Baby T's Nursery

Once we found out that we were expecting, I held true to my longtime desire of not finding out the sex. I'll admit I wavered for maybe a second before consulting Jill Lindsay who had just had a baby without finding out the gender. I asked for her advice on "technical" matters, and she responded with paragraphs full of practical help and an inspiring story about the birth of her baby girl. If I had any doubts before, I was resold.

So pale green and cream became two colors that I was immediately attracted to since yellow isn't my absolutely fave (although I have found some adorbs ducky outfits in that shade). And apparently I developed an obsession with safari animals. No secret that I love travel and am dying to go on an African safari...sooner rather than later. I started browsing pinterest for ideas and found sweet combos of mommy and baby animals. With a little luck, I found a muralist named Leah who is beyond talented (and has been painting murals since she was 15). **If you need a mural for your house, contact her. She travels all over the country and is amazing. 

Back to the nursery...I wanted realistic looking animals because I'm not much for cartoon characters plus we plan on having a few bambinos in the house so I wanted something that I wouldn't tire over in a few years. We decided on giraffes, elephants, and a monkey. Not too much but just enough to make the room look complete.

My parents so graciously purchased all of the nursery furniture for us. It is a family tradition to by the nursery furniture for each of their first grandchildren from each of their children. We opted for the Larkin Collection, Espresso stained, from PBK. Aside from the crib (set to arrive early August), we love the look and feel of how it all fits together.

I opted for a sheer, white valance to keep the room in the classy-baby feel. And I couldn't help but put a few pieces of wall art up in the "reading" corner. I loved being read to as a kid and now I love reading. I am hoping to pass this along to our baby. I found these little prints on Etsy and had to have them.

Now all we need is our little bundle of joy!

The Lucky One: A Movie Review

You might recall this book review from a few months back. I was am all about Nicholas Sparks and his love novels. I finished the book way ahead of time before the movie was due to come out. So I had to impatiently wait until late April when it hit theaters. The in-laws and I made a Friday night out of it by dining at Chick-Fil-A before catching the romance flick. Just in time to pick up Ryan from the airport and practice a few of those love scenes ;)

I felt like I had the inside track on the movie after reading the book, but there were a few plot changes along the way. Zac Efron didn't disappoint as shy but Marine built Logan and Taylor Schilling made it big by playing sweet, southern Beth. Blythe Danner was riveting as Nana, and Jay Ferguson (Keith) was just as annoying on film as he was in the book.

The plantation setting was just how I imagined it while reading especially the bridge, tree house, and creek beneath it all. The love scenes were more passionate than I recalled reading which made for a great flick overall.

I definitely recommend seeing it for a date night. With a few deployment scenes for the fellas and a few make-out clips for the ladies, you and your significant other are in for a real treat. So what are you waiting for, check out moviefone for showtimes near you!

Weekend Treats: Mother's Day Edition

This past weekend could not have been more fabulous. The weather was beyond gorgeous with a pleasant mix of sun and warmth. Blue skies for miles finally allowed for some outdoor tennis, coffee & lunch on patios, use of our outdoor furniture, and dog walks around the hood for little Beau. Our schedule permitted relaxation, sleeping in, and hosting dinner for friends.

Saturday I played tennis with Jane and then headed to Briarcliff for a nice brunch on the patio. Beau and I read a little in the sun until it was time to get cooking. I spent 2 hours preparing for our dinner guests.

The Menu:

Apps- shrimp tarlets

Salad- spinach & strawberry with carmelized pecans

Entree- ranch breaded chicken breasts with roasted asparagus and almonds

Dessert- chocolate souflee


Lauren is our real estate agent and played a key role in us getting our house as well as helping make the transition to New York a smooth one. We had been trying to get together for months but with our busy schedules and our home improvement projects, it took awhile needless to say!

