Category Archives: Design & Decorating

October Update/Ramblings of an Insane Pregnant Woman

1. As much as I hate it, my blog has had to take the backseat lately and my camera has sat in its case far too long. With work, pregnancy, school stuff, and motherhood/wifedom in general, I live in a state of perpetual chaos that I honestly haven’t figured out how to juggle gracefully yet. Add to it the impending extra child and I fake sob maniacally just to get myself to laugh. I think we have officially crossed over into crazy town. A tranquilizer dart may be in order.

A few weeks ago, I had a dream in which my cousin asked me to do her a favor and make the church loaf on Sunday. I walked out of the church house sobbing. Then, I woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep. By the way I reacted, you would have thought it was a nightmare.

The next night, I dreamt that Taegan and I were going to miss a flight we had to be on, yet we didn’t have a car to get us to the airport. Have no fear, though, we could run as fast as cars, so here we are on Highway 60 running alongside a semi like it’s no thing. But, in my head, I knew we still weren’t going to make it.

Dreams reflect the subconscious and mine has been totes cray cray lately.

2. The farmer has been milking, feeding, cutting, baling, milking, cutting, baling, feeding into infinity and this week started planting. Mo’ cows, mo’ work. Inevitably, this means that the tasks that require some brawn or carpentry skill around here have had to take the backburner. I’m trying to be patient, but the pregnancy compulsion to nest takes over sometimes because there’s no nursery to “nest.”

3. I don’t have a single item of the baby bedding I designed done. “Yay, look at me! I’m going to learn how to sew, design and make all of my nursery stuff, and achieve world peace!” Why, why, WHY didn’t I just go buy something? I enjoy the time spent with my mom immensely (she’s helping me make it), but somebody honestly should have slapped me when the idea popped into my head. Taegan’s room was done before I hit the third trimester.

4. I still have to paint the dresser, too.

7. Get the crib out of storage and clean it.

6. Get the dog fixed.

7. Do most of my Christmas shopping because everybody knows that’s not going to happen when you have a newborn at the end of November.

10. Decorate for Christmas? I say BAH HUMBUG to that.

9. Prepare for the fall festival at Taegan’s school.

43. Organize the pantry.

2. Go to the doctor every whipstitch.

-5. Maybe buy a diaper or two.

Quince. Get all of Taegan’s outgrown clothes stored away.

Pickle. Get the carseat in my car.

9. Get all my photo albums up to date.

17. Say hi to my husband.

You know… everything and nothing that has anything to do with having a baby MUST be done YESTERDAY!

20. I need a vacation from myself.

2. I’m hungry.

21. The farmer built me some bookshelves for Taegan’s room. I found how to make them on Pinterest and he took it from there. They’re super cute and so easy. Easy to make and easy organizers because there’s no order or organization for the books. You just throw them in there and you’re done. It makes it a lot easier for Taegan to clean up her own messes, too, and I’d be crazy not to LOVE that.

 

 

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22. Taegan’s been cooking, which is one of her favorite things to do.

 

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She’s also been cracking us up with her maturing wit lately. She told us she got put in time-out at preschool last week. When I asked her what she did, her reply was, “That’s… a long story.”

The farmer took over after that while I stepped around the corner and listened trying not to bust out laughing:

Farmer: Well, I guess I’ll just have to ask your teacher.

Taegan: You never pick me up.

Farmer: Oh, that doesn’t matter; I can call anytime.

Taegan: You don’t know her number.

Farmer: Taegan, I have the school number. I can call up there anytime.

Taegan: (Looks skeptical as to the likelihood of that happening)

Farmer: So, tell me, did you like getting put in time-out?

Taegan: Well, I didn’t cry! (4 year olds and sarcasm…gotta love it.)

Farmer: (Getting a little heated) Well, what does make you cry??

Taegan: (Knowing she’s approaching dangerous territory) *crickets due to wheels quickly turning* “…Bleeding.”

With that response, the farmer was having trouble maintaining the firm look on his face and I was shaking. Making our daughter bleed is not part of our disciplinary repertoire in this house and, clearly, she knows that.

