Baby Boy Nursery

Ever since I found out that I'm pregnant, I've been working on ideas for the nursery. Sometimes, I would lay sleepless during the night and think what I would like to do. I've been gathering materials ever since we got married - those sheep that I bought almost 5 years ago, Russian cartoon characters my mom brought from motherland and books that I read when I was a little girl. 

My first thought was to make it navy blue and green. I wanted an accent wall and was looking for wall paper. So when I found this striped teal number, I absolutely loved it and changed my mind about the colors. 

Teal walls and bedding with brown furniture seemed a little boring. So I added a pop of color with subtle orange accents. 

I LOVE the end product and very often go sit in my favorite chair (it reclines, rocks and swivels! I received it as a Christmas present from hubby) while reading. 

He really is so amazing, kind and the best kind of good. 

Did I mention it's the warmest room in the house? Yep, nice and cozy!

Crib: Pottery Barn Kendal Fixed Gate Crib
Dresser: Ikea MALM 4 Drawer Chest
Bedding: Pottery Barn Harper Bedding
Standing Lamp: Walmart DIY (Spray painted colored that I wanted)
Mommy's Chair: Natuzzi Liri Leather Recliner
Clock: Target (sold out)
Table Lamp: Target
Bassinet: Gift (Target)
Changing Table: passed down from my sister
Mobile: DIY
"I Love You" Prints: La Posh Design (custom made)
Frames: Hobby Lobby
Rocking Horse: Vintage (handmade present from our neighbor)

Awards and Other Unmentionables

I'm so excited to tell you that I've been featured on another blog. Anna over at Fash Boulvard featured me and few other bloggers in her post with mustard/golden colored pieces. Check it out!

I was also nominated for the Liebster Blog Award. For any of you who don't know what that is, the Liebster Blog Award was created to discover new blogs with less than 1000 followers. I was nominated by Haley Valerie. Thank you so much!

The rules for this award vary, but these are the ones that I am following:

• List 11 random facts about yourself
• Answer the 11 questions which are given to you by your nominator
• Ask 11 new questions for all the Bloggers that you nominate to win the award
• Nominate 9 bloggers with less than 1000 followers for the award
• Go to each of the blogger's pages to let them now about their nominations
• Thank the blogger who nominated you by mentioning them and link it back to their blog on your post
• 
  

11 Random Facts:
- I play piano and a lead pianist at my church
- I speak two languages - Russian and English
- I love shopping with my husband 
- I'm a clean freak 
- I wanted to be a judge when I was little
- I have very low pain tolerance (and I'm due in <2 weeks. Good luck girlfriend!)
- I've never been in the hospital- no surgeries, no broken bones, no ER visits and no serious illnesses.
- I'm an Evangelical Christian
- I always wanted a large family with 4-5 children but this pregnancy is making me reconsider it. 
- I did not like my husband when I met him. We were hanging out in the same youth group for a while but I did not ever think that I  fall this guy. I fell  hard and never regretted it since! 
- My two favorite women in the world are my mom and my sister. I also have the most adorable niece.


My  Questions:

• Why did you start a blog?
• Cats or dogs?
• If you could meet one famous person, who would it be? 
• Do you have siblings?
• Who's your favorite blogger? (link up)
• Are you an early bird or a night owl?
• If the world would end tomorrow, what would you be doing today?
• What is your favorite food?
• If you could travel the world, what is one place you would definitely visit? 
• What is your biggest pet peeve?
• What is your favorite TV show?

Questions from Haley Valerie:

1. What is your middle name?
Alexandria

2. What is your favorite movie?
The Notebook - I know it's cheesy and such a chick-flick but I cannot help myself and cry every time

3. How long have you been blogging?
Almost a year - I'm a newbie

4. What is your favorite beauty product?
Bare Minerals foundation. I love how light it is

5. Coffee or Tea?
Always tea with honey and lemon.

6. If you could have one wish granted what would it be?
Being able to see the future. I'm a perfectionist and want to avoid mistakes

7. Who is your favorite celebrity?
I don't think I have one. Not really into Hollywood

8. What is your favorite book?
Gone with the Wind. I must have read it about 10 times and it never gets old

9. What is your dream job?
Teaching College Mathematics 

10. What is your biggest pet peeve?
Clean bathroom

11. What inspired you to create a blog? 
I started following fashion blogs and one really stood out. The very first blog I started following was by Jessica Quirck at What I Wore. She started very small and was persistent enough to make it a success. It inspired me to start my own blog and follow through with it.

