White Picket Fences

Hand Made Valentine's

2012-02-15T09:21:00.000-05:00

We are not usually big about Valentine's day around here. I like the holiday and all but usually I forget. Chris typically comes through with dinner and a card and this year was no different. Although the best Valentine's present I ever got was the year he gave me my label maker. I know, I'm wierd.

This year I had the idea that the girls would make his/our gift. I got the idea off of Pinterest (of course). It was one of the very first things I ever pinned and I thought that it would make a great Valentine's gift.

I had Claire stamp her hands and I did Susanna's feet onto pink construction paper using white craft paint. Then I played around with the saying in publisher getting it positioned just right and then printing it on a piece of vellum. Cut the paper to size, pop it in the frame and voila! A precious gift!

I figured that he would leave it here and we would hang it in the living room but imagine my suprise to walk into the kitchen this morning and found it gone. He had taken it to work. What a good daddy!

~ Andrea

Floor Pouf

2012-02-10T19:48:00.000-05:00

These things are all the rage because they are so versatile. They can be used as a foot stool, a side table and even extra seating. The down side is that they are crazy expensive. At least for me they are. My solution was to make one.

I found this pattern from Amy Butler and with a gift card to Hobby Lobby that I got for Christmas I was able to sew this little beauty together.

It was super easy to make and is the perfect size for putting your feet up on and Claire loves to use it as her own little seat. She also uses it as a soccer ball and likes to kick it up and down the hallway. Not really what I had in mind but she finds it entertaining.

I look forward to making another one to put around my coffee table that one day I will be able to put back in my living room. Right now it is just open floor since the baby is down there and with no coffee table we have more room to play.

I'll leave you with Claire making funny faces. Have a great weekend!

~ Andrea

New Etsy Items

2012-02-06T10:00:00.000-05:00

I'm adding some new items to my Etsy shop! Super cute Kindle cases that would make a great Valentine gift. If you are like me you have to email your husband the link and say "buy me this!" or else you never get what you want.

Love it? Want it? Get it Here!

~ Andrea

Photography 101

2012-01-30T20:53:00.001-05:00

Progress. It helps that I have the cutest model ever!

Sunday Dinner - Pork Tenderloin with Blue Cheese & Pear

2012-01-24T22:01:00.001-05:00

It may look fancy but it was super easy to make which always gives a recipe a gold star in my cookbook. It was suppose to be rolled but I can never get the meat thin enough to actually roll it so I just cooked it flat. Still tasted the same to me.

Ingredients:

1 pear (chopped)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts - I used pecans
1/2 cup blue cheese
1/3 cup breadcrumb
1 pork tenderloin (they usually come 2 to a pack)
olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Combine pear, nuts, cheese and breadcrumbs in a bowl and set aside

Cut pork lengthwise to the other side but not through. Open halves. Place between plastic wrap and pound to 1/4 inch (again I could not get it this thin so I improvised). Heat oil in pan and brown pork on both sides about 5 minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet and top with cheese/pear mixture.

Bake 15 minutes until cooked but slightly pink in center. I took it out when it got to 165 degrees.

Cool, slice and serve with your favorite sides. We had green beans and mashed potatoes. This took about 30 minutes total so try it if you need something quick, easy and delicious.

~ Andrea

A Good Book, or two.

2012-01-22T22:33:00.000-05:00

Last year I read 65 books. I know! I could barely believe it myself. Anywho, I wanted to share a few that I really loved in case anyone is looking for something good to read.

Star-Crossed Series by Rachel Higginson

Book 1 - Reckless Magic (currently free for kindle)

Book 2 - Hopeless Magic

Book 3 - Fearless Magic

Book 4 - Endless Magic (out any day now)

A self-published author only available on Kindle. This series is awesome! If you liked Twilight you will really like these books. A young adult book about a teenage girl who discovers that she is a witch and is introduced to an entire world that she never knew existed. With love, betrayal and revenge these books have so many twists and turns they really play with your emotions. You will find yourself torn on how you want it to end and who you want her to end up with. Read the first one and I promise you will be hooked.

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

So good! A little slow in the beginning but once the mother starts telling the "fairy tale" I could not put it down. I wanted to see how it ended. A really good book about mother/daughter relationships.

