nursery so far

This has been so fun. From planning, to buying some new things. From installing doors and putting up new paint. From refinishing old things to putting together new things. We are far from done but here is where we are now.

You may remember where we started... this is the landing at the top of the stairs.

I really enjoyed choosing colors for the nursery.. mostly based off of my original color palette of Grey, Blue, Orange and Green. We started by priming.. yuck!! The old owners painted the whole house in oil so we had to put the primer over so we could paint latex. I of course let Dave do that job. Our ceiling is wallpapered.. it is beautiful and goes with the character of the house. We painted this as well. The texture still comes through and I love the effect.

When we started painting the new color we had lots of help..

after the paint was done.. we started on the stripes.. inspired of course by a makeover I saw on Young House Love. Because we did only 12 stripes in random spots it didn't even take that long.. the reason the tape isn't all the way on some spots is because of the age of our house the walls are not strait so the laser level would not show all the way :)

and then you are left with this....

I love it!! The chair is the one I wanted from Ikea.. thankfully Baby J has grandparents who love to give gifts :) We have a few more projects but are close to completion. The crib is up and I made the curtain for the window. I'll post more soon. I love walking up the stairs and seeing this special space for Baby J. I'd love to hear what you think!!

And for the details... All paint by Benjamin Moore. Wall color HC-170 Stonington Grey. Stripes: 2146-40 pale avocado, 2136-40 aegean teal, 2155-40 semolina, cc-70 dune white. Doors are 2130-20 Deep Caviar.

And since we are poor right now.. we did it all on a budget. we bought the grey for the base. used primer we already had, the pale avocado and dune white we also had and we bought the testers in the other two colors for one cheapo paint makeover.

to do

on my to do list for the weekend

1. clean the floor in the nursery and take pics of the paint

2. big mcc run

3. blog nursery progress

4. scrapbook

5. clean up my craft space (it's overrun with baby stuff)

6. find someone to lend me a swing (for when baby comes)

7. finish some sewing for the nursery

8. play hide and seek in the "forest" with my boys

9. clean all bathrooms and floors (thats for this afternoon yet... sheesh)

10. a date night would be nice

so i will be back this weekend for a nursery post. stay tuned.

go texas??

my parents just came back from 6 weeks in texas.. this is what they brought us. priceless. (that is my nephew in the photo)

mamawrap ** edited

Found these online the other day. Mamawraps.ca

I think they are so lovely and soft. I am in love with Grey # 3.

I did see a tutorial on how to make these but I have so many projects on the go that I am unsure I would finish one... i think baby j would like it too...

** i can't wait to get mine... someone special is giving it as a gift!! :) I'll tell you what I think in 3 or so months...

drowning

source

I often refer to myself as drowning.. on the bad days it's the one thing that describes how I feel. Of course I have never actually drowned but I can only imagine...

Parenting for me often feels like drowning. I am not saying I am a bad mom or looking for validation in that department.. I am a firm believer that we all do our best with what we have and I know that I love my kids and they love me... but parenting and learning how to raise good kids is overwhelming for me. I find it hard to discipline, especially the follow through part. I would rather the whining just stop and often find myself doing whatever it takes to make that part happen. I gave it some good thought yesterday as to why I feel defeated by almost 4 year olds. I think it's because often I feel I have already failed and it's too late.. I have let it go for so long and they have developed bad habits so I kind of feel stuck.

Spring break was harder than I thought.. we fought alot. We had many many time outs and we cried some too (mostly me).

At the end of the day when I tuck my little ones into bed and we pray for a good sleep and we are thankful that we get another day to start again.. I am reminded of grace and how much they have for me... There is a line in a song that I love that says "If Grace were an ocean we'd all be sinking." It's going to be my new mantra... instead of looking at things like I'm drowning I need to be reminded of that.

inspiration

gloomy tuesday. it was supposed to be warm but they lied.. again. so far spring break has not lived up to any expectations.. the boys are extra irratiable, fight constantly and i am a bit worn out.. it's only tuesday.. so to make the most of it this is some lovely tuesday inspiration for you.

