Nursery Reveal.

4 days after we learned my career-gal condo (turned newlywed nest) was under contract, we learned we were expecting. I had visions of a yet-to-be-found new home dancing in my head, & in that home, a nursery. I was over the moon with the prospect of having a whole new genre to get to work on (occupational hazard.) I was drawn to all sorts of fabulous kiddie fabrics previously overlooked on trips to the fabric showrooms. I thought I wanted a non-traditional nursery with touches of modern style. I had the beginnings of a design plan in my head & I was jazzed.

The designer honeymoon period disappeared & reality set in. We were going to have lots of expenses with our bundle of joy & my work productivity was going to drop. I needed to be stylish, practical, & budget conscious. I've always said anyone can make a room look like a million bucks if they spend it, but it takes true talent & a great eye to make it look like you spent a million when in fact you did it on a shoestring.

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

Once we heard the words "it's a boy!" I knew the blue room across the hall could stay that color & I would build a color palette around it. I'm quite proud of the space I created on a dime. With a little creativity, elbow grease, & planning ahead I was able tailor make the perfect room for our little one, reasonably.

{I love my blogger recommended Little Castle glider  from Walmart.}

{I couldn't resist the baby animal prints for above the crib.}

{We repainted the dresser that was in my Mom's room when she was a little girl! The lamp was in my nursery when I was little.}

{The changer was found second hand & is the perfect height for those many diaper changes.}

{The 3 little pigs print hung in my Dad's nursery & my nursery!}

{Re-purposed baby shower decor is the perfect finishing touch for the little man's door.}

{Pete loves the nursery & hangs out in there quite a bit!}

I'm thrilled with the results. It's cozy & comfortable...the perfect space for a little boy. I was able to stretch my budget by making purchases during sale times (hello Black Friday & post Christmas sales!) & re-imagining vintage family pieces. I awakened my recessive crafting gene by making a mobile & zushed some plain white curtain panels with grosgrain ribbon and rick-rack. 

Worth the Wait.

{...and the nausea, exhaustion, weekly-turned-bi-weekly doctor visits, etc...}

He's here, he's here! 

{Mom & Baby Boy on our first morning together.}

{T III & T IV cuddle with Dad's nearly 32 year old coming home from the hospital blanket.}

{Last pregnancy photo the night before I went into labor. I think he knew what was happening & was extra cuddly.}

TGN IV decided he was ready to see the world and made his debut 2 weeks early, March 22, 2013. We are over the moon with our new addition. He was born at 2:10 AM & was 6 lbs 14 oz, 20.5" long. Today we celebrate 3 weeks of being a family of 3 humans & 1 furry big brother. 

{Pete is a doting big brother}

I absolutely love being a mom & have fallen even more in love with my husband watching him be a dad. My brother in law said it best on a recent visit; that we looked tired yet incredibly happy. And we are. Don't get me wrong, the transition is a challenge. I couldn't imagine going at this alone & feel blessed to have such a strong support system to help us acclimate. 

I honestly believe that nursing has been the hardest thing I've ever done & being exhausted on top of recovering from child birth doesn't make it any easier. At the start of week 3 I finally decided that I need to let my mother's intuition take over and do what my gut tells me. I had to stop comparing myself to everyone else & had to stop the information overload. It's easy to get overwhelmed & have tunnel vision. We are getting more comfortable with the process & each other and it gets easier every day. I am extremely thankful for my twitter friends who have been there in the middle of the night to help with a little support or to answer questions. 

We're settling in & loving our new normal. I look forward to ramping back up my little corner of the interwebs with our adventures.  Cheers to our new addition, spring, & a fresh start!

{Blue Steel.}

Dinner Winner | Creamy Lobster Pappardelle from Cooking Light

We've reached the 3rd trimester and my most surprising preggo fact: no insane cravings that must be fulfilled AT THAT VERY MOMENT. Thats not to say there aren't a bevy of things that haven't been in my typical diet that I'm now enjoying (ahem, Dukes mayo, you are now my friend). One of said indulgences: lobster. Now when this getting-ever-rounder-by-the-day gal saw on New Years Eve that lobster tails were 2 for $10 at the Kroger I knew 2 things had to happen: lobster was officially on our menu & I needed a recipe.

Off to the trusty Cooking Light archives I went and found this gem: Creamy Lobster Pappardelle





Man oh man was this a good one. Simple enough for a Wednesday, but tasty enough for a special occasion. You're going to want to try this one!

I made a few substitutions:
-While the Krog had lobster, they didn't have pappardelle. I used the "fresh" buttoni linguini instead.
-I cooked for 2 so only used half the recipe for the sauce, but cooked 2 tails.
-I didn't really want to start off 2013 with a pint of heavy cream in the fridge for a recipe that only called for a teeny bit, so I subbed in our regular light half & half used in morning coffee. This probably made the sauce a little thinner but I didn't care, it included LOBSTER.


Also:
-I served with a green salad topped with grapefruit & feta.
-Next time I plan on adding in some spinach with the pasta. Another one of those "man this is tastier than it used to be" ingredients for me that I think would really complement the dish while adding some more nutrients.

Enjoy!

Full of black eyed peas, collard greens, & gratitude.

