Thoughts like “Her FOURTH book is coming out?” or “She has over 2000 followers?” or “She just had a baby and is STILL blogging?” And I know I’m not supposed to compare. But it’s hard.

Another reason is my lack of time. Life has been pulling me in so many directions lately, it’s hard to spend adequate amounts of time on my hobbies, let alone my obligations. Work is picking up dramatically, and is about to get even busier. With hopefully three new Noah’s buildings on the horizon, all at once, I’ve got a lot to do with my day job. Then there’s the beautiful baby girl. She’s so great, really. But she’s still an infant that needs to be fed every three hours (except at night. She’s so wonderful and sleeps about 12 hours every night. good girl). And then there’s potty training…

I won’t go into that.

But I keep having what I call “blog-thoughts.” Things that I ponder upon and think, “I should post that and see if anyone agrees with me.” So this is my test. My wary foray back into the blogging world. We’re all busy. We all have obligations and passions and hobbies. And that’s what makes this blogging thing so neat. We can share all those things with a massive amount of like-minded people who we’d never get to meet otherwise.

Which is why I can’t give it up. I hope some people are still here. I hope I didn’t scare you away with the massive remodel posts and subsequent silence.

And as always, Happy Wednesday!

Grand Finale and a Short Goodbye

This is my last remodel post (collective sigh of relief from the interwebs) and probably my last post at all for the next 6 weeks or so. I'm officially going in on Monday to be induced (inner sigh of relief from me). So I'll be busy with the occupant of this newly designed room, and I hope you all will be here when I get back! Anyway, onward and upward.

I hope you’re not tired of seeing remodel pictures yet, because this one’s probably my favorite from our latest round of renovating. I told myself that if we were having another girl, I’d leave the nursery alone. It was fine, it was girly, it didn’t need anything else. It was foolish to spend money on it. (For THOSE before and afters, go here).

Then I thought, well, maybe I’ll get some new bedding at least. What’s new bedding going to hurt?
Then I saw this:


And I fell head over heels. But wait. It’s plum. Like DARK plum. That doesn’t match a pink striped wall! Well, we can paint the wall easy enough, right? But what about the pillows? Those don’t match either. And the curtains are out of the question!

Suddenly, I was doing a new nursery in my head. And once its in my head, ladies and gentlemen, it must be realized. Or I get a little…cranky. So with this bedding set as the jumping off point, I plotted and planned and paint-matched and finally ended up with my new favorite room in the house. Which, really, nurseries are more for the mom’s than the babies right? I mean I’m the one who has to sit in there looking around for hours.

Anyway, I’ll shut up now. These pictures are also from Danielle Oakey, bless her soul.

Plum makes me happy. There’s so much in this room that makes me happy. The jewelry holder that I’m using for hair bows, The framed scrapbook paper above the changing area, the little ceramic owl peeking out from the bookcase, and the lampshade that was supposed to be a pendant light from IKEA (you can see a glimpse of it in the third-to-last picture).

So while the furniture stayed the same, and the layout stayed the same, this room feels completely different. And now, I have pictures to put in baby A’s baby book of her new room that aren’t identical to her big sister’s. And that makes me happy too. Now I just need her to get here so I can put into that amazing bedding. Not too much longer now…

Happy Friday!

Interior Tuesday: Transforming a Toy Closet

Our home is full of closets. As in, we have 3 real bedrooms and 10 closets throughout the whole house. It’s nice to have so much storage, especially when we decided to convert our basement office into E’s bedroom. This room has a huge under-the-stairs closet that had seen better days. For example:

This is what it looked like when we first toured the house. It pretty much stayed that way when we moved in except we had less board games and more…junk in there. Office paper, luggage, air mattress, etc. It wasn’t pretty, but it was space that got filled.

Well, when planning out how to do the new bedroom, there was one obvious transformation to me and it was to take this dingy, scary basement closet and brighten it up so my girl could read and play and laugh and enjoy herself in there. Who, as a kid, didn’t want a place to hide and pretend?

So once the room was finally cleared out and we found new homes in our other nine closets for our miscellaneous junk, I began the arduous process of painting this cavern-like space. At 6-months pregnant BTW. I don’t think it helped my hip in the least. Nonetheless, it needed to be done and I had a vision.

Unfortunately at the time I did not have a camera, so my vision is shared with you courtesy of my iPhone camera. Not great. But you get the idea.

First, I cleaned the beast out and prepped it for painting.

Second, I ripped off the old shelf liner and practiced adding the new liner on the top shelf. I actually found this cute green striped pattern at Wal Mart for $5 a roll. I used just under two rolls total.  It went on pretty smooth, but I didn’t want to get paint on it, so I held off doing the rest of the shelves until it was painted. I proceeded to prime all the walls with white primer and then a coat of white paint.

I knew I wanted to add some kind of visual interest to the back of the closet as well, so I taped off a lattice-like pattern on the top three shelves. The bottom was too low for me and I knew it’d be covered up anyway, so I didn’t bother. Also, you can tell, I didn’t measure these angles. They’re a little wonky in places, but oh well.

