A Bit of Catch-Up

It's done! Hot diggity dog! I wish I could say that all I've done this whole time since my last post is relax and work on the nursery, but it just wouldn't be true. I've been worrying (my Dad is sick and has surgery scheduled for Aug. 27th... but that's a whole 'nother story), working, cooking, puking, sleeping, eating, going to baby showers (I have wonderful friends and family), sleeping, and eating again. Sometimes I even eat while I should be sleeping. This baby likes to eat! And why shouldn't she? She's my child after all...


Anyway, back to the nursery and what's been going on since we last spoke (just roll with it...). How about I just show you?

Our friend Crystal Harper took some beautiful maternity photos for us. She's just started her photography business and I was quite impressed with the photos she took. Here are some of my favorites...

Oh the places we'll go...

There I am! In all of my fat glory.

In front of our house :)

We also opted for a 3-D Ultrasound (even though our doctor's office doesn't do them) because our mommies made a special trip all the way down to Georgia so that they could see her live on the big screen. Those things are incredible! Things I learned: my baby likes to suck on her toes and I have "excellent fluid." Not sure what the latter meant, but I took it as a compliment! Hah.

There she is! :) I love that she's smiling in the second one. It makes me smile! Dang... I can't wait to meet this kid! And considering my due date is next week, it shouldn't be long! Woot!

Now, onto the nursery! My Mom just left today (sigh...) to head back to Tennessee. For the whole week, though, we've been organizing the nursery! I have no clue what I would have done without her... she's so clever and has so many great decorating ideas! She's especially good at making things look fabulous on a budget... just what we need! So, here is Baby Girl Smith's (name to be announced later...) room:

If you walked into the master bedroom and turned left into the nursery, this is what you would see:

The settee will be a perfect place to relax with Baby Girl Smith (there is a hint as to what her name will be in the photo if you look for it...)! We got a skinny bookshelf for extra storage and such, which is working quite well. How could you look at this room and not be cheerful? That was the point! We want it to be a very happy place!

And speaking of happy...

We can't wait for her arrival! 

Now, if you were to look to the left, here is what you would see:

We've got some decorative items in the bigger bookshelf, but the baskets are holding burp cloths, bibs, blankets, and toys. So, we definitely have some storage options there. Also, since we have no closet in the room, but plenty of clothes, Ryan put up a tension rod between the wall and the bookshelf so that we could hang some of her cute little clothes.

There's my diaper bag (not an actual diaper bag, but it should work quite well! I love the pattern on it and think it will hold lots of baby goodies! Plus, it's made of recycled water bottles!) on top of the "dresser" (my nightstand from before that we moved into the nursery). It all fits so perfectly!

Ok, so now, let's pretend you looked to the right of the settee instead of to the left. This is what you would see:

There's the skinny bookshelf that we bought for storage (and, well, books). And there's the changing table! This is a new purchase, and one that I'm quite excited about. I'm not really sure where I was planning on changing her before, but I feel so much better now knowing that I have one! (Plus, it was only $79.99 from Baby Depot!)

There's the "hamper" (the big red tub) and the Diaper Genie all ready for dirty things to go into! :) And here is the changing table in all of its glory:

Oh how organization makes me happy. This room certainly won't continue to look like this, but knowing that it looks like this now, puts me at ease. The top shelf of the changing table is ready for all the adorable and colorful cloth diapers (some gently used ones that a friend is sending me and some that we'll purchase later once we know what we want). I also have a bunch of cloth wipes (some purchased and some handmade by Mom and myself) in the pink plastic bin that are ready for a dirty bottom! :) The bottom shelf has a big basket that I'm putting handmade waterproof changing pads in for now. Eventually, I'll probably keep other cloth diapering supplies in it (i.e. inserts, doublers, prefolds, etc.). Then, on the left are some newborn and size 1 disposable diapers that we'll use for the first month when there is LOTS of poo and we'll probably be too tired to do laundry every other day! I also have a wet/dry bag handing on the side of the changing table that will be ready to fill with dirty cloth diapers when the time comes!

To the right of the changing table is a cute little table with some bath goodies underneath it in a caddy (that will be moved to the bathroom when she comes home with us...):

And where is this baby going to sleep? In the pack n' play right next to our bed! :) 

I can't believe everything is set up and ready to go! The next blog post I do will probably be pictures of Baby Girl Smith! HOLY MOLEY! :) So exciting. Thanks for checking out the nursery! Hope you enjoyed the pictures!

