Mary's Room. made with love.

When our beautiful friend Allison from Allison Marie Photography did Mary's newborn photos, she suggested we capture a few of Mary's room. When I posted pictures to Facebook, people were of course complementary of Mary and of Allison's incredible photography skill, but many also complemented on her room too. My cousin requested that I blog about it. So here we are.

This room is the only one in our house that I've really decorated and certainly the only one that I really love. First, it is a compilation of things made with love from family and friends. Second, it reflects my style so well. Not that I know what my style is, but I think it is in this room. And third, it is so functional.

I have to preface this by telling you that there are a lot of details behind a lot of aspects of this. So if there is a part that I'm skipping over too quickly you'll have to tell me. For example, you want the details of the mobile or footstool, or cornice boards or whatever, just let me know and I can do a post on that.

Okay on with the tour.

Note: All of the good pictures are courtesy of Allison. The others are my quick snapshots. 

The guidelines.
We waited to do anything until we found out gender, so a lot of the decor is based on the fact that we have a sweet little girl. However, we live in a 2 bedroom house so we knew that room would need to be gender neutral enough to be shared. So you'll notice that anything large is neutral. The girly-ness is found in fabrics and details that can easily change. I also know that I.love.color. Grey and white and yellow nurseries are beautiful, but not for me. Finally, I wanted it to be something that would work for a toddler or little one. So low storage for toys, room for a real bed later on, and nothing too delicate.

The inspiration. 
Probably two years ago I was in Nell Hills and saw this beautiful coral paint color. Immediately I asked my friend Julie- "can I paint my kitchen this color?!". Aside from the fact that she is addicted to neutrals, she is also wise and told me no, save it for when I have a little girl. So I bought that little sample of paint and held on to it! So when I found out we were having a girl I knew exactly the base color. But following the guidelines of having a share-able room I also knew I couldn't paint the walls that color. So this is Behr's Delicate Mist. The third accent color was going to be a pale yellow. Faint cooperated with me on that one.
Three fabrics from Sarah's Fabrics were my next bit of inspiration: the coral on the cornice boards, the floral on the window seat cushion, and the periwinkle on the footstool.
Side note: we also painted the trim Ultra Pure White. It had been ivory before and ever time I tried to paint the room a spa-like color, it just looked awful. So hubs agreed to have the trim throughout the main floor repainted white. We've never looked back!

The elephant in the room. 

How amazing is this built-in?! Our neighbors are so very generous. They also happen to be a very skilled carpenter and interior designer duo. They offered to design and build this built-in as a baby gift for us. SO wonderful! I worked with Lindsey to design it- lower shelving for baskets, upper bookshelf, and an attached window-seat/ toy box. Be jealous. Neighbor Jeff and Brett worked hard over labor day weekend to build this custom piece and I spent 3 or 4 days sanding, priming, painting, sanding, and more painting. Lots of work, but oh so worth it. And of course where did the Nell Hills paint come in? Yup. A perfect splash of color that makes it such a statement piece.


The bedding. 

My mom didn't know how to quilt. Keyword: didn't. Would you believe my mother set out to learn to quilt so she could make this fantastic quilt for Mary? I gave her three fabrics that I was using elsewhere in the room and gave her freedom to do whatever she wanted with the rest. I simply cannot imagine a more perfect design. From the colors to the pattern to the loop-de-loop quilting, it is just amazing. Mary will love this one- cuddle with it, stain it, and surely even tear it someday. It is a quilt worthy of display but made with such love that it has to be lived-with.
Of course she made the bumper (don't judge me), and skirt as well. She also made the cover for the window seat cushion.


The artwork.
Brett's sister is an artist and for my shower she made this beauty. It hangs above the changing table (not normally covered in a quilt) and I love looking at it every day.

My cousin is also an artist and did these water colors for us. How fun are these?

Psst- Both of them do custom work so if you are in the market for a piece or two let me know and I'll get you connected. 

I also ordered some prints from Pen and Paint. One says "Trust in the Lord with ..." and the other "Be Still and Know". Great reminders for us as parents. Very intentional quotes and conveniently beautiful.

Other details.

Rug is from Rugs USA. It sheds a lot, but is very thick and soft and was very affordable!