With her & her hubby Rick coming over, I had a perfect excuse to set the table using our china and have an adult meal in the dining room. We enjoyed appetizers, bourbon, and wine as Ryan guided them through the casa showing off all of the changes we'd  made. Then we sat down for a wonderful meal and amazing conversation. Rick is a history buff who gave us about 5 different vacation must do's from the Biltmore to Natchez, MS to Graycliff in the Bahamas. The history of each historical site coupled with the romantic settings made for an attentive audience. We also discussed Mad Men and the eras of the past with furious storytelling and roaring laughter. It really was a great evening!

Sunday Ryan took over the household duties making cinnamon rolls for breakfast and putting all of the dishes away from the previous evening.

a Swarovski pacifier to add to my collection :)

Then we attended the 12pm church service. It was a perfect message to capture motherhood, Jesus, and unconditional love.

Jesus said to his disciples:

"As the Father loves me, so I also love you.Remain in my love.If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,just as I have kept my Father"s commandmentsand remain in his love.""I have told you this so that my joy may be in youand your joy might be complete.This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.No one has greater love than this,to lay down one's life for one's friends.You are my friends if you do what I command you.I no longer call you slaves,because a slave does not know what his master is doing.I have called you friends,because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.It was not you who chose me, but I who chose youand appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.This I command you: love one another."

We grabbed a coffee and pastry treat from Moonbeam Cafe settling on the porch and chatting away. Then we strolled down the main street of Mt. Kisco stopping in shops to browse the sales and Mother's Day specials before having brunch at Cafe of Love. The food was amazing and the setting so quaint. We'll definitely be repeat customers.

Our weekend wouldn't be complete without a trip to Home Depot of course. But I got the last laugh when my Sunday night request was to snuggle up on the couch with pizza and the final episode of Desperate Housewives!

Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend!

Music Mondays

Sort of true...

6 Months...aka the 3rd trimester

And so the 3rd leg of pregnancy began yesterday. To be honest, there have been moments, loads of them actually, in the past 6 months where I have felt anything but pregnant. I continue to think about how blessed I am for having such an easy pregnancy. No morning sickness. No health problems. No bed rest. No food cravings or inhibitions. No activities off limits. Sort of a walk in the park thus far if you ask me. In fact, I worked out for an hour yesterday then played 2 1/2 hours of tennis. No doubt this child will be active.

24 weeks!

my bump playing tennis :)

So as we approach the final stage before we find out if baby T is a boy or a girl, I wanted to make some notes on the fun stuff I've experienced on this journey to date.

• you are my child as you move around in my belly like a busy body
• and I'm thinking you will be a night owl because you love to kick me as I try to sleep
• protein is a staple in your diet...as is chocolate
• you dance when pop music comes on or I sing to Whitney Houston
• yet you are calm as a cucumber when country is on
• daddy felt you kick for the first time while we were flying to KY for Derby (I'm pretty sure he started crying in awe)
• Bishop, your cousin, calls you baby and points at my tummy to talk to you
• Aunt Kendahl is almost as excited to meet you as I am...she had been impatiently waiting for mommy to get pregnant for awhile now
• Beau, your pseudo big brother, is very protective of us...he's not a fan of people coming close to you
• Sammy already booked her flight up to watch you enter the world and Papa threatens he is staying for a month after you're born
• Auntie Kara & Nana threw us a baby shower a few weeks ago...thanks to family & friends, I will be able to feed you, bathe you, and play with you
• your nursery is complete minus your crib and hanging the letters of initials...sometimes I sit in the rocker and practice reading to you; I found this circus book that Mama Comley had personalized for me and it sits on the side table; I just know you're going to love it
• I don't guess your gender because I don't want to think one thing then have it be different plus how am I supposed to know what a boy or girl feels like?! I've never been pregnant before. Duh. 
• Team Girl has risen in the last few weeks and is pretty even to Team Boy (TG: Papa, Aunt Amanda, Abbi, Jane, Marybeth, Sammy; TB: Aunt Kara, Aunt Kendahl, Aunt Taylor, Nana, KK)
• every fear that I had at the start of this journey has been overtaken by joy and excitement of meeting you, being a mom, sharing the world with you, teaching you, listening to you, holding you, smiling at you, you smiling at me, and loving you unconditionally

12 weeks and counting ;)

Just For Fun: Here's What You're Doing In There!