Pardon the absence...

I've been a little busy...

With this little guy!!

John Kendrick was born on September 2, 2010 at 6:16 pm. He was 7 lbs, 6 oz, and we are more blessed than I could ever have imagined. I know I'm partial, but he is a beautiful baby boy and such a good, sweet baby. 

Pouf, you're comfy.

A few years ago, I bought a John Derian pouf that I LOVE and that Allen tolerates. He has made fun of me a million times about how unnecessary a piece of furniture it is, and while I completely disagree with him, I will admit that it didn't get much use.

Until now....it's in the nursery, serving a very, very important purpose--footrest for the glider. :) 

So imagine my excitement this AM when I logged into Overstock.com to see if I could get yet another steal on a seagrass rug for our bedroom...and found these!! 

Anyone need one? The white and yellow are darling....

A remedy for sleep.

I've not been sleeping well, lately. Probably because my brain is going a million miles an hour.

But I've got a remedy, and only half of it comes in the form of a little miracle pill (prescribed and approved by my OB, just before anyone starts getting their undies in a bunch!)...

It's called PureBeech.

On Saturday, Allen and I stopped by Buy Buy Baby (otherwise known as Bye, Bye, Paycheck--- Helllooo, 8 Million Things Your Baby Does  NOT Need But You Will Feel the Need to Buy) to grab a few things that none of you care about, like changing pad covers. When that was over, we hopped next door to Bed, Bath and Beyond to look at fans because it's hotter than hell here and I'm in need of respite.

While there, we were reminded that our smart friend Mere told us to check out the PureBeech line of sheets...she swore they were the most comfy sheets ever and a good deal.

So we did...and we walked out of the store with them.

I washed those puppies, put them on the bed and crawled in. omg. 

THEY. ARE. FABULOUS.

You should probably go right now and get them. When I finally get around to ordering my new Pine Cone Hill bedding, our room is going to be cute AND comfy.

P.S. Apparently, I'm late to the party. So if you don't believe me, check this out: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/boston/best-products/best-product-pure-beech-modal-sheets-073061

My little man has zapped my creativity.

I go to work, come home, get in my bed and go to sleep. Sometimes I eat ice cream for dinner.

Sometimes I hang out with Allen while he eats take out.

(Aside: I'm the worst wife ever.  I haven't made dinner in 2 months. Not kidding. )

Long story short, I've been really good (in my own humble opinion) during my pregnancy in terms of exercising and eating well, so I feel a little entitled to slack off a little in the remaining weeks. Also, this kid has a vice-grip on my sciatic nerve, and ice cream is the only thing that makes this better.

Yes, I do understand that there isn't a direct link between my sciatic nerve and the ice cream I've consumed this week.  But in my mind it helps. So, that's really all that matters, right?

I'm not a total sloth, though...We had half the house painted last week, which meant that last weekend Allen and I tore the rest of it up, rearranged all of the furniture in our bedroom, recovered our headboard, purged about 200 lbs of stuff (which he carried to the Goodwill truck), repainted and wipe-on poly'd 2 new bedside tables AND I stayed out with friends until 12:30 on Saturday night. We also moved several large pieces of furniture around in the guest room. And when I say we, I mean he did. In the middle of the night. Because it HAD. TO. BE. DONE. RIGHT. THEN. OR.  I'D. NEVER. SLEEP.AGAIN.  Completely rational request, right??

I'm sure that's what he was thinking.

All of that to say---I have had a really hard time coming up with anything interesting to blog about.  In fact, I bet no one is even reading this anymore.

But then I was introduced to Awkward Family Photographs.

OMG, this ^&*% is funny.

If you've never visited, then you need to go there RIGHT NOW.

Why?

I'll leave you with this:

(No offense to any readers who may have taken pre-natal photographs with dirty automobile parts while naked.)

Bragging Rights.

I've mentioned my uber-talented friend Meredith before, but I just have to feature her again, for a few reasons:

1. She just moved to Dallas w/ her husband Lee and they bought a house in our neighborhood! Woot!
2. She is having a baby boy in December, which means our little guys can be best friends from the start.
3. She is a cah-razy talented designer (handbags AND houses) and she just launched her new website!!

You should check it out: http://www.meredithmcbrearty.com/

A few sneak peaks at her work:

Can't you see everyone of these rooms on the cover of House Beautiful? Brill!

Tah-Dah!

