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...