I hope you have some fun plans for this long weekend. I have a couple of night call shifts, but I'm still planning on enjoying some outdoor time with the family. See you next week.

via here

Little man starts Preschool next week. It will be a few years before he has homework to do, but this desk from Rafa-kids goes on my wish list for the future. It's the perfect size for a little guy getting down to some serious studying.

via here

It was another productive weekend around the house. Even though the boys' rooms look pretty much the same, we made some decor decisions and ordered furniture and accessories. If I were designing a nursery or toddler room and could only use two resources, it would be an easy decision for me. Lay Baby Lay and Little Gatherer have my favorite inspiration boards. If you are having trouble getting started with a room or need ideas for those important finishing touches, check them out:


Lay Baby Lay:

Time is flying this pregnancy. We wanted and tried for this baby for a long time, but now that the third trimester is right around the corner I can't help but feel a twinge of sadness that my relationship with my little man is going to undergo some major changes. I love this little person--his sweetness, his love of cuddling, his sensitivity and humor, his stubborn streak, his curiosity. These last three years with him have been a gift. I saw these pictures of a mom and her boy on Mother Mag and felt a big lump in my throat. I know expanding our family will be amazing and challenging, wonderful at times, tough at times. I hope I'm ready. For now, I'm just going to love this kiddo who has become the most important person in my world and make the most of our last months as just the two of us.

I love the combination of this white table with that wallpaper and the unexpected color of those windows.

It worked. The weekend cured me of the terrible, no good, very bad attitude that I had all last week. We are working on the second floor--getting started on little man's new room and finally making progress on our master. Designing rooms, ordering furniture, and picking paint colors are my happy drugs. Last year, we painted the entire main floor a bright white (which I love), and now we are choosing a pale gray for upstairs. Picking a gray is tricky work. I've heard so many horror stories--grays that look great in a picture or on a swatch but that end up too baby blue or too green or just wrong once the entire room is painted. We painted a ton of sample grays on our master bedroom walls, and I spent a lot of time staring at them in different lights. So far, Benjamin Moore Gray Owl is my favorite, but we will be staring at them for two more weeks before we make a final decision. When we bought it, our entire house was the same god awful shade of peachy beige. Anything will be an improvement.

Phew. Friday is finally here. I'm grateful to have a few days to recharge. I'm sure my family is hoping that the weekend seriously readjusts the crappy attitude I've had all week. Sometimes I just need to stop, take a moment to be grateful for everything I have, and realize that even when life throws a few speed bumps in my way it's still a freaking wonderful life. Happy Friday!

I've featured her home before, but I wanted to share additional pictures of her beautiful nursery and playroom. 

This has been one of those craptastic weeks that makes me want to crawl back in bed and hide until Friday. I need a little pick-me-up, and it's coming in the form of this beautiful home from the founder/owner/creative director of one of my favorite stores: Schoolhouse Electric. Hope it gives you a little boost of beauty if you need it.