he has arrived!!! our little bundle of joy has made his tough journey into the world and blessed us with his perfect little presence.  we could not be happier. seriously.  before i go on, i must share a picture.

the name was chosen long before he was even a glimpse.  we fell in love with it while we still lived in tennessee, and fortunately, it stuck.  his middle name is that of my dear father-in-law, who passed away suddenly this summer. he was absolutely ecstatic to find out about his first grandchild.  it seemed perfect that his name was included.  he would have been honored, and he would have cried when he met him. i know this.

being a mother has taken it’s toll on me- mostly my emotions.  i cry over literally nothing. i sobbed when the pediatrician told me i wasn’t feeding him enough.  i cried when he puked all over tyler, after we tried to feed him more than we already were.  3 times.  i cry when i look at him, when i hold him, when he smiles, when he wimpers.  i cry when i think about all the babies who aren’t loved and i can’t imagine how someone could NOT love their baby.  until i was a mother, i never understood the deep, inexplicable love you immediately have for this little one.  i also never understood how much they change your entire life.  people always say that, and you spend 9 months worrying if you will miss your old life.  if you will miss date nights with your husband, or cuddling, or being able to leave the house at the drop of a hat.  and i’m sure i will want a date night, and cuddling will never quite be the same, and i will be flustered and frustrated for the next 20 years with how long it takes to get everyone out the door.  but i don’t miss my old life. not for a second.  once this happens, it’s impossible to look back. i can’t even remember what it was like to not have him in our lives.  he has brought with him stress and anxiety, but mostly, pure simple joy.  unrequited love.  i can’t imagine not being a mother. this is what i was made to do.  when God fearfully and wonderfully made me, He made me to do this.  and i can’t wait to see what He made Graham to be.

also amazing is the love i now have for my husband. watching him take care of Graham is quite possibly the sweetest [and sexiest] thing ever.  there is something incredibly manly about it.  he’s so comfortable with it.  he doesn’t get anxiety like i do.  he’s been a wonderful father and i can’t imagine doing this with out him.  i am so blessed. truly. and i can’t wait to see their father/son relationship grow. oh, the things they will do together… : /

we have amazing family and friends who are helping us through these first weeks and lifting us up in prayer.  thank you.  we love each of you and can’t wait to introduce Graham to everyone we know!

my awesome sister-in-law has inspired me to write down my new years resolutions.  i am aware this is 12 days overdue, but better late than never, eh?  so here’s my list, in order of importance:

• design & build our own house- we’ve been working on it for the past year, so i’m not sure this counts, but i want to be finished and moved in by December.  this will be my very first SOLO project as a designer, and i’m anxious to see my abilities.  i know i have good taste [i know, conceited right?! but it's true] , but i’m not sure how to pull everything together and make those decisions for my own home.  where i will live. day after day.  will i get bored? most certainly.  will i hate certain things? of course.  will i make a few blunders? obviously. but i hope to have a warm, cozy, home that is inspired by and inspires our family.  here’s a little taste of the selectionss we’ve made so far:
• raw concrete floors [yup]
• huge custom shag rug for our dropped living space- there will be a one step drop down into the living area. i love this.
• custom cabinets in this greyed/brown wood- kitchen & baths designed and ordered by none other than WHS
• vintage vein cut 9″x2″ travertine backsplash tile for the kitchen- going all the way to the ceiling. yummy

• be the best mom & wife i can possibly be. learn to juggle all the house work, make time for baking, cooking, laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping [which i'm starting to coupon. yes. that's right,] work, and spending oodles of time with my little munchkin.
• learn how to play the fiddle, the violin, the banjo, or all three. ok, so probably just one of them. and if i had my choice, it would be the fiddle.  if anyone knows how to play any of these instruments or has one that i could purchase/have for cheap, let me know! i need lessons too. i’m serious about this. 
• plan a wedding!!!! i’ve been commissioned to help with our very dear friend’s wedding- the uniting of mr. Dallas & miss Colleen!!!! she will be in Honduras until late June and they want to have the wedding in August. so a lot has to be done in a short amount of time. i’ve always dreamed of being a wedding planner [on the side of course] and i can’t wait to do this.  i’m honored.
• lose the baby weight. i am DETERMINED- this 45 extra lbs has to go.  i’ve been tortured by the scale since i found out i was pregnant. tell me all you want about how it’s healthy, how it’s for the baby, how it’s fine… but it doesn’t feel fine.  i never imagined i would weigh the same as my husband. it actually never even crossed my mind.  i will shed these lbs like it’s nobodies business. after all, i got a jogging stroller for a reason. press on!
• start mountain biking again.  i missed an entire summer of this amazing sport. i absolutely loved it when i got to do it the summer before.  i cannot express the freedom and pure joy i feel when i’m riding. the downhill is absolutely terrifying, but invigorating. i’m not very good, nor hardcore, but doing something i love is important to me. plus, it will help with the above resolution. 2 birds with one stone!

