The CPA said we will absolutely not, under any circumstances, get something like this:

I can kind-of see where he’s coming from.  I think it’s beautiful, but it would probably take a really secure baby to be able to pull it off.

I suggested one of the traditional jumpers as a possibility, but that, too, was quickly vetoed.

We finally decided that we both liked either a suit, such as this one,

this blue and white sweater with shirt and pants,

or this knicker suit complete with bowtie and vest.

(the vintage look includes suspenders instead of a vest.)

All three are adorable and would look great on Henry.  We are open to a black and white suit since we don’t have to have a white outfit, but we just can’t decide.

That’s why I need your help.  Keeping in mind that lots and lots of pictures will be taken for posterity’s sake, not to mention lots of family will be in attendance too, which outfit would you choose?

And I’m also curious as to what kind of blessing or christening outfit did you choose for your little one?

Well, there are a few little things I would still like to do such as the mobile to go over the crib and the throw pillow that I’m going to make for the rocking chair, but other than that, the room is complete.  And I absolutely love it.

My favorite part has got to be the soft, suede chair where I have spent hours rocking Henry to sleep (and hours spent trying to keep myself awake, I might add).  It really is the most comfortable chair on earth and it is perfect for a nursery.

Then we have the shelving/storage unit.  The CPA put this together and we happened to find the matching bins at Lowe’s hardware store of all places.

They fit just right and they hold all kinds of goodies like stuffed animals,

baby rattles and teethers,

books,

and toys for Henry to use when he’s a bit older.

The closet beside the storage unit holds the rest of his toys,

as well as most of his clothes.

We even found these great little clothes dividers that allow me to organize them by size.  Very helpful when you have everything from newborn to 24 months in one space!

On the other side of the room is the dresser.  We got it from JC Penney which is the same place we got the shelving unit.  The great thing is that even though all three pieces in the room were not from the same collection, they all match and they were all very inexpensive.

We went with a standard dresser so that after we stop using the changing station on top, we’ll still be able to get plenty of use out of it.  But in the meantime, it’s main purpose is to serve as a place to change the baby’s diapers.

The insides of the drawers are full of things like socks and hats,

bibs and burp clothes,

and receiving blankets.

On the other side of the dresser is the crib.  Right now Henry only sleeps in it during the day because at night he sleeps in a pack n’ play in our room, but I’m still very pleased with it.  I decided not to go with all the fancy bedding although I will say that I was definitely tempted – there’s some beautiful stuff out there!  But in the end I figured that he won’t know the difference and I probably won’t use most of it anyway.

As far as the details in the room, we incorporated various maps and travel-related items since we love to take trips and hope to pass that hobby on to our little one.  There is the world map decal over the crib and the vintage old world maps on the wall by the door.

Even the initials over the dresser have maps in the background.

The bulletin board over the shelving unit is full of old postcards from places around the world.

But my favorite travel-related items include the globe standing on the floor,

and the globe bookstands on the display shelves.

There are so many other details that I love in this room such as the clear globes hanging from the ceiling fan,

and the toy train and red truck that are perfect for a little boys room.

All of these things add up to make a beautiful nursery.

It’s a place where I’ve already spent many hours and where I plan to spend many more.

All that changed, however, on December 1st when we officially began preparations for it to become a nursery.  Originally, I had no idea what I wanted to do with the nursery except that I knew that I wanted to paint it.  See, when we first bought the house, the room was yellow.

A bright yellow actually.

So we darkened it up a bit and then added a bed, an armoire, and a couple of bookshelves.  (For some reason I didn’t take a picture of it before we took it apart – this is the best one I have, taken back when we first moved into the house).

Since we’re having a boy and since I’m not a frilly kind-of person anyway, I decided to go with a neutral color scheme.  That way, as the baby grows up, we don’t have to make a lot of substantial changes to the room to have it grow with him.

So we knew we wanted it painted but with lots going on these past few months between work and school (for my husband), there was no way we’d be able to get it done in time.

Enter, my dad.

**Side note – did you ever watch that show called “This Old House”?  There was a guy on there, a carpenter and all around handy man, named Bob Villa.  That’s my dad.  Well, not really my dad, but my dad is just like Bob Villa in that he can do and build anything.**

So when Dad offered to paint the room for us, we didn’t even have to think about it.  We got the room ready by clearing everything out and putting it in the garage for storage.  Then we started testing paint colors.

That was the hardest part (for me anyway).  I couldn’t get the colors just right until the CPA stepped in and suggested a combination of two shades that I hadn’t considered before.  And voila – we had our match.