We (almost) finished the nursery today!! I'm pretty excited. :) Only thing left to do is have the mirrors painted, hang them over the changing table and wait until we see his sweet little face, so we can take a picture of it (or, more likely, 100,999,387 pictures of it) and put it in the frame over the crib with the pics of his mommy, daddy, grandparents and great grandparents when they were little.

We also need roman blinds for the windows, but that's going to have to wait for a bit. I spent that part of the budget on the glider. Already I can tell you that I think I made the right decision! 

The Louisville Slugger next to the big elephant is going over the window, eventually...

My mom and dad bought us the mobile for Valentine's Day...back then it seemed like FOREVER until he'd get here. I love the sweet birds. Hopefully he will, too. I realize he won't be able to actually focus on it for a few months, but we've got other things to help with that. 

When it's totally complete I'll do a better job of taking you on a tour, with sources, and more detail.

Because after he's born, I'm going to have ooodles of time, right??

:)

In other, equally exciting news...guess what else is finished?!??!

The bathroom!! Hallelujah! Pinch me! I truly was beginning to think this day would never come.

Here you go:

It's so darn teeny in there it's a bit of a bugger to photograph. But with the ceiling lifted and the pedestal sink, it feels SO much bigger!

Catching up.

So, I've been pretty MIA for the last few months.

News flash, I know. For the 2 of you who still follow this, apologies.

A few pics to show you what I've been doing...

We went to Leland and only took one pic, which is ridiculous, because you would DIE if you saw some of the cottages I meant to take photos of.

We took our friends Rich and Alexis to Allen's parent's lakehouse and this guy joined us. I am not exaggerating when I say that I freaked. the. heck. out.

I've spent hours and hours working on the nursery. It's thisclose to being finished...and it's getting soooo darn cute.

Half of those hours were spent testing paint samples.

My ob/gyn grounded me from travel at 28 weeks, so we beat the TX heat and went back to the lake for the 4th of July. Allen and Tilly chilled on the dock...

Our oldest niece got stuck in a monsoon while water skiing...which she's getting SO good at...

Our nephew cracked us up all day long with facial expressions like this...(not sure why it looks like he's swimming in liquid kryptonite)...

Allen practiced his baby skills with a dear friend's little boy...

And I continued to grow. Also not sure why my hair looks bi-colored in the pic. It's not a new look I'm trying out.

33 weeks tomorrow! The little man will be here before we know it.

Next up? The bathroom.

No, it's still not done. The marble piece was the wrong size.  Because the edges were rounded. So it's 1/4 inch short on one side....and apparently will be ready "next week", which I've now learned is contractor speak for "the day after never."  It's a comedy of errors and I swear, every time he comes to the house I search behind him for Candid Camera.

OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG.

You get the point.

But.....AHHHHHH! Domino archives are back online!!!

Ok, you have to go to Brides.com, but who stinking cares???

Going carerrazy.

Do you remember back in the middle of May when I told you that I was having a cabinet built for our bathroom remodel and the top would be a 12"X18" piece of carerra? And that the contractor said he had ordered it?

Guess what?

It's still not in. My guess? He still hasn't ordered it. But that's the last little thing I'm waiting for before the bathroom is complete!!! Also all I'm waiting on before I can move out of the "boy bathroom" back in to my own...where the toilet seat is always down and there are no little leftover shaving bits in the sink!!

Here's a sneak peek, taken w/ my iPhone.

It's just about the wee-ist little bath in all of Dallas.

I still have to do some accessorizing to bring a little color into the room, since I had to choose paint before they laid the tile, the contractor couldn't find the hex tile I wanted so he ordered it without me being able to see it, etc., etc., and to make life easier I just painted everything decorator's white. Literally everything. Different finishes, same color. But to be honest, I couldn't deal. I figured better white and simple than a color I end up hating in 3 months.

BTW, you can't tell that I'm 7.5 months pregnant and melting in 110+ degree temps, can you? Since I'm obviously patience and grace personified?

Even more terrible than originally thought.

From people.com:


Jake Pavelka: Why I Broke Up with Vienna Girardi by Phone


Breaking up is hard to do – especially from 2,100 miles away.


Still, The Bachelor's Jake Pavelka, says he had no choice but to end things long-distance with fiancée Vienna Girardi. The reason? He was struggling to get into character for his role on Lifetime's Drop Dead Diva,, which he was filming in Atlanta while Vienna remained in Los Angeles.


"One of the keys to acting is you have to get out of your head," Pavelka, 32, tells PEOPLE. "This [show] didn't hire me to be Jake, they hired me to play Toby Davlin. I can't be Jake and sell this character."


