Some People Just *Get* It

...I am not one of those people.

Lately, I've been reading all kinds of blogs... mommy blogs, educational blogs, design blogs... and it seems like every two minutes I'm saying to Allison, "Hey, listen to this idea!"  And, Allison (patiently listening to me explain) has usually already heard of the idea and has started doing something similar.

Anyway, looking at this picture from Allison's Ikea Hack post made me realize how sometimes Allison just *gets* stuff that would take me years to think of or figure out and then implement.

See the top shelf?

It has two pieces of pretty cool art on it, right?

Right.   (You're supposed to agree with me there.)

The picture on the left is a piece we ordered from Etsy.  The piece on the right is a picture that one of Allison's students drew for The Bean last year.  When she put the shelves up last week, Allison found the picture, grabbed the frame from a pile of empties, cropped the picture, framed it, and added the finished product to the shelf (all while entertaining The Bean during my morning to sleep in).

I didn't even know we had half that stuff.

The student who drew the picture was a favorite of mine because she took a huge shine to The Bean last year, so I was ecstatic to walk in and discover her artwork displayed so nicely on his new shelf.

I might not *get* it, but I'm glad Allison does.

To be fair, Allison totally doesn't get electronics, but I'm an ace.

Is there anything your significant other seem to be able to do that you would just never think of? 

Spice Rack Bookshelves (Ikea Hack)

I'd been seeing the Ikea hack of the Bekvam spice racks pop up on a bunch of the blogs I look at and thought it'd be a good solution for storing books beside the glider in the nursery.

A can of spray paint later, the spice racks bookshelves are up!

 

Up until this point we were just stacking books on the little table beside the glider, which was fine, but now the books are easier to see and it keeps them out of reach from our increasingly mobile baby.

Envelope Pillow Cover

The last time I did any sewing was in my eighth grade Home Ec. class.  I remember making a draw-string bag, and a stuffed animal of some sort.  Nothing I really loved or held on to.  Over the past year or so, I've become interested in learning how to sew again. I think it'd be great to be able to whip up a pair of pants for The Bean or make a simple little blanket to have picnics on.  Anyway, I must be talking about it quite a bit, because for my birthday Jen and The Bean surprised me with an introductory sewing lesson. 

The class was this morning.  It was at a cute little shop downtown called The Workroom and I could tell the instructor was very passionate about sewing.  She explained the basics of the machine and how to thread it properly and then had us work on sewing an envelope pillow cover.  I probably could have managed something a little more advanced, but it was a good introductory and I'm already looking at the other classes they offer! 

The pillow is now living on the glider in The Bean's nursery.  I like how cheerful it looks.  Owen (the hippo) does too! 

New Wall in the Nursery

A few weeks ago we reshuffled some of the furniture in the nursery. The rocking chair kept bumping against the air conditioner that was behind it, so some bookshelves moved and the rocking chair moved and things seem to be working out much better now functionality-wise. But it means that the wall where the rocking chair is now, and some of the bookshelves once were, is completely empty, which makes me think it needs filling up!

I found this cool Ikea hack that takes a spice rack and turns it into a forward-facing bookshelf. I'm thinking it would be perfect for beside the rocker to hold The Bean's bedtime books. We could easily switch out the selection every week or two to keep things fresh.

I'm also thinking some new art from Etsy may be in order. I'm still enjoying my art selections from last post of Etsy finds I made, plus have found some new ones I'm digging:

Sarah Jane Studios


Sugar Fresh


Clever Apple


Penny People Designs


And lastly, this little guy is already on his way to our place (I couldn't resist)...

trafalgar's square

{this moment} Silly Boy

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.



Inspired by SouleMama.

The Bean's Nursery

We picked up The Bean's rug when we were in PA, so now his nursery is complete! We're very happy with the way it turned out. It's a nice cheerful room for him to spend time in. (He's even started napping in his crib during the days.)

Rug for The Bean's Nursery

Just a quick update because I'm excited that we just made our last (big) purchase for The Bean's nursery.

This...


It's made by a woman named Laurine who I found on Etsy. Her shop is called greenatheart and she makes rugs (and other things) out of recycled t-shirts that she purchases from local charities. We contacted her with a custom request in November, and she told us it would be a bit of a wait until she had time to make our rug, but I'm so happy with the result! I can't wait to see how it looks in The Bean's room.

Waiting for Baby

Happy New Year!

I'm excited for this coming year. There is a lot to look forward to.

Our nursery is nearly ready for baby's arrival...







... and it's a good thing, because this past Wednesday we were given an official diagnosis of IUGR and were told that we will potentially have to induce early. Perhaps as early as next week. For now everything looks fine but the baby is small. If future tests (yes, more tests) show that the baby is continuing to drop off in size (he's now in the third percentile) or that placenta isn't functioning as it should, that's when they would induce. We are now under shared care, meaning we still have our midwives but we are also under the care of a doctor from the hospital. From now until the bean is born we will have ultrasounds on Wednesdays and non-stress tests combined with our midwife appointments on the weekends. It's a lot of appointments, but I'm glad that a close eye is being kept on the bean to make sure everything is okay. I'm looking forward to meeting him, but hoping he can stay inside as close to his due date as possible.