The little man has been waking me up with kicks in the middle of the night recently which I whole heartedly believe is to prepare me for what's to come in 3 short months. I am always amazed at what things are swimming around in my head at 3AM, but this first morning of 2013 was particularly special. I awoke with an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Grateful for my husband and marriage. I can honestly say I fall in love with him a little more each day. Grateful for my spotted dog that was keeping me warm (why do major systems seem to fail on holidays? Our heat went out with 2012!) Grateful for our families, the holidays we were able to celebrate & share, & their constant support. Grateful for my business & clients. It's a pretty special thing when you get to do what you love every day. Grateful for those who I call friends, they add a special something to each and every day. I was truly overcome with an overwhelming sense of gratitude.

I hesitated to sit down and write this as it almost sounded trite, but my whole plan for BitP was to take it back to a place that is authentically me. The first day of the new year & first post back after a hiatus seemed like a good place to start. I salute you 2012, you brought many wonderful changes & opportunities my way. As I sit snuggling on the sofa full of oysters, black eyed peas, & collard greens I am embracing the New Year & all of the excitement & changes it will bring. Cheers! Here's to health, luck, prosperity .... and gratitude.

Nursery Talk.

Pretty soon after we found out we were expecting my mind started towards nursery decor. It's a natural progression, yes? I browsed Pinterest and found all sorts of adorable inspiration. I pinned all sorts of nurserys. {Aside: Where were the hidden boards this summer? Pinning nurserys, even when you do it under the guise of "client work" WILL infact lead you to be called out during that tricky time in which you aren't telling the world you are pregnant. Consider yourself warned.}

There were modern sophisticated nurseries ...

Source: pinning2fun7951.blogspot.com via Kate on Pinterest

Source: blogs.babble.com via Kate on Pinterest

...and clever girly color pallettes.

Source: littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com via Kate on Pinterest

And then I realized ... there were LOTS & LOTS of girl ideas I celebrated while only just a few boy inspirations being pinned. BUSTED. I thought I was on team girl from the get go. I decided it was high time to put my nursery plans on hold until d-day came and we found out pink or blue.

In the meantime, I came across this fun find while fabric shopping for a client and was instantly drawn to the bright colors & happy animals. Perfect for a boy OR a girl. I thought this was it. My inspiration print. I ALWAYS work off inspiration prints.



{Duralee 21029-215}

This week practicality set in. Even with my designer discounts the chances of me having this bedding custom made for less than ye old Pottery Barn Kids had me thinking. As much as I'd LOVE to flex my custom nursery design skills we have lots of other areas in which funds will need to be directed with our 2013 addition.

And I saw this:

{Circus Friends by PB Baby}

It was on sale. Had animals. AND a spotted dog pulling the circus train. It's perfectly little boy & adorable. I mean, who doesn't love a baby circus animal train PULLED BY A SPOTTED DOG.

Descisions, decisions.

{I'd love your input on the matter. Did you go custom in your nursery? Semi-custom? Straight PB? Any regrets? I keep thinking they only are in a crib for say, 2 years, then you get to design a longer lasting little boy room right?}

The Day Designer by Whitney English {A Review}

I tried to go digital. HOW COOL would it be to have a calendar on my laptop, phone, & iPad? I could even sync it with the hubs schedule to all be on one page. I'm going to be techie way behind the curve! Hooray! 

EPIC FAIL. 

You see, I'm a visual person. A creative visual person. A virtual check mark gives you nowhere near the same sense of accomplishment that taking pen to paper does. Back to the old school paper agenda I went. I did some research and felt like each of the popular options just didn't hit the mark for me and my life. On a daily basis I have to keep up with appointments, a to do list, billable hours, & a whole host of other responsibilities. I also knew that staying organized was going to be the key to staying happy, calm, profitable, & sane. Especially now that I'm adding a baby BOY to the fold come spring. {Yes, I just snuck that in there ... we are having a BOY!} 

Just when I felt that there wasn't the perfect solution out there for me I saw a tweet come across my screen that perked my interest. One of my very favorite paper-mavens had the very same frustrations and had designed a day planner for creative minded people. Score one for the sometimes scatter-brained.

{Photo from Whitney English}

{My day designer at work}

 This was the perfect planner to keep my daily routine in check. If you're feeling overwhelmed and need a new solution for 2013 to keep all your ducks in a row I highly suggest checking out the Day Designer. It doesn't disappoint! You can learn more about the Day Designer on the Whitney English website or blog. To purchase one, visit the Whitney English Etsy Shop. {If you are a planner you are going to love her list products!} She is even giving one away this Friday! To enter, visit her blog!

{Fine Print: All opinions in this post are my own. I was sent a Day Designer for the purpose of review, but the fact that I love it is 100% the truth.}

I heart you: blogs & coffee.

It's been a long while since I've been excited to sit down at my desk with a spotted furry companion lounging at my side & a cup of decaf steaming in my Lilly mug. After much delay I'm back, and happy to be. With the help of 17th Avenue Designs Barefoot in the Park has a fresh face and a new attitude. 

 

It's been a long time coming and I'm happy to regroup & get back to my roots. For those of you who have been there along the way, thank you! For newcomers, welcome! I'm glad you're here.