Revisiting the list - Part I

Hey there everyone! This past weekend (including Friday) has been SO busy for us, which is why I did not participate in this week's 5QF, but I'll be back to normal this week. I have officially hit the halfway point in my pregnancy, so I am trying to take a look back at our spring/summer/getting-ready-for-Baby J to do list now to see how much more we have to get done. And also since it's the first day of summer, I decided it might be a good time to take a look at what we have gotten done already and what we still need to do. So, here goes:

As a reminder, I split up our list into several sections to better organize the list. I'm really type-A and love to organize & then organize again, lol.

• Part I: exterior of the house - front & back yard, back deck & patio.
• Part II: main level - entryway, living room, kitchen
• Part III: upper level - both bedrooms (including closets), bathroom, attic
• Part IV: lower level - basement, basement bath, under stairs storage area, utility storage area, laundry room.

After breaking up the parts of the house, I started my to do list for each area. I have already deleted the items that were done as of the original post on that area, but this post will focus on Part I only.

Front Yard To Do's:

• Possibly remove tree completely (need HOA approval to do this).
• Pull up weeds in flower beds & around tree.
• Plant annuals & re-mulch.
• Get house & stairs power washed.

I am happy to report that we have essentially finished this area! We decied not to remove the evergreen tree right next to our stairs & just got the large branch that was damaged during the crazy snow storms this past winter tied with a clear plastict tie to the main body of the tree - looks good as new. We also decided that the house did not need to be power washed this year, but we did get the stairs done, along with the front sidewalk due to that oil spill. My husband attempted to plant gass seed, but that didn't work out too well, so we hired a contartctor to lay down sod. Since it was a small area, they didn't charge us much at all. You can view additional photos of the area before on my Spring Cleaning - Part I original post, but I snapped one more before we got the sod laid:

This was taken right before the sod was laid - most of our grass was killed by the snow & then by us attempting to plant new grasss - obviously NOT our specialty. So we brought in the experts (best.money.ever.spent)...and here's what it looks like now:

A yard that we can actually be proud of! I can hardly take any sort of credit for this outcome - I really owe all the credit to the contarctor who laid the sod for us & my wonderful hubby who got up early every morning to water the grass & goes out every several weeks to weed the area. And now it looks awesome!

Back (upper level) Deck To Do's: 

Embarassingly, we have pretty much neglected this area once again this year. Now that my husband has finished most of the assembly of the nursery stuff, he may get around to working on our deck. We were actually waiting for quite some time for word from our HOA on the approved deck stain colors, which we received in early June, but by then we were already busy with other house & baby stuff. So while we may get around to this area before the end of the summer, it's doubtful. If we get to anything, I'd love to see the deck get re-stained and sealed, but unfortunately, in my current pregnant state, I am of little to no help in this area, so it may ahve to wait until next spring, when I can help out. Sadly, we have crossed nothing off this part of the to do list. :o(

• Look for & purchase an outdoor dining set (we currently have a cheapo plastic set).
• Get deck power washed.
• Re-stain & seal the deck.

Perhaps I was a little too ambitious? :oP It doesn't necessarily look bad in this area, it could just stand a little TLC, you know? Sigh.

Back Yard & (lower level) Patio To Do's:


This area has also undergone a complete transformation! We used the same contractor to lay sod in theback that did the front yard & they did an amazing job back here as well. Again, my husband deserves the credit for the up-keep of this area - without him, our little bit less than $300 sod investment (for the front and back yards), would have most likely gone to waste.

• Get sod laid surrounding the patio.
• Clean under the deck area, get rid of any debris in that area.
• Fix exterior water spout (it has never worked since we bought the house; but we need it for the sod!!
• Buy a small sitting/bistro set for the patio.

As you can see, we still need to clean out under the deck area (there are a few spots where small weeds have grown in & I'd also like put down new rocks back there to cover the old, dirty rocks, but overall, the backyard area looks 1,000 times better!! I don't have any true before photos of this area because it was pretty embarassing. The previous owners had so much shrubery and crap back there that it literally looked like a jungle. We never went out there - not even the dog, so the only "before" photos I have are truly the "in progress" photos that I took shortlay after all the debris and weeds were removed, and you can check out my original post on this area for those photos. And now for the after:

::tear drops:: I am seriously SO happy with how this turned out. It looks fab compared to what we started out with. We will likely eventually buy a small bistro-type set to sit down there, but for now, it's just nice to have a decent looking patio area.

