Our Weekend: Nursery Updates, IKEA Trip & More

Our morning started off early---with the nursery chandelier and curtains installed at 8:30 a.m. followed by a trip to Rice Village to pick up our glider.

I'm so thrilled with how the nursery looks right now.  It's such a beautiful, serene space. I think it's actually turning out better than I had imagined as it all comes together---and it's not even complete yet!

After picking up our glider we had a delicious lunch at Hungry's---one of my favorite lunch spots. I absolutely love their chicken salad plate and tomato basil soup. YUM.

Best.chicken.salad.ever.

Before leaving the Village, we stopped in at Baby Gap because the entire store was 30% off. In addition to picking up some socks, I also got three adorable little items for the baby:

one/ two /three

Speaking of shopping, I mentioned in a previous post that I haven't shopped for myself in a long time. I'm perfectly content wearing all of the clothes I already have right now and I look forward to treating myself to some new pieces when I return to work after the baby is here.  I did pick up a couple of items at Target the other day though, so I thought I'd share them!

I loved the stretchy tech fabric of this Champion brand shirt. The color is also a great neutral to pair with brighter workout clothes. It was $24.99 and I got a size medium. It's super long too which is great for the bump. 

I also picked up this lilac cotton shirt by Xhiliration for $12.99.  I love wearing tops like this for lounging around the house and running errands. This one is a size large, to accommodate my bump.

Finally, the last item was something I ordered online---I bought this Forever 21 dress in hopes that it would work for one of my baby showers.  Plus, I wear maxi dresses all the time in the summer so it will work great post-pregnancy too:

(buy here- and check out the image on the model- really pretty!)

After we dropped off the glider at home today, we went to IKEA to pick up more items for the  nursery.  We bought some frames for wall art, some ledges we will use as book shelves (thank you Pinterest!) and a new LACK coffee table. 

IKEA on a Saturday afternoon=madness central!

We've had our LACK coffee table for five years now and after years of wear-and-tear and a move, it had all kinds of dings on it and was just looking really banged up (I had been using a black Sharpie to cover all of the dings but even that was no longer doing the job). It's a steal at $39.99 so we decided that since we loved it so much, we would get a new one.

I'm so glad we decided to get it! One word of warning though---the legs of our table didn't come with the holes that were supposed to be pre-drilled into them to install the shelf underneath the table.  Thankfully, my husband was able to use his drill to drill in the holes and it all worked out---but I would check the box before you buy to make sure the legs of the table have the holes in them.  It's really not a difficult job, but if you don't have a drill you'd have to return it for a new one.

Before I go---I wanted to clarify something about my last blog post because I have gotten some Facebook comments about it and also a nasty anonymous comment here on my blog.  Firstly, we do not put our dog in the crib on a regular basis.  The photo of Lulu inside of the crib was a one-time deal the day it was delivered and he was in it for less than 30 seconds while I snapped a quick photo.  The sheet he was on has not been washed and the mattress the sheet is on is still wrapped in its original plastic, even today.  Also, at no point during Lulu's 30 seconds in the crib did he touch or make any kind of contact with the bumper (which we ended up exchanging for a different color). He was dead-center in the middle of the crib, sitting and as soon as I snapped the photo I lifted him right out.  I didn't let him walk around or roll around in there.

And speaking of the bumper---I get they aren't for everyone and some people think they are stupid/wasteful/dangerous. I mentioned we did not plan to use it once the baby is sleeping in the crib for safety reasons, but that I got it because I like the way it completes the look of the crib---which is true, and I know tons of moms who did the same thing (and even a few who got some nasty-grams on their blogs about it too).  When we purchased our crib and some of the other items and bedding we ordered, Restoration Hardware Baby & Child was having a promotion where you received $100 off of your order every time you spent a certain amount.  In order to reach this amount and get more money off of our order, I decided to order the bumper to bring us to a total that would save us more money---so basically, it ended up costing me $30 and not the price it sells for online. I don't see that as a waste, if you do, that's okay, but please don't leave me a nasty comment about it.

Speaking of nursery updates---I contemplated showing progress photos (and I may still do that) but I also like the idea of waiting until it's all complete. I will do a full source list for anyone who is interested in where the items in our nursery were purchased.  Right now all of the big elements are in place---furniture, lighting and window treatments.  It's all of the little details that I'm so excited about. I have a few DIY projects I'm planning as well so I may do some separate posts on those if y'all are interested.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend and thank you for reading!

Weekend Updates

This morning I met with one of my friends for a lovely brunch at Sweet Paris.  I had a Bonne Mama crepe with four berry jam and a side salad with strawberries. YUM!  If you are in Houston, definitely check it out. They also have crepes with eggs, meat, etc. So delicious and the decor is really nice as well (think tufted bench seating and gorgeous chandeliers).

Simple weekend outfit- GAP maternity really skinny pants, Lululemon cool racerback tank, 

Tory Burch Reva flats and a Banana Republic sweater. Sorry for the sad facial expression. 

Don't know what was going on there.

After brunch I met my husband in the Village and we headed to the baby boutique Doodles to look at the glider we were contemplating for our nursery.  If you remember from a post a few weeks ago, this is the one we were looking at:

The consultant at Doodles told us that the glider we were looking at also comes in a style with a taller back and suggested we take a look since we are both tall.  We decided to go with the taller back style since it is the exact same chair and just a few inches taller (so now we can both lean back and have full shoulder/neck/head support).

