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Warning:

Proceed with caution. 

This post may contain information you don't want to or need to know, but that I would like to remember.

6 weeks.

That is all I have left.

IF I deliver on time that is.

This has been the looooooongest pregnancy of my life. I feel as though I have been expecting forever.
It could be due to the fact that this time around we spent more time in deliberation than ever before. As my 35th birthday approached (13 months ago) I felt the desire for a new baby. My husband was quite sure that it was simply my maternal clock ticking, and at moments so did I. I wanted a baby, but was I really ready for another child? I wasn't sure for the longest time and I did not necessarily have a willing companion. And since I was not prepared to proceed without full consent, I waited.

Then one day, six months later, he came to me and said that he too wanted another baby. And so it began.

Now having passed my 36th birthday, I feel as though it is time I was about finished with this process already. As my due date approaches, my symptoms increase. It is always hard, but this time has been the hardest. First and foremost, I am tired - beyond tired. I have never felt this way . . . ever! I am tired while sitting down. This, combined with nausea, headaches, dizziness, back pain, and aching legs from varicose and spider veins, has tested my endurance.

I have also never been so emotional in all my life. I feel like crying (and frequently do) for no reason at all. On the other hand I have never felt happier or more blessed! It is one crazy mix of emotions. Which, to his eternal credit, I must say that Darren is handling with positive perfection!

But now onto the fun stuff. I have been having the best time preparing for this baby! My children all thought I was crazy when at 3 months pregnant (as soon as I was able to be somewhat mobile) I began planning and decorating the nursery; beginning with  moving the boys out and into another room. I knew that it would take me the whole rest of my pregnancy to complete this project. I planned and began to prepare for a little boy, so sure was I. But according to my ultrasound, another little girl was on her way. I then removed the beginnings of what I had already started for our son and started from scratch in the planning department. I have been sewing and decorating and ever so slowly working away to create a nursery for this baby. As more children have come to us and as our house has filled up, our last 2 babies have slept in our closet (which happens to be almost bigger than our 1st apartment). And we made due. This time, however, I wanted to have a real nursery, not because a baby cares, but because I do.

My goal was to put together this nursery as inexpensively as possible. We already had the dresser, the stool (Which is for Nya. She needs to be able to see her baby when she comes!), the bookshelf, the side table and some of the accessories, including the pillow forms. Darren cut out her initial from some MDF we had stored away, left over from past projects and a friend lent us the crib. We purchased a clock, the material for her bedding, the floor lamp, frames for the wall (which I filled with free artwork I found online, and some that I made myself - they will be hung around the room once the painting is complete), the diaper cart, crib sheets and a changing pad. The biggest item we purchased was the chair from Ikea. This is perhaps my favorite piece. It does not rock, but it is so very comfortable. We (the little kids and I) already use it all the time to read together in. All we have left to do is to finish painting the walls, otherwise we are ready and waiting for baby V.

  I will post more pictures once we are finished the painting - 

but just in case I don't get to it (which is entirely possible), here is what is finished so far.

  (Necklace made by Aunty Shannon)

peachy keen

We finished the bed, for those who have asked. As much as I like the color, I am still adjusting. I find myself walking into the room and pausing, walking back out, standing in the hallway and looking back in. 

I am in need of advice. I have tried to decorate this room several times over the 6 years we have lived here, and every time I lose steam because I can see it going in a direction I am not loving, or because I have run out of inspiration, or because I have loads of inspiration but I am unsure as to how to apply it. 

I have a ton of questions - 

Do I paint the picture frames and the curtain rods? What color?

Do I get white blinds or natural wood? 

Do I make curtains? What kind? Or do I forget about curtains altogether and just go with blinds? 

Do I embrace this peach that has become a pit of uncertainty, or begin again? 

These are not life altering questions, they are barely even important. But I want to be done, once and for all (for now), not for me, but for the 3 little ladies who share this space and call it theirs. I want this to be a place for them to love and imagine and dream and play. Problem is I have been looking at this room for so long - I need a fresh set of eyes and an unattached opinion. 

Have you got one? Please share......

smartie pants and bright pink paint

I resorted to a reward (bribery). Last night as I was putting Nya to bed I told her that I would take her to the store and let her choose a treat first thing after breakfast if she slept in her bed all night long. 

At 2 a.m. when she woke up I reminded her about the treat. 

She did it! Consequently, we were to be found in the candy isle of Walmart bright and early this morning..........

 

where Nya found the biggest pack of Smarties they make. A deal is a deal!

Later on she helped me paint her bed. This color is BRIGHT, people! I am trying to not freak out about it. I am hoping the vision will come together. My mission: to infuse color into the most boring girls bedroom in the history of interior design (so say my daughters). Mission accomplished. I just hope it all comes together! And if you come over and you happen to wander up to the girls room, tell me you love it, or I may just cry!

40 bags in 40 days - day 1: the girls room

done.

With 3 girls in one room we have to take advantage of every inch, and every inch is now clean and tidy.

Nya sleeps in her crib (still), in the closet. She calls it her room. 

I am not sure what the future holds for us with 5 kids sleeping in 2 bedrooms, but for now they are small, and they must learn to minimize and work together.

(Don't feel badly for them, they have it pretty good!)

I hope....

I found this picture here (this blog has some really great free printables), via Pinterest, and I knew I wanted to put it here, in the boys room. So, I sent the picture off to Walmart, bought a frame, and put the 2 together. Now every time I walk into the this room, it is the first thing I see, and it makes me wonder. 

