The Weekend I Felt Like a Tired Whale

This weekend pregnancy fatigue and discomfort really started setting in. I was having a hard time accepting the fact that I probably needed to slow down and rest, especially on the weekends. In my initial denial I committed myself  to baking 4 dozen muffins, completing 3 major nursery projects, taking a friend's maternity pictures, cooking 2 labor intensive meals, going to breastfeeding class, going to Sunday school and church, and hosting Lifegroup. 

By Saturday at 1:00PM I found myself so tired that I wanted to lay down on the carpet at the breastfeeding class and take a nap. It was clear in the first 10 minutes that babies have an innate ability to find the boob and Andrew was there to take notes, so what was the harm? I made the choice to exercise my social graces and not lay down in the middle of the floor but my exhaustion resulted in a little meltdown later that afternoon. I felt like I just couldn't be all I could be anymore and it was driving me crazy and making me feel behind in life. 

The good news is, Andrew and I ended up having a really helpful conversation about priorities and resting and making the most of the next few weeks together and not over-committing and avoiding run on sentences. Not really about that last part.  

I didn't get everything done that I had planned, but I think I got the important things done. The others can wait. Or be forgotten altogether. It helped that the city of New Orleans went under a boil water advisory on Sunday which meant I couldn't wash my dishes. Oh darn. 

I did complete a couple of nursery things that I am pretty happy with. 

I bought the wooden letters at Hobby Lobby for about $10 and painted them. The stripes were an afterthought. I may do a little tutorial about it because it got a little confusing and there might be at least one other person in cyber space as remedial as me when it comes to crafts. 

I covered this lamp shade with a $3.50 fabric scrap, also from Hobby Lobby, and painted the base of the lamp. 

If it weren't for my stellar photography, you would be able to see that the fabric is not perfectly smooth and flat on the shade. But it's OK. The weird part faces the wall and no one can see it. And I doubt anyone cares if it's a little bumpy. James certainly doesn't. 

And for kicks, this is me 32 weeks pregnant and tired. That's the outfit I wore to Lifegroup. Paint-stained sweatpants, non-maternity shirt that almost doesn't cover my stomach, and bedroom slippers. That's what I call doing life together. 

It's getting increasingly harder to angle my head in a way that disguises my 3-7 chins. But here's to trying!

Linking up! 

Nursery in Progress

I really didn't want pregnancy to take over the entire blog but alas, in these final weeks, it is sort of my whole life and I really have nothing else interesting to talk about. 

Everything in my world seems to be centered on all the things to do before the baby comes and all the  things we will be doing after he comes. I certainly don't mind it, but you may feel otherwise. I wont be offended if you take a 7-11 week hiatus from reading. I can't say I wouldn't do the same. But be warned, when you return it might be all about babies... I've been told they have a tendency to take over as well. 

So here is what's up with our nursery. It is by no means complete but it is further along than it was, say, when we moved to New Orleans. I should put a disclaimer out that I follow sort of an organic process when decorating. I don't really have a vision of what the finished product will look like or an inspiration photo. All my rooms kind of unfold piece by piece.  I do know that I want it to be calm and serene. Boyish but not in-your-face boyish. Timeless and practical. 

These are from when we moved in.

We are keeping a double bed in the room for multiple reasons, one being that we live far far away from the nearest family member and we foresee visitors in our future. 

Our crib came from Pottery Barn Kids and our changing table came from a furniture place in Auburn, AL. We scored an amazing Black Friday deal on it. 

These are the fabrics for the crib bedding. My mother in law is making the bedding. She is an incredible seamstress. She has made the most beautiful crib bedding for my niece and nephews and I knew long before James was a thought that I wanted her to make ours. 

I changed out the pink and green quilt for a white one and my mother in law is making shams out of the geometric fabric as well as a monogrammed throw pillow. 

We got the rug this past weekend at... wait for it... Kmart! And I couldn't be more pleased with it. The pictures kind of cast a shadow but its a soft blue and taupe check. 

We bought the baskets from TJ Maxx, aka, Basket Mecca. I fell in love with that bicycle basket and decided it would be perfect for toys. Andrew loved it too because he cycles as a hobby and loves all things bike related. 

The chair was Andrew's grandmother's. She rocked his mama in it and his mama rocked him in it. You know I LOVE sentiment! The side table and lamp are getting makeovers this weekend. And the beautiful sign was made by our neighbors who gave it to us as a surprise shortly after we found out we were having a baby.

That's it so far! Hopefully the next time I post about it, it will be the finished product. Even now I just sigh every time I walk by. I am falling in love with it and with visions of a tiny little boy who will call it his. 

I Made a Pillow

Warning: this is not a tutorial. Please, no one learn to sew from me. 

I sewed a pillow and honestly the events leading up to the birth of this pillow were kind of magical.

To begin with, I really wanted to learn to sew and a few months ago my sweet mother-in-law gifted me her old sewing machine from when Andrew and his sisters were growing up. 

She got it serviced from head to toe so it would be in tip-top shape for me to learn. It sews beautifully (as far as I know).

Meanwhile, I really wanted new bedding for our guest bed but in the event of moving to New Orleans that went way to the bottom of the priority list.

Yesterday I went to Hobby Lobby to scope out the fabric scraps so that I could get one to practice sewing. I found a great scrap for $2.70. I repeat, two dollars and seventy cents.

I might not have purchased this fabric for $10 but for $2.70 I decided I liked it and it would make a great practice pillow.

The colors in the fabric really didn’t go with anything in our house.  

So the guestroom. Oh that dern guestroom.The bed had a girlie pink and green pastel quilt and big green euro pillows and I had just been over it for a while. Remember this embarassing picture?

What I really wanted was white bedding with funky colorful pillows. Akin to this...

And then BAM. It hit me. I could just turn the quilt over (backwards) so that its perfectly WHITE underside would show.

I could use my cheapo fabric that didn't go with anything else in our house to make a pillow.

And the bedding of my desires (sort of) would be mine. For $2.70.

Is this what Martha Stewart feels like?

I flipped my quilt, sewed up the pillow, and just as if my fairy godmother of craftiness had sprinkled me with pixie dust, I achieved a satisfactory look for my guest room and accomplished my first real sewing job. 

I feel so proud, the only word that keeps going through my mind is "booya."