This chair is a Craigslist find. It is a rocker, not glider, but works well for us. And convenient that is came with a custom yellow slipcover. Exactly perfect. And I only looked on Craigslist for about a week or so. It was destined for us.

My dad helped me build these cornice boards. Just some random boards on the sides (1x2 maybe?) and plywood across the front. Stretch fabric over it, staple gun, and hang. It was actually much harder than it sounds, but it shouldn't have been. I'm just not the brightest crayon in the box.

I recovered an old footstool. And when I say old, I mean my parents got it at a garage sale about 15 years ago. So yeah. Just recovered with some batting, cotton, a staple gun, and hot glue. Nothing fancy, but I figure I'll be ready to get rid of the footstool in two years or less so it doesn't have to last forever.

The side table is also the Nell Hills coral. It is a fake wood little nightstand that we got from Target in about 1999. The drawer was broken, but a quick trip to Ace hardware and I'm proud to say it is back in order. Proud of myself for fixing it :-)


The "changing table" is a $20 garage sale dresser. I painted it "white" in the dark garage and brought it inside to find that I had actually painted it Delicate Blue to match the walls. Whatever, it works.

I made this mobile using fabrics from the quilt cut in circles and hung from fishing line. Mary is just starting to notice it, but I'm convinced she loves looking at it.

My mom found this marionette on Craigslist and gave it to Mary for Christmas. To us, it is the Lonely Goatherd. I'm addicted to the Sound of Music and sing that song to Mary all the time. This antique goat is a great top-shelf treasure!

So many more details to share, but I think that covers the majority. Thanks to all for contributing to this beautiful room! This sweet girl is so very loved by so many. Speaking of which, I think she is waking up from her nap. Good timing.

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The 12: Part 2

The 12 is a post with 12 random facts and answers to 12 questions. Part 1: Random Facts is here. Then our internet went out for a day and a half so i got delayed, but Part 2 is finally below. Enjoy!

1) What are your favorite things about winter?

Christmas. All things Christmas.

2) What is your favorite winter outfit?

I feel like this is a weird question. Particularly right now as I’m slowly working my way back into having an array of styles available to me. But I would normally say jeans and fleece. I have a faithful North Face and a warmer Patagonia that I live in. Neither really fits right now, but I wear them anyway. If you see me, don’t call out the snug fit, k? But this is what it used to look like. 

Oh and Uggs! I love my Uggs! (Read as "I love my Ducks")

3) What is your favorite winter food?

Any and all baked goods. Does that count as a food? I mean desserts are foods too so I’m going with it. All things pumpkin. Gingerbread cookies are a new found love in the last few years.

As for real entrees, I’m loving the Chicken Noodle Soup and the Roasted Cauliflower and White Cheddar Soups I talked about here.

Oh and roasted veggies that I talked about here. Especially butternut squash. 

And roasted brussel sprouts. I haven’t talked to you about those before so follow the note at the bottom for that.

I hope you meant to ask- what are your favorite foods :-)

4) What is your favorite winter drink?

Gingerbread latte. Although this year I’ve been doing a lot more soy lattes. They are slightly sweet, but not as sweet as a latte with syrup. And if I’m being good-er (not good, just good-er), I will opt for a cup of Starbucks Blonde roast with a little creamer.

PS- My hubs doesn’t like cream in his coffee so he always orders a “tall black blonde” and I can’t even handle it. Cause I’m really mature.

5) How you do like your makeup in the winter?

Ya know, I realized the other day that I stopped wearing eyeshade sometime back, oh ya know, pre-2010 maybe? Not altogether, but just as a general rule I live in my mineral powder, blush, and gloss. Most girls are like “I can’t liiiive without my mascara”, but that’s not me. It should be maybe, but I’ve spent my life fighting terrible skin so foundation and check color are first priority. The only thing I really change for the winter would be my gloss. I put away my go-to MAC Cremesheen in “Richer, Lusher”-  a mango shade- and use Bare Minerals Moxie in “Spark Plug”. My sister would be proud to know that I went out and bought new shadow. Sultry eyes, comin' right up. Too far? K fine. 

6) What are you hoping Santa brings you?

Old news. Pass.

7) What is your favorite winter scent?

Pine! Or more generally, anything that reminds me of nature. The ones that smell sweet and are sold in the “foods” section of Yankee Candle is not for me.

