Ok, back to my epiphany. So as I started getting my life and house back in order, I realized that I’m just way too frumpy and unhappy when things aren’t “perfect”. I seem to not be able to relax at home these days unless everything is clean and in it’s place… which yes, means I never really relax, which yes, is extremely exhausting. So I’ve decided enough with that. I’m done. I’m throwing in the towel on perfection, because it’s just not obtainable and is something if I start chasing, I’ll always chase.

I absolutely still recommend putting in the hard work of getting yourself, your life and your home organized, because it will instantly make you feel lighter and happier but I guess what I’m saying here is let’s let go of pursing “spotless” and make a little room for the dust bunnies, dirty windows, frozen pizzas and blog typos. When we’re old women, will we remember our spotless homes or will we remember the times we spent tickling bellies to extract that oh-so-sweet baby giggle or the way their sweet baby breath smelled when they slept on our chests during their naptime, instead of their crib (so that we could get laundry or dusting done).

I still have a lot of work ahead of me to really master this way of thinking but recently came across a new book, “No More Perfect Moms” by Jill Savage, that I’m hoping with help me along this journey. I saw this quote on the review and was instantly hooked: “While we’re pursuing perfection, we’re missing out on the most precious parts of life: the laughter of silliness, the joy of spontaneity, the lessons found in failure, and the freedom found in grace.”

I also love that this book is faith based, since in “my book” (pun intended!) there is only one form of true perfection and it’s through Him that I have this amazing life.

As I always do, I’ve been collecting some inspiration on Pinterest to help me with this new state of mind. I’m thinking one of these might need some prime wall real estate to keep me honest:

xoxo,

OK, OK…enough sap story for one post. Although I’ve clearly still got some baby-mama-drama to work out, I have made great progress over the past few months in organizing all this craziness. I get a laugh at reading through my old posts as I was nesting and I’m guessing you experienced mama’s did too – I clearly had no clue what I was about to get into. Organizing everything pre-baby definitely, absolutely, totally helped me but instead of cleaning every closet in this joint, I should’ve spent more time doing nothing… because gone are those days, friends.

And although I tried to plan ahead and organize for the future, I soooo wasn’t prepared for the “morning marathon”. Hell, I’ve been back at work for over 4 months now and I’m still getting use to it. Getting me ready, getting D ready, feeding D, getting D ready again after he poops/pukes on himself, getting me ready again after D pukes on my outfit, making bottles, loading 6 bags in the car and then heading off to daycare and work… all before a cup of coffee is mother.truckin’.work.

So a couple Sundays ago, I declared that I’d spend 30 minutes “prepping” for the week. I thought about everything that slows me down in the morning and realized that it really revolved around outfits and getting both D and I ready. So while putting away laundry like I typically do on Sunday, I spent a few minutes picking out 5 outfits for both Dylan and I. Since Dylan doesn’t really wear shoes yet, I thought his hanging shoe organizer would be the perfect way to organize his outfits for the week as there is a cubby for each day of the work week, plus one for weekend outfits. Since I store his tops and bottoms in separate drawers of his dresser, this has been such a time saver. It has also really helped ensure Jer doesn’t dress Dylan like a freak. It happens…

So I applied the same system in my closet, but there was absolutely no way I could give up one inch of my shoe storage… gotta little problem in that department. Instead, I simply picked out 5 outfits and slipped a little cord tag that I labeled with the day of the week around the hangers. I LOVE these cord tags from Martha Stewart…that lady knows a thing or two.

Since I’ve started doing this, weekday mornings have been soooo much easier and it’s also been super helpful in ensuring that the outfits below never happen again… #dorks

PS: please excuse typos and sentences that don’t make any sense. Still working through post-baby-fuzziness.

xoxo,

So by looking at the picture below, would you guess I also have all of Dylan’s supplies and toys we keep downstairs somewhere?

Yep, it’s all neatly tucked away in that pie safe cabinet! I absolutely love this solution because it allows me to seasonally decorate the top of the cabinet, while using the drawers and shelves for oodles of storage. And you’re probably asking yourself “why is this crazy chick storing baby stuff in her dining room? but it actually makes perfect sense with our downstairs floor plan, which is almost completely open. The pack-in-play changing table separates the living room (where we play) from the kitchen/breakfast nook.

So in the left drawer I decided to make a home for all the small baby stuff – pacifiers, bibs (which Jer calls capes?!), extra mini bottles of hand sanitizers for his diaper bag, and misc. carseat/highchair parts.

