baby's nursery

Dear baby, your daddy and I are so glad that you're safe and healthy.  

I know you like being cuddled up inside me, but aren't you running out of room in there?  

I know your due date isn't for another two weeks, but we'd be happy for you to show up anytime now.

We've got your room all set up.

And let me tell you, people already LOVE you.  

You should see all the wonderful things you've been given.  

I guess for now I'll just show off your room to everyone else.

But just so you know, you have a comfy crib waiting for you.

And a wonderful glider to rock in with me. 

I made sure to put the basket with all the blankets right next to it, so you'll always be warm.

Wanna know a secret?  I was rocked in that very same glider when I was a baby.

My own momma used to hold me and rock me when I was just a tiny little thing. 

And she kept it all these years, so I could have it to rock you in one day. 

Of course we got new foam for it and re-upholstered it, so it's just like new now.

Your little dressers are already filled with clothes. 

Your daddy and I love us a good deal, and we got a great deal on these dressers!

We found them at a yard sale for $5 each.  

We added some new dresser pulls that we got at Ikea ($6 for all of them) and with a little paint, they look like new!  And they are the perfect baby-size dressers.  

You have 36 pairs of socks my little love.  Can you believe it?  36! Those toes of yours will never be cold.

And with all the hats we've collected, neither will those cute ears of yours.  

  

And speaking of cold, we've already hung up all your adorable little jackets and sweatshirts in the closet.

We've got your changing area all ready too.  We decided not to buy a changing table, but to just use the top of the dressers.  You have a comfy changing pad to lay in and I've got all the supplies (diapers, lotion, burb cloths, etc) right next to it.

We've been decorating your room with Hawaiian-themed and ocean artwork.

Your dad in particular wants you to love Hawaii as much as we do.

We brought back some prints from our favorite Hawaiian artist, Heather Brown, just so we could hang them in your room.

We also hung this cool mosiac sea horse artwork that I got from Costa Rica years ago.

And finally, we have a little bookshelf where we've already started your library.

I hope you end up loving to read.  Reading is seriously wonderful.

So what do you think my little love?  Doesn't your room look nice and inviting?  

I have to confess I go and sit in there pretty often.  

Your daddy is currently using it as his study room, but that'll change once you get here of course.

And not that you'll be using it for awhile, but I can't wait for you to see your high chair.

It was actually my grandpa's high chair when he was a little boy.  

You are one lucky little man my love.

I can't even tell you how much I love you already.

And I know everyone else is going to love you too.

I'm just worried I'm gonna have to fight to get time with you once you actually show up.

Because then everyone is gonna want their turn holding you.

*sigh* I have a feeling you're gonna be a bit of a momma's boy though. 

And that's quite alright with me.

Love you forever, 

Momma

Moving moving and more moving

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So, as you may have noticed, I've been MIA this week.  Well, that's because WE MOVED!

We're still in Hawaii, in fact we're just around the corner from where we used to live.

So between packing our old house, moving everything to our new house, and trying to organize our new place I haven't found any time for blogging. 

And it doesn't help that our old apartment didn't have internet access for a week. 

And that we're still struggling to get a reliable internet connection in our new place.

So if my posting is kinda hit and go the next little bit, just know that I'm hard at work decorating and will have lots of pictures to show you in the coming days.  

But don't get your hopes too big for my decorating. 

Student budgets can be limiting.

whack-a-mole

Remember that lovely game called Whack-A-Mole.

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Well, my husband and I had our own rendition of it the night. 

But instead of a mallet, we used shoes. 

And instead of moles, we wacked cockroaches.
......

All over our kitchen floor.  

Because even though  my house appears calm and relatively clean during the daytime, as soon as the clock hits midnight, the roaches come out.  The majority of them are fairly small (about the size of my fingernails) thank goodness.  But still...why are there SO MANY??
I love Hawaii so much, but I would love a good bug bomb about now.