saw these at target.com they are LOVELY. and at $12.99 who can go wrong.. if only we had target here.. what am i saying.. i would surely be poor.

the lovely elizabeth kartcher over at dear lizzy was the guest blogger at ali edwards blog and shared the story behind this gorgous wall display.

you can check the full story out here.

this gorgous shirt from etsy here.

i have decided I do want to continue collecting owls... ceramic pretty shiney owls. I have this great shelf in my dining room that is screaming to be filled with owls like this one I found on etsy.

and this plate would look really good displayed on there too.

i love everything about these next two photos.. they make me feel hopeful about spring.

what is inspiring you lately?

diy

we have been all about the diy projects over here at casa difran. something so rewarding about doing things yourself.

ever since seeing this over at Young House Love (my fave decor blog) I knew our bedroom had to have one. I scoured the internet for the perfect houndstooth fabric (my big love).. couldn't find anything. When we were in Fargo a couple months ago I had a couple hours to myself to wander through Hobby Lobby. It was there that I found the perfec

t fabric. I knew it was meant to be.

We did wander some from their instructions and actually just used a piece of plywood as our base. Out of laziness and not wanting to get the staple gun out I glue gunned the batting and then the fabric. We had our plywood cut large enough that we didn't even have to hang it when it was done. It rests on the floor.

Here is our plywood before...

and here is the after effect.

the bedroom is still a work in progress and matching bedside tables is on the list.. we hope to get another white one on our next trip to ikea... some day :)

25ish weeks

I feel a bit bad about how I have not documented this pregnancy so I figured I should take a picture of my belly.. then I decided to compare from last time..

so here i am today at almost 26 weeks...

and here I am 4 years ago...

spring break plan

so spring break is only 3 days away!! this year i am really looking forward to it. of course I have high hopes for some things I want to get done.. not sure they are all realistic but a girl can hopes plus with kids who live to have jammie days.. it should make being home easier ;)

i want to clean out my pantry and tupperwear drawer.. both are a disaster.. do you have any organizing tips that work for you. i'm thinking i need to get some more baskets and stuff to hold random bits of stuff that just gets messy otherwise.

my other goal is to take out the million totes in our storage room that hold baby clothes and blankets... i have no desire to keep it all. seriously how much of a wardrobe can one baby have.. this kid will have endless options with two older brothers around.. so i hope to purge and pass on a lot of it.

i have a dresser redo project for the weekend so i will actually have somewhere to store these things. i'll post pics when i am done...

i have started a list of things we need yet.. you'd think after having twins we would have it all but it's actually quite the opposite.. we borrowed most everything we had because we were poor and alot of the stuff we did have was only practical in the we have two stage...

and now since dave is in school and we are once again poor i will have to rely on borrowing and being creative with what i need and don't need.

so for now i am on the look out for a swing... this was a must have with the boys and with three floors of house i figure it will be a nice thing to have on the main floor when i need both my hands.

we have also decided to go the cloth diaper route for a couple reasons. we can not produce more garbage and since we burn our garbage out back it's impossible seeing as diapers don't burn :) also i like the idea and wanted to do it the first time but i had twins and was crazy enough. i have already gotten some but would like to try the new flip system as well.

You can see more info HERE.

I also like that you can buy disposable liners for this system which would make traveling easier.

We decided to get my parents to pick us up this play yard from Target while they are down there. It will be where the baby will sleep in our room for the first few months (at least during the night). We decided on this one based on the great reviews, the price and also the incline feature... our boys had such tummy issues and being elevated helped in a huge way so we thought we would give this one a try. Its called the Bright Starts - InGenuity Playard.

We do have a basic pack and play but my hope is for it to be kept in the basement for when I need to shower and just need the extra hands.

