Nursery Progress Report #4

This week in the nursery was all about finishing details. Michael's Dad worked on painting the trim, closet doors, and the baseboard trim. The most exciting event of the week was having Ethan's furniture delivered. Unfortunately we weren't able to have it all set-up in his room because the carpet is pulled up in there and because we're having carpet installed in a couple weeks, we didn't want to have it set-up to have to move it all out and then back in again. We are really happy with everything. I can't wait for it to all be set-up in his room in a couple of weeks, it's going to be so exciting!

I changed out the white wooden knobs, for some aqua bubbled glass knobs for a pop of color. We also put them on the closet doors. They match the wall color perfectly.

We love the chair too, I will be happy when we can sit in it in his nursery though! I love the gray textured fabric with the white piping, it's going to look perfect in his room.

We also received the custom drum pendant light fixture I ordered and Michael installed it. I love the fabric and I think it is a great addition to his room, lighting complete!

On the decorating front this week. I received Ethan's vinyl alphabet that we ordered from Etsy. I had to cut all of the letters out and the coordinating symbol and lay it all out in order. We also laid it out on the walls to get the spacing figured out. It's going to be a big project adhering 52 pieces of vinyl but I think it's going to look great when it's done. We are going to tackle it when we get back from Florida.

Michael also hung curtain rods and the blackout blinds on the windows. Now we just have to hope we get the curtains at our shower!

I've been looking for a few weeks now for some art for Ethan's bathroom and I finally found the perfect prints!

I also ordered his mobile for his crib from a seller on Etsy. She made one for Lily's nursery with birds and it was really cute. The colors will be slightly different to match Ethan's bedding.

Next up, I need to find frames for all of the fun prints I've bought for his wall collage. I'm looking forward to shopping on vacation and hope I can find some fun accessories for his bookcases. Michael's Dad is going to be painting the bathroom and installing the new vanity top and faucet next week. We're also getting all of the carpet installed just a few days after we get back from vacation. It's all coming together, I am so excited to see what I've thought up in my head come to life!

Weekend Recap

Another great weekend in the books. On Friday, Ethan's nursery furniture was delivered! We couldn't have it put in the nursery because it's still kind of a mess in there plus all of the carpet is pulled up for our carpet install in a couple of weeks. So his furniture is living in our master bedroom for the time being.

Friday night we went to Rich and Tif's to hang out and have dinner. I also brought the kids their Valentine gifts since they will be coming home from Florida on Valentine's Day.

Makayla rocking her sunglasses we got her for Valentine's Day. She's ready for the Florida sun now! We had wings for dinner and just hung out and talked and played with the kids.

Saturday we got up and went for breakfast and then did some grocery shopping and ran around for a few hours doing some errands. When we came home we saw a giant box on our front porch and it was Ethan's light fixture for his nursery. We put the groceries away and then went right upstairs to install it. Michael did a great job installing the light. It came out perfect and just how I pictured. I think it looks great in his nursery with the aqua walls. 

After installing the light, Michael decided he needed a nap and I needed to make lasagna. We were heading over to Michael's parents for dinner and I volunteered to make the lasagna. I used my Mom's recipe and it came out really well. Doesn't it look yummy? 

We headed over to Michael's parents around 5:30 and had a yummy dinner with his parents, Grandma, Rich, Tif and the kids. After dinner we just hung out, talked and played with the kids. 

On Sunday we got up, had some breakfast and then ran out to get a few things we needed for vacation so I could finish packing. When we got home I ran out again to get a pedicure for vacation. When I got home Michael decided he wanted to work in the nursery some. We wanted to clean up and get a bunch of the tools out of there that we don't need any more. We also laid out the vinyl alphabet on the walls to see the spacing and how it would look. I think it's going to look awesome when it's all installed. We're not going to tackle it until after Florida though.

Michael also installed curtain rods and blinds on Ethan's window.

After working in the nursery for a few hours, we relaxed for a while. For Sunday dinner we made homemade Chinese takeout, fried rice and sesame chicken. I found a new recipe on Pinterest for Benihana's fried rice and we've been meaning to try it. It was really good. Michael is our resident wok master in the house and dinner was delicious!

The rest of the night we just relaxed and watched some tv. It was a great weekend and we were very productive. Ethan's nursery is really beginning to take shape. I have another nursery progress report coming up on the blog tomorrow. I hope all of you had a great weekend and have a great week ahead. I'm excited we only have to work 3 days this week before leaving for Florida on Thursday, I can't wait!

Our week in pictures: 1/22 - 1/28

Sunday, January 22: I love Ethan's closet a lot more with his little clothes hanging in it!

Monday, January 23: Ethan's vinyl alphabet came and I had to cut all of the letters and shapes out and put them in order. It's going to be a big project but it's going to look really cute!

Tuesday, January 24: Chicken Parmesean paninis for dinner, yum!

Wednesday, January 25: Somebody's got seasonal depression

Thursday, January 26: Valentine's goody baskets for my wee Valentine's Jacob, Makayla and Lily!

Friday, January 27: Makayla is all ready for the Florida sun with her Valentine's sunglasses from Auntie Sara and Uncle Michael!

Saturday, January 28: 25 week baby bump!

