Bump: 36 Weeks

There's Baby J, ready for his/her first Thanksgiving meal.  Almost done, just 26 days to go at this point!  We can't wait.  The nursery is almost all done, all the baby "stuff" has been acquired, and we're ready for his/her arrival.

Bring it on.

Bump: 28 Weeks

Hello third trimester!

Baby J is growing and growing, and we're getting ready for his/her arrival.  Still feeling good, just starting to feel huge!

Bathroom Chaos!

This is what we're working on...it's almost done.  I can't wait to be a two-toilet house again. Updates soon.

Nursery Color Scheme

My mama wants to make a quilt for Baby J.  Quilting is big in my family, and how could I refuse something cute and handmade with love by an excited grandma-to-be? Since Mr. J and I are not going to find out if our babe is a boy or a girl until he/she arrives, we need to come up with a gender-neutral color scheme.  Traditionally, if you didn't know what you were having, you were apparently supposed to choose green or yellow.  Why?  First of all, I don't really picture a baby's nursery in green, and I heard yellow rooms make babies cry.  Just saying. 

Enter orange and blue.  Yes. These are some fabric ideas mama came up with, and I added a few, too.  Pretty cute, right? And look at those sailboats!! There's pink in there, but it's not too girly for a boy and not too boyish for a girl.  Yes. Orange and blue it is.

Happy Anniversary

Nine years ago, I met the most handsome, kind, caring and thoughtful man in the world. And four years ago, I married him.  (Sorry ladies, he's all mine.)

Mr. J, thank you for being the best husband a girl could ask for.

I love you more today than I did then (yes, that really is possible), and I am so lucky I get to spend the rest of my life with you. Happy Anniversary.

Bump: 20 Weeks

There it is!  I waited and waited for it to show up, and I was convinced it never would.  So when Mr. J took these photos, I got really excited.  It's there, it's there!  Finally, a visible excuse for my high maintenance dining requests.  (Are there raw eggs in that?  Is the ham cooked, like, until it's steaming hot?  Could you leave off the cotija cheese? Could you cook the meat, like, a lot?  No, I don't want the delicious bottle of Malbec you are offering at 1/2 price this evening. And that was just last night.) Finally. Ok, maybe I stuck my stomach out a little bit, but looking at this photo, I think I really do look a little bit pregnant.  

I'm halfway there. I can't wait to park in the Expectant Mother parking at Metropolitan Market and not get any dirty looks. 

Curb Appeal

Before summer is over, our goal is to up the curb appeal of our new place--while the weather's still nice!  Over the past couple weeks, we've made a few changes.  First, we removed that tired red awning, revealing a surprise:

The previous owners hacked at the molding to fit the awning in.  Sigh.  Another project for us.  For now, the front of the house looks a little bit disheveled. There's nothing wrong with our address plaque, by the way, I just blurred it a bit for these photos.

In the next couple of weeks, we're planning to re-do the trim, remove the storm door, and possibly upgrade the outdoor light fixture (oh, and get a welcome mat!).  On the plus side, check out my planters!

There's one on the porch, and one on the walkway up to the door:

Makes it a little more inviting, no?

More work to do in the yard today!

We Bought It

There it is...the new Chez J.  After so many years of moving, waiting, moving and waiting, Mr. J and I bought our first house.  It's not perfect, of course (starter houses never are), and there are lots of things we want to do, but we're so excited to be homeowners!

Cleaning, painting, organizing and yes, destruction have all begun in earnest as we work to get this place a little more up to date (and ready for our little one's arrival in December). Here's a little tour, with photos taken the day we got the keys.

Dining Room

Living Room - Note: L.Belle relaxing in her new home, and the amazing faux finish on the walls.  I realize I didn't get a photo of the fire place the day we got the keys, but you can see part of it just to the left in this shot.

Kitchen - Note: The amazing slate floors and maroon walls, circa 2002 when this baby was remodeled. Sigh.

T.V. Room

Stairs going up - Note: the amazing green carpet

Upstairs Bathroom

More Bathroom

Bathroom Floor (it's already GONE! Yay!!)

