Ch-ch-ch-changes!

At the very end of August, we received the unexpected news that our landlords want to move back into our house and that we had 60 days to find a new place to live. Thus began a crazy hectic month that has culminated in a few big changes for our family. The first is that we purchased a home. It wasn't at all in our immediate plans, but when we started looking at other rental houses, we found that buying a home was actually only somewhat more expensive and would afford us a much nicer house in a better neighborhood. We are in the right place in our lives to purchase a home, and it just turned out to make more sense. So, we hired a realtor and began exploring neighborhoods. 

The location of Jason's job meant that we could look anywhere from central Austin up to the northern suburbs. After a few long car rides driving through parts of Austin we didn't even know existed, we were able to narrow our search down to our preferred neighborhood. Then, we started looking at houses. We probably toured 25-30 homes. We found one we loved and made an offer, and then promptly lost it in a bidding war. With such a short window to find and close on a house and then move in, we were discouraged. Jason had a business trip to Chicago, but we decided I should go out and look with our realtor again on a weekday rather than wait until the next weekend. There was one particular home that had shown up on my MLS database search that I was interested in seeing, but the morning I had scheduled to meet up with our realtor, this particular house was listed as temporarily off the market. Our realtor made a call and found out the family was moving out that day and didn't want buyers to see it while it was messy, but they agreed to let us in. It turned out to be a fantastic house that would be a great fit for our family. I tracked Jason down between meetings in Chicago and suggested that we make an offer. He looked at the photos online and then decided we should go for it. So I negotiated back and forth with the seller, and by the time Jason returned home the next day, we were under contract on the house. The following day, we drove him out to see the house with our realtor, and he loved it. We are now moving towards closing and will hopefully move in the last weekend in October.

Our other big change is that I am heading back to work on Monday. I've absolutely loved staying home full time with Nicholas for the past eight months, but it was never a part of our long term plan. I knew that I would return to work outside the home in some capacity. Earlier this summer, my former boss began discussing the possibility of a role for me at his new company. I wasn't sure if I wanted to pursue it, but we talked several times throughout August, and it began to sound like a great opportunity for me. Finally, I had a formal interview with the company and decided I was very interested in the position. I accepted an offer in mid-September, but they didn't want me to start for several weeks-- which worked out great because it gave us time to find a daycare situation for Nicholas. 

At this point, we knew we were moving, so we started looking at daycares near our new neighborhood. I toured several facilities that I'm sure would have been fine, but we were so lucky to get into one of the best daycares in the city. It typically has a year-plus waiting list, but they happened to have a spot opening up the week we would need it. And it turns out the spot was opening up because the daughter of one of our good friends from church (who I bumped into unexpectedly when I went to tour the school) was moving up to the next age group's classroom. It seemed like it was meant to be. And, the best part? The new house, my new job, and Nicholas' school are all within just 2-3 miles of each other. I have mixed feelings about heading back to work. Part of me is excited about the new opportunity, and part of me is dreading leaving Nicholas. I know it will probably be a tough couple weeks as we get used to our new routine, but I feel like the pieces have all fallen into place so perfectly that I feel a sense of peace about this change. I know it doesn't have to be forever, but I feel like this job is where I'm supposed to be for the time being. 

So, big changes all around. I have no idea how I'm going to swing this working mom thing. (If you have tips, feel free to share.) I don't even really know what it's going to entail. I guess I'll find out soon enough. And, then we have the fun of packing up our house and moving across town while I'm still learning the ropes at my new job and easing Nicholas into his new schedule. It should be a wild October. But, we're excited and looking forward to getting settled into our new home and new routine.

Nicholas' Nursery

I'm about six (or seven) months late in posting this, but I wanted to share some pictures of Nicholas' nursery.  I'm pretty confident in the kitchen and I happily experiment in the garden, but decorating... well, frankly, it intimidates me. That's not to say that I don't have my own personal style, but I just don't spend a lot of time  pondering paint colors, imagining ways to rearrange my furniture, or conjuring up the perfect tablescape. Likewise, I was never someone who daydreamed about decorating a baby's nursery. When we found out we were pregnant and moved into our current house, I literally had no idea what I wanted to do with the nursery. After we found out we were having a boy, I remembered an old Babar movie poster that I took from the entrance of the Paris metro when I was studying abroad during college and had saved all these years. Bingo! Babar was my jumping off point.

