Tending to My Nest II

I'm officially 38 weeks pregnant with my second child.  My little girl can arrive any moment and my OCD tendencies in addition to my "nesting" has been in full swing for the last year (my nesting began before I actually conceived).  My bags are packed (with a list of things to be added), newborn clothing and necessities are cleaned and sanitized (I hope), the house is tidy (for the most part), laundry is being kept up with (unless you count that basket that needs to be folded), and my physical and emotional state is ready to welcome my daughter in the world (bringing her home into our lives is a different story).

How prepared can you really be?  I remember this point of my pregnancy with Jude.  The normal new parental anxieties were settling in although slightly enhanced by the mere fact that I was less than a month settled into a new country. Thousands of miles and a great big ocean separated me from the familiar comforts of friends and family and a 24 hour Target down the street.  While I had my bags packed, food prepped in the freezer, every gadget I thought I needed, I went into labor with more knowledge of the stages of pregnancy than newborn care and just my husband to rely on through the first few months of life with a tiny human.  I survived, barely, but I survived.

It took time but I learned a few tricks of the trade to care for a child.  I made life time friends with some women and families on our base, started my walk with God, and learned to navigate the German economy while also realizing the simplicity of life (aka, not needing every infant accessory on the market).

Today I have a healthy and thriving almost 4 year old little boy who despite my inexperience of parental knowledge is managing okay with life (unless he doesn't get his way of course).  I've been settled in Texas for almost a year, have abundance of friends and family in the area (and a short plane ride away), a great spiritual family, and more big box stores in a 10mi radius than one knows what to do with.   Despite those conveniences, I've learned the anxieties of motherhood don't go away, they just transform.

It will take time, a few stumbles, many tears, an abundance of prayers, and constant reminders but I will learn to balance a life between two children, a husband, friends, and myself.   I will learn to cope with sleepless nights and having to be alert for an active preschooler.  I will understand that I don't have all of the answers, just the best intentions of raising my children.  I will accept that my house doesn't need to be perfect, just functional.  I will have better excuses for being at least 10 minutes late to everything despite my best effort.  I will realize yet again the important things in life, how to be content in the present, and to live more simply.

Just like everything else in this season of my life, I have Emma's room "mostly" prepared.  I'm still waiting on a beautiful hand crafted bird mobile from Etsy my friend ordered for me and a few family photos that will give life to this space.  More importantly though, I'm waiting on the little girl that will transform our family of 3 into a family of 4 and all of the blessings and challenges to go with it.

Shopping List

Wall Color: Behr Valley Mist mixed with Celtic Gray

Mural: Veteran Creations

Crib Sheets: Babies R US Knit Crib Sheet - Pink

Framed Bird Art: Nature's Heavenly Art

Birdcage: Hobby Lobby (originally watermelon pink)

Silver bird figurines: ELLE Home Decor at Kohl's

Owl Piggy Bank: Target

Picture Frame: Homegoods

White bird figurines: Hobby Lobby

Mirror: Home Depot

Bookshelf: Ikea Expedite

Lamp: Pier 1 (similar)

Lamp Shade: Target (similar)

Glider: Dutailier (similar)

Changing Pad Cover: Carters Super Soft Dot in Pink

Vase with Flowers: Hobby Lobby

Tending To My Nest

Casa Ellenbecker has many of projects under way as home-ownership is never fully done.  The one and only room that has barely been touched since my husband carried me over the threshold of our new abode has been the baby's nursery.  It has made a nice storage room for baby paraphernalia and a perfect place for our friend's son to stay while they were getting settled into their new house.  As I'm approaching 30 weeks, nesting is starting to kick in and the back burner room is almost ready to be worked on.  After a few other touch ups first.

So that I don't have to redo this room per my current trend, I'm am going anally overboard with my color samples.  Amazing how such similar colors can have such subtle yet defining differences.


Here basis of the vision although the actual color will be more of a light aqua and I will replace the yellow for blush pink accents

Kerianne Brown Photography 

A tree mural similar to this decal will adorn her crib wall

Here is the first step of the process

10am lighting 3rd one wins.  Mix of Valley Mist and Celtic Gray.

Now to sit back, watch the paint dry and the lighting to change while I visualize rocking my baby girl in modern yet serene escape.

A Complimentary Fit

This is a quick post to mention that despite my crazy antics of second guessing and repainting, my husband is currently sitting in his office looking at paint swatches to repaint his office since he feels it doesn't flow with the rest of the house.  He is also looking at paintings for the upstairs orange wall because although he loves the orange wall, he knows how much it is irritating me.