In the right drawer, I have a few burp clothes, receiving blankets and a few outfits in case when we have a poopisodes downstairs.

I know the stuff in the top shelf bins will change as Dylan gets older but right now I’m storing his bath supplies, diapers and wipes in them. Again, since this cabinet is so close to the kitchen (where we bathe him) it’s perfect for storing his towels, soaps, etc. and since it’s also so close to where we change him while downstairs, it makes the perfect spot for extra diapers & wipes.

On the bottom shelf, I just have a few toys. Dylan is only 12 weeks, so I totally know this will overflow with toys in no time… but until he needs more than his hands for entertainment, it works!

So how are you guys storing/hiding all those toys and baby butt stuff?

And I just have to leave you with this. Happy Fall y’all from my punkin to yours!

xoxo,

So my nursing troubles started at birth. Although Dylan initially latched beautifully, he developed Jaundice which caused him to sleep… A LOT. And there’s a lot to love about a super sleepy baby, but unfortunately they don’t eat a lot. It also didn’t help that he was put in the NICU for a day and given formula… so when we finally got home from the hospital 5 days later and his appetite started to increase, he got pissed when his milk machines were not giving him the goods. I mean, who wouldn’t be… right! Then the next day at his first dr. appointment, the worst happened… he hadn’t regained his birth weight and his doc gave us the option of starting formula or going to a lactation consultant to assess the situation. So off we went to whip out and talk about my boobs with a few more people (vanity is sooo out the window at this point). My LC’s recommendation was probably the suckiest (pun intended!) moment of my experience – since he didn’t transfer enough milk, she suggested that I nurse, pump and then supplement with at least 1 oz of pumped milk or formula. And yes, I did this for every feeding for 4 straight weeks = My. Personal. Hell.

So although this totally, 100% sucked…. it’s also really worked. Although the first week I was only able to express 1/2 an ounce after a feeding, that quickly increased and by 3 weeks I was pumping almost 2 oz and Dylan was quickly gaining weight. Aside from pumping, I also took Fenugreek to increase my milk supply for a few weeks but had to stop as I just couldn’t stand smelling like the waffle house. At our 4 week LC weight check-in, my LC happily told us that we had graduated and against her recommendation, I then completely stopped pumping. She suggested that I wean off the pump, but I was soooo sick of pumping and Dylan was eating every 2 hours so I desperately needed the break. Big Mistake. Within a few days, I developed a low grade fever and lump in my breast. Yep… that’s a sure sign of a clogged duct and a day or so away from Mastitis. Luckily I was aware of the symptoms and caught it fast. Although it was painful, I made Dylan nurse extra on the breast with the clogged duct and within a few days it cleared.

Needless to say, back to the pump I went! But only twice a day and now happily once a day. Since Dylan is transferring plenty (at 2 months he weighed 13 lbs!), I’ve been building a pretty nice supply of the liquid gold, and boy am I proud of that stuff when I open my freezer and see my stock pile! So after gathering tons of different ideas for how to store and organize my supply, I found the coolest idea from Roni at GreenLiteBites.com… and of course I had to copy it. What I love about her method is that it ensures you use your oldest milk first by dispensing it in the correct order.

• Here’s whatcha need:
• - A small gift bag
• - Scissors
• - Tape (to reinforce opening)
• - Milk storage bags

Simply cut a hole in the bag on one of it’s sides, making sure the opening is wide enough for your storage bags.

Store your oldest milk at the bottom and simply stack on your newer milk. Before placing the milk in the bag, I make sure it’s labeled with the date and volume. I also only store a 3-4 oz bottle worth of milk per bag.

I usually have a little treat sitting next to my bags, because after all, nursing allows us a few extra calories a day

• Oh and here are the LLLi guidelines I follow for storing breastmilk:
• - At room temperature (66-78°F, 19-26°C): for 4 hours (ideal), up to 6 hours (acceptable)
• - In a refrigerator (<39°F, <4°C): for 72 hours (ideal), up to 8 days
• - In a freezer (-0.4 to -4°F, -18 to -20°C): for 6 months (ideal) up to 12 months (acceptable)

Happy pumping!

xoxo,

By now you know that I love me some organized spaces. Something about everything having its own home and dedicated space just makes me ocd-giddy. But it’s not just about putting all your junk in a bin… it’s about strategically putting what you need, where you need it, and if it happens to be in fabulous bin, well then that’s just a double whammy!