Troubled by what he termed "trust issues" with Vienna, 24, Jake says he broke up with her in a phone call Monday night.


"I've been trying to put all that aside so that I can give this character justice," he says. "It's been a struggle thinking about my relationship and going in front of the camera and shooting." 


OMG. I'm so embarrassed for him. This is worse than when he jumped in the pool to make out with the chick he didn't pick with HIS ENTIRE FAMILY.

Worst part?? I looooove Drop Dead Diva. But I'm really not sure I can handle watching Season 2 if he's on it.

Surrender.

Ok.

That's it.

I surrender.

The bathroom is STILL not finished, but I kinda don't want to talk about it until I can get an attitude readjustment. :)

And the beddding is in for the nursery, which means if I could just keep my lazy bottom awake after 9PM or up earlier in the morning on the weekend, I could finish Baby A's room!

But the reason I surrender? I still can't find the cord to connect my camera to my computer and I have sooooo many pics to share.

I'm heading to Best Buy after work. Allen's going to kill me. But I'll have blog fodder!!

The source for all things, not just paper.

I've been OBSESSED with Paper Source for a long, long time now.

It started 5 years ago in DC when they built the 2-story store in Georgetown on M Street and I specifically got off the 'tro at Foggy Bottom (love that name, by the way, always have always will) to walk the 7 blocks to the store and then the additional mile and a half UPHILL to our condo, completely loaded down with bags.

Which is sayin' a lot for me. 

The first year we were married I decided to hand make our C'mas cards with Paper Source sussies...it was a 2 month project, but I loved it. Allen didn't really love that 300 sq feet of our 700 sq foot condo was strewn with cardstock, embossing powder and silver glitter for 8 weeks, but it was a good "welcome to your new life" experience for him.

Any-whoo---I stopped by the NorthPark store yesterday and had a field day. 

These are on Baby A's ceiling.  It looks soooooo cute.

This is his baby book. Oh, I can't wait to put his little footprint on there.

That's about all I actually purchased. But what I really wanted to do was buy one of every. single. thing. in the store.
:) 

I'm baaack.

Hi, friends!!

Long time, no chat. And that's my fault...with a vacation, catching up at work, a nursery to work on, a master bath renovation and a trip to WI for my first baby shower, things have gotten a little out of hand.

I have SO much to update you on, and the pics to go with it, but...

I can't find the cord that connects my computer to my camera.

GAH.

I have an idea of where it is...lost somewhere in the abyss that is our master bedroom. Long, long, LONG story short, our bathroom is taking a bit longer than anticipated.

Our contractor was in a terrible car accident, so that of course caused some delay. Obviously, we just want him to get well. Please send happy, healing thoughts and prayers to Dan.

But on Friday, work began again---the tile guy came and tiled one wall of the shower, and did another on Monday.

Question for you, blogfriends:

Do you see how the tiling around this built in shelf for shampoo, etc, is uneven? I think I need to ask the tile guy to make the tiling even around all 4 sides of that rectangle. And yes, it is missing a shelf---it's being made of carerra and will be installed later. 

I realize it's not grouted, etc., but I think it looks sloppy. Any opinions? 

Fun the sun.

Sorry I've been MIA, blogfriends...work has been cah-raaaaazy busy lately.

But tonight we're headed on vacation!!!

YAY!

The original plan was to go to Mexico to celebrate my 30th (ugh, SO OLD!), but my ob caught wind of that during my first pre-natal appt and put the kibosh on it. So we're headed to sunny FL!

They are painting the nursery while we're gone, and we should have some significant progress on the master bath when we get back, so stay tuned for pics.

Purl two...now one!

Today is one of those days where I wish I could magically teleport myself to NYC for the day.

Why?

Because the new Purl Soho is OPEN!!

Last summer, while visiting Allen in New York (he was there for for training for 6 weeks--after returning from Switzerland for the first 6 weeks of training, the lucky duck) I literally spent 3 hours in the two little Purl Soho stores. Now, they've condensed into one big, beautiful one and I can't wait to see it for myself.

A few pics from their blog, http://www.purlbee.com/:

If you, like me, live far, far away from all of this fabulousness, I highly recommend checking out their website. You'll be SO happy you did.

The beginning of a nursery.

My parents were in town last weekend and we got a kick start on the nursery...moved one twin bed and some ikea storage out, and moved 9 paint samples and one installed chandelier in.

