Non-Nursery Nursery Inspiration

When I was young I used to watch My Fair Lady constantly. I was always so offended when Professor Higgins would shout, "Why can't a woman be more like a man?"

But lately, I find myself voicing a similar complaint.

"Why can't a nursery be more like a fun kid's room?"


I might be the only woman in the world who isn't a huge fan of traditional baby nurseries. Pastel colors and sugary sweet themes aren't totally my thing. But THIS room, now this is a room to love.

These pics come courtesy of Meg over at Whatever. She decorated this room as a guest-room/play-room for her kids. I love it. I love the bright colors. I love the fun fabric. I love all the vintage/thrifty finds. Maybe a nursery CAN be more like a kid's room.

P.S. And THANK YOU for all the fun nursery links yesterday. There were some great ones, and I got a lot of inspiration!

Bridal Shower, True Friends

I love this picture. Julia is pregnant too. We both have achy hips. She got down on the floor, at a shower, in a dress, to show me physical therapy exercises. When I think of true friendship, I will always be reminded of this picture. I love her.

Like I said, we were at a bridal shower. Our friend Kristi is embarking into the wonderful world of marriage. The ladies at church know just how to give the right send off: cupcakes, presents and lots of prayers.

We ate fruit. We told funny stories on our husbands. We coveted Kristi's awesome new Cuisinart food processor. We ate some more.

And thanks to Julia, my hips are feeling better already.

Delicious

Current favorite meal: bratwursts and this relish.

Homemade Relish

2 dill pickles, chopped
4 teaspoons pickle brine (fancy word for juice)
2 red bell peppers, chopped
1 cucumber, chopped
salt & sugar to taste

Mabel Steals My Pillow (AKA The Battle of the Couch Continues)

I thought this cute pillow would look good on my little brown retro couch that hurts my bottom so I'm trying to distract myself with cute little decorative pillows. How's that for a run-on sentence. And not using the appropriate question mark punctuation.

I'm feeling rebellious today. Here's why.

Mabel and I have been feuding over her inappropriate pillow usage for many, many years now. Like this. Or this. So finally I called her bluff. I bought a couch on Craigslist. It's very Mad Men. It has no detachable back cushions for her to crush. It's also tiny. And hard. It hurts my tailbone.

But I had limited choices. Like being broke and only being able to afford a $60 couch. Also, and I haven't mentioned it until now, George and Mabel had a "pee-off" contest on the old fluffy couch years ago. Whenever a visitor sat on the old couch, their body heat slowly released the acrid aroma of prehistoric dog urine from within the cushions and into the air. No amount of cleaning ever helped. And we probably lost friends over it.

"Did you smell that?"

"Yeah, when I sat on the couch. Was that..."

"Piss? Yes. It was. They're gross."

"Let's never talk to Matt or Liz again."

"Deal."

So... after all that whining and explaining... you can see why I'm stuck with a really good looking yet incredibly uncomfortable retro couch. And why I keep deluding myself into thinking that cute pillows will help the situation.

But they don't help. Mabel continues her crush-a-thon on all things pillow related. The couch remains uncomfortable and makes me rub my aching tailbone in what could be perceived as a very inappropriate gesture while I gripe, "I'm pregnant. I should have something soft to sit on. Maybe I'll just buy one of those hemorrhoid donut things." *SNIFF SNIFF*

Mabel, on the other hand, gives the new pillow 4 stars for fluffiness.

Bring It On Time Change

"Falling Back" is not my favorite phrase.

But with the shorter, darker days comes a lot of happy home time. There's nothing like chilly temps and long shadows to make us retreat into our houses, do some laundry and watch old movies. Mabel likes it too, mostly because she burrows into the laundry piles when I'm not looking. And no, I don't rewash them afterward.

Time change always lights a fire under me to organize closets and get rid of excess 'stuff.' I've been tackling the kitchen storage especially. You can't really tell, but I've emptied out the whole top shelf in the laundry closet. We're calling it Operation Make Room For Baby.

So despite the lack of sunlight, I look forward to getting rid of books I won't read, dust bunnies I don't like, and walking back and forth in front of the guest room, imagining it as a nursery. This year I say, "Bring it on time change."

Boy or Girl?

The baby kicked me last week.

Hard.

Matt felt it with his hand.

It was very cool.

Also, I'm wearing this green scarf all the time.

It fits my mood.

Happy.

We're off to find out the big question today.

Boy or girl?

A Chalkboard Announcement

And her name is Jane.