How I Do...SPRING DECOR

An accurate assessment of how I assume most of us feel after an Iowa Winter.

It's that glorious time in the afternoon where I'm in Nap Jail, drinking my coffee, and catching up on voicemails and emails. Also...Blue Crush is playing in the background because that's my signature, "I'm-in-the-mood-for-summer-and-swimming," movie. Is it appropriate for a SAHM to pop in a movie in the middle of the afternoon?

I say 'yes' as long as it's a rainy day. It's also acceptable to stay in sweats all. day. long. on rainy days like this one. 

Fun Fact: Blue Crush was the first PG-13 movie I ever secretly watched. In 7th grade. At Emily Hokinson's house. So it holds a special place in my heart to this day.

Nearly six years ago when we bought this plain, boring, ranch house with exactly ZERO character...I was frustrated and lost with the decorating, distraught that I'd be 'stuck' here for who knows how long...and annoyed by every gold knob, honey-colored piece of woodwork, the overall lack of woodwork, and the downright HORRIBLE floors.

While I was grateful we were able to purchase a home as a young, newly married couple, for years it never truly felt like 'ours.' At least it didn't to me (Josh doesn't care what he's sitting on or surrounded by as long as he has chips and a TV to watch). Furniture was all hand-me-downs or crafted from something I'd scored at a garage sale or from a curb. But I hadn't had the chance to find my style and the look I wanted for this house. I got to choose the paint, but the rest of it just fell together haphazardly.  And nothing I did could hide the blue carpet that stretched from the kitchen to the living room.

If nothing else, those early years taught me how to get creative; stretch the nonexistent decorating budget I had to work with; and experiment with lotssss of paint.

When the floors were finished last spring...I fell back in love with this boring ranch house...every part of it...even its ranch-ness. And despite the basement issues we had a few weeks ago and the crazy neighbor we're stuck with, Josh will have to PRY MY UNHAPPY BODY out of this house whenever it's time for us to move on.

I've perfected the furniture arrangement...painted every inch (twice now)...and I know exactly how to clean the 1,200 square feet we inhabit. I know what we have room for, what we should get rid of, and I don't mind living without tons of space to fill with crap we don't need. If it comes into our house, it's useful, necessary, classic, neutral, versatile, and fits with the style of the decor I've chosen. 

With all of that said...I'm loving some of the spring touches I added to our house this year, most of which I've already shared on Instagram. I avoid clutter and make sure we still have plenty of useful (and pretty!) storage, but the house needed some new life after the plain, clean, white look I embraced after Christmas.

We found this trough in the barn at our acreage and it comes in handy every season.
For spring it's full of hydrangeas from the two bushes Josh planted beside our front steps.

Brought this 'B' in from outside because I didn't think it was getting the attention it deserved.
I'm in love with it hung in our dining room.

These shelves are always making me walk the line between over-done and cluttered vs. downright bare.
I think I finally found the right balance for spring.

Just when I think I'm 'done' decorating, I find a little something else that could add height/color/dimension/texture...like these books I found last week for $4.00. They're old, interesting, and will work great for spring, summer, fall, and winter.

Maverick's six month pictures added a nice spring touch around the house, in the perfect color scheme.
I also don't think there's such a thing as too much boxwood.

More old books...purchased for 75 cents each at the antique mall in Story City!

Found that watering can at Overflow for basically nothing, scored the boxwood ball from Target for $10 because it had been repackaged (originally $20...absolutely nothing wrong with it) added a scrap of fabric from the throw pillows I sewed earlier this spring...and ta-da! A simple, styled shelf with the right amount of texture and color.

Josh's mom kept telling me I needed birds to decorate for spring and I was sort of against it...until I found the right ones. :)
The two I have came from the Spring Shop at Hobby Lobby for $2.50/each.
Please also notice the 'History of the World in 100 Weapons' book amongst my Interior Design collection. 

WWJGD...What Would Joanna Gaines Do. Something I ask myself these days before I paint, buy, or rearrange anything.