Dark Lover by J.R. Ward

This is the first book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Yes it is about vampires but it is VERY adult. There were many parts that made me blush but such a good book. I have also read the second book in the series and I can't wait to read the rest of them.

The Survivors by Amanda Havard

A book about the descendants of exiled witches from the Salem witch trials. Complete fiction but I really loved the plot.

Page from a Tennessee Journal by Francine Thomas Howard

A little historical fiction which I always love. This story is a glimpse at one event in the lives of four different people all with a different perspective. I was angry at the end because there was no real resolution but I quickly realized that it was the perfect ending because, as with any journal, the story is never over.

These are just a few of the books that I read last year. The links go to their descriptions on goodreads.com so if you want a better description and more opinions go there. If you ever want to know what I'm reading just look down the right sidebar at the Goodreads box. You can click on any book and it will take you to its page.

So what have you read lately?

~ Andrea

2012, Here I Come

2012-01-02T16:13:00.000-05:00

Another new year. Another opportunity to set goals and become motivated. At least for the first few months, then we can all go back to our normal lives and tell ourselves that we will do better next year.

My goal for this year is to simplify. With less 'stuff' and fewer obligations I hope to focus on what I have and find happiness. I tend to bounce from one thing to another and stretch myself to thin so I always feel unsatisfied and kind of lost.

This year I want to focus on just a few things and work at being really good at those.

First, my family. I have the awesome opportunity to stay at home with my baby this time around and I want to take full advantage of it. Claire will also start pre-k this fall so I want to do all of the fun stuff I can with her before she is in the routine of going to school.

Second, crafting. I love making things and I really want to see if I can turn my hobby into some extra income so that we can do more activities as a family.

Third, photography. I have always been interested in photography. In college I took photography classes as my art electives and since then I have been dying to get a digital slr. Well, this Christmas I finally bit the bullet and purchased a Canon EOS Rebel T2i and I am so excited. My goal this year is to learn how to use my fancy new camera and I plan on sharing my progress. I feel like I have a fairly artistic eye and really want to learn to take beautiful interesting pictures.

So here's to 2012. May it be a fantastic year!

~ Andrea

Back Again

2011-12-28T14:13:00.000-05:00

It has been a few months but I've been a little busy. I went into labor the day before my scheduled c-section. Of course it was in the middle of the night because I love showing up to the maternity wing at 4am. But after a very smooth surgery we welcomed Susanna into the world.

Susanna Emily Martin
October 27, 2011
7 lb 10 oz , 20 inches
8:06 am

It has been two months and I have finally gotten the hang of being a stay-at-home mom of two. Let me tell you it's a lot harder than it looks but I wouldn't trade it for the world. I am so excited for the new year and being able to share all of my new adventures.

Susanna - 2 months

~ Andrea

Making Life a Little Easier

2011-10-26T03:14:00.001-04:00

My least favorite part of the day is around 5:30 when my husband asks me "what's for dinner?" As much as I like to plan and make lists I hate meal planning. The shopping and the cooking I can handle but it's the pressure of finding new and interesting recipes that drives me crazy. I mean honestly, there are only so many times you can eat spaghetti in a month.

Enter Relish.

I had looked into this website before but never bit the bullet until it was offered on Jasmere and I was able to get a 6 month subscription for $13. I figured I would try it and if it didn't work I wasn't out that much money.

Let me tell you that this website is my new best friend.

Here's how it works:

Every Thursday they post a new weekly menu
You pick 7 dinners and 1 dessert to add to your list
If you don't like some of the recipes they have that week you can search their database and add some that you do like
You pick how many people you want to feed, then the magic happens
You click create shopping list and it automatically creates a shopping list, divided up by grocery section, and prints all of the recipes you need for the week! How easy!

From there you just mark off the stuff you already have, write in the few things that you need that are not dinner related and you are set to go grocery shopping.

not me grocery shopping

It has been 3 months and I don't know how I've lived without it. With the exception of one really bad recipe for Greek chicken salad, all of the meals are wonderful and super easy to make. They even categorize them for you so if you want things that are kid-friendly, quick, low calorie or vegetarian (just to name a few) they are really easy to find. And for my Weight Watchers friends out there, each recipe gives you a point value so you can keep track of your daily total.