Wait, is this referring to perfume? I don’t wear that.

I’m confused now. Moving on.

8) What is your favorite winter memory?

Oh skiing. I love skiing. The sights from the top of the mountain. Snuggling in next to your life buddy. The burn you feel after hitting a run hard. The feeling of taking off all your ski gear and sitting in front of a fire place. Ohhh I love it. But I haven’t been since January of 2007! Not that I’m counting, but I am.

10) What are the first three things that remind you of winter?

Christmas. Snow. Baking.

11) What is your favorite winter song?

All Christmas music. I can’t choose. In fact, I have so much that each Thanksgiving I have to actually erase a large portion of the music on my phone to make room for my Christmas music. This year because of photos of a certain little peanut that shall remain nameless, storage on my phone was a hot commodity, and I only have 611 minutes worth of Christmas music on there. There’s your 13^th random fact!

12) Finish this sentence: If I could have one Christmas wish, it would be...
Too much pressure. I’ll keep it lighthearted and wish that my little lovebug would sleep well. Not even sleep through the night, but maybe, ya know, wake up just once and go back to sleep J.

Brussel sprouts footnote: 

Cut the stubs of the bottom, cut them in half top to bottom (hot dog, not hamburger style),  and get rid of any leaves that look narsty. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. If you're not sure about how much to use, go light. You can always add more later. Spread them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet/ jelly roll pan/ whatever you've got, and stick them in the oven at 400 degrees for about 35 minutes. Adding cranberries, bacon, and/or parmesan are all good decisions. 

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The 12: Part 1

Heyo I was tagged!

I kept seeing "The 12" floating around FB and the blogosphere, but I was kind of ignoring it until Emily filled it out and sure enough I was tagged to go next. 

So 12 random facts about me followed by some questions that you didn't know you wanted to ask me. Here goes. In no particular order. Except for #1.

1. I remember when I first met Emily. She and Brad came to our house for a church group and when they arrived they buzzed into our apartment and announced themselves as "The Jensens". Ah! I looked at the first names of all the people coming, but didn't pay attention to the last names. How am I going to greet them?! In case you wondered, we all survived. And I remember she was wearing a blue cardigan with a fun headband had gorgeous curled brown hair and I thought "Ooo!" like when a little girl sees a pretty doll in a window. That was my first impression of this wonderful woman.
2. When I was in high school I very seriously considered going to college for cosmetology. I even did an independent study on makeup. Which is funny now considering how very little I wear. I put on eyeshade for date night tonight and it was a big deal, folks. 
3. I would rather have a facial than a massage, pedicure, haircut... you name it. Facial is my preference. Haircuts are just stressful for me. 
4. I hate reading. I've learned to read the news on an app called Feedly. You can also use Flipboard, but Feedly more easily incorporates blogs I think. Anyway, I now read headlines of the news on my phone when I'm drying my hair (which takes ages). So that's a step in the right direction. 
5. I love to bake, but don't like making anything super complicated, overly pretty, or very fattening. So my repertoire is kind of limited. One time I was going to branch out and make creme brulee, but when I saw that almost all recipes had 50 grams of fat I backed out. Just can't do it. I believe sweets are for eating, not for decoration. So go ahead and skip the fancy cupcakes and hand me a delightful seven layer bar or cookie. If you ever want to share recipes among friends use Pepperplate. It's a free website/app where you can compile your recipes from various sites, scale to make half batches or double batches, and even figure out your grocery list. Check it out. 
6. I don't like bacon or watermelon. My weirdness has been solidified. 
7. I don't proofread, let alone draft, my blogs. That would be why my sentences occasionally don't make sense and I have plenty of typos. That's how I roll, folks. Emily and I are very much opposites in this way.
8. I like to make the bed (or straighten sheets at a minimum) before climbing in bed. I've picky about that for as long as I can remember. 
9. One of these days I want to learn to sew and quilt. Who knows if I'll ever do anything about that. 
10. I lovelovelovelovelove to sing. But my voice is not nearly what it used to be since I haven't sung other than car/shower/lullabies/church in a long time. So now I get sheepish about it. I wish I still had the same skill, and confidence, I once had. 
11. I am addicted to water. Hold. Allow me to clarify. I'm addicted to drinking water. I don't swim well and I don't like saltwater at beaches. Whenever I leave the house I always bring a beverage with me and 95% of the time it is water. Occasionally I'll leave in a hurry and forget it, in which case I immediately panic like a claustrophobic seeking the nearest exit in a crowded room. Even if I'm going somewhere I know there will be water like church or the mall. I might die without it. Logically. 
12. I would rather have fish than meat or poultry almost every time. And I live in Kansas. So that's fun. 

