Baskets - love vs. practicality

Okay, so, I had a coupon and gift card for PB, and I caved on the basket...however, then I went to Ikea, and found this one. Definitely not as great as the beachcomber basket, but for large difference in price, maybe it could grow on me...

Hopefully Sean will help me get the big fat tree into the basket - or try to see if it will fit...some towns close to us are going to have weather in the 30s tonight!!


Pottery Barn version...


Ikea version

It's good to 'fall' again...

Fall has arrived out here, and I am very excited to see the vibrant colors again. Sean and I are going to take a trip up to Maine this weekend and check out the foliage, eat at some good places, visit an apple orchard...you know, the fall stuff.

I am so excited. I hope to capture some good fall colors on camera. Cross your fingers.

Along with the fall colors goes the great fall food. Pumpkin has captured me this week. AND...have you ever made pumpkin bread with chocolate chips? My friend brought over some excellent muffins this week that had chocolate chips in them - YUM!!! Why didn't I think of that with the 6 loaves I had already made? (Don't worry, I haven't eaten them all - it is part of the nesting & prep for the Cape Cod shower next weekend!)

Here is the recipe that I use if you are craving pumpkin...

Pumpkin Bread
3 1/3 Cup Flour
3 cup Sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg

*Use LARGE mixing bowl
Sift above together and make well in center of ingredients

Add:
1 cup oil
4 eggs
2 cups pumpkin (16 oz)
2/3 cup water

Stir well and pour into greased loaf pan
350 degrees for 1 hour

*Makes two loaves of bread

Cool Rocker

I like this rocker...

For now, I have decided to use my orange $5 thrift store chair for the nursery...we will see how it goes! I think the room is close to done, so I need to take some pics soon!

My organized (but not OCD!) brother responds...

Ryan, in his own words:

[OCD, I don't think so.

In response to Meghan's "Nesting - Chapter 1" on September 5th, I must give you my thoughts. Yes, I am organized, but no, not OCD. My beliefs are "a place for everything, and everything in it's place." These pictures are for real, I did not stage them. I just don't like to start my day until everything is in order.

Sure, it may take a few more seconds to put everything away all the time, but the uplift in immeasurable. Case in point, which I'm sure many of you can relate to...every time Jamie needs to use her car, I hear "Ryan, where are my keys?!?!" Consistently, my response is "Wherever you put them last!" If it is keys or anything else, it is always beneficial to be organized!

Here is the test...Blindfold yourself...can you find everything in your house on the first try? If not, find a place for everything and put it there.]

Check out his under the sink/kitchen cabinet pics:





Thanks for the response, Ry! I look forward to more posts from you :)

Mobile - a little jacked up, but finally complete!

I have been working on this mobile for Sidekick this week. I wish I was a more patient person. I had issues cutting the balsa wood (SO fragile!) and the staining...oh, the staining. It took forever to dry, so it was a several day process, and I get so impatient that I completely botched the last coat. However, once I got the final product hung today, I was pretty excited about it. I know it is not lots of bright colors, nor does it play music, but hopefully Sidekick will enjoy it.




I had a few 'double acorns' - which worked out so perfectly b/c now whichever way the squirrels spin, you can see the acorns...

This is the mobile that I was inspired by...

The one that I made cost about $4 for the wood, and I had everything else...

Pretty Little Jars

As I think I have already mentioned, I love multiples of things that I like. It is sort of a problem I have. So, I had been wanting some small apothecary jars for the cotton balls/safety swabs for the nursery. Pottery Barn was the only place I could find ones that were small enough, but I didn't want to pay their price. I was searching the internet one night last week, and all of a sudden noticed that this small jar was on sale...big time sale - only $2.97 each! So, three jars later, we have the cotton balls, swabs, and even dog treats stored up and ready to go! If you are in need of jars...go quickly!!

Let me quickly explain the dog treats...as you all know, I get so sad thinking about the lack of attention that Glory will get once Sidekick arrives b/c she really has been our child up to this point. So, in one of the books I was reading, it mentioned a family who kept dog treats by the changing table, and anytime the baby was changed, the dog got a treat. Pretty soon, given dog's keen sense of smell, the dog would go sit by the changing table before the parents even realized the baby had a dirty diaper. Bottom line, associating good things to the new baby. So, we figured we would give it a try.