~ Mari

Holiday Home Tour

Now that Thanksgiving is over, we can set our sights on Christmas. Time to listen to that holiday playlist (I do my very best to leave my holiday playlist(s) alone until the day after Thanksgiving - any time before that and I'll be sick of it by Christmas Eve.), start thinking about gifts, and pull the holiday decor out of the attic. Each year I know I need a bit of inspiration before I dive into turning my home into a winter wonderland... and this year was no exception. But, instead of my usual internet scouring and magazine rifling, Mom and I decided to check out the Beaufort Holiday Tour of Homes in Habersham, South Carolina. We've always wanted to check out a holiday home tour, but keep missing them somehow. But, this time the start were aligned and we went. It was FABULOUS! The homes were stunning and the decor style in each house was different - offering many ideas for our own houses!

Now, I realize you are probably feeling a bit jealous at this point. Why weren't YOU invited to this holiday home tour? Well, count yourself lucky that you weren't there - it was very disorganized and confusing... and lots of wandering around aimlessly was required. So, we did it for you and I took photos of our favorite ideas to share with you! Enjoy!

The first house:

I'm in love... using old crates/boxes as planters
for Christmas greenery? Perfection...

Great entrance to one of the homes - very natural
and casual... yet, elegant. I love
the painted wood star attached to the balcony!

I was mildly obsessed with this entire house... not only the simple holiday decor,
but the furnishings and style as well.

I love the simplicity of adding a few pieces of greenery, a couple of giant pinecones,
and some votives. It really can change a space without cluttering it.

Again, simple and elegant. Love.

This candle was burning in a few of the homes and
it is quite possibly the best "Christmas Greenery" scented
candle I've EVER smelled in my life.
Too bad it's SO dang expensive.
But, here it is anyway: Aquiesse Monterey Pine Candle

Cool idea! :)

Onto the next home...

Why didn't I think of that?
Wrap a twig ball with ribbons to create a beautiful ribbon ball-like tassel!

Beautiful and modern arrangements at the door

Not sure where I could get a sleigh like that, but I want one...

Peacocks seem to be the new thing, but I think they can easily be too much.
This is just the right amount of peacock in my eyes.

I swear this looks like a table runner tied to a chair.
I love it.

A very Nell Hill display

This fireplace was outside on their screened porch.
If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands...
(CLAPPING)

Again... Clapping.

The grand finale...

This house's theme was A Coastal Christmas.
So beautiful and beachy!

I love the use of the pine cone garland! So simple and effective!

Not a bad place to relax on the porch...
(notice the detail on the pillow... precious!)

One of these were one each side of the door.
Stunning!
(P.S. that greenery was FAKE!)

Perfect mix of glitter and coastal

Inside the house... sigh.
Can you imagine a more calming Christmas?

Lovely colors!

I love this idea for mistletoe!
Just glue some greenery and faux mistletoe to the top of a giant
pine cone and add ribbon to hang it!
(I especially love the little shells dangling from it as well)

Hanging ornaments from a chandelier using hemp cord.
Rustic meets sophisticated.

Stunning wreath above the stove!
(and how about the color of those cabinets?!)

A simple display in the kitchen with baskets and lit glass blocks.

This would be a great display for a party!
Can't you picture some Christmas cookies cascading out of the basket?

Add a touch of Christmas to the screened porch
with a teensy tree and some shells

I love this idea for on top of an armoire or cabinet

Simple and, of course, gorgeous!

Loved how they used plain brown paper with very elegant ribbon to dress up the package!
And how cute is that little guy on the right?
Burlap... oh the possibilities!

Wow! If you're not inspired by now to go decorate your home, I'm not sure what will do the trick! :) So, get decorating! I know I am...

~ Mari

Going Into the Closet

You know what's very easy to NOT do? Take some super grim-looking before shots of a closet that you plan to overhaul. I totally forgot to take a picture of what this closet looked like behind those doors a few days ago. But, I'm sure you can picture it: lots of plastic boxes full of crap, piles of computer cables, and some art supplies scattered around. It is the office closet afterall - our catch-all closet that had everything but clothes in it.

So, since Mom was in town, I decided to take advantage of her great ideas and organizational skillz and put her to work! Hah. I'd had this idea brewing in my brain for a while now: I needed a desk. Not a computer desk or a work desk, but a Mari desk. One where I could create artwork, write letters, etc. But, most importantly, one that I would not have to clean each time I used it. A tall order, I know. That's probably why I have no before pictures - because I didn't think I could pull off my plan! I wanted to turn the office closet into a space where I could close the doors and hide the clutter that a creative space would surely have. And that, ladies and gents, is what we did!

It's a closet desk!

Basically, we took two nightstands (circa "I don't know when") with drawers and stuck them in the closet facing each other. Then my dad and Ryan went to Lowe's and bought a beautiful wooden "shelf" (for only $35). They cut it to fit and we stuck it on top of the tables. It ended up being a bit short, so we propped it up on some 2x4's and voila: desk in a closet!

Beautiful drawers (lol)

The perfect space for creating!

Paint Box

So, there you have it! It really was an incredible transformation (sorry you couldn't enjoy it as much without that darn before pic...). And I can't wait to get in there and start creating!

~ Mari