Ten on 10

Charlotte's Room

Charlie's room was inspired by some artwork we had from the Etsy shop Jellybeans. Taking the idea of trees with polka dot leaves and running with it, we designed a simple nursery that we absolutely love.

We opted for grayish blue walls so it wasn't quite so girly. (This may have been subconsciously influenced by the fact that I lived in an obscenely pink room for many years when I was younger.)

We found a tree decal on Etsy that was similar to the style of the artwork, and put it over the crib, which we got from IKEA. The bedding is Dwell Studio for Target, and continues that idea of abstract plant life. (Because of the controversy over bumpers, we used the one that came with the set as a makeshift window seat cushion.)

Our one splurge or this room was the rocker glider, and it was so worth it. For the amount of time spent in it you really want to make sure you have something comfy enough to doze off in. My sister in law made this beautiful quilt for Charlie, complete with her initials, and we've hung one of our Jellybeans pieces above the chair, where Charlie loves to stare at it.

We "made" the changing table from a bookcase and tabletop at IKEA, and it's the perfect height. Above it are two more Jellybeans prints, one representing a Daddy and Daughter, and the other a Mother and Daughter.

We also purchased a bigger version of the same bookcase for books and toys. The last Jellybeans print lives here, along with Charlotte's Web and some framed paper I found.

It's been a great place to display favorite toys and books.

We claimed the walk in closet in her room for ourselves (filled to the rafters with the storage that used to fill her room) so we found a wardrobe system at IKEA to hold her clothes. On the side of the wardrobe we've hung the Jellybeans calendar.

A few other details:

Some framed paper in the entry way

A DIY mobile:

A "night light" so diaper changes in the dark aren't quite so treacherous. We swapped out the winged frogs for some more of the paper I found.

That pretty much sums it up. If you see something I didn't give details on that you'd like to know about (changing pad cover, bins in the bookcases etc,) just let me know and I'll tell you where I found it. We love this room and are excited to see Charlie grow into it and personalize it.

Look what I got!

I haven't read this since 5th grade, but I loved it. I'm really excited to read it again.
I found it at Half Priced Books last night when I went with my dad to sell 10 boxes of books. Dad walked out richer, and I walked out with this gem. Yay!

The Lovely Bones

Over the weekend I read The Lovely Bones.

I really enjoyed it. It's a hard read, in that there are moments of horror sprinkled through out the story (especially at the beginning.) The book is narrated by Susie, a 14 year old girl who starts her story on the day she was murdered. She's telling us what's happening from a little perch in what she calls her heaven, as she watches her family, her friends, and her killer continue living their lives. It was interesting to read the story of this family as they crumbled under the weight of the tragedy. The choices they made and the way they responded was heart breaking. The story felt almost like something you'd see on CSI, but you already know who done it. It's not always wholesome, has a skewed view of heaven, God, and the afterlife, and rarely happy, but an incredibly interesting read that will keep your attention until your done, and probably have you mulling it over for hours afterward. I'd recommend it if you like an engaging story and can handle some really horror filled scenarios.