Dad drove up from Georgia the next morning and then spent three straight days getting the room ready.  He added a ceiling fan, which we’ve heard keeps the air circulated and hopefully helps to prevent SIDS.

Then he put up the chair rail, which we wanted in order to add more definition to the two different colors we’d be using in the room.  Then came the paint, lots and lots of glorious paint.

It was so exciting to see the room transforming and I am completely impressed with the professional job he did!  It would have taken us a week to do what he did in three short days.

Before he was finished, he took off the closet doors (we plan to hang curtains in their place) and painted the inside of the space.

And finally, it was ready.

Isn’t it gorgeous?  The colors are rich and warm, the paint job is immaculate, and the love and hard work that went into the projects is obvious.

So a huge thank you goes out to my dad because without him, this wouldn’t have been possible.  Now we’re ready to put the room together and make it a special place for our little boy.

Thanks Dad!

Or should I call you, Grandpa?

And he would be absolutely correct.  So it was with great anticipation that I opened the box and looked at the stack of books held within.  

There is just something cool about older books like these, especially used books.  There is a history there; a story to tell if you will.

The illustrations are usually a bit different, reminiscent of the time period and area in which they were made and this Christmas book is a perfect example.  

Some of them bring back memories from my own childhood, like this Richard Scarry book about “What Animals Do.”

(I’m a huge Richard Scarry fan, just for the record.)

Then there are the classics such as Cinderella – a story which can never be told too many times.

But my favorite out of this whole stack of great books, is the one titled  ”Fifty Musical Fingerplays.”  

I’m not even sure what fingerplays are, but when I opened the book, I was pleased to find a number of familiar tunes.

Tunes such as “This Little Pig” and 

“Hush Little Baby.”  Tunes that I have heard for years yet have never known the words to.  In fact, I recently remarked to the CPA that I don’t know any nursery rhymes and that I needed to find a book of songs so that I could officially sing the official parent songs.  You know – to make me official.  

And lo and behold – here comes this book.  Perfect!

Now I’ll be able to learn the words and practice my songs so that when our guy arrives, he will be properly sung to.  Not that he’ll know the difference of course, but I know I’ll feel better.  

So a big thank you to the CPA’s friend, Mark.  Your thoughtfulness and sweet gesture are much appreciated and I know these books will bring hours of enjoyment for years to come.  

What books are yours or your children’s favorites?  What nursery rhymes (or other songs) do you sing to them?

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I don’t know a lot about how the room’s going to look yet, but I do know that I want some unique art pieces in there.  Something that is not too childish but yet still fit for a child’s room, if that makes any sense at all.  We’ve looked at dozens of illustrated prints and none of them have met with our mutual approval. Here are some that were vetoed early on:

This print by Barking Bird Art (how cute is this?)

Or these adorable prints by Tummy Mountain:

I can kind-of understand why the CPA didn’t go for these as he is not a fan of cutsie pictures.  I will say though, if we were having a girl, I would HAVE to purchase some of these by RKDesign88:

But since we’re having a boy and since I want the CPA to continue to speak to me, I went back to my search to find something we both like.  This time I tried to stay away from the whimsical and tried to find something a bit more down-to-earth.  For example this tree, from Lucky Bird Art.  

Or these owls, from Yumi Yumi. 

But again, nothing seemed “just right.”  Until I showed him these beautiful prints by At Whim:

Finally, we are agreed!  They are simple, adorable, different, and fit for a child.  And the best part is the price – they are very affordable so we can get a few prints to hang over the dresser or the crib or wherever we eventually decide they should go.  

Now, it’s on to paint color.  Who knew designing a nursery for a newborn could be so tough?

Would you use art in a nursery?  What kind would you/did you use?

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Which is what I want to ask you, my fellow, faithful Internet friends: is a bumper necessary?  I love the look of the “complete” crib, but do you really need to have all of these things?  I haven’t done any research so I don’t know if a bumper is mainly for decoration or if it serves a purpose such as keeping little hands and feet from getting caught.

That said, I have found a few baby bed sets that I like and they do come with the bumper included.  The problem is, we’re on a budget so as much as I would like to go all out, I’m going to have to limit my bedding purchasing.  I would love to do something like this:

or this

(both from Javis Davis).  It would be great to be able to design custom-made bedding like this so that we could create the perfect look.  (If you have a minute, I suggest checking out their site just because it’s fun trying to mix and match the various fabrics.)  But for $400.00, it’s not going to happen any time soon.