Still needing a change pad to attach to top of dresser and also I want to get a large and medium wet bag for my cloth diapers...

okay that turned out to be much more than a spring break plan and it took me all day to write.

just saying

with absoloutly nothing better to write about.. I have been doing some searching for the perfect diaper/everything bag for when baby comes... with three square a husband I know my dream bag (this lovely juju)

is out of reach so I think I have settled on this one...

the classy classic by lululemon... lovely!!

okay

so what do you want to read here? i feel like i have less and less traffic so to solve that problem i am opening it up to you... please let me know what you want to see here? ask me a question? give me an idea of what i can write that will peak your interest...

spring

is here??? hard to say in this neck of the woods but we are most definitely enjoying the warmer weather and the sunshine. living outside of town has made it easy to play outside with a big yard and muddy driveway.. the boys love it.

the creek runs alongside of our property and we have been busy watching it rise. It's full and moving fast... with lots of snow yet to melt. the boys and i have had the talk regarding the creek and how we are never to go near it alone. they watched it yesterday and i think they get it...

this photo was taken over a week ago when there was still a ton of snow and we were living in a fog. that excavator has seen a lot of action over the last little while. and now there is barely any snow left from this view...

and of course what is better than coming inside to hot chocolate with marshmallows after a good play time outside.

and of course we leave time to ride horses... go cowboy!!

sneaks

I have had a tough time focusing on the good things lately.. just so grumpy and tired. I want to snap out of this funk I really really do!

So to keep me happy and upbeat here are some sneaks of things coming together for Baby J's room.

I think we have settled on painting the nursery a creamy grey - probably the same color in our entrance. The doors I am thinking a really dark dramatic color. Either a dark grey blue like Benjamin Moore's Knoxville Grey or go even crazier and do a dark ebony black like the doors in this house.. so lovely!!

I purchased a couple of new crib sheets. This one in brown polka dot is lovely.

This purchase is one of my favorites. It's actually a shower curtain but I hope to turn it into a curtain.. either for the window that's in the room or to give privacy on the french doors.

I fell in love with this cluster the moment I saw it... I had hoped to put it up in girly colors like the picture but decided that I would still use it and change the colors. I have purchased poms in grey, teal and orange and some white paper lanterns. I am looking forward to how this will turn out.

Another diy project in the works is this idea of a large canvas. The one in the photo is on plywood but while in fargo I found a HUGE canvas on sale at Hobby Lobby. I plan to use a dark grey paint and leave the letters white. I am still working out what I want on it.... I am thinking of song lyrics...

So along with the chair I want from Ikea.. we are well on our way. Still looking for a rug and have a quilt to finish. The date has been set for the wall to be built and the door to go in so that makes us one stop closer to completion. What do you think?

the little things

Being reminded to be thankful for the little things. Some days life seems to much to handle and it's then we can be thankful for the small stuff.. so here's my list right now.

1. warm weather

2. a husband who gets me and still loves me

3. kids that sit and watch a movie when mommy really needs to nap

4. a surprise card and gift in the mail that you least expect and desperately need

5. fun etsy purchases in the mail

6. dreaming up things to put in baby J's nursery

7. friends who make dinner and have you over

8. the new shelf sitting in my dining room bought at MCC and looking like it belonged there

9. picking up paint colors for nursery and for the french doors.

10. a busy month of norwex... i love my job!!

11. supper ideas planned for the week.. and today

my favorite lasagna soup!!

12. cream cookies made with blue icing by a friend

13. winning on the radio this morning!!

14. good friends here and far away.. and some that are closer to coming home!!

15. cuddly boys who tell me they love me

16. homemade "puters"

see i feel better already.. your turn.

decorating help

okay i am opening the floor for you to give me the best idea you have.. we are about to embark on a "small" project. at the top of the stairs we have a large landing.. i think it used to be a room. we are going to build a wall and have that be baby J's room.

we decided to put in french doors to keep it light and open. i will put up curtains on the inside for privacy. the doors are above.. they come all primed and ready for paint, they do have glass but the beauty of these ones is that they are covered to keep painting simple. the opening right now is 6ft by 8 ft.

so my question is... what color do i paint the doors?? do i paint them the same color that i will paint the hallway or the room or do i pick a darker more contrasting color.

i was thinking somewhere along the grey/creamy white color palette for the room as well as the hallway. i was thinking of keeping them the same color... so here is my plea for help. please help me pick paint for my doors...

currently

I am buried in paperwork and receipts sorting. It's tax time and I make a promise every year to be more organized during the year so I don't end up with loads of work to do.. but here I am.. so I promise once thats done I will be back with more interesting things to say... I have so many pictures to share. I hope once I am done and have passed this on to my accountant we see many happy returns :)

strange

that's how I feel these days... jaded, misunderstood and generally not my happy self. i am not a fan of blaming things on pregnancy so it's hard for me to understand what's happening here... i am tired all of the time and just generally feel like staying home in my pj's all day. this describes it perfectly and sadly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skUJ-B6oVDQ

When you try your best but you don't succeed
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse.