In other news, I have been accumulating (read: shopping like crazy) sooooo much cute baby stuff that I need to devote a separate post just to that! This week is sure to be hectic as well since my little sister is graduating from high school & my nephew's 2nd birthday is this week, but I have several posts lined up including the rest of the house spring cleaning updates, a new project nursery post & of course, my weekly pregnancy post. Lots going on over in the World of Dennifer. So, what about you? Have you completely finished your spring cleaning, or do you still have lots to do?! Please tell me I'm not alone in being a spring cleaning slacker!

Project Nursery - DIY goodies!

I've been busy nursery planning for what seems like FOREVER & everything is slowly, but surely coming together. I have wanted to make everything for this LO's nursery, but in reality, there are waaay more talented people that can make some of this stuff. However, there are some things this mama-to-be is perfectly capable of & so I tried my hand at two DIY projects - with more sure to come in the near future.

The first was a ribbon mobile. I had seen a few of these on the web & thought they looked so cute & calming in a baby's room. I got the inspiration for all the colors from our little girl's bedding set (more on that later) - which is a whimsy (not too babyish) design with a mix of polka dots, stripes & gingham in chocolate, aqua, baby pink, light green & white. It's seriously adorable. I am going to go wall by wall of what my plans are for the nursery, so I'll post that another day, but it's cute & fits perfectly with the aqua walls! I digress - back to the DIY ribbon mobile {please excuse how it's semi-lopsided, I tied it to the kitchen cabinet to take pics...it's waiting on the hubbs to hang it where it belongs}:

And baby view:

What do you think? I really LOVE how it came out & it's gonna look so beautiful in her room! I hope she enjoys looking up at it. I have received lots of positive feedback on this mobile & I am even thinking about starting an Etsy shop for them...jury's still out, but it would be a great way to supplement our income, have a nice additional tax write (for a home based business) & we could pay down our debt quicker, which is always a good thing. When & if I do open up a shop, I'll be sure to let you guys know & probably even sponsor a giveaway for one of these cuties!

The second DIY project is closet dividers to separate all of her cute little outfits in her teeny closet & I'm even throwing in a quick tutorial for this one! I really have a feeling her little closet is gonna be packed full of stuff, so any type of organizational tool for the closet is a good thing. Here is how they turned out:

They have a few imperfections here & there, but they will serve their purpose & serve it in a cuter way than if they hadn't been made. So here's the dealio (sp?) on how I made these little cuties....

As soon as I found out we were having a little girl, I immediately started planning out my DIY projects. One cute thing I had seen long ago somewhere & knew I'd want to try when we had a baby was DIY closet dividers. For this project, you will need the following items/tools:

• 2-3 pieces of 12x12 scrapbook paper (in a pattern you'd like for the back ground of your dividers)
• wooden door hangers (I bought 5)
• Modge Podge (I used the glossy kind, but either kind would work)
• foam brush (for Modge Podge application)
• sparkly stickers (in a complimentary color to the scrapbook paper)
• Xacto-type knife & cutting board
• ribbon (to hang them in the closet - mine aren't hung yet, but I will use ribbon to tie them on the pole)
• scissors
• hot glue gun & extra glue sticks
• embellishments (to decorate the bottom portion of the dividers)

And I'm so bad ::slaps hand::, I meant to save the receipt so that I could list the prices for everything I bought & I totally must have recycled it b/c yeah, it's gone. But, I'd guess you could spend less than $12-15 for this whole project. I went a little crazy on the embellishments & bought them from this cute specialty shop in my area called "The Nest Egg," so they were actually $3.50/piece, but you could definitely get some very cute ones cheaper from Michaels. Or, if you have a color printer, you can print some from off line & Modge Podge them onto the dividers for FREE!