So instead, I’ve found a couple of affordable options that could possibly work:

At $149.00, the price of this blue and beige argyle print set is definitely appealing.  

This other blue and brown set is another alternative and is reasonably priced at $144.00:

Not the same as custom bedding, but they are definitely options that will allow me to be stylish and still frugal.  But then I go back to my original question: is it necessary?  Do I need to buy a whole set or do we really just need a couple of bed sheets and a blanket.  As cute as the bumper is, do I really need it? 

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Boy = Blue= Shopping

We stayed on the 3rd floor of the Garden House.

And since our main goal was to relax, we paid extra for a balcony room so that we could sit outside and enjoy the view.  

Overall, we were pretty pleased with the accomodations.  The room included a separate den area where we were able to sit and read or watch a movie.  

And the bedroom had queen beds that were actually quite comfortable.

Both the sitting room and the bedroom had entrances to the balcony, which we utilized many times.  The only problem we had was with Oscar.  Since the hotel was pet-friendly, we were able to bring him along.  He was definitely excited to be with us, but wasn’t so excited to sit with us on the balcony.

We gave him some time and let him get used to the idea and slowly, but surely

he made his way outside.

He never would go sit and look at the view, poor little guy.  We sure enjoyed it though.  

While we didn’t spend a ton of time playing outside (what can I say, the South is hot in the summer) we did walk around the grounds a bit.  We enjoyed an appetizer from one of the outside restaurants,

before making our way to the marina.

There’s something about the water and boats that is just so relaxing.  

One of these days, I’ll actually ride in one of them.  But until then, I’ll just enjoy the occasional view.

And enjoy it is exactly what we did.  We sat on the balcony and watched the boats on the water.  Then we took naps in the luxurious bed and we even watched a movie after eating a fantastic dinner in town.

Sunday morning, we sat outside and indulged in a tasty room-service breakfast before getting ready for the day.  When we finally left, we were rested and relaxed, which was exactly what we wanted.  

We drove country roads on our way back so we could see more of the area.  The drive was full of corn fields, deer, and lots of farm land.  And since we were close by, we had to make a stop at the Westmoreland Berry Farm.  

We’ve visited before there, but it’s been a long time.  I had forgotten just how pretty it is.

It is a berry farm which allows you to pick your own produce.  But since it was at least 90 degrees and we weren’t dressed for manual labor, we settled on buying produce that someone else had picked.

Personally, I didn’t mind.  

Before we left, we visited the goats in their nearby pen.  Granted, they don’t do much other than graze on grass, but you can pay a quarter for a handful of feed to give them.  

And sometimes, if they’re feeling adventurous, they’ll use the goat walk.  

At the end of the goat walk is another feeder where you can use a pulley system to give them more feed.

They seem to really like it, but what goat wouldn’t?

After eating lunch and picking up some fruit, we hit the road once again.

A few short hours later we were home.  Tired, hot, but happy.  

It was the perfect anniversary weekend getaway.  

I don’t usually watch a lot of live TV but for some reason the shows on the HGTV network (that’s Home and Garden TV for you newbies) get me every time.  They’re the kind of programs that you can leave on in the background and not have to give a lot of thought to, yet they’re entertaining and enjoyable to watch and I always learn something new.  

Property Virgins, for example, helps new homeowners find their first home.  It’s always fun to see if their expectations are realistic or if they are way off the mark.  I tend to watch and compare the new home owners to my husband and me when we were looking for our first house.  I’d like to think that we weren’t as naive and clueless (since the CPA had been a homeowner before) but I’m guessing we probably were just as bad.  

Then there’s Color Splash, with David Bromstad.  The guy is amazing.  I love watching what he does with color.  As an added bonus, he creates an original painting for all the rooms he works on and he makes it look so easy to do.  One of these days I am going to try it.  At least that’s what I keep telling myself.

After Color Splash came my favorite show, House Hunters.  In this program, the person looking for a house is shown three different properties and at the end of the show, they choose which one they want.  I love trying to decide which house I would choose if I were in their shoes.  Last night’s episode featured a neurologist and his wife who have a farm house property in upstate New York and who were looking to buy a vacation home in the Caribbean where they would live for six months out of the year.  As soon as the show was over, I proclaimed that the CPA and I were definitely in the wrong occupations – we should have chosen neurology.  

Finally, around 10:30, I decided I had had enough.  (Actually, my husband was waiting in bed for me and I couldn’t very well tell him I wouldn’t join him because I was busy watching HGTV.  I don’t think he quite understands my obsession with it.)  So I reluctantly said goodbye to my shows, turned off the tube and headed upstairs.

