DrBabyMamaDrama: A Voice of Reason and (in)Sanity

Meet the Dude

2012-02-09T14:25:00.001-05:00

Here is our little guy, who made his entrance into the world last week!

He's an Aquarius (don't really believe in that stuff), likes milk, long naps in the day, partying 'til 2 am and snuggles of any kind.

He hates diaper changes and anything that gets between him and his next meal.

He is a MUCH easier baby so far, compared to his sister, only because he actually will sleep. He looks so much like the Kid at the same age, that I have accidentally called him by his sister's name several times. Except for the diapers. Boy diapers are a whole different ballgame. Pun intended.

A quick (and thankfully, mostly uninteresting birth story): I was induced for medical reasons at almost 39 weeks. We went in at 8:30 pm, had my water broken at 10 pm (apparently I was already having contractions every 5-6 minutes and didn't know it) and was already 4 cm. They ran some Pitocin and when the contractions got crazy strong, I got my epidural at 12:30 am. As with my daughter, the labor slowed for a few hours after the epi started and I stalled until about 4 am, only dilating to 5-6 cm. Also, the fetal heart tracings kept slowing down during my contractions, indicating cord compression. My awesome labor nurse did some position changes and oxygen which helped a lot.

After 2 hours of labor, the baby's heartbeat began to drop with contractions again and I start doing the doctor thing of anticipating the worst case scenario in my head and mentally preparing for a c-section if the heartbeat continued to dip like that. But lo and behold, by just after 6 am, I was fully dilated and ready to push. About 10 minutes later, our son made his grand entrance!

Apparently, the little bugger had his cord wrapped around his neck (just like his big sister!) AND had his hand wrapped around the cord as he came out. For shame, scaring your mommy like that!

We stayed only one day after the birth because I am NOT a good patient and I can sweet talk nurses pretty convincingly. I actually feel pretty good as far as recovery goes compared to my previous delivery. Getting a little stir crazy, but I am really relishing this time with my son, since there will be no more pregnancies for me, short of divine intervention!

Thanks to all my Facebook friends and IRL friends who have sent messages, texts, emails and stopped by to see us. Visitors are welcome!

After you've been Purelle-d, of course...

Nursery Updates!

2012-01-30T18:46:00.002-05:00

As we come into the home stretch prior to the Dude's arrival, I figure I should let you know how things look in the nursery. I think we are done, minus a few little pieces here and there.

The main difference between Kid #1 and Kid #2 is that I realize that this time around, all a baby really needs is some food to eat, a place to sleep, diapers and some clothes. That said, nurseries are a lot of fun to put together and let me introduce you to ours...

This is the nook for our new glider from the Best Chair Company. Seriously, that is the name. I ordered it during a sale from a local children's store.

This this the view from the doorway. A friend from church with far more sewing skills than I have made the custom linens, including the valance, crib skirt and pillows. The elephant lamp on the dresser is from HomeGoods.

This is the previous view of the other wall in the nursery, with the old knobs.

I changed out the knobs for some nickel finish ones that I picked up at Lowes.

Close up of the valance (a sunny yellow stripe with an inset box pleat with dandelions - the most masculine flower I could come up with!).

Not in the original picture, but wanted to carry out the subtle elephant theme with these bronze finish finials from Pottery Barn Kids. Other little pops of yellow include this little storage box that I got at the Container Store and the diaper bag that my friend surprised me with at my shower.

On the crib wall, I have a few more personalized goodies...

Those pictures were made by another friend who is a graphic artist/illustrator (remember the Pirate Princess Party invitations?) who exceeded my expectations for these custom prints. And the crocheted blue and white blanket draped over the end of the crib was handmade by yet another friend. I have some very generous (and very sweet) friends!

Close up of the crib skirt...

The trio of prints features lyrics from one of my favorite kids' songs, "You Are My Sunshine".My daughter has been singing this song to my belly this pregnancy, so it makes the lyrics extra-special.

A quick loop back to the nursing corner shows a couple of my other nursery favorites. A few talented friends made me nursing covers as well as the burp cloths on the side table.

Above the glider is a custom Etsy print with the verse Zephaniah 3:17 on it. This was a present from two dear friends who picked a perfect complement to the nursery.

I LOVE this Martini side table from West Elm! I had been pining for it from afar for several months, thinking it would be a perfect table, but not wanting to drop that kind of money on a table for a kid's room. It was like a sign when about a month ago, my local store had a floor sample on sale for $40! I snatched that sucker up faster than you can say "Pinterest".

Custom changing pad by the same friend.

And last, but not least, a boob shaped contractor grade light. 'Cause why not? Babies like boobs, right?

I want to get a small rug for the center of the room, but I still haven't found what I'm looking for... (U2 lyrics, say what?)

What do you think? Chime in!

Other Places to Follow the Drama

2012-01-28T09:07:00.000-05:00

Like everyone else in the blogosphere, I am a little addicted to Pinterest. It is an easy way to gather ideas for future house projects, DIY crafts, recipes, fashion, travel and general fabulousness. I've gotten some great inspiration from the site and frittered away countless hours planning imaginary dinner parties and designing my ultimate dream house.

And it totally counts as nesting prior to the babe being born, right? You can follow me at Pinterest here.

Also, I finally joined the masses and got an iPhone after being an Android fan for years. And while there are certain things I miss about my old phone, the seamless link between my iPad and iPhone is awesome. One of my favorite free apps is Instagram.

Once you download the free app, you can follow me there by typing "drbabymamadrama" into the search function. It makes sharing pictures easy and chronicling daily life a breeze. Expect many baby candids...

Are any of y'all on Pinterest or Instagram and I'm not following you yet? Let me know!

It's a Cookie Swap

2012-01-27T20:46:00.004-05:00

I am determined to get some blogging done before the baby arrives, so here goes with some way overdue posts!

For the second year in a row, I attended a cookie swap a few weeks before Christmas, but this time I had the privilege of hosting it in our home. If you have never been to one of these, get a group of friends together to do it! It is super easy to host and there is minimal clean up afterwards (my kind of party!). Valentine's Day is a perfect excuse to do something like this...
As guests came in, they saw their bags for taking cookies home at the end of the evening as well as a welcoming message on my DIY chalkboard (thank you, Pinterest).

My dining room became cookie central for the night. For the month of December, we did a fresh cedar garland nestled with votives (carefully, because of the fire hazard) and fresh clementines. I used fake greenery to decorate the white buffet and the doorway and banister.

We decided to vote on a favorite cookie this year, so as people came in, they wrote their cookie name on a numbered card. The beginnings of the cookie arrival...

This was our Christmas tree, which we just took down last week. I figured we should bring a February baby home with a tree still up.

On a table in our foyer, I displayed the various Christmas cards we have had over the years.

Outdoor lighting leading up to the house are below. I always get a little sad when the Christmas lights start coming down, since it always makes your house look less welcoming during the cold winter days.

Still loving the lanterns!

Have you ever attended or hosted a cookie swap? Do you think it could work for a bridal shower or even Valentine's day?

OOTD: New Year's Eve Outfit

2012-01-03T16:46:00.001-05:00

I haven't done one of these in a while, so here goes! We normally are old farts and stay home for New Year's Eve. I think it has been at least 7 or 8 years since I have gone out on the 31st. However, this year a good friend of ours was celebrating her 30th birthday at the same time. She rented out a local coffee shop/bistro for the night so that we could ring in the New Year with friends, food and champagne (sparkling juice for me, boo!). I couldn't resist getting a little dolled up for party.

The dilemma at 8 months into pregnancy is what the heck is going to fit??? I tend not to gain much weight during pregnancy, so my pants and looser shirts still fit. And according to my friends and my husband, I am all belly. This makes my wardrobe options a little easier.

I started off with a maternity tank (the only maternity piece I wore) that is really just for the longer length/coverage that it provides. I paired those with black pre-pregnancy skinny jeans that were thankfully low rise and ~~barely~~ fit below the bump - a little over a month to go!

I finished the outfit with a J.Crew sequin tank top from 2010. Funny thing was, I was never able to wear this before because the fit was all weird, but it went perfectly under a black blazer for the evening. Side view...

...and front view.

United Colors of Benetton blazer
Liz Lange maternity tank
J.Crew sequin top and pave link bracelet
Old Navy black skinny jeans
Earrings from a local boutique
Nine West shoes

Since 2011 was the year almost without J.Crew (or any other decent clothes shopping, for that matter) I got this little consolation prize from J.Crew for Christmas from MrDrama. When nothing else fits, at least accessories do!

Sparkly fun heels. Yeah, I lasted about 15 minutes standing in these...

My new favorite earrings this year, black onyx and gold.

The party was fun and it felt so grown up to be out with friends without kids in tow. But I know I am old when I am yawning by 11:30 pm, wishing I wasn't in Central Standard Time, so I could be home already in my bathrobe. If my 23 year old self could see me now...

How was your New Year's? Any fun plans with friends? Or was it a quiet night at home? Chime in!

Belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T08:03:00.001-05:00

Apparently gestating a baby leaves me one step below having the energy of a three-toed sloth and one step above a piece of moss on a tree. It has been a busy month, filled with parties and Christmas decorating our new house for the first time, church activities as well as craziness of work (there is a baby boom going on, so we are short-staffed) and family visiting this week. I love Christmas, but it can be exhausting!

This feels like the first time in forever that I have had a weekend to relax. Oh, wait not true... We have a new year's party tonight and our annual new year's day lunch with one of my best friend's from college tomorrow. And then, we start preparing for the baby. Please excuse me as if I want to bury my head in the sand and wakeup after Easter!

Here us our much belated Christmas card.

I do have a lot from the past month to share, including how we snazzied up our house (I think "snazzied" is not a word, but I like it) and a cookie swap party as well as a few fashion pics, if you are interested. Christmas in January, why not?

I hope you and your family have a wonderful new year!

Christmas Card Photos and Tiny Prints to the Rescue

2011-11-20T21:03:00.001-05:00

I won't do any Christmas posts yet (gotta let Thanksgiving have its day) but I have to give a few big shout outs to the photographer who took some of our pictures for our Christmas cards. I remember hating taking family pictures at Olan Mills studio or JCPenney when I was younger and the horrible awkwardness of it all. Weird backdrops, flashbulbs and standing on those wooden boxes are still vivid in my memory.

Not so, anymore. Spending money on a professional photographer each fall is one of the best investments we make all year. Last year, we did casual pictures at the Factory in Franklin. This year we did pictures at the Ellington Agricultural Center in our old neighborhood and I loved the location for pictures. Our photographer was Ashley Miller Photography and she did a great job and we got our pictures really fast!

I already went ahead and ordered our cards from TinyPrints and am pleased with how they turned out. I will post the actual card after we have mailed them out in a few weeks, but here are a few of the photos that didn't make the cut for the card but were still pretty awesome.

This is probably my favorite of the pictures that Ashley took. Love the expectant expression on the Kid's face.

What about you? Do you take annual family pictures? Any horrific awkward family photo moments?

Chime in!

J.Crew Crushes

2011-11-18T08:19:00.001-05:00

I may not be able to fit into anything right now that doesn't have a stretch waist or a full belly panel. But that hasn't stopped me from browsing my favorite catalogs for a few J.Crew goodies to wear after the little dude arrives...

Like the Fanfare Jacket in winter tweed...

Or the Talia top in Wildcat...

Or the Mona Oxford pump...

Or the Biennial Satchel in Saddle...

The December J.Crew catalog was my favorite this year. I am hoping Santa takes note... DrDrama can't wait to be back in pencil skirts!

Any winter items on your must have list? Boots? New jeans? A pretty scarf? Some jewelry?

Chime in!

New Refrigerator and Murphy's Law

2011-11-15T08:11:00.001-05:00

You know the phrase, "anything that can go wrong, will go wrong and at the most inopportune time"? It is also known as Murphy's law and that happened to us last Friday morning.

First a little back story...

I have had issues with the refrigerator that we met in our new house since we moved in. While it was a higher end appliance brand (GE Profile), I am not a fan of side by side refrigerators, especially when you can't ever seem to fit anything larger than a gallon of milk inside of them. We like to entertain and have parties, so decent refrigerator space is a must for our family. I was willing to deal with it. Then the ice maker stopped working a few weeks after we moved in. Which means for the past 8 months, we have been picking up bags of ice at the grocery store to refill the ice dispenser. Then the filtered water dispenser stopped working. Oooookaaaayyy...