There was once a time before I had a child when I worried that being a stay-at-home mom was not going to be mentally challenging/stimulating enough…

There’s another story I wanted to share. It happened right before Taegan started school. The farmer had gotten out of the shower, so he shut our bedroom door, locking it because anyone with little ones knows that anytime a door shuts, it sounds an alarm to them wherever they might be in the house. They come running. Shut doors are NOT ok. I was in the bedroom folding and putting away clothes and she was watching cartoons. No biggie, right? Wrong. Door shuts. The sound of little feet running and she’s standing outside the door obnoxiously knocking, saying, “I want in!” (BAM, BAM, BAM) “Let me in!” (Fingers wiggling under the door) “Why does Mommy get to be in there?” (BAM, BAM, BAM)

Finally, a small, pleading voice says, “I want to join the herd!”

We about died. By that time, the farmer was dressed and opened the door and she skipped in with a successful grin on her face.

So cute I can’t even stand it.

23. I think this picture was taken by the farmer last spring. He put it on Facebook and titled it, “Tools in back pocket=farm girl.”

 

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Nothing has changed. Currently, a trip to Lowes still makes this girl’s day. I call this “Tools and Tutus.”

 

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Do you think Daddy bought these for her?

Um…yeah.

24. Taegan celebrated Grandparents Day at school with her two lovely grandmas.

 

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I absolutely love this picture.

25. Then, about 2 1/2 weeks ago, Taegan came down with the worst cold I think I’ve ever seen. It came with a high fever and lots of sleeping. Neither I nor the farmer came out unscathed. It took the whole family down for a bit, but we’re good now. The only time my daughter isn’t daddy’s girl all the way is when she’s sick. It’s when she’s not feeling well that only Mommy will do. So I rocked and I rocked knowing that the odds were very good I was going to get what she had, but she’s growing up so fast. If Mommy rocking comforts her, then Mommy rocks. Come what may.

I also allow this when she’s sick.

 

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Our bed. To Taegan, there’s nothing better than getting to sleep in our room. The farmer had to sleep in her room. And, trust me, this was no hardship for him. He didn’t want within 10 feet of us. Something about having to run a dairy or some such. No sick pay and no substitutes or what not. The poor guy got it, anyway, and had it the longest. It’s hard to take care of yourself and rest when you’re a farmer.

26. One morning, a few weeks back, I was working on the computer when I heard Taegan open the front door and go, “Whaaaaaat??”

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Taegan was headed outside to the barn, opened the door, and there stands Triumph. Just hangin’ out on the porch. Waiting. I’m pretty sure this calf thinks she is Taegan’s loyal dog.

Well, cattle on the porch was kinda’ the last straw for the farmer, so she joined some friends on a place we rent…where she can be well-socialized…where she can find herself…where she will grow into a balanced, well-rounded cow.

(Read more about Triumph here: http://wp.me/p1lzEK-qS and http://wp.me/p1lzEK-qS

27. I’m 32 weeks pregnant right now. Here’s a selfie from last week.

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This pregnancy has been as different as I’m sure my two daughters’ personalities will be. With Taegan, I gained 45 pounds, had flawless skin, back fat, horrible all day sickness, major swelling, joint pain, and an overall sense of peace and calm. (It’s called naivete.)

With this pregnancy, the sickness was very tolerable for the most part and I’ve been a string bean other than the little basketball that continues to grow. My fingers have swelled slightly and I can’t wear my wedding ring, but I’ve only gained 18 pounds. No back fat, no sciatica (unless I wake up on my back), no joint pain, and a sometimes overwhelming amount of anxiety paired with a roller coaster ride of happy-sad-happy-sad. Some days, the farmer only has to look at me or not look at me and the tears start falling. I don’t know who the woman residing in my body is right now, but I need her to leave. Fast. Oh, and my face possibly looks worse than it did in high school.

Bless my husband’s heart…he never knows who he’s going to walk in the door and find. He’s rolled with it very gracefully.

28. We celebrated my mother-in-law’s birthday over the weekend. She a twin and that’s her on your left.

 

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I should have had them stand this exact same way and do a current version of this picture!

 

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Everyone got together and had a really good time visiting around a fire, roasting marshmallows, and listening to our children play and laugh.

And that’s pretty much what we’ve been up to lately.

Ta-ta for now!

Breauna

A Cute Idea for Bathrooms

As all of you know, my house is small little thing, so I try my best to use the space I have efficiently. I can’t stand clutter, so anything that can hang on a wall and hold necessary items is a must.

I found a couple things on Pinterest (of course) and I thought I’d share. I’m combining the two.

bathroom inspiration

The shelves above the toilet are perfect! I love everything that’s on them. You can put cotton balls and Q-tips in the little apothecary jars, light a candle, admire the tulips, grab a towel,  and stare at the hands on the clock for a good minute trying to figure out what time it is.