And trust me, having what you need, where you need it, can absolutely help de-stress your life. There is nothing more stressful than a screaming baby in your backseat who decided to decorate his carseat with his poop. Oh wait.. there is something more stressful… it’s realizing that you don’t have any more diapers or wipes in your diaper bag to clean it up. Yeah, that would be my first and nowhere near my last total parenting fail. But ya live and ya learn… and then you stock pile your car with your mom tools. And immediately after this poopisode, I did just that and struck gold with this Laura Ashley Trunk Organizer that I found on Zulily for $15 bucks, although you can also get it via Amazon for $25.

So for my swagger-wagon, I decided that extra diapers and wipes were a must! I also like to tote around some extra paper towels, tissues, hand sanitizer, stroller blanket and flashlight. I also seem to be hording reusable grocery bags, so I thought this would also be a good home for them as well. Ewww, so I saw a stat last week that said 80% of peeps don’t clean their bags.. and grosso me being part of that stat, had to immediately wash them. Do it people… leaky chicken juice is straight up nasty.

So here’s the bin all loaded up, with room to spare! I think I’m totally preparing for the stinky, sticky toddler I’m soon to have

My favorite part is the Velcro on the bottom of the bin. Even with my crazy driving, this bad boy is staying put!

xoxo,

Oh and please take this post for what it is – just one new mama’s (with limited baby exposure!) favorite baby stuff!  I’m by no means a baby expert, I just know what makes me and my 8 week old baby boy happy!

• 	Aden + Anais Swaddle Blankets  Soft, light and super versatile! I typically use these for swaddling and cuddling, but I’ve also used as a nursing cover and even a burp cloth from time to time. I’ve even found myself sleeping with these… without Dylan!
  	Chicco KeyFit 30 Cortina Travel System Love everything about this car seat and it’s super easy to install / get in and out of the car. The stroller is also super nice and such a smooth ride. My only complaint here is storage… I can barely fit my diaper bag underneath sometimes, but I carry a ton of stuff around with me!
  	Fisher Price Deluxe Musical Mobile Gym Dylan LOVES this. We spend about 30 minutes everyday playing on it and he coos and smiles the entire time. We also do our Tummy Time on it because the mat is so soft.
  	Fisher Price Infant Toddler Rocker This chair has been a lifesaver during dinner time and when I’m getting ready. It vibrates and keeps him entertained when I can’t hold him. I also love that it’s super light and I can tote it around the house with me.
  	Baby Einstein Neptune Soother This is seriously cool. It attaches to the crib and plays soothing music, while little fish swim by. It also has a timer and remote so I can restart the music without coming into the room. Playing music from this toy is now part of our bedtime routine!
  	Boppy Infant Feeding and Support Pillow  I didn’t love this at first and still don’t think it’s as good as the BreastFriend pillow that I used while at the lactation consultant but it’s still a great pillow for nursing. I also love to prop Dylan up on it when we play or sit on the couch together.
  	Ergo Baby Original Carrier I tried the Bjorn, the Boba and the Peanut Shell sling and although I like several things about each one, I LOVE the Ergo Baby carrier. It’s the most comfortable and feels the most secure. It’s also magical, as it literally puts Dylan to sleep in 2 minutes flat.
  	Month Stickers I think these are such a cute way to capture your little one growing! There are tons of these on Etsy but this would also be a great DIY project!