We picked a textured ivory fabric that a couple of shades lighter than the fabric on the glider above.  It won't be ready for another 6-8 weeks but I'll be sure to post photos when it comes in.  The thing I love most about the chair other than how it looks and how comfortable it is, is that the slipcover is pre-washed and can be removed and washed at home. 

We decided against getting the matching ottoman. I kind of wanted a mis-matched ottoman from the start---and also, the ottoman was nearly $600. For an ottoman. Let me repeat that. $600, for an ottoman. I just cannot in any way, shape or form justify that. I don't mind investing in pieces of furniture that are versatile and will stand the test of time, but I just couldn't get on board with a $600 ottoman---nearly the cost of the glider itself!  

I like that this glider can later be used in a living room. I've often thought of how nice it would be to have a reading nook.  Maybe in the future in our next home!

Here's the glider we got (but as I mentioned, ours is not in this fabric):

After ordering our glider we decided to make a quick stop at Carter's because the entire store was 40% off and I also had an additional 20% off coupon (the sale is online too, click here!) I don't want to buy too many clothes, but I do take advantage of sales when i can so I don't have to pay full price, especially since I have time on my side and can wait for all of the sales.  Here are a few items I purchased:

Muslin swaddle blankets-loved the sweet prints on these

(buy here)

baby mittens and socks, which I've heard are essentials those first few months...

...and this adorable bathing suit (buy it here). I just couldn't resist.  I purchased it in the 18 month size because the store associate told me they tend to run small. I'm really buying very little newborn sized clothing. All of the moms (and some dads!) I know advised me to buy everything in larger sizes because babies grow so fast, especially out of the newborn-sized clothes. I also buy things based on season---so I don't buy sweaters or anything too warm in smaller sizes because the baby will be born in the summer---I always buy warmer items in the 6-9 month size.  Have to think ahead! Mostly I'm just buying onesies because babies pretty much live in them for the first few months. I'm saving the dresses and other outfits for when baby is older.

I also wanted to share with you a special gift that arrived in the mail this week! I know Francis from the online/blogging world---she has three sweet girls and blogs over at It's a Pink Life. The busy mamma also runs her very own business making handmade bibs and baby headbands. She was so sweet to send me a couple of beautiful items for our baby. I am thankful to have such thoughtful and generous readers. Thank you Francis!  Check out her store, FHJ Baby, here.

Tomorrow my goal is to clean out and re-organize my closet. When it starts to get warmer, I rearrange it to have my warmer weather clothes right out at the front and move the more wintery items to the back. 

I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend! 

Weekend Snapshots

Just a quick weekend update post since my posting has been all over the place this week!  As you read in my last post, I was having major computer issues. I took my computer to the Microsoft store (which, BTW, has amazing customer service) and they told me that the hard drive was not the problem, it was the OS that crashed. So I'm going to retrieve my data to load onto my new computer.

I bit the bullet and got a MacBook Air.  I wanted a super lightweight, super fast machine that was easy to use for what I needed it for (blogging, photos, video).  It should be here in the next week or so.  I haven't purchased a new laptop in about 7 years so it was great to hear from everyone in my last post about their Mac experiences.

Here are a few snapshots from my weekend:

Our gorgeous Restoration Hardware Flatiron Collection dining table arrived---but it had a strange black tar stain on it (the tissue shows some pieces I was able to get off). It's a very small area, but you can still see it since the wood is so light (and once you notice it, you can't stop noticing it, sigh). Luckily, our RH rep is amazing and he is having them send us a replacement table (should have it in a week or so). I've kind of already gotten attached to this one, but when you pay so much for a table it really should be without flaws and the black stuff can't be completely removed. I will take photos when our new one is here. It's such a gorgeous piece and works perfectly in the space.

My hair is starting to fade again---but I kind of like how it all blends together. I think next time I'll dye the roots darker again and get more ombre (lighter color) towards the ends. I wanted to post a more true to life picture since in my outfit photos my hair looks a lot darker than it really is due to having to adjust the exposure and color of my photos. The photo above was not adjusted at all.

And here are my new J.Crew ballerina flats I wore to work Friday. I had to use some of my Stiletto Hardware insoles in them (thank you Kelly!) but they fit perfect with the inserts. Size down in these ones.

My Saturday morning started off with a workout with my trainer.This photo makes me realize I need to self-tan.  My workout most definitely involved my friend and I lifting and flipping over a massive black tire 30 times. What a way to kick-start our weekend!

Here I am right before heading out to have my laptop looked at.  For some reason I hated everything this weekend, clothing wise, and so I went for a super loose, super comfy, off-the-shoulder top.

IN LOVE with these bracelets sent to me by one of my readers,  Rachel.  She also sent me a gold one which I will show you all soon!  I love this double-decker bracelet...perfect arm candy for your work week or weekend---and super affordable too. You can check out Rachel's Etsy shop, Amour Couture, here.

My weekend finished off with a lazy Sunday--- I got a (much needed) pedicure, went grocery shopping and got some new underwear at Victoria's Secret---they let me use 3 coupons so I paid for 3 pairs (the lacie) and got 3 pairs for free of the low-rise lace hip-huggers! Score!  Thank you VS :)

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend!