about that list...

So I have mentioned a few times now that I am eager to get things crossed off my to-do-before-baby list and I have to say I was certainly on a roll. At first I thought it couldn't be done with all of the Christmas decorating, gift making, house cleaning, baby preparation and other various tasks and appointments I have. But then the ball started rolling, we got our Christmas tree, decorated a bit, I made several gifts for the baby (those not yet seen will be posted soon), I was getting the house more organized and then...bedrest! Wow, what better time for the dr. to put me on bed rest with just two weeks to go (one week now, I meant to post this sooner). So I ask myself, self, why didn't I start working on my list sooner? Why did I not consider the posibility that I could be put on bedrest? What am I going to do with myself while I sit in bed all day? But self didn't seem to have any good answers. All that I know is I have many things to do but all I can do is sit here and think about them and I've decided that I really hate TV.

Thanks for letting me vent. I will be happier tomorrow, I promise! In the meantime, I really can't wait for baby, just seven more days!!!!!!

Let it snow!

Sometimes I just love living in New England. This love usually fades away from February to May each year but it always returns. Today we saw our first real snow. It flurried the other day but did not stick so it doesn't count. Today the snow stuck! So what better thing to do than go get a Christmas tree. But we had to make a few stops along the way.

A short visit with the inlaws where TJ and I realized that though we have pictures of my pregnancy we haven't had a picture of the two of us together in 9 months. So...

Next stop was Bisque, Beads and Beyond where we let our creative selves go wild and made the baby a big piggy bank for a Christmas present. This was a lot of fun and so special. I was going to just order one online but TJ convinced me that it would be much more meaningful if we made it ourselves. He was so right and I'm glad I listened to him.

Piggy still needs to be fired so our scetches and mistakes are still there but she will look much better when we pick her up next week. And finally, our Christmas tree!

I know I look like a goofball, just ignore that please.

Now back to making Christmas presents!

the countdown begins

Just a few days ago I found out that my little girl is in a breech position and is not expected to do any flips before her due date. Therefore, I am fortunate enough (sarcasim!) to have been scheduled for a c-section on Dec. 21st. Though I am absolutely thrilled to meet my baby, I am not as thrilled to be cut open and put back together. Anyway, since I found out, I have gone into hyper mode cleaning, decorating for Christmas, rearranging furniture that probably doesn't need to be rearranged and frantically making baby things and items to sell in my etsy shop. You can check them out at http://www.jndesigns.etsy.com/.

I still have a quilt to finish for my shop and some Christmas presents to make for the baby. Today I attempted to make a stocking for baby girl and realized quickly that it wasn't going to be as easy as I originally thought. The goal was to use only materials that I have already and four hours later, I came up with this:

Since I didn't have a Christmasy fabric, I went for Christmasy colors...it's really all I had to work with. It didn't quite come out as I had hoped but it's one thing that I can check off my list of things to do before baby is born.

I have a few more things to finalize and then I will post pictures of the baby's nursery. I have 16 days to get it all done...I wonder how many things will be left unfinished?

post baby shower chaos

This was the aftermath of that lovely event. It only took a few weeks to get everything built, washed and in order. However, most was done by the end of that night due to my narotic organizational needs. It was so much fun going through everything though. I just love the tiny little baby clothes!!!

Baby Shower!!!

In September my lovely family threw me a baby shower brunch. It was so beautiful with all of my favorite things (no not just the presents), but my favorite foods from my favorite local shops, a delicious cake from Cakewalk, and some of my favorite people in the world. It was all presented in a rustic lodge in the woods that was so cute and cozy. It was a cold day here in the northeast so they had a fire going in a giant stone fireplace. There were flowers and balloons and did I mention the homemade cookies that my mother and sister slaved over for almost an entire 24 hours...delicious! It was perfect and so me that I couldn't have asked for more. Here are some pics...

The Blog of Eternal Neglect

I am the worst blogger ever!!!! I have not posted since August!!! Any real blogger would be shamed by the neglect!! But now, I am back and I have something to say!

Obviously, or not so obviously, many things have happened in my life since August 29 (my last post), and now I will make my best attempt to remember those moments I would have blogged about but was to lazy/busy/pregnant to do at the time.

and the neglect continues...early september

In the beginning of September I was fortunate enough to be able to attend my cousins wedding here in the Berkshires. Though this has no relevance now, it was beautiful and I want to share a few photos with you. The ceremony was in a pretty field with a rustic gazebo at the center. The reception was in a rustic barn a short walk away through the field. So Berkshires!!!

How cute is that!

Happy Gloomy Weekend

Today is a very gloomy day here in the northeast. The temperatures are hovering in the mid to high 50's. Most are bummed about this, but I, am thrilled! Today has the feel of a crisp fall day, my favorite type of day. So I decided, as exhausted as I am, to live it up. While I was waiting for my dear husband to crawl out of bed, I decided to get a head start on my thank you cards for my upcoming baby shower. Since I am privileged enough to have access to the list of rsvp's, I addressed the envelopes to all my expected guests so that once my shower has passed I can just write the thank you letters and pop them in the mail (always thinking i tell ya). I sent out thank yous to those who cannot make it to the shower but have already sent gifts along (thanks again everyone!).

