Parker's room

There's something in the air this week that is making me want to get ALL OF THE THINGS done. I had a fantasy about scrubbing my baseboards while I was drinking coffee the other day. Even when I was pregnant I was not that person. But now? Clean all the things! Paint all the things! Finish all the projects! Do it do it do it! I even dragged Karl with me to Home Depot today to have a serious talk about re-grouting our kitchen floor. (Fun fact: It's a task so terrifying that the mere thought makes me want to lay down and weep. Funner fact: My desire to get things done drives me to start looking for time in our calendar to do it. Funnest fact: I know funner isn't a word.)

I think the cleaning mania has to do with the fact that it's warmer outside than it is inside today and all of our windows are open to celebrate. Yesterday I went for a walk and nearly froze to death, but today I spent over an hour on the deck reading in a t-shirt and shorts. And I nearly cried I was so happy. It may also have to do with the fact that I go back to work in less than two months and am experiencing some form of late-term nesting. But I'd rather not talk about that.

So, in the spirit of getting things done, I bit the bullet for the millionth time and took some better pictures to go along with some older pictures that actually turned out. So in case you're wondering, I did not raise and lower the crib between pictures. I mean, I guess I technically did, but not today.

Anyway, behold! A mere 10+ months after originally promised, I give you the baby's room!

And welcome.

This picture is actually quite old. The crib is now lower and I've since lined the blinds with my mad glue gunning/discount fabric buying skills (as you can kind of see in the picture above). 

I didn't want to inundate Parker's room with decor before he was born because a) I'm terrible at that kind of thing and b) I figured it would happen naturally. It's his room, after all. He told me, though, that he really likes polka dots. And teal. Instead of stressing myself out with a themed room, I went with the obvious "baby" theme and stopped there. My dad and I each painted something for him, showcasing our Picasso-esque skills, and more or less left it at that.

I just hung pictures in our own room after a year and a half, so Parker should feel pretty honoured having these up before he even moved in (to the house, not my uterus).

Pro parenting tip: Dollar store baskets and weird shaped vases make great storage for baby randoms and soothers. 

We initially started out with one bookshelf and I love how quickly it's grown into two. I love Sandra Boynton books, hate Goodnight, Moon, and Parker's a star at That's not my Tiger. My baby knows where the scratchy nose is. He's basically a baby Einstein.

I got that print from Hello Hue when she was closing up shop and I love it. Parenting is tough, especially in those early months, but it is definitely well with my soul. 

I got the idea for the mobile off of Pinterest as every good mom should. I ended up combining a yarn ball tutorial and Young House Love mobile. I feel like I really earned my mom/blogger/DIY stripes with this one. In reality, it just involved me making a huge mess on the kitchen table in my sweatpants one afternoon.

If you ever decide to make a mobile like this, I would just like you to know that when they say it doesn't take very much paste to make the balls they're lying to you. I would also like you to know that your husband will totally judge you for buying a $15 branch from Winners when you could "just get any stick" from your yard. I recommend not arguing, just repenting. But seriously, it's the most beautiful stick I've ever spent $15 on in my life.

And there you have it! Well worth the wait, right?

My future on television

So you know I've been in a music video before but maybe what you didn't know is that I've also been on Much Music. No big thing, but when I was 14 or 15 they did this event called Much Does Victoria and the singer from one of the bands jumped off the stage into the crowd and walked right by me while the camera was rolling. So 15 minutes of fame? Try 15 nanoseconds, but it was totally aired all over the country.

Me, as seen on TV. Sans keyboard.

And now, my audition tape for a spot as the new Ellen.

This was take two and a half. The first one and a half were done a couple days ago, right before company came and the kitchen didn't look as lived in. Then Larissa was all, let's put you in the video. So I wore my new sweater and curled my hair which promptly deflated in the rain but whatever. I then proceeded to walk like I have a stick up my butt and look way too cool for school. Me vs the camera is always me looking like I am deeply uncomfortable. But that just might be me all the time, keeping it real.

We have new curtains for the bedroom sitting in a bag by our front door. They'll go up this week. Same with the real shower curtain for the guest bathroom. I forgot to show off our new closet curtains in the bedroom. They were dark brown and super drapey, thus making the room tiny and dark, Two sets of new curtains and painted nightstands make everything brighter.

And when I said our basement reno went really well and was easy and not a challenge you might not have caught the sarcasm in my voice. But it was there. And our basement is done and looks nice and will look even nicer when it's not empty. And there's no towel rack in the bathroom down there. Clearly the people who owned this house before us were big on air drying.

But that couch? And that bowl with cupcakes? Home Sense for the win. I would gush about them, but just know we scored that $499 couch for $370 and that bowl was only $12.99 and it fits three dozen cupcakes AND my head. Just not at the same time. 

And just for a refresher, here is the tour of our Victoria basement suite and the place we rented before we bought our house. 

And we do it again.

Here it is, the long awaited sequel to last week's video tour of our first home.

I apologise for focussing too much on the roof you can't see and have no idea why I bothered to point out my laundry basket in such detail. Also... the stairwell down to the garage. Apparently I'm fascinated by it.

One thing I didn't mention that I wish I had is the art on our fridge. It's goodbye art from the kids that were in our wedding. My, my how they grow up. Sniff.

Cheers!

You can leave your shoes on.

When it became clear that Karl and I were moving, I decided to make a little video tour of our first home together. And when I say "when it became clear that Karl and I were moving" what I really mean is that the day before we started packing I finally got on it.

Is this weird? I dunno, but I think it's worth remembering. All 600ish square feet of it.

I'm pretty impressed by my lack of excessive "ums" and moderately steady hand. Less impressive is my loud, nervous gasping as I talk to myself at the beginning. 

Aren't those tulips lovely? My co-workers bought them for me before my last day.

Confession, our closet was usually messier than that. And that's pretty tidy for the laundry room.

I never found the two missing pieces to the puzzle.

There was something like 10 boxes of books.

I hope you enjoyed the little tour. Next time? Another tour.