Oh wait, that’s just me. Roman numerals and self-doubt.

These aren’t the colors in my bathroom, so I’ll probably try to find either white or espresso colored shelves. Black would look great, but I have disavowed black lately. Dusting every 30 minutes kinda puts a cramp in my style, ya know?

Anyway…

This is the other picture I found on Pinterest.

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I thought this was a really cute idea because nothing is sweeter to me than a bathtub baby picture.

And I snapped the perfect one a week ago.

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I think I’ll put it where the clock is.

Can’t wait!

Breauna

A Rustic Little Bridal Shower

I’m a little slow on getting these posted, but a couple of weeks ago, my cousin, Chelsey, had a bridal shower thrown by her 3 lovely bridesmaids. I wanted to share the pictures because it turned out super cute.

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Chelsey’s wedding colors are gray and orange, so we were trying to keep the shower those colors as well. However, gray is not an easy color to find in the middle of summer, so we just went crazy and got a bunch of bright colored stuff! And Hobby Lobby, in my opinion, is the go-to place for anything parties. Fake flowers, bright pom-poms, a pom-pom banner to hang undies from, umbrellas, chevron plates, the whole works…

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Isn’t this back porch the cutest? Thanks, Deb, for letting us use your house!

One of my favorite parts of the shower decorations were the Mason jars. We bought Mason jars at Dollar General and filled them with acrylic paint. It was nice to at least do this with a friend because you have to roll the jars so the paint can make its way around to cover everything. We had to literally sit there and watch paint dry. So, if you’re feeling inspired to do this, definitely do it with a friend because it can get pretty boring.

Ok, now…about the flowers. We got the flowers, as I said, from Hobby Lobby. Upon getting them back to Mallory’s house (she’s the matron of honor), it then dawned on me that I didn’t buy a wire cutter. Mal said, “Oh, I just use this other thing to cut through them.” Well, we got that out and went to work on the wires. All it did was bend the stem. So, picture this. Mal goes out to her garage and gets a pair of tree/hedge trimmers. Unfortunately, one person can’t hold the flowers and cut the stems with two hands. One of us had to hold the flower horizontally while the other hefted up these gargantuan tree trimmers and cut the stem in two. Only problem was that the stems would STILL sometimes bend!! And you know what, the shears on the trimmer had a good amount of heat to them every time we’d cut!! Hobby Lobby, I think the wire in your stems is a little excessive. Just sayin’…

And Chelsey, I hope you’re really grateful. We risked digits for those flowers.

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They turned out so cute, though!! I kept a bright green jar filled with hydrangeas and put it in Peanut’s room. 🙂 Chelsey really liked an orange jar and took it home with her. I felt pretty good about making decorations that the bride could have if she wanted them.

Finally, the guests started arriving with undies that matched their personalities. The bridesmaids later hung them on the pom-pom line for a guessing game. Chelsey had to figure out who brought what pair based on which ones matched a person’s personality. It was fun and she ended up with some really cute stuff.

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I didn’t get a picture of the food, but Chelsey wanted a brunch shower, so we had this divine egg bake (I had seconds), bagels from Panera, chocolate chip muffins, juice, and melon balls. Funny story about the melon balls. Mallory and I could not grasp how to do melon balls. We had to call her mother-in-law for advice and then still couldn’t make them pretty. So, we took the watermelon and cantelope to her that morning and she enabled us. But, not without teasing us about the fact that two college graduates can’t make melon balls.

That also reminds me of the time I had to call my mom from work to ask her how to build/break down a cardboard box. I didn’t want to ask my boss because she might have thought I was an idiot. A simple task, yet just one more thing they don’t teach you how to do in college. My mom and I were dying laughing on the phone. It made for a good time.

All that money spent and I never got to take a class on more practical skills like: Melon Balling and Cardboard Box Construction.

Here’s the bride! And that’s her mom, my aunt, right behind her.

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Opening presents! Right next to her is my cousin, Alisha. She’s one of my fellow bridesmaids. Can you see her? I’m having trouble seeing her… 😉 That jar right behind her is in Peanut’s room now.