•  

• 	The Miracle Blanket This is the one product that actually changed my life. It took Dylan from 2 hour sleep sprints to 5… instantly! I initially thought he didn’t like to be swaddled because he could get out of every blanket and SwaddleMe swaddle… but he cannot get out of this one! It’s also super easy to change his diaper in, as you don’t have to undo the arm swaddle to pull his legs out.
  	Fisher-Price Newborn Rock N Play Sleeper Instead of a bassinet, we used this guy and Dylan loves it! He spits up a good amount, so this has been perfect at keeping him at an incline while he sleeps. It’s also super portable and lightweight. I’ve spent full nights rocking this sucker… I think I can do it in my sleep now!
  	Fisher-Price Cradle Swing – My Little Snug-a-Bunny This is another Dylan favorite and basically his seat in our living room when we’re not holding him. What’s great about this is that it plugs into the wall (so no batteries!) and it has a great sound machine. I switch between the white noise and the lullaby. Jer and I joke that we now hear the lullabies from this even when it’s not playing. I even start humming them randomly.
  	Medela Easy Expression Bustier What a LIFE SAVER this has been. So I’m working on another post about my breastfeeding drama/journey, but basically I was nursing AND pumping 8 times a day and having my hands free for the pumping part was so very helpful. If you plan to pump, this is a MUST!
  	Gas Drops  Watching Dylan fight gas pains is probably worse on me than the actual gas is on him. These gas drops are amazballs…. nuff’ said.
  	Motorola MBP36 Remote Wireless Video Baby Monitor Jer did a lot of research on baby monitors and claims this has the best product reviews and after using it, I’m hooked! Talk about peace of mind… being able to watch my little guy sleep and even zoom in to see him breathe has been so comforting! I also love that I can talk to Dylan and play music through it.
  	Graco Pack n’ Play with Napper & Changer I know I featured this in my baby organizing post, but this has seriously become the downstairs “baby station”. It’s where we change him and store burp clothes, blankets, the diaper bag, etc. It’s been so nice to have one spot downstairs where we store all his stuff!

Ok… enough of my favorites, what baby products are you loving?!

xo,

Disclaimer: Yes, this post title accurately reflects its contents (aka: we’re talking about a topic that involves my va-jay-jay) So if that’s awkward for you or if you’re a guy friend/co-worker please don’t read this

I’m back! Well… kind of. I’m still in a bit of survival mode as we are no where near sleeping through the night, but I think I’m finally starting to adapt. Thank you guys so much for the sweet messages and comments and a special thank you for all of the advice you provided along the way – it was used and definitely appreciated.

Over the past few weeks I also got several messages asking for new mama tips that I’ve picked up along the away and for my birth story. It may take a few weeks but I’ve got several posts in the works that answer pretty much everyone’s questions and I’m starting a new blog tab to archive it all (come back soon to check it out!) I’ll start with my birth story since I loved reading these before Dylan because I really think they helped prepare me a little for what was about to go down. Although everyone’s different, here’s the story of how baby Dylan made it out the va-jay-jay:

So ever since we got pregnant I had a feeling Dylan was going to be a June baby. His due date was July 4, but I just had one of those deep down feelings he wasn’t going to make it that far… and only partially because I was constantly fattening him up with cheeseburgers and milkshakes. So on Saturday, June 30, I went to bed a little bummed only to stand up minutes later to my water breaking.  And “breaking” is such an understatement… it actually busted, exploded, gushed. It was a moment of “I just totally peed myself, wait.. that’s a lot of pee and I didn’t even have to pee… oh snap, that’s not pee, I’m having a baby… oh wait please don’t come out in the toilet like they do on TV!”. So I immediately called the after hours line of my OB to let the hospital know we were coming, threw our stuff in the car, and kissed Bo goodbye, promising to bring him home a baby brother. And then as soon as we got into the car, the contractions began. For the past few weeks of false labor pains I kept telling my friends how much I hated the saying “when it’s real labor, you’ll just know!” but it’s so true. In my experience, you can’t walk and you can’t talk through them. You can walk/talk between them, but not during them. They hurt like a mother trucker.

Ok, so picture what happens next in fast forward as it’s just pretty standard stuff: Got to the hospital, filled out paperwork with a dumb receptionist while having contractions, then went into a triage room where they realized I was telling the truth about my water braking, hence the lovely amniotic fluid dripping down my leg. Then I was taken to the birthing room where I got my IV and this dreadful belly monitor strapped to me. HATED the belly monitor, mostly because it was super tight on my contracting belly but also because it didn’t really work and wasn’t giving me credit for the contractions I was having.. I’m not talking about a gold star but a pat on the back for doing this cave woman style for a bit would be nice!

So my plan all along was to get an epidural as soon as labor started. Hell, I would have gotten one in the car ride over if that was an option.. and as much of the stuff as my body could take. I’m talking pain free people. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen for me since the doctor on staff was caught up with the woman in the next room screaming at the top of her lungs. So I waited and waited and waited. Two hours later I was 4 cm dilated and 90% effaced AND finally got the epidural. I was pretty nervous about getting it, but it was literally a little bee sting and felt a million times better than the contractions or the IV did. The only bad part of the epidural was the shakes. Oh the shakes… I wasn’t prepared at all for my entire upper body to shake uncontrollably and I think it totally scared my mom and husband, who watched this whole process as if I was the Discovery channel.