I'll post pics soon...as soon as I locate the thingy that plugs into my computer and transfers pics from my camera.

I'm a real tech girl, can't you tell?

But here's a sneak peak at the fabrics I'm using for the sides of the bumper and the single center pleat skirt, minus the white twill, which is underwhelming as an image on the computer.
This fabric will be on the top and bottom of the bumper pads (they are about 3 inch thick) and the ties, as well as a three inch strip at the bottom of the skirt

This is actually more aqua in person

The piping on the bumper and the skirt is in this: 

The crib sheets are this: 

I bought a 5X9 striped Dash and Albert rug for the floor:

And the white Jenny Lind crib arrived yesterday!!!

The twin bed that's currently in the room will stay outfitted w/ the white comforter cover that's currently on it, but I did buy the twin sheet set and a sham in the trellis pattern above...and I might add DIY grosgrain trim to the top of the duvet cover in a contrasting color.

With all the white furniture and the white bedding, we decided to paint the nursery aqua...9 paint swatches later, I think we finally settled on the Martha Stewart for Home Depot paint in Lagoon. It's a gorgeous color, but too dark at 100 so we tried it at 50%...and then at 25%....and now it's perfect. Still enough color to be cheerful and to contrast w/ the white, but calm enough that it will make the room conducive to sleep. :)

Can. Not. Wait.

But if she cheats on Big w/Aidan (who is smokin', BTW), I'm going to be very, very upset.

Just can't help myself.

Sorry, but she's just too cute.

Wait until the end...you don't want to miss the hop. Classic.

Slowly but surely...

I'm selling my craft room. 

Well, not the room obviously. But many of the things in the room. We just don't have room for all of it in the house! 

I'm a complete ebay novice, but last night, I listed the drapes as well as the euro shams and boudoir pllows from the twin beds...(sob). 

I thought about keeping them for the next baby on the chance it might be a girl, but then Allen pointed out that I wasn't planning on using it for a girl nursery ever (always the voice of reason, that one) and so we decided I'd take the ebay plunge. 

I have 4 Pine Cone Hill Gianna Euro Shams in Peony, 4 Pine Cone Hill Gianna drapery panels in Peony, and 2 Pine Cone Hill boudoir pillows in the same pattern/color. The boudoir pillows come with the pillow forms, but the Euros do not. 

They've barely been used and are all in perfect condition...the panels haven't been shortened at all. 

Here's the link to  my ebay store if you are interested: 

 http://shop.ebay.com/hes414/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=25

Diamonds are a girls best friend...

Lately, baubles of any kind seem to be my best friend. I have become OBSESSED with jewelry, which I chalk up to one of two things:

1. I am becoming extra girly as the time grows nearer in which I'll be outnumbered as the girl in our house (besides Tilly, who does love her accessories..remember the bows I showed you that she lurrrves when it's grooming time?);

2.  The more pregnant I become, the more I attempt to draw peoples eyes away from the belly and the fact that I've worn the same shirt 2X in one week.

Last week, on a hunt for some cute maternity work pants (which, by the way, do not exist), I wandered into J. Crew and found all of this goodness:

(Side note: Yes, I know they don't carry maternity clothes. But I needed to just remind myself what pants and skirts with a defined waistband looked like.)

Dear Jewelry Fairy: I'll take all of them, please.

The nursery that launched 1,000 nurseries.

If you used to read Domino (or if you obsessively re-read your old copies like some people might---that's not weird, right?) then you are surely familiar with this:

Obsessed. Especially with the fact that the designer (whose name has completely escaped me at the moment) was bold enough to use bright pink carpet squares in her baby boy's room. Allen would be appalled if I tried that, as would probably most other people in my life. But I LOVE it.

Anyway---I also love the giraffe on the wall. How fun is that? Especially against the baby blue walls?

The company name is Inke, and they have many different wallpaper silhouettes for purchase, including an elephant, a monkey and the Town Musicians of Bremen. If you don't know what I'm referring to, get thyself to wikipedia stat. You missed a very important fairy tale in your childhood and need to remedy that immediately.

Back to the point of this post: I think Baby Boy A needs one of these.

I was thinking about this tree, which is as tall as the wall:

Here's what a similar one looks like in a room:

But now that I just got all high and mighty about the Town Musicians, I'm thinking that might be better.

Not exactly, and probably not the right color, but you get the point.

And for those of you who don't, the animals are supposed to be standing on top of each other.