NOTE: (Mark/Krissy, Sean knows that you guys would just love it that we are putting these breakable containers within the vicinity of a kicking/screaming baby...we know...they probably won't last long!)

Mighty Oaks from Little Acorns Grow

I love acorns.



I think they are one of the cutest, most perfect little tidbits of nature. They seem to be cropping up everywhere! When we went to the Breakers Mansion in Newport a few months ago, I loved how the Vanderbilt family crest was centered on an acorn. I then scoured around and found an eBay lamp to incorporate an acorn into Sidekick's nursery. I found a more modern resin one that I liked better, but I really liked the fact that this was 1950s Italian alabaster or marble (I never know how to tell the difference).

The last couple years, I have had some acorns that I put into my apothecary jars when fall time rolls around (thanks, Sommer, for picking those big ones up for me from the Ft. Benning golf course!). So, I have started seeing some good ones around here. Thus, Glory has been my companion on some acorn searches lately. Pottery Barn is selling a small package of fake ones for $14...so I figure, why not get them myself. Someone once told me that you could super glue them back together if the tops fell off, so in the middle of watching a movie, I glued and glued and glued. Like my mom said, I guess I am a glutton for punishment! Let's hope they stick :)

Okay, enough of my acorn babble. I am trying to gear up to attempt to make a mobile for the nursery. I was going to do birds but in light of my acorn obsession, now I am thinking I will attempt squirrels with acorns? We will see.

Have a great weekend everyone!



Notice the delicate bowl that Hallie gave me - I believe this was an Etsy find...I find it perfect for pretty little things...


the lamp in the nursery...I found a PB shade for $11.97, got a smaller harp for the lamp so that the poor shade fit, and then had it re-wired. Oh yeah, and, b/c our place is so old and totally not up to code electrically, I got a remote controlled dimmer for this bad boy. LOVE IT.

Whoo..Whoo!

I had seen a lot of cute owl pillows, mobiles, etc. for nurseries, so I decided I would try my hand at making a pillow slip cover to match our colors. Again, my sewing is less than stellar, but I kind of like the little guy! It is still more of a "bag" than a slip cover as I haven't figured out an easy way to close it up yet.

So, this morning, Glory was on the couch, and she all of a sudden noticed the owl staring at her. She honed in on it, her mohawk went up, and she started barking and creeping up on it...the owl slept through the whole thing :)

Winterizing the Lemon Tree

Since one lemon tree has made a comeback (Sommer, it is the one you and Tim gave me!), we are going to be sure to bring him inside for the cold months. So, I may be a little early to be thinking about bringing him in, but I am not taking any chances this time! So, I am wanting a huge basket to stick the huge pot in. The one that I have my eye on is this extra large round one from Pottery Barn; however, I am having a hard time justifying this price ($129). I found one very similar to this around X-Mas time last year, but it was $330!! Why do baskets have to be so expensive??

Does anyone know of a good, more inexpensive basket source that might carry a big one like this?


via Pottery Barn

Metal Bins...no more rusty worries!

So, I went to Jo-Ann Fabrics yesterday and decided to make burlap liners. Granted, they may not be the nicest or softest fabric I could have bought, but, it works, and I think it goes well with the bins. I found some great video instructions here, where you only have to cut one piece of fabric and sew away...my kind of sewing!!

They aren't perfect (nothing that I sew ever is), but I am happy to have them done, and for about $20, I was able to make all these, and have enough left to try to make my own table runner like Pottery Barn is selling!

Metal Bins

So, now that I am starting to fill up the metal bins on Sidekick's "dresser", I am not sure if I should leave them as they are or line them with something. They have been sanded/cleaned and painted clear, so I don't think I have to worry about rust; however, they are sort of dingy (although I love them), and I am wondering if I need to make some sort of 'liner' for them.

Options thus far:
1. Line the bottom with some fun oil cloth or contact paper
2. Sew some liners (not very excited about this project, but found some instructions here)

Does anyone have any other ideas?



