The Loo for the Little One

Sometimes I forget that there are a few of you out there that check my blog. I have been reminded that I teased you with the promise of bathroom pictures. Finally, they are here!

This is what the little guest bath looked like when we looked at the home. Brown. Are you shocked? So was everything else in here. And as a disclaimer, I do like dark cabinetry and dark decor done in the right way. In this case, it was not. I hope I have not offended anyone in my speak to the love of white and the hate of dark. Just a personal preference for me and what I think looks best in this house given the natural light, or lack thereof.

Thank goodness they took with their faux ivy growing from the tiny treasure chest.
Out with the fringe, cheetah lamp shades and iron work and in with the light and bright.

My bathroom inspiration was provided by Jamie Meares. Jamie writes the awesome blog i suwannee and has a super hip shop, Furbish Studio. Take the similarities between the two spaces with a big, fat grain of salt. Obviously, I couldn't COPY, copy her. Just sorta, kinda copy. The budget only allowed me to do some paint and a few accessories. New tile (I dream of white subways to the ceiling), new light fixture, faucet and counter top will have to wait a while.

The sweet dental moldings in Jamie's bath likely cost more than my closing costs. So...we took this as a general and went from there.
Click here to see Jamie's bath.

Here it is! This bathroom shares a hallway with Julia's bedroom. Therefore, it is her bathroom, but also the downstairs bath where guest go when visiting. It's off the main living area, so I wanted it to reflect a young, fresh, kid's bath, but also wanted it to be acceptable and inviting to our guests.

Mrs. Meyers "honeysuckle" soap. Yummy!
Owl and dome from my favorite Dallas antique shop.
Mirror from Pier 1 circa 1999. Fresh coat of paint and ready to roll.
Cabinet got a fresh coat of white when the kitchen did and some spicy knobs from Anthropologie.
Shower curtain from Overstock and embroidery by Embroidery Me. Paint color is Glidden "Pure Turquoise" and lightened to 50%.

Glass canister from Warrenton. Seller said he got them from an old German hospital. The basement was full of them. Character, I love it. Those are the sweet feet that belong to the babes that bathes in here. I can't believe they were ever that tiny! Tray is from McKinney Trade Days, $4.

Large picture from the Singapore Museum of Art, pair of yellow bud vases from the Frisco Re-sale Shop, butterfly dish from an antique shop, small picture from my room as a child, "J" purchased for Julia by her daddy prior to her arrival from Anthropologie and greek key plate from Pottery Barn.

I hope you like it as much as our tater tot does!

Laundry Room Spice

There is a whole list of pros and cons to movin to the 'burbs. On the pro-side is a proper laundry room. Cabinets, a sink, additional space and a room with a door dedicated to laundry...this is what I'm talkin 'bout. In our old house we had a laundry closet. It did the trick and had shelves and space to store things like vases and the non-essential items, but I tell you what...this laundry room has changed my tune on doing the chore.

Here was my inspiration picture that I found on the Little Green Notebook.

Here's what we got going at the moment.




Okay, so it's not as cute as the inspiration room and my photography skills aren't as good, but we are enjoying it. I found that rad fabric at Calico Corners when they were closing their Plano location. 75% off and took the last they had. Then I dialed up my fabulous seamstress and had a perfect little skirt made. I picked-up the utensil rack from ikea and added a few touches here and there. What do you think?

Best Valentine's gift ever...purchased by me!

It used to be something like jewels or romantic dinners for two on Valentine's Day. But it's gotten steamier around here. It's all about rugs. {I make no comment to that if your mind is in the gutter.}

This Valentine's Day it's a Persian rug from Iran that smells like a billion cigarettes (really, just the packaging smelled, but the story is better this way) that does it for me. It's tall and skinny, this guy. 10'5 long and will make its little home behind my island.

Who knew a smelly rug from Ebay could light up your life?!

Happy Valentine's Day Weekend, little lovies. Hope it's as romantic as packing up a house and moving!

xoxo

The deal is done

Yesterday, this man....


Bought us a new one of these...



And afterwards, he took off his tie and we celebrated with a lot of this...


The house is far from here...

About 35 minutes north, to be exact.