At this point, I was counting down the days to Black Friday so that I could get a French door fridge on sale. Our fridge had a target on its back with me pointing an Bourne Identity assassin style sniper rifle at it. Then last week as I was trying to pack lunches for work and school, I noticed the milk wasn't that cold in the morning. Then the waffles weren't all that frozen. Our fridge had finally died. At eight-expletive-o'clock in the morning when I need to leave for work NOW. Cue me tossing everything perishable into the trash, pouring melted ice cream (Haagen-Dazs, sniff) down the sink and putting all of the still salvageable items into coolers. We luckily had a few ice packs and a little bit of ice in a bag that we could use to keep things cold for a few hours.

So guess what I got on my lunch break last week (as opposed to a cherry limeade slushy from Sonic)?

This fridge from Lowe's (thank you, for having a major sale, getting me next day delivery and generally being all around awesome!)

My precious...

Sooooo much room....

I probably shouldn't have these kind of fluttery feelings about a crisper drawer...

Mine, all mine!

If you could replace anything in your house right now, what would it be?

Nursery Preview

2011-11-14T08:02:00.001-05:00

Yes, I am alive and no, I haven't wasted away from morning sickness yet. For those who care, I am still throwing up, but it has definitely diminished to about once every 10 days or so. Still spitting like a camel (attractive, I know) but it is either that or dry heave, so guess which one I picked? I am about 8 lbs up from pre-pregnancy weight and that is all belly (I only gained about 20 lbs with the Kid). My last ultrasound a few weeks ago showed that the Dude was growing right in track, so no worries...

My energy level is pretty good, but mobility as I enter the third trimester is rapidly declining. MrDrama keeps asking me if I am okay when he hears random grunts and groans and I respond, "no, just still pregnant!". And farty as all get out. Just keeping it real, folks.

After much ~~nagging~~ cajoling of MrDrama, we finally got the nursery painted the Benjamin Moore "Nightingale" color that I mentioned earlier. It makes such a difference in the room, that I actually go in there just to smile at the color on the walls. If you are looking for a great gray color, this is the way to go. And Benjamin Moore has an eternal customer in me for providing such great coverage with just one coat of paint! We had more than enough paint left over to tackle the guest bedroom as well.

I also decided to go with accents of yellow to bring in a happy, bright color to offset the darker furniture.

Here's the nursery in progress...

The mirror is from HomeGoods (naturally!) and was a silvery white color before I spray painted the frame yellow. The lamp is also a HomeGoods purchase.

Next on the list is to have a the custom linens sewn for the room (crib skirt, changing table cover, valance and pillows). I will post soon on those fabric choices. I also still need to order a new glider, find new hardware for the furniture and pick artwork for the walls. Getting this nursery painted made me realize how close we are getting to this little one being here. Yikes...

Shabby Apple Giveaway Winner!

2011-11-09T12:05:00.000-05:00

The winner of the Shabby Apple Giveaway is Jess! I have already sent you an email. If I don't hear back in 48 hours, I will move to another person. Congratulations!

Don't worry, I am still alive, just getting a little tired as the pregnancy progresses, so blogging is the obvious thing that has to go by the wayside. We are working on the nursery right now (don't let anyone tell you that nagging is ineffective!) and hopefully will have pictures soon.

Pumpkin Patch: A Fall Tradition

2011-10-20T08:23:00.000-04:00

Taking advantage of the great farms near our home is a no-brainer for us on great weather days. We went to a local farm and picked up the pumpkins that I used earlier for my fall centerpieces.

We usually go to a pumpkin patch each year and it is amazing to see how the Kid has grown since the first time we went.

Do you or your family have any fall traditions? Chime in!

OOTD: Aubergine Dream

2011-10-19T08:16:00.000-04:00

The rule I have adhered to this pregnancy has been comfort above all else. Also, I have sworn not to buy many maternity clothes that will never be used again. I think I have bought a total of two dresses a few tops and a pair of jeans so far. I have also borrowed some clothes from some friends (which I highly recommend). I am using my looser fitting dresses as tunics over leggings and skinny pants and breaking out all of my flats. Skirts pulled low with a maternity tank or a tank dress is my go-to outfit.

Here is a recent favorite outfit in a great eggplant-y color. I love this color for fall!

22 weeks

Target maternity dress

Bandolino shoes

OPI's "All A-Bourdeaux the Sled" on my nails

Those heels didn't last that long on my feet, but they were comfortable enough to make it the requisite few hours to look cute.

What has been your favorite outfit you've worn recently? Any colors you love wearing in the fall?
Chime in!

Fall Decorating

2011-10-18T08:39:00.001-04:00

In my neck of the woods, we have had a ridiculous run of good weather this October. Almost every day this past month has had picture perfect Tennessee fall weather with temperatures in the 70's and low 80's, no humidity and sunny skies. We are totally spoiled, I know. But it makes up for the cicada invasion and the misery of hazy, hot and humid July!

We've taken advantage of the weather and started some fall decorating around here. In full disclosure, these lanterns are borrowed from our church (I am also doing some decorating for a retreat later this week, so I needed to play around with some ideas), but I am definitely inspired to bring on my favorite season!

The lanterns are borrowed from church and use 3" white pillar candles. I picked up some mini pumpkins and squash from a local farm for a steal. The look is completed with some votive candles that you can pick up anywhere. My daughter's reaction was classic. Mommy, it's so pretty....!

Here is a different view of the table. Still looking for those chairs...

A close up view...

Here is an overhead view. This smaller arrangement would be perfect for a small dining table or breakfast area.

I still have plans to plant some mums in the planters in front of our house as well as gussy up a wreath of some sort, so I haven't finished decorating yet. This is the first time I have really gotten excited about fall decorating, so I am trying to take things slowly so I don't go overboard.

Any of you guys doing any fall decorations? What things are you inspired by this fall? Chime in!

Shabby Apple Giveaway!

2011-10-16T20:33:00.001-04:00

#shabbyapple
To start off your week, I have an awesome giveaway sponsored by Shabby Apple! If you haven't heard of them, RUN, don't walk to their website and do some browsing. I love the way they style their photos and I love the style of their clothes.

I will be giving away the Azure Coast dress shown below. It is a universally flattering wrap style and the cobalt color is adorable.

For those who haven't heard of them, Shabby Apple sells women's dresses as well as maternity dresses and clothes for little girls. Some of my other favorite dresses of theirs are shown below (L to R, 5th Avenue, Crepe de Chine, La Tour Eiffel).

How to enter:

Leave a comment on how what other Shabby Apple dress you love = 1 entry (this is the only mandatory entry method). Additionally you can...
Become a follower (or stay a follower) = 1 additional entry (mention in your comment if you are a follower!)
Tweet about the giveaway = 2 entries (please tag the tweet with @drbabymamadrama and mention in your comment)
Blog about it = 5 entries (mention in your comment that you blogged about it!)

Please swing by their Facebook page and like them as well to stay up to date on their latest fashions! Also, if you just can't wait to purchase something, I also would like to offer my readers a coupon code, courtesy of Shabby Apple. Just enter mamadrama10off at checkout to receive 10% off (and they offer free standard shipping on all U.S. purchases!)

Entries close on THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20th at 11:59 pm. You must live within the United States. Winner will be selected using Random.org. If I don't hear from the winner within 48 hours of contacting them, I will move to the next person on the list, so check your email AND check back on the blog!

Punk Kid

2011-10-13T07:45:00.002-04:00

Here is a Kid OOTD. She has a fun little punk edge that comes out every once in a while and this was an outfit that she picked out entirely on her own when we went shopping a while back. Give her a twirly skirt and it's game over.

These clothes aren't a typical kid outfit choice, but then again, she ain't a typical Kid. :-)

BabyGap t-shirt and skirt

Consignment sale Keds

Don't you just want to squeeze her?

2011-10-12T07:30:00.001-04:00

We haven't done one of these in a while. Here is a Kid OOTD. She is growing so, so fast that I can't believe it sometimes. Being an emotional pregnant mommy has made me relish these pre-new baby days with her so much. Also, having a boy definitely makes me cherish all of the girl stuff we can do together.

You would never guess that this little angelic face ended up in time out twice in one Sunday morning before 8:30 am for piching a fit about her headband and tights, respectively. Here is a preschool outfit...

Children's Place Headband and Skirt

Target long sleeved tee

Crewcuts socks

See Kai Run boots

Here's a closeup of the boots. I have an inside hookup on these shoes and I order them each fall through a friend who owns an online store. Love the leather flower details on the sides!

Can you guess what her favorite color is?

Going Gray

2011-10-11T07:58:00.002-04:00

As I mentioned earlier, the Dude's room is going to be gray. I have been a little obsessed with the idea of having a gray room in our house and this is the perfect opportunity. I was recently at a friend's home and she had all of her walls painted gray and it looked so perfectly chic that I asked her for the paint colors in the middle of a party.

She told me the colors were Benjamin Moore's Dolphin (the darker patches on the left) and Nightingale from their Affinity line. The best part was that at my local store (not sure if this is true nationwide), I got two test pots of paint completely free to try out at home. Way to go, Benjamin Moore!

The first photo is taken in the morning light next to the window.

This picture is on the opposite wall and the Dolphin patch looks a lot darker in this view.

Which shade of gray would you go for? Also, with the dark wood furniture and gray walls, what colors do you think would accent well?

Chime in!

Nursery Plans

2011-10-10T07:44:00.000-04:00

Of all the rooms in our home, the most ignored room until now (maybe besides the guest bedroom) has been the nursery. It has been just a catch-all room for all of the baby toys and the Kid's outgrown shoes and clothes. Then after the miscarriage earlier this year, it was a little hard to even go in the room, because looking at the baby stuff made me sad.

Now that we are past the halfway point, I feel a little more comfortable thinking about the nursery. I have expressed to several friends that after a pregnancy loss, you always feel like you are waiting for the other shoe to drop and for something to happen. But I am reassured as I feel the near constant flutters of the Dude. Hope springs eternal...

Here is the nursery. As a good friend once described commented, it is "minty". The green isn't horrible, but it is akin to falling into a tub of pistachio ice cream. If you're into that sort of thing.

Our nursery furniture is in really good shape, even if it is more traditional than I would go for now. We got these five years ago when furniture trends were very different. I asked MrDrama if he would paint them white, but he put the kibosh on that idea super-quick. Party pooper...

Our glider will probably be replaced by something that is a little more comfortable for me to fall asleep in. It is perfectly functional, but I think I want a more streamlined glider that is more like a side chair and is fully upholstered. My other option will be to slipcover it in a more modern cover. Not sure yet.

Ignore the random pool floatie behind the chair. I told you this room was a catch-all...

One thing I am eager to redo will be knobs on the furniture to attempt to modernize them a little. I am thinking some frosted glass ones like these or library cup pulls may do the trick. Ignore the piles of too-small 3T clothes piled on the changing table.

This is probably the best representation of the unfortuntate color in the nursery.

For the wall color, I am feeling the gray trend that has been all over the blogosphere. I was at a friend's home for a party and fell in love with the color on her walls. More on that tomorrow...

What color would you do in a bedroom for a boy?

The Joy of Reading

2011-10-06T07:51:00.002-04:00

I have always enjoyed reading. One of my dad's favorite quotes is always, "you can never be alone when reading a book". I am so, so glad that my daughter has inherited the same reading bug. She has been reading since she was three and now is able to read to me from time to time.
Here is what is on her nightstand.

A little science: Dolphin (an I Can Read 3 book)

A little religion: the Jesus Storybook Bible

A little art: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

A little TV inspired reading: Dinner with Olivia

A little musical jazz scat ABCs: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

A little banned book action: In the Night Kitchen

A little audiobook: Thank You, God, for Everything

I love that she has a variety of reading interests and that she is turning into a little book nerd like her parents.

What were our favorite types of books to read when you were little? What's on your nightstand now?

The Kid's Purple Room Update

2011-10-05T08:37:00.001-04:00

Going along with long overdue news, here is an update for the Kid's room that I promised eons ago. And as I am writing this, she is watching me type and she can read everything that I am writing. She is a very dangerous 4 year old (I will be posting about precocious/gifted children this month, I think...).

Anyway, we ordered this Brittany velvet headboard during the summer from Target. It also includes an upholstered bedframe (which I did not take pictures of). I had considered West Elm, Pottery Barn and HSN.com, but found the best price to be Target because of the AAA discount that I used.

I really wanted something that was clean and simple that she could grow into as she gets older. Here is a detail of the nailhead trim.

And here is said bed with all of the stuffed animal she owns. Fine if you are four. Creepy if you are over the age of 12. I'm talking to you, weird lady with 20 beanie babies in the rear window of her car last week.

The Kid has nicer furniture before kindergarten than I had when I got married.

