Window Pane Transformation

Whoever decided that old window panes are something to paint and decorate I love you. Awhile back ago I found this old window at a local antique shop with my mother in law. I think it cost me a total of $22 and it's gotten its money's worth! I was inspired by this adorable pin on Pinterest for the nursery.

However my window pane is much larger as it had to accommodate all the guests to our wedding! Here it is after makeover #1.

It was sort of a grayish color and I also didn't try very hard to completley cover the old green paint that was underneath. The window was so old that I found when I tried to sand off the color the wood was breaking off. So I just decided to paint over it. That's the difference between when David does something and I do something. Whole ass vs. half ass.

After the wedding a couple had people asked if I was selling the window pane. I am so glad I didn't even though for about a year I had no real purpose for it. Makeover #2 happened when David drilled it so I could hang it vertically on the wall. I strung up some photos just for fun across but always felt like it was not very "adult". However it stayed up and took up a blank wall for about a year.

This is where makeover #3 begins as you can see I began painting it white last night. Well I can say that after three hours of standing and painting (with Valspar Optimus Non-Toxic, No VOC paint) that I am pretty happy with the results! I have some other things I am going to add to it, but I will try and keep those under wraps until the big nursery reveal. I am having so much fun doing little projects. However the more pregnant I get (can't believe I am already 7 months along!) the more I realize I need to take it easy. This mama is a tired bird!

The paint is not perfect but as I was explaining to David last night, it's perfectly imperfect. Now he just needs to go and scrape the toothpaste out of the holes as I was trying to ghetto fill them. I also made the bunting out of paint sample swatches from the local hardware store! Super easy! Excited to see it all come together!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend! I am off on a girls trip to Cambria and can't wait for a little relaxation!

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Etsy Treasures Take Two

You guys I have been going a bit crazy on Etsy after putting myself on Baby Gap restriction. Which is a feat in itself considering I work in walking distance from one and haven't been in in over three weeks. What can I say...baby steps.
With that being said Etsy has not been off limits - although I am getting to the point where David has almost figured out why there are so many "PayPal" charges lately. These are some of the a.d.o.r.a.b.l.e items I have swooped up lately.

Baby What Knots

I received these pacifier clips in the mail on Tuesday and near died of cuteness. I know people are going to be asking where I bought these. Melissa is the creative mind behind the adorable idea and she has SO MANY designs to choose from. I dare you to take a look and not purchase something.

Lavender Llama Momma

You all know that I adore ombre over here. So color me pink when I discovered these awesome ombre swaddles. Really you can use them for anything but the thought of covering my little one in gradient pink was too good to pass up. I had a good laugh with Sara because my package decided to ship itself to Honolulu and then to California...from Indiana. We were both hoping it would arrive with some sand and sun...or better yet macadamia nuts. Sadly no, but it did get here and I can't wait to use it! These come in a bunch of other colors too. So fun for baby!

Olive & Birdie

Mini won't be able to wear this until next year's annual Trinity trip but it was a must have! Red, white, blue & glitter. Sold! Bonus if you like Olive & Birdie on Facebook she generously offers a 15% discount on your first order!

Willow Crowns

And my Etsy roundup wouldn't be complete without giving some love to my girl Megan. Her headbands and clips are just the sweetest. From glitter, to lace to flowers she has you covered. Mamas with ladies beware...this shop is habit forming!

*These opinions are 100% my own. I was not paid to endorse any of these shops*

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Loving Lately

Faux Mongolian Lamb Pouf
Just purchased this while it was on sale for the nursery. We will use it as an ottoman with our chair. It looks huge in this photo but I think it will be the perfect size.

Pineapple Weekender Tote
For all you pineapple fanatics out there! There is also another one I can only seem to find in store with white stars on it. I might need to snag it as it would make for a great hospital bag! Pretty much need to start packing that up in 5 weeks or so. Any suggestions of must haves let me know!

Ivory Aberdeen Battery Operated Lanterns

We had guests over at our house on Friday evening so we decided to do some sprucing up of our backyard. Our landlord is replacing our fence sometime this week and I am so nerdily excited. It will make a HUGE difference! While we are still very actively looking for a home to purchase there is literally nothing on the market. So we decided to make the best out of where we live (which is perfectly fine!) and enjoy it. There are perks to living life without a mortgage :)

I purchased an umbrella from Cost Plus and my friend had some lanterns left over from a nursery project she was happy to give me. I think these little light up ones would be a perfect addition!