So, first you gather up all your supplies:

Then, cut the large pieces of scrapbook paper into smaller pieces - slightly larger than each of your wooden door signs. Then, trace the shape of the door hanger onto the back side of the scrapbook paper. Be sure to press down hard when your tracing so that the door hanger doesn't slip around on the paper!

(I forgot to take photos of these next couple of steps - sorry!) Next, cut out the shapes you just traced with regular scissors (including the circle part that goes on the door knob). Then, Modge Podge the back side of the scrapbook paper & the front of the door hanger & carefully stick the scrap book paper onto the door hanger, being sure to cover any exposed wood. Don't worry if the paper hangs over the edge of the wood - we will take care of that later. Repeat for each door hanger. Allow Modge Pode to dry completely before moving to the next step (no more than 10-15 min per hanger, so by the time you finish the last one, the first one will be ready for the next step).

Next, use your X-acto knife & cutting board to trim off the excess paper from each door hanger.

Put your stickers on the front, top section of the door hangers & hot glue your embellishments to the bottom half (feel free to embellish as much or as little as you'd like). The final step would be to use ribbon to tie them onto the pole in your little one's closet. I haven't done it yet because I want to use this opportunity to buy some cute new yellow ribbon & I haven't made it back to Michaels yet. :)

So those are my two little DIY projects I've done for the bug so far. I can't wait to see them in her closet with all the cute little dresses & outfits she's sure to get! I hear these come in handy for baby's closets especially since they grow out of stuff so quickly, which is why I tried to space out what months the dividers covered: Newborn, 3-6 months, 6-12 months, 12-18 months & 18-24 months. Everything else after that will have longer staying power, right???!! Don't you get into the "T" for toddler sizes after that? I'm clearly not too schooled on this topic, but I love my little dividers nonetheless! 

This Friday, after our doctors appointment & ultrasound, we are heading over to Babies 'R Us to register for Baby J's shower! I really really want to make sure we put everything we need on the registry & try to avoid the fluff & unnecessary items (admitted clutter hater here). Of course, I'm sure I won't be able to resist a few really cute unnecessary things, but for the big stuff, I'd really love to avoid it if  we won't use it. So, I's calling out to all my mama readers - what did you find that you really used/needed for your first little one & what items did you buy, but found you really didn't use or need?

19 weeks - lovin' me some mangoes!

I wanted to get this post out of the way for the week since I have lots coming up - including an all new Mood Board Monday (woot), a yummy spaghetti/lasagna recipe, updates on our spring/summer/getting-ready-for-Baby J list & several more Project Nursery posts.

I have continued to do research & pick the brains of friends who have recently had babies on what items they really needed/used & what they didn't. And of course, I'm still working on planning out the nursery. I keep adding cute DIY ideas to my list of things to do to decorate her room! After our 20 week ultrasound & doctor's appointment this Friday we are planning to go & register at Babies 'R Us & I'm also registering for a few things at Target as well. I'm trying to also persuade my hubby into going to Ikea next weekend to get some of the other stuff I want for her room, but we shall see about that.

According to the Bump, this week baby girl is the size a mango! The vernix caseosa, a greasy white substance made of lanugo, oil & dead skin cells, coat the baby's body to protect it from the amniotic fluid. And Baby Center says this is a crucial time for the baby's development - her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. She can almost definitely hear our voice now, so we talk to her a lot & her daddy tells her he loves her every night.

I have still been feeling pretty good. Can't complain too much - of course, I have periods of discomfort & slight back pain (likely from my growing belly), but I'm a happy pregnant woman overall. The end of this week I'll be 20 weeks pregnant, which means I'm halfway done! And although I'm happy this pregnancy is going by rather quickly (mainly due to the constant worry I feel about whether the baby is doing okay in there - 1st time mama thing I think), I'm also kinda enjoying being pregnant. I love feeling her movement, which is a bit stronger now, but still pretty inconsistent. I can't wait until I really get to feel her constantly throughout the day & really can't wait till her daddy & I can feel her from out here! I'll be even happier when my bump completely comes in - my husband says I look pregnant, but I'm not so sure I do in my normal clothes - who knows?! Maybe I'm being crazy. I mean I know there is a definite difference, but it does not look like a full-on pregnant bump to me. I'm growing out of one pair of my original maternity jeans - when I bought them, I knew they were only intended for use during the first & second trimesters, but I really thought they'd last at least most of the way thru my 2nd tri! I'm thinking about getting a prenatal massage soon, I just need to find a reputable place in our area that does them - I bet that'll feel amazing!