I nominate 

The Double Take Girls
God Bless Our Nest

Butler Party of 2

Mama Style

Creamy
Here and Now
Lam in Louboutins
Brandon and Shelby
Racing Towards Joy
Something Devine

No Rush

This black maxi is the only thing that fits my big belly at this point.
Miss my regular clohes

It's been all about birth, baby and other pregnancy related things here but that's my life. And since this blog is about my life - there is no way of getting around it all.
After reading this post by an awesome fellow blogger, I have been thinking.
I've decided to consciously enjoy every single moment of every day until our baby boy arrives.

 People keep asking me how long I have left and that unintentionally reminds me that it's
getting VERY close but he's still not here.

 It seems like we rush through a lot of things in life but this time is not going to ever come back. 

I'm not going to be just wife, sister, daughter and friend. I'm going to be a mother. 

You can't rush through motherhood.
You can't rush through life. 
God is giving me this time to reflect and learn to trust Him to give us our boy at a perfect time.

So while I wait... 

Spending lots of quality time with hubby, sleeping in when possible, shopping, watching movies and  just enjoying time together. Ohhhh yes, still debating on the name.
Spending time with friends and family, hanging out with my mom and sister.
Reading a few baby books and one just for pure pleasure of reading.
Trying different recipes - cooking and baking deliciousness.
So take your time baby boy (reasonable amount), get strong and big (not too big) to face this currently-below-zero-temperatures world.

Hearty Potato Soup {recipe}

recipe courtesy of The Pioneer Woman

 Lately, I have been making lots of food.
What else is there to do when the temperatures drop into negative zone Fahrenheit?
Brrrrr. But-freezing cold. 

I mean, I am hungry pregnant lady after all.

Staying at home, and baking and cooking up a storm, makes my husband the happy beneficiary of the happenings. I don't know why and what's happening here but nesting is definitely getting to me. 

I think I'm reading more food blogs than fashion anything right now. Washing floors at least twice a week, scouting for pillows for my new couches and just organizing the house like crazy.

Well, at least the house is clean and there is always food. Delicious food. 

I got this recipe from The Pioneer Woman and it's perfect. It's so hearty, thick yet perfectly creamy. 

Try it for yourself.

Ingredients

6 slices Thin Bacon, Cut Into 1-inch Pieces

1 whole Medium Onion, Diced

2 whole Carrots, Scrubbed Clean And Diced

3 stalks Celery, Diced

6 whole Small Russet Potatoes, Peeled And Diced

6 cups Low Sodium Chicken Or Vegetable Broth

3 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour

1 cup Milk

1/2 cup Heavy Cream

1/2 teaspoon Salt, More To Taste

Black Pepper To Taste

1/2 teaspoon Cajun Spice Mix

1 teaspoon Minced Fresh Parsley

1 cup Grated Cheese Of Your Choice

Preparation Instructions

Add bacon pieces to a soup pot over medium heat and cook bacon until crisp and fat is rendered. Remove the bacon from the pot and set it aside. Pour off most of the grease, but do not clean the pot.

Return the hot to medium-high heat and add the onions, carrots, and celery. Stir and cook for 2 minutes or so, then add the diced potatoes. Cook for 5 minutes, seasoning with salt, pepper, and Cajun spice.

Pour in the broth and bring it to a gentle boil. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are starting to get tender. Whisk together the flour and the milk, then pour into the soup and allow the soup to cook for another 5 minutes.

Remove half to 2/3 the soup and blend in a blender/food process until completely smooth. Pour it back into the soup pot and stir to combine. Let it heat back up as you taste for seasonings, adding more of what it needs. Stir in cream, then stir in parsley, reserving a little for garnish.

Serve in bowls garnished with parsley, grated cheese and crisp bacon pieces. 

*** I love to eat it with black yeast dough Russian bread. It reminds me of home.

Ready. Set. Go.

Since I don't know how big he's going to be, I packed a newborn and 0-3m outfit.
What am I missing?

I've asked several people and the opinion is split on whether or not take clothes to the hospital.
What else am I missing?

At this point the nursery is completely finished - it looks so darn cute. My hospital bag and his diaper bag are packed. All that's left is to wait and see. 

Honestly, I think every mother is worried about the birth process and for me, being the control freak that I am,  it's hard to let go. I have absolutely no control over the entire thing as it's very unpredictable. 

