you're so vain.

you probably think this blog is about you.

well, it is! it's all about you, dear vanity.  you are complete.

remember what the big yellow monster looked like before?

look how purty we made her.

 

first i painted her antique white.  it only took two coats.

the only problem was, when we went to sand the edges of the vanity to give it that "shabby chic" look, the yellow just rubbed through instead of the wood.  so we improvised.

mom sprayed some gold spray paint on a paint brush and brushed that on the edges a bit:

 

poifect.

i also found some little glass knobs at home depot for three dollars a pop.  

the vanity didn't have any knobs when i found it, and i think these fit it perfectly.

the bullets on the knobs were silver so i sprayed them gold to match the rest of the room.

billy put them on for me last night:

there is other progress being made in the dressing room but i'll save that for another day. 

here is another nifty picture of the vanity though:

 

we found the mirror at home goods yesterday. i had a gift certificate from lisa leftover from christmas (thanks lees!) idn't purty?

the cool clock the previous owners left in the house.  

i know.  it's perfect for the alice theme. love it.

 

i like this picture too because you can see the pretty blue ceiling.

now let me employ the help of tucker to finish up this blog post with what you're really thinking:

"seriously?  

that's it? 

a stinkin' vanity?  

your story bores me.  

have a baby already."

quickie.

here's a quick update for everyone!

i have been completely incapacitated by the book "the help" for the past two days, which i finished last night...
it's as good as everyone says it is. 

anyways, yesterday i had my 40 week appointment.
i'm one centimeter dilated and 50% effaced.
this gives us absolutely no clues for when i will go into labor.

the midwife did strip my membranes.
you'll have to look this up if you don't know what it means, because i texted it to lisa yesterday and she almost barfed.
it's supposed to encourage the onset of labor by releasing prostoglandins.
the midwife said it would give me some pretty nasty contractions.

i slept through the night last night with a lot less contractions than normal.
hmph.

so here's the scoop a loop:

i have to go for another ultrasound next week because the midwife still thinks my baby feels small.
i think she's crazy (hey remember when she made me go last month and they said my baby was 6-12? yeah me too.) but at least it's something to break up the week next week.

then i have another appointment on friday, a week from today.  i have to have a non stress test and then they will try to strip my membranes again and then probably send me home with castor oil. yippeeeee.

what's a non stress test you might ask?
i though it was going to be something really fun where i had to like run from one corner of the room to the other and jump over obstacles, or answer really hard questions without getting stressed out.
(quick! your in laws are coming over for dinner, you only have peanut butter, cheerios, and parmesan cheese in your kitchen and thirty minutes, what do you make? GO!)
sadly it's much less exciting.
you just have to sit in a chair and they monitor your baby's heartbeat and movements for thirty minutes.
then they say yayyy the baby looks good and you go home.
maybe i'll bring a crossword puzzle to make it more stressful this time.
or maybe i'll make billy do challenges while i'm in the chair.
(quick! name all of the items in that drawer!).... (if you know what's in drawers at midwive's offices you know this would be followed by billy looking confused, sad, and then puking everywhere.)

so if friday march 4th comes and goes i have to go back on tuesday march 8th, for another non stress test and i think they make me go for another ultrasound to measure fluid pockets or something, i have no idea why. but it did make me think of hot pockets, which are simultaneously gross and delicious. then,

d day is wednesday march 9th.  hospital induction if junior here doesn't show up sooner.

this is encouraging because:
1) i'm not going to stay pregnant forever.
2) i will be at least one week post delivery on st. patrick's day and that means i'll be well enough to have a big ole honkin' st. patty's day guinness with billy. at a pub. wearing green. i can't wait.

it's the little things.
i'm definitely dressing the baby as a leprechaun and hiding him in a pot of gold in the house somewhere.
come over if you want a treasure hunt.
whoever finds him first gets to babysit.

other updates:
-the dressing room is kinda on hold because i can't justify buying anything for it right now when i'm not working for the next month.  but don't worry, i'll finish it soon and it will be rad.
-they should have given that little amoxicillin bottle a superhero cape.  i feel so much better.
-this morning i dreamt i had a pet squirrel that wore a red plaid jacket and sat on my shoulder. 
-i'm getting bored.