Here are my 19 week bump photos - I think I see a pretty big difference from last week & others are definitely starting to notice my belly. This week my {drunk} hubby (as a result of the wedding we attended last night) wanted to get in on the bump photo action, so there are a few extras:

Messing around with the hubbs, lol.

Clothed Belly

Bare Belly

And that's all I got for this week. Hopefully baby girl will look perfect & we'll get some good ultrasound pics this Friday! 'Till next time!

5QF + weekly recap - 6.11.10

Hey there everyone! I apologize for being a blog slacker this week, but work continues to be insane for me right now, so by the time I get home from work I'm exhausted. I'm even exhausted on the days I work from home. We are entering the final quarter of the Government fiscal year, which is the most busy time in my field & the fact that I'll be going on maternity leave a little over month after the fiscal year ends makes it even more hectic for me. Anywho, another Friday down & I'm pumped for this weekend! We have a lot of fun stuff planned - a good friend & former co-worker of mine is getting married tomorrow, so I'm looking forward to celebrating with her & then on Sunday, I'm having a long-delayed lunch with one of my BFFs who just had a baby girl in March! I'm so excited to sit & catch up with her - and of course, to pick her brain about baby stuff. :o)

This week was pretty productive though, I got another DIY project done for our baby girl - that's a total of two now that I need to post...they are coming soon - promise! I posted a few pics of the ribbon mobile I made on Facebook & got so many compliments/requests from my pregnant girlfriend's for mobiles for their little one's that I'm thinking of starting my very own Etsy shop for them. I need to get a few more under my belt before I start the shop, but I really enjoy doing it, although it is quite time consuming...the final product looks awesome! I also bought the babe this cute Carter's giraffe toy:

It plays a lullaby & was on sale at JCP plus I had a 20% off coupon code, so it was only $12! Then, I got the hubbs this 4-piece BBQ set for a supplemental Father's Day gift (I got a few cute onesies for the baby for him too, but this is actually just for him) - it was also on sale for $25 & I used my 20% off coupon code, so it ended up being only $21! Gotta love JCP - they always have GREAT sales & coupon codes come out at least once a week. And on top of all that, they ship so QUICK! I ordered the stuff on like Tuesday & got it on my doorstep this afternoon! I was in shopping mode this week - not that I'm never not in shopping mode - so I bought some cute shirts & a pair of jeans from Old Navy & Gap Maternity this week:

I'm really into the full panel pants nowadays - they are sooo comfy, but I still wear all my hidden waistband pants & stretchy denim waistband jeans I bought a little earlier on in my pregnancy. Hoping those will continue to work throughout my pregnancy. I also spoke with HR at my job about my maternity leave plans & it looks like everything is going to work out great! I want to take a full 12 weeks off & unfortunately, my job does not have "maternity leave" per se, but I can take off as much time as I want & use my sick & annual leave to cover that time. If Baby J cooperates until I hit 40 weeks & God-willing this pregnancy continues to go relatively smoothly, then I'll have 11 weeks of leave around the time I plan to go out on leave. I already spoke to my team leader about it & he said he is fine with me spreading out the other 5 days as telework days over the last few weeks of my maternity leave to account for the one week that I don't have enough sick/annual leave for. I still have to run it by my actual supervisor {it's complicated}, but I highly doubt he'll have a problem with that set up. I'm excited to be off for 12 whole weeks, especially over the holidays. I mean, don't get me wrong, I know it'll be hard work getting adjusted to a new baby & dealing with the normal stress the holidays bring, but I'm up for the challenge & look forward to spending all that quality time with our little girl!

And now, on to 5QF! If you want to participate, head on over to My Little Life & link up (and let me know if you do, I'd love to read my reader's answers)!