I painted over the top of the tape with yellow and before it dried all the way I ripped off the tape. Now this is not normal drywall, it’s some kind of horrible wallboard that isn’t smooth or straight, so there are some obvious deficiencies. But we work with what we got, right?

After that, I finished lining all the shelves and started to move stuff in. And Voila! It turned into:

Toy Heaven! I used our leftover carpet remnant to cover the concrete floor and threw some pillows in there for her to sit and play comfortably on.

I also used her drapes from her old bedroom and a staple gun to make a sort of fabric ceiling to cover up the ugly underside of the stairs. It softens the whole area and adds some interest. Also it didn’t cost me a dime, which was awesome.

And just to add one more dimension of fun, I painted the outside of the doors with more chalkboard paint:

It added a pop to the big white wall that I was missing, and provides her with yet another opportunity to be creative, which I’m all about.

And there you have it! She gets a private place to play and I get all her toys out of my living room, which totally rocks. So far it’s been a hit with her and any other kid that comes over. Is it bad that I’m a little jealous that I never had this when I was a kid? Ce la vie. At least I got to design it for her.

Hope all is well in the blogosphere and have a Happy Tuesday!

Big Girl Room Revealed

Remember this little post oh way back in AUGUST of last year? Where I displayed this virtual board of what I wanted my 2-year-old daughter’s room to look like?

Well I’m happy to say that it is FINALLY done! My friend and former fellow design school classmate Danielle from the amazing blog Danielle Oakey Interiors was kind enough to come and take pictures of the finished product, since my photography skills are severely lacking. If you haven’t seen her blog, you’re really missing out!

Drumroll please:

     

      

Don’t mind the rumpled slipcover…I ordered it too big.

There’s so much I could say about this room. It took SO long to feel like it was finally finished. However, considering it started out like this:

And then moved on to this:

It’s no wonder it took so long to transform! I have a whole different post planned for the evolution of the toy closet. It’s probably one of my favorite spaces in the whole house. Except I feel a little like Aunt Petunia telling Harry Potter to go to his room when I tell her to play in the closet, but hey, at least I don’t make her sleep in there! (Although she could if she wanted to. I tried to make it cozy.) So look for that coming up soon. And also, I have some awesome pictures of the new nursery; aka my new favorite room in the house.

And the best part of all? She sleeps in her bed like a champ! No more crib for my big girl!

Happy Monday!

Tag! I’m it…who’s next?

I needed some kind of jumpstart this week for blog ideas, and luckily Ruth over at Ruth + Writing tagged me in this fun blog survey. So let’s jump right in shall we? First, the rules:

The Tag rules:
1. You must post the rules! (check!)
2. Answer the questions and then create eleven new questions to ask the people you’ve tagged.
3. Tag eleven (or how ever many  you can think of who haven't been tagged) people and link to them.
4. Let them know you’ve tagged them.

Here are the questions from Ruth:

1. Would you rather eat ice cream or popcorn? Popcorn any time, any day of the week. I’m a salt fiend. Sometimes I go to the movies JUST for the popcorn. Not kidding.

2. Who is the biggest influence in your life right now? Hmm, this is an interesting one. Honestly it’s the (not-so) little peanut in my (not little at all) belly.  Everything I think about and do and strive for is to get ready for her right now. And it’s really hard to not be influenced by someone who literally kicks you in the gut from time to time.

3. What do you do to relieve your frustrations? Play with my 2 year old, or play The Sims in spite of my 2 year old. Depends on from what my frustration is stemming…

4. Can you keep a secret? I can’t tell you. ;)

5. When it comes to books, what is your biggest pet peeve? Besides The Hunger Games? (lol I won’t go there) I’d have to say my biggest pet peeve is when I read something with a plot that starts out strong and then seems to fizzle at the end. Or a character that does the same. Basically when you can feel that the author had to hurry up and turn something in to their publisher.

6. Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed? Closed. All of our closets have automatic lights that turn on when you open them. The joys of an old house that used to be owned by an electrician.

7. Do you have a theme song? Please share. Oh I wish I did! Like Cronk in The Emperor's New Groove! I think I’ll be working on that.

8. Where would you bury treasure if you found some? Under the gigantic grape bush we have proliferating on our fence. That thing seriously takes OVER in the summer, it’d be impossible to get under! Muahaha! The treasure’s mine! ALL MINE!

…

Ahem. Sorry about that.

9. What book and/or movie could you read and/or watch over and over? Pride and Prejudice on both accounts. Colin Firth is a dream boat.

10. Have you ever done anything illegal? See the answer to question 4…

11. Is it okay for guys to wear pink? Depends on the guy and the amount of pink in question. My husband wore a pink tie for our wedding and it was dashing. But a pink polo? I think not.