So after the epidural, the nurse left for a while and said, “ok, now you just gotta hang out. Hit this button if you’re in any more pain”. I’ll totally admit that my pain tolerance sucks and even with the slightest pain, I hit the button. So around 10 button hits and 2 hours later, I felt a sudden urge to push and more “water” running down my legs. The nurse, who I think totally underestimated these birthing hips left us for a while and seemed very surprised when she returned to find me 9 cm dilated and fully effaced, aka: time to push that bambino outta there.

I guess because of the movies, I always imagined using stirrups to brace myself while I pushed, not my nurse holding one leg and my husband holding the other. It was awkward but after about an hour I had the process down: every time I felt a contraction coming on (and the stupid belly monitor confirmed it) “my birthing team” grabbed a leg and a foot and I pushed 3 times for 10 seconds. This continued about every 3-5 minutes for an hour. Then the scariness started – I started contracting every 1 minute and Dylan’s heart rate significantly dropped and the entire room panicked and my nurse picked up the phone (later to find out she was ordering an emergency c-section). The doctor rushed in and ordered the nurse to give me a shot of something to slow the contractions and several people flipped me on all fours (think yoga downward dog). My hair was covering my eyes so I had no idea what was happening as I couldn’t read facial expressions, but as soon as I was able to see Jer’s face, I knew it wasn’t good. He was straight up flipping out. A few minutes later they flipped me back on my back and Dylan’s heart rate was back around 150. Whatever they did worked and we continued to push and push and push. Finally 3 hours later the new doctor (I think the Dr. shift change totally screwed me here!) decided to perform an episiotomy. I was able to watch the entire birth process in the mirror across from me (which I totally recommend for a medicated birth, so that you can gauge your pushes) but I just couldn’t watch this part. Then there was a snip (which I never felt) and then I was told to push really hard. So I closed my eyes, held my breath, clinched my fists and pushed with everything I had. What happens next is something I’ll never forget so long as I live – the moment they put my sweet baby boy on my belly and he looked up at me. Every parent talks about the love they have for their child but it’s truly impossible for words to explain this love. It’s like no other and by far the most amazing feeling in the world.

So that’s the story of how my sweet Dylan made his grand entrance!

My postpartum healing story is lots shorter. I followed my doctor and nurses advice to a T and healed my episiotomy and third degree tear in about 2-3 weeks. Every potty I used an epi spray bottle, New Mama Bottom Spray, Tucks and Epifoam. This is literally a breath of fresh air for your lady parts – def def def recommend all three.The day we left the hospital I asked my nurse for extra pads, undies and tucks and she totally hooked a sista up! Trust me, you’re paying for it, so take everything you can – diapers, wipes, soap and those plastic buckets for storing it all!

So all in all what has surprised me the most about this journey is that the birthing process has honestly been the easiest part. Breastfeeding, sleep schedules, fevers and a screaming baby are way harder! Working on a few posts to share all this new mama drama with you soon!

xoxo,

So while I still have this full supply of nesting crack running through my super pregnant veins, I thought I would tackle a project that often makes me cringe – the mail/junk/remember-to-do/crap-should’ve-mailed-this-weeks-ago bin. Jer and I are famous, like mega-supa-star famous, for throwing random and important papers into our junk drawer. I think it’s the whole outta-sight-outta-mind concept, but every month I find myself sorting through this crap and realizing I forgot to mail or do something important. So to tackle this chaos, I turned to one of my most favorite blogs iHeartOrganizing for some tips and literally found myself taking a page out of her book… or should I say binder!

So without further ado, I’m proud to introduce to you… The Dorrough Family Binder. The one stop shop for all important family information. Although I totally intend for it to grow with our family, right now it has 4 sections: (1) Meal Planning (2) Contacts (3) Dylan (4) Important Dates. And yes, this is the Martha Stewart binder that I showed you guys a few weeks ago…told ya I had big plans for this bad boy.

I wanted the first section of the binder to house stuff that I might need quick access to for the other sections. Scissors for coupons that I’ve stored in the Meal Planning section, stamps for cards in the Important Dates section, zip-drive and itty-bitty tape measure for… Ok, Ok busted. They needed a home!