The only other idea I had was that I wanted to paint the room yellow. After some discussion, Jason vetoed yellow in favor of blue, and I figured it was probably in my interest to let Dad have a little bit of say in some of our baby preparation decisions. But, then, the dilemma... what shade of blue? After perusing several sites where I could select fabric and design my own custom bedding (also vetoed by Dad... OK, fine, so it wasn't exactly budget friendly), I found a crib sheet in a jungle pattern that included both elephants and an appealing shade of aqua blue on the Carter's website. From there, the rest of the room came together pretty easily. We went with a similar shade of aqua on the walls, and then used navy accents throughout. My goal was to keep everything in the room as budget friendly as possible (props to Target), while still winding up with a cute place for our little boy to sleep and play. I think we succeeded.

As you enter the room (the door is on the right side of the picture below) and look to your right, you'll find our awesome glider, gifted to us by Jason's thoughtful mother and sister. I have logged more hours in this thing than I ever could have imagined, and it's amazingly comfy.

Sitting in the glider and looking to your left is the crib. It's from the Baby Cache line at Babies'R'Us. It was easy to put together and has held up great so far (although, to be fair, Nicholas isn't giving it much wear and tear yet.)

Above the crib is my one crafty contribution to the nursery. If I'm not a decorator by nature, then I am most definitely not crafty. But I'm pretty proud of my mobile. I was looking for an elephant mobile on Etsy and found several like this one that were selling for $85-plus. I thought, "I could make that!" So I did. It took a little trial and error, but after several trips to Hobby Lobby, a lot of felt, some spray paint, and the first three seasons of Breaking Bad, I put this mobile together for the low, low price of just over $30. Not bad. And I like how it helps tie together the crib sheet with the other Babar elements.

Looking from the crib over to the right, you'll find Nicholas' dresser and changing station. The dresser is a vintage piece I bought at a used furniture store right after I graduated from college. It came with a beat-up paint job that showed some light blue under the white, so after I purchased it, I added to the distressed look by sanding down all the edges to show more of the blue. As it turns out, it matched the shade of blue we chose for Nicholas' walls perfectly. The top is a little narrow, but we've made it work as a changing table.

And above the dresser, you see the Babar movie poster. I have some slight hoarding tendencies, so even though I compulsively save things, I'm not always sure I'll find a use for them in the future. But my inability to throw anything away paid off this time. I've been carting this poster around from apartment to apartment since I graduated from college, always thinking maybe someday I would find a home for it. And now I have. I had it matted and framed at Hobby Lobby and I love how it turned out. I hope it's something Nicholas will enjoy in his room for years to come... or at least until he hits junior high and wants to replace it with a Megadeth (or the 2025 equivalent of such) poster.

So there you have it... Nicholas' room, only seven months late. I'll close with a shot of the little guy lounging in his bed. I think he's happy with it.

We Made It!

After a very long week+ of cleaning, painting, and packing (in 104 degree weather), we are totally moved into our new place. We are currently surrounded by mounds of boxes in most rooms, but the kitchen is about 85% put away, so that feels like a huge accomplishment. As we were unpacking, I realized that at least 50% of our entire household's possessions live in the kitchen. Kind of crazy. (And maybe a sign that we need to invest in some furniture.) Now that we've gone through all of it and I've re-discovered many long lost cooking implements and pretty serveware items, I am totally motivated to start whipping up some goodies in my new kitchen.

We still have a semi-long list of to-do's. We (OK, Jason) spent most of last week painting the interior trim and the master bedroom, a well as the front and back doors. (It's hard to see in the picture above, but the doors and window trim are a deep plum color.) We still want to tackle some paint touch ups in the kitchen, and we are having the carpet replaced in two bedrooms so we don't want to get too settled in those rooms when we'll just have to move everything out again in a few weeks. But, overall, it's definitely starting to feel like home. We love the house's 1930s charm-- more pictures to come as we get settled and decorated.

And, most importantly, I got a full, uninterrupted 8 hours of sleep last night for the first time in weeks. Well rested, and with the worst of the move behind us, I definitely feel like a new woman.

Lazy Weekend

We (or, more appropriately, I) had a really lazy weekend. (My husband, on the other hand, probably spent at least 25 hours studying.) A month or two ago I bought a one-time house cleaning coupon from Morgan's Deals (a Groupon knock-off), and with our upcoming onslaught of house guests for J's graduation, I figured now was a great time to get my house spic and span. And it was sooooo nice. Back in my free-wheelin' single days, I used to have a house cleaner come twice a month. To clean my apartment. My studio apartment. As if 350 square feet was even enough space to make a mess. I hear some single girls enjoy massive collections of designer shoes. My drug of choice was apparently obsessive compulsive disorder.