 Multi Crystal Beaded Necklace
I would have to try this on in person but I think this would go great with various maxi dresses. AKA summer uniform.

Hemnes Chest

So here is the dresser I was going to purchase for the nursery since the original one turned out to be a flop. The has a "white stain" on it as opposed to a glossy finish. So here is my dilemma - I like rustic. But it's getting close to D day and I don't want to be stressing over finding the perfect dresser on Craigslist to refinish. What I like about this one is the drawers are deep and lined and also it's the perfect size. I was going to swap out the pulls for either mercury glass knobs or nickle pulls. What's your guy's opinion? Buy it and be finished? Or continue the hunt? I do like this one a lot and to be honest it goes with our crib pretty well. #firstworldproblems

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28 weeks - Third Trimester

How far along: 28 weeks, 2 days

Mini is the size of a: a cabbage (16 in., 2.5 lbs.)

Maternity Clothes: mostly

Stretch Marks: negative

Sleep: Not horrible but not awesome due to SPD.
Symptoms: SPD and heartburn. Let's see if the myths are true and little lady comes out with a lot of hair!

Best Moment of the Week: That three day weekend was quite lovely!

Movement:wiggle worm, but again mostly at night and mostly when I am lying down.
Cravings: FRUIT - all of it!
Gender: girly girl
Belly Button In or Out: In
Wedding Ring on or Off: On
Anything Making You Queasy or Sick: nope!
What I Miss: having a pelvis that doesn't hurt
What I am Looking Forward to: a girls trip this weekend to Cambria!
Labor Signs: no, and it's terrifying to think that this category could be changing in less than 10 weeks!
Nursery: I braved IKEA this weekend with some friends and picked out a dresser. Sadly it was out of stock. So I am not sure if that was a sign or not, but at least I have a backup dresser. Really need to get started on some of my painting projects as well.
Emotions:Like a room without a roof :)

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Five on Friday

One

Remember that awesome dresser I found on Craigslist? Well David thinks it is a POS (and I can't lie it kind of is). It's made out of pine and just not that awesome. So I might do a quick paint over and try to resell it for what I paid. I am so sad to say goodbye to those drawer pulls though. I think we can make it work, plus finding a small dresser on CL is hard! I still want to make it work so maybe I can change his mind.

Two

I went to my doctor's appointment yesterday and she informed me that I passed my glucose test with "flying colors". Goodness that was good news because I was stressin'! I like candy so I am glad that I don't have to eliminate it from my cravings list! *see four

Three

I plan on braving IKEA this weekend there is a couple of little things I have my eye on so I am going to check it out. Despite my hatred for the maze store.

RENS Sheepskin

Four

Random fact: My favorite candy is JujuBees. I always feel alone on this. Anyone else a fan?

Five

Happy long weekend!! My office closes at noon and I can't wait for the warm weather and BBQ's! Have a good one!

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Little Fashionista

1 // 2 // 3 // 4
1 // 2 // 3 // 4
1 // 2 // 3 // 4

You guys little girl's clothing is seriously addicting. You may have seen on Instagram that I already have quite the little collection assembled. This is about half of it!

 I haven't purchased any of these pieces featured above but how adorable are they?! We take an annual trip to the Trinity Alps every year for the 4th of July and I get so excited thinking about all the patriotic gear Presley will get to wear. These are some items I would purchase (if I hadn't gone crazy already!) Bonus: all the Nordstrom picks are a part of the women and kids half yearly sale!

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Nursery Progress

wire basket // dresser (Craigslist) // chair // rug // pouf // pillow // lamp // nightstand // curtain (old West Elm) // Darling print  Pet Silhouette // fox print // mobile (DIY) // sheets // crib skirt // crib // stuffed mouse // woven basket

So far this is a smattering of what I have for my vision board for the nursery. I think I am going to get started on it the week I begin maternity leave - which is 4 weeks before little lady is due. I keep waffling back and forth between the rug pictured above (a steal of a deal from Target for 79.99) or this rug from Pottery Barn Kids.

I saw the floor sample for sale last Saturday and I am sort of kicking myself for not purchasing it.