I'm still not in love with the florescent light above the island in our kitchen, but it gives us light where we need it and I camouflaged it as much as I could with light gray paint. I was on a mission to pretty-up that entrance area, and these two metal brackets helped.

These pictures are a close-up view of each side of my kitchen window. Sometimes I like this space bare...sometimes I like it filled with Christmas...for spring I prefer it decorated simply. An antique flower frog, some succulents, and a boxwood wreath on the window add enough color without creating too much visual clutter. 

You all know how I love sewing straight lines...throw pillows are probably my favorite thing to sew. Much like boxwood, I also believe you can never have too many throw pillows. I'm looking at ELEVEN in our living room right now.

This house may not be my Dream Home, but it's perfect for what we need right now, and as much as I don't want to admit...it was even perfect for us during those first five years when the floors weren't quite so pretty. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, an open floor plan...isn't that what everyone is looking for right now, anyway???

So HAPPY SPRING from 422 13th St!

MmB

If loving Nap Jail is wrong...I don't wanna be right

My cute little Nap Jail prisoner.

I want to proclaim my love for Nap Jail from the rooftops.

I LOVE BEING TRAPPED AT HOME. I've found Nap Jail to be one of the best parts about being a new mom.

Most of you probably think this is odd...Isn't Mollie an extrovert, you ask? Doesn't she love running errands and seeing people and being busy?

I already told you my thoughts on being busy just for busyness sake. So to answer all of that...shockingly, no I am not and no, no, no I do not. I love being stuck inside my house to clean the kitchen and catch up on billing and drink my coffee and fold laundry while I watch The Today Show during Maverick's morning nap. Lately I've had a bunch of calls and emails to return for Josh while Maverick naps, so that's even more reason for me to make sure I have my butt at home by the end of Mav's awake-time.

Time. At home. Alone. 

I HAVE WAITED YEARS FOR THIS.

I say things like..."I'll need to be home by 3:00 for Maverick's nap." But really what I'm saying is, "I need to be home by 3:00 so Mollie gets alone time to scrub the toilets then read a book because quiet time in a clean, pretty house makes for a happier mommy." Plus...if Mav cranks out two perfect, two-hour naps...he sleeps waaaay better at night. It's all just a win-win-win. NAP JAIL I LOVE YOU AND OUR TIME TOGETHER!

I absolutely love our mommy-Maverick rhythm. Two hours awake, two-hour nap, repeat in the afternoon...There are some days when the schedule doesn't work and Maverick needs to catch a nap in the car or he's late/early going down based on what we have happening...but the four glorious hours of peace and quiet I have at home to do ma'stuff...it's one of the big reasons this SAHM gig is so thrilling for me. 

I'm part of a Babywise group on Facebook and posts pop up in my newsfeed all the time...horror stories of babies who will only take 45 minutes naps (feel the sarcasm in that sentence or it just seems dramatic instead of funny). My heart instantly goes out to that poor mama who doesn't get to make her bed every morning and clean her bathrooms in peace and quiet. Three, 45-minute increments to accomplish everything that needs to be done around the house for the day?! I can't imagine. Maverick has certainly spoiled me in this area (he's been a punk when he's awake lately, that's a blog post for another day), but I might as well paint a shelf with the precious time he gives me. If for nothing else, to honor the fallen mom's out there who can't get any of their projects done because their naughty babies won't nap. I'm doing this for all of you. 

Not to mention, Josh would GIVE ANYTHING to have more time at home...so I make darn sure I'm using every second of my time wisely.

I shower every other day (ish?) and find that the time I save by not showering and blow drying my hair every day (blow drying my hair was the BANE OF MY EXISTENCE when I was working at C21) means I can afford to take a nice looooong shower during Maverick's morning nap. This is the beauty of the One Baby Season I'm in right now...no toddler stealing my morning nap time from me! I plan to take advantage of it for as long as I can. I take an absurdly-long shower, shave my legs, leave my conditioner in for 10 minutes...and it's all during nap time! If I've prioritized everything else and I'm only doing this every two days...it's completely acceptable in my opinion.