What about you? What is the nicest piece of furniture in your home?

OOTD and How a Pediatrician Behaves at Ultrasounds

2011-10-04T08:11:00.046-04:00

I promised more about the ultrasound from a few weeks ago. So we all went to the appointment which was entertaining with a four year old in tow. I think she was expecting to see pictures of the actual baby rather than the grainy ultrasound pictures, which immediately led to boredom. After listening to about five minutes of melodramatic Victorian-era sighing and 21st century whining, we got the iPad out to distract her.

As for the ultrasound, I let me enlighten you as to how a pediatrician (or probably anyone in the medical field) goes into the anatomy scan ultrasound. Most non-medical folks want everything to be okay but really want to know if it's a boy or a girl. Here is my internal monologue...

Oh good, there are the kidneys. Thank God! That means the lungs are probably okay (babies swallow their pee, which actually enters the lungs and makes them grow)...

Come on, heart. Please oh please oh please have four chambers... whew! No Fontan or BT shunts (heart defect surgeries) for us...

Where's the stomach? Is it in the abdomen? What? No diaphragmatic hernia? Nice. Below the diaphragm like we wanted.

Please be a boy OR a girl, and not something inbetween (just being honest)...

All fingers and toes, right? No amniotic bands? Good!

So you see how medicine gives you skewed perspective of an ultrasound. Of course, we would deal with any issues, but it is always amusing to me how much my medicine background makes me know too much, sometimes. It is an absolute miracle to me that the vast majority of babies and pregnancies turn out absolutely normal.

And here is an belly pic from last week.

20 weeks (sorry for the blurry pic)

J.Crew shirt, bracelet and flower pin

Banana Republic necklace

Old Navy skirt

Target watch

DSW shoes

How about you, does your professional background skew the way you view things?

Ultrasound Reveal and I'm back...

2011-10-03T08:11:00.000-04:00

My apologies to readers who have emailed and sent me Facebook messages to check in on me. One thing I have learned is never trust the promises of a busy pregnant woman. Ever. We say one thing and then we fall asleep at 7 pm. I said that I would post ultrasound results soon and then I was laid out sick for a week with a fever and a bad cold which has progressed into seasonal allergies/bronchitis/a weird asthma flare up.

So like any good doctor, I have treated what is probably a regular cold into smithereens by self-medicating with as many Category B medications as possible. Take that, rhinovirus!

Anyway, we are having a BOY! I would show you the actual ultrasound, but no one needs to see ~~Kid Too's~~ the Dude's boy bits. And he was so active, that we got few good profile pictures. So instead I will post a belly picture of me a few weeks ago.

19 weeks

Dress: Land's End Canvas

Belt: J.Crew

Shoes: Ann Taylor

The ultrasound went well and the Dude looks like he is growing right on Target. It was very, VERY obvious it was a boy, hee hee. I would make a raunchy joke about it, but I will keep my dirty jokes to myself. I will post more about the ultrasound tomorrow. I am feeling a teeny bit better, but still throwing up about once a week - sorry, bushes in the TJMaxx parking lot last Tuesday. But being past the halfway point and feeling the constant kicking (much more than with the Kid's pregnancy, even with an anterior placenta that hides movement more) is making it all feel very real. This one is going to give me a run for my money, I can already tell.

Smooches and happy Monday, friends!

B's Baby Shower

2011-09-15T13:36:00.002-04:00

Continuing with the party theme this week, I recently helped throw a baby shower for a good friend from church (we'll call her "B") who has had a long road to motherhood. It was a pretty emotional gathering, with people from many different parts of B's life gathering to celebrate her new baby who should be making an appearance later this fall. B was a very dear friend to me during my miscarriage and she is due right about the same time that I would have been with the previous pregnancy. I am so, so thankful that she is getting to see one of her deepest desires come true.

We kept things very simple, just socializing with friends, a few rounds of baby Scattegories and Bingo, but stayed away from any games involving drinking from a bottle, eating baby food or pretending anything was poop. Ummm, no...

Since their nursery colors are pink and brown, we went with those colors for decorations.

We did the decor in pink and white with those ubiquitous Martha Stewart poms as a garland. Still have no chairs for the dining room yet. Too busy throwing up my lunch on a daily basis...

We started with everyone leaving prayers for the new baby.

I made favors of mini jars of peach jam (very Martha of me) for guests to take on their way out. The Kid helped me assemble these with a casual covering of pink gingham and brown grosgrain ribbon.

The brunch buffet included a fresh fruit tray with chocolate fondue and chicken salad in phyllo cups...

A flower arrangement was done by my friend Melissa from Vintage Florals (thanks!). Mini ham and Gruyere cheese croissants as well as an assortment of quiches and blueberry muffins started off the savory portion of the morning...

The Kid and I made a bunch of quick breads earlier in the week (from the top: lemon poppyseed, pumpkin and banana breads)...

A Southern classic, sausage cheese balls (we call them Scooby snacks in our house)...

I had my stash of homemade apple and plum jellies as well as homemade cinnamon honey butter (pretty sure my daughter could eat this by the spoonful if I let her)...

A new item for me was the pink punch made very quickly out of cranberry flavored soda and raspberry sherbert. I may have finished an inappropriate amount of this drink...

One of the co-hostesses made these yummy chocolate cupcakes with pink and white cream cheese frosting. I am obsessed with this pink pedestal that I cound in a boutique store in Franklin, Tennessee...

More pom-pom action...

Baby Evelyn got a lot of fun stuff. I spy at least one Boppy...

I especially adore the pennant banner that one of the other co-hostesses made as a surprise to match their nursery bedding...

Chime in, what do you think? Been to any fun baby showers recently?

Superhero Party

2011-09-12T13:50:00.000-04:00

Many moons ago, I promised to post about a superhero party that I helped throw for a friend's son. His dad had recently passed away and it was a very bittersweet 4th birthday party held a few weeks afterwards. Thanks to some amazing friends who donated their time and services and energy, we were able to pull off a very special party for Quinn.

First off all, much thanks to Sherry from Babypop Designs. She was able to make the amazing masks and capes for the party. You could definitely use this idea for a princess and knights themed party as well. I met Sherry at a social media conference last summer and she was delighted to help make Quinn's party a success. Her products are quality and the turnaround time was perfect.

Another blogging connection I made earlier this spring was Megan McGee from Megan McGee Photography. I had met her at a bloggers' meet up and was delighted to find out that she does family portraits (anyone need to get pictures for their Christmas cards?) as well as weddings and other events. She was an absolute joy to work with and was even helping us out with party set-up before guests arrived. She was great with the kids and took awesome shots.

I wish I could take credit, but my friend Emilie made this poster... super talented!

Publix makes the best cakes! Emilie also made the cartoon cutouts.

We kept it low key with some of the dads grilling burgers and hot dogs for the party.

I made a classic red photo booth out of an old washer box, so that the kids to change into their BabyPop masks and capes as well as take pictures.

For me, the best part was how involved the grown-ups got in the Batman/superhero theme.

We had Robin...

CatWoman...

The Joker (seriously, I still get a little creeped out...)

The Riddler and a mini-sized CatWoman stopped by...

And of course, Batman himself and his BatGirl (aka, mom)

Activities included a pop-art coloring book, a super hero obstacle course and an X-ray vision game. I was channeling my inner camp counselor for the entire party. It was an emotional but much needed birthday party for our little superhero, Batman Quinn!

Chime in... what do you think?

(all photography reprinted with permission of Megan McGee Photography).

Pregnancy is So Hawt...

2011-09-06T19:49:00.000-04:00

If anyone asks me how I am feeling these days, my answer is sort along the lines of "blechhh...". That "pregnancy "glow" is actually the sheen of sweat from me dry heaving lunch into the toilet.

I am one of those lucky few women who gets the privilege of throwing up the entire pregnancy. I did so with the Kid up until a week before delivery and it seems like Kid Too (thanks for the suggestion, readers!) is causing the same sort of throw-uppiness. Nearing the halfway point of the pregnancy, the morning/noon/night sickness is not letting up. I thought it was bad that I threw up until 40 weeks with the Kid, but this fetus is also causing me to have crazy heartburn and I am spitting like a camel, which apparently are all related (Google hyperemesis gravidarum, reflux and ptyalism for some light reading).

Attractive, I know. The Kid may have called me "disgusting" or "nasty" a time or two so far. Poor thing. Just fetch me my spittoon and pipe down, Kid.

Nothing helps. Trust me, if there is a remedy out there, I have already tried it. Bland food. Spicy food. Ginger. Seabands. Accupressure. Zofran. Reglan. Mint tea. Crackers. Unisom. B6. However, here is what I have learned...

How to throw up quietly at work.
Nothing makes a pregnant woman move faster than the threat of puking on the floor. I can HUSTLE, people.
Ice cream and milkshakes are about the only things that still taste okay on the way back up.
Your stomach can hold an insane amount of volume. Fascinating really...
I (who when non-pregnant has a stomach made of iron - dude, I'm a pediatrician) can now smell things from a mile away and can no longer stand the smell of the following: wine, coffee, Lysol spray, waterless hand sanitizer, my husband's aftershave, my deodorant and tomatoes.
I can lose weight and still look pregnant. Hopefully this baby is sucking all of the fat from my behind.
Apparently, a human body can be sustained on ice-cold orange Fanta and ice cream for weeks.

I don't intend to write much more about pregnancy symptoms, because quite frankly, it tends to get boring. If anything scintillating happens, I will post it. I was reminded about how I should cherish this period of time from a friend's blog writing about missing her daughter (who recently went off to college).

In the meantime, life continues and I have a lot of things to update you guys on besides me being pregnant. Finally posting pictures of the superhero party I co-planned later this week...

2011-08-31T08:04:00.004-04:00

Hopefully, this should explain my recent decline in blogging for the last month or so.

Yeah. I'm pregnant. Again. If you remember, I miscarried in April. And got knocked up in May. Apparently, ovaries don't waste time. Although I say that a little flippantly, I know many of my readers have struggled with infertility. It can be hard to be happy for others when you hear the news of someone expecting. I do realize how incredibly fortunate we are. Getting and staying pregnant and delivering a healthy baby is nothing short of miraculous to me. But it is what it is.

Hopefully, you can understand why I didn't post much during the past few weeks. I couldn't do outfit posts, since that would have been obvious that I was starting to get a little thick around the middle. No decorating posts because all I want to do is sleep. I couldn't do food posts, because quite frankly, food right now = GROSS. I haven't even picked up my camera in 3 or 4 weeks. Pregnant DrDrama is not fun DrDrama.

I honestly wonder how I even imagined that the last pregnancy was going to "stick", considering the complete lack of typical (for me) pregnancy symptoms last time. This time (similar to the Kid's pregnancy), I have been EXHAUSTED, puking all the time - I have learned how to throw up quietly at work - and generally feeling like my GI tract is trying to slowly kill me. Also, post-miscarriage, I was a little skittish about revealing anything too early. Although several friends guessed I was pregnant months ago when I didn't drink any wine at our July 4th party (trust me, I wish I could have!). Another friend guessed after seeing me popping Tums and crackers in church. I figure that since we are well into the second trimester now (and now perfect strangers are asking when I am due), I feel okay spilling the beans.

I will save all of my humorous pregnancy complaints for another post. We will find out the sex in a few weeks. In the meantime, I need a blog-friendly nickname for this little one. My daughter is "The Kid". The last pregnancy was "Kid 2.0".

What nickname should I pick for this new baby?

I Love So Cal, Part 3

2011-08-09T23:44:00.000-04:00

Life is hectic right now. School is starting this week, which means that work is crazy with last minute school and sports physicals and which means I will also be busy with the vague ailments like stomach pains and headaches that always seem to get mysteriously worse when school starts :-)

Since my computer is finally back (thanks, sweetie!), I wanted to share quickly the last of our pictures from our trip to La Jolla, California a few weeks ago. A trip down memory lane will surely rejuvenate me while I anticipate tricking preschoolers into letting me check their ears, right?

***

MrDrama and the Kid on the way to the beach, in matching stripes from J.Crew...

The lack of humidity and amazing homes were enough to make me consider moving to California, but these homes are easily in the several million dollar range, so Tennessee it is...

Despite the fact it was cool (to us), the Kid wanted to play on the beach.

Lands' End swimsuit (thank you, LE for making suits that make little girls look like - gasp!- little girls)

MrDrama and the Kid exploring some of the shallow caves by the beach...

We had a lunch one day at a cafe where the best part was people watching...

