I recently made some custom book ledges for my daughter’s room and both she and I couldn’t be more thrilled! Best of all? They couldn’t have been any easier. Read on to see what a couple of craft boards and some wood glue can get you!
Here is an update on how the nursery came together, with all the linkable sources in one place!
We are into Week 3 of the One Room Challenge where we are turning our guest room into a nursery for our baby girl due in January!
Before we started this Nursery adventure, I had already planned on this week being a bit of an easy one, because we snuck in a little babymoon in Los Angeles! We relaxed, saw some sites, and ate very well! Now, back to the Nursery ORC! Knowing that we were going to be out of town this week, we planned to spend this week placing orders. This way, we could be sure that nothing arrived while we were out of town!
Week 2 of the One Room Challenge is upon us and I’ve been getting. stuff. done. (Or at least as much as my 6-month-pregnant body will allow!
My mind has been on overdrive recently, and as a result, I’ve been revising my original nursery design plan and truly diving into exactly how I envision each piece functioning. First, let’s talk about this pivot in design…
This fall I am transforming one of our guest rooms into a nursery, as Baby Girl is due in January! The overall mood I’m going for in here is elevated neutral with pops of soft color. I’m not looking for an overly baby-themed room…let’s be honest, the baby won’t care what this room looks like! But if I’m going to possibly be spending late nights rocking her to sleep in there, I want it to be pleasing to me and my overall aesthetic! As she gets older and develops her own little personality, I’m sure this room will transform along with her evolving tastes, so I’ll be making design changes with that in mind.
Vermont has always been a destination we sneak away to any chance we can. From our home in DC, it is a drive that can take around nine hours, so it takes some planning to make the trip! But, oh my, is it ever worth it! We seem to eat and drink REALLY well every single time we visit. If it’s not ridiculously delicious home cooked meals with family, then it’s heading into Woodstock for some tasty bites. Here’s a list of some of our favorite spots to eat while visiting family in Woodstock, Vermont
Of all the culinary magic that Italy does well, I’m going to go ahead and say that breakfast isn’t one of them. Don’t get me wrong — Italian food is multo multo bene, and a large part of the reason we return to Italy year after year. I swear that I dream about the paper thin pizza and Chianti Classicos on the regular. But you know what foods aren’t particularly memorable? The breakfast foods. And because of that, I encourage you to conserve your caloric intake for all the glorious Italian food and drink that come later in the day! Those Italians know how to do lunch and dinner.
While planning our two-week honeymoon, Paul suggested we bring carry-on luggage. Only. Upon first hearing this plan, I smiled and nodded, thinking that I would surely have to check my luggage in the end. I am, after all, the queen of planning for EVERY.SINGLE.THING… The inner-planner in me often overpowers the wanna-be minimalist that I wish I was.
But Paul had a very good point. Limiting ourselves to only what we can carry saves us in so many ways.
But the question is — how can packing light be done? 😳
The short answer is, it takes a little bit of planning, but it is possible! Here are our 6 secrets to packing light...
Where to get the best taste of Italy without even needing to show your passport? The answer, without a doubt, is Eataly.
Eataly had been on my list of places to visit for a while. It is a huge marketplace devoted to Italian food and culture. It includes markets, restaurants, a bakery, retail, and even a cooking school. Basically all the things I love, and all devoted to Italy! There are just a few locations in the US, so when we were planning our mother-daughter trip to New York City it was a the top of the must-see list!
The first rule of visiting Eataly? Go hungry!
On a chilly winter night, we wanted a spot that was as close to our theater as humanly possible! We opted for Carmine’s, a popular destination within the theater district, especially on a cold Saturday night!
The atmosphere is electric here...that’s my nice way of saying that it was packed! People on top of people on top of people! But it was a fun way to get excited for "Hello, Dolly!" And being just steps from the Shubert Theatre was delightful.
Our waiter was wonderful, inquiring if we were headed to a show that evening, and when hearing that we were, he ensured us that he had expedited our meal in the kitchen so we wouldn’t miss our show.
While in New York, we wanted to have some tasty food that would be a bit off the beaten track -- stuff we don't eat every day, and stuff that our significant others may not always enjoy.
For dinner our first night, Mom and I ate at Mexicue, a cute Mexican place just a few blocks from Times Square (I told you, it was freezing the weekend we were there, so close spots were key!)
I loved the atmosphere here -- trendy, buzzy, and we could still hear each other over the music and din of the restaurant. I heard the place is a spin-off from a popular food truck, and has a few locations scattered across the city. It didn't feel like a chain though, which was great.
It’s official! We have convinced some of our family to travel to Italy with us next year, and we are psyched! Paul’s parents, as well as his brother and girlfriend, are joining us for a couple weeks in Italy this spring.
While we are really excited, we are also realistic about how difficult it can be to wrangle six adults into making decisions sometimes. We all have different schedules, interests, and communication preferences. But since we started the planning, we have figured out a few tips to make it a bit easier. Are you planning a trip with a bunch of people? Read on, as this may just save your sanity...
I've got to admit I feel a little like a fish out of water when it comes to New York. I've only been a couple of times, always visiting someone who already lived there. Therefore, I never paid much attention to where exactly I was or any logistics like that. All I knew was that Times Square was a bit of a madhouse (see photo above...a day after a big snowstorm).
So when it came time to find a hotel for our Mother-Daughter Trip, I did a lot of research. We wanted to be in Midtown Manhattan, as close to the Shubert Theatre as possible. We wanted a clean room, nothing too fancy, simply a home base for the sightseeing we were looking forward to. I found a good hotel that checked all those boxes, at a very nice price, by reserving through Booking.com. We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn, Times Square Central, which worked well for our needs.
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