Whew. That was long. Part 2: Questions. Coming at you soon!

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Busy Season Round 5: Modified

This is my fifth busy season. I'm kind of a pro now.

Psych.

But I am getting better.

Before I yammer about that, can I just take a moment to acknowledge that I imagine it would be super exhausting for the one who is actually working the long hours in a conference room day after day? Kudus to my main man for not only working the long hours, but also keeping his team laughing.

Over the years I've learned it is important to keep busy during busy season. Last year I was sucked into Downton Abbey and Crossfit. I'm not quite back to Crossfit levels yet. Anyway, humor me as I demonstrate my type-A personality through the use of bullets with suggestions on how to handle the other side, the non-working side, of busy season.

• Surround yourself with people or you'll end up on the couch, eyes glued to a popular TV series. As previously confessed. This year I've gotten to go on walks and drop in on friends, have neighbors over for dinner, and invite others for mid-afternoon coffee and biscotti. Sitting is worthwhile if there are people to sit with, you know.
• Get to the gym or get a workout plan at home. As Elle Woods says: Exercise gives you endorphins; endorphins make you happy! Having a treadmill this year has been awesome. Don't get me wrong. I'm still lazy plenty of days. (Like last night when I was going to put Mary to bed and then get on the treadmill. But then she fell asleep in my arms and I couldn't put her down. Sorry I'm not sorry). On the whole, though, I'm way more likely to go for a run when it is so accessible. And having a set of dumbbells is handy it too. (Get my pun there? Bah!) Easy to grab and do arm raises and curls when you flip on the TV for a daily dose of The Ellen Show.
• Don't ask when he will be home. You probably won't like the answer and he won't like having to tell you. So just go ahead and figure your best guess then add an hour. And when he is way off and comes home late, don't be mad. And when he shows up an hour or two earlier than you expected and you were planning on PB&J for dinner since he wouldn't be there, be thankful and get creative with the fridge contents. 
• Plan time to be together. In the past it has been a Friday night happy hour or date night. Even if that date night was at the gym. This year we have instituted a weekly dinner next to his office. He gets to see Mary before she goes to sleep and I get to one hour of time with my bestie. 

And of course this this year there is a new twist: I'm at home all day. I don't have work to break up the long days, coworkers to talk to, or even a reason to do my hair. 

So in addition to the general suggestions above...

• Go to Target for field trips. 
• Have a cleaning plan. Just knowing that I'm committed to vacuuming on Friday and filing papers on Wednesday means that I don't have to feel like I have to do everything today. 
• Play with your baby. A lot. She'll only be 11 weeks old once. And she's darn cute. 

And don't let your husband accidentally take your car with your wallet inside and no gas in the other car. You'll be trapped at home for the day might feel like you're running out of oxygen. In which case, you know you're officially off you're rocker. 

Who says "off your rocker" anymore? Whatever. Not the point. 

Speaking of cute babies (well, we were talking about her earlier, okay?)... these are a few snapshots from hanging out. 

Yup. It's pretty great. 

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It's cold. So what?

I had this idea for a blog post. Then John Piper stole my idea and posted it 5 years ago here. So rude. Whatever, I'm writing it anyway.

It is cold. If you're reading this months from now you may have forgotten. But if you are reading this now that is a super obvious statement. Early Monday morning when I was up feeding the babe I'm pretty sure the temp was -11. It might have said -25, but I think that was just a dream. The wind chill was -30. That was real.

And Twitter and blogs would tell you about how inconvenient it is. How fans have to bundle up so much for the NFL games. "It's so cold! Why don't the seat warmers recognize that it's so cold and just turn themselves on?!" Yes. I really saw that on Facebook today.

And yes, it is inconvenient that we can't park our cars in the garage because the garage is too small. So my windshield wiper fluid is frozen and my windshield is dirty.

