I am so excited that September has arrived. Although it’s not the official start of fall, it kind of feels like it, doesn’t it? I realize I’ve been quiet for nearly a month; things have been busy. Wrapping up with work, moving back home, trying to get things in order with an extra 20 pounds strapped to my abdomen, etc etc. I miss blogging, but I just haven’t been able to focus. I will be back soon enough, and I hope you all are doing well!
xo
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Purchased
Needed
Wish List
I’m inching my way toward completing the halfpence’s room. My parents have generously offered to take care of the remaining large items, and my grandmother has already purchased his crib and Avalisa print; so aside from some of the smaller pieces, this space is thanks to them!
The west-facing wall shares with our bathroom (the door on the right) and also houses a closet (the door on the left). In the narrow space in-between the doors, I am considering the Ikea Skar mirrored cabinet. It is very shallow and opens to a series of hooks, perfect for hanging teeny tiny clothes and blankets.
The northwest corner will house storage, most likely some configuration of Expedit shelves from Ikea.
The north-facing wall looks to our side yard. I am struggling to make a decision around window treatments. At the moment, the room has very nice accordion blinds in a light ivory color. I’d like to find an option that can block out a considerable amount of light, but still allow for some diffused light during the day. So, I am leaning toward a simple dark-colored pull-down shade paired with light curtains. Because the decor of the room is largely clean, I like the idea of introducing some texture and a bit of softness. And, as the baby grows, I can hem the curtains if they prove too irresistible for tugging. I found a beautiful Ikat-print curtain from West Elm that I am in love with.
The northeast corner is where I will position the rocker, side table and ottoman. I decided on the Poang rocker from Ikea, for a few reasons. I do not want to spend a considerable amount of money on a rocker/gilder, and I am stupidly stubborn about buying something comfortable and ugly. I was deciding between the Poang and Eames rocker and landed on the former because of its height (for resting my head) and cushion. I found it pretty comfortable when I tested it out at the store. If it doesn’t work out, I will happily eat my words and buy something else!
I haven’t decided on a side table but I am lusting after a tree stump style. West Elm sells one for a moderate price ($200), but I might end up buying something cheaper and more functional. I do love the idea of adding some organic elements to the room, though. I chose the knitted poof from CB2 to use as my ottoman. I still have my eye on the J Schatz egg lamp, but I can’t justify purchasing it at the moment. It’s high on my wish list, however.
The east-facing wall looks to our backyard. This wall will house the dresser/changing table. I chose the Hemnes dresser from Ikea and I am considering jazzing it up a bit with some new hardware. A changing pad will nicely fill the top, and I am hoping the lack of additional surface area won’t cause problems during changing. The window on this wall will receive the same treatment noted above.
The southeast corner of the room will contain a floor lamp (for nighttime diaper changes), a laundry basket and diaper pail. I am dying to buy the marquee arrow light and position it over the diaper pail; pointing down, naturally. It’s very unlikely that I will fork out $200 for a novelty light, however. I am eying the woven floor lamp from West Elm for this corner. I really wanted to buy the pendant to use as ceiling lighting, but decided that it was too large for the room. The floor lamp would be a nice compromise.
The south-facing wall shares with our kitchen. This wall will be the accent, painted black, and house the crib. The large Avalisa stretched canvas print will hang over its center. I am still on the hunt for the perfect mobile. Something simple and clean, but engaging enough for baby eyeballs.
I plan on keeping the crib very simple; I am not a fan of matchy-matchy bedding for infants. I will use a white or cream fitted sheet in the crib and am considering buying a netted bumper. I decided to add an accent rug under the crib to add a bit of interest, and decided on chartreuse-colored tiles from the Flor system. If the crib feels to bland and open, I will probably sew my own simple skirt, using muslin or an interesting fabric sourced from Etsy.
Last but not least, the ceiling! It took me forever to hunt down a simple, white drum pendant. They are all so expensive! Luckily, CB2 sells a great one for fifty bucks. I will just need to buy some hardware and hard-wire it into the ceiling.
The room will likely see some tweaks, but the overall style will remain the same. I may buy a few more pieces of art (I don’t want to overdo it, but it’s hard to resist!) and find that I need additional elements (I am already noticing that I’ve forgotten a trash can).
It’s nice to have one small room in the house that needs a total overhaul, and that I have complete control over! Todd is busy finishing up the kitchen, so he’s too distracted to protest any of my choices :-)
The next time I share the room with you, I promise it will be with photos!
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Some great items from local (SF) artist Kenneth Wingard.
Bardot Lamps, $98-$138; Reed Bottles, $9-$48; Cube Clock, $59
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This weekend was relatively cool, in the low 90’s, and pretty lovely.
On Friday night I had dinner with one of my oldest friends, Kaitlin. Every time I see her I come away with a new food obsession. This time, it was Village Bakery pizza and Haig’s Baba Ganoush.
My aunt was testing out some recipes for my shower this weekend and brought me a batch of red velvet cupcakes.
She also brought us some tomatoes from her garden. With a bag full of tomatoes, I asked Todd for some recipe ideas, and he requested Garides Saganaki. I didn’t try it out (I’ve reverted to my cravings for uncomplicated food) but my parents and Todd loved it.