They also give you recipes for freezer meals each month which I have been hitting up recently in preparation for the new baby. Dinner is already made you just have to reheat it.

If you are a super picky eater then I would not recommend signing up but if you like a little variety in your dinner menu then this is one thing I would suggest giving a test drive. It will save you time and money and you won't have to worry about the dreaded "what's for dinner?" question every night.

A little note on the time and money comment. My time shopping has greatly reduced since I go with a list and know exactly what I need when I walk in the door. As for the money, I spend on average $80 a week on groceries. TOTAL! That's breakfast, lunch and dinner for my family of 3 (soon to be 4). Since I cook the meals for 4 people there are always leftovers that we eat for lunch the next day. Cook once, eat twice. It's a win/win.

FYI, I am not being compensated in any way to rave about Relish. I wish I were. I just think it is a really great tool for busy moms and wanted to share my experience. So if you are looking for something to save you a little extra time at the store and in the kitchen, go check it out.

~ Andrea

A Tale of Two Babies

2011-10-24T06:14:00.001-04:00

Are you tired of pregnancy posts yet? If so, I'll save you some time and you can skip this one. If not, then read on my friend.

I wanted to do a little comparison of this pregnancy vs. my first one. I thought that they all were the same and I was really looking forward to being pregnant again since I had such an easy pregnancy the first time. Well friends, I am here to tell you that that little myth is not true. Pregnancies, just like kids, are completely unique.

With Claire the smell of meat made me want to vomit. However, I had zero morning sickness and felt great the entire time I was pregnant. I had massive swelling everywhere. Picture the scene from Harry Potter where he accidentally blows-up his aunt, that's what I felt like. The swelling only got worse after she was born and didn't go away for at least a month. It was bad.

With Susanna I haven't had any food aversions I just haven't wanted to eat anything. In the beginning, every time I ate I would feel sick so I had to resort to small bland meals that gave me lots of protein. Let's just say I went through a lot of peanut butter. I've been more tired, had more aches & pains and definitely more sickness with her too. It's only been in the last 2 months that I have started feeling normal but then the insomnia kicks in and I feel horrible once again. This time around I have had no swelling at all. My best guess as to why is that she figures that I have suffered enough.

There are some similarities though. I carried both of them very high. While it was me vs. Claire's foot for control of my rib cage, Susanna has only just found it and is not to fond of living there, which is fine by me. With both girls I cannot get enough root beer. While I drink more water than should be humanly possible, anywhere between 70 and 100 ounces a day, I crave root beer. With Claire I also craved watermelon. The last month I was prego with her I was eating at least 2 a week. Susanna has been baked goods. Anything with pastry, cream cheese and fruit filling doesn't stand a chance with me in the room.

With that said, I'll move on to weight. Just to give you an idea of my normal size I'm just shy of 5'6" and usually weigh around 130. My total weight gain with Claire was 38 pounds and she was an 8 lb 8 oz baby. So far with Susanna I have gained 21 pounds and she will probably be between 6.5 and 7 lbs. Big difference people!

Here are some pictures for a good comparison. In both I am about 37 weeks.

Claire

Susanna

I think the most noticeable difference is in my face. I was so swollen with Claire it really made me look more tired than I was. With Susanna, I'm exhausted but look great. I guess it's a trade-off.

This is my last week of being pregnant. Yippee!! I will have a c-section on Friday and finally get to meet the baby girl who I'm sure will be the complete opposite of her sister. For those of you wondering, I had to have a cesarean with Claire therefore Susanna has to come that way too. I didn't pick the date though. Some things should be left up to a higher power and in this case that was my doctor.

