aunt kitty meets abby kate

Abby was born June 18. She was a little (or a lot) late and we were all beginning to wonder if she ever wanted to meet us. But now that she is here, I don't think she was harboring any ill will towards us. She must have just been too cozy hanging out inside her Momma. She is a sweet baby - probably thee sweetest. She's adorable (duh), happy, and easy to please. She does like to be held, but with so many eager arms, that hardly seems like much of a problem. She mostly just loves to eat and sleep. She's not quite a month old and Mom reports she slept for 13 hours last night!

I went to stay for a week to help Mom & Dad, but mostly to love on little Abby. I'm pretty sure we are going to be best buds. I hoped my visit would give me a glimpse into my future with Skippy, but Abby is such an easy baby that I'm not really sure I got much training.

Staring contest with Uncle Jon.

That time she had a little accident and had to ride home naked.

Her first outing. She was a big hit at the fro yo shop.

One thing is for sure, if we have a girl, she'll already have an adorable wardrobe to borrow from her big cousin. 

First stroller ride. She lasted about 10 minutes and then had to be carried home while I pushed an empty stroller.

On the 4th, we had a low country boil bc there is no better way to celebrate America than by eating right off the table. Yum!

I was soooo sad to leave little Abby. I know she will be so much bigger the next time I see her. She's already working on some pretty great fat rolls, not to mention her cheeks double in size every day.

bump watch: week 7

This is the week when I realized more than ever that I am indeed pregnant. I thought I was tired before, but I had no idea what was coming. The trip to Oklahoma for my sister's baby shower zapped every last once of energy I had. I got home late on Monday night. I didn't unpack my suitcase until Thursday evening. Normally, I can't stand an unpacked suitcase, but I just didn't have the will to do it between my many, many naps.

Thank goodness I work from home. I really have no idea how people get through the first trimester with "real" jobs. It's no joke. My diet this week mostly consisted of crackers and ginger ale. Sometimes something random will sound good to me - watermelon, strawberries, cheesesticks.

This is also the week of being a work widow...again. Jon has been gone almost non-stop for three straight weeks. He basically knocked me up and then left town. I would declare him a deadbeat dad, but he has promised me over and over again that he is going to be really nice and helpful once he gets home. I love that he works so hard for our little (growing) family - I just wish he could do it closer to home more often.

I told my family about the baby while I was in Oklahoma. They are sworn to secrecy, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to tell them in person. Their reaction was priceless. They were very surprised. I waited until the baby shower was over and we were taking a break from cleaning up. I presented her with one last present from me. I casually played it off as something silly. It was a Christmas-themed outfit for Abby with an extra special note to her inside that read:

p.s. I hope you don't mind that I got a matching one for your soon-to-be baby cousin coming December 2015.

There was a lot of screaming and tears after that. And I could finally tell them about how exhausted I had been all weekend! I must have really been a trooper because nobody suspected a thing. The next day, we went shopping for baby things, which is somewhat impossible when you don't know the gender (although we are all convinced it's a boy). I came home with some books, toys and a super soft gray onesie. This baby is already being spoiled.

tea party baby shower

When Megan and Aaron decided on the name Abby, we thought it would be fun to do a baby shower theme that was a play on Downton Abbey. Mom already shot down my other theme ideas of Harry Potter and pirates - two things Megan loves. But after deciding on the secret theme, Megan inadvertently mentioned more than once that she actually disliked the TV show and that she just watched it because everyone else did. So...we changed direction and went with more of a general tea party theme.

I flew to OKC last weekend for the festivities. The shower turned out amazing - I was pretty impressed with our ability to pull it off working across three different states with four hostesses. We did all the decorating and food prep on Saturday, and then the shower was Sunday afternoon. It went off without a hitch. Here are some fun details from the shower....

Paper invitations are rare these days, but since we were having a fancy schmancy tea party, I couldn't resist ordering these pretty tea cup invites from Paperless Post. I then used folded vellum envelopes and little registry tags to make the invitations look like real tea bags. I hired Jon to address the invitations in his fanciest writing - with each one address to Lady so and so. They really helped set the theme for the shower, and I think they were a big hit.

The guest book/gift table - complete with vintage hats from our grandmothers and homemade sugar cookie party favors. Hostess Mallory did all the amazing chalk work.

Abby's nursery is mint green with a little pink so we used those colors for the shower. Every place setting had a vintage tea cup/saucer and a homemade hand fan. We ordered the flowers from Sam's club, and I had the task of arranging all of them the day before the shower. It's amazing what tablecloths and fresh flowers can do to make for a fancy atmosphere.

The menu consisted of tea sandwiches, assorted bite-sized confections and, of course, cake. We went with lemon poppyseed with raspberry filling for the cake flavor. Megan has been craving lemon during her entire pregnancy so it was an easy choice. I loved the cake topper, which was filled with edible flowers. I know it's hard to believe, but the cake tasted even better than it looked. If you ever need a cake in the Norman/OKC area, I know your gal. 

Megan refuses to share any belly pics on social media, but I get to do whatever I want. Now that she is properly showered, we just have to wait for Abby to arrive! 6 weeks and counting...

Aunt Kitty

My nickname in the family is Baby Katie. I'm the baby and always will be, but in June of this year, I'm going to have to give up my title (but I'm keeping the nickname). Megan, aka Schmee, aka my older sister, is having her first baby in a few short months. BABY! I'm not really sure when we got old enough to have babies, but I'm so glad she's going first so she can figure this whole thing out for us.