Josh doesn't believe me because he showers FOUR TIMES in the two days when I shower once...but it's better for my hair, skin, and nails too! Is anyone else on my side with this? Two showers a day is insane. TMI for all of you? Perhaps...

One of the many things I can accomplish from Nap Jail...

Nap Jail is the literal best. thing. Sure it ties me down, but the stay-at-home part of being a mom, implies that I stay-at-home as part of my J.O.B. Slacking on the laundry and dishes in the name of fun coffee dates and shopping is not a good recipe for success in this house. So at home in Nap Jail is where I'll be for the next few months...and I actually love it.

MmB

Maverick: Seven Month Update

This is Maverick's 'Angry-Happy Face.'

Our big (read: little) man is officially seven months old! He thinks I'm hilarious 100% of the time, which has elevated him to best friend status...ahead of Josh, since Josh doesn't think I'm as funny as Maverick and I both agree I AM.

Maverick loves...
1. Mommy and daddy.
2. Straps. On anything...the Bumbo, stroller, Target cart, high-chair...if it has a strap, he will find it and put it in his mouth.
3. All varieties of water. Bath water, hot tub, swimming pool, warm water, cold water, drinking water out of a cup. He loves going under and isn't swallowing or sucking in water anymore!
3. Walks in the stroller, sitting and facing out like a big boy.
4. Having someone to play with.
5. When whoever is holding him has a shirt with zippers and/or strings.
6. Singing and dancing.
7. Watching videos of himself.
8. Reading (read: eating) books.
9. Being bounced and going 'AHBOOMBOOMBOOM.'
10. Watching cars go by our house.

Maverick hates...
1. Being put down.
2. Being in his car seat/stroller/shopping cart and not MOVING.
3. Getting out of his bath/hot tub/swimming lesson.
4. Being left to play on the floor for too long...he demands to be rotated between his high chair, stroller, Bumbo, play mat, bouncer during his awake time or he gets bored.
5. LOTS of stimulation. People in his face, a loud environment scare/stress him out.
6. Being rocked or cuddled.
7. He's starting to dislike hats. Which might be a problem, considering the amount of time I plan to spend at the pool this summer.
8. Being in his bouncer for *too* long (he's getting better at sticking it out in there for longer and longer every day).
9. Sleeping at Nana and Papa's house (he literally sleeps perfectly everywhere else...I cannot figure it out).
10. 7:00pm to whenever he eats for the last time before bedtime.

That was our month in a nutshell. I'll expound a little more so I have a reference the next time I have a seven month old. :)

Maverick is still in 3-6 month clothes...comfortably. Not sure when I'll be breaking out the next size. I'm hoping soon because the weather is changing! He's finishing up my stash of size one diapers, but wearing size two at night. He kept waking up after 12 hours with a nice poopy back, and upping his size has solved that laundry problem. He's still generally happy and 'easy' by most people's standards, but definitely starting to get a LOT more opinionated. He YELLS alllllllllll the time and he does it with a fair amount of attitude. This makes it nice and easy to tell when something is actually wrong...or when he's just being a crank-pants. The majority of the time it's the latter.

Rolling from front to back and back to front got a lot more regular last month. It's slowed down a little since then, but it was common for me to see three or four rolls in a row out of him. No sign of teeth yet, though he is happy to taste and gnaw on anything that comes his way. A few nights here and there he was sleeping on his tummy, but that has also stopped and I find him on his back now after naps and most nights/mornings. He sleeps in a little zipper sack with both arms out and I think that's made him a better sleeper...getting the hang of rolling has helped too. There was a week where he would get 'trapped' on his tummy at 1 or 2am and have a FREAK out until I fed him. I put up with that for three or four nights, and then just started flipping him and letting him cry-it-out to fall back asleep in the night instead of feeding him. So his nights were kind of 'all over the place,' but overall I think it was a successful month and he's getting more consistent with every day.