tucker.

so, because the temperature was 60 degrees for a total of one day here last week, tucker decided that we moved to the tropics and proceeded to lose ALL of his hair.

let me tell you that white dog hair + dark hardwood floors + insane meg= does not compute.
seriously i think the few times that i did get out of bed in the past few days i was just swiffering my way from room to room.  or vacuuming tucker.

so today, because tucker has been such a good boy putting up with my neurosis and obsessive vacuuming of his body i decided to take him to the dog park take him to get groomed.
poor tucker.

i took him to the groomers and was all
"my dog is shedding a LOT"
and the lady is all
"okay we're going to give him a bath... *rolls eyes*"

and i leave and come back and she's like
"he was shedding A LOT"
and i'm like
"I KNOW!"
and she's like
"we got SO MUCH hair off of him"
and i'm like
"I LOVE YOU YOU ARE MY HERO"
and she's like
"hmm?"
and i'm like
"what, weird, i mean, thank you, here's your $30."

apparently tucker howled the whole time like he was being beaten and then when i brought him home he proceeded to eat a pile of snow in front of the door like he had been deprived of food and water for a month.

so i gave him a bone. he likes bones. 

this is his pitiful "i went to the groomers and all i got was this lousy bone" face:

"i'm tucker feel sorry for me."

valentine's day goodies and a sick update.

billy asked me what kind of plant i wanted for valentine's day this year and i said:
"one i can't easily kill." obvs.

my thumb isn't always so green.  i try.

and of course, he came home with an orchid.

this was somewhat flattering because he must think i can keep it alive.

although i've killed a couple of orchids in my day.

but this one's real purty.

  

and i've had it for a week and i haven't killed it yet! it's actually blooming more!

billy named her fawn.  i think it's a good name for an orchid.  

does anyone have any good orchid survival tips out there?  

the instructions say three ice cubes once a week.  i've just been giving it room temperature water (about three ice cubes worth... what's that like 4 oz or so?) because watering something with ice cubes seems a little...chilly.  i mean they're rainforest plants after all, right? ice cubes? is this just a tool to keep people from overwatering?  i think so.  *crosses fingers*  orchid advice welcome.

i have to show off another valentine's day treat i got from lisa, my hero and amazing business partner, and fellow lover of all bird related chotchkies:

 

i know.

it's the cutest soap dispenser you've ever seen. IN YOUR LIFE.

billy named him pudge.

we like to name inanimate objects around here.

washing your hands has never been more adorable.

speaking of adorable, i am currently not.adorable.at.all.

i had a sinus infection like two weeks ago that i thought was going away last week and then saturday night i became totally ill again but with a fever this time and body aches and all of those gross flu like symptoms.

i just talked to one of the miwives this morning, and i'm going to go on some antibiotics in case it's just a really bad case of sinusitis or bronchitis and not the flu. 

i hate antibiotics.  i can't remember the last time i took them. blah.

our brother in law who's a doctor said that the symptoms of sinusitis are exactly the same as the flu, you just have a higher fever with the flu.  and mine hasn't been super high.  so i'm hoping the antibiotics help me feel better, because i haven't been out of bed in three days, and this is the first time i've been able to look at the computer screen for longer than 30 seconds without feeling like my eyes were going to explode. wheeeee.

so because i know you're curious, this is what you look like when you're 40 weeks pregnant and have been sick in bed for three days:

zexy.

be glad it's just an iphone shot and nothing more detailed.

isn't it funny how my body is kinda shaped exactly like the toilet in the background?

swell.

good thing we have fawn and pudge around here to keep things cute.

a couple of nursery additions...

i've been busy dying with a sinus infection that's slowly overtaking my entire torso,
but mom and dad came up this weekend so that means (inbetween mom giving my belly the stink eye... where are you baby?) that some things are still getting done around here!

so while mom's busy antiquing my vanity table (more on that later) and dad's foaming up mouse holes (i'll spare you those details) i'll sit here and moan a bit and blog about pretty things.

look what's new in the baby room!

i rearranged the front bedroom this week and rediscovered this little suitcase that billy found when we were antiquing a couple of summers ago.
i thought it would be perfect in the baby's room because it goes with the travel theme.
why didn't i think of that sooner?