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And here’s the whole crew, minus my aunt Julie, who had to leave. I’m behind the camera on this one, but the girl standing on the far left is Mallory, the matron of honor. Even if we did almost lose some digits, she and I had so much fun watching paint dry and making fire with yard trimmers and Hobby Lobby flowers.

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Now Mal’s behind the camera…

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I love all these ladies! We had a great time.

A Few Kitchen Pics

I finally got around to taking some pictures of my kitchen. It’s a tiny little kitchen, but it’s definitely my favorite room in the house. The farmer, our cabinet guy, and I put a lot of time into designing it to be pleasing to my eye and as efficient as possible. Storage and countertop space were my biggest issues. Take a look. (Just don’t judge me for having unfinished electrical work.)

I wanted painted cabinets in an off-white, creamier color. Eugene from Whetstone Woodworks took the picture I gave him of what I was wanting and created his own color because my picture showed cabinets that were just a little bit more gray than any of the paint samples he had. He said the closest thing to it was called Biscuit. So, that’s what color I call them. Biscuit. (Why are all the paint colors in my house food names? Biscuit. Bagel. My carb-loading sub-conscious is apparently always hungry.)

The countertops are laminate, but I went with a custom edge to fancy ‘em up a little bit. More of a solid surface look without the fancy expense. It’s also very textured, which I didn’t know if I would like for cleaning purposes, but so far it’s been no problem at all. (My camera’s interpretation of the wall color is a little bit off. They’re beige, I promise. Not the ombre look of beige to orange.)

My vision for the kitchen was cabinets all the way to the ceiling and glass, paned doors. The farmer wanted them staggered. I acquiesced and we went with staggered. I’m no cabinet expert, but we went with staggered for a reason. I have no idea what it was because I stopped listening and pouted when I couldn’t have them all all the way to the ceiling. But ya know what? I’m glad the farmer reined me in because I had a spot to put a nifty little Bistro sign. The other space is going to be home to a big, wooden dairy cow I found at Hobby Lobby. I’m pretty excited about it.

There are so many things I’m glad I went with in this kitchen, but the best thing I did was put glass in the cabinet doors. Not only is it gorgeous, but it gives the illusion of space and openness. Next Saturday, all the electrical things will be finished up. There’s undermount lighting on the cabinets that’s not ready yet. I can’t wait to see it.

I also have two middle and lower big, deep drawers between the oven and fridge. Didn’t know how I would feel about using those for pots and pans rather than cabinets, but I absolutely love them. I also made sure my oven had a cookie sheet drawer underneath. (There was a lot of planning that went into this. I have a lot of stuff.) The cabinet doors on the back of the bar are all fake but one. It opens up to a hidden cabinet, per se, where I also have some space for various cookery.

Is that a word? I don’t know, but I like it!

Finally, a picture of the tile. The farmer did this. He’s really good and I’m not just bragging. He has mastered tiling. But, I have kind of a funny story. He thought laying it like this would be ugly. I said, “Just trust me. I saw it done. It’s not ugly.” One of our neighbors walked in when he was about half-way done with it and said, “Oh, I really like how that looks! I wish our tile guy had laid ours like that!”

“HA HA!!!” I said. I love it when that happens.

The Dairymaid

Living Room, Hall, and Master Bedroom

This is the living room and the view right as you walk in the front door. I’ve got to find some stuff to dress up the top of my entertainment center. Our house in the city had a huge ceiling in the living room and all the stuff I had on top of it there won’t fit now. You like my rabbit ears? Pretty snazzy, huh? I happen to think it’s an absolute essential for any decorator.

This is what you see from the kitchen.

Look a little more to the right and you have our front door and coat closet. Ok, I thought light switch plates were a standard size. We got these at two different places and apparently that is not the case. It drives the farmer nuts and will be remedied as soon as possible. Who knew?

This is the hallway off of the living room. Obviously, we need another light switch cover, but you get the jist. At the end is our bedroom.

I still haven’t decided what direction I want to go with our room. I have a few ideas, though. There’s this one picture I found on Pinterest of a big filigree stencil someone’s done down  one wall that I really like, but I don’t know where I want to put it. I  also would like to dress it up with curtains, but I don’t want to totally cover up the farmer’s handiwork. Oh, the dilemmas!He made all the furniture in our room, too, by the way. I gotta start hirin’ this man out!!

More pictures as soon as I can get them taken! We’re waiting on our front porch steps to be poured, so I’ll have pictures of the exterior as soon as that gets done.

Ta-ta,

The Dairymaid