We're still doing it up Babywise in this house...following a schedule but bending it once or twice a week (usually Sunday's for church) to accommodate stuff we have going on. His 'normal' is awake to eat at 9...nap from 11-1, eat...awake from 1-3...nap from 3-5, eat...awake from 5-8:30 when we start bedtime routine, he eats one more time, and is in bed by 9. He's still usually up at 5/6/7am to eat, but then goes back down until it's time to get up for the day at 9. And I'm pretty happy with that. He's small, so I don't think I'll try and 'force' him to stop eating early in the morning aaaanytime soon. And his naps were FABULOUS last month...I got a taste of what it's like to put the baby down and have two straight hours to get stuff done...and then it happens again in the afternoon! Nap time is my favorite!

We made it through 'Leap 5' last month which is apparently a big growth spurt, and after that was over I noticed a ton of changes. He had a bad week sleeping at night, a picture perfect week, a super crabby week, and then kind of a mixture of everything. It's crazy how much he changes and as soon as I think we've made it through a rough patch...something else falls out of whack. I don't think there is any way I could handle having babies close together. It would be constant growth spurts, teething, and colds, on repeat for like...six years straight! I don't think this mama is built for that.

Maverick is SOOO much more aware of everything now. He scopes out new surroundings and people very closely. He loooooves watching the traffic in front of our house, or I'll hold him by the kitchen door so he can watch his daddy get ready to leave for work in the morning. Whenever I miss Josh or wish he was home to see something, I send a picture or a video and then kiss Maverick and say, "Do you know your daddy works so hard? You're daddy loves you so much Maverick! Daddy works hard so mommy can stay home and play with Maverick!" I want him to grow up appreciating how hard his daddy works and how much he loves him, even if we don't see Josh much from April to September. So even though he doesn't know what I'm saying now...soon he will. :) We cheer when Josh gets home and if he's working in Ames, try and buzz to visit him for a kiss whenever we can.

When I say he gets mad when he's put down...this right here is what I mean.

My favorite part of our days together is waking Maverick up in the morning or after a nap. He's pretty perfectly scheduled so he's usually awake on his own at the 1.5-2 hour mark...but I open the door, peek in, and say, "Good morning Maverick Boersma!" and he. is. thrilled. He stretches and pokes his big (read: little) belly out and does what Josh and I call...the 'Angry Happy Face.' It's when he is so excited that his eyebrows frown and his nose wrinkles, but he has the biggest smile plastered on his face. He got this particular look from his mom...everything else this month in the looks department has gotten more and more like his dad. Eyes are bluer...lashes are longer...hair is blonder.

I'm still breastfeeding Maverick but vow to be done with that by his first birthday or when he gets teeth and starts being naughty...whichever comes first. He's happy to keep eating that way, and I'm happy to keep feeding him that way as long as it's easy and he's happy. :) We have a good balance...it's almost like he knew I wasn't going to put up with any crap and since he WILL NOT drink formula, he know she better keep it together. I might have mentioned this last month, I started offering a couple ounces of formula before or after he ate to try and fatten him up...to no avail. He hates it. He'll start drinking it and as soon as he's downed a few swallows and realizes what it is...turns his head back and forth and fusses and cries until I give up. He's so easygoing in almost every other area that I sort of thought this would be a piece of cake. I figured I could get a little more flexibility in our schedule when we have things like church or when it would just be easier to give him formula if we're out and about because he's so much faster at a bottle...No luck.

Maverick plays with toys more and more, but he's not quite ready to sit up 100% on his own and have me leave his side to play...so he tends to get frustrated when he throws/pushes all his toys away and then can't get to them. He'll play on the floor for quite a long time if I stay close to push his toys back up to him. He has a couple toys that Jamie likes to give him, but then she gets frustrated when, "He's not playing with them right!" This is classic Jamie. She also hates this new little pursed-lip annoyed face Maverick does...especially when I remind her it is VERY similar to a baby-Jamie look we used to get on a regular basis.

So that's what's up with our little Mav-wardo this month. He's changed sooooo much from his newborn pictures (when he looked like me for a hot minute) to the little baby boy he is now (that looks soooo much like Josh). He's so much fun and I have yet to get sick of kissing his face a flobbity-gillion times a day. I love that raising him is my job.

MmB