Okay! That’s it for my answers. Now I have to think of 11 NEW QUESTIONS? Oh this is going to be hard. My brain is unreliable at best these days. K, here goes.

1. What’s your favorite childhood memory?
2. If you could teleport from any Wal-Mart in the country to another Wal-Mart in the country, where would you go and why? (My husband and I have a great idea to place teleporters in every Wal-Mart in America and then charge people to transfer to another one…Now we just have to invent a teleporter. One day…)
3. How many times do you brush your teeth in a day?
4. What’s your biggest fear?
5. How many times have you dyed your hair?
6. What’s the absolute WORST book you’ve ever read?
7. Where do you find inspiration?
8. Have you ever broken a bone? Which one and how?
9. Chocolate or Caramel?
10. Guyliner? Hot or not? (Besides on Johnny Depp, that’s a given)
11. What’s your birthstone?

Okay that was actually fun! I hope I get some answers on these! Now to tag some lovely people. Sorry if you’ve been tagged already and like Ruth said, participate if you wish!

1. Charissa Weaks
2. Brooke R. Busse
3. Anna Tan
4. Writing Nut
5. Laila Knight

Okay that’s all I’ve got in me. I’m off to let these wonderful bloggers know that they’ve been summoned and that they too, must participate in the taggage. Yes. I made up a word.

Happy Saturday!

IKEA Hackers

So my little bookcase project was on the IKEA Hackers website today! Go check it out here! Pretty cool huh?

I don’t really have more to say. I’m just counting minutes of every hour of every day until I have this baby. 3 weeks to go by Dr.’s timeline, but I’m praying for her to make her debut sooner than that. Either way, her nursery will be making its debut soon enough, as I get the bedding on Monday and other than that it’s done! Yahoo!

Happy Three Day Weekend!

Seeing Pink

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! I hope you all have wonderful days planned with your  loved ones. The hubby and I are putting the festivities on hold, until after this baby comes. I’m not much of a date, what with the waddling, the huge belly that barely fits in restaurant booths, and the need of a donut pillow wherever I go. How’s that for a visual? TMI? Oh well. Anyway, I can still feel festive today, right? I did my little girls hair in the shape of hearts (see pinterest picture here ) and I’ve been thinking pink all morning. So today I’m dedicating my post to all things pink!

First, a book: When I was in elementary school I read this book that captured my imagination so fully that I still remember the title to this day. In fact, I found it on Amazon and will be ordering it for my little girl to read one day. It’s called The Mystery of the Pink Waterfall by R. Dwayne Moulton.

Here’s part of the abstract from Amazon:

Everyone has dreamed of having a special place all their own. A secret place that nobody else knows about. Little did Jennie Maria know that she would find hers as she obeyed her dying grandfather's last request to find the secret of the Pink Waterfall.

After negotiating a dangerous route full of narrow trails, tipping tree bridges and rock slides through dark caverns, Jennie Maria finds herself trapped in a wondrous hidden valley after a storm sends flood waters to seal the entrance. Her only communication with the outside world is her best friend Jason's messenger pigeon, Zippo, and her only companions are the animals of the valley who are surprisingly quite tame. Jennie Maria's grandfather has been preparing for her arrival and has built her an ingenious cabin with hot and cold running water, a luscious garden filled with fruits and vegetables, and a detailed book that tells her the history of the valley and its former occupants, the legendary Lapishami Indians.

Will Jennie Maria discover a way to get home or is she stranded in this Paradise until the waters recede with the next summer? Fun and intrigue for children of all ages, check out The Mystery of the Pink Waterfall and find out!

Right? Even reading this summary I’m brought back to reading about her learning to live in this magical valley with everything provided for her that she could possibly need. It was one of the first books that I truly lost myself in, and those kinds of books stick with you.

Next, in Design: Pink is making its presence known lately in interiors. Whether it’s a monochromatic scheme, or used as a pop of color to accent, pink is no longer just for little girl’s nurseries. I have to say, I’m loving the idea of using a fresh modern pink in one of our upcoming Noah’s projects… But in the meantime, here are some examples of beautiful pink interiors.

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Who doesn’t love a pink couch?

Lastly, a Game: Okay I’m not going to lie, this was kind of hard. And this might be a stretch, but the only game I could think of is one I'm playing on Facebook and it’s not always “Pink” themed. I’m talking about The Sims Social. I know, way to branch out Kadie. But seriously, this game is addictive and right now they’ve got all these Valentine’s Day items and quests and it’s a lot of fun.

But I realized I’ve only talked about hard-core gamer-type games on here. I’m also a casual game enthusiast. I love time-management games, these weird energy-based games where you only get so many turns, and even the occasional hidden object game. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, a good place to find and play free games like these is www.wildtangent.com. They have TONS of casual games you can try out for free for as long as you want. Be warned, they are addictive. And of course, if you’re on facebook, come be my Sim neighbor!

There you go, a little Pink goes a long way. I hope you all have a fantastic Valentine’s Day!