But I digress... after we got married, got on a budget, and, oh yeah, my husband got laid off, I became our house cleaner of choice. And as we plan to stick to our Dave Ramsey budget and baby steps, I will continue to be our house cleaner of choice (with help from J of course... the man cleans a mean shower). But, for one weekend, it was such a treat to have it done for me. The windows, counters, and floors are all sparkling. And the best part was that while they were cleaning, I managed to tackle some other projects around the house to the tune of a refrigerator deep clean, pantry and linen closet organization, and seven, yes S-E-V-E-N, loads of laundry. Ahhhhhh, nothing soothes quite like a cleaning binge. (Satisfied smile.)

And now-- having started a post about a pleasant, relaxing weekend and then written a novel about house cleaning-- I realize I need to get some hobbies. But, never fear, the cleaning binge on Saturday morning allowed me to enjoy a nap on Saturday afternoon, followed by drinks out with friends on Saturday evening. And then on Sunday, my day consisted of church, a good circuit training workout, an hour by the pool with a novel, and dinner at our friends' Tylor and Erin's house.

Sadly, finals week prevented J from partaking in most of these activities. But-- I almost forgot the highlight of the weekend!-- on Friday night we enjoyed a special date night out at Jasper's, courtesy of a gift card J received from his sister for his birthday back in January. We wanted to save it for a special occasion and figured that it would be perfect for a "days-away-from-completing-grad-school" celebratory dinner before his parents arrive next weekend. And it was sooooo nice treating ourselves to a fancy dinner out for the first time in months (fancy restaurant dinners being another luxury we've given up in the past few years.) I have to say... when it's a special treat, we really enjoy it all the more. I loved every bite of my field greens and filet mignon (and bites of his prime rib), the wine complemented the food perfectly, and the molten chocolate cake with tres leches sauce was a delicious as it sounds. All in all, a perfect night, and hopefully a prelude to more fun celebrations as graduation nears.

What was the highlight of your weekend?

What's your design style?

I found this fun little quiz over at Young House Love. Apparently my design style most resembles "Old World Extravagance." The motley crew of used furniture and IKEA pieces I purchased a decade ago for my first apartment (and still make up most of my furniture collection) beg to differ, but I guess a girl can dream, right? Maybe my next place will live up to this description:

"Cozy, not oversized-- a handcrafted gem. Your kitchen is your prize. Decorative, finished... elegant. The bedroom exudes a sensuous tranquility. Like the painter's brush, your composition is done in living color. A sense of rolling hills and vineyards surround this table. The glass of red-- a highly recommended habit. Pre-war, upper east side attitude. Focused on good food and good company-- you're the chef!"

What's your design style?

A sight I never thought I'd see...

Snow day in Austin! We got two very light dustings last year that melted within the hour, but this is real snow. It's barely more than an inch, but in Austin that means no school, no work, no transit of any kind. And I am more than happy to oblige. Snow day!!

Christmas Ornament Exchange

This year I participated in the Christmas Ornament Exchange, hosted by Karen from Karen At Home and Shannon from Webbisodes. They paired us each up with a partner and we picked out and shipped a special holiday ornament to our partner. My partner was the lovely B, from I.M.T.L.Y., and she sent me this gorgeous gold ball:

Up close

On the tree

I think I kind of like it with my sparkly mantle decorations!

The ornament exchange was a fun way to get introduced to some new blogs and bloggers, and I will definitely be participating next year. Thanks for hosting, ladies!

Fall

In Texas, people love fall. Actually, I think people love fall all over the Southeast, Midwest, and Northeast, too-- although for different reasons. In the Northwest, fall is nice. You enjoy some foliage, cheer on some football (go Ducks!), and maybe even do a little apple picking or cider sampling. You know... it's pleasant. But it's not the season that everyone looks forward to (almost desperately) for nine months out of the year. (That would be summer, when we finally get our body's quota of Vitamin D.) However, here in Texas, fall is definitely everyone's favorite season. Six months ago, when the blue bonnets were out in full force, I would have put money squarely on spring as the best season in Texas, but I'm coming around on fall... it's definitely bringing the competition.