Even though there are times where I wish he would just let me take the lead and do what I say when it comes to decorating, I really do love the fact that he is so invested in creating a beautiful home and shares a similar vision with me. It may make things a bit messy at times but it's our mess together.

On Tuesday we celebrate 7 years of marriage.  It's been an amazing journey and I'm looking forward to many more years of creating of beautiful life together.  Happy Anniversary Beau!

Photo by Jessica Ceason of Jessica Ceason Photography

That Damn Orange Wall

I have a love hate relationship with a certain wall in my house.  This wall was meant to be the accent point in our house, a wall to give life and color to a more neutral home.  With the 60/30/10 rule in design, this was going to be the pivotal 10 that brought things together.  Depending on the day, the light, or my hormones, my feelings change for this wall.  Currently I loathe it and my husband loves it.  He does loathe my ping pong effect of my feelings for this wall which is enough to get him on board with changing it.  Yes, 9 months here and I've painted and repainted more than most of my friends who have lived in their homes for 3+ years.

We have either orange or copper accents throughout the house which is why we chose this color.  I love the color orange but I can't get this particular wall to flow with the rest of the house which therefore makes me want to change it all together.  Unfortunately I have no idea what to change it to. 

Here is the infamous wall from the main view of the house.

Here are some other angles upstairs

And views of the rest of the downstairs living room/kitchen

The grey/blue, Sherwin William's Morning Fog (SW6255), we chose for upstairs is an in between color of the Lazy Gray (SW6254) in the kitchen and Gibraltar (SW6257) on the fireplace wall.  Same color pallet.  My husband's thought is to continue the Morning Fog on the the orange wall.  One idea I had was to use a similar gray from the couch which is also replicated in the kitchen counter/tiles and paint the entire upstairs this...if I can convince my husband of course.

Another thought I had was to use the color below, Black Swan (SW6279), as another accent but that might make it more conflicting with the fireplace wall.

We will be adding a gallery wall of brightly colored paintings from our travels

View of the sitting room looking into the dining room to the living room.  We used Martha Stewart Fig in the Dining Room. Beau's office to the right (which looks a little more yellow in this image) is SW6380 Humble Gold.

I need your insight as I am at a complete and utter loss over what to do with the upstairs.  We have already repainted the playroom portion from the same orange to Morning Fog, and then carried the Morning Fog to the two hallways as well.  I do love the color  but I'm concerned of adding too much blue.  My husbands concern is that we originally envisioned this brightly colorful house as I wrote about here but am slowly ending up with 18 variations of gray. 

Please post your thoughts below.  I'm looking for suggestions for the orange wall only or the upstairs as a whole.  I want to keep the rest of the rooms the same.  Any ideas on how to make my house flow?

Spa Inspired Master Bath

Have you ever not painted a room because you were afraid the color would be completely wrong?  Instead you take the safe route and leave the room blank until you are 100% sure?  Meanwhile, years pass and you still have the same white walls that house came with?

I can confess I do not do this at all.  My tactic is much more forward.  I envision the color I want, pick out my color choices, narrow it down to the 1 or 2 I want, and then take a leap of faith and paint.  If I don't like it, I repaint again.  It's not because I don't know what I want, it's because I do, to a fault.  My husband should be flattered by this "quirk" as we are approaching 7 years of marriage but in reality he's getting a little tired of this method not just due to costs but because I'm constantly ruminating on it until it's fixed....and he's ultimately the one to fix it.

In the 8 months we've lived here the master bath was actually the 3rd room we redid (it's the most complete which is why I'm sharing it with you first).

Here is the starting point:

Problem: White White walls, no personality, and too boring.  I want a master bath that evokes a spa feel where this is too cold to make me feel relaxed.


Solution: Create an Asian Nature Spa feel by pulling out the green in the glass accent tile.

Which resulted in:

Problem:  Sherwin William's 6422 Shagreen.  This color had been described as lime, avocado, 1970's appliance green, baby nursery green, and just too cool for the space.

Where we went wrong:  We actually chose a lighter color green than the tile in the glass accent piece.  We felt that the green was too olive and dark and wouldn't feel refreshing.  Our little accent swatch we did when determining the color looked fine in a small scale but was not right when the whole room was painted the color.

How we fixed it:

I went back to the beginning and began looking at my Pinterest boards to get insight.  What I found was I repeated the same coloring in multiple different bathroom designs: tan tile, cream walls, with subtle accent colors.

How we fixed it:

I used Sherwin Williams Color Snap on my IPhone and snapped the color of the tan tile as my starting point.  Was able to choose colors from there to determine the right shade.  I then picked one of the lighter shades to contrast with the dark tile.  Presenting Sherwin Williams 7567 Natural Tan.