I am also unsure on the floor pouf - I think something lighter and furrier might be more fun in the space. Obviously I will also have a changing pad and all that good stuff but I am excited to see it begin to come together! The chair pictured above is the one we purchased from Buy Buy Baby - it's very comfortable. Although not as gorgeous as the Pottery Barn Kids wingback it was a good compromise.

What do you all think of either rug? Too busy? Should I go for a solid instead? Or should I drive 45 minutes away tonight and see if that floor sample is still available?

12 weeks, 4 days until we get to meet the littlest Parker!

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27 weeks - Last week of 2nd Trimester!

How far along: 27 weeks, 2 days

Mini is the size of a: a cucumber (how a cucumber is larger than an eggplant is beyond me)  (15 in., 2.2 lbs.)

Maternity Clothes: yes ma'am!

Stretch Marks: Stay the hell away!

Sleep: Nightly bathroom visits and the very awful SPD which I'll explain below.
Symptoms: SPD is Symphysis Pubic Dysfunction. For weeks now I felt like I have pulled a muscle in my left inner thigh. The Symphysis Pubis is the joint that connects the two halves of your pelvis. Common in pregnancy this joint stretches because your body produces a hormone called relaxin (ha! Anything but!) which softens these ligaments so eventually the baby can pass through the pelvis. Well needless to say it hurts like hell. Putting on my pants and sleeping are so uncomfortable I literally wince. Sadly it looks like this is going to hang around for the last 13 weeks of my pregnancy.

Best Moment of the Week: Making nursery progress without doing anything in the actual room yet.

Movement: yes and I think I may have felt her hiccup a couple of days ago. But not really sure.
Cravings: Strawberries
Gender: Little Lady
Belly Button In or Out: In
Wedding Ring on or Off: On
Anything Making You Queasy or Sick: nope!
What I Miss: my waist
What I am Looking Forward to: the upcoming three day weekend!
Labor Signs: negative
Nursery: We purchased a chair for the nursery (sadly not the Pottery Barn one) but still I am pretty excited about it and it's comfortable! Picked out paint for the dresser, highchair and nightstand. I have also started picking up some little things like baby laundry detergent and such. I know it's a bit early to be doing that but when I see it in my cartwheel app I buy it while it's on sale.
Emotions: Had a major temper TANTRUM Saturday morning - like woah. Blame the baby what can I say.

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Non Maternity Bump Style

My sweet husband offered to buy me a dress this weekend because he likes the way my bump looks in them. So I totally took him up on the offer! He even went in the stores with me while I tried stuff on...that's a first. And although he maxed out at two stores he let me continue my hunt until I found something that made me feel good.
Good call on his part because it took multiple stores until I found something I really liked. Maternity clothing for the most part is frumpy and expensive so I rather buy something non-maternity for the same price. Here are some cute dresses I found that work with a bump or without!

Michael Stars Sleeveless Maxi

 Print Draped Slipdress

Tulipan Tank Dress - loved this dress. It also comes in blue, works perfect with a bump!

Betsey Johnson Popover Jersey Dress - this is the one I chose and it's so comfortable!

Joie Woven Maxi Dress

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Five on Friday

one

On Sunday Happily Ever Parker turns ONE! Crazy to think I started with this post 1 year ago. A big thank you to Natasha for always helping me out in blogland and helping me find a lot of you!

two

I need to make a decision on the nursery rocker within the next two weeks. I know which one I want (seen below) but my goodness, it's pricey. With a 10-12 week ship out I better figure it out soon!

Wingback Convertible Rocker

I have also seen this IKEA hack featured on Interiors by Kenz

But against popular blogging notion....I really don't like anything IKEA (aside from the cute Hemnes dresser line). In fact being inside an IKEA makes me feel claustrophobic! Plus this chair looks nowhere near as cozy as the PBK one. Does anyone have either and what do they think?

three

Thank you all for your awesome feedback on my amazing dresser find. I think I am sticking with the general consensus and leaving it white. We picked up some new paint last night and it's more of a milky white as opposed to a stark white. I am excited to put David to work on it! We also have a small nightstand they we are going to paint gray. That way it's not all white everywhere.

four

Tell You What Wedge Sandal

I'm thinking these need to be apart of my summer wardrobe.

five

I also want to wish my friend Whitney a very Happy Birthday!!

I'll be 35 weeks pregnant at her wedding (oh goodness) but it will also be the day after I begin maternity leave! Cannot wait to celebrate you!!

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