~ Andrea

Lavender - My Favorite Trend of All

2011-10-18T09:00:00.000-04:00

You may have noticed that a lot of designers are using purple lately and my favorite in particular, lavender. This trend has been in the works for the last five years or so but we are just starting to see it in mainstream decor. Why, you ask? Well, it takes a while for trends to trickle down to the average consumer.

via House Beautiful

via Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles

I'm reminded of a scene from The Devil Wears Prada when Glenn Close is criticising Anne Hathaway for not seeing the difference between two blue belts that seam identical. She gives her the rundown of how the color of the blue sweater she is wearing was picked for her years ago by people in that very room.

click here to watch the scene

Same thing with interiors. Designers try to stay on the cutting edge of color and style but it takes years for that to work its way into them minds of consumers and retailers don't market something unless there is a high demand for it. Example -- grey sofas. Ten years ago no one in their right mind would purchase anything grey, especially a sofa. It was too cold in comparison to all of the warm neutral colors that were popular at the time. Now, everyone wants a grey sofa or walls or rug or whatever. Grey has become the new "it" neutral.

crate & barrel

Since lavender is also in that same color family, it is also carving out a niche for itself. I love to use it with blues and greens because it compliments them so nicely. Lavender also works great with brown so if you have brown upholstery and aren't a fan of the brown/grey combo use lavender instead. It will give an instant update and make your room feel more "now".

via decorology

via pinterest

You may be asking if lavender and grey are "now" then what's "next"? In my opinion, we will be seeing kelly green making a comeback. Something like this maybe?

from Domino Mag - may you rest in peace

It's not for everyone but I love it and a girl can dream, right?

~ Andrea

What's in a Name?

2011-10-13T11:00:00.000-04:00

I have to admit, naming a baby is the most fun and most nerve-racking part of being pregnant. It's a lot of pressure! I mean this kid has to go through life with the name I choose.

I feel like some parents today are pretty selfish when it comes to naming their children. They want to have the coolest, most original name but do they stop to think of what that will do to the kid? Are you limiting your child's future by giving them some crazy, made up name that no one can spell because you made that up too?

It should surprise no one that I'm a bit of a conservative, so I tend to like classic, traditional names. With Claire it was easy. I had decided years ago that if I ever had a daughter I would name her Claire Elizabeth. To me, it is a strong, classic name that is feminine without being girly. As for Elizabeth, well, it's a family name, so again with tradition.

I never knew and still don't know any one named Claire. I do know that the name has become more common among children Claire's age so she will more than likely be going to school with a few girls with the same name. I never had that problem. I didn't meet another Andrea until I got to college, we were in the same pledge class, and she went by Annie so there still wasn't any confusion.

This time around the naming process was a little bit harder. Until we found out we were having another girl I swore that it was a boy. We already had a boy name picked so I felt like I was set. I had looked at a lot of girl names just in case but didn't really feel the need to decide on one. Then the day before the ultrasound I decided that this baby was a girl and we needed a girl name pronto.

After all day with my nose in a name book and researching online I had four possibilities:

Amelia

Charlotte

Susanna

Shelby

Chris immediately vetoed Amelia because he works with a lady with the same name and didn't want to name his daughter that. Charlotte was also ruled out in fairness to some of my sorority sisters (it's a long story). So, then there were two.

The deciding factor was the middle name. We wanted to use Emily since it is a family name on Chris' side and we used a family name from my side last time. From there is was pretty easy. To me, Shelby Emily just didn't have the right sound to it and Chris agreed. So that is how our daughter's name came to be.

In about two short weeks we will be welcoming

Susanna Emily Martin

into the world. You may not like the name at first but it really does grow on you. Just ask my mother! She hated it, mainly because she thought I was going to spell it with a "z". It is a strong, classic name that is feminine without being girly. It is a name she can grow into and hopefully won't be limited by. She may not like it for a while, I know I hated my name growing up, but one day she will thank me for giving her a name that lets her stand out in a crowd but in a good way.

I would love to hear opinions. Like I said, it's okay if you don't like it but if you were to have a girl today what would you name her?

~ Andrea

October Showers

2011-10-10T07:24:00.000-04:00

While it is raining here today, I'm not talking about the weather. This past week I attended two baby showers. One for a teacher at the hubby's school and one for a new friend and fellow coach's wife.

The first lovely lady is having her second baby (a little boy to be named Charlie) and requested diapers and wipes in lieu of the traditional cutesy baby stuff, like clothes, that normally show up at showers. This was our gift to her --

When it is your second baby you usually already own all of the big stuff, so the everyday necessities are often more appreciated than another cute onesie (at least it is for me). She asked for Pampers, I like Huggies but for each her own. I couldn't resit making her a little zipper pouch to throw in her diaper bag to keep things like pacifiers, medicines and other small whatnots from getting lost. Because lets face it, any good diaper bag is a black hole.