To add a nice pop of color, we pulled the purple in the glass tile, SW 7630 Raisin to paint the window casings.  

To complete the Asian Nature Spa Feel, we went simple with a purple orchid, grass green bath essentials,  amber colored candle holders, and rolled white towels.  Two off set dark floating wall shelves displays the products nicely without cluttering the space.

Just to recap ways to find the perfect color:
1. Collect images from HGTV, Houzz, Pinterest, or your favorite decorating magazine.  You will begin to see a trend that shows your likes.  Use that as your guide
2. Do not force a color.  I should have known the green was not going to work when it didn't match the tile.  I should have gone with a darker olive that matched, or chosen a completely different color all together.  You will see this trend on my next few redos.
3.  As a person who loves color, there is no reason why you can't focus on accents being the color in the room.  Yes, this is a cheating approach but if you are not 100% sure, use a neutral that coordinates with your   tile or cabinets and sets the temperature for the room, buy some fancy towels, a nice plant, or some fun brightly colored pieces.

In the end don't worry about painting and then having to repaint.  Seriously, paint is cheap.  Even with labor, it is still cheaper than redoing your tile, replacing cabinetry  or buying furniture.  Plus, it is so much more enjoyable walking into a room that you love 100% instead of hoping the color grows on you.

Room to Grow II

This post takes on a whole new meaning from when I first thought of it back in July with our first edition of Room to Grow.  Not only does Little Man need a space that grows with his interests, he'll soon need a retreat from the baby that is about to storm in his life.  

That's right, Little Man is going to be a big brother come August!

This news is also why I've been MIA for a few months.  Lets just say it's hard to be inspired when your head is in the toilet most days, you can't keep your feet on the ground in the middle of Walmart, and your depression/hormones are as unpredictable as a teenage girl picking out her 1st day of school outfit.  While this pregnancy was planned, the symptoms that came with it were rather unwelcome.

I'm now 16 weeks and beginning to see the light of day again.   My creativity can now branch out from the food choices that allow me to keep things down where they belong, to working on my house and photography once more.  It's good to be back!

Now, back to a room fit for a big brother...

Here is the room we started with (I really need to invest in a wide angle lens).

My goal for this room was to make it bright, fun, and versatile   I took the design ideas I had from his old room to fit into the new space.  

Decor:

My inspiration was to carry the blue, orange, and green colors and art from his room in Germany to his room in Texas.  This made the choice for paint easy.  I used Sherwin Williams Loch Blue which was a brighter blue with a twinge of green in it.  By just using the color on one wall, it allows to make a pop without overwhelming the rest of the space.  The green lamp and black out shades help to carry green around the room and the blanket (see below) stands out nicely.  I'll soon put a large world map over his bed since at 3 he's already traveled to quite his fair share of countries.  As he grows, we can easily change out the art work to include sports, movies, science, or whatever else he may be into.

Bedding:

In order to compromise with Jude, I opted for a solid cover "moving blanket" from Land of Nod.  This was originally supposed to go over a quilt but he was surprised by his Papa with a Cars blanket that fits nicely underneath and keeps him toasty warm in the winter months.  I accented his bedding with Toy Story.  This allows him to think he has the coolest sheets ever, while they can easily be switched out with out changing the rest of the decor.  It's no accident that the colors match the other solid tones in his room (momma searched high and low for that).  Sheets are comparably inexpensive than the rest of the bedding.  This is a good alternative for your "insert fav character/marketing ploy" fan.  

Furniture:  

All of Jude's furniture is now in the nursery awaiting it's new occupant.  When we decided on the new furniture, I wanted something that would grow with him but also didn't break the bank since kid's furniture will inevitably be destroyed in one way or another.  We chose Ikea's Malm Series.  This has the modern flair I love and the price tag we can afford.  No, he most likely won't be able to take it to college with him but how in love with your childhood bedroom set were you?  We already had his bookcase/side table in our old living room so we just need a bed and a dresser.  While I was thinking a twin size bed would allow for more space, the reality is, all of his toys are in the giant toy room.  This room is used for sleeping and quiet time currently.  We did move his small table and two chairs back in since he's too big to nap now and needs space for puzzles and other activities to occupy him since sleeping is only for nigh' night time.  The full size has been ideal and still gives him plenty of room for activities.  It will give him the space he needs when he has sleepovers, allow him to still have fun bed sheets since kids' sheets come in twin and full, and plenty of room for cuddling with mom and dad during story time or nights when he's ill.  

I'm looking forward to his personality spouting as he gets older to see how his room transforms.  He's going to make a great big brother but I'm so excited that he has this fun space to call his own when he needs a break from his pesky little sibling.