I laid in the sun in my parent’s backyard and decided to document the event. Looking at the photos was…a rude awakening. I can’t believe how huge my belly is. The thought that I have 6 weeks to get bigger is totally baffling. And scary.
I decided to finally loosen up and allow myself some booze. I bought a six-pack of my favorite non-alcoholic beer but also treated myself to some mini glasses of wine. There are no words…..
I hope you had a great weekend!
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My friend Sara recommended this site and I absolutely love it! Such cute things; many pricey, but there are some moderately-priced gems to be found. I especially love the rainbow bead grabber, zig-zag hat and elephant mask!
Rainbow Bead Grabber, €12.00
Soothing Bird, €11.00
Fire Stacker, €22.00
Elephant Mask, €9.95
Handmade Africa Puzzle, €15.95
Bamboo Mini Me Bowls, €13.00
Bamboo Infant Utensils, €10.00
Tractor Print Hat, €8.50
Reversible Zig Zag Hat, €12.00
Zig Zag Romper, €23.00
Be Kind Onesie, €22.00
Short Sleeve Kimono Onesie, €6.00
Navy Bamboo V-Neck Cardigan, €28.00
Bicyclette Recycled Print, €14.00
Recycled Europe Map, €14.00
Harmony Wings Mobile, €37.95
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Something a little different (and cheesy – hello, Olan Mills!) this week :-) 33 weeks along as of yesterday.
Note: I am wearing a robe…this is how I refashion my robes when I get super hot in the summertime!
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I love London.
This print, from the super sweet London-based print shop Ruka-Ruka, will make its way into the halpence’s room. Fitting, as it’s very likely that he and I will be exploring London together sometime around his first birthday. I wonder what his favorite parts of the city will be?
Check out the shop’s other offerings, including their adorable baby Venn Diagram.
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One of the most difficult choices around planning the baby’s room has been the dreaded rocker/glider decision. Do I really need a chair that rocks? How much should I spend? Should I look for a style that we can use for many years, or focus on what will work for our immediate needs? Will the baby even like being rocked?
One thing is for certain, I want something with clean lines and a mid-century design. Those of you who’ve done any furniture shopping can attest to the fact that hunting for decent-looking modern pieces generally means one of three things–expensive as hell, thrifting or Ikea. Why the middle ground is a rarity is a mystery, to me.
Rockers
Non-Rockers
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Hello hello…
I hope all is well! I’m still very busy, and I’ve been hit with some new rather uncomfortable pregnancy symptoms (it feels as though my pubic bone is broken, basically…and I’m incredibly tired). Todd and I are both overwhelmed, and we don’t get to see each other often while he’s working on the kitchen remodel. I’ve taken off a bit more than I can chew with freelance, but I can’t resist some extra income to tuck away for my maternity leave. At work, two new people have joined to take care of business while I am out, and we are, unfortunately, in the phase where the extra help doesn’t feel much like help, with training, etc. My workload has doubled, it feels like, and it has worn me out. Even worse, the excessive running around at the office has made the aforementioned pregnancy issue 10 times worse.
But! Enough whining. I figured I’d allow myself a bit of a vent and move on :-)
Dad and sibs at The Grove (best meal-worthy salads in the city!) pre-show. Dad’s on the left in glasses.
This weekend I went into SF with my dad to see Paul McCartney. We met up with 4 of my dad’s siblings and had a great time. Early this morning, I left my dad to tend to himself, taking an early train in order to get back home and do some work. On the train, I met a totally insane woman who was clearly stuck in the 1981 (very short denim cut-offs, feathered hair, large pink sunglasses). Within the span of 3 minutes, she had asked me when I was due, touched my belly, told me she loved my hair, asked me what I was having, told me she had a 25 year old son who hated her, asked me “who’s your favorite band” (her’s is Bon Jovi, and she can’t believe he’s married to his wife, she’s so big), shared that she had miscarried 4 times before giving birth to her son at 18 (and she knows she looks too young to have a 25 year old!) and informed me that her favorite person is Farrah Fawcett.
When I climbed into my mom’s car at the train station back in Davis, I thought I was going to burst into tears, I was so exhausted.
I did take a few snaps in the hotel bathroom before heading out to meet everyone at the bar (have I mentioned how much I MISS BOOZE?) pre-show. At this point, I think the halfpence is going to grow like a weed. It feels like my belly is getting bigger every day.
31 weeks in the old preggo standbys, William Rast Sienna jeans and ballet flats (Gap). H&M top.
I have cautiously crept back to my Google Reader, ignoring the thousands of unread posts, and checking straight in with some of the blogger-moms I’ve been keeping tabs on these past few months. Because I am now baby-obsessed (not really, but relatively).
Anna and James were both raving about the Hipstamatic iPhone app. As was my friend Sara at dinner last week. I downloaded it but haven’t taken it for a test drive. Do any of you use it?
Other fun stuff to check out…
I’d love to promise that I’ll be better about blogging, but it’s become clear that I may not get back into a steady groove until I take maternity leave. I can tell you that I have a great giveaway in the pipeline, so keep your eyes peeled :-)
I will certainly check in as often as I can – xoxo
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