The second Momma-to-be is a first time mom and is expecting a little girl to be named Ellie. Our due dates are a day apart and we are both expecting girls so in the mommy world that equals an instant friendship. Like every first time mom, she has had multiple showers and been given all the fun adorable stuff. Lucky for her, she now knows me, the most practical person in the world. This is the little goodie bag I put together for her --

The stuff you need but don't know you need until you need it and realize you don't have it -- Tylenol, Milicon (gas relief) and pacifiers. I would also add nighttime baby orajel to this list but she has a few months before that. And of course, I had to make her a few things as well.

A zipper pouch for her diaper bag that will hold all of the stuff I gave her and some adorable little hair clips that are perfectly baby sized.

Happy Monday! I know it is a holiday for some but not for me. Moms don't get a day off so on my agenda today is laundry and grocery shopping. Fun times!

~ Andrea

Also, my Etsy shop is up and running! If you look over to the right you will notice that I've added an Etsy widget to show off what is available. You can click the link over there or click right here and go check out what I've made. I'm working on getting more things made to list, so be sure to check back often!

Nesting - Phase 3

2011-10-06T08:30:00.000-04:00

Just a refresher of what the room looked like before --

After getting everything cleared out of the room it was time to get my paint on. A couple coats of Benjamin Moore's Touch of Gray (same color that is in Claire's room) and the room was ready for furniture. The easy part was the crib and bedding since I am reusing what I made for Claire. Yes, I made the crib bedding.

I found a great dresser at a local thrift store for $45 slapped some white paint on it and added some knobs for easier opening. I also lined the drawers with some wallpaper that I had used in our previous house.

I updated the twin bed to better work in the nursery. Starting with the headboard, I simply recovered it with the same fabric as the dust ruffle on the crib. Lucky for me I had bought extra fabric when I ordered it nearly 4 years ago. The white dust ruffle had a purple ribbon as a border and I removed it because it didn't look right to me. I'm sorry but that's the best explaination I've got for my reasoning.

I did splurge on a new duvet cover and sham. I was at Pottery Barn outlet and it caught my eye because it was simple and delicate and the perfect shade of purple. When I picked it up and saw that the pattern name was "Andrea", it was a no brainer. It was like the universe was telling me I had to buy it.

**Side Note** One of my biggest pet peeves are beds shoved in corners. They look awkward to me and they are a pain to make up. Unfortunately, I had no other option (trust me, I tried).

I made a little throw pillow out of extra fabric from Claire's headboard and larger pillow covers out of the same fabric that was used on the crib bumper (again, I had bought extra).

One thing I am most proud of is the painting I did for over the crib. I always sang that song to Claire in attempts to get her to stop crying and I suspect I will do the same this time around.

For the most part, it is finished. It is fully functioning and ready to be claimed by the newest Baby Girl Martin. There are still a few accessories that I want to add but, as always, those things come with time. And for those who don't really know me, that is code for "I don't know what I want yet so I'm not going to do anything".

Next time I will open the closet door and share with you my mad diaper organizational skills.

~ Andrea

Thrift Store Finds

2011-10-05T08:30:00.000-04:00

I finally got a chance to hit up a really awesome thrift store that I've been hearing all kinds of good things about. It is probably the biggest thrift store I have ever been in. It use to be an old furniture store so it is two levels that go on forever. Most of it was hit or miss but the one thing I found that I really wish I could have gotten was this ---

Hello, Gorgeous!

Paint it up, recover the cushion and add a throw pillow and you've got a winner! It was an awesome price to boot -- $45 for one or $78 for the pair. Unfortunately, I need another chair like I need a hole in the head so I had to leave it there. I hope it goes to a good home that will make it pretty again.

~ Andrea

Pumpkin Pickin' 2011

2011-10-03T16:41:00.000-04:00

Every year since Claire was born we have made a trip out to our local pumpkin patch. Hay rides, haunted mazes, corn cob cannons, sunflowers and pumpkins galore! It is always a really good time. So, if you aren't in the Fall mood yet, here are a few pics to get you going.