1. What do you think makes a good friend, or friendship?

I think a good friend is someone you know you can count on to have your back no matter what & someone who supports & accepts you for who you are & what you believe. I have a really good group of close friends - I know my girls always have my back & they're there always there to listen to me vent about whatever.

2. What is the last thing you bought & later regretted?

Hmm, well these weren't really expensive b/c if they were & I was not satisfied, then I'd return them - but I recently purchased two tee shirts from Old Navy that were non-maternity & I didn't try them on first. Bad idea b/c they are definitely too short, but I figure, they are tees - they'll still be "in" after the baby is born & I'll wear 'em them. And I fully plan to get my arse back on Weight Watchers shortly after Baby J makes her appearance to lose all the weight I have already gained & am sure to still gain. I lost 40 pounds on WW before & I'm sure I know I could do it again & fully plan to get back to a healthy weight as soon as is possible after we have our little angel. But I definitely have no qualms about returning stuff at all. In fact, I just sent something back to Old Navy Maternity today for an exchange, lol (those jeans above in fact - I needed a bigger size)!

3. Have you ever had a prank played on you?

Ummm, I'm sure I have - nothing really comes to mind right this second, but I'm certain someone has played a prank on me at some point in my life.

4. What is your favorite theme park?

Hands down - Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA. I freakin' LOVE roller coasters & they absolutely have the best around! I especially love The Griffon - there's a 205-foot drop!! Sooooo exhilarating. Obviously in my current state, I'll be staying far away from The Griffon this year, but we'll likely go next spring or summer. My hubby is originally from somewhere not too far from there, so we can just go one weekend we go down to visit his family. And another reason I love him ::winks:: is that he is a roller coasteraholic too!

5. Have you ever seen someone else give birth?

Only on TV (I love the Discovery Health show  "Deliver Me") & it's not the most pleasant thing to watch, but it's a true miracle to me all that women's bodies are capable of! I can't wait to experience labor myself. Yeah it's a bit scary, but overall I trust that God has equipped my body to handle labor & delivery - I'm sure I'll blog more about that lata.

Okay, so my goal is to not be a slacker this week & keep up on posts. I have several updates to post on my spring/summer/getting-ready-for-Baby J list - including items completed with pics & items to add & a couple DIY baby projects to share. I also have several Project Nursery posts that I have been thinking of & just need to sit down & write out. So with that, I'll try & check back in later this weekend with my weekly pregnancy post & some of the other things starting early next week. 'Till next time!

18 Weeks - my lil sweet potato!

Whaaat? On the actual day I turned 18 weeks - unheard of! I'm trying to be punctual & also I've been on the computer for the last little bit just browsing & what not, so I decided I may as well post my weekly post....on time for once.

We are planning on registering for Baby J's shower in a few weeks, so I have been looking through all my options on various baby items, which is a pretty daunting task. I want to avoid getting a bunch of big, bulky things that we will never use. My house is not that big & I despise clutter. Speaking of - I am now worried about where we will put all the baby bottles & what not in our kitchen. I have a pretty big pantry, so any food-type items or formula (planning on BF'ing, but keeping an open mind about the possibility of formula feeding if necessary) can go in there, but I'd like to keep non-food items out of there. Hmmm, perhaps we will need to clean out the area under the island where our pots & pans are & get rid of a lot of the stuff we don't need anymore. We have been talking about buying a new set, so maybe I'll talk to the hubbs about actually getting on that purchase, so we can move the Tupperware from the cabinet & under the island next to the new pots & pans.  Then we can put all the Baby J stuff in the cabinet where the Tupperware is now. Guess that's something to add to my growing list of things to do before Baby J arrives! It's like a whole new person with a whole new set of stuff coming to live in your house, lol. I guess that IS in fact what's happening, huh?! But I'm definitely not complaining...we can't wait till our little girl gets here in November & all her {cutesy} stuff. :)

Oh & today I ordered the cutest custom little onesies for my hubby for Father's Day. They are sorority/fraternity related & so cute! I always swore I'd never buy those things that say "Future {enter name of sorority here}," but since we are in brother/sister fraternal organizations, I got some cute non-Baby J future predicting ones for my hubbs. I think he'll get a kick out of them & they are only $10 each, so  they didn't break the bank either. I'll probably also get him a new grilling tools set - he's always on the grill anytime we do BBQ's, so I think he'll appreciate some new tools. I'll post pics once I get everything in!