 

yayy.
it's actually pretty spacious inside and will be great for storing toys and stuff down the line.

but onto my favorite thing...
my poppy (my mom's dad), who just passed away last month, made me a beautiful rocking horse when i was a baby.
like, made it.
hand carved it out of a tree made it.
old school newfoundlanders don't mess around with this "crafty" business.
they just straight up make stuff out of nothing.

mom and dad brought it up for me this weekend from home.
i love how poppy stained it and painted all the little details on it himself.
my favorite thing is how he painted the clydesdale style hair on the back hooves.
it's so accurate and detailed and it makes me smile to imagine poppy's big rough fingers creating something so detailed and beautiful.

i can't even tell you how many hours of my childhood i spent combing and braiding the yarn tail and mane.
i'm so excited that our little ones will grow up playing with such a beautiful handcrafted family heirloom and knowing that real toys aren't plastic and made in china.
and also knowing how talented their great grandfather was and how much he loved his family.

i feel a little bit like i'm decorating a room for an imaginary baby.
like one of those creepy middle aged women who dresses up baby dolls and takes them for walks in the park.
it's kind of hard to believe a real baby is going to hang out in this room soon.
weird.

time to take some more tylenol and moan a bit more. goawaysinusinfectionihateyou.

hope everyone's having a great weekend! :)

nope.

lots of people ask me questions lately like:

"how much longer do you have?"

"why haven't you had that baby yet?"

"what's taking so long?"

well, since i don't have a direct line of communication with my uterus...
("ring ring... hello, fetus?
yes it's your mother calling.
when are you coming over?
but you said...
but i thought...
well fine.
no it's fine.
i'll keep dinner warm.
sure honey.
well you're going to have to talk to your grandmother yourself.
okay bye.")
... i decided i would give you guys a little glimpse into what one of my visits with the midwife looks like.
just so you know that i'm not withholding information from you.

imagine... it's yesterday.
you have just driven to bryn mawr and are tottering up the stairs in your inappropriately trendy high heeled boots.
you check in.
you take off the inappropriately trendy high heeled boots.
you weigh yourself.
pat yourself on the back.
replace said boots.
totter back to the exam room.

midwife: "hi meg, how are you feeling?"
 
meg: "i feel good. except i have a sinus infection.  getting a sinus infection in the last week of your pregnancy is like getting kicked in the ankle in the last mile of a marathon.  don't you think?"

midwife: ::sympathetic smile::

meg: ::sniff::

midwife: so it's good your growth scan came back well last month.  any questions?

meg: except they told me the baby weighed 6lbs 12 ounces. last month.  i think he's going to be enormous and destroy me.  do you think he's going to be enormous?

midwife: your baby is going to be the size your baby is.

meg: hmm?

midwife:  the baby is the size it wants to be.

meg: so that's good then... ::looks around awkwardly::

midwife: any other concerns?

meg: yes, i'm concerned about being induced.  do you think i'll go into labor on my own?

midwife: your baby will come when your baby is ready.

meg: i hate you.

(just kidding i didn't say that.)

meg: anything i should be doing to ensure a timely delivery?

midwife: just stay active and have lots of sex.

** pause scene **

recall that i'm nine months pregnant.
recall the previously mentioned sinus infection.
you know those two year olds whose faces are all crusty because they don't know how to blow yet?
that's how i wake up in the morning.
plus covered in a mound of tissues.
plus breathing like there's a truck sitting on me.
plus drooling on myself because i can't breathe through my nose.
let's all just take a moment and feel sympathetic towards billy.