We each came home with a pumpkin. Claire picked one for her and one for the baby and I got a white one as usual. I love white pumpkins! No carving for me this year since I am currently the size of a $7 pumpkin, which makes things a little more difficult. Plus, there is a distinct possibility that I will be in the hospital Halloween weekend this year.

Happy Fall Y'all!

~ Andrea

DIY Mercury Glass

2011-09-29T14:44:00.000-04:00

It's no secret that I have a small obsession with mercury glass. I have seen many tutorials on how to do it and I finally decided to try it for myself.

The tools: water in a spray bottle, Krylon looking glass spray paint and a small glass vase

To warn you the spray paint was crazy expensive (at least I thought so). At Hobby Lobby it was around $11 for the smallest can imaginable but luckily I had my 40% off coupon so I got it for around $6. Still a lot for spray paint in my opinion but I figured I would give it a try.

I started by turning the vase upside down so I wouldn't get any on the inside. Then I misted it with the water and then sprayed a light coat of the paint. I repeated this step one more time and let it dry.

My end result was this

Not as splotchy as I was hoping but overall very pretty. It looks great with a candle inside too but I couldn't get a very good picture of that, sorry.

After I finished this I had a great I idea of how to use the rest of the paint. I'll give you a hint: it involves something similar to this

via Little Green Notebook

However, it will be a while before I get to it because the paint works best between temps of 55 and 80 degrees with very low humidity. So I'm thinking it will be at least Thanksgiving before our weather is like that.

~ Andrea

5 Weeks and Counting

2011-09-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

Because everyone loves to see pregnant women and how cute they are. Here I am at 34 weeks!

Nothin' but baby!

~ Andrea

Nesting - Phase 2

2011-09-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

My next step in getting the nursery ready was to relocate all of the stuff that was being stored in the room. To refresh your memory it looked like this

Good storage solutions can work anywhere in your home so I simply moved all of the white shelving into my laundry room. I had to reconfigure it but all of the pieces fit in the room beautifully and solved my issue of much needed extra storage.

Another issue I was faced with was what to do with all of the coats that were living in the closet in the nursery. Our house doesn't have a hall/entry closet so I had to get a little creative. We already have wire shelving over our washer and dryer so I thought I could install something similar behind the door that would serve as our coat storage.

We live in the south so we don't have many big coats but I would like to point out that over half of this rack is filled with my husbands pullover/windbreaker things that are all navy blue with the high school's logo on them (he's an administrator). They are all different but seriously, how many does one person need? Oh well, I digress.

Moving all of this stuff also gave me the opportunity to go through everything and get rid of the stuff I really didn't need and reorganize the stuff I did.

I have a craft cabinet, an office cabinet and then all of the open shelves that hold all of the things that we don't use all of the time but still need to hang on to. Another plus is that all of this new storage freed up shelf space above the washer/dryer so I have some room to expand.

And yes, my laundry room is huge. It's about the size of a bedroom in most homes and is one of the many reasons I love my house.

~ Andrea

Reduce, Reuse, Upcycle

2011-09-13T12:11:00.000-04:00

My wonderful husband gave me a Kindle for my birthday/our anniversary present back in June. He also got me a cover like this one.

Well, last month Claire was "reading" my beloved Kindle and was "turning the pages" meaning she turned the Kindle and bent/broke the hooks that kept it attached to the cover. Luckily it wasn't the kind with the built in light or I would have been really upset. Instead I set out to find a super cute, less generic cover.

I searched Amazon and Etsy and saw some I liked but wasn't really in love with plus I didn't feel like spending another $30 on a cover. Then I had the idea to make my own cover. I mean how hard could it really be?

I used this tutorial from NoodleHead as a starting point and just adjusted it to the size that I needed. My main concern was that it be durable enough to protect my Kindle. That's when I had the idea to reuse the broken cover and put it inside my little clutch. All I had to do was cut out the little prongs, which was a little trickier than I had thought but not impossible.

I followed the clutch tutorial using my own measurements and before I sewed the lining shut I simply put the cover inside and surrounded it with some fluffy fabric for extra cushion and closed up the lining. When it was finished, I had this,

Best of all the total cost was $0 because I already had all of the stuff. I love being crafty!

