interior design

Friday Thoughts

1. Baking. Yesterday I made oatmeal cookies from one of my favorite cookbooks and whipped up a batch of challot (challah knots) earlier this week. I’ve been having the hardest time finding yeast in stores. Has anyone else had that problem lately? I used up the last of my yeast supply on the challot but they were so worth it!

Challot Challah knots

2. Fall Decorating. We’ve been having some rainy weather here in Pittsburgh the past couple of days and it’s making me feel like fall is slowly ushering its way in. Do you decorate for fall? I have in the past, but I don’t know if I will this year.

In a spurt of minimalism, I got rid of a lot of outdated fall decorations in 2018 and now I have just a wreath and one wall hanging. I enjoy decorating, but I don’t know if it’s worth the money end effort for fall. I like the idea of Sadie having warm memories of the house decorated for different seasons, though. Hmmm. What’s your opinion?!

3. Vlogging. I’ve been having so much fun vlogging lately. There’s just something about looking back on what our days looked like a week, month, or year ago that is so special. Our latest vlog is here and includes gardening, cooking, baking, cleaning, and a trip to Sam’s Club!

Mom and toddler daughter smiling

4. Reading. I think I’ll always want to talk about reading. I just finished up this book by Beverly Lewis and added it to my growing list of Amish-based books I’ve read and enjoyed. 

5. Niva. Niva has been doing so well since being spayed! She somehow got her cone off all by herself so we decided to give her some freedom and see if she would bite at her stitches and she hasn’t so far. She goes for her followup appointment on Monday and I’m so thankful this has been a good experience and that her days of going into heat are behind us 🙂

Fall decorating: yay or nay?

What’s the last thing you baked?

Baby Zottola’s Nursery

I have a feeling Jimmy and I will never truly be “done” working on Baby Z’s nursery, and I’m totally okay with that! As I mentioned in a post about overhauling our master bedroom, I feel like a room becomes stagnant when you consider it fully decorated. I think we’ll always be changing things as our little chicka grows and we find a rhythm with how we use her space.

With that said, there are some things we want to add to her room–a mirror, more shelving, blinds, some art, etc., but I’ve put off sharing pictures long enough! As I mentioned in a previous post about the nursery, our daughter’s room was our home office. We cleared everything out and this is what it looked like before we got started.

Nursery before picture

And here’s what it looks like now.

Baby girl nursery

Jimmy did so, so much work in here! He installed new flooring, painted the walls and ceiling, installed new baseboards, put in a new door and painted it, installed a ceiling fan, put together all the furniture, and painted and designed the closet space. He continually impresses me with his skills, handiness, and creativity.

All I had to do was come up with design ideas, wash and put away her clothes, and organize all the wonderful gifts we were so generously given at our baby shower.

Here’s a little tour of the space!

Baby girl crib and bedding from TargetFuzzy gray Nicole Miller rug on wood floorBaby girl crib bedding from Target Cloud Island

One of my favorite details of our daughter’s room is the gray rug above. I just love the texture and how cozy it makes the space feel. I can’t wait to see her crawling around on it in a few months!

Our pets love it, too. So much so that Mavis has already peed on it. Gotta keep it real here on the blog 😉

Gray rocking chair and white side table in baby girl nurseryWood changing table from Target Baby Relax Ridgeline with Burt's Bees changing pad cover in Blossom stripeDrawer filled with Pampers diapers, Seventh Generation free and clear wipes and Babyganics foaming hand sanitizer

We have a little rocking chair nook all set up for nighttime feedings, and one whole drawer of her dresser/changing table is devoted to diapers, wipes, and hand sanitizer–you know, the essentials.

The rocking chair is another favorite item of mine in the nursery! It’s super comfy and everyone who visits loves sitting in it and rocking.

Baby girl bookshelf in nursery from IkeaBaby girl pacifiers and headbandsBaby girl nursery bookshelf from Ikea with fabric and steel baskets

Baby girl’s bookshelf is stocked with a random assortment of toys, blankets, books, bibs, swaddles, pacifiers, headbands, burp cloths, a play mat, and her diaper bag. We kept her toys up a few shelves because the pets are very interested in her rattles and balls!

Also, I can’t wait to see her using the “I ❤ Daddy” pacifier if she likes pacifiers (apparently my siblings and I would spit them out… sorry mom and dad!), lol.

Baby girl nursery closetBaby girl closet with clothes and wood barsBaby girl nursery closet clothing dividers

The closet looks so different now! It was previously a dingy shade of blue with a metal rod and random shelving at the top.

Jimmy built and installed shelving and rods and painted it a fresh coat of paint. My mom bought us these little closet dividers which are such a cool invention for keeping Baby Girl’s wardrobe organized.

Blue and white painted door in baby nurseryCoral painted ceiling with food ceiling fan and blue and white painted door in baby girl nurseryCacti art from Hobby Lobby watercolor in wood frame with cactus and succulent and coral color

Last but not least, we have the door, new ceiling fan, and some artwork! The door was 100% Jimmy’s idea (as was painting the ceiling; he’s so creative!) and I think it looks great. The cacti watercolor is actually something I’ve had for a few years now, back when I wanted to paint our office a peachy-coral color. It’s still one of my favorite pieces of artwork in our house.

I think that about wraps up the little tour of our daughter’s nursery. As I mentioned above, we have a few finishing touches to add, but it’s pretty much ready for our little one! We feel so blessed to have this sweet space for her and cannot wait to meet her soon, Lord Willing!