** end pause **

meg: okay.  ::thinks... poor billy::

midwife: let's listen to the heartbeat.  ::glump glump glump:: it sounds good.

meg: yayyyy.... (blahhhhh)

midwife: okay see you later!

you toddle down the stairs and get in your car.
that's what happens.
at 39 week appointments with your midwife.
i didn't leave anything out.
except for the part when my belly turns into a crystal ball and the midwife rubs my tummy and i click my trendy high heeled boots together and we can suddenly see INTO MY UTERUS in a sea of purple and blue mist and a magic number appears and the midwife and i both go "ahhhh, yes, yessss!" and then we laugh wickedly together and pinky swear we won't tell another soul.

i promise when the baby is born, i'll tell you.
all of you.
but if you just are reaaaallly wanting another update in the meantime, you can refer to this website:
http://www.haveyouhadthatbabyyet.com

optimus prime.

i spent today transforming some pieces for my dressing room with primer.

see how i did that?  

get it?

cuz optimus prime is a transformer and i used primer to... nevermind.

anyways, i had these cool jewelry racks from urban outfitters 

just randomly hanging in the front bedroom...

and i want to move them into my new dressing room, but they're blue and yellow.

so i painted 'em.

well i spray painted them. with primer.  

who knows what color they'll end up! 

the suspense is KILLING YOU.  

then i set my sights on this poor soul:

the yellow monster.  

i found this dressing table in the barn years ago and hauled it into the apartment.  

i actually made good use of it in all of its urine colored glory.  

it's a pretty good piece, i think it was billy's moms.  

it's definitely old because it weighs a flippin' ton.

but alas, it's high time this poor fella had a makeover.

 

i know.  

tuck and i need makeovers too.  

give us some time, people.

i got new knobs for the drawers at home depot and they're really cool, i'm excited about them.

i am going to leave this piece just antique white like the room, 

but i'll probably rough up the edges a bit to give it a worn look.

that's all for today!

-megatron

the closet is complete!

billy and i were hard at work on the dressing room project this weekend!

 here's billy hard at work and me just taking a picture:

 

we still have a ways to go on finishing up (mostly furnishing) the dressing room, 

but it's coming along really nicely!  

the white walls are really crisp and clean, 

and we decided to paint the ceiling a soothing gray-blue color.  

here's a sneak peek:

even though there is still work to be done in the dressing room, 

my new closet off the dressing room is officially complete!

wanna see?

here's a look at the closet before: (more here)

 

and during:

and after:

it's kind of hard to tell because of the flash in these pictures, 

but billy painted the floor in the closet the same gray-blue color as the ceiling in the dressing room.  

i really love the way it turned out!

we hung a little curtain rod and curtain back there for a couple of reasons...
one, it backs up to the attic stairs, and it's not very insulated.
cold is leaking through that little crawl space right now, and it'll be hot in the summer.
the double layer of sheers kind of helps regulate the temp a bit.
two, it's allowing for secret storage.
now i can shove storage bins back there without sacrificing my pretty. woot.

this week i'm going to be working on remodeling my little vanity table,
as well as doctoring up some mirrors and jewelry displays that i already have
so that they match my theme.
stay tuned!

the valentine's day gift list- you're welcome.

hey there fellow last minute valentine's day shoppers!

instead of trolling the aisles tomorrow for chocolate and roses like all the other last minute lovers, why not troll through this here little blog and get some different gift ideas for that special someone?

i thought it would be fun to put together a little top five list of great valentine's day gift ideas for all of you poor procrastinators out there.  (don't worry, we haven't gone shopping yet either).

and, it's your lucky day, because billy's pitching in to help out the ladies with great gift ideas for your fella! (his are way better than mine).

so without further ado, here we goes:

Meg's Valentine's Day Gift List for the Ladies:

1) a house plant.
yup.  it sounds so humble and mundane, but seriously it's not.
it beats a flower bouquet hands down because a house plant lasts longer, it's the same price (some cheaper), and it gives you the gift of clean healthy home air (thanks planty!)  you can get a plant that flowers or one that doesn't.  a big one or a small one.  home depot has a lot right now.  bonus points if you re-pot it in a pretty pot that matches her decor.

2) a magazine subscription.
every girl likes to look at magazines.  choose a subscription based on what your lady is into... but not something boring.  if she likes fashion, don't buy her a "glamour" subscription (hello predictable).  branch out a little bit and go for something more artsy like "W".  subscriptions are good too because it's like getting a new present in the mail every month for a year! 