I thought these cards were adorable, and they just so happen to match the decal I put over the baby's crib (see post from earlier this month). I knew they were meant to be when I found that for 50 cards I would only need to spend $12. A happy Target find!

By the time dear hubby got out of bed, I was ready for lunch (though I'm always ready for lunch). We decided to pay our respects to a dear friend of over 10 years now, who will soon be with us no longer.

In just two days, sadly, this great restaurant will be closing its doors. TJ and I stopped in for a last meal and to enjoy my most favorite tea ever, Sonia's Sachlib, in the warm and cozy atmosphere Helsinki provides. I was devastated that I would never taste such a wonderful tea or their amazing butter spread ever again, until....we overheard the most amazing thing. Without knowing it, we happened to sit next to the owner who was explaining to a friend that he would be reopening Helsinki in Hudson, a town over the border in NY just 45 minutes away. I know 45 minutes! But it is soooo worth the drive to enjoy their delicious cuisine and Hudson has some really great shopping spots that I love and don't get the chance to visit as much as I would like. So it all works in my favor.

After, we wandered around Great Barrington hitting up some of my favorite shops, which I just love to do. We did some grocery shopping and then headed to Lenox to fulfill my next craving...hot chocolate from Chocolate Springs (cool fall-like day remember). I added a yummy blueberry scone to that order!

After a stroll in our garden to check out my pumpkins (yes that is the same pumpkin as pictured earlier this month), I picked and hung my lavender up to dry. And we started our yummy homemade, baked mac 'n' cheese dinner (well, TJ really made it while I wrote this). And after dinner I plan to relax with my new book, which I am totally loving!

Yes, this gloomy day really was a good one!

How my garden grows

Today I paid a little visit to my beloved pumpkin patch and was just thrilled to see how much it has grown. I compared the pictures to the ones I used in a post about a month ago and I just can't believe the difference. I have pumpkins!!!!!

I want it!!!!

But I can't have it. I have decided not to do a theme for the babies nursery nook (named so since she doesn't have an actual bedroom but a designated space in a rather large nook right outside of our bedroom). I'm not knocking anyone who loves themes for the nursery, but I'm just not the Winnie-the-pooh, Dora, princess type. What I do love is nature and I am trying to incorporate that into the decor together with light organic colors.

That is why I just love this mobile from Anthropologie and would love to have it for the baby's nook. However, it is a little out of my price range, so I'm just going to keep this picture here to look at every now and then. Isn't it gorgeous!

Pillows the size of people...well little people

With a little girl on the way, I've been trying to come up with ideas of fun things that I can make for her nursery nook that she can grow with, and hopefully, cherish through the years. I found this pillow and just love it! The always inspiring Rubyellen made this for one of her adorable little girls and though you can't tell from the pictures, it is big enough that her daughter can actually lay on it as if it were a bed.

I'm not sure I can actually recreate such a detailed piece of work but it certainly got the wheels turning for me. Rubyellen always has amazing and fun crafty ideas on her blog www.mycakies.blogspot.com and has adorable finds in her Etsy shop www.mycakies.etsy.com.

Rubyellen seems to frequently pop up on some of my favorite websites to visit for inspiration like www.freepeople.com which has the coolest blog ever and www.designingmoms.blogspot.com.

Got Scraps? no sewing required

I am always looking for things to do with the mounds of fabric scraps that I keep. And since I recently came to need some drawer sachets, I thought that I would try my hand at making them.


I happened to have a bag of locally grown lavender on hand that I've been waiting for the right project to use, and some ribbon scraps as well. With all the ingredients ready, it only takes 5 easy steps to create a fun little sachet.

1. lay out small rectangles and squares of fabric scraps



2. pour little heaps of lavender in the center of each scrap



3. bunch the fabric up around the lavender



4. tie a ribbon in a knot around the center of the fabric (right above the lavender), then tie another knot to prevent spills



5. and finally, tie a pretty bow and you are done!

I was surprised at how quick this project is and it uses up some of the beautiful little scraps you saved from your projects of past.

I did it myself.

Since I've had to put my cushion project on hold temporarily (I forgot to pick up cotton filler, ooops!), I decided to give my next project a go. My wonderful sister has lent me her antique (yet uniquely restored) dresser to use for our baby's room and I thought that the drawers could use a little pick me up. However, finding a cute drawer liner that matched the purple, yes purple, dresser was a bit of a problem, so, my solution was to go to my favorite little art supply shop that is just a few towns away and pick up some of the fun, quality paper that they carry (in longer strips so it covers the length of the drawer).

I found a repositionable spray adhesive and, after some measuring and cutting, I now have some very cute, dresser matching drawer liners.

If you prefer scented drawer liners just fill a spray bottle with warm water and a few drops of your favorite essential oil. I used lavender! Don't soak the paper, just a little bit of spray will go a long way.