We also got hang out briefly with one of my best friends from college. Major shout out to her and her husband who drove nearly 2 hours from L.A. to babysit the Kid while we went to the wedding. Seriously, there are about 5 people on the planet who would do that for me. Love her. And since she is a child psychologist, she is on speed dial for me for child development stuff. "Ummmm, is this normal????"

The Kid loves her Auntie Natalie...

We had a great trip. I certainly could use a palm tree in my backyard...

We loved our trip and the Kid was so sad to leave that she actually cried when we told her we were going back home. If you've been to California, where is your favorite place to visit?

I Love SoCal, Part 2

2011-08-02T08:20:00.001-04:00

Part of the reason I loved the wedding and Southern California so much was because the weather was amazing. After dealing with upper 90's and 100% humidity in Tennessee, San Diego's mid 70's and minimal humidity was a welcome change. Even sitting outside for the almost two hour ceremony was pleasant because of the weather. My only wish was that I had worn a sari instead of American clothes.

Turquoise earrings: TJMaxx

Pink Halter dress: TJMaxx

Nine West shoes: TJMaxx

Anyone notice a theme? I am a little between sizes right now *cough* and I wanted to get a great outfit that wouldn't break the bank. TJMaxx/Marshalls for the win, every time. I think from top to bottom, the whole outfit was about $75. Not bad. This fuchsia and turquoise is one of my favorite color combos...

Here are some more pictures of the clothes...

A couple of the flower girls (permission given by their parents) trying to kill time before the ceremony, which was running on I.S.T. (Indian Standard Time), which is eerily similar to W.A.S.T., West African Standard Time...

I should have borrowed a sari from Beena. I adore the colors of the fabric and how everyone looked so festive. It reminded me a lot of our own wedding.

One of the younger guests with a great example of mendhi on her hands...

Instead of the sari, some women wore a tunic with pants. With fabulous heels, naturally.

One of the lovely bridesmaids...

One of my best friends ever (and seriously the easiest roommate in the world to live with!). Beena the bride with her mom and dad.

Tomorrow, I will post some more pictures. What do you think of the clothes? Would you wear something traditionally Indian or go with a more "American" style outfit? Chime in!

Where I've Been (I Love SoCal, Part 1)

2011-08-01T07:47:00.000-04:00

So where was I last week with my sparkly shoes? I was lucky to get to attend my first Indian wedding, courtesy of my med school roommate, Beena. She got hitched in La Jolla, California, overlooking a golf course that overlooks the Pacific Ocean and it was AMAZING! There are too many pictures to put into one post so I will break it down a little for you guys.

It's not often a girl gets to wear sequined shoes and a hot pink dress to a wedding, so I was definitely taking advantage of the opportunity to wear bright colors. I will do a fashion post later in the week.

The Kid and I both got our hands painted during the mendhi ceremony the night before the wedding. The bride to be and her family get very elaborate designs on their hands and feet. Hardest part? Try keeping a 4 year old distracted enough to let the design set for the 45+ minutes. iPad to the rescue...

The amazing Hilton Torrey Pines in La Jolla, where the ceremony was held. I was amused by the number of hotel guests that came out on their balconies to watch the ceremony as well.

Here is a small sample of the beautiful flowers at the ceremony.

Have any of you ever been to an Indian wedding? What stuff do you want to hear about from the trip? The food? The clothes? The ceremony and reception? Chime in!

We Interrupt Your Regularly Scheduled Blog...

2011-07-27T23:03:00.003-04:00

I really am around and have so much to share! Unfortunately, my laptop has a virus and has been bugging out this week. And my brand new iPad (happy birthday to me!) apparently doesn't want to let me post anything that has pictures in it from Blogger (reason #176 why I am moving to WordPress). Sigh. I will take advantage of the unexpected blogcation by taking a million pictures. Hope to be up and running in a few days...

Sometimes, It's All About the Shoes

2011-07-27T09:33:00.004-04:00

Here is a teaser picture for next week's posts. Guess where I was this past week? And those fun, sparkly shoes were the start of one fabulous summer outfit! Sometimes, I have no idea what I am going to wear but somehow, I always know what shoes will be making an appearance.

Post your guesses below!

Still here!

2011-07-22T06:59:00.000-04:00

Still around readers! Life is hectic and we are enjoying the summer and relaxing. Will be back with more fun next week.

How's your summer?

How to Make Friends When You Are a Grown-Up

2011-07-15T08:41:00.003-04:00

One of the hardest things to do when you are an adult is to make new friends. This can be especially hard when you move to a new city or are in a new stage of life (marriage, new job, new baby, etc.). There are certain times in your life that make it easy to make friends.

Dear friends from Pittsburgh who came to visit us in Nashville

Elementary school: You both like purple and have the same stickers on your notebooks. Easy-peasy.
High school: Usually your friends from extracurricular activities or those you sit with in the cafeteria.
College: the girls from your freshman dorm (we ate in groups of fifteen and traveled in packs) or other clubs.
Med school/residency: I have my small group of friends from each who basically coached me through biochem and ate greasy takeout food with in call rooms as well as ran codes and grieved the death of patients with. It was like boot camp and it's a bond unlike any other.

Then all of a sudden in my late 20's I was thrust into the world of newlywed/parenthood/home ownership at a time when all of my friends had moved from the area and we were in the suburbs all by ourselves. It could have been a very lonely time, but I was proactive. I realized that at a time when it can be easy to isolate myself, I needed to do the exact opposite.

It was scary and it could have completely backfired, but here is what I did.

I put myself out there. I had made some friends while wedding planning on the Knot (which feels like a hundred years ago now) who I had fallen out of touch with after I got married an pregnant. When the Kid was a few months old, I reconnected with that same group of women. I set up a couple of playdates with one mom and we just never hit it off. However, I heard about another group who were getting together and basically invited myself to their playdate. Those women are some of my best friends to this day.

I got online. In this day and age where so many couples meet and get married through sites like Match.com and eHarmony.com, there is absolutely no shame in finding people who are like minded online. I made wonderful friends in Pittsburgh via a monthly book club that I initially found out about online. It was a great way to have an excuse to eat yummy food and drink wine and "discuss books". One of my best girlfriends here in Nashville is someone who I went to church with who I "blog-stalked" and thought we would hit it off and introduced myself. We're tight now.

I got involved. I found a lot of friends through getting involved in church. And not just showing up, but actually getting involved and volunteering with kids, co-hosting parties. If church isn't your thing or yours doesn't have people with similar interests, try young professionals groups, a kickball league, wine tasting events, Meetup.com, whatever!
I scouted for a "bromance" as well. If you are in a relationship, it helps if your potential BFF has a significant other who will get along with your honey. Our best "couple friends" are ones where the husband was also a little bit of a nerd (sorry, babe!) like MrDrama. That way, the guys can be left to their own nerdy devices like discussing financial markets or soccer or engineering.
Don't be afraid of rejection. Part of being an adult is realizing that not everyone will love you. You may put yourself out there to be friends with someone and things just won't jive. Keep calm and carry on. Unless you are a weirdo, in which case, you have no hope. Sorry, dude.

What about you? Have you found any ways to meet new friends as an adult?

Kid Style - Stripes

2011-07-13T08:56:00.002-04:00

I may have transferred my love of stripes to the Kid. When I recently went to Old Navy to pick up some summer skirts, I also got a few things for her. One was this purple striped top.

Old Navy Top

Birthday Party Favor Sunglasses

Gymboree jeans

Gap Kids shoes

She will soon be too cool for my blog. I am biding my time.

How have you done stripes this summer?

Pioneer Woman Macaroni and Cheese

2011-07-12T08:28:00.001-04:00

I am picky about my macaroni and cheese. No EasyMac here (except for dire dinner emergencies, let's be honest). I like a nice cheese sauce to pasta ratio with cavatappi pasta instead of regular elbow macaroni (Whole Foods has spoiled me forever).

I have tried versions by Martha Stewart and Barefoot Contessa, which were very good, but still not cheese-y enough for me. Any good macaroni and cheese usually starts with a bechamel sauce. However, I have never done a version with eggs in it and I wanted to see if it would make a difference. Boy oh boy!

Pioneer Woman's Macaroni and Cheese (adapted)

4 cups dried cavatappi
1 whole Egg Beaten
1/4 cup (1/2 Stick) Butter
1/4 cup All-purpose Flour
2-1/2 cups Milk (I used 1%)
2 teaspoons (heaping) Dry Mustard, More If Desired
1 pound sharp Cheddar Cheese, Grated
1/2 teaspoon Salt, More To Taste
1/2 teaspoon Seasoned Salt, More To Taste
1/2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1/4 cup sour cream (not in original recipe, but I love the creaminess it adds)
Optional Spices: Cayenne Pepper, Paprika, Thyme

Instructions

-Cook pasta until very firm. Macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. Drain.
-In a small bowl, beat egg.
-In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn.
-Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.
-Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. -Whisk together till smooth.
-Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth.
-Add in cheese, sour cream and stir to melt.
-Add salt and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT.
-Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.
-Serve immediately (very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.

***

What about you guys? Do you have any favorite Macaroni and Cheese recipes that I should try?

July 4th Rundown

2011-07-11T07:40:00.000-04:00

Hey guys! I am back from a small break from blogging after having an insane week last week. We had about 70 adults and kids over to our house for the 4th (I'm crazy, I know) as well as had some dear friends from Pittsburgh visiting us for the holiday. I was completely bushed! Of course, I didn't get nearly enough pictures from the festivities, but it was a lot of fun!

My friend Michelle bought our girls coordinating dresses. They have been BFFs since they were babies, were in the same day care for a short time and they are seriously the exact same child in separate bodies, down to the precocious vocabulary and ~~whining~~ asking for their parents' attention.

Lands' End Dresses

Gymboree headbands

You should have seen the spread of food! We provided burgers and hotdogs and drinks and our guests pitched in some sides and desserts. Much thanks to Michelle for helping me prep stuff for the cookout. By far the least stressful party prep I've ever done! We ate well...

Pioneer Woman Macaroni and Cheese (a complete winner!)

May have eaten entirely too much of this...

Kaya (a restaurant in Pittsburgh) Black Bean dip

We hung out with friends...

Fell in love with some babies (he is seriously the most happy baby in the world even if he does screech like a nazgul...)

Tried (unsuccessfully) to talk the girls out of wearing princess outfits 24/7 (including while watching our neighbors shoot off M-80s next door)...

We may have had some glow necklaces...

Gone to the pool...

Lands' End swimsuit

J.Crew earrings

Told someone's kid that "your face may freeze like that"...

And generally had more fun than my little old body can handle. Still trying to recover from the sheer amount of food and sun we experienced last week.

How about you guys? How was your July 4th holiday?

Dining Room Update

2011-07-01T07:46:00.001-04:00

The table I told you about last week arrived and I love it. It is positively ginormous with the leaf in but I think the room can handle it. I think it will seat about 10-12 people comfortably.

Room Before:

After:

These are the two chairs that we have. Although MrDrama doesn't like them with the table, I think they could be cute reupholstered, but we will see. For now, those are the only two chairs we have in there.

Can't forget my Pittsburgh roots. I got this poster from some dear friends as a going away present when we moved to Nashville. I need to find something Nashville-y to balance it out. Maybe something from the Spirit of Nashville series.

The new home for our hutch that I made over last year. It holds some of our extra serving dishes. And the hutch may or may not be holding my sister's cake pedestal hostage.

Now that you see all of the dining room together (minus the chairs) what do you think? Chime in!

Put a Little Smile on Your Face: Favorite Things

2011-06-30T08:17:00.000-04:00

I am sure I am not the only person who goes around their home and has a few little things that always bring a smile to your face. Here are a few of my recent favorites around my kitchen.

Fresh flowers are my weakness. I am completely spoiled to have beautiful hydrangeas right outside my back door. I love clipping off a few stems and putting them in a jelly jar of water on the kitchen counter.

Also in the kitchen, we have this big old glass container of wine corks that we have been collecting since the pre-Kid days. If those corks could talk...

Also, I recently got this mortar and pestle at Crate and Barrel in Chicago when I was there for a business trip. I could live in Crate and Barrel (as well as Whole Foods and IKEA, but let's leave that alone). I have been looking for a mortar and pestle for a long time and am glad I found this there. And yes, I go on vacation and buy cooking utensils. What?

Lastly, I fell into the "Target trap" (when you go in for one thing and come home with $75 of stuff you never knew you needed). I got this Watkins soap that smells amazing. Guys would never understand this, but women like pretty soap. Especially when there are words written in French on the bottle. Humor me.

Hey, we never claimed to make sense...

When you go around your home, are there any little things that have put a smile on your face?

