New Place, New Things

I've become a semi-pro at relocating. In five years of marriage, I'm now on my fifth address - and every move has been out-of-state. I'm always anxious to get the chore of unpacking finished so that I can get on with the fun stuff: arranging the furniture, hanging pictures on the wall, and purchasing new items to fill the voids that didn't exist in our last place.

I'm really enjoying the new things we got this time around, so much so that I've been tinkering with the idea of taking their pictures and giving you all a semi-tour of the place. If that intrigues you, by all means, continue on.

First we have the drapes in the dining room. Let me preface this with the fact that I have NEVER liked drapes. I don't like most window coverings. But we were losing heat like a mother and needed to fix that. And I actually like these ones, although I think this first picture (maybe I shouldn't kick off my post with this picture???) is a little white-trash with the BBQ and the other miscellaneous still-not-unpacked items on the patio. Oh well.
Here they are closed. The photo really doesn't do them justice.
Here's a close-up so you can see the pattern. I love the shimmer and the way it pulls my color scheme together, balancing things out with our dominant red couch.
Next new thing is actually a holiday decoration I made last week with some friends. It's a Christmas wreath, made with a wire hanger, ornaments, and hot glue. The idea came from here.
I just don't know how to finish off the top. See the hanger? I don't really want to top it with a huge bow, or cover up a large portion with thick ribbon. Any ideas? Right now it's hanging on the front door with the hanger showing right there, totally screaming that I'm ghetto to our new neighbors.

Next, we've finally got a living room that's big enough for more seating than just our couch. We scanned Craigslist one night and found these treasures for a steal of a deal.
They were floor models in a house on the market, so not even really used! Todd laughs every time he thinks about how my jaw dropped when I saw them in person. I was in love! We picked them up in the Penske. How sweet is that?
Big step - we finally got ourselves a dresser that is not free/made of plywood/falling apart/handed down for generations. We've been holding off on this for ages, thinking someday we'll get a bedroom set. We finally decided to just go for it anyway. And we are loving it. The top drawers are the perfect size for our underwear and socks! We've got it right next to the closet and sink so getting dressed in the morning has become a seamless routine.
Ah. I'm excited to talk about this one. Todd had this real, dried puffer fish that he was ready to throw, but that I think is way too cool. He also had a bucket chock full of sand dollars, and it was a crying shame that no one could see them. Behold, the finished product.
For the grand finale of tonight's tour, check out this quilt my mom made. She and I designed it together, and had a party picking out all the material at the quilting store. My dear mom has been busting her tail to do all the work. Hopefully, she'll feel like it was worth it if she knows I've got it hanging in my living room. It is gorgeous!
Phew. That's all my new stuff. I'm loving them. Who's up for a visit so you can see how they merge with the old, creating what I like to call home.

Hazel's First Birthday and Other Random Happenings of the Past Week

Hazel's first birthday was last Tuesday, December 1st. We did celebrate, I promise. We had a picnic at the park next door and played on the swings and slide. And we ordered Chinese food for dinner so Hazel could have rice for her birthday dinner. (She loves rice.) We helped her open her presents in the living room, surrounded by boxes. And she got to sleep in her crib for the first time in days.

Ooh, new books. She immediately plopped down in Daddy's lap to read.

The whole week was spent unpacking, but once everything was out and there was a little counter space in the kitchen, I made cupcakes for her.

Todd ate one before I took the picture.

The frosting and the candle freaked her out, but the next day she figured out as long as Mama ate the white stuff for her, the cupcakes were pretty darn good! She helped me eat them all week long.
Hazel's probably pretty sad that we're just about done unpacking now. She has been having a blast climbing in and out and on top of all the boxes.

Now that the boxes are gone, she's had to find other places to explore. She found this corner cupboard in the kitchen and will play in it for loooong stretches of time.
Just this morning, she discovered another cupboard that isn't quite her size. She got stuck and had to be rescued, but not before I snatched this picture!
And I'd like to say she's just started to get interested in helping me cook, but honestly, I've just barely started to cook again myself. She probably would have wanted to help me months ago. (No reason to make a big meal without a man to eat it.) But at any rate, it's her new thing. She wants to help stir and measure. It's really adorable. Maybe it's time to get her a play kitchen?