Back Stairs

Our back stairs are (mostly) complete!

Whoop! Whoop! Eric let me cut and measure all the boards while he attached them. Having stairs is quite convenient..... I don't know how we lived so long without them!

Back Step Beginnings

We got started on our back steps last night!! Well, Eric did. I'm kind of useless. I mostly took pictures of shiny things and played with flashing scraps.

First step complete! Hoping to get them framed in tonight and finished by next Tuesday...

Nursery Inspiration Boards

Should our nursery be A) filled with lots of natural colors - white and earth tones with lots of light wood and elegant details or  B) have all white furnishings and walls decorated with cheerful prints, colorful toys, and quirky accessories?

A

Clockwise from top left: Bear of Few Words Print / Woodsy Alphabet Print (love this so much!!!) / Rug from TJ Maxx / Bear Face Mirror / Mr. Robot Pillow / Dovetail Animals / Knitted Pouf / Woodland Nightlight / Stokke Crib / Giraffe Clock (which I forgot to picture but should be listed nonetheless.) /

B

Clockwise from top left: Themis Mobile / Urban Outfitters The Rise and Fall Sleeping Fox Pillow / Mr. Snake / Solid Drum / Over the River and Through the Rug / Yarning Made Knitted Helvetica "Hi" Baby Blanket / Cape Girl Screen Print / Seventy Tree Big Fox, Big Bear, Big Panda Prints / Babyletto Crib /

I kind of feel like a) feels more infant and b) feels more childlike. We could always start with A and grow into B. Thoughts?

Leah Giberson

Paintings that feel like summer....

... by Leah Giberson. Look at how shiny those airstreams are! They make me want to go camping again.

Siding & Windows

I've totally been neglecting our house news! Our windows and siding are finally done (and have been for over a week)!!

Boom. Dang shizzle. I really like it. Still need stairs and we're looking to get a patio set, but one step at a time, am I right?

Only regrets - we agree that we should have made the bedroom window (the farthest right window) taller, but oh well, now we know for the front of the house. Secondly, definitely not a huge fan of the window wrap thing. Though trying to explain what I wanted to a husband and contractor when I don't even know what words to use made it difficult.... But whatever. This is obviously one million times better than what we had. Hallelujah!

Best of Baby Stuff: Cribs

Cribs. Are. Expensive. I'm quickly discovering that buying baby stuff is quite similar to shopping for wedding supplies. Everything is suddenly much more expensive when it's for that "special day."

Perhaps a good parent would be reading reviews and checking safety features, but not me. The following cribs are my favorites solely because they look good.

The first is my favorite crib of all time.

Mid Century Crib 

Dwell Studio knows how to do it. But let's be realistic, the thing is $980 plus $75 for shipping PLUS you'd still have to buy a mattress and sheets (which is standard, but still!). That's a bit absurd. Besides the price, it's everything I would love to have in a crib - midcentury style in a light-colored wood. If I had like, four kids, it'd almost be worth it, right?

1. Anderson Crib in Maple - Land of Nod - $749
Love the simplicity of this crib, though I think the price is a bit much for how plain it is.

2. Oeuf Rhea Crib - Magic Beans - $670
Not a huge fan of the white end pieces, but I love the style.

3. Babyletto Hudson Crib - Target - $399 - Returnable
Would just get this one if it came in a light wood finish instead of the white. I don't want white.

4. Babyletto Convertible Crib - Magic Beans - $389 + free shipping
Again, not a huge fan of the white end pieces, but the price is getting there...

5. Stokkee Sleepi Crib & Bassinet - Albee Baby - $999 - Mattresses are $299 together
Ok, these, I love. LOVE! Purchasing sheets for these would probably be inconvenient, but just look at them! Their wheels are removable - I would take them off the crib but leave them on the bassinet so I could wheel that sucker around while doing chores (if I become that attached to the child, that is :)) There is also a walnut option which is equally pretty. These are probably actually tied with the Dwell Studio crib for first favorite place.