3) a bird feeder.
what, you really thought i wasn't going to have a creepy bird lady item on my list? psshht.
seriously though, give me a second to explain myself!  birds are pretty, and they're sweet to watch.  they're romantic creatures by nature.  and they're hungry right now... it's slim pickins out there in february, folks.  a pretty bird feeder to hang outside the kitchen window is thoughtful and is something that will bring beauty into your honey's life all the year long.

4) anything homemade.
some of my all time favorite gifts from billy are the ones he made himself.  like a mix cd when we first started dating and a scrapbook for our first christmas.  making something yourself shows that you really care because you have to put time and thought into it.  it could be anything... cupcakes, a mix cd, a meal, or something crafty!  seriously, you might think you're the worst arts and crafter of all time, but the worse you are at it the cuter it is.  make a construction paper valentine.  do it.  we think it's adorable.

5) time.
life gets really busy.  and you know what means more than coming home with a bouquet of flowers or sitting across from eachother chowing down at some fancy restaurant?  spending REAL time together.  like going for a walk and holding hands or making a romantic meal together.  the trick here is to really talk to eachother while you're doing it.  compliment your valentine.  tell her how much you appreciate specific things she does every day.  how you notice that she always makes the bed, how you've always liked her smile, or how you've never told her but she can really pull off those skinny jeans.  guys always think things "go without saying", but they don't.  it means a lot when you say them.  especially on valentine's day :)

Billy's Valentine's Day Gift List for the Fellas:

1) three pairs of new boxers. (as opposed to old)
nice ones that we wouldn't think to buy for ourselves.

2) a pair of framed tickets.
have an old pair of concert tickets laying around from when you went to see pearl jam last summer?  an old set of subway passes from that romantical trip you took in new york?  airplane tickets, any ticket will do, they look cool! framing tickets is taking a special memory and turning it into lasting man-art that you can hang on the wall and recall the great time you had together for years to come!

3) survival kits.
make a survival kit for your husband/boyfriend based on his interests.  for example, if he's a musician make him a musician survival kit with all the necessities like strings, picks, chords, drum sticks, a bottle of jack (hehe) etc.  sports fan?  how about a six pack of beer and a gift certificate for pizza and wings, and maybe even a really cheesy team sweatshirt, wristband, or sweatband.  if he's really into cars, a car air freshener, armor all wipes and a gift certificate to a great local carwash.  you get the idea!

4) man pampering.
a gift certificate to get a classic shave at a cool barber shop like shaving grace, complete with cigars and aftershave, or a gift certificate for an awesome massage or man facial.  not girly facial.  you get the point. man pamper.

5) going to dinner together in character.
and not breaking it.  plan your personalities before you go, and then you have to stay in character the WHOLE time you're at dinner.  it will be hilarious, you'll have a blast together, and make sure to tip your poor waitress extra for putting up with you two loons.

there you have it folks!  genius valentine's day ideas courtesy of casa del murphy!  

you are WELCOME!

hope you have a fabulous valentine's day!

on growing your own human...

as i inch closer and closer to the end of my pregnancy, i find that instead of being anxious for it to be over, i'm really treasuring these last moments and reflecting over how lovely it's been becoming this round.

people are always saying to me lately "i bet you're SO ready" and i think...
well yes we're ready.
but not SO ready.
i like being pregnant.  it's been pretty easy for me.
i'm certain it's much more portable and convenient than having a baby on the outside.
and i never have to feel guilty about having dessert. pass the pie please! mmhmm.

as we get closer and closer to delivery day, i also have been thinking about how much i like billy...
and how it's not going to be just the two of us for much longer...
i've been thinking, hey, i should really take advantage of this! so i do!
i think i probably have spent more time rubbing billy's feet and scratching his back than any normal pregnant lady would.
but i just keep thinking... pretty soon someone else is going to be demanding this attention from me! so i'm loving all over my sweet husband as much as i can.
he deserves it.