But, gaining a few more bathtubs and bedrooms, we decided it was worth it.
And the best part is that Julia's boyfriend seems to approve.

Even better, his momma is about 30 seconds away.

We're doing a smidge of work and will be moving-in next weekend. This lady is helping with some good stuff. I can't wait for you to see.

It entails a couple of these...

Daydreamin

More explanation on this later, but for now...here is a little eye candy for ya. What's not to love? White cabinets, wood floor, lanterns, chandy.


There's been a little debate on whether or not one should paint kitchen cabinets. Some of the crowd gasps at the thought of painting perfectly good, wood cabinets. Like it's taboo or something. I've consulted the most skilled designer I know on this topic. Loved her response, and I think this finally nails it. "Yes, they are wood. Yes, wood is nice, but wood is NOT sacred. A white kitchen will always be classic." Amen.

Recipe and Randomness

Hey team,

Sorry I haven't posted all week. I guess I got busy and left you all high and dry. My apologies.

We had a little family barbecue this weekend, and I tried a new recipe.
Chilled Asparagus Salad (click here for the recipe)

Of course here is a picture during the process and by the time it was pretty and all ready to serve I forgot to snap a final shot. I used my lovely, white asparagus platter that they used to sell at Crate and Barrel, but I can no longer find it. What a shame...it allows for a beautiful presentation for asparagus and especially this recipe with the dressing drizzled across the top. Anyhow, it was a lovely, fresh, new recipe that turned out great. Give it a shot!

These two guys love each other. Uncle Clint is the only one allowed to call Henry "Hankers". They're buddies and it's all pretty cute to see. Red heads look cute in green, huh?

In baby news...Julia looked great at her 22 week sonogram! She weighs 1 lb, 1 oz. Not sure what that says for the additional xx lbs I have put on, but we'll just assume all is well! We caught a shot of her yawning, which was pretty cute if I may say so!

The chief couldn't make the appointment not because he didn't want to, but because he was being awarded a big, special award and couldn't swing both. I convinced him that this achievement might pay for Jules to go to college or her wedding in the long run (okay, so probably not, but it made him feel better). We decided the sacrifice was worthwhile. In his absence my mom attended the appointments. She didn't have a sonogram with my brother or with me, so this was a whole new experience. I think she was overwhelmed and it didn't quite hit her until she got home that evening. It was a pretty special moment to hear how excited she was and that it's all becoming very real. I guess it's time to get on board...I'll be 6 months pregnant on Sunday! How the time is flying.

In house news...we're quitting the game on Tuesday. Pulling it off, calling it quits, staying another day...whatever you want to call it. About 1,000 people have informed me that "it will all work out just fine". I trust they're right! We're about to start making some adjustments and getting the guest bedroom set for the princess herself.
Maybe we'll get to see this one more time...


Sorry for the lack of pictures...I haven't scanned the sonogram pictures yet, but it's on my list of things to do.

I hope you all are having a good week. The little red-headed man in my life has a virus today. Big time fever and not feeling so hot. Pray he's on the mend. This isn't fun for anyone involved.

Peace.

Calling All Catholics

Our house has been on the market for 44 days. It feels like an eternity. We've had the general lookers, we've had the very interested, but what we haven't had are offers. I fell in love with a house months ago. They recently dropped the price and we jumped, made an offer and then waited. Waited and waited. They countered, but need to lease back until July 27. Baby E is scheduled to arrive September 19. An entire renovation isn't happening in 6 weeks. So we pulled back. I still have hope. It could still happen.

What's more important than finding the next house is selling the current. I don't see what the big deal is about having two mortgage payments and a baby on the way, but for some reason Clint seems to think it's not a good idea!! I kid, I get it.

So last week my mom sent me the prayer to St. Joseph and suggested we try the whole "bury the St. Joseph statue in the yard" game. Ironically, Clint's boss bought us the statue and suggested the same. Last night we pulled it out, said the prayer and buried sweet St. Joseph in the yard. Hey, whatever works!


Today is the big 18-week sonogram. We're praying that Baby E is growing and healthy. We could get a wild hair and find out the sex. Stayed tuned...