Superhero Party Preview

2011-06-29T07:35:00.000-04:00

Remember how I mentioned last week that I was planning a superhero party for the son of friends of mine (read their humbling stories here and here)? Well, thanks to a great co-planner, awesome vendors and super-inventive adults/villains, the party was a success! Rain forced us to abandon some previous plans, but the end result was even better than expected. I will be posting more pictures soon, but here is a little teaser...

Photo with permission from Megan McGee Photography

Superhero costumes from BabyPop Designs

Until this party, I never considered party planning to be something that I could use to minister to a friend. I am so grateful to have been part of this birthday celebration.

More details soon!

The Red Porch

2011-06-28T11:10:00.000-04:00

The screened-in porch is one of my favorite things about our house. Nashville was invaded by cicadas earlier in the spring and between those and the mosquitoes, the porch is a favorite hangout for our family. It has also become a favorite place to hang out with friends as well. A cool breeze, a glass of wine or iced tea and some candles are all you need back there.

We used a leftover pieces from the house and weather resistant items back here, since I didn't want to worry about things that are exposed to the elements. That rug was going to be Craigslisted, but I decided against it since the pops of red in the carpet go with the other red accents in the porch.

Vintage star that I got at Three French Hens in Nolensville, TN (just south of Nashville). I spray painted it red to go with the other red accessories on the porch.

These wicker chairs are from Home Goods, as are the red striped cushions and table. The red tray is a Target holiday clearance item.

I love having fresh hydrangeas behind my house. So pretty.

This table had been my coffee table since med school. It was too small for use inside, so I booted it outside, where the scale works much better. I got it for $20 year ago from another student who was graduating. The vintage Pepsi crate is from Pottery Barn. It is perfect for holding utensils, drinking glasses or flowers.

I have similar clusters of candles IKEA candles in a mishmash of mason jars and vasesscattered around the porch. A great use of leftover wedding candles. However, I need to figure out what to use this corner and little wrought iron shelf thingy for. Maybe some plants? An outdoor serving station?

The rocking chair, generously left behind by the previous owners.

Basket o' fun. I originally bought this basket at Home Goods and didn't realize that it smells like wet feet. It got moved outside and now holds our soccer stuff, water guns, bug spray and sunscreen.

So that's my porch. I will try and get some decent nighttime candlelit pictures soon.

What do you think? Any suggestions?

Teriyaki Salmon

2011-06-27T08:45:00.000-04:00

Another recent obsession of mine this summer has been teriyaki sauce. I love this stuff. I would use it to marinate anything from shrimp and chicken to beef skewers and fish. Last week we made teriyaki salmon and grilled asparagus for a quick dinner.

While you can buy teriyaki sauce in the store, it is super easy to make and tastes way better (and is much cheaper) than the premade version. You can find most of the ingredients in any international foods store.

Teriyaki Sauce (adapted from allrecipes.com)

2/3 cup mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
1 cup soy sauce
4 1/2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/3 cup brown sugar
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 dash red pepper flakes
black pepper to taste

Directions

Bring mirin to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour in soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar. Season with garlic, ginger, pepper flakes, and black pepper; simmer an additional 5 minutes. Store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.

***

To make the salmon, marinate the fish in half of the marinade on both sides for 10 minutes each.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until just done. For the asparagus, follow the instructions from this post.

Everything looks better when plated well, doesn't it?

Have you tried teriyaki anything? What do you think this would work well with?

Target and Old Navy Fashion Haul

2011-06-23T06:58:00.001-04:00

When I was in college, I used to shop at Old Navy and Target for clothes. ALL. THE. TIME. Since I couldn't afford much J.Crew at the time, those stores were my staples for my wardrobe. I fell away from shopping there for my own clothes in recent years because I could never seem to find many clothes that were appropriate for my current wife-mom-working woman lifestyle. Don't get me wrong. I have always loved Old Navy for their kids' stuff and Target for their accessories. So, I decided to try them again recently to see what they had to offer.

Color me pleasantly surprised.

J.Crew pearl studs

Target Merona dress

Bandolino shoes (note to self: never, ever wear heels to work on a Monday)

Old Navy denim jacket (years ago)

Old Navy striped maxi dress

Uganda bead necklace

Target metallic sandals (last year)

H&M red bangle and wooden (street fair?) bangles

I love this maxi dress because it always feels comfortable and is easy to dress up or down.

Gap cardigan

Old Navy Ribbed Tank and Skirt

Uganda bead necklace

Target metallic sandals

It is nice to rediscover an old favorite for clothes. What about you? Where are you shopping recently for summer? Have you changed it up recently?

Grilled Corn: A Summer Favorite

2011-06-22T09:08:00.001-04:00

I had mentioned in my sangria post a few days ago that one of my favorite things about summer is grilled corn. I grew up doing corn in a big pot of boiling water - good but not nearly as great as corn on the grill. Here is how we do it at Chez Drama.

Start off with fresh corn on the cob.

Make sure you have butter and aluminum foil on hand. If you don't want to use butter, use a little olive oil instead.

And my version of "House Seasoning" (original version by Paula Deen). I use this on everything as a general seasoning. It is 1 part black pepper, 1 part garlic powder and 2 parts kosher salt. I use an old spice jar to store it.

Get your favorite loved one to remove the husks and cornsilk.

Place corn on a sheet of aluminum foil.

Rub it with butter. Feel free to sing a Marvin Gaye or Barry White song while you do.

Sprinkle corn with a 1/2 teaspoon of house seasoning.

Wrap the cobs in foil and grill on medium-high heat for 10 to 12 minutes.

Let cool for 5 minutes and enjoy!

This will definitely be making an appearance at our upcoming July 4th cookout. Have you ever done corn on the grill? If not, what is your favorite thing to cook on the grill?

Waiting for Cameron (My Ethan Allen Table)

2011-06-21T13:06:00.001-04:00

I am waiting for this Cameron Trestle table from Ethan Allen to arrive this afternoon and I can't wait! It's our last piece of major furniture to be delivered and I am thrilled to not be hemorrhaging any more paychecks on furniture. However, I am still not sure what chairs to get for the dining room. If you remember, here is what our dining room looks like.

We do have a couple of old upholstered chairs for the head and foot of the table, but we need chairs for the sides as well. I don't want to break the bank on the chairs (hoping for about $50-$75 per chair, or cheaper if possible!), especially since we will need about eight of them. I am thinking I may need a trip to a flea market or antique store to find some. I think I would love any of these styles.

Pottery Barn Harvest Chair

Crate and Barrel Slip Side Chair

West Elm Nailhead Dining Chair

Which of these styles do you like the best? Considering that I still haven't gotten a chair for the Kid's desk, I'm not holding out much hope for a quick purchase on these. Chime in with your thoughts!

What's Going On...

2011-06-20T07:48:00.000-04:00

I am going to try and be a really good blogger, but life is super busy right now. On my agenda in the upcoming weeks...

Switching to electronic medical records at work (currently giving me nightmares)
Planning a superhero birthday party for a friend's son
Social media and marketing conference in Asheville, NC
Hosting one of my best friends and her awesome family for July 4th weekend
Throwing a shindig for 40-50 of my nearest and dearest on July 4th weekend
Collapsing in exhaustion on July 5th
Flying up to DC to meet my new nephew
Going to the swimming pool every afternoon
Going to San Diego for my med school roommate's wedding (it is a three-day long Indian wedding and we are PUMPED!)
Gearing up for the back to school rush at work with all of the last minute school and sports physicals
Working on stuff around the house
Switching the blog to Wordpress courtesy of Purr Design
et cetera, et cetera, et cetera...

So if posting is spotty, it's because I am out living life this summer!

What are your big summer plans?

Kid's Room Update

2011-06-16T08:30:00.000-04:00

I am getting close to being done with the major things in the Kid's room (other pics here, here and here). As with most decorating, you don't get it all done in one fell swoop. I have gotten most of these things done over the past few months, but there are still a lot of thinks to be tweaked over the next few months.

First update is this ruffle curtain from Urban Outfitters. It is actually a shower curtain, and I cut a couple of rows of tiers off the bottom to make it fit the window. I apologize for the dark pictures, but this was the best way to show the detail of the ruffles on a really sunny day outside.

Here is a new nightstand I purchased from Finders Keepers (a local furniture consignment store). I liked the darker wood and being able to hide her hair bows and brushes and headbands in her drawers.

Target lamp and tray

Also I found a grey tweed bench with nailhead trim for below her window (a perfect place for reading or putting on clothes.

A detail of the nailhead (will come up again later, you'll see!).

A storage solution for her stuffed animal collection from a Cost Plus World Market basket. Hiya, hippo!

The "boob light", contractor's grade flush mount fixture is on the list to go, hopefully to be replaced by either a drum shade or a cool chandelier (I am feeling a trip to IKEA in Atlanta may be in my future!).

The last few things to be put in the room will be some letter plaques, her headboard (so excited to show you guys this one!) and some easy storage solutions for her room.

What has been your favorite thing in her room so far?

Ethan Allen Furniture Tour

2011-06-15T08:30:00.000-04:00

We are closing in on the last of our furniture purchases for the home. We ordered a bunch of things from Ethan Allen and while their stuff is pricey, the quality is unbelievable. If this is more than your budget allows, scour Craigslist for Ethan Allen pieces (especially the wooden pieces which age very well) or check out other retailers like West Elm and Crate and Barrel for high quality, classic furniture.

First one of my favorite functional pieces, our new storage ottoman for the upstairs playroom. It is a butterscotch colored leather, sort of the color of a baseball mitt. I am looking forward to seeing it get some lovely patina with age.

We store some of our larger board games in there.

For our bedroom, we only purchased a few side tables. I decided to go for chrome and glass nightstands, since most of our furniture is dark, heavy wood. I wanted something that looked "lighter" but was still substantial. I still need some ideas on how to dress up the bedside tables. Thoughts?

Lamps from HomeGoods

On to the living room! We wanted a larger sectional that would seat tons of people for large parties or two adults fully sprawled out. I am so pleased with how it turned out. I ordered the sectional to be covered with Sunbrella fabric (which is a stain resistant outdoor fabric). I was concerned whether it would be comfortable, but it turned out even better than I expected. The Kid and I fight over that corner section all the time.

The rug was a HomeGoods purchase (thanks to all the Facebook friends who chimed in with their opinion, but the other rug was really cheap looking when we brought it home!). We are not completely sold on it, since it sheds like crazy and the color is not exactly perfect. It is a really thick, 100% wool rug, but I am debating this...

Also, my husband actually asked me if we could purchase a few more pillows for the sofa. I will bring him to the dark side of excessive pillow usage before long! Mwahahahaha!

Once again, to break up all of the traditional pieces, I got a few more contemporary chrome and glass side tables, which are perfect for a cup of coffee and a book or glass of iced tea. I purposely wanted an end table that didn't have a ton of space on top or drawers, because it prevents the tendency to clutter up the living room with more stuff.

MrDrama's only other request was to have a recliner of some sort, so we chose a dark leather recliner that looks more like a regular club chair. No velour La-Z-Boys here (like my dad had)! The Kid and MrDrama fight over this chair. And why are we fighting over all of the prime seating in our house with a four year old???

What do you think? Any opinions on where to get a possibly better rug or do I keep it? Which of these Ethan Allen pieces do you like the best?

Summer Sangria (Back by Popular Demand)

2011-06-13T07:55:00.003-04:00

I had mentioned the crazy hot weather we have had in Nashville recently. I think we are going on three weeks without rain and daily temps in the upper 90's. But I love summer. I always have, and probably always will. Here's what I love:

Screened-in porches (mine has become a hangout for several of my friends)
The smell of sunscreen and late afternoons at the pool
Grilling for dinner, especially grilled corn or teriyaki anything
Fresh fruits and vegetables that actually taste good
An icy cold beverage like fruit tea (my friend's great recipe here) or sangria

I am generally a red wine drinker when I partake. But it in the summer, I love my whites, especially in my summer sangria. My favorite varietals to use for this recipe are Pinot Grigio, Gewürztraminer or Riesling, which are all on the more fruity end of the white wine spectrum.

And this is not a hard and fast recipe. If you have only berries, go with that. If you only have peaches and apricots, by all means - you are allowed.

Summer sangria

750 mL bottle of white wine - I like Pinot Grigio
2 cups of white grape juice or white cranberry juice or white grape-peach or whatever
A couple shots of peach schnapps (optional)
Sliced summer fruit of your choice - really good summer peaches, blackberries and raspberries are really pretty with this
Club soda to taste
3 cups of ice

Mix in a pitcher with lots of ice and garnish glasses with a peach.