But I have decided not to let the worry get to me - I can't fix, help or speed up the process by worrying. So I'm going to try to enjoy these last couple of weeks as a preggo woman. I'm going to soak in the freedom that I still have (trip to B&N anyone?) and the inability to tie my own shoes. 

As much as I can, I ask for advice from experienced mothers, read other people's blogs and opinions on everything from Pitocin to a birthing ball. But until I go through it, I don't know how it is, although it's good to be ready. For everything. 

Nifty Thrifting

{image}

You just received that Pottery Barn catalog and swooning over a rustic table with modern chairs on page 15. The price on that thing? Ridiculous, and you know it. So what to do? Find one and make it your own. At a thrift store

I love thrift store shopping - it's fun, unpredictable and always low-cost. I have been asked on multiple occasions how do I find clothes that look so good when I tell them it's from thrift store. 

There are a couple of tricks.

 Now that we are in our new home, I'm scouting for one-of-a-kind accent pieces, but it's not easy. 

Here are couple of tricks on finding the 'this is so lovely/cute/gorgeous! where did you get it?' piece.

Quality, over quantity. Browsing the racks and rows of old, used furniture, don't think about getting more stuff. Let's face it - you probably have a million sweaters so when picking out clothes, look for unique patterns, familiar store tags and little to no use/wear. I know that the low prices are tempting but select only the best, even if you have to walk away empty handed. Unless you want your closet looking like thrift store itself.

Take your time. Thrifting is time consuming. Nothing is laid out for you and matched like in the department store. There isn't a sign saying "This table is very sturdy. Just needs a fresh coat of paint" Dig through everything. Be patient. You never know.

Distinguish between junk and treasure. This is hard to do at times. When looking for furniture make sure it's sturdy, has no cracks and isn't going to fall apart the minute you put it in your trunk (they don't do refunds). Learn to recognize good quality and sort of have a vision.

Be consistent. You have to be a regular at any thrift store, because nothing is there for very long time. Check the stores often and ask when they receive major shipments, or days when they put out new stuff. Know the sale days. Yes, they have those. Even Salvation Army has 50% off everything day. So what if it's cheap when you can get it cheaper!

Have a goal in mind. Don't just go in aimlessly looking for something. You will never find it. And if you do, it turns out you didn't need it in the first place. Only because you see $0.99 price tag on it, doesn't mean you have to get it. You are more likely to find specific pieces when you know what you are looking for. There is a lot of junk in those stores. But when you know you want that cute little frame with Victorian border so you can spray paint it the color you want and proudly display it over the fireplace, your eyes will ignore the junk and help you find the piece you are looking for.

Never mind the stigma. For some people, it's demeaning to go to a thrift store. It's below them for some reason. Either they are too proud, or too stuck up, or too rich (I mean, good for them) to thrift. There is nothing embarrassing about finding good stuff for cheap and turning it into a one-of-a-kind treasure. If someone gives you a weird look about going to the thrift store, just ignore it and think about all the money you are saving your family (if aren't buying junk that is).

I'm a thrifter and I know it!

Can You Say Big Belly?

cardigan: Loft, skirt: NY&Co, shoes: Anna Taylor, shirt: Target, 

So yes, here I am.

My big pregnant belly and I. 

I think this may be the last picture I'm willing to put on Internet for everyone to see.

Honestly I didn't know I was this huge until saw these pictures. I mean, that baby is taking his chubs very seriously. I have all the regular symptoms of 9 months preggo lady - heartburn, lower back pain,  hunger at all times of day and night, restless leg syndrome when I want to sleep, swollen ankles, going to the bathroom a million times a day in turn making myself familiar with the location of all the public restrooms in our town. But this belly is getting kind of uncomfortable. I can't tie my shoes, it's hard to sit straight up and don't even get me started on trying get a full night's sleep. 

Can't wait for him to arrive.
The doctor says that everything is normal and going very well. What does he know? He never carried one of these. The baby's head is down and there is no way to tell how big how is - I mean shouldn't they have invented some machine for that too? 

I had couple contractions (it hurts. like a lot) which only made me think that I hope I won't chicken out and try to go the natural way. 

So while I get bigger and try to eat the fridge itself (midnight snacks are the best),

 hope you are having a great day.

Crepes {recipe}

I have been craving crepes lately. 