Stairs going up - our bedroom at the top, the T.V. room lower left

Master Bedroom

Your eyes do not deceive you, the ceiling is pink.  

Hallway

Soon-to-be baby's room - lots to do here!

"Closet"

Area we will turn into a real closet

And that about sums it up.  There's also a backyard, a garage, and a basement with a guest room (come visit!), another bathroom and laundry.  But, I must not have taken pictures - not the most exciting part of the house.  

We have a lot of work to do, but it's already started.  The paint is drying, and the dust is settling (for now)...updates soon!

New Beginnings

Things are changing here, and the blog is coming back.  Stay tuned for details (and my first post in over a year)!

Pretty

From here. You're welcome. Happy Friday!!

Ideas, ideas

Spring must be in the air...or something.  I'm feeling super crafty, creative, and inspired.

My latest inspiration is this DIY bookshelf project, and sidenote, how great is that mirror??

Thing is, I've already GOT an unattractive bookcase sitting around...ripe for a makeover I tell ya.  Details when/if I get there.

Ikat? I Can!

Inspired by my friend Kate's post about layering the masculine and the feminine, I think it's time to bring a little more GIRL into our living room.  Maybe I can sneak this ikat print in boyish blue past the hubs and start girlin' the joint up? (Just a bit, promise.)

What's this??

That, friends, is this linen, for this headboard.  That's right, I'm doing it.  DIY, y'all!! Happy Weekend!

Happy Weekend!

I want to go to there.

Image via Lonny.

Feeling Crafty

If I told you I was going to try to make something like this headboard would that be totally crazy??

Tutorials all over the internet--like here, here and here.

Stay tuned.

Apartment Therapy - Inspiration!

I came across this tour on Apartment Therapy yesterday, and I have been thinking about it ever since. The apartment belongs to Emily from Cupcakes and Cashmere. I love these images.  AT House Tours are great, because they show actual homes that people live in, rather than spiffed up show houses (not that I don't love me a show house).  These images are just warmer, homier and more lived in.  And, if you've ever been to my place, you'll notice this gal and I have a little bit in common as far as taste...her Hunter Wellingtons, her Ork Poster, her globes, her brass pig, she's even working an orange-ish scheme in her dining room...a gal after my own heart.  No wonder I like these so much! Enjoy these images and Happy Friday!!

Not loving the pendant, AT ALL, but the rest of the dining room is lovely!

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! Hope your day is filled with snuggles, hugs and kisses, chocolate, wine, and flowers.  To Mr. J, I saw on a Hallmark commercial that Valentine's Day is not about saying "I love you" (because you know I do)...it's about saying "I love US" (and I do).  There's no one else like you, and I love you, our little family, and the little home we've created together. So, Happy Valentine's Day!  Smooch!

Sarah's House

I think I figured it out...I'm obsessed with Sarah's House.  I love watching.  At first, I was like, man this crazy Canadian lady is so high maintenance, can never stay on budget, she's totally OCD, and oh. my. gosh....her rooms are beautiful.  Behold...her orange dining room, which, you may notice, inspired my choices for my own dining room. This lady's got a way with fabrics.  I wish, I wish I could post more photos of the room in all its glory for you, but I can't pull them off the site. Promise you'll go check it out here.

Orange Color Pallete

I'm hatching plans to do some quick and easy work in our dining room, and I've come across a fabric dilemma!  I'm absolutely married to the orange chevron in the top left corner, and am planning to make six chair cushions out of it. 

Here's the question...I have a bench in the dining room that sits under a window, and I'd like to make a cushion for it as well.  Do I go with (clockwise from top) the aqua-orange fabric to complement/contrast with the chevron? Or the more tone on tone complement of the orange/brown/yellow floral? Or do I stick with the same color and just switch up the print, with the orange and cream floral. 

Heeelp!  I'm leaning toward the aqua-orange print that sits right next to the chevron (top right).  Thoughts??

Do you remember?

The first time...you saw snow??  This is L. Belle, and this is her first time seeing snow. 

Magic, huh? Happy New Year, here's to a year full of fun, happiness, and all the firsts you can handle.