sometimes i lay in bed at night, and i feel like there is a 7 and a half pound baby human laying on top of all of my organs and kicking them.
and i think how gross and uncomfortable that is.
and then i realize that there actually IS a 7 and a half pound baby human laying on top of all of my organs and kicking them.
but it's kinda cute sometimes.
he's cute when he drums perfect beats.
and when he talks to his daddy with responsive punches.
and when he sends me shooting upright out of a dead sleep at 3 am with a swift heel to the rib.
wait, not so much that last one.
but seriously, it's kind of cool having your very own human inside of you.  

so i'm content with him keeping shop as long as he likes.  i don't feel rushed or anxious.  he'll get here eventually.  and i'll enjoy my last pregnant moments in the meantime.

i know that i really liked reading other mom's tips and pregnancy must haves in the beginning of my pregnancy.  so here are my novice words of first pregnancy sorta wisdom, for anyone who's interested:

stay active.
- be outside.
- walk a lot.
- go to prenatal yoga... especially in the beginning.  i think it helps set the tone for a relaxed pregnancy. 
- stretch before bed.

eat good things.
- if you have kale in your house instead of potato chips, you will make and eat kale chips.
and find that they are even more delicious.
- if you have a bag of oranges in your house instead of a bag of donuts, you will eat a bag of oranges.
and they will be delicious.
- if you buy captain crunch cereal for your husband and eat the whole box in one sitting, it's okay.
captain crunch is also delicious.
but your husband might be a little sad. (sorry billy)
- drink lots of water.  like ungodly amounts of water.  it makes everything better.  seriously.  try it.

be proactive.
- if your back hurts, go see the chiropractor.  as soon as it hurts.  not two months later when you walk with a hunch.  most insurances cover the chiropractor.  and you will be grateful.
- get acupuncture.  that chi stuff doesn't make a whole lotta sense to me, but it makes me feel good.  especially if you feel a little stressed or overwhelmed or like you might be getting a cold.  give it a shot.
- if you're feeling crazy, recognize it.  tell your husband how you feel. he will try to understand why you're scrubbing cabinet doors with bleach at midnight in your underwear.  don't wait until you're at the end of your crazy hormonal rope to talk about what's on your mind.

be your normal self.
- i have my cup of coffee every morning.  otherwise i'm NOT normal.  it's okay, really.
- try and let the weird comments roll off of you.  some people come in to the store and scream "you're huge!" and some say "is your baby growing right? you're so small!"  seriously. if this happens to you, (it probably will) remember- they're not trying to hurt your feelings.  you're just a little sensitive right now.  and your baby is growing just fine.  and you look great.  
- have a glass of wine every once in a while.  i said it!
- take a tylenol if your back hurts.  take a claritin if you can't stop sneezing.  ask your doctor first if you need to.  but i promise it's okay.  
- don't buy maternity clothes.  unless you absolutely have to and have tried everything else first.  buy a bella band.  wear leggings.  buy clothes a size up.  (bigger sizes are easier to resell at consignment shops than maternity clothes are.) steal your husbands t-shirts.  maternity clothes are needlessly expensive.  i bought one pair of maternity jeans, felt like i was wearing pajama jeans, and dropped them in the salvation army box two weeks later.  lesson learned.
- don't read those crazy online pregnancy blogs.  they make you freak out over everything.  pregnancy is different for everyone.  and it's normal.  it's not a disease or a medical "condition".  our bodies were made for it.  and i think our bodies would very much appreciate if we left it alone and let it do it's thang.

so that's it on my pregnancy tips.  i think the most important thing is to relax and trust your body.  give it some credit.  you know what you're doing more than you think you do.

and if anything changes in the next couple weeks and i have some more wisdom to impart i'll certainly update this blog post.  like, if you kill your dog, it's okay, listen to your body, you're normal. your husband won't notice that mound in the backyard and your dirty fingernails.
hahaha just kidding.  kind of.

any other seasoned preggos out there have words of wisdom to share?

construction and historical significance.

there has been a lot of construction going on around here lately, 

and no it's not me making valentines in the craft room!

this fall we were notified that our bridge would be closing for repairs this winter, 

and construction officially began last week.