Metal Bin Sidenote: I also just saw this picture recently in Restoration Hardware, and it gave me another idea for my 2 extra bins!

Dream Glider for Nursery

If I could pick any glider, I would pick the Monte Luca Glider. It gets excellent reviews from every site I have checked, and I like the modern lines of it and high back. Even more fun, Gina texted me and asked if I had seen that one b/c she just saw it and liked it too! If only it was more inexpensive! I keep checking craigslist, hoping someone may not have room for it in their place anymore :)

I am planning to go to the SOWA market this Sunday in the South End to see if I can find any chair I can't live without there...my fingers are crossed!


Image via Monte Designs

Kitchen Cabinets - not pretty, but re-org'd

So, I took some time to deal with the horrible under the sink cabinets yesterday. A few days ago, that scenario I talked about in the previous blog with Sean looking for something underneath there basically played out word for word. Thus, it was TIME.

After I organized it, it seems much easier to find stuff, which is great. I was looking at it, thinking, it would be so much better with a cute fabric on the back wall, new contact paper, all new cabinets, etc. But, we all know, that is not happening. I wish I could show you a pic like this:



Image via Better Homes & Garden

Instead, here are my before pics:





Here are the after:

Diaper Bag...accomplished!

I have been looking for quite a while for a diaper bag that I really liked, with no luck. I was doing the whole debate of 'do I want a regular purse or do I want a real diaper bag?'. Anyways, I started checking out Etsy, and found this great bag. I contacted the company to see if I could wash it (thinking ahead to the first spit up/spill, etc.) and it is completely machine washable & dryable. YEAH!

I was going to go with the standard black, but I decided to be a little more bold and go for this yummy red. I have read lots of great things about this company and their craftsmanship, so I am very excited to see it in person!

Moop Market Bag in Rosewood


Image via Moop Shop

Fun with Baby Gifts

So, this is one of those projects that I have been meaning to do for a long time. I finally took the time to do it last night. I had so much fun making these! I found this idea on Oh Happy Day. I used Anna Maria Horner fabrics.

Some of you may be seeing some of these arrive in the mail soon...you can probably figure out who you are :)

Julie & Julia

We saw Julie and Julia on our anniversary the other day before we came home to cook a yummy meal. We thought it might give us some inspiration...did it ever!

We have been craving the bruschetta ever since. So, today, I thought we were going to have a low key day around the house; however, Sean convinced me that we should go to the BC home opener. Long story short, we did go, it was fun, and after about 7.5 miles of walking to and from BC twice, all that kept me going was the thought of making some fresh bruschetta.

Please, go get some fresh bread, tomatoes, basil and garlic, and have some for yourself. It was delicious! You can get the actual recipe that they used in the movie here.

Nesting - Chapter 1

So, you moms, how many of you went through some crazy nesting? Sean is convinced mine has started long ago - thus asking "Do I have front row seats to the Morrow nest fest again today?" However...I am not convinced the best of it has even begun yet :)

I have had conversations with Sommer and Krissy lately about having so much to do, and not seeming to be able to accomplish it. We just keep making list after list (who doesn't love a list?), but instead of checking off my infamous boxes, I just start a new list. I have a list of things I need to accomplish soon, a list for Sean, a list for must-dos before the baby, etc. They are never ending. Bottom line, I need to kick myself into gear...ASAP!

Here is the start of my pre-baby list...(this doesn't include the million things I still need to do with the nursery)

1. DEEP CLEAN the house - baseboards, maybe walls, windows...everything!

I have this huge fear of going into labor earlier than expected, and the house not being totally clean/perfect. I am one of those (I think most of us are) who can't relax until the house is clean, and I REALLY don't want to bring a new baby home from the hospital and feel like I immediately need to clean. That WILL happen if it is not just so. I have asked my sweet husband to make sure that if I get too huge/uncomfortable to clean, that he somehow ENSURES that this deep clean happens. It can be my "push present" (which deserve a post of their own), I don't care...just make sure it is clean.

2. Purge more crap from our house.

With the arrival of so many wonderful baby gifts...we are realizing even more that we need to simplify our lives. Does it ever end? We just did this a few months ago when clearing out the room for the nursery!