And yes, it is inconvenient that the hot water pipe to my kitchen froze so I have a space heater running under my sink, all the under-sink-cleaners are on the counter, and the sink and stove are covered with dirty dishes.

And yes, it is inconvenient that I am constantly pulling my little peanut's socks back on.

And it's downright cold when I let Mack outside and wait at the door (in the garage, where it is also zero degrees) for him to come back because I just cannot close the door on him for 60 seconds.

But here's the real deal.

There are people out in the cold.
The ones who are out there for our convenience
The grocery store associates gathering carts from the parking lot, the pizza delivery man.

The ones out there for our safety
Police and tow truck drivers helping those whose cars have broken down, people salting the streets, people fixing power lines or plumbing problems.

The public service people
Postmen, toll booth workers. You, my friends have earned the right to wear ski masks in the flat land of Kansas.

But others are inside. Without heat. Without warm blankets.

Still others are outside. But not because they are out there taking care of others. Because thats just where they ended up.

What in the world does a girl do with that? 

NOTHING.

That's what this girl did. Can we all just be honest and say that's what most of us did?

Stopping myself. That's not true. What I did, what I have done multiple times in the past three days, is pray. Pray for God to extend grace to this nation and protect people. And that's big. But let's not forget that God cares about the physical. So while I could sit back and say "The cold front is passing us now. I didn't do anything. I fail." what I will choose to do is to step in.

Project Warmth. Yes, there was a telethon in December and you missed it. You know why the big push was in December? #1- It's the beginning of the cold. #2- People donate more in December for the sake of taxes. Let's forget about the taxes and be January people, shall we?

Donate. Don't wait. I'm not.

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What I don't want to write about

Not many people read this. Which is fine because I'm kind of a slacker about writing. But one of the reasons I haven't written much lately is that I don't want this to turn into a mom blog. A baby blog. A baby-book blog.

Now when I say that I hope none of you feel defiant toward me. There are many, many people who want to be be mom bloggers. Who want to capture their family life story on their blog. And I love reading those blogs. That's just not my cup of joe. 

(I'm a coffee drinker, not much for tea.)

Remember the blog name, around here: "Abundance of the heart". That is not a "my heart overflows with great love and happiness and cushy sparkly things" title. It is about me telling you the things that are going on in my mind and heart. We- people in general, not you and me specifically- talk about the things we love. So I guess it is about me telling you about the things I love. Sometimes the things I love are pretty, but sometimes they are ugly. 

Here's where it gets tricky. 

Sometimes what I love, what is overflowing out of the abundance of my heart, is being a mom. Sometimes what I feel so compelled to talk about is my pretty little baby girl. 

Speaking of which...

She is two months old today, you know? Where did the time go? 

Well three weeks of it has gone to a nasty cold. Have you ever heard of a newborn getting a cold? Well it's rotten. And to add insult to injury she has a throat condition that makes her cough sound like bronchitis in a full grown man. It started off as some head congestion, became the aforementioned horrible cough, migrated to some nasty vomiting of mucous, back to mild congestion and a mild cough, and in the past 24-48 hours has manifested itself through more vomiting of the aforementioned mucous. You know what the difference between spit up and vomit is for a newborn? Practically nothin! Vomit can get some air to it and make a little girl mad, but generally speaking it is like trying to tell the difference between sleet and freezing rain. No one really knows. More on frigid temperatures later. 

In between squirt (saline) and suck (bulb syringe) sessions, our little Mary is developing a personality. She seems to be very independent. I have no idea where she gets that. 

Where is the sarcasm font when you need it?

If she isn't eating or being rocked to sleep, she usually wants to be lying on her back playing. Generally this involves people hovering over her adoringly, myself included, but she is often content to just look at the ceiling, walls, or whatever is in her periphery. She is also an exercise fanatic and loves to do bicycles nonstop. I've never seen a baby kick so hard and so fast! And about three weeks ago she started showing off her smile. Oh that smile will melt my heart. We are so excited for giggles to come next. Enjoy a few random, unedited* pictures.  

One month old here. 

Tummy time turned nap time. 

 Exploring. 

Trying to distract dad while he's working. Clearly Mary is successful. 

* We got a mac (hooray!) but I haven't messed with the picture storage/ editing software yet. Expect better pictures in the future. 

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