***

The beauty of sangria is that it is a very forgiving sort of drink. If you want to make it stronger, you can toss in a 1/2 cup of brandy, Cointreau or triple sec without messing it up. Also, for entertaining purposes (if you have the self control) you can let it sit in the fridge for a few hours up to overnight so that all of the flavors can really blend together. Of course, in our house this would be gone in no time. Just saying.

What is your favorite thing to drink to cool off in the summer? Are you a sangria fan? Chime in!

Grief in the Age of Social Media

2011-06-12T18:54:00.001-04:00

I had posted about my friend Emmett who passed away last week. It was a rough weekend for me as I was scheduled to be in Chicago for an advisory board meeting for work. I knew based on my itinerary that I was going to miss the memorial service for my friend. I debated missing the last day of sessions and flying home early. I ultimately decided to stay and honor my previous commitment, even though I was distracted most of the weekend. But I was able to still be in Nashville in spirit.

The memorial service was live streamed on the internet. Amazing. That meant that, along with people from Nashville who were homebound with illness, friends in Florida and as far away as India, I was able to still watch the service. I watched my friends sing and preach and celebrate Emmett's life from my phone in terminal G of Chicago's O'Hare airport. I was able to laugh along and weep along and sing along (quietly, y'all; I'm not crazy!) with my friends in Nashville.

I think that society entering a new chapter in how grief is shared. With the advent of blogging and Facebook and Twitter and even a simple as texting, we are able to share the burden of difficult times quickly and often. I was personally overwhelmed with love after my miscarriage (shared via Tweetdeck at the doctor's office) by the encouragement from perfect strangers and from people who I haven't talked to in years. People chronicle their life-threatening diagnoses online, giving the ability to vent and break down the wall that often occurs when going through illness. And in the case of death, social media allows your grief to be bathed in the prayers of those not physically near you. Let me clear that your heart is still darkened by the valley of the shadow of death. But how much greater and more evident is the grace of God when you can quickly communicate with those who love you.

I was blessed to be able to watch the service from afar, even as my heart was breaking that I could not physically be there. The doxology was sung towards the end of the service.

Praise God from whom all blessing flow
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost

A friend wrote on Wendy's Facebook wall that she would never sing that song the same again, knowing now that Emmett is among the heavenly hosts. That is true social media. Being joined in unison in praise.

Please keep Wendy and Quinn in your prayers as they enter these difficult days ahead. Pray for Wendy's strength and grace as well as Quinn's little heart as he grieves life without his earthly daddy. Pray that they feel surrounded by love and free to grieve. A friend wisely said recently that "grief is an expression of love". It is clearly evident that Emmett was well loved.

Rest In Peace, Dear Friend

2011-06-09T07:46:00.000-04:00

teamemmett

Blueberry Lemon Scones

2011-06-08T08:37:00.001-04:00

I have posted recipes about scones before (ignore the horrible picture from 2009 - I didn't know about exposure and white balance yet), but here is another version of scones that I made last week for a playdate with my friend at her house.

Since I decided to make these about 90 minutes before the playdate, I had no time to run to the store. Hence, I had neither the orange nor the cranberry that the recipe required. Ergo, I checked the fridge. Therefore, I found both lemons and fresh blueberries that were in season and super sweet. Thus, a substitution was born. I am really feeling the adverbs today.

I think you could probably substitute any sort of not too watery fruit/add-in for the blueberries and any citrus for the lemons. I think the following combos could work.

Blueberry - Lemon
Cranberry - Orange
Chocolate Chip - Maple
Strawberry - Lime
Lemon Poppyseed
Pumpkin Spice - Maple
Apple - Cinnamon - Pecan

Blueberry- Lemon scones (adapted from the Barefoot Contessa)

4 cups plus 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar, plus additional for sprinkling
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
3/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced (this part is super important!)
4 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cold heavy cream
1 cup blueberries
1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water or milk, for egg wash
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix 4 cups of flour, 1/4 cup sugar, the baking powder, salt and lemon zest. Add the cold butter and mix at the lowest speed until the butter is the size of peas. Combine the eggs and heavy cream and, with the mixer on low speed, slowly pour into the flour and butter mixture. Mix until just blended. The dough will look lumpy! Combine the blueberries and 1/4 cup of flour, add to the dough, and mix on low speed until blended.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead it into a ball. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough 3/4-inch thick. You should see small bits of butter in the dough. Keep moving the dough on the floured board so it doesn't stick. Flour a 3-inch round plain or fluted cutter and cut circles of dough. Place the scones on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Collect the scraps neatly, roll them out, and cut more circles.

Brush the tops of the scones with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are browned and the insides are fully baked. The scones will be firm to the touch. Allow the scones to cool for 15 minutes and then whisk together the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice, and drizzle over the scones.

What other flavor of scones have you tried that I should give a shot?

Bathing Suit Season

2011-06-07T08:22:00.000-04:00

There was a time in my life where I actually enjoyed bathing suit shopping. It was a brief period in my early twenties when I still had a six pack and no cellulite. Alas, those days are over. I could work harder at it, but you know... carbs. Red wine. Anyhow, we have been in full-on swimming weather in Nashville for about 3-4 weeks (every single day in the high 90's) and I realized that my twenty-something swim wardrobe was needing a more age appropriate makeover. Read: most of the suits were about 2 sizes too small.

I have officially moved to the dreaded "Mom Zone" of swimsuit requirements: a) It has to be comfortable enough to carry an armload of pool toys (gone are the days of my iPod and a chick-lit novel) and chase small people, b) somewhat more modest than I would have done several years ago and c) forgiving enough to hide those jiggly bits (we all have some body insecurities). But who says you have to sacrifice style for function?

To be sure, I will still hold on to a few of the more modest bikinis that I have for beach vacations, but here is what I recently purchased from Lands' End to wear to our local pool. It can be a bit nerve-wracking to have half of your co-workers, Zumba class and church friends see you in your swimsuit! Sorry, J.Crew, the suits with minimal support (I have had a kid, yo... Throw a sister some underwire, at least!) and even less lining didn't make the cut this year!

First up, a tankini and folder-over boy shorts in Dandelion from Lands' End Canvas. Tankinis often get a bad rap, but let's be honest, most of us have a little something-something that you would like to keep covered up. Unless you like sucking in your belly the entire time you are at the pool. I think a happy color helps keep this from being too boring. And I love boy shorts - preventing wedgie action is key.

I love this ruffle-y Sweetheart tunic and bottom. The little skirt and ruching are cute without being too prim.

And who says the top and bottom have to match? Here is how I am planning on adding some interest to a plain black top with a polka dot set of briefs (for $9.99 - awesome deal!).

And finally, a one piece halter (my favorite swimsuit neckline) with a sleek little open back.

Lands' End is a great resource for swimwear, especially with their "No Hassles" return policy. What about you? Are you overdue for a swimsuit makeover or have you managed to update your swimwear as your body changes? Do you have any other fail-safe options for swimsuits?

Studio Jewel Giveaway Winner!

2011-06-06T08:23:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to Molly Petruska for winning the $50 credit to Studio Jewel giveaway. She commented,

"I would love to get the Lucky Girl ring. I feel like I'm a lucky girl for having my wonderful husband, great friends and family, and my health. "

I have the same ring and can attest to it's quality. I already DM'd you on Twitter. I'll put you in touch with Lisa (aka, @thebeadgirl) on how to collect your store credit.

If you didn't win, you can still browse through Lisa's amazing selection of jewelry at her Etsy site. I have my eye on this ring to add to my collection.

***

I think Molly's statement on feeling lucky to have her health and family and friends is a timely one. This has been a hard few days for my circle of friends here in Nashville. My friend Emmett (read about the family's journey through esophageal cancer here) is now in hospice and my friend Jill (who has taken all of our family pictures since we moved to Nashville) found out last week that she has Hodgkin's lymphoma. My heart is heavy for their spouses and children. Cancer sucks. They have some difficult days ahead and I am grateful for the community of prayer that surrounds them.

It sometimes feels a little shallow to be blogging about clothes and food and home decor in the midst of so much heartache, but I should realize as much as anyone that life brings grief and light all at the same time. In the midst of the joy of a new baby, women are abandoned by their husbands for a younger woman and teenagers steal school buses while high as a kite. I know that God is still good, even if i don't understand His goodness.

And kids will continue to always stick Barbie shoes up their noses.

Smoothies (or how I make myself feel less guilty about less than stellar food choices)

2011-06-02T06:01:00.000-04:00

Most of the time, I try to eat well but I've got to admit, since moving to our new place, I have gotten super lazy about cooking. I was talking with a friend recently about menu planning and I mentioned that I rarely do menus. Ever. We have a deep freezer for meats, seafood and veggies and usually just cook as the mood strikes us. Sort of along the lines of, "What do you want to eat tonight?". "I dunno, you?". Uhhhh, pasta?". You get the idea.

I used to post regularly about recipes but life recently sort of got me out of my cooking groove. Packing, pregnancy, moving, unpacking, miscarriage, work, travel and general busy-ness sort of made us fall back on eating out as our default. When you are living out of boxes, the last thing you often want to do is to cook. And then it becomes a habit. And not a good habit.

I am hoping to publicly shame myself into eating/cooking more from home by doing this post, but I am going to admit that this is barely cooking. But I did take advantage of the fresh and super sweet berries that are in season now.

I usually do these at least 3-4 mornings a week and it is a great way for me to get my necessary fruit and calcium in my busy day.

Ingredients: Strawberries, banana, blackberries, Greek yogurt, skim milk, ice.
Other favorite ingredients: raspberries, blueberries, pineapple, mango and spinach or lettuce (you can barely taste it, but spinach will add a lot of iron!)
Directions: Blend until smooth.

We put all of the ingredients in the Magic Bullet (totally need an Aussie accent) and in 1-2-3... you have a smoothie to start the day. We reuse the plastic Panera and Starbucks cups and each of us has a serving.

I just have to work on the Kid's reaction to the mini blender.

Do you have any shortcuts that you use in the morning to get yourself off to a healthy start?

Fast, Easy Art for Kids - Frame It Up!

2011-06-01T10:09:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I mentioned the pictures above the Kid's updated desk.

If you have ever been in school or have kids in school or nieces and nephews, you know that you can accumulate a mountain of random pieces of paper with scribbles on them. Please tell me that I am not the only person who has secretly thrown away some of their child's "artwork" when they are asleep.

Just me?

However, there are times when the artwork is pretty good and you want to save it. I found that these frame when we were unpacking (random leftovers from over the years) and gave them a quick coat of purple paint to unify them. Since the frames didn't all have mats and a solid back, I used foam board and black felt that I had to create a sturdy mat for my selected pictures. I used a little grosgrain ribbon to create a mat for the center picture, since it was a little narrower than the frame. I printed the pictures out on our color printer and just glued them with a light coat of Elmer's glue.

Pictures, from L to R: Silhouette of the Kid that I made in this post, mosaic rainbow from the school (courtesy of "Weather Week"), Que Sera Sera free printable from Making It Lovely.

When I saw this free printable from the Making It Lovely blog, I knew I had to use that in the Kid's room. This altered version of the lyrics refer to rainbows (how appropos) and because I knew the song when I was little. Back in the olden days, I had a children's LP with the song "Que Sera Sera" on it and I teared up a little when I started singing the last stanza to my little girl after I hung up the picture in her room.

Now I have children of my own

They ask me, "Mother, what will I be?"

"Will I be handsome? Will I be rich"

I tell them tenderly

Que sera, sera

Whatever will be, will be

The future's not our to see

Que sera, sera

*Sniff*. Must be allergies.

Thrift Store Desk Update (finally!)

2011-05-31T16:09:00.000-04:00

I had posted ages ago about my daughter's desk that I got on a 25% off day at our local Goodwill and free frames that I had forever. I finally have a few updates to share.

I did three coats of basic white semi-gloss paint that we had in the garage.

And then I painted the drawer fronts only. Side note: If you are painting a piece with drawers, it helps to only paint the visible, non-moving portions because painting the sides and insides of the drawers will make them stick when you are trying to open them.

I decided to spray paint the legs silver to go with some of the other things we have planned for her room. Who knew a pizza box would be so useful for spray painting? BTW, the color is Krylon's "Brushed Nickel".

I picked up some glass knobs at Wal-Mart, since I couldn't find the ones I wanted at Anthropologie for a decent price (no point in paying $6 per knob and blowing your budget on such a small feature.

And here is the finished product (also with the frames from this post)!

Here's the before as a comparison.

And as for the pictures in the purple frames above her desk... tune in tomorrow for how I came up with those! What do you think ? Would you have gone a different way?