The good news?
I just found out last week that the hubby and I got our housing transfer approved.
Which means we will be moving to a one-bedroom apartment next month!
You hear that? A BEDROOM!
If you didn't already know, my husband and I currently live in a teeny tiny studio.
We like to call it "cozy."
But next month, we will be saying "so long!" to the studio and "hello!" to the one-bedroom.
I am soooo excited about this you guys. Plus, I will have some free time on my hands this summer, which means I'll have time for new decorating projects!
And since we will now be on the second floor, I'm crossing my fingers we won't have as many little critters.

This summer is going to be fan-TASTIC! I am actually leaving on a plane today and flying home!
This will be the first time Beau and I have been home since we got married.
We'll be traveling around the east coast for about three weeks and then back to Hawaii mid June.
We're gonna be busy but doing a lot of exciting stuff, so be looking forward to some fun stories!
In the meantime, I will be having some guest bloggers posting in the next few days and next week.  If anyone is still interested in guest posting for me, I'd love to chat about it! My e-mail is up top under the "Contact" tab.  Shoot me an email if you're interested.

I hope everyone is having a fabulous week! I know I've been absent from blogging for awhile, but this last week has been crazy trying to prepare for our trip.  So you may hear from me once more, but if not, enjoy all the guest bloggers you'll hear from.  I promise they're all wonderful!  

Wall Decor

Is this not the most beautiful wall you have ever seen?

I've been loving the eclectic look lately and I would LOVE to have a wall like this.
Except for that dragonfly piece on the side wall.
Don't know what it is, I've just never liked dragonflies. Or butterflies for that matter.
Silly me for not thinking flying insects are cute.
But they're colorful you say? Please, they're still flying insects. Gross. 

Dreaming of a future home

I realize that I will not be living in any sort of dream home for quite a few years, but I like to look for great decorating ideas none the less. Here are a few awesome (if not slightly overdone) styles that I absolutely LOVE.

Fish wall mount

Such an amazing patio set up! The bright colors are beautiful

Simple. Modern. Gorgeous.

The subtle addition of patterns here is great. I love almost anything patterned.

Cooking would be so much more fun if I had a place like this to do it in.

Same kitchen as above, but a better view :)

I love homemade artwork and these are super cute. When I have kids I will definitely be making these and hanging them in the play room.

Again, patterns! What is not to love?

This is by far the most BEAUTIFUL laundry room I have ever seen!

More patterns! And the teal color is awesome!

I can only dream of having one of these awesome hanging beds/couches.

This bathtub is alright, but what what I REALLY LOVE is the picture behind it. It is made entirely of mosaic tiles! What a great idea!

Sometimes cluttered chaos can be art. And art is beautiful.

And if you haven't guessed by now...patterns=love.

Studio Improvements

I have finally started finding ways to make my little apartment a bit cuter! Check out this adorable chair and bookshelf that Beau and I found at a yard sale this morning! I love Saturday morning yard sales. :) Everything will fit a bit better once we move into a one bedroom apartment. I'm hoping that will happen soon, but probably not til April or June unfortunately. But anyhow, now we just have to paint the bookshelf. Perhaps you can't tell from this picture, but it definitely could use a paint job. But that's for another weekend. Now...homework awaits...

Living in a Studio

So we live in a little studio apartment on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. I can't wait for the day when I can say we live in a CUTE little studio apartment on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. You get the point though. Right now we are car-less, thanks to Transport Services (http://www.transportservicesonline.com/). Quick pointer, if you ever want your car shipped, NEVER use this company. They picked up our car on July 16th, and we have still not seen it due to "complications" on the company's part. However, this is not the time for me to complain about my car troubles.

I only bring this up, because as mentioned, I live in this tiny town on the North Shore, where there is not much in walking distance, except for a grocery store (thank goodness), and multiple beaches (which I am always thankful for). But I haven't been able to decorate our apartment yet, because I've sadly had no way to go buy anything to help in the creative process.

We bought a few cute things while we were in India, like a cool bedspread and rug, but I am in desperate need of wall decorations. So this next week, I will be searching for cute (and affordable!) decorating ideas online. I have already found one SUPER cute idea, but I'm a little worried about how it will turn out, so I'll keep it on the hush for now. But I look forward to actually having something on my walls!