~ Andrea

Nesting - Phase 1

2011-08-30T19:12:00.000-04:00

I would like for it to be known that I hate nesting. For normal women it is just a compulsion to clean and organize before the baby comes. Not me. I become a decorator on crack. Every surface in the house must scrubbed from ceiling fans to blinds to baseboards and in addition to insane housework I feel as if the entire house must be decorated and styled as if it were being shot for House Beautiful. In my head, once the baby comes all cleaning and decorating will cease and never be done again. Silly, I know, but pregnant women are not the most logical creatures.

To start getting the nursery ready we had to clean out our guest room. This included moving the queen bed to Claire's room and her twin into the baby's room. So, of course, I had to reconfigure Claire's room. Not many big changes and the only money spent was to make a headboard but I am quite pleased at how it turned out.

Before:

After:

Close up of headboard fabric from Anna French

I kept the same bedding because it worked well with the existing window treatment and colors in her room. I splurged on the headboard fabric but it is something that she can grow with and when the time comes when she just doesn't want it anymore that thing is moving to my room because I love it. Her toy storage is pulling double duty as night stands and the wall lamps I got from Ikea. I thought they would be safer than regular lamps plus they have a pull cord to turn them on and off which seems more kid friendly.

All in all, I spent around $175 and got a completely new room. To be honest, I'm liking Claire's room more than mine right now and I'm a little jealous. I still want to add some artwork and there is a window seat that I'm dying to make a cushion for but all things in due time.

~ Andrea

4 month Recap

2011-08-23T14:20:00.000-04:00

When I last left you I was 3 months pregnant and being driven crazy by a toddler. Well, I'm still pregnant and still being driven crazy by a toddler but I have missed writing so here I am again.

I have to say this pregnancy has been nothing like my first one. I have been sick, tired and miserable the entire time and most days it takes everything I have just to get out of bed. As of today I have 10 weeks left and while I feel like this

I actually look like this

I know, I'm little. Like I said, I've been sick the entire time. In all honesty, I'm half the size I was with my first one but I started out heavier so I'm calling it a redistribution of weight since the baby is measuring perfectly normal.

We are having another little girl which I am thrilled about. Boys are great but in my opinion girls need sisters. I know I always wanted one.

The nesting hormones hit hard and early so I've made a lot of changes to the house which I am most excited to get posted.

This summer was a whirlwind because we wound up traveling at least 3 weekends every month and even stayed about a week in Atlanta with friends. Thankfully, school has started so things are getting back to normal and we are falling into a nice routine.

I'm glad to be back and look forward to sharing my ideas again.

~Andrea

Me, Stylish!?! If you say so.

2011-04-21T10:00:00.001-04:00

My great friend Noelle at Gray Paint Decor blessed me with this little goodie.

I don't think I have ever been thought of as stylish in my life. Seriously, I was voted least likely to pose for a low rise jean ad by my sorority sisters. Although, I must say my style has improved since I stopped living with my mother (bless her heart, she has no clue). Love you mom!

So here is where I tell you random facts about myself and then give you a list of other stylish bloggers to go visit.

1. I have a minor in Mathematics. I was a math major until I had a nervous breakdown while taking a theory class and decided that if I wanted to graduate I needed to change my major. I still love math and am a huge fan of algebra. I have a friend who is getting her degree online and had to take two algebra classes and I asked if I could do them for her for fun. I know, I'm a nerd.

2. I married a jock. Chris played football, basketball, baseball, track, golf and whatever else in high school. He was even voted athlete of the year his junior and senior year. I was in the band and played doubles tennis so I wouldn't have to run as much.

3. I would rather watch a movie that I found on tv than watch that same movie on a dvd. Finding a good movie on tv is like striking gold plus it has built in potty and snack breaks.

4. I refuse to use a GPS for directions. The thing always gets me lost and is constantly yelling at me. I just can't drive with that kind of pressure. Typically it goes something like this: gps - turn left, Turn Left, TURN LEFT (in annoying woman voice). Me - I can't turn left you stupid piece of (insert explative)! It's a one way street! Are you trying to get me killed!

5. I hate the color red. I can appreciate it, I can respect it but I don't have to like it, use it or recommend it. So there.

6. I'm an only child. I hate/hated it. It's bad enough that I never had anyone to play with growing up when all of my friends were grounded but now if something happens to my mother I'm stuck taking care of her. I have no one to rock, paper, scissors for it which is just not fair. I love my mother but if I ever have to live with her again I will kill her.

