We have the stripes

That title almost makes it sound like we caught a case of something bad, but actually this is a good thing- a really good thing.  Slowly but surely we are making more progress in our little boy's nursery, and this is something I am particularly excited about.  

This past weekend, in lieu of our regular date-night-out, we picked up our favorite YNot pizza and had a stripe painting "date" at home.  We decided to paint some horizontal stripes on the crib wall, as an accent.  Instead of choosing on just one color for the stripes, we decided on three colors for a little different look.  Picking the colors was one of the most challenging parts, because we still wanted them to somewhat coordinate with the others.  

In our original rendering of the accent wall, Drew made sure that I wasn't planning on using purple in our son's room.  I assured him I was not, and that was the only crayon color choice that I could find at the time.

We changed the stripe placement after measuring everything out on the wall.  The final colors we went with were all satin finish from Benjamin Moore: Vermont Slate, Blue Stream, and Water's Edge.  Since we were only doing stripes on one wall, I was able to just buy the sample size paints.

I put Drew Babe in charge of the measuring and leveling of the stripes, because I know he is much more of a perfectionist than I am.  I do like things to look perfect, but some things I don't bother to take the time.  Thankfully I married someone who will do everything possible to make sure something is straight/level/etc.

 

The Frog Tape held up to its standards and prevented any bleeding, even on our textured wall.

The two colors here are the dark Vermont Slate and the Water's Edge.

After each stripe was complete, we got more and more excited to see the finished product.  The top and bottom stripes had us laughing hysterically while we were painting them.  They seemed to be the same exact color as the rest of the walls, when it was supposed to be a shade darker.  Thankfully after it dried, it was in fact darker than the rest of the walls.

Here is where the room started:

And here it is today:

I think we have officially finished all of the painting portion of the nursery.  There is still much to do, but we are making progress.

• re-paint all trim
• paint the stripes
• paint bedroom door and closet doors
• install new outlets and covers
• put together the furniture
• install blinds
• install curtain rods and hang curtains
• add some artwork to the walls
• re-do entire closet
• decorate and organize (the fun part!)

Progress in the nursery

Finally!!  We have finally started in Baby Jaxson's room!  Mimi and Pops (my parents) graciously offered part of their Saturday to help paint the main color in the nursery.  With four of us working in the room and the walls only requiring one coat, we were finished in less than two hours.  That is my kind of house project!  I just wish everything was that easy.

Here are some "before" shots of the nursery with the blah tan walls.  We only taped the windows, because we are planning to repaint all of the white trim.

 And here are some "during" shots with all the wonderful painters.

And finally the "after."  We went with a satin finish Benjamin Moore color called Blue Haze.  I love how it looks with the white trim and dark floors.

You can see where we are testing out some other blue colors.  We are going to eventually add stripes on this wall.

It has been a huge relief to have the main color finished, but there is still much to do.

• re-paint all trim
• paint the stripes
• paint bedroom door and closet doors
• install new outlet covers
• put together the furniture
• install curtain rods and hang curtains
• add some artwork to the walls

The big 3-0

Little Jaxson has officially turned 30 weeks; 30 weeks in utero, that is.  I really can't believe how close we are getting to his due date.  Every day I thank the Lord for the privilege of carrying this sweet little life.  I thought now would be a good time to share some of my pregnancy details/thoughts/favorite things/least favorite things, etc.

When we found out:  On March 3rd  I woke up super early to take a test.  After seeing a few negative tests, I didn't even want wait for the results on this one.  I let Drew go see whether the test showed positive or negative.  He only saw one line and quietly came back to bed.  I had to go see for myself and noticed a faint second line.  The next test we took showed two distinct lines, meaning positive.  When we saw the heartbeat and our little baby for the first time at our appointment, we were simply overwhelmed at the goodness and faithfulness of the Lord.

Some of the best moments:  At 18 weeks, I felt Baby Jax move for the first time.  Drew got to feel him for the first time about a week later.  Some of my favorite times are when Drew will sing to Jaxson.  He always moves for his daddy.  Sometimes  Drew and I will just stare at my pregnant belly and marvel at Jaxson's kicks and somersaults.  I have also loved when Erin, the little 9 year old I nanny for, will come gently rub my baby bump and sweetly say "hi Jaxson."

Some food cravings/aversions:  During my first trimester I wanted pretty much anything unhealthy.  Vegetables and salads, which I love, were so hard to eat.  Also, fresh garlic was the worst things ever!  I couldn't stand the taste or smell.  Thankfully after my first trimester passed, I was able to eat normal/healthy again.  I haven't had any real cravings, although I was on a "Sonic Limeade with extra lime" kick for a while.

Things I miss:  The Lord has really blessed me with a fairly easy pregnancy, and I have enjoyed almost everything (so far!) about it.  I will have to admit I miss Jersey Mike's Italian subs with light mayo (this has been a nitrate/lunchmeat free pregnancy), wine (I'd love to just sit on our front porch with a refreshing glass of white zinfandel or moscato), and long, hard runs (I tried to keep up my running for a while, but then my big belly just got to be, well, too big.  Now when I try to run, I immediately feel like I have to pee.  I already to have plans to run some races with Baby Jax).  I really don't mind giving up those few little things, because experiencing the growth of this little life has been (and will continue to be!) far greater.