so, there’s my list.  what’s yours? i encourage you to write them down, if you don’t have a blog or don’t feel like sharing.  happy new year to everyone and thanks for reading.  i look forward to sharing 2012 with all of you!!

so i’ve hit 30 weeks. it’s a pretty crazy milestone for a pregnant woman- and a pretty uncomfortable one at that.  the greatest thing is everyone continually reminding me that i have 10 more weeks to go. YIPPEE! here are a few things i’m getting tired of [sorry for the graphic nature]:

• my boobs sitting directly on top of my gut.  it’s uncomfortable to say the least and makes a women feel less than her best.
• the constant body aches and back pains
• the gas. i’m bloated. always. it’s relentless.
• living in a climate where it is necessary to wear socks and boots since October.  november is getting to be quite the struggle and i’m having a hard time imagining january.  i love everything about the mountains, don’t get me wrong, but it’s turned out to be quite the daunting task- my wonderful, amazing, loving husband has been more than helpful in this area.

 

we can’t wait to meet our Baby H and introduce him to all of you, but hope he waits another 10 weeks to make his arrival!  thanks for all the support and prayers.  we are so blessed.

 

so i started this post a long time ago- approximately 4 months ago.  well, started is a dramatization… i wrote the header.  planning to tell all my DIE HARD readers about my pregnancy obviously went by the wayside, and now we’re only 3 months away from having a little boy.

YIPPEE!!! my life is about to dramatically change and i could not be more excited about it.  my husband and i are overjoyed with the idea of adding a 3rd party to our little family [or 4th if you count our precious pooch, Porter.]

i must admit, i’m a little worried about her, as she’s been the love of my life since we got her 3 years ago. almost to the day actually.  but i’m sure she’ll adjust and love our little bundle of blue just as much as we do.

so being an interior designer, i’ve been getting comments like “oh, i can’t wait to see your nursery!”  ”oh i’m sure you’re going to decorate it SOO cute” and “you’re nursery will be the greatest i’m sure, with all your creative genius”  [ok, so maybe no one has called me a creative genius, but you get the idea] sadly, i will not be decorating a beautiful nursery.  i won’t get my creative juices flowing for this one.

BACKGROUND: we care take for some very great people who are allowing us to stay here, with a baby, and a dog who sheds 19 lbs of fur/week.  this house is large and the next room from ours is down a long and dark hallway. a nursery is out of the question, and a baby who needs to be fed many times through out the night isn’t going to be residing down a long and dark hallway.

SOLUTION: large master closet=nursery.  you will find i’ve made it cozy and efficient.

here you’ll see the changing table [Gulliver from IKEA] i thought this was perfect- simple, clean, plenty of space for all the baby essentials, open for easy access, and super reasonable!

i’ve also finished my little dresser, which was originally going to be our changing table, until i realized it was about 6″ too short.  it makes the perfect little armoir for Baby H’s little onsies, socks, and clothes.  plus, it’s adorable.

inside our closet, we have another closet, which made for the perfect crib room- this way the door can be closed, and Tyler can get up and ready for work with out waking Baby H, who will be sleeping in until 8 or 9 every morning [yes, i've decided this will be his sleeping pattern, do not burst my bubble]  the bedding i chose, after months of research, is from pottery barn.

i loved the idea of the lion and the lambs- the lion represents our heavenly Father, who will be watching over our precious little lamb. i couldn’t help but imagine Aslan. the crib was a gift from the family i used to babysit for. i love that we got a free crib AND that it’s being re-used.  it’s beautiful and perfect.

