Amber Waves of Grain

The nursery is slowly but surely coming along. Just sharing some photos! Curtains up, check. Changing table assembled, check. Glider moved from Kennedy's room to the nursery without Kennedy noticing, we hoped. Check. Flower wall decals put up on wall behind glider ( thank you, whoever invented peel-and-stick ). Check. Hamper bought, check. Nursery stocked up on diapers and wipes. Check. Piles of stuff that needs organized or put away....... still working on that, clearly. I've got stuff to hang on the walls and then I'm about done. All I need after that is a baby to put in here!

There are certain things in life I must have. Food, shelter........ and this paper mache rhino head from Anthropologie . It was made in Haiti out of recycled cement bags and then covered in vintage French book pages. I've come to the realization that I have crazy, eclectic taste that cannot be denied. I know some of you cringe at the idea of hanging something like this in your own home. But, I love it for me and that's what matters. Here he is in my house after being hung yesterday: Should we name him? Maybe I should let my readers pick a name. Here he is watching Veggie Tales & admiring the peacock lampshade. I can tell he loves being a part of our family already. I've also added some decor to my bathroom finally. I bought this letterpress sign with the peacock online and added the H hook from Old World Market: I also found some vintage shaving brushes, an antique shaving mug, and a cute little tin for the bathroom: I love it when everything comes together in...

Some of you have been asking about Keegan's food issues, so I thought I'd finally blog an update! I've had a lot of " Aha! " moments in understanding Keegan's food issues over the past year. I'm finally able to link so many of Keegan's behaviors since childbirth with a bigger picture. We have come to the conclusion he has Sensory Processing(or integration) Disorder ( SPD ). The pediatrician agrees. We haven't had him officially diagnosed because it would only mean a lot of testing, a lot of money spent, and a diagnosis that would not impact or help his treatment. However, this diagnosis ( call me Doctor Amber ) makes sense. SPD basically means that Keegan has difficulty taking in sensory input. This is bigger than just food issues. Some symptoms specific to Keegan throughout his life have included sensitivity to light, strong dislike for water on his face ( making baths difficult ), strong aversion to texture (like messes) on his hands ...

Because I love you all dearly, I'm letting you in on some top secret products that I love . That's right, my favorite five products for 2011 . If I were rich like Oprah, I'd give them to you as gifts. But, for now you'll have to cough up your own cash for them. Here they are: 1. Stir Crazy Popcorn Popper by West Bend ( LINK ). I already told you about this before Christmas. It made the list again because we've used it several times now and it's still fabulous. We use it often for family movie & popcorn nights. First, you just add some oil (like veggie oil) and some popcorn kernels (about 2/3 c kernels to 2tbsp oil) and plug it in. There is a compartment on the top for pads of butter that will melt and drip through holes onto the popping corn. The kids love watching it. I wish you could hear them singing the Barenaked Ladies' song called Popcorn ( LINK ). And, voila! When it's done popping, you flip the whole thing upside down and the ...

Is there such a thing as too many owl cookie jars?? I already have 3 owl cookie jars but this one is new at Anthropologie and the colors match my downstairs perfect. The teal matches my kitchen and the red/pinkish area around his eyes match the flowers in my living room curtains just right. Even his back is cute. If I stare to long, it might end up in my online cart. Someone stop me .

I'm all about doing things on the cheap. Today I took scrapbook paper and whipped up some simple & cheap wall art. I found coordinating papers that had the same colors as my crib sheets. (Hobby Lobby, 60 cents) I cut out some simple flower and butterfly patterns and used good ole' rubber cement to apply them. The frames were old ones I already had. Again, nothing fancy and nothing to brag about. But, it's cheap & adds some color to the room... I also covered some letters in matching paper. The letters were cardboard (Hobby Lobby $2.50) and I used Modge Podge to glue the paper on. Here is the last initial. I can't show you the first initial yet since the baby's name is a secret! I also found a rug that matched ( Meijer $25). The rug was my big splurge but quite necessary to cover the dirty-white Berber carpet. The Christmas Tree Shoppes had these little bookcases on the cheap too (the small one was $19.99). They have scalloped edges and latti...

Hello, blog world! I'm getting lots of baby questions, so I thought I'd just post them. Here are my FAQ's and answers .. .. 1) When are you due? Technically, my due date (40 weeks) isn't until March 13th. However, they plan to induce me early. We're looking at the first week or so in March. 2) How far along are you? I'm 31 1/2 weeks along. 3) How are you feeling? Well, this 3rd pregnancy has been a rough one. I'm doing OK but not feeling great. I chase Keegan & Kennedy 13-14 hours/day, 7 days a week with little to no rest, so my body is paying for it. I have a lot of new symptoms with this pregnancy that I didn't have with the first two, but I'll spare you on the details . 4) What gender are you having? A girl! 5) Do you have a name for the baby? We have landed on a name but it's not set in concrete so we're still open minded. We are not telling the name until the baby's birth. Oh, and it does NOT start wit...

Do you or someone you know locally need some art ? Are you tired of having a boring living space? Do you often stare at that big, blank spot on your wall?? Then today could be your lucky day! I'm selling this 31" x 41" framed art piece! It's from Bombay & Company ( LINK ) and we had it hanging above our mantle. It has a really nice frame. It also slices! It dices! ( no, wait... nevermind about that last part ). Here's the photo I took: And the version on the Bombay website. Same product, different lighting, etc. Maybe you didn't get that GPS you were wanting for Christmas? How about buying this map for your car? You'll never get lost again! Need to cover a large hole in the wall? This is perfect! Or, maybe you failed geography class in school and have always felt guilty. Now's your chance to buy this and study! You might think this framed piece of art is $199.99. NO!! Today only, it's $25!! BUT WAIT, THERE'S ...

It's time for a nursery update ! I must admit that with this pregnancy I am just winging it. I have no plan or dream for the nursery. I'm lucky that I've come this far with it! You've already seen the paint job: My crib sheets arrived in the mail. Instead of buying an expensive bedding set (with pieces we won't use), I just buy fitted sheets only and put them with a cheap solid crib skirt. I had this sheet made on etsy.com using fabric by High Society ( LINK ). I also had this old vintage nightstand that needed a use. I bought this long ago at Goodwill (I want to say it was around $9). I had the painter paint it with a pink color I tried to pull from the fabric. BEFORE : AFTER : I'm not going to lie to you; it's bright. I think it will tone down though when I fill the room with other things ( cross your fingers ). I also might add some door pulls if I get really motivated. This project makes me a little nervous because my colors are getting a little ...