I've already waxed poetic on the beautiful weather and lack of humidity (after summer, the cooler temps and lack of humidity are reason alone to love fall.) There's football, but I think we can all agree that Texas doesn't have a whole lot to get excited about in that department this year. I think what was really holding me back in terms of unabashedly loving fall was that it took me a while to get over the fact that fall doesn't have to mean sweaters, boots, and hot beverages. It doesn't have to mean thick stews and chilly nights. I may not even need to wear a jacket outside until December because the high today was 87 (true story.) But, I do have endless reasons to get outside and enjoy the great outdoors: jogging after work because it's now in the 80s and it actually feels good. Hiking in the Greenbelt. Grilling up a storm. (And, yes, I occasionally still wear boots and sweaters or sip a pumpkin spice latte in the comfort of my AC because I feel like it.)

So, in honor of my new found love of fall (and Hobby Lobby), I spruced up my mantle a little with some some seasonal flair. I'm way late in sharing my fall decor with the blog world, but better late than never. I give you my autumnal mantlescape... Enjoy!

Snow Day!

We had bona fide snow today here in Austin, Texas. For three, maybe four, hours this morning, big fluffy flakes drifted down, just coating the ground. This, of course, created a "weather emergency," and as a result our office closed down at 1pm. No complaints here! Shockingly, I had no meetings booked for this afternoon, so I was able to come home and work from the couch for a couple hours while watching 7th Heaven reruns. (I don't know... I just happened to flip past the Hallmark channel and they were on... No judgement... ; )

I also whipped up a batch of chocolate chip cookies (what's a snow day without baked goods?!) and now I'm sipping a glass of pinot grigio with rosemary chicken and potato fennel gratin roasting in the oven. It's so amazing to be able to leisurely cook dinner on a weeknight, have it actually be ready by 7pm, and be able to clean as you go so that the kitchen is sparkling when you sit down to dinner. I love me a good snow day!

(And yes, two days ago I was lying out by the pool. Apparently this is par for the course in Texas.)

Deck the Halls!

We did our holiday decorating last week, and I'm really happy with how it turned out. Because we're going to be gone for almost two weeks over Christmas and New Year's, we opted not to get a full Christmas tree, but did want to infuse a little holiday cheer into our apartment. Plus, we decided to do stockings for each other this year, so I figured the mantle definitely needed a little love. Throw together some free fir branch scraps from a local garden store that was selling Christmas trees, about $8 worth of gold and red berry sprigs, plus gold painted pine cones, from the craft store, 45 minutes of Christmas tunes, and voila! Not too shabby...



It's kind of hard to see in the picture above, so here's a closer look:

With some of the extra berry sprigs, I created some quick candle decorations for the large pillar candles that I had on the mantle earlier in the fall:

And, finally, a little fresh fir wreath around a delicious holiday scented candle:

Now we can enjoy a little holiday cheer even without a fully decked Christmas tree!

Fall Decor

Lately I've seen a lot of posts out in blogland about fall decor. I am not one to get too seasonally snazzy with my decor, but in our current apartment we have a mantle-- and it has been begging for a little embellishment for a few months now. When we first moved in, I had a mish mash of framed photos and some glass candlesticks on display, but it just wasn't doing anything for me. With such a huge blank wall above the mantle, I knew I needed something with a little height, and, unfortunately, a grad school budget does not permit much in the way of art purchases.

But, on my maiden voyage to Hobby Lobby (another fabulous store we're lacking out west-- kind of like Michael's meets the Marshall's home wares section meets discount furniture store), I found the mirror in the photos below. It was 50% off (can't beat that!) and stained a nice dark wood color that compliments our other furniture and will be in style for years to come. So I was able to justify the purchase. I also found matching dark wood pillar candlesticks from Pottery Barn (again with a 10% coupon for having recently moved), so the look was complete.

Both of these items will be permanent-- not just for fall-- but now that I had my nice mantle decor in place, I couldn't resist adding a little autumnal flare. Enter Central Market. I scooped up some miniature pumpkins and gourds, grabbed a few large branches of bittersweet vine, and voila! I feel like it's quite inspired for about 5 minutes of work!

The whole "mantlescape" (yes, this is a word I recently read in a Ballard Designs catalogue) from a distance. I'm particularly proud of the proportions-- I think the mirror fills up the wall space nicely.

And a closer look at my mini gourds and bittersweet vine.

Happy Fall!

(And, yes, I know this is hard to read without any paragraph breaks. I keep trying to fix it, but Blogger is not cooperating. Any tips on this?)