Baby Honey's Nursery Ideas

This week started out great -- I had an ultrasound and we got to see our precious, healthy baby GIRL!
Yep, a girl!  I know I shouldn't be surprised because there was a 50/50 chance of it, but it still definitely made it feel more real. I'm a mother of 3 now!

Anyway, now that we know the sex of the baby, we ( I -- let's face it, does J really care?) can narrow our focus for the nursery.
Here's my original post (it changed a bit as time and needs changed) showing BabyCakes' nursery 4 years ago:  BabyCakes' Nursery

Love that chunkalicious cutie!

I don't have many plans for Baby Honey's (her nickname) nursery, but these are the things I do know:

- We have NOTHING for this room so we are starting from scratch

- The room won't be painted immediately. It will stay the same neutral that is the rest of the house.

- Her crib and other furniture will most likely be white

- I'd love coral, aqua, shades of green with lilac, or other happy colors involved (think my inspiration piece)  Not all of those colors in a big way, but those are the colors jumping out at me right now.

This weekend our new neighborhood is having a community garage sale, and with it begins my search for essentials I wouldn't mind buying second-hand. 

Among these are:

-High chair

-Vibrating bouncy seat (always a big hit with my kids)

-Pack & play to be used  downstairs

-White crib

-White dresser or changing table

-Chair or glider

-Changing pad

-Crib sheets

-Clothes

I am going to picky with all of these items.  They need to be in good used condition or better and up  to modern safety standards.

We always buy new car seats for our babies and already did for Baby Honey.

I would share a photo of her room but it is night time and I'm not getting off the couch  until  it is time for bed (soon). Imagine a rectangle with a closet and one window.  :)  It's right next to our room and at the top of the stairs, so hopefully we will be able to hear her well no matter where we are in the  house.

My sister (Aunt Sally) arrives tomorrow for an Easter visit so I won't be around for a while again, but I will definitely be back!  Jon and I were infected with something that made us slaves to the bathroom (for various reasons-- it was NOT pretty and I may have even barfed in someone else's car) all day yesterday and we are still recovering today, but I look forward to a productive next week after a fun weekend with my sister.  

Hope you have a happy and healthy Easter!

~Cayce

The inspiration piece

I bought this canvas I mentioned back in February and it is bigger and lovelier in person than I hoped!

(A 30% off at World Market plus extra 20% off coupon for signing up for emails cut the $100 price almost in half)
These colors are definitely my inspiration for the house.  Everything from the always-pleasing aqua and green tones to the energetic bursts of red and orange and even the not-for everyone orchid and periwinkle will hopefully find a way into the decor (yuk - I find that word pretentious) and furnishings of our home.
I think when paired with the neutral walls, white trim,  dark brown leathers and woods, and kids' white furniture, the colors will pop instead of the whole house exploding. ;)

Now... where to hang it.?

Houseguests... next week!

I just found out we are going to have guests for Easter!  This is a big treat because we normally do holidays alone.  One of them told me not to worry about the house because she's the "messy sister" but I do want to make sure I don't have piles laying around anymore when she gets here next week!

I discovered that our new neighborhood has an "online yard sale" Facebook page, so I am going to list some lamps, end tables, and games we no longer want.  I should list my curtains because I want to get new longer ones to hang higher in this house, but I can't quite let them go yet.  Curtains are such an investment, even if you are buying them at Target like I did!  I might offer them up here first when the time comes to let them go, anyway.

Have to get kids to school, just wanted to let you know that shi just got REAL. ;)

~Cayce

Come on in! (The dining room)

Welcome to our home! The first thing you will see as you walk in the front door is the dining room to the right.  (The staircase is to your left/straight ahead.)

Everything you see is in "recently unpacked/ it will possibly live in this room" mode.

Things we like about this room:

-The beefy crown and wall molding

-Natural light floods this room during all daylight hours

-The nickel light fixture on a dimmer

- Plenty of room for expanding our dining table to accommodate more people on holidays

- Freshly painted (albeit extremely neutral) walls

The door you see is the pantry.  That is a doorway to the kitchen.

This is the view into the hall (I guess it is considered a hall?) from the dining room.  The molding continues up to the living room (to the right in the photo) and stops at the base of the stairs.
The door is for a storage room under the stairs -- which is great-- but has no shelving and is basically an open carpeted area.  At least the vacuum won't have to live in Katie's closet anymore!
I'm going to make the hall area above and below the stairs its own to-do area.

These are random things that landed on the dining table.
You will sense this theme as I take you around the house: "these are random things that we unpacked and live here for now."  Hence the house blog!

So, what to do in here?

Dining room to-do:
 --Phase one--

-Find a rug for under the table!  Brand new light-colored carpet in the main dining area is not smart with a house full of children-- or me for that matter.  Not sure on color or pattern but we won't invest much in this rug since it's main job will be acting as a food-catcher.

- Install 2" white wood blinds? -- If we do this will be done after the windows that need replacing the home are replaced (the seller has already paid for this and it was worked into our contract)

- Possibly move two end chairs to the corners of dining room

-Style the table top with runner and something easy to move at meal times that require center table space

 --Phase Two--

- Decide on wall art

- Hang curtains - unsure on pattern or color

- Possibly cover the black leather seats with something lighter and more interesting yet still wipeable.

As a side note I'd like to mention that all of the "Phase One" projects I will mention in each room are tasks I hope to accomplish before the baby is born.  I might look back and laugh at that absurdity one day, but hey, a dream without a plan is just a wish, right? ;)

Thoughts, suggestions?

~Cayce

Where we're starting

Hey kids! This is a place to help me make our house a home.  I need to organize and decorate--  on a budget of course.  

Our last home was 900 sq ft smaller and didn't house a third child like this one will.  It was "finished" and this one is just beginning.

So, if you're interested in my process of making this house into a home that is functional and beautiful for our growing family, join me!  As a side note, I'm going to keep it closed to only those who know me well and might be interested.