Nursery Underway!

I'm a pitiful blogger, I know.

Who would have thought that this little gift from God

 could make me so darn miserable and unmotivated?

I've learned quick.  This isn't an easy job. 
I'm baby making, that's for sure.

Sleeping has become my favorite thing to do lately.

Antiquing... not so much.  Can you believe it?

I've received quite a few comments from family and friends about the nursery

and how they look forward to seeing what I put together.

Talk about pressure.

I finally got enough energy to explore and purchase the first piece for the room.

The changing table.

Not willing to splurge on the real changing table deal, I knew I had to find

a piece that would work well as a dresser, as my babes gets older.

Behold, the yummy empire dresser.

We'll probably take it off the casters to make it

a more comfortable height for changing.

I'm in love with all the storage

and am totally digging the large built in cupboards that we can stack diapers in.

All I have to do is buy the changing pad to place on top! Voila.

While I was out an about, I happened upon this gorgeous antique chandy.

Not knowing the gender of baby D yet, I was hesitant to make the purchase.

Is it too girly for a boy? 

I didn't think so, but I wanted to make sure with the hubs.

He seems to like it.  What do yall' think?

I'm hoping that decorating baby D's nursery

gives me the energy I need to put back into good ol' Hickory.

I love you so, Hickory! Even though it may not appear that way.

Baby steps...right?

Baby on Blog!

As some of you may have noticed,

my blog posts have been less frequent with less progress.

My first trimester {now over!} has not been an easy one.

Ever heard of hyperemesis gravidarum? 

I'm in that 10% of women category who has been

 fortunate enough to get a taste of it. 

I'm still battling and my husband has been my hero.

We are over the moon thrilled.

We are due in July and feel like the luckiest duo on the planet.

We're madly in love with you baby D!

Hello Blog, It's Me Ashley!

Boy, they're not joking when they say time flies.

Rob and I have been busy.

Tomorrow will be Rob's first day off in 13 days!

Can you believe it?  I miss that man, like crazy!

When it comes to home renovation, we're a team.

I've been patiently waiting for a day off together to search for countertops

among other things that we are in need of.

I know they say to take your time when it comes to chipping away at your house.

Unfortunately, there are certain things we need to get done before summer.

It seems far away considering we just got our first big snow fall,

 but I know better.

The refrigerator gets delivered tomorrow.  That's great news!

The new fridge is going to be chilling out in the garage

until we can remove the built-in, rearrange the plumbing and fix the woodwork. 

That's the bad news.

Patience, Ashley.  Patience.

I'm hoping that tomorrow gives us some closure on our countertop dilemma.

Marble?  Veiny white granite? Quartzite? Quartz?

And not to confuse things more, but check out these photos that have

sent my mind on a soapstone daydream.

Since the hardwood floor in our kitchen is darker and because our cabinet

color tends to jive so well with lighter stones, I haven't really considered a

darker honed granite or soapstone.

Not seriously, anyway.

This kitchen designed by Melanie Davis is flawless, in my opinion.

Am I crazy for loving the pairing of gray with the darker stone?

I'm totally loving the window trim painted

 in a slightly darker shade than the cabinets.

This kitchen has also pushed me into wanting

 to paint our walls a lighter, truer white.

Here's another photo of darker cabinetry paired with a dark countertop.

Oooh, the rug and the skirt beneath the sink really complete the space.

I'd willingly do laundry all day long.

So, we'll see what they say tomorrow.  I'll keep you posted.

A few things that have caught my eye recently...

The palma stripe dhurrie runner rug from Pottery Barn

would be the perfect addition in front of our kitchen sink.

I love the idea of hanging a clock in the window.  Nice, Pottery Barn!

I'd like two of these sabine spindle armchairs from PB, too!

I'm looking so forward to a day with Rob.

Regardless if it involves shopping or lounging on the couch.

I hope you enjoy your weekend!

For those of you who have Monday off, enjoy the extra long weekend!

*photos courtesy of the cottage mix {first three photos}, pink wallpaper blog, pottery barn {last two photos}

Cool as a Cucumber

After much deliberation, Rob and I finally settled on a refrigerator.

The decision took much longer than expected due to our ongoing conversations

on whether or not to splurge on a built-in model.

We realized that the kitchen as a whole needed much more attention and would

require our piggy bank to be as heavy as possible.

Spending $7,000 dollars on a refrigerator just wasn't in the cards.

While the free standing counter depth model we decided on was in no way

inexpensive, the money we would save with this model would give us

 more wiggle room when it came to choosing counter tops.

{which, we are currently on the hunt for!}

Here is the model we chose for the cottage.

{bosch linea stainless steel sxs refrigerator}

One thing I wasn't thrilled about was the exterior water dispenser.

I guess you can say I'm not a water dispenser gal.

I prefer a seamless look.

What we did like was the long doors and hidden hinges.

Glass shelves helped seal the deal for us.

There is nothing worse than opening up a fridge and smelling plastic.

I'm odd, I'm telling ya!

The final factor was having a side by side model.

As lovely as french door units are, we weren't willing to deal with

one again.  It was a bit of a hassle for us.

Our carpenter who completed our fireplace ensured me that it would look built-in.

We shall see.

Since we currently have a 42' built-in model in it's place,

 a lot of work is in order.

The new unit will not be as tall or wide.

Since we don't have much/if any open shelving in our kitchen,

 I'm leaning towards keeping the space above the new refrigerator open.

It could be a great place to store my cake dishes

or display ironstone pieces and milk glass.

I realize that some these spaces aren't above a refrigerator

 but they inspired me for our work.

{copper kettles both old and new look pretty snazzy!}

{white cake stands and pitchers look lovely}

{i'm digging the separation between the cake stands}

Cookbooks could be another option.

{canisters filled with an assortment of kitchen essentials}

{cake pedestals, tureen's and darling bowls}

During my search for a built-in look, I came across another idea I'm considering.

{especially since the carpenter will be around...tee hee hee}

This may be sort of tricky to see in the picture or explain well.

I'll give it a try!

I like the idea of adding crown molding even though there is a soffit that

separates the cabinet and the ceiling.

The molding really finishes off the look, in my opinion.

This may not work in our kitchen due to some of our unique ceiling angles,

but it's worth asking about.

I'm a little hung up on counter tops at the moment as

no one in the area carries quartzite.

I adore the look of marble, but being as ocd as I am, I'm not sure I could

handle the natural patina.  I wish I could say I was one of those people.

I'm considering light granites, like river granite, but I'm not sold.

Any suggestions would be appreciated more than you know.

Or those of you who have honed marble and can testify I'm good to go,

I'm willing to listen!

How do you clean those awful spots?

thanks for reading, friends!

*photos courtesy of bosch, country living, country living, martha stewart, all the things that make a house a home blog, pinterest {unknown}, cote de texas