Mama Drama and a New Room

Lilly asked me this morning if she could borrow my Crate and Barrel catalogue so she could have a cook book to make me some honey buns. I of course obliged, handing over the magazine as I watched her plop down to “read”. Soon all I was hearing were little oohs and ahhs so I peaked around the corner to investigate. She was lying down on her belly chin in hands, ankles crossed, examining all of the Christmas ornaments in the catalogue and telling herself that they were the “special treasures to hang on the tree”. Grace grabbed the magazine (my little magnet to all things crinkly) and I began to worry. I quickly set my coffee down ready to jump up and gently remove Gracie’s little paws before Lilly could yank the book away too hard, but Lilly smiled at her baby sister and ever so casually said, “Oh my baby. You want an ornament too? I think my mother has some that are your own. No, no hunny, this is my cook book and I really need it for my recipes. Here {pause while she gets up to go get something} you can play with this special little Giraffe instead- that’s all yours!”

A) I love that Lilly calls me “my mother” when speaking to Grace. If she only knew haha. B) She is smart enough to substitute a toy for the magazine and doesn’t immediately take something out of Gracie’s hands. C) I’m pretty sure the only thing Grace will ever be allowed to play with is Giraffes.

I told Lilly I was proud of her for being such a good sister and do you know what that little pip said? She said, “Mom, stop being a drama queen.”

So in light of that smart little girl tellin’ it like it is, I’ve decided to do just that. Cool it with the drama for awhile. Give in to this slightly lost feeling I’m experiencing and embrace its creative power. The past few months have been difficult (good but yea difficult) with new work schedules, hockey, doctors and all the things happening in my Mom World. A few different and new creative opportunities have arisen that I am thrilled about, for sure, but now I feel compelled to commit, to grow, to develop, to expand- and to do it all quickly.

In my head I kind of feel like a bowling ball, traveling down a lane with bumpers on either side- there’s a definite ending point, an inevitability of successfully reaching that ending point but bouncing around nonetheless, back and forth across the lane for the whole length of the alley. Meandering. Wandering.

But not all those who wander are lost. And it’s ok to be lost, to find things you aren’t looking for. Because it’s the only way, we are not lost, and life is beautiful. I’m finally finding myself out here- amidst the pressure of raising children, learning to be a good wife and partner, figuring out why the life I lead is worth it.

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who’ve come alive.”

I’m finally figuring out what makes me come alive (me: the person, separate but equal to me: the wife and mother).

I’m a maker (and mover and a shaker, ha!) but really I am. Cake, crafts, art. And I’m a teacher. A writer. A sharer. There is finally a plan in place to begin combining all talents into one productive entity. I’m on a roll.

Now if I could only stop thinking about bowling balls…

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We’ve finally gotten the girls bedroom painted and (mostly) moved around. There are lots of treasures I’d like to get framed, new carpet that will be going in later in November, and a host of other “little” things that need to be taken care of- like some sort of makeshift bedding until their quilts are done. The dollhouse will be a finishing touch at Christmastime. Bookshelves will get hung up this week are hung etc. etc.

But my little girls baby pink baby bedroom is about to cease to exist. I am in love with their new room, the modern wall color, the fun touches, the specialness it will bring to my girls sister-relationship, but I am so so sad about the transition. I adore Lilly’s pink nursery with it’s white furniture, comfy rocking chair, and cloud poufs hanging from the ceiling. I spent many, many nights (and days) in there rocking, nursing, snuggling, playing. It’s been such a nice place for Lilly, a room she loves to be in. So we played in there alot today. We made a mess, and read lots of books, and built a blanket fort.

But we’ll do all of those things in the new room. The new room will soon be just as special as the old. And I guess soon enough the “new” room will need to change again as my babies get older and start to have an opinion about their surroundings. I promised myself that as long as we have the means, I will let my kids paint, change, modify, and decorate their rooms however they want when they are old enough to voice an opinion. Hopefully I don’t have two kids that beg me for spongebob bedding and striped walls or dora decals and ninja turtles. But a promise is a promise.

We chose a wall color (Sherwin Williams Peppercorn) that is admittedly very dark but is perfect for showcasing all of the special things in the room that are light and bright and colorful.

And Lilly is obsessed with the movie Rio right now- hence her Halloween costume, so these curtains were a perfect fit. I have a really strong urge to color them in… must… resist…

We knew ahead of time that a little Ikea crib would fit perfectly in one of the books in this bedroom- we didn’t know quite how perfect the fit would be, though, until we wedged the crib into place with millimeters to spare. It’s simple, natural, and low profile enough to let the other decor around it stand out. I already have plans to repurpose it when our family has no need for a crib anymore so the small investment was totally worth it. Plus Grace actually sleeps through the night in her new crib which is AMAZING.  But not as amazing as having both girls sleep through the night in their room TOGETHER- not that Lilly has ever had trouble sleeping- ha!

I made this wall hanging to hang over the crib in lieu of a mobile for now. Paint samples are a bit of an obsession for me so when I saw some of these ideas on pinterest– I knew I’d be making my own version for the girls room ASAP.

Here’s the simple (and free!) DIY:

Materials:

1 Dry Stick (check for bugs, fungus, dirt etc) I brought mine into the basement to really dry out for over a week.

White thread or fishing line.

Graded paint samples in whatever colors you like.

Scissors.

Tape.

Instructions:

First, cut out all of your hearts and arrange them on a table in long rows. I held and cut two paint sample strips at a time to make this quicker.

When you have the full layout complete, flip every single heart over and tape long pieces of thread to the backs of each column of hearts. I added some white circles into the mix for a pop of brightness.

Tie the strings to the branch ever so carefully, and try not to disrupt the rows too much as you do this. Use long nails or brackets to hang it on the wall and voila- you are done!

Tip: to get your branch to look a little more “birch-like”, give it a very quick and light coat of white spray paint.

Lilly loves it.

But my favorite part of this room is the ikea picture ledges we turned into a book nook for the girls. If you follow this blog you know by now that we are book obsessed. (Click here, and here, and here, and here, and here, and here, and here, and here… ok that’s enough.) So this is perfect. It’s Lilly’s favorite thing too which is so fun.

Ill post more details soon as things change and get finished in here. It’s been such a joy to give my kids their own space! Thank you PapPap for making it all possible and thank you Brandon for indulging all of my ideas.  On to framing and hanging art, switching and organizing closets, and locating perfect bedding!

Have a wonderful afternoon.

-J