It goes like this: 'Womb service. Yes, Can I please order some crepes filled with farmers cheese and strawberries. What's that? Whipped cream? Suuuure... send that can of whipped cream up!"

So, I have been making them every night, and the hubs loves it.
He loves the new and improved, always-hungry version of myself. 

He is benefiting a great deal from this whole pregnancy thing and keeps saying that maybe I shouldn't go to work after all, stay at home and make delicious food, while I'm making babies. Well that's new.

This recipe is as simple and easy as it gets. In Russian food there is a version of these, but much fattier and has sour cream in the batter.
I like them both ways but this is my go-to recipe. 

We eat them as a dessert (above picture) or plain for breakfast. Whatever you fancy, can dress them up with everything from fruit to Nutella. 

Ingredients:

- 1 1/2 cup of all purpose flour

- 2 eggs

- 1 tbsp sugar

- 1 1/2 cup of milk

- 1 tbsp butter

- pinch of salt

In a medium mixing bowl sift together flour, sugar and salt. In a separate bowl beat the eggs with fork and add milk to combine. Pour the milk mixture into flour while constantly mixing it with a whisk. Don't stop until there are no more lumps left. If needed add a little more water/milk. The batter should even consistency and not thick.

Heat up a small non-stick frying pan on medium heat and coat it with a butter. Pour 1/4 cup of batter into the pan and swirl evenly. 

***You don't need to use spoon/spatula to smooth it out, just swirl until the entire pan is coated with batter and it isn't moving anymore. 

Allow 1 minute on the first side and when flipped, about 30 seconds on the other. 

Cheese Filling:

- 1/2 lb  of farmer's cheese 

- 1 tbsp whipped cream cheese

- 3 tbsp of sugar

- 1 tbsp sour cream

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix the farmer's cheese and cream cheese together, then add sour cream, next add sugar and vanilla. Place 1 tbsp (or more ;-) of cheese mixture into each crepes and fold. 

Melt about 1 teaspoon of butter in a skillet and sauté the folded cheese crepes on medium heat until light brown on both sides. They don’t take long to sauté. Be careful not to burn them.

Refrigerate crepes that aren't being served.  They keep in the fridge for almost one week, or you can freeze them up to 2 months. Sometimes I make couple batches and freeze them for easy breakfast solution later.

Wash strawberries and cut into desired pieces. Add a little bit of strawberry preserves or topping and mix. Pour strawberries into crepes, sprinkle with almonds and top with whipped cream. 

Enjoy!

...then go back for seconds. 

His Little Sheep

crib: Pottery Barn, lamp: DIY
How sweet is that vintage rocking horse? 

The nursery isn't finished yet, but I thought I'd share how it's coming along.
Whatcha think?

At this point almost everything is ready for the arrival of our little bundle of joy. 

Almost being the key word here. 

I don't think you can every be fully prepared for such a drastic change in your entire life. I mean, no matter how many maternity books or child-rearing books you read, you don't know what birthing pain feels like, or that 3am feeding when you are completely exhausted or that baby that just wouldn't stop crying and you don't know why (and it's breaking your <3). 

I know that I'm not ready. 

I try to imagine how it's all going to be, how we are going to love and care for our little one but until you have him in your arms, I guess no amount of imagination will get you to that experience. 

I love setting up the nursery but not so much the process of picking out a travel system. It only took us eight months to pick a carseat and a stroller! I think we picked our last car faster than this. Go figure

I love getting all kinds of advice - from not to ever introduce baby to a bottle to the horror birth stories of Soviet Russia. It's all very interesting and sometimes very disturbing. 

I love scouting for wall art and other accessories at local stores but get easily frustrated because girls have waaaay more stuff out there. There is tons of pink cute things. Not so much with the boys - it's either blah or not there at all. 

I love the way my belly moves and when my hubby and I are talking he get's so active I'm afraid he's going to pop right out. Then hubby gives him the talk - "now son, be nice to your mommy and settle down". It's so sweet and so precious! 

I love walking into that sparkling clean and super organized (not for long) nursery and admiring my handy work and his little sheep.

Than you for reading lovelies! 

Little Lamb Nursery Mobile (DIY)

 It Has a Story

I have been on a hunt for a perfect crib mobile for a while. First of all I didn't want a zoo-themed nursery and nothing with monkeys either. I wanted something simple yet elegant and boyishly cute. 