Although Tate tells me that he never wants to grow up to be a man (we have been learning about Peter Pan), I know the day will come when I will be sending my sons out into some part of the world that they have probably never been, for 2 years. I wonder of these boys I now raise. I wonder what they will be like. I worry, of course. Will I be able to get them there, to the place a boy becomes man? 

I wish for them to be just like their dad. I imagine the men they will become, and my heart feels hope. 

I may not be able to walk them through to manhood, but I will do my best to get them to the threshold. And with the Lord's help they will go, and grow, and return, no longer the boys I sent out, but men of God.

{I was going to clear off the dresser before I took this picture, but for the sake of a friend (you know who you are!) I left it as is. The way you would find it if you were actually in our home - complete with Mater riding the plane!}

Girls Night Out

We could have gone out to dinner or gone shopping, but no - not us - we build! A group of us got together and had our power-tool-wielding friend Naomi teach us how to build a Pottery Barn style shelf. But instead of paying $40, ours cost $5. It was so much fun, and we all got to take something home at the end of the night that we made by ourselves! This was a great little project to start with, and since Nya insists upon having some time to look at her books before she goes to bed I thought this would be perfect to hang beside her crib. It turned out really cute. Thank you Naomi. Nya loves it. I look forward to the next girl's night out!

Saturday Afternoon

On Saturday I was able to sneak away for a little while to go and pick up 2 mirrors from Superstore for our bedroom. I was however feeling guilty all the way there, and was already talking myself out of it. When I got there I realized that I had forgotten my wallet at home. It turned out to be a really good thing though. I went in anyways and had another look at the mirrors. I really do like them, but I was having a hard time convincing myself to spend $50 on each mirror (hence the guilt). Since I had to go home and get my wallet anyways, I thought I might as well have a look at Winners, just in case they had anything. I can almost always find something I like there. Less often do I find 2 of the same kind though - like lamps and candle sticks. So I was very excited when I found 2 mirrors that were the right shape and had a frame that I liked. The only thing is that they were black and I wanted white. But this is not usually a deterrent for me - I will spray paint almost anything. And the very best part was that they cost $20 each - $20 dollars! I had the girl at the front hold them for me while I went home to get my wallet and happily walked out of the store with 2 mirrors for less than the cost of 1 from Superstore. I probably would never have actually bought the more expense mirrors anyways so in the end it all worked out for the best. I am now 1 step closer to completing our room.
(I also spent another $5 on something for our bedroom that I almost talked myself out of because I wasn't sure if it would work or if it was worth it. I am so glad I got it!)

Bedroom Dreaming

I cannot remember where I found these pictures. And as always, if these belong to you I thank you and I hope that I have not offended you in using them. They have inspired me. I am so excited to finally be creating a nice place to go to at the end of the day. 

I like the mirrors on either side of this bed. They have some round ones at Superstore right now in black or white. 

They would work really well.

I love the white dresser beside this bed. We have night stands on either side of the bed right now, 

but I think they will be dwarfed beside the new bed that Darren is going to make. 

Scale has to be considered when decorating a space. 

The letters! - I think it is the most lovely of sentiments to have your initials above your bed.

The walls - I cannot help it - the white is just so clean and fresh and happy looking.
How could you ever feel sad opening your eyes up to this.

This... I just love.

 I love the look of the pillows stretching right across the bed. Here...

and here.

A friend (you know who you are, Deb) once told me that she was advised to decorate her bedroom first. 

It can be the last place we do, as it is often the last place we showcase. Don't forget this space. 

You should love going into your room at night - even if no one else ever sees it - make it yours and love it!

Our storage room?

We live in a house with 3 bedrooms and 5 children - and since I am quite determined not to get rid of any of these delightful creatures, that only leaves 1 option - some of our stuff must go! Our bedroom has become a catch-all for everything that no longer has a place in our home. And I can stand it no longer. Today is the day. I will clean up that room. I will sell, or give away, or throw away everything that I can to once and for all reclaim my space!

We have not had a bed frame for a very long time and I have been on the hunt for years. I am also not willing to spend a ton of money. 

I found this picture here. I think it is the one, and I am so excited to get started building it. (now, when I say me I of course mean Darren) He will be so happy!

Stuffed Animals & Martha Stewart

We have a lot of stuffed animals. I am forever trying to get the kids to part with a few. Every one is special in some way, or is their very favorite (along with the other 15 they own and rarely ever play with). I remember when I was a kid how special mine were to me. They weren't just toys, but friends. And so we keep them all. As the collection grows we need a place to store them and when I saw this hamper on the Martha website I thought it would be perfectly cute for toys instead of laundry. 

So we made one out of a sheet someone gave us and a 14 inch quilting hoop I bought from Michael's. You must use a quilting hoop, not an embroidery hoop. The embroidery hoop is too thin and will break. The quilting hoop is much thicker. It is 10 times the price unfortunately, but if you use a 50% off coupon it's not that bad. It turned out pretty cute. It looks great on the back of the door, and the stuffies are all neatly put away, with easy access when they are wanted!

thank heaven for little girls

The girl's room is about the only room in the house (besides our master bathroom) that I have never done anything with. When we moved in, the color they had worked with what we had, so it stayed. It has been 4 years and I am feeling it's time for a change. Of course change involves time, energy, and always $. Since I have several projects that need to be completed, I will not be starting the girls room quite yet. But I have been, here and there, saving pictures from the internet, as I see them. I thought I would share some of them with you - just because - well, they are pretty! (since I have only been saving these for personal use, I don't have sources for all of them - sorry)

{these next pictures are from Pottery Barn Kids}

{these pictures are from The Land of Nod}