Maternity products I have enjoyed:  WIth my growing belly I have invested in a few pieces of maternity clothes.  I never thought I would wear the full panel kind of pants and shorts, but when I tried my first pair they felt SO comfortable.  Rainbow flip flops have been a lifesaver.  I know they are not really a maternity products, but I wear them almost everyday because they are super comfortable and supportive.  I have also enjoyed MamaMio Tummy Rub.  It smells amazing, never feels greasy, and so far has helped against stretch marks (although I'm sure I have a lot more stretching to do!).

What we are looking forward to:  Definitely meeting our son!  And starting the nursery.  My parents are coming over tomorrow to help paint the first coat.  I will leave you with a little sneak peak of what is going on in there right now, although it's not much.

New additions

Baby Jax is not here yet.  We haven't adopted any new pets.  But we have added some new things to our living room.

Between childbirth classes, doctor's appointments, working full time, and trying to find time to eat, sleep, and maintain some kind of order at the Martin House, my blogging has been a bit sporadic.  I did want to show you a little update of the new additions in our living room.  Last year my parents blessed me for my graduation with a beautiful Pottery Barn rug.  I picked out something that looked classic with a touch of modern, so hopefully it will still be in style 10 years from now.

You may have noticed the layout looks a bit different too.  After having a few family gatherings at our home, we noticed there really wasn't much seating available.  During our latest trip to Ikea we picked up two wicker chairs and put them where the loveseat used to be.  The new arrangement added additional seating and feels more open when you walk in the front door.

Don't mind the pile of Ikea boxes in the background.  Those are all for Jaxson's nursery, and I promise we will get started on that sometime soon!

 Here is a better shot of our new Ikea chairs.  For the price, they are actually quite comfortable and sturdy.

Please pardon the subpar pictures.  I am definitely not a photographer (which you probably have already figured out) and recently (for convenience sake) have been using only my iPhone for all my picture taking.

A little Martin

Jaxson Ryder is his name and he is supposedly going to make his debut sometime around November 7th.  Drew and I are beyond excited, and grateful to the Lord for this little life....and we cannot wait for him to get here!

I am just now entering my third trimester, and so far I have thoroughly enjoyed being pregnant.  Thankfully I only experienced some minor nausea during my first trimester, and now exhaustion and  swollen feet at the end of the day are the only things I can really complain about (although Drew might say otherwise).

Here is a little bump update with weeks 20, 24, and 26:

We have finally cleared out the bedroom that will be Jaxson's nursery, and hopefully we can start painting within the next week. 

Here is a glimpse of our nursery inspiration:

I will try to be better about posting updates of both my bump and nursery progress as we count down the weeks until Baby Jax makes us a little family of 3.

Sheets to curtains

A while back, I found a cute sheet set on clearance at one of my favorite places, Target.  The colors and pattern were just what I was looking for to go in the music room.

Well, the sheets sat there for days weeks months before I finally decided to turn them into curtains for the music room.  I only bought a twin set, so the curtain panels came out kind of skinny and are more just for "show."  I simply cut the flat sheet into 3 equal sections and used iron on hem tape for the hem.  I'm a cheater.  I pretty much only know how to sew a button.  The hem tape seemed to work just fine for this project though.

For around $2.33 per panel, I don't think they look too bad.  I also found the rods on clearance at BB&B for $10.

Instead of having 4 super skinny panels, I just decided to create 3.  So now there is simply a single panel on the smaller window.  Maybe if I get real ambitious and decide I need another panel on this window, I'll see what I can do with the fitted sheet....but that's a big maybe.

Oh, and here is a little "before" and "after:"

I'd still love to paint the walls a nice gray....one day.

Hello again

Wow.  It's been a long time.  Nearly a year since the last post.  Well, much has happened at the Martin House in the past several months.  Don't worry, I won't  bombard you with all the details at once, but just thought I'd share a little kitchen update we recently finished.

Our kitchen has been a long process.  We have gradually added updates as time and funds allowed.  It is almost how we would like it, but it seems like new ideas pop up all the time.  And when are you ever really "finished" with a project when you own a house.

This last project included painting the walls (finally!!!!) and installing new cabinets.

Also, since I last posted our kitchen pictures, we have added brand new stainless steel appliances.  We found a great deal and are in love!

We decided to add cabinets above our peninsula for more storage.  I have always wanted to have some glass front cabinets in my kitchen and my wonderful Drew Babe decided it would be a good idea with this project.  He routed out the panel in the center of the cabinet doors, so there would be a place for the glass to rest.  A glass shop cut and installed the glass.  While seeded glass was my first choice, we just couldn't justify spending the $60/sqft, as opposed to the $6/sqft for the clear glass.

I am loving the glass front cabinets to display my white dishes.

I have been dying to repaint the kitchen for a long while.  We went with a Sherwin Williams color called Ancient Marble in a satin finish.  It is a grayish-sage-green color.  Drew says it looks a lot more "mature."  I guess we are growing up ;)

Drew Babe also beautifully installed a beaded board backsplash under the cabinets.  I swear he can really do anything.  All of the crazy ideas I come up with for house projects, he can always figure them out and complete them.  Poor guy, his honey-do-list is really never-ending.

Now for a little "before" and "after."

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Like I said there are still a couple things we would like to do in the kitchen, such as install new lights (maybe recessed lighting Drew Babe?;), paint the kitchen table, or possibly install a new built-in breakfast nook bench/table, and add some wall art.  As of right now we are definitely enjoying our newest update.

Next big project at the Martin House: the nursery!