The very first year my husband and I were married, I was shopping some post-Christmas sales and found most adorable sheep at Bath and Body Works, of all places (go figure). They had mamma sheep and two little lambs, with a matching lamb blanket. I knew then and there that whenever we decide to have a baby, I would love to have some lambs in the nursery.

 So I bought them, kept them for four years in the back of my closet and now I'm so glad I did.

So I had these plush big sheep but no mobile to match it. This mobile was the closest I could find to something that would match the room colors and style of the nursery. But paying $62 for a mobile (you have to buy the arm separately) was a bit ridiculous. I was already getting some nice (i.e. expensive) bedding so that price was not for me. 

Of course, turning to PINTEREST and Etsy (also too expensive) I decided to make the mobile myself.

 But then there was the issue of little lambs (kind of the most important part of the whole thing). I couldn't find any that would be the perfect size for a mobile until my sister gave me her Christmas present.

She knew I wanted to add lambs into my nursery and found little ones (again) in Bath and Body Works. They were so cute and the perfect size! She gave me three little lambs, so I went to Bath and Body Works store right after Christmas and bought all the little lambs that they had. Eight in total, I had what I needed to make the most adorable mobile, and it was going to be one of a kind. 

Here is how. (Assuming you have the pieces to hang on your mobile)

You Will Need:

Pieces to Hang (It can be anything)

Scissors 

Embroidery Hoop (I used 10") from Hobby Lobby

Needle and Thread

Hot Glue Gun

Ribbon (I used golden 3/8")

Ready to start? 

So first I took all the tags and hooks off the sheep. Then using a needle and a thread, I sew single 20'' ribbons to them. My longest sheep was going to hang at 18" so the rest were just going to get cut. I this point I didn't know how many where going to be where, so I cut them all at the same length. 

And then I got tired of doing it all in quiet and all by myself and decided to watch some TV. And totally forgot to take pictures of the rest of the process. 

So much for a tutorial eh? 

Really, it's very easy so I'm going to tell you how. 

Once all the ribbons are sewn unto the sheep, I started to approximate how long I wanted the pieces to hang. At this point it's up to you, where and how you want them to hang. The longest were about 18'' and the shortest were 8''. So I glued two longest sheep across from each other, with about 2" difference in height. Then I started eyeing where to put the rest. Again, depending on the number of pieces you have and diameter of the ring, it's your call. Mine were about 9'' apart.  

Then I started gluing the ribbon to the ring, on the inside and outside part (just to make sure). 

Now its time to make the part you going to hang it with. I used four 10'' long pieces of ribbon. Spacing them out as evenly as I could hot gluing to the inside of the ring, I joined them in the middle, also with hot glue. Then made a hoop 5'' long.

Now that all the parts are glued to the ring, it's time to cover up some of the ugliness of the glue. 

I used brown (since it's one of the colors in the nursery) ribbon 1'' thick and hot glued it to the outside and the inside of the ring. Again your call on the color. 

And that was it.

I could be happier with the way this mobile turned out and honestly, every time I walk into the nursery, I love how sweet it looks. It must be my favorite piece of decoration in the room.

(Next time I will pay closer attention and snap some more pictures)

I want to wait until the entire nursery is finished to show you how it looks in the room.

La Posh Giveaway

La Posh Style Giveaway

You can win a $50 gift card from La Posh Style online store! 

Go over to Pink Peonies Blog and check out the requirements... Who wouldn't want a new top or a skirt?

Have a great weekend!

PLEH

Welcome to 2013!

I this point, I think it is safe to say I have no interesting clothes/outfits left to show you...

I have two pairs of jeans, a few sweaters and one coat which make my daily outfits that require venturing out of the house. If I'm not going anywhere, it's pajamas and more pajamas. They're kind of my thing now. Although I do have couple cute polka PJs, I doubt they would make for a good outfit post.

So since I'm not going many places lately and it's freezing cold outside, I have something else to focus on - our new house and the nursery.

I'll be cheating with window drapery and wall art, nursery letters and area rugs, and then blogging about it.

Making a space beautiful takes time and I am the worst when it comes to patience. It looks so empty and not done at the house that I want to just go buy curtains, wall art, lamps and rugs all at once to make the space look a little more homey. But at the same time I want to get it just right.

I already purchased curtains and then took them back.

Now on the second trial, so far so good..

What do you think? Red walls with chevron pattern curtains?

I'm as indecisive as I am impatient.

Help the impatient and the indecisive .

P.S. For the title I wanted to make sure that you could read HELP from the other side ;)