7. I'm pregnant. Yes people, you read me right, baby #2 will be arriving sometime around Halloween. This is part of the reason I have been so scattered around here lately. It takes every ounce of energy just to get through the day so I haven't had motivation to do much of anything else.

And now for some other great blogs worthy of a read...

Design Manifest

Little Brick House

Shannon Berrey Design

What's Up Whimsy!

Ravings of a Mad Housewife (not a design blog but really funny)

Home Ec 101 (again not a design blog but one I like)

Design Blooms

Atypical Type A

6th Street Design School

Chattafabulous

Well my friends, I'm out. Off to the beach for a fun-filled Easter with my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. There will be lots of food, lots of yelling and some Claire cuteness while hunting eggs.

~ Andrea

My Job

2011-04-20T09:14:00.000-04:00

This time last year I had just left my full-time job to become a full-time mom. It was the scariest and biggest decision I have ever made in my life. I didn't know if it was the right thing to do. I didn't know if it would really make me happy but I was miserable and something had to change.

Fast forward a year and I can't imagine going back to work. While those first free days were filled with projects that I never had time for like spray painting my patio furniture and wallpapering my laundry room, Claire and I quickly settled into a rhythm and our days are now more laid back. We have a routine but not a schedule. Everything gets done eventually and if not today then there is always tomorrow. The stress in my life had been decreased significantly which, in turn, has made everyone else in my house happier.

So now my days are filled with tea parties, picnics on the front porch, playing in the sprinkler, sidewalk chalks in the driveway, trips to the library and the park and computer games on Disney junior. It may not be exciting but it is definitely more enjoyable than angry customers, angry installers, unrealistic deadlines and pressure to bring in customers to keep the business open.

The only part I really enjoyed about my old job was the creativity I got to use every once in a while. So after quiting I decided to start this blog, just for fun, to put my ideas out there and possibly make a little money on the side. Unfortunately, it is a lot more work than I had expected and sometimes feels like a full-time job in itself. While I like blogging, I don't want to feel like I have to if I don't want to and lately I haven't felt like doing much of anything. When it comes down to it my job is Mom. I have spent too many years spreading myself too thin and right now I want to focus on my baby and enjoy the time I have with her.

So if my posts become fewer and far between don't worry. I'm still here. I'm just enjoying simpler things and doing what I want to do for once in my life.

Claire last Easter at the Jacksonville Zoo

~ Andrea

Design Files - Naomi's Foyer

2011-04-12T21:26:00.000-04:00

Naomi was one of the winners of my design giveaway a few months ago. She asked for help finishing her foyer. I love foyers! A simple space that can make a huge difference and really sets the tone for the rest of your home.

Naomi has a traditional style with a casual feel. She loves warm earth tones and Pottery Barn (who doesn't). So the goal was to give her the feel, without having it look like she picked it out of a catalog, and to keep everything in her budget of $200.

Here are the pictures she sent me to work from

I took my inspiration from her dining room which really reflects her style and has a great color palette. It is also the largest space that connects to the foyer so logically the two should flow style wise.

Rug :: Mirror :: Basket :: Frame :: Lamp

The plan is to take the focus away from the hallway and bring it to the main foyer area. This way instead of feeling spread out and disconnected the one space will be finished. I suggested that she move the existing console down a few feet into the main area. The rug will add warmth and define the space. A longer mirror will bring visual weight and a curvier lamp will work better with the style of the console. A bone frame will add a personal touch and the market basket is one of those accessories that you can use anywhere, even if it sits empty.

Since she is working with a budget, I told her to look for a comparable picture frame at TJ Maxx (or some place similar) and scope out her local thrift stores for a similar lamp. I also thought that if she found a lamp that was the right shape but the wrong finish she could simply spray paint it the lovely blue color to make it work.

I had so much fun putting this together that I also did a little board for her dining room too. I'll post that next week. As for Naomi, she loved the design! When she emailed me back she told me that she was so excited that she had a plan and could now shop with a purpose. What a compliment! I can't wait to see her after pictures.

~ Andrea

In need of some design inspiration for your home? Contact me so we can get started!