 (this is a view of the bridge this time last year before we moved in.)

billy and i had mixed emotions when we found out about this construction.  

we use the edges mill bridge every day to get everywhere we go, and closing it forces us to go out our street the other direction... kind of a roundabout way.  

switching up our daily travel routine is just one of the changes we have to get used to.  

our entire road is closed except for local traffic... complete with huge "road closed" signs that make us feel like we live in the middle of a construction zone:

and speaking of construction zone... we really do live right in the middle of one.  

the bridge is literally in our front yard.  

it's not so pretty to look out the window and see hard hats, pick up trucks, and huge bulldozers.  

it's not so quiet either.  

bridge construction is loud, and our windows are old.

obviously, the first thought that came to our minds was: crap.  

we're getting ready to bring home an infant and a crew is knocking down a stone bridge a hundred feet from his bedroom window!  

how exactly are nap times going to pan out for us?

but, we're trying to be optimistic, so here are a list of the positive aspects of the bridge construction:

-we feel really lucky that we live in a county that actually cares about restoring the historical integrity of our very old bridge, and it's not just being torn down and replaced with cheap concrete and metal. 

the bridge is being reinforced from the inside so that the stone exterior can remain as visually appealing as it is today. 

-it's kind of nice having no through traffic on our road right now.  

the construction is supposed to go on until august, which gives me the whole summer to get my figure back running on our street.  it was a little sketchy running on our road before because there's no shoulder and there was a decent amount of traffic.  it will be nice to have a quiet street to jog on safely with the little guy.

-we're grateful that they started construction now and not three months from now.  

we're hoping that since the noise will be "the norm" for baby murphy from day one that he'll be able to adjust to it really easily, instead of living in a quiet house for the first couple of months and then having bridge construction rock his world.

-the crew is really really nice.  billy worked from home on monday so that he could meet with the project manager.  he gave us his home and cell phone number and has been very accommodating.  they've also been really great about bringing tucker home for us... that's right tucker.  who seems to think that bridge construction is the equivalent of christmas morning and has taken to jumping the fence to go hang out with the workers.  we would just be heartbroken if he got flattened by a bulldozer.
(sarcasm?)

so that's pretty much it for the bridge construction update.

but in other semi-related news, the historical society contacted us and wants to put a historical plaque on our property:

 

it will read "blacksmith's shop circa 18 something or other" officially.

just kidding, i kinda forget what it says exactly. but it's nice.

we did some research to make sure that having a historical plaque wouldn't limit any changes we could make on the property, and now that we feel comfortable,

i went ahead and gave them the go ahead this week.

i'm looking forward to a few months from now when the bridge work will be completed and our pretty historical sign will be up for all to see!

but in the meantime, if you come up to visit, you might wanna bring some earplugs!

bridge construction starts every day at 6:30 am! :)

the theme.

after spending most of my 38 week appointment today convincing the midwife that painting trim was just as relaxing as taking a nap, i proceeded to do just that.

unfortunately painting trim takes forever and now it's dark out and the lighting is terrible for an updated picture, so i'll take one in the morning.  

i'm really encouraged with how the dressing room is turning out, though!  

it is so bright and looks so much bigger with the white paint!  

i promised to unveil the theme for my little girlie lair, so without further ado, here is my inspiration collage:

i'm going for a vintage alice in wonderland meets shabby chic theme.

i'm even on the lookout for some old teacups to keep my jewelry in on my vanity!

i think it's going to be a lot of fun!  yay!

the dressing room "before"

this week i decided i'd like to finish the weird room off of our master bath and make it my dressing room. 

it's this little space that connects our bedroom, our bathroom, a closet, and the music room.  it's currently dark and creepy and purposeless, so i thought it would be great to freshen it up and put a vanity in it so i could have a little girly room to get ready in.

here it is in all of its "before" picture ickiness:

(this is the view from our bedroom.  the door on the back wall leads to the music room, and the door on the left is the closet.  the bathroom is on the right)

(this is the view from the back corner looking into the bathroom and bedroom.  

don't mind tuck.)