A Fancy Washington D.C. Baby Shower - Part 2

2011-05-26T07:24:00.000-04:00

I mentioned yesterday that the shower for my sister was held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington D.C. I was duly impressed with their service and the beautiful desserts. Here are some of what we sampled (after a light lunch of salad and seafood.

The salad buffet

A little Pelligrino + lime never hurt anybody

One of my sister's favorite flowers is hydrangea, so she had these as part of her decorations

Hydrangeas + roses + peonies = Perfect summer bouquet (can't wait until the ones behind our house bloom!)

My sister's baby bump and the Kid making her way through round one of desserts.

She matches the upcoming dessert, completely accidental on my part!

(Note her strategic position near all the cupcakes)

I think these were lemon mousse tartlets (with candy daises on top)

If I remember correctly, these were mini mango cheesecakes with edible gold leaf (say what?)

Strawberry mousse was involved. And it was good.

Chocolate and orange mousse shooters (these seemed to be the favorite amongst the guests)

The Kid's doll was a spectator and dressed up for the event

The aftermath.

I love going to a fancy shindig and my sister's baby shower did not disappoint. Which of these desserts strikes your fancy?

A Fancy Washington D.C. Baby Shower - Part 1

2011-05-25T07:52:00.000-04:00

I totally forgot to write about our recent trip to Washington D.C. for my little sister's shower. It was AMAZING to have all of my immediate family together again, even if it was a brief trip. We drove up and back from Nashville over three days, which was a long drive, but we are big fans of road tripping, since we get to do things on our own schedule.

Of course, as soon as we got there, we dropped our stuff at the hotel and headed to their house of course, the Kid made a beeline to her favorite vintage toys.

My brother-in-law and the Kid

After doing the quick pre-shower hello, we went back to the hotel and the Kid, buzzing on road trip ~~M&Ms and fast food~~ bribery, became a blur in a princess nightgown...

... before being convinced to settle down so that we could get up bright and early for brunch and the baby shower.

I will leave you with a preview/teaser of the actual shower (namely the desserts), but let me say that the Four Seasons Hotel in D.C. threw down. Hard.

Tomorrow, the food!

Studio Jewel Giveaway!

2011-05-24T07:55:00.003-04:00

Gather round for a giveaway, peeps! I am lucky to be giving away a $50 credit to one of my absolutely favorite stores, Studio Jewel, aka the fabulous Lisa Lehmann Designs. I wrote a post a while back about a ring that I bought from her last year and I swear I wear that ring every single day. I lurve it.

Lisa is a great friend that I met at a social media conference last year and I have had a blog crush on her ever since. I always tell her I will be coming to her for advice when my daughter gets older, since she homeschools her teenagers and works from home with such aplomb.

Here is an example of a necklace she sent me to review. Being the sweetheart she is, Lisa also sent the Kid a matching necklace too. And it's turquoise (one of my favorites stones!).

You can glimpse part of my Studio Jewel ring in the upper right corner of the picture.

Of course, I love the simplicity of this necklace, like Lisa has in all of her pieces. They are simple but very well made, which is always a guarantee for something to get my stamp of approval (note my obsession with J.Crew and Ethan Allen furniture). And turquoise is such a great color for the summer, you know?

How to enter:

Leave a comment about what piece of the Studio Jewel collection you would purchase from her website if you happen to win the $50 gift certificate = 1 entry (this is the only mandatory entry method). Additionally you can...
Become a follower (or stay a follower) = 1 additional entry (mention in your comment if you are a follower!)
Tweet about the giveaway = 2 entries (please tag the tweet with @drbabymamadrama and mention in your comment)
Blog about it = 5 entries (post a link to your post in your comment!)

Entries close on FRIDAY, MAY 27th at 11:59 pm, Central Time. You must live within the United States. Winner will be selected using Random.org. If I don't hear from the winner within 48 hours of contacting them, I will move to the next person on the list, so check your email AND check back on the blog!

Calypso St. Barth's for Target

2011-05-23T09:35:00.001-04:00

Have you been by Target recently and checked out their Calypso for St. Barth's line of clothes and home accessories? Their summer friendly colors are right up my alley. It reminds me of fabrics that we had for Nigerian clothing while growing up.

On me: Target sweater

Calypso St. Barth for Target top

J.Crew jeans

Banana Republic shoes

On the Kid: Calypso St. Barth for Target tunic

Gymboree jeans

Crewcuts shoes

Check out their items here. Are there any pieces that catch your eye?

Color Blocking Done Two Ways

2011-05-18T09:51:00.000-04:00

One of the big trends for spring has been color-blocking as seen by the spring lines from Jil Sander and Prada (InStyle Magazine has kept me well-educated, you know). Color blocking usually involves using two or three strong, contrasting colors to create visual interest. I did this two different ways recently with actual all over color and also with a simple black and white.

Gap Tank

Banana Republic shirt

J.Crew belt and skirt

Bandolino shoes (although I would probably go with a nude shoe if I had to do this outfit again)

That outfit sort of reminded me of a mismatched Easter egg or Samantha Jones' outfits from Sex and the City, but the colors are so happy, I couldn't help myself.

J.Crew tee and jacket

CaBI skirt (that I famously repaired a hole in with 6-0 nylon sutures)

Banana Republic shoes

And pardon my ashy knees. Let's hope I took care of that after the picture.

Which of these would you be more likely to wear? The all over bright color or the contrasting black and white? Chime in on what you think of this trend.

Front Closet Alternatives

2011-05-17T09:25:00.000-04:00

Remember how a long time ago, I lamented that we didn't have a front closet? Well, we found a solution. Apparently it is fairly common problem in really old and really new homes as well as many apartments/condos to not have a front closet at all. We actually didn't even notice that our home didn't have one until we were well into the negotiations and quite frankly, it wasn't a hill I was willing to die on, you know?

We had been used to using the front closet for storing things like extra light bulbs, batteries, rolls of tape, winter scarves and hats, board games, etc. While some of those things have been relegated to the laundry room, there was still a lack of a place to hang coats - unless you count throwing them over kitchen chairs a solution.

Before: This was an unused nook on the first floor. I installed the row of hooks after we moved in. I actually though of uninstalling them to take a true before picture, then I realized that was crazy talk.

After: In addition to the wall hooks, I purchased a storage bench (for larger board games and blankets) and hung some pictures we already had to dress up the area.

Alternate view of our new "front closet".

Wall Hooks: Wal-Mart

Storage Bench: Target

Picture Frames: Pottery Barn from years ago

Orange coat: Banana Republic

Kids' trench: Old Navy

Scarf: Cocomae.com

This just goes to show you what a difference a few simple items can do to make your entryway a little more organized. I still feel like the corner needs a little something, like a vintage sign or a chalkboard, but for now, it is quite functional.

What about you? Are there any entryway dilemmas that you have had to overcome? Please share!

Kid Style: Crewcuts and Posing Lessons

2011-05-10T08:35:00.004-04:00

Sometimes you don't realize how much your kid copies you until you see her mimicking your in-front-of-the-mirror-stance of hand-on-hip-crossed-legs.

Crewcuts cardigan, t-shirt and flats

Children's Place leggings

Headband made by a patient's mom

New Home: Garden Tour

2011-05-09T10:19:00.001-04:00

Tennessee has been in the full throes of spring for almost two months now and I love the little surprises we have popping up around our new house. Since we bought a short sale, the landscaping was basically ignored for the better part of two years. As a result, when we moved in most of the shrubs and landscaping was completely overgrown. And since we bought in the dead of winter, we had no idea what things would look like once they were properly pruned and blooming.

The backyard before

We hired some guys to trim things back a few weeks ago and it has paid off in spades. Here is what has been blooming recently.

Salvia (of Miley Cyrus fame)

Hostas and my very own hydrangeas

I have no idea what color the hydrangeas will be. I am looking forward to putting some of those in some arrangements inside. Also, the last time I planted hostas they became a salad smorgasbord for the neighborhood deer, so I am glad these are here for now.

Knockout Roses

We also have some knockout roses along the back of our screened in porch (like everyone else in our neighborhood) that haven't started blooming yet, but they are reportedly very low maintenance, which is right up my alley.

Ornamental Grasses (which provide a great sound barrier when they are taller and the wind is blowing)

In your part of the country or the world, what greenery are you looking forward to seeing finally bloom? Has spring started or like us, are you experiencing almost summer?

Raiding Mama's Closet

2011-05-06T07:30:00.000-04:00

This is what happens when you let a four year old loose in your closet...

Forever 21 faux leopard coat

CocoMae scarf

Jewelry swap pearls

OOTD Rundown

2011-05-05T08:55:00.001-04:00

I haven't done an OOTD rundown in a while, but here is a collection of photos in the past week or so. It feels good enjoy some shopping my closet and dressing for the warmer weather (finally!).

White House Black Market necklace

J.Crew tank, cardigan and Minnies

Tory Burch Revas

J. Crew gingham shirt and Nouvelle cotton pants

Banana Republic necklace and flats

Easter Sunday

Ann Taylor necklace

J.Crew dress and cardigan

Lands' End suede pumps

Ann Taylor dress

Wooden bangles (can't remember where I got them, maybe a street fair?)

Banana republic earrings (not seen)

J.Crew Cate heels - I will be so sad when these shoes die.

Banana Republic necklace and flats

J. Crew cardigan

Limited top

Gap skirt

Chime in? What do you think? And how much does the fuchsia and turquoise combination rock. I think I need a dress in that color. Stat.

Kid Style: The Mom Influence

2011-05-04T08:27:00.001-04:00

One of the Kid's teachers at preschool mentioned to me that she "sometimes has the cutest little outfits on". And I chimed in, "Yeah, and sometimes she looks like a ragamuffin, right?". At which point she chuckled and agreed. While sometimes her style is dead on, sometimes she looks like she has been living in a box on the street. This is not one of those times. I would totally knock her over and steal her outfit if she wasn't related to me.

Janie and Jack sunglasses

GapKids top

Old Navy skirt

No name tights

Target boots

Kid, you are so lucky I don't fit into 4T clothes.

April Flowers

2011-05-03T08:03:00.001-04:00

I love flowers. I am in love with the new flowers popping up around our house and I am hoping to get to do another fall flower arranging party in September or October. I am totally digging some of the arrangements that we have had in the house recently.

Gerbera Daisies always remind me of spring.

This more Easter-y bouquet contained irises and pink roses.

And my favorite spring flower (besides tulips) are theses hydrangeas in blue made my my friend Melissa from Vintage Florals.

What about you? Have you had any new flowers blooming in your neighborhood? Do you ever get flowers at the grocery store to perk up your home?

War of the Birds

2011-05-02T09:25:00.002-04:00

We have been declaring war against some neighbors. These aren't the two legged variety of neighbors. These neighbors have taken up living on the top of the columns on our front porch. And they are leaving their nasty little robin droppings everywhere on the front steps.

It came to a head last Friday when I had a few friends (and their kids) over for a lunch playdate. The darned ~~winged messengers of destruction and poop~~ robins kept fluttering all over the place, making my guests have to dodge them flying around. They also may or may not have tried to dive bomb some friends from church who tried to deliver us meals after the miscarriage. Maybe.

I am not admitting anything.

We have taken to water hoses, bricking up the ledges and pepper pellets and general pounding on the foyer windows to scare them off. The amount of under my breath cursing I have done is definitely not ladylike.

Angry birds, it's on like Donkey Kong.

Contentment and Mercy

2011-04-30T09:40:00.002-04:00

I was asked several weeks ago to speak on a panel at the spring women's retreat at my church about contentment. At the time, I wasn't sure what I was going to say. I had thought about speaking on growing up fairly poor (food stamps and free clinics while my parents made peanuts in graduate school) and juxtaposing that with the relative privilege of middle class life in America. I was not able to make it to speak because of a prior work commitment (on call that weekend), but I figured I would write about what I would have said.

Then that week happened. Possibly one of the most grueling weeks of my life and an emotional roller coaster. I had a miscarriage. I was, and am occasionally, in grief. Slightly less each day, but still grieving.

But contentment is not about being happy. It is not about having a great house in a wonderful neighborhood, nice car, a loving husband and a great kid. Or fabulous shoes. Always respect the shoes. I have all of those. It is not a full belly or a beach vacation. I've been there. Nor is it about being resigned to your circumstances. Been there, got the t-shirt. Contentment is about living joyfully despite your circumstances. And don't confuse joy with happiness. I have seen some of the most joyful faces in the middle of grief.

