Big Boy Room

A few months ago I decided that it was time to finally take down my sons' crib and replace it with a big boy bed. I oringinally chose his crib because it was the same wood tone as our spare bedroom furniture. Though we would need to replace his crib with the queen sized bed and frame eventually, I figured that the dresser and bedside tables would last through his teenage years. Here are a few before pics of his baby room:


I absolutely love the Eddie Bauer crib set which I found at a local children's consignment shop for about 1/3 the cost of a brand new set! I purchased the truck shaped toy baskets at the same consignment shop on clearance. The red curtains were purchased at JC Penney's on clearance. I used a coupon at Bed, Bath and Beyond to purchase the metal stars throughout the room. I also used a coupon to purchase the letters from Michaels. The sports themed rug was from Sam's. I showed you how I recovered the chair in his room here.

We originally took off the front rail of his crib and turned it into a toddler bed, but he was always rolling out, even with the addition of a toddler bed rail. My husband and I purchased a new mattress for our room at about this time and I decided to try the old one out in my sons' room. I placed it on the floor so as to lessen the distance to the floor if he happened to roll out in his sleep. I was very happy to learn that the back of his crib was the perfect size to use as a headboard. We simply screwed a few screws through the existing holes to attach it to the wall.

Someday I think that he will want the bed off the ground, but for now it is perfect.

I found the sports themed hooks on clearance at TJ Maxx and thought that they would be perfect to hang his crib quilt. I attached some loops to the back of his crib quilt and love that the quilt can be a part of his room just a little bit longer.


The room is basically the same, we just moved things around to accomodate the larger bed. Though I like the neutral paint color of the room, I would like to paint the room. I have not yet painted the room because I am not sure what color I want to use. I am also putting off painting because I would like to have another child. As we only have 2 bedrooms upstairs, we would have the kids share a room. Depending on the sex of the child we may have to swap the kids rooms.
I would also like to purchase new bedding, but am having trouble finding something I like in queen size. Unfortunately most of the character or sports themed bedding that I like is only available up to full size.
Aidan is loving his new, big bed and his room. I am loving that the changes to his room were basically free!

Pretty as a postcard

I was playing around with my camera while on vacation to Pensacola, FL and took a few pictures I thought would be perfect for a postcard.

Lazy days! These birds sat on their posts all day, leaving occassionally to grab a bite to eat.

The remains of a dock.

Fence on the beach to reduce drifting.

Close up of the bark of the palm tree.

Two palm trees that have been bent by the wind, possibly from the last hurricane.

Sunsetting behind a dock.
Though we return to the same vacation spot every year, I always see something new.

Spring Break

I have spent the past week vacationing with my family on sunny Pensacola Beach, Florida.
We spent the mornings playing at an area playground,


digging in the sand,

and running away from crashing waves,

and splashing and bathing in the hotel pools.


After a quick lunch and refreshing nap,

we prepared for dinner and nights spent out on the town.


We got to totally relax and just have fun as a family.

By the end of the week, I was totally refreshed and ready to return home! Though it was nice to not have to cook or clean for almost a week, I really began to miss my home!

Start of a gallery wall

I recently moved a family photo from our living room to the basement stairwell and thought that it looked too sparse. What better way to beef it up then to make it into a gallery wall. I have seen several gallery walls on blogs that I read and really like the look of them. I went to Goodwill looking for a few cheap frames to use in my gallery wall. I scored two large oval frames and an 8x10 square frame for $2.38 each. Immediately when I saw the oval frames, I thought of silhouettes, which I have also seen on several blogs.

I spray painted my frames silver to match the existing frame on my gallery wall. Then I took these silhouette pictures of my son and daughter.

I got my son while he was playing with his trains. I love how his mouth is slightly open.

Because I wanted to put my daughter's hair into a ponytail, it was more of a struggle to get her to cooperate. She was not very happy with me!
After printing the pictures at home on my computer, I simply cut away the background leaving only the silhouette. I traced the silhouette onto black scrapbook paper and cut it out. I also cut a piece of white scrapbook paper to fit over the frame back. I attached the white paper to the frame back and then attached the black silhouette approximately in the middle. After cleaning the glass, I reassembled the frames and admired my little cuties.

I proudly showed my husband my newest creation and his first thoughts were, "My grandma had some of those at her house. I never thought they were that cool."
Despite my husband's lack of enthusiasm, I love my silhouettes! I added them to my gallery wall, which I can now officially call a gallery wall because there is more than one photo on it, and I love it!

I plan to add to it as I find frames. I would also like to add some vinyl monograms or quotes. Finally, I envision moulding like Decor Chick's to beef up our small hand railing. I can see it all finished in my head and I love it!