i can’t wait to start seeing the “nursery” come together more.  i think we’ve got a pretty good start so far!

i’ve been spending hours at the drafting table [yes, literally, i'm hand drawing our house plans.]  we’re building a small, moderately efficient home in the harsh mountains of colorado.  we’re really trying to get the most out of our space, and with views being a major factor in our layout, we’ve ended up with an entry that plops you smack dab into our mudroom.  for those of you who don’t have a mudroom, or have never even heard of a mudroom, alas, an explanation.  when you live in the mountains, you spend a vast majority of your time outdoors, and 70% of our year is covered in snow.  which makes for a lot of mud = a room dedicated to muddy, wet, gross gear is absolutely essential.

problem: our guests will enter where our gear resides.  solution:  ???  BARN DOORS!  i’ve always loved them, wanted them, and now i feel they are a necessity to my some day home.  while i keep a tidy home, i know how things can get away from you, and as we want a family someday, well… we all know how that goes.   i’ve posted a picture of the entry/mudroom solution- barn doors covering a closet holding shoes/boots/coats/snowpants/bike gear/etc. which can be moved to cover open shelves on either side of it.  so instead of walking into our mess, you’ll be blown away by the awesomeness of our barn doors, an unbelievable bench and off the chain piece of bfrancesi artwork hanging in the entry.

 

now for the fun part

 

 

 

 

aaaaaaaaaaaand my personal favorite [i know, i may have overdone the examples, but i couldn't help myself]……..

 

so i’ve done my final fine grit sanding and needed to fill a couple holes where the old hardware went. i used a product, DAP Plastic Wood, to fill the holes- roll it into a tiny ball, push it into the space and make it mound a little on top. When it dries, sand it back down so it’s even with the rest of the surface.

 

next step! PAINT! i cannot tell you how much i loved getting to this part. it’s when you can actually start seeing a difference. i chose Wool Coat from our friendly Ace Hardware paint selection.  i decided to go with a flat sheen… you’ll find out why i regretted that decision in a few short moments.

 

i found some cute little wooden knobs at the local hardware store and found them quite quaint in their natural state. i decided not to paint them. i love how they look.

after the paint dried, it felt HORRIBLY chalky. i can’t stand that feeling, it gives me the heeby jeebies. so my husband suggested i use spray on instant drying laquer to give it a glossier feel.  it worked great.

i’m SO close to being finished now, i can hardly stand it.  all i have left to do is find some hinging that works with these doors. it’s been a little tricky.  will post again soon! i have a “last week of june” deadline.

as you all know, i love color infused  interior design almost as much as i love wearing neutrals.  today my focus is on RED.  the color of passion, anger, love, & war. .. vibrant and always holds it’s own.

i had about 3x this many photos of rooms/etc. but i’m having some issues posting them. not sure why they wouldn’t show : / use your imagination ?

 

i kind of lost it with the lighting theme &  i still have a few more treats in my bag

found here: made from reclaimed doug fir and the twig [from a Galiano tree] serves as the pull switch. nifty, eh?

product of the day: Flor, and here’s what they’re all about “Great design isn’t just beautiful. It’s a beautiful solution. FLOR’s solution is an ingenious design system that blends form and function and includes a commitment to be environmentally responsible. Our dedication to caring for the planet carries over into everything we do from design and manufacturing to reclaiming and recycling old FLOR into new.” and here’s how!

• “Design: FLOR is designed with the end in mind. Our 19.7-inch squares are beautiful, functional and recyclable.
• Manufacturing: Our manufacturing processes are as energy-efficient as possible. We use renewable energy sources and technologies which help reduce our emissions and waste.
• Use: FLOR’s modular, square format means that it is a flexible, practical and scalable design system.
• Delivery: FLOR is efficiently packaged in easy-to-manage boxes delivered direct to your door.
• Reclaiming: FLOR is designed to be taken apart so face fibers and backing materials can be recycled into new product through our Return & Recycle Program.”

we’ve been looking at these quite a bit, as we plan to do raw concrete floors on the majority of our main level.  rugs are expensive, and hard to find something you love on a budget.  i plan to put these great tiles to use- ranging from $7-$40 something/square [19.7 x 19.7] and they’ve got inexhaustible options.

seriously, this is just a SLICE of what they offer. check em out!

love love LOVE this house… all of it