6. Oeuf Sparrow Crib - $760
Everything about this is perfect, but it needs to be about... $500 less. Also, I wonder about cribs with attached changing tables (though I think this is a piece you have to buy separately). What if you have a boy and it pees everywhere? You'll then not only have to change your clothes, his clothes, and clean the thing he's laying on, but you'll also have to change the crib sheets as well. Or perhaps I'm over-estimating the power and amount of baby boy pee? If not, it seems like a poor design choice.

7. Caravan Crib - $695
This crib gets its own photo because I just now found it, after I had already organized all the others into their little photo above. Like the Oeuf Sparrow crib, it's pretty perfect, but needs to be cheaper.

Then there are these cribs; I call them the disposables....

1. Sniglar Crib - Ikea $69

2. Gulliver Crib - Ikea - $129

They are small and cheaply made, but they'd leave money free for things like, oh, medical bills, diapers, and cosmetic surgeries to paste my baby-ridden body back together. Definitely an option, though I'm guessing they wouldn't last for more than one child.

The search continues! Let me know if you find a good one anywhere!

Nursery Inspiration

I know very little about pregnancy, but I have heard about this nesting thing that supposedly happens, and I definitely support the full implications of it. I tell myself that making a space for baby will help me to accept this inevitability as a reality, but really, I need very little excuse to spend my husband's hard-earned money in an attempt to make things pretty.

The following are pictures meant to inspire me in my nesting quest.

See the rest of this room here.

This is by far my favorite nursery. Now, before you freak out, mother-in-law, I'm not going to have a grey and white nursery. What I like about this room are the details. I love the crib, the pom-pom blanket, the soft, knitted toys, and the different textures of the rugs, ottoman, wooden toys, and lampshade. Yes, I love the white, but I repeat, OUR NURSERY WILL NOT INCLUDE GREY. It's just a bit... cold. Trust me on this. 

Ok, I realize showing another picture of a grey nursery probably isn't easing your mind, but I wanted to include this image because I really like the furniture in it (except for the grey crib) as well as that quilt (which is to die for). Apparently I really like Eames rockers and pouf ottomans!

Love the mint walls and rich rug in this little room.

Ok, so, pretend the grey in this room is like.... green. Or brown. Or yellow or something. I really like the toys in this room. That's why it's here.

THIS MIRROR IS THE BOOOOOOMB!

Love the crib. The earthy tones of the rug and print are great, too. 

These last two are similar in that they both have a very Scandinavian vibe; their white walls and furniture lend the perfect backdrop for quirky and colorful toys, lamps, and wall hangings.

The next three images are from Apartment Therapy; they take a painting or print or piece of furniture and base a room around it. I really like how gender-neutral and cheerful these all are.

This room was inspired by that cactus print, don't ask me how. I love the mix of patterns and I love the red and blue. 

While I would probably not have drift wood laying around in a kid's room, I love preppy nautical. The rug and lamp are perfect.  

Hate the cloud print this room is based on, but I love everything else - the alphabet, that cloud pillow, the stuffed animal and book, the teal lamp, THAT RUG, the crib (le duh)...yes, the room is blue, but it doesn't read exclusively as "boy." I like that.

I'm thinking that before I start purchasing things, I should probably follow the example Apartment Therapy set forth and come up with an "inspiration board" or two. It would probably keep me from a lot of unnecessary buying....

Let me know if you have any suggestions as to (gender neutral) color schemes or things no nursery can go without!

19 Weeks

I promised myself I wouldn't post anything baby-related until after our 20 week ultrasound, but I'm currently at 19 weeks, had a doctor's appointment yesterday that went well, and our ultrasound is still two weeks away. I'm tired of waiting. Consider the floodgates of baby stuff open!! Starting.... NOW!

Fourth of July Weekend

We had a great time with my parents over the fourth. We went camping and hiking and Eric even got to fish. Gosh, I love the Flathead.

We took a quick dip in Flathead Lake on the way to my parents' house

At the Polebridge Mercantile 

Fourth of July parade in Polebridge

Bowman Lake

The top of our hike to Numa Peak Lookout