All the stuff and accolades and loved ones are not what bring contentment. If they were, you would assume that every suburbanite driving a Land Rover is the most content person in the world and that not having material wealth means a lifetime of misery. And we know that is not the case.

Over the past few days the word "mercy" keeps coming back over and over again. On the Sunday after our miscarriage, our pastor prayed for waves of mercy to meet every wave of grief for those who were suffering loss. Not mercy like this...

Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

...but God's unfailing mercy. When I am tempted to be discontent with my circumstances, I remind myself of the mercy that is shown to me every day. Loss happens in a heartbeat. Quicker than a breath, you can be in a car accident, diagnosed with cancer, have miscarriages, be laid off. And it seems like this should be reason enough to rail against God and question His goodness.

But because of the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, his compassions never fail. That is from one of my favorite verses, Lamentations 3:22. For me, it is a beautiful image of being shielded from the stuff that I could be subject to, but am not. It is about the beauty of being covered by grace that is greater than all the crap in the world. It is about these words that we sang during church on the day after the miscarriage:

God speed the day struggles will end;
Faultless we'll gaze on Your glory.
Then we will stand overwhelmed by the mercy of God.

Easter Outfits

2011-04-29T08:09:00.001-04:00

Here is what the Kid and I wore for Easter Sunday. I like the idea of doing coordinating outfits without being completely matchy-matchy. This year we did grey and yellow for our colors of the day.

Ann Taylor necklace

Funky Vintage Lovely earrings

J.Crew cardigan and dress

Land's End Canvas shoes

Carters dress (from Grandma)

Gymboree headband and shoes

Hands on hip pose? All hers...

What about you guys? If you got dressed up, what did you wear for Easter?

The Best Part of the New House Shopping...

2011-04-28T19:30:00.000-04:00

...is the awesome % off letters you get in the mail. I am loving the fact that all of my favorite places have been sending me up to discount offers on everything from free paint to 15% off at West Elm. My favorite thus far has definitely been the 20% off the entire purchase at Bed Bath and Beyond, especially since I stockpile their coupons like an episode of Hoarding: Buried Alive.

What about you? What stores would you love to receive a discount for?

Planning Furniture for the New House: Ethan Allen

2011-04-25T09:26:00.000-04:00

One of the things we had budgeted for when we purchased the new house was some furniture. Although we had a lot of things already from our old house and stuff sitting in storage, the square footage in this sucker made it necessary to get some new things.

Oh what a shame. Hee-hee.

My best friends have been Ethan Allen, thrift stores and Finder's Keepers (a local furniture consignment store). Ethan Allen was a no-brainer for us. They have great service, custom furniture - albeit sometimes crazy expensive - and great craftsmanship. Our list from Ethan Allen includes the following (being delivered as they are made):

Coffee table for living room
Nightstands for the master
A sectional sofa for the living room
End chair for living room
End tables and console for guest bedroom
Ottoman for family room

Here is the most recent delivery that arrived this week. I am in love with these nesting coffee tables. These will be great for playing games, propping your feet up or doubling as seating.

Don't worry, that rug will be finding a new home in MrDrama's office. I am on the lookout for something more muted in color (think cream and slate blue and greys in a more abstract pattern) and definitely much larger (at least 8'x10').

My other recent find (on the other end of the budget) has been a local furniture consignment store that a friend led me to, called Finder's Keepers. I had never shopped at consignment store, but it is a brilliant way to get quality pieces for CHEAP! Often you can score brand new pieces that are overstock from furniture showrooms, like these bar stools that I got for under $50 each. Considering that bar stools like these tend to run about $100-$200 each in regular stores, I feel like I got a steal on these.

What do you think? How do you mix high and low in your home for your furniture?

What's Your Armor? Dressing to Boost Your Mood

2011-04-22T09:10:00.006-04:00

Please tell me that I am not the only person who believes that clothes can change your mood. I have heard it said that when you look good you feel good. Well considering how crappy last week was for me, it was REALLY important for me to feel good when going back to work for the first time post-miscarriage.

For me, my go-to outfit to make me feel like a superstar is always a pencil skirt and heels with some bold jewelry. I like this gold cuff because it reminds me of watching Wonder Woman on TV when I was little. All I needed was the lasso... Heels and a pencil skirt put a little wiggle in my step and makes me feel like a strong, confident person, even if I feel like crud.

Limited blouse

J.Crew skirt

Nine West heels

H&M cuff (I think)

What about you? What is your favorite sort of outfit to boost your mood?

PIllow Plans

2011-04-21T08:41:00.001-04:00

Hey all, I'm back from a brief hiatus. I am doing much better this week than last week. Last week pretty much sucked, but we are daily getting better. I will say that I have never felt as surrounded by people who care about me as I did after announcing the news about my miscarriage. Seriously, I was continually reminded how truly blessed I am to have such great friends and family. And to all of those who shared their personal stories of pregnancy loss... thank you. It doesn't suck any less, but thank you all for your honesty.

***

So we got the slipcovers from Pottery Barn, which to be honest, look a little more shabby than chic at this point.

But I think a proper round of readjusment and steaming of the slipcovers and dressing it up with pillows will make a difference. After looking around, I have decided to ~~attempt to~~ make some covers for my existing pillows. Here are the fabric options.

Option #1 (sort of a nautical rope pattern):

Option #2 (a Nigerian bolt of fabric I have had for years):

Option #3 (Seersucker fabric from Joann's):

What direction should I go? All one color or a mix and match? Which fabric do you like the best?

The Inevitable Questions Post-Miscarriage

2011-04-11T06:49:00.003-04:00

How am I doing?
Fair to middling. Not even sure what "middling" really means, I have just always wanted to use that term to describe my mood. I am okay. Not great, but okay. Really. We are all intermittently weepy and I never know what will set me off, but I am here.

Do you need anything?
Red wine. And sushi. And pork products with lots of nitrates. And soft cheeses. And Motrin. And hugs (although those have been know to trigger tears, but I'll take my chances).

Do you regret telling people the news early?
I don't really regret saying anything at all. We told the news publicly around when I was 8-9 weeks, when we had already seen a heartbeat on the ultrasound, so we felt we may be out of the woods. We miscarried about 1.5 weeks later. I really have appreciated the humbling support of those who know and love me and I wouldn't be able to get through this without each of you.

Will you try again?
Of course. When we are emotionally ready, whenever that will be.

How is the Kid doing?
I am not sure how much she understands abstractly. We told her in a way that we believe she will understand. Basically explaining in a way that is consistent with our faith as well as telling her Mommy and Daddy will probably be sad for a while and that it is okay for her to be sad and cry. We are grateful to friends who have offered plenty of distractions for her. It was hard yesterday when she and I was talking about the cross (and how it symbolizes how God talks to man).

The Kid: So that means God can do anything, right?
Me: Right. God can do anything.
The Kid: How do you talk to God?
Me: You can talk to God any time you want by just praying and listening to him. Do you want to talk to God?
The Kid: Yes.
Me: Do you want to ask Him for anything?
The Kid: I want to ask Him to give me another brother or sister.
Me: He will, baby. Not right now, but He will again someday.

That is the hardest part. Helping a four year old grieve.

Will it be weird for you to be around pregnant people and baby showers?
Ummm, no. I am a pediatrician. I am constantly surrounded by pregnant ladies and babies, so any avoiding pregnant people will be impossible. I think having already had a child is probably helping me get through this. I could imagine myself being very bitter if I didn't already have a child. Not the most flattering admission, but a human one. I am ECSTATIC about my sister's upcoming shower and hope to be able to help throw a shower for a friend who is due the same time as I would have been (I'm looking at you, B.). Will I have a sense of longing? Sure. Jealous? No. I am incredibly proud of and happy for every single preggo I know.

What has surprised you?
I am absolutely humbled by the outpouring of love. I would say thank you, but it doesn't feel like enough. People who I haven't talked to since high school and elementary school have reached out. The internet can be a good thing. The way I revealed our grief publicly isn't for everyone. I know that. I have a friend from church who miscarried at the same stage of pregnancy and on the same day I did that few people know about. Some need to do this quietly. For me, sharing and talking lessens the weight a little.

I am also surprised at the private emails and texts and messages where SO MANY of my friends have gone through a pregnancy loss. Literally one in four messages was from a friend who had also miscarried. (Which is consistent with the statistic that 25% of ALL pregnancies end in miscarriage). Thank you each woman who shared her story.

I am not alone.

Now someone stop me before I start singing women's suffragette songs.

Sad News: Somewhere Between Loss and Hope

2011-04-09T08:18:00.005-04:00

This was our little Kid 2.0.

Was being the operative word. We lost the baby. I had some concerning bleeding this week and I went to the OB and got the news from the ultrasound that we had feared. The little flicker of a heartbeat that we had seen on the first ultrasound (as seen above) was no longer.

Heartbroken is the only way to describe our emotions. Even though we knew that the small gestational sac would increase the risk of miscarriage, we held out hope. I drank as much water as humanly possible, made myself rest and prayed for a miracle. The final ultrasound actually showed a HUGE gestational sac compared to the previous one, but there hadn't been that much growth in the interim.

The problem with being a blogger is that you live your life often out loud and so things that are usually hidden behind closed doors are brought to my laptop. Miscarriage is a bit of a taboo subject that makes people uncomfortable. Trust me when I say it sucks from this side of it. So I had to make the difficult announcement on Facebook as well as the calls and texts to friends. It is actually much easier online than in person. Saves people from seeing the blubbering in real life. I have a headache from crying so much and am hiding my puffy eyes by wearing sunglasses like Paris Hilton with the paparazzi.

But at this time of grief, I want to say thank you.

To all who have left me wonderful messages expressing their concern, thank you.
To my friends who immediately made offers of red wine and tequila, thank you.
To those who have let me weep on the phone with them, thank you.
To my co-workers who have given me as much time off as I need to grieve this baby, thank you.
To my church family who let me know the true meaning of community, thank you.
To my friends who have also known pregnancy loss and have given me hope, thank you.
To my mom and dad and sister and brother who know the pain of pregnancy loss and have offered nothing but love and support, thank you.
To my darling, darling daughter who reminds me daily what a beautiful gift a child is, thank you.
To my husband, there are no words. Thank you.
To my God who gave me the gift of this child for a brief but wonderful ten weeks, thank you.

I mourn, but not like those who have no hope.

Purple Chair SNAFU

2011-04-08T11:41:00.000-04:00

I messed up on the chair. Still haven't painted the desk. Will get to it. By the way, I love military acronyms. SNAFU is a great one. As is FUBAR and Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot. I have a potty mouth, but only with acronyms.

Here's what happened with the chair. It was all painted purple, a duckcloth seat was installed with the intention of using a Silhouette version of a giraffe to transfer fabric some lovely Dwell studio fabric onto the chair.

Crap. Looking closer.

Crappity-crap-crap-CRAP!

Won't go in this way...

Or this way...

Phooey. The front of the chair is about a 1/2 inch too wide for the opening of the desk. Back to the drawing board. This is the risk you take with thrifted and found pieces that are a great price. The desk will stay, the chair will go. And I am only out the $3 I paid for the spray paint. And lesson learned. I am carrying a measuring tape with me at all times.

Maybe the furniture universe is telling me to get an acrylic chair for the Kid's room after all.

Slipcover Salvation: Pottery Barn to the Rescue... Hopefully.

2011-04-08T09:36:00.007-04:00

Our upstairs family room has some sad, sad couches.

These were the two couches for $699 special that we got during our "post-grad chic" days when we had no money to speak of and even less of a sense of style.

I would be willing to bet that most people have some version of this sitting around their home somewhere. Perfectly serviceable, just not very attractive. And the ensemble is made complete with matching pillows that look like they were made out of a Bill Cosby sweater. Delightful.

I had brief delusions of grandeur of thinking that I was going to make slipcovers for these, a la Pink and Polka Dot's blog. Then I realized that my sewing skills are best left to me doing things that don't require zippers or actual measuring. Especially since I can't drink wine while I sew (red wine has been proven to lessen the amount of cursing that occurs during crafting projects).

Pottery Barn slipcovers to the rescue!

I spied these little pretties on sale last week and quickly ordered them in white for the couch. I went with white because I can OxiClean the heck out of any stain without worrying about discoloration or fading. They should be arriving soon. I am thinking some new pillows are also in order and was browsing Etsy for pillows. While slipcovers may be beyond my scope, I think I can handle sewing a square. I love what Katie from Bower Power did with her pillows in her old living room.

We are keeping the wall color in the family room as is, a dark blue with grey undertones. Anyone out there have any experience with these Pottery Barn (or other) slipcovers? Suggestions for fabric sites for pillows?

Chime in!