i haven't really done anything in this room since we moved in, except scrub the walls.  but when i was in here taking "before" pictures, i realized i missed a piece of wall.  missed walls are easy to spot around here, because of the 50 years of previous owner fingerprints:

gross.

when we first moved in, i set up billy's clothes in the closet off of this dressing room, and i put my things in a little closet that's in our bedroom.  the closet off of the dressing room has a lot more space, and i got to thinking, why didn't i take this closet in the first place?

so on saturday after work i took out all of billy's clothes from his closet, and the idea was to replace them with mine.

and then i remembered why i didn't take that closet in the first place.

it looks like this:

upon closer inspection, i also realized mice had been living in there, nice and cozy behind billy's clothes:

there was a lot of poop.

so of course, i did the super woman conqueror thing to do, and called billy.

(he's good at vacuuming icky stuff)

so last night we ended up getting the room and the closet all cleaned out and wiped up, and then today we put a layer of paint on everything.  this is a huge deal because 

1) it's the first time billy ever has let me paint any of the wooden walls in the house and 

2) i got billy to start a project on superbowl sunday.  

*curtsy* *curtsy*

this is just the first layer of paint in the creepiest closet of all time.  i'm going to paint the floor in there too.  it's already looking a little less scary now isn't it?  aww come on, just a little bit?

i decided to paint it antique white.  i didn't paint the trim yet because i ran out of time before the game, but i'm going to paint that too, don't worry.

i'm really excited about my theme for in here as well.  

but i'm not gonna tell ya what it is yet.  

you'll have to check back.  

i can't wait to get back to working on it tomorrow!  

i'll post lots of progress pictures as things move along. wish me luck!

a little find.

it's easy to lose track of your nursery theme when you start getting tons of cute baby stuff.  

in an effort to keep the nursery shelves from becoming weighed down with cute stuffed animals and baby books, billy and i have been keeping our eyes out for any cool travel related items.  

we've been looking for little telescopes, maps, globes, etc.  

today we went by the christmas tree shop (one of the best places to buy cheap curtain rods) 

and came across this little guy-

 

an awesome little globe at a mere $3.99!

we think it's a perfect fit!

c'est magnifique!

the most tedious part of remodeling and making changes in casa del murphy is not the labor.
it's not the scrubbing.
or the painting.
or the designing.
or the hunting down and moving around of furniture and fixtures.
or the scrubbing.

it's the convincing of billy to actually let me do it.

the man does not like change.

this is actually a good thing.  i mean, i'm really grateful for it.  i can be pretty impulsive, and if i didn't have him forcing me to painstakingly think and rethink everything through, then i would probably regret some of the changes i made.
(anyone who saw the paint choices mandy, patti and i made when we lived in the enclave can vouch for that.)

billy recently "approved" a little project for me to work on next week in our dressing room that i'm super excited about... (stay tuned)
but today, i found this:

 

c'est magnifique wallpaper from anthropologie!

doncha think it would be kinda perfect....

(you love my ms paint skills, don't lie)

umm, yes, yes it would.  especially if i actually got my act together and printed some pretty honeymoon in paris pics and framed them! 
ouie! ouie!
seriously, the hall bathroom just called me and begged me in french to cover it in delicious parisian wallpaper.

let's see what billy has to say about this one... *fingers crossed!*

know your place.

does anyone else like to play with their dishes and centerpieces on cold winter days? 

no? just me? ehhh.  

i mean, what else are you supposed to do with your wedding china if you can't play with it?  

have fancy dinner parties or something? psshht.

i found these fabuloso birds nest place markers at pottery barn over the holidays, and nanny and poppy got them for me for christmas!

  i just love them!  

now whenever i do have a fancy dinner party, i can write out pretty place cards and 

everyone will know where to sit!  

they match my wedding china perfectly!

GET EXCITED!!!!

and, because i didn't want to waste the cute little return address cardstock that i used for display purposes, i decided to stick it in this here little birdcage that billy's sister had in our housewarming package and was without a picture:

 

poifect!

wow, there's a lot of bird stuff going on in this post. 

i promise i'm not weird about birds or anything...

now, off to the market!