The first tab and the most frequented section of this Binder thus far is the Meal Planning section. Since my Relay Foods post, a few people have asked how I meal plan and this my friends is my answer. Sure, there are note pads and free word doc templates for doing this, but I think having your meal plan and shopping list on one piece of paper together is super helpful. So here’s how this goes down:

1. Every Sunday I pull out one of my Weekly Meals templates and in the left hand column plan our meals from Monday – Sunday.  In the second picture below, you’ll see I’ve listed out some of our favorite meals for easy reference. This is super duper helpful and without it, I’d probably schedule pizza and spaghetti way too many times.

2. After listing out our meals, I then list out the ingredients I need to make it happen. I also do a drive by on our pantry and fridge to see what else I might need for the week.

3. I then log onto relayfoods.com and either quickly fill my cart from “my favorites” list or search out new items and place my order. (yes, I just grocery shopped in 5 minutes…. it’s life changing!)

4. Finally, I hang up this week’s meal plan in our kitchen for easy reference (and because I think this baby has literally eaten my brain and I can’t remember anyyyyything).

Aside from our list of favorite meals, I also use this dual pocket insert to house any coupons and last week’s Relay invoice, which actually had a 12% coupon on it!

Nothing fancy here… not even images, as I didn’t think my neighbors would appreciate their phone number and address on my blog. So in this section I have printouts with the following:

1. Our neighbors contact info

2. Emergency Info – Police, Fire, Family, Doctor, etc.

3. So I don’t have this in here yet, but one day when I have nothing to do (which I hear will be never, once Dylan arrives), I thought it would be a neat idea to print labels with addresses of those I frequently mail to – family and close friends, and have those live in this section for easy and quick reference.

Being the responsible parents-to-be that we are, Jer and I took a baby class a few months ago as we both have 0% experience with those tiny little people. The class was so worth it and we picked up a ton of information on vaccines, food, and hygiene. And since I have a hunch that we might need to reference this info in T minus 7 days, I decided that it needed a little home in the binder as well.

As Dylan gets older, I think this will also be a great place to house some of his daycare and school info.

So how many times have you forgotten a family member or close friend’s birthday? Sure, saying it on Facebook counts but there are some people in your life, you like to go that extra step for and send a gift or card to. As our family continues to grow, it’s been harder and harder to keep track of all of the dates, so taking another tip from Jen’s binder, I created an Important Dates template for our family:

Directly behind the dates, I use the dual pocket inserts to house cards for the next few months.

So that’s our Family Binder. I’m sure it will grow with time and take on new “chapters” but for now it’s working perfectly and has found a comfy little corner spot in our kitchen junk drawer.

More than happy to give y’all a free printable of both the meal planner and important dates template. Just let me know in the comments and I’ll send you a link to download.

I started this blog in hopes that it would be just an easy way to keep my friends and family updated on all my DIY projects. Although it’s serving that purpose to a T (as you can see from the amount of times my mom comments – LOVE you mama!)… it’s also serving as a bit of a diary and true creative outlet for me. I’ve absolutely loved writing about my pregnancy and sharing my stories with you guys… but even more than that, I’ve loved hearing from you all. As of recently, I’ve gotten a ton of comments from mamas across the country, giving me their best tips and well wishes and it’s just meant the world to me. Getting advice and tips from experienced moms has been unbelievably helpful and I think just from reading those comments, I’ve made big strides in getting mentally prepared for baby Dylan’s arrival. So a big thank you to everyone who has reached out to share your wisdom and support. This has become one of the biggest reasons why I love blogging so much and 1/2 the reason why I’m awake at 5:30 AM writing this… sorry, the other 1/2 is because I’m about to give birth to the next Chuck Norris.

Ok, Ok, sappy, sappy. On to something more fun, like that gift I mentioned that I recently got selfishly for myself for my blog’s birthday. (Yeah…. I have gotten pretty good at justifying non-essential purchases around here). So obviously this gift had to be some “home-bling” and what better gift than picture ledge shelves to display my favorite memories (que my inner cheeseball: “to signify the memories I’ve made during this amazing year”)

So I originally had a cheapo frame gallery over the couch but the pictures kept tilting and it just wasn’t working, so I decided to give it some structure with shelves. I got these bad boys for just $20 a piece at Crate and Barrel, who has some great inspiration on their website for the cool stuff you could display on them. Although, right now I’m only displaying frames, I love the idea of adding shells and other décor to give it some depth.

I know, I know – this room is in desperate need of some color on the walls. We’re getting there!

So Happy Birthday, My Sweetnest. Here’s to many, many more!