This week, baby is the size of a sweet potato! She's getting so big & I'm pretty sure I am really, for real this time feeling her move! A couple days ago I started feeling something down low in my pelvic area that felt like popping popcorn. I'd heard other mamas describe their baby's 1st movements like this & I know for sure this is exactly what I'm feeling. So exciting. Keep moving away baby girl! The Bump confirms she's spending her time moving away in there - kicking, punching, rolling, hiccuping, twisting, etc. So cute. I wish I could have a look at her every day. :oP In other news, my side of the bed is turning into a pillow fortress. My poor husband can't even cuddle me {he loves it ;oP} b/c I have pillow behind me, in front of me, two between my legs & under my head, hahaa. I REFUSE to buy one of those maternity pillow thingys b/c what in the heck will I do with it after the baby is born? And as I mentioned, I despise clutter...so pillows it is for me!

And two people at work this week, including my team leader, mentioned something about me showing! So happy that I don't just look fat, haha. Here are this week's bump pics @ 18 weeks exactly:

Clothed Belly

Bare Belly

And now I'm going to lay down & probably pass out for the rest of the night. I have some shopping I'd like to do tomorrow & I also want to fit in a mani/pedi/eye brow touch up - it's quite necessary right about now. 'Till next time!

5QF + weekly recap - 6.4.10

Hey everyone! Yet another week has come to an end, yay! I get happy when Friday rolls around b/c I advance another week in my pregnancy on Saturdays, so tomorrow I'll be 18 weeks. And speaking of - I never posted my 17 week update. Not too much to report - baby is the size of an onion & wiggling around lots & lots in there! I can feel flutters every once in a while & I can't wait to start feeling her move from the outside & especially can't wait until her papa can feel her move around! We have another Dr's appointment + our anatomy scan/ultrasound in 2 weeks & I can't wait to see her again! We will also go register afterwords at BRU & I have started a second very small registry on Target.com already. Anywho, so as not to rob you of the very very in demand bump pics, here are my photos from 17 weeks:

Clothed Belly

Bare Belly

I just like to have it all documented  on the blog since I plan to print out all of my posts about the baby & make a cute little book one day. :)

This week was pretty uneventful. I finished my first baby project, which I'll be sharing here soon..it's so cute! And I'm planning on taking a trip to the local thrift shop shop to drop off some stuff we are donating & possibly buying some old frames for another project for Baby J's nursery. That's my main D&R focus right now besides our cleaning/getting the house ready for the babe. I also have a few things I'd like to do in my office area int he basement, but one includes a desk re-finish that I can't do right now because I'm pregnant - still waiting on the hubbs to get started on that one. In other news, my poor pup is kida sick - if you wanna call it that - he has something wrong with his left ear, I think some sort of infection. So I'll be taking him to the vet later today & also getting his shots updated while we are there. Besides that, this weekend will likely be pretty chill, for once we don't have many plans, which is a good thing!

So, on to 5QF! If you want to participate, head on over to My Little Life & link up (and let me know if you do, I'd love to read my reader's answers)!

1. If you could go back to college would you change your major? Or, if you were to go to college right now...what major would you choose? 

Umm, I went to both undergrad & grad school & I liked my majors. I am pretty happy with what I do, so I'm not sure I'd change it.  I would like to take some party planning courses though because I'd really liek to get into wedding/party planning one day.

2. What do you love most about your home?

Hmmm, that's a tough one since I REALLY want a new house, lol. But I guess I love the location - it's so convenient to major highways/parkways, stores & malls.

3. What types of books do you like to read (if you like to read at all)?

I like murder mysteries best or true-life crime stories. I was an Administration of Justice major & Sociology minor in college, so I like to read about crime & what motivates the criminal mind. Weird? My mom is the same way, haha.

