Nursery Ideas

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For Baby Gavin's nursery, we've decided to do a nautical theme! 

The picture above is a room that I am in love with, and am trying to recreate in my own way.

My first choice was to do a vintage circus themed room, (like the picture below) but Keith (and many friends/family members) were highly aginst this idea. I think they were thinking freaky clowns and such...but I had more of a Water-for-Elephants-for-infants idea in mind.

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After discovering that the above bedding was $850.00, I happily agreed to a nautical nursery! :) We have purchased a few items so far, but still have a long way to go. 

My first two purchases were an 18" wooden ship wheel and 3 nautical anchors. These items will be hung on the walls, away from Gavin's crib. The items are pretty heavy and the last thing I want is for one of them to fall off of the wall and injure him.

I also purchased these adorable blocks! My plan is to place them on a bookshelf or on his chest of drawers.

I am planning on purchasing this beautiful wall art to position above Gavin's crib.

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This is probably my favorite piece that I've found thus far!

As for paint colors, I'm thinking navy blue walls with white furniture. For you mommas with little boys -- is white furniture a good choice? The crib that we're registered for is a convertible one and should take him through the years to a twin bed.

So what do you guys think? Any advice or tips for creating this nursery are welcome!

me? a DIY-er?

Before Keith and I were engaged, I was not a do-it-yourself, crafty person. I never had the desire to paint anything or create something fantastic. Through the wedding planning process I discovered that I actually like to paint. I like taking a vision that I have and turning it into reality. Even though I seriously almost lost my sanity while wedding planning, I am very happy that the creativeness I gained from it has decided to stick around in my newly married life.

From the get go, I knew that once we were married I'd be moving into Keith's house. To be honest, I had mixed feelings about this. I always thought I would be involved in choosing the house I was going to live in with my husband. Since that wasn't the case, my next concern was this: How was I going to turn his house into our house. Keith also had a few roommates before we were married so it was really weird to think that they were living in and making messes in my future home.

I am happy to report that moving into Keith's our house has been absolutely great and doesn't feel weird at all. I truly love it! Even though I didn't get to pick the house with Keith, I am going to get to redecorate and paint rooms with him! :oD Woop woop! I am so pumped about this! We are going to paint the living room, our bedroom, the guest bathroom, and two of the extra bedrooms! WOW! This is going to be a major project.

KC and I were in Folly Beach (AKA, my absolute favorite place!) one day and I fell in love with a home there. The way it was painted, the flowers in front, and even the fence were perfect! I decided to be a stalker and take a picture.

Isn't it beautiful? Well, since we can't paint the outside of the house (I checked, it's a no) I am going to paint one of the extra bedrooms this color. The room will eventually be a guest room, but until then I will use it as a place to write, read, pray, and just relax. Here's a before shot of one side:
And here's what I've done to it so far:
Please do not make fun of my pathetic attempt to paint. :oP I'm hoping to finish painting it next weekend. My ultimate goal/dream is to have...

black and white photos hanging on the walls

a beautiful vanity (minus the pink chair)

a Victorian chaise

a chandelier print on the wall

and a lovely bookshelf.

Since this is sort of my room and project, I'd like to have one of these in there, too. Although I don't know how well it goes with my theme....he he.

Since we have a few rooms that need updated furniture, my little dream room may have to wait awhile before it becomes reality. :o) I'll keep you guys updated!

the secret to a tender roast

Last weekend, Keith and I had our good friends Chad and Melissa over for dinner. At first I thought about cooking pork chops, but Keith and I always eat this (my hubby's favorite meal) and I was ready to try something new. I decided to cook a pot roast with potatoes, rice and gravy, and salad. I am use to cooking things like this, thanks to my lovely Louisiana roots, but this dinner was quite a challenge. Unless you cook a roast all day, the odds of it coming out tender are slim to none. However, my Aunt told me about this little secret to make a roast tender and very tasty.

Ingredients:
3 or 4 lb. Boneless Chuck Roast (Depending on the amount of people, you may need a bigger/smaller one)

1 - Tsp. Olive Oil

2 - Cans of Coke Zero

2 - Packets of Lipton Onion Soup Mix

1 - 8oz. Bag of frozen Chopped Onions

Tony Chachere's Seasoning

1 - Packet McCormick Pot Roast Seasoning

1 - 8qt. pot

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove roast from packaging. Rub McCormick Pot Roast Seasoning into your roast. Pictured below is what I used. The mix comes with a roast bag; do not use this bag.Add a teaspoon of olive oil to pot. Brown both sides of the roast on the stove top on medium heat. While cooking, season roast with Tony Chachere's. (Season to taste!)
Once roast is brown on both sides, add bag of chopped onions. Pour 2 cans of Coke Zero over roast. Add 2 packets of Lipton Onion Soup Mix. Stir contents together so that coke and soup are mixed. Make sure the roast is completely submerged in liquids.
Place lid on your pot and put into oven. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 6-7 hours.

If you would like to add potatoes (chopped), add them to the pot one hour before roast is finished cooking.

Keep an eye on the roast while it is cooking. It is normal for the liquids (gravy) to evaporate, but if you'd like more gravy, just add a little water while it is cooking. Make sure to have your rice cooking about 30 minutes before the roast is finished so that everything will be ready at the same time.

Ta daaaa! That is all! I know it sounds really gross...adding coke zero and onion soup mix together, but it really makes the roast tender and gives it a fabulous taste! I don't have any pictures from the dinner to show how the roast came out, but everyone liked it so I think it was a winner!

I may have gotten myself in a pickle though. The other day Keith told me, "You know bay, roast is my new favorite meal!" Lol, ah!