After much lobbying and even promising that I would buy her a pink stroller if the baby was a girl, it is, of course a girl. Eek! I made good on the stroller promise, but I was practical and bought it in black. Being practical is not nearly as much fun.

They are naming her Abby Kate, which is totes adorbs. I suppose if she is going to take my title the least she can do is share my name. And last, but not least, we've decided that she is going to call me Aunt Kitty. Kitty is typically how my name comes out with little kiddos anyway. It's already on a mug so there is no turning back now.

As you can probably tell, we are over the moon. I can't wait to meet Abby. And spoil her. And dress her in pink. There *might* even be some bows. We are going to be best buddies.

I met my mom and sister in Dallas a couple of weekends ago for some shopping and eating. Abby made out pretty good. Notice that sea of pink in the top right corner of the photo? Those are my contributions. I can't help it.

We are throwing Megan a shower in April. Stay tuned for adorable updates on the shower and Abby's arrival this summer.

megan's visit

Megan, aka my older sister, aka Schmee, finally came to visit! We've seen each other a lot over the last several months, but it just hadn't worked out yet for her to come here. It was driving us both insane. I've been bouncing house/decorating ideas off her since we bought this house (and vice versa since she bought a house last year too), but you can only look at so many photos and inspirational Pinterest boards before you have to just see everything in person. The free decorating help aside, I was really happy to spend a whole week with her. We haven't hung out just the two of us like that in ages.

Her visit came at the perfect time. I've made a renewed effort recently to focus on house projects. If decorating a house is like writing a novel, then the last few months have been one long slog of writer's block for me. I'm not very patient. I hate having to wait for inspiration and clarity, but I think the fog has finally lifted. I recently had a lightbulb moment, and I'm starting to see how everything is going to come together, which is good because I have 6 months until we host my family for Christmas. That seems like a long time, but my to-do list begs to differ. It won't all be done by then, of course, but I'm sure everyone would at least appreciate having a place to sleep.

Here is everything we managed to squeeze into one week.

We shopped for (and found) treasures at barn sales in Frederick, Maryland. I came home with this cute little dresser. I loved the shape of it, and at $150 its was a pretty great deal considering similar pieces are going for almost $700!

We went to a baseball game and the Nats finally broke their curse against the Braves. I think Megan is good luck.

baseball selfie!

We made a strawberry rhubarb pie. This  lil' baby attended a USA soccer watch party/BBQ with us, but the pie didn't make it home.

While I was at work one day, Megan cooked a delicious dinner of spring pea & asparagus lemon risotto. I didn't mind.

Since she made me dinner, I thought the least I could do was make her a Pimm's cup. I've been obsessed with Pimm's cup cocktails lately. They are the perfect refreshing drink for a warm summer evening.

We went to dinner at Roses' Luxury - one of our favorite new places in D.C. The food is swoon-worthy. If my waistline was no object, I would eat here every day.

gnocchi, a.k.a. tiny pillows of love

megan said this dessert tasted like a meadow. it turns out meadows are delicious. 

As if cooking dinner and schlepping to barn sales and home stores wasn't enough (I'm sure she really hated all the shopping), we made Megan earn her keep. This light fixture in our entry had to go. I've hated it from day one. It was way overdo for an upgrade. 

ugly old fixture

shiny new fixture

Luckily, Megan has experience in this department. She's hung a few fixtures in her house.

Not so luckily, hanging a new light fixture in an old house can be quite complicated.

But she was determined to finish what she started. She's a lot like Dad in that way. Again, I didn't mind. It was a bit of an adventure, but after 5 hours and 3 trips to the hardware store, we had achieved success. This is what homeowners do on a Friday night. If you don't already own a home, get excited.

hanging out in some natural light before we left for work this morning.
do you see the sheet of gold dots sitting on the chest (far right)?
they are leftover from the bathroom project,  and i have big plans for them.
and that chevron entry rug? i have big plans for that too.
and those two wallpaper samples hanging out in the dining room? yep, even more plans.
so many exciting things happening. stay tuned!

It was more than worth it! I love how it turned out! It's amazing what a difference a new light fixture can make. My excitement level over this light fixture officially means I'm old & home owner boring, but I don't care. The midcentury vibe of the fixture is perfect - it works in our old house while still remaining modern & playful. The brass fixture also plays off the brass drawer pulls & gold lamp on the chest. Hiding in the backdrop of the photo is our new fireplace screen, which adds even more shimmery warmth to the house. I love how the geometric shapes in the light fixture and fireplace screen complement each other.

One of the hardest parts of decorating is making things flow from room to room. When you walk into my house, you see into the entry, stairway, living room and dining room. Making sure all of those spaces blend well is a challenge, but I'm pretty thrilled with how it's coming together. It's making me anxious to finish with some other projects and ideas I've been pondering.

a closer look at the fireplace screen

One project done, one to go. Remember that dresser we bought? You didn't think we were going to leave it like that, did you? It was in pretty good shape, but it still needed a little TLC. But you'll have to come back tomorrow to see how it turned out. How rude of me.

We really put Megan to work. I feel a little bad about that. I'm not sure it was much of a vacation for her. But we did make sure to reward her helpful efforts in a big way. On her last night here, we took her to get her very first lobster roll. I felt like a parent introducing my kid to something new and wonderful. You'll have to ask her what she thought, but I don't think it disappointed. Lobster rarely does.

mmmmmmm, lobster

Thus ended the trip. I kind of miss her already.