And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

And high up above earth or down below
When you're too in love to let it go
But if you never try you'll never know
Just what you're worth

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

Tears stream, down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
Tears stream down your face and I...


Tears stream, down your face
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down your face and I...


Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you.

living in a dream

Well here is the house tour in progress. I have not included pics of the basement yet and with many diy projects on the go we will update as we go.But for now welcome to our dream house.

ENTER HERE.

the perfect chair

This is the one I want. Baby J and I will spend lots of time in this chair. I sat in it last time I was at Ikea and should have bought it then.. In the states its $99...

It's perfect. I guess an Ikea order is in our future and while I'm at it I will also add this; perfect for holding my water, a book, a dim lamp and a clock.

And in honor of my 500th post this weekend. I will be presenting our house tour!

baby boy J

He was not an E baby. When we told the boys they were getting a brother I am not sure they got it. They were pretty convinced they wanted a skidsteer. I tried to convince them there would be no machinery coming out that way... we explained that we would have a boy and not a sister. I asked them what we should name the baby. They said girl.. so I am not sure they get it.

We love him though. They are watching my belly grow and I think it's making more sense to them.

I enjoyed shopping for baby J's nursery this weekend in Fargo. I think it's even more special to me because this will be my first nursery. We lived in a teeny tiny house when the boys were born and they had a crib in our room so I never got to decorate a room for them. So I am not missing anything this time. First step it to build a wall and get Baby J his proper room. We have a landing at the top of the stairs that opens up into

a big empty open space with a beautiful East facing Window with a view of the backyard. It's going to be the perfect nursery. We plan to put in french doors just to keep the space open. I will put cute curtains on the inside for privacy when needed.

I have settled on grey, orange, brown and teal blue... I will do a picture post of my purchases and document the progress of his room.

We have a bunch of project going on right now. We made a reading nook complete with pallet beds upstairs and need a few things to complete the project. We also have an upholstered headboard on the go. I need some motivation to complete all the projects I start.

Off to bed. I'll be back this week with more... and yes a house tour post is in the works.

For now this is the inspiration for Baby J's room.

memory lane

what a fabulous weekend! it really was just like walking down what I would imagine memory lane to look like. with cherry blossom trees, blue skies and warm sunshine!

Here is a quick look at the weekend in photos. I am hoping to have more photos soon... these were all I took. Too much fun!

This is where my trip started, at the Vancouver airport with a coffee, scone and a great book. I enjoyed sitting and watching the world meet. The Olympic hype at the airport was fun. It felt fresh. We enjoyed watching Team Korea come in and I saw more snowboards and skiis then raindrops this weekend.

We enjoyed the Olympic hype downtown as well. As Dave pointed out yes I know it's a snowboard and I am not surfing.

And then there were these girls... Oh my lovely friends. It was amazing. I mean after all these years you see each other and it's like wow I know you! We quickly picked up where we left off. There were so many moments I wanted to pinch myself and so many times I just looked around amazed with this group of women.

We toured around to places we all loved. This next picture was taken in front of where we used to work. It has now become a hole. It was surreal and so glad I could share that moment with these ones.

Hard to believe 13th and Commercial turned into this.

We stayed in the most amazing studio apartment. It was the perfect spot with this view from the patio. I spent a couple early mornings sitting out there watching the sun rise. I do feel refreshed.

I also learned that there is no place like home.

refreshed

this is what i am hoping for. refreshment in all aspects of life. heading out to vancouver for a girls weekend.. what feels like once in a lifetime. two handfuls of friends from all over north america meeting up in vancouver. it feels like a dream. i can't wait to be sipping coffee here in a couple days. can't wait to share my trip with you when i get back.