Baby Dworianyn Bump Watch: 25 Weeks

How far along? 25 weeks, 3 days
Size of the baby? An eggplant. 13.5 inches, 1 1/2 pounds
Maternity clothes? Still in all of my regular clothes, which is good. I was so happy I didn't have to buy maternity clothes for vacation!
Weight gain? No gain, 26.5 pounds lost.
Gender? Little man Ethan!
Movement? Still moving like crazy, I'm getting lots of kicks to the bladder lately.
Sleep? Still sleeping really well.
Food Cravings? For some reason milk has become my new craving.
What I miss? Absolutely nothing, I am just loving being pregnant right now.
Symptoms? Just his kicks, still feeling great.
Best moments of the week? Ethan's furniture being delivered and set-up. It's so crazy to see a crib in our house. I can't wait till he's here and sleeping in it!
What is baby doing this week? This week our little boy now has a sense of equilibrium and knows which way is up and which way is down. He's also growing more hair and if we could see it we'd be able to tell the color and texture.

This week I'm...

Loving: That we leave for vacation next week, I can't wait!

Disliking: That my Valentine's decorations aren't going to make it up this year. Between Ethan's nursery, getting carpet throughout the house and going on vacation, it just didn't seem worth it this year.

Craving: Strangely, milk is the latest thing little man is telling me to have.
Hoping: I can get all of our packing done this weekend.

Reading: Hunger Games: by Suzanne Collins, Hunger Games: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins.

Watching: The judges on American Idol send a lot of people to Hollywood, I wonder if all of them would have made it if Simon was still on?
Listening to: Lots on noise coming from Ethan's nursery.
Looking forward to: Being on our way to Florida this time next week!
Hearing buzz about: The Super Bowl teams have been decided, go Giants!

Wordless Wednesday: Wake me up when it's Spring

Nursery Progress Report #3

This week in nursery construction was all about paint. All of the heavy construction is officially done and now it's all about the finishing and decorating, my favorite part! The walls needed to be prepped, primed and painted. The crown molding also needed to be painted to finish it off. I was so excited to finally see the color on the walls. I love it, I think it's going to look so great with the furniture and bedding!

The recessed lights have been pushed up and capped to finish them off.

We also bought new wall plates in a brushed stainless steel to contrast with the aqua walls.

We also installed Ethan's closet system we designed last week at the Container Store. It was really easy to install and put together, it took about an hour. We still need to install two dark wood gliding shelves but we want to get the closet doors put on first so they're protected. We added so much storage space, it's going to be so nice to store all of his little things.

On the decorating front, we purchased cordless blinds for the windows, bookcases, plus more Etsy finds. Some of our Etsy purchases started being delivered too, which was really fun!

We wanted to get cordless blinds so he can't hurt himself so we picked up these blackout shades for his two windows.

This is the color they are though, a soft grey which will be a nice contrast to the aqua walls, charcoal drapes and white trim.

We bought two of these bookcases to go on the crib wall. Michael's Dad is going to trim them out so they look built in and fancy them up a bit.

E is for Ethan! I got this fabric letter for the collage wall. This Etsy seller did letters for Lily's nursery and they were really cute. It is coming all the way from Canada so it will be a few weeks before we receive it.

A cute print for the collage wall, I just love seeing his name on things!

Another print for the collage wall. I love this Dr. Seuss quote and who doesn't like a lion with glasses?

I am having these wall letters made for over Ethan's crib. They will look different from these pictured above. They will be gray charcoal colored circles with white letters and the animals from our bedding will be painted on each letter. They will be trimmed with white ribbon and coordinating colored buttons. I can't to see the finished product!

I'm really excited for next week's progress update because there will be baby furniture added to the room!!

Family Favorite Recipe: Mom's Sub Sandwich



Now that we know who's going to be in this year's Super Bowl, Patriots vs. Giants, I thought I would share one of my favorite things to have on Super Bowl Sunday, although it's delicious anytime. My mom has been making this version of her sub sandwich for years and its always a crowd pleaser. It's super easy to put together and with a couple of these, you can feed a hungry crowd. The deli meats and cheese I list below can be interchanged with whatever kinds you like. These are Michael's favorites!

Ingredients

1 loaf vienna or Italian bread

1 tomato

1 bag shredded lettuce

1 jar claussen's hearty garlic sandwich slice pickles

1/2 pound turkey breast

1/2 pound ham

1/4 pound hard salami or beer salami

1/4 pound munchee cheese

1/4 pound colby jack cheese

1/4 cup mayo

Italian dressing - we use the Good Season's mix to make ours, it's the best!

Assembly

I think the reason this tastes so good is how it is assembled. Having certain flavors next to the other makes all the difference. I might also just be crazy and obsessed over this sandwich, HA!

1. Slice your loaf of bread in half

2. Pour the Italian dressing on the bottom half and spread with a knife covering the entire loaf

3. Add your mayo to the top half and spread with a knife

4. Line pickle slices from one end to the other on the bottom half with the dressing

5. Slice tomato and place slices on the top half with the mayo

6. Start placing your meats and cheeses on the bottom half. I typically start with the ham on the bottom next to the pickles. Then top with munchee cheese. Followed by salami and colby jack, then the turkey.

7. Top the turkey with the shredded lettuce

8. Add the top half of the bread on top of the turkey

9. Slice and enjoy!

The sandwich even tastes great the next day, maybe even better!