4. What is the grossest thing you've ever eaten?

Hmmm, OMG one time my mother's @$$hole husband (can you tell I'm not too fond of him?) tricked me into eating duck.  IDK why it bothered me so much, I know some people really like duck, but all I could think about was the poor little duckies that I used to feed when I was a little girl. :(

5. If you HAD to be a character on a TV show, whom would you be?

This is a talk show, not a fictional show, but I LOVE Rachel ray. Her show looks like it would be so much fun & she loves what she does!

That's all I got for this Friday - nothing much going on here. I'll be back next week with some spring/summer cleaning updates & my very first baby girl DIY project recap & tutorial! 'Till next time...have a great weekend!

Project Nursery - Part I

We have already gotten a good start on Baby J's nursery - the paint is on the walls, the crib & dresser are put together, the glider & ottoman are in their rightful place, but we still have LOTS to do with our baby girl's nursery. This first post on the nursery will basically document my overall plans for the layout, color scheme/theme & general ideas, plus show off some of the stuff we (read: my husband under my direction ;o) have already accomplished. Then subsequent Project Nursery posts will discuss specific elements of the nursery & feature some of my DIY projects for our little girl. Some of the Project Nursery posts will also just discuss what I'm thinking of doing in certain parts of the nursery & I'll ask my readers for feedback. I have so many ideas to share & incorporate into this room that it is going to take several posts, over several months to share everything!

In general, I'm going for a girly, but not too pink & not too babyish room - think whimsy & cute, but not frilly or over the top, in your face pink. Oh & I am not going to have a a theme for the room - I'm not really into overly themey stuff, I just want it to be modern looking and to flow with complimentary colors & patterns. I'm using the aqua as my main color (the walls), but I am going to balance that out with pink (both hot & light pink), white, chocolate brown, light yellow & light/pastel green.

Here is my idea of the general layout for the room (imagine it with walls around the outside):

I took a few photos of the beginning stage of the room before the hubbs had gotten the crib put together, so you will just have to wait on that! But here are some preliminary photos of the room:

This is the back wall (also the longest) - the dresser & glider will stay in this configuration:

This is the wall where the entryway door and the crib are (the crib is now put together & against this wall): 

 

Pictured below is what the convertible crib looks like assembled, we got the crib, dresser & conversion kit for the crib for right around $1K (including delivery) from Babies R Us (BRU) during their 20% off all nursery furniture sale.

This photo below shows half of the wall directly across from the room entrance, where there are two windows equally spaced apart (you can only see one in this photo) & the front wall directly to the left of the entryway door, where we will be putting a bookshelf & some toy storage. This wall also has our baby girl's teeny tiny closet - I'll likely get some sort of closet organization system or something to maximize the space here:

The dark blue window shades/blinds that are pulled all the way up in the photo above have already been taken down & need to be Freecycled. We have already purchased the same white fabric honeycomb shades that we got for our Master Bedroom & had custom cut to fit the windows in the room. I LOVE LOVE LOVE these shades - the are made by DesignView & sold at Home Depot. I literally cannot rave enough about these shades - we absolutely love them in our room & they are very affordable. They diffuse sunlight, so hopefully that'll help our little one sleep when she naps during the days, so that mama & daddy can rest too! So anywho, we have those & the hubbs just needs to install them.

The last major piece of furniture going in the room is this "Bentley Kid's Cubby Bookcase," I bought from Target for $100 with free shipping. I love how it has two large shelves that I can store baskets or books on & three smaller shelves to display photos or little trinkets (which I am sure will change once our little girl starts getting around on her own & getting into things). I plan to also put some sort of toy storage box or basket with a lid next to the bookcase for all her little toys she's sure to be spoiled with &/or accumulate over the years!


So that's the nursery so far! It's definitely a work in progress & I am constantly changing my mind, but everything I mentioned here will stay the same. We have the furniture, the blinds have already been cut, so there's no turning back now...which is a good thing for someone as indecisive as I am, LOL. I think we are doing pretty good since we still have another 22 or so weeks till we get to meet our little girl! I'll be back tomorrow with 5QF & I have a very cute DIY project I already completed for our little girl to share sometime next week. 'Till next time!