But suddenly I realized – there’s always tomorrow night!

Do you watch HGTV?  If so, what is your favorite show?  

At first I thought he was kidding but quickly realized that he wasn’t.  I was shocked.  Isn’t that part of the fun of having a baby?  Getting to create a space that’s just for the little one?  A space full of soft things, light colors, and sweet smells.  A space that is soothing and comfortable so that you don’t mind spending hours upon hours sitting in it.  A space that just says “baby.”

I’m glad we are having this talk now because it gives me plenty of time to convince him.  But first I need to start getting ideas.  (I found all of these rooms on the HGTV site, just click the link in the title to visit the site.)

FAIRY TALE

First we have the fairy tale-themed room, complete with ribbons, a chandelier and a customized mural.

It’s not quite my taste, but it’s very pretty.

CONTEMPORARY/TRADITIONAL

This one is a little more my style.  Still fancy, but I love the colors.  The pink and the brown contrast beautifully and it is a nice mix of traditional and contemporary.

Very pretty room for a little girl.  I especially love the small details like the art work on the walls and the lovely drapes on the window.

MODERN

This room is a study in geometric shapes and matching colors.  It is definitely very cool, especially if your taste leans towards the funky.

I’m not a 100% sure about the ceiling and the matching wall, but at the same time I find myself strangely drawn to it.  Definitely a great space for a little boy.

PRETTY IN PINK

I have to say that out of the rooms I looked at, this one is one of my favorites.  While I’m not usually a huge fan of pink, I love how they combine it with the lime green, it makes it feminine yet unique.

ELEGANT

What a great use of color in this simple and elegant room.  You don’t often see a green this dark mixed with dark furniture for a baby’s room, but it seems to work.  The monogrammed wall as well as the border running under it is a nice touch too.

SERENE

This one is probably my favorite room so far.  I love the colors because they are so calming yet not too bland, there’s just enough color to make it interesting.

Something like this would also match the style of our house, and it looks comfortable, which is definitely important.

So we may not need to convert our spare bedroom to a nursery right now, but it’s fun to start thinking about our options.  Or, in my case, to start convincing my husband of the necessity of a new look for the nursery.  Hopefully by the time we need it, he’ll be on board.

What do you think, is a nursery overhaul necessary?  Which style is your favorite?

As the dogs and I were making our way down the familiar streets, I passed a house for sale.  So, naturally, I went home and looked it up online.  I wasn’t surprised to see that the asking price is $1.2 million.  Granted, in most other states the same house would cost maybe $300 – $400,000, but for this area, it’s to be expected.

While I was looking, though, I ran across some local houses for sale that were a little more than I am used to seeing.  In fact, they were what one might call extravagant.  (It’s probably just my jealousy talking.)  Even though I would probably never in a million years want or need to have some of these features in my own home, they are still fun to look at.

Houses like this one, for example, which is listed for $3.5 million.  This 14,000 square feet house stands on three acres and contains eight bedrooms, 11 baths, three fireplaces, three laundry rooms, three kitchens, and lots and lots of windows.

It also has this ballroom, complete with a free standing stone fireplace to keep guests warm while dancing.  I realize it doesn’t really look like a ballroom, but that’s what it was labeled as so I can only assume that that’s what they’ve used it for.

There’s a private tennis/basketball court, perfect for  summer afternoon matches.

And a courtyard near the pool, which is surrounded by a private beach.

And here’s my favorite part of this house, the hallway lined with glass doors.  I mean who doesn’t need something like this?

But maybe this house isn’t your style?  Perhaps you prefer traditional to contemporary.  I completely understand!

Here we have a lovely home that is situated on three acres of private land.

This house boasts seven bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, two full kitchens and a four-car garage.

There’s a conservatory where I can only assume recitals and private concerts are performed.

There’s also a media room, perfect for a movie night at home.

And a wine cellar for collectors.

Last, but definitely not least, we have this lovely home.

It’s 11,000 square feet with five bedrooms, nine bathrooms, a four car garage, ballroom, wine cellar, and this, its very own guard shack.

A few little touches like this home theater (warning: don’t look at the picture too long, you may hurt your eyes).

An indoor sauna,

and hot tub make this home grand.

There you have it.  These homes are not just luxurious, they’re a little bit decadent.  But who doesn’t want a little extravagance in their lives?  I know I wouldn’t mind an indoor sauna or a guard shack.  Then again, maybe I’ll just concentrate on getting a kitchen that’s big enough for two people to work in at the same time.

What do you think, extravagant or not?