On this note, I am trying to model myself after my brother. I tend to think I am relatively organized (which I have talked myself into, it is not really true), but then I visit Ryan and I open one of his cabinet doors and I can see each and every cleaning product, sponge, trash bag and there is all kinds of spare room. He has everything he needs, it is all extremely organized, and easy to FIND! Anytime I ask Sean to get something out of the cabinets under the sink it goes something like this...

M: Sean, can you get me a new sponge?

S: Sure...where are they?

M: Under the sink...

S: *almost immediately* Meghan! I can't find them....

M: They are there, keep looking.

(lots of clanging around, crap all over the floor, cabinet half way cleaned out now that it has thrown up all over the kitchen floor)

S: Meghan, I still can't find it.

M: *BIG SIGH.* Sean, it is RIGHT HERE.

S: Well, I couldn't see it b/c there was so much other stuff in there!


Just thinking about this makes me think that I need Ryan's help, big time. More to come on nesting...

One more note: Here is my thing about organization. I LOVE nifty gadgets/boxes/dividers that help you get organized, but I am too cheap to spend much money on them...time to get creative!!

Nursery Chair Update

So, Sean and I had a spontaneous outing yesterday to Hyannis out on the Cape. I was so sad that I didn't have my camera with me b/c it was such a cute coastal town. On the way home, we pass Ikea, so Sean was kind enough to stop. It is hard to go into Ikea and not allow yourself to be sensor-overloaded, don't you think? We made a beeline to the chair section, and sat in both the Poang rocker and Lillberg rocker. All the reviews I read were spot in, in our opinion...

1. Poang rocker - it is reclined too far (for nursing purposes)
2. Lillberg rocker - barely has any rocking motion. Boo.

So, back to square one. In the meantime, my parents gave Sidekick a cute club chair, so that will sit where we hope to have our own chair!!

I also liked this chair at Ikea, and it isn't TOO big, but again, not a rocker:


Picture from Ikea

$75.99

Okay, Stef...I know I will probably never come close to how good you are with coupons, but I saved $75.99 today at the commissary! That was 26% of our total bill. That totally made my week. When I saved $27 a couple months ago, I never thought I could beat that...how am I going to beat $75.99? Let the games begin...

Nursery Chair Dilemma

I was so happy when I finally made up my mind that I wanted a mid-century modern chair for the nursery to go with the eclectic mix of stuff we have for the room. I found an Eames rocker knock off on overstock.com. I usually am pretty good about reading reviews, but maybe I was so excited about the price of this one, that I ignored the reviews.

So, we receive the chair, and I couldn't figure out where the rest of the legs were. This chair seriously had to be made for children. Sean sat in it and his knees were pretty much to his chin. Thus, the chair has to be returned. :(

I have spent more time than I care to count looking at other mid century modern chairs, but can't seem to find one that looks good and rocks.

Also, our nursery is SO tiny that the chair must not be too big (thus, no gliders for me) otherwise there is no way we will be able to wedge it through these tiny doorways that we are subject to.

Can anyone help me?

Our chair that went back:


Other mid century chairs that I like, but they don't rock:

Egg Chair


Womb Chair



I was trying to find a regular rocking chair that had a bit of a modern look...what about this one from good old Target? I am not crazy crazy about it, but like that it is a little different, and I like the price...



Please help me.

Life with Boys

So, when we went to the Sox game on the 4th of July, I had a great afternoon chatting (notice I didn't say watching the game) with the extended family that Jeanine was working for, and they all have boys. They were telling me so many funny stories, and I walked away with a few top tips of the day...

So...(if anyone is out there)...calling all moms with boys...what are your tips for raising boys? I want to hear it!

Here were the tips I took away from the game:
1. Oxy Clean - Always have it b/c they will make a total mess of all clothes
2. Handi-Wipes - Always carry them in your purse b/c boys are always a mess
3. (Personal Favorite) - Superglue - Always have lots of tubes of this to glue toys together. The mom that told me this said that her sons always ask her to help put together their complicated Lego projects, and after she spends hours assembling, they take it apart. Thus, Superglue it together! PERFECT.

Please help me add to my arsenal of good tips. :)