With the exception of starting loads of laundry for Baby T's clothes, blankets, and sheets, the nursery is (dare I say) complete!  After getting two lampshades yesterday and putting the finishing touches on some side tables, we are feeling accomplished and just about ready to bring home Baby.  And good thing because we are running out of time with just over 4 weeks left!!

Before I reveal the nursery in it's beautiful and serene entirety, I want you to check out this transformation...Remember back to a weekend in Suwanee when we were desperately trying to find some function and style for our downstairs entryway when we decided to give these wine racks a face lift?!

Well, they made it to Raleigh and stayed orange for only a little while.  As we made plans for the nursery I was convinced we could somehow utilize them.  First, they got a coat of white paint.  Unfortunately I was never able to get my hands on miniature drawers that would fit where wine bottles are supposed to slide in.  So, we went with plan B-  Dan cut out the racks and make shelves!  

Throw in a few baskets (love these two with chalkboard labels on them that I can write on-  7 bucks a piece at TJ Maxx!) and they fit in perfectly with the space!

Oops!  Need one more skinny basket or drawer up top, then we will be done:)

So here's the big reveal-  A 360 degree view of Baby T's new digs...

A little art project I put together with some extra fabric swatches- mama and baby whale + mama and baby ducklings, a little pink and a little blue.  Can't go wrong!

Couldn't leave out the ones Abbey decided to make an appearance in-  hope she's ready to star in her new role as big sister!

In the mean time I'm continuing to spoil her rotten now that we are on summer vacation before life as she knows it changes forever-

I'm excited to share some finished pictures of nursery projects we've been working on over the last few weeks.

First up- Display Shelves:

We bought two pieces of wood (already painted white) from Lowe's, one measuring 4 ft, the other 2 ft.  After we spray painted our left over corbels/brackets that we used for the bar in the kitchen (and the coke table in the study), we screwed them to the wood.  Then the shelves were ready to hang and decorate!  This was a cheap project that looks great and functions to display some special and sentimental items-

Up next- Basket Light:

Remember these retro and outdated basket lights we got years ago from Dan's old boss?

You'll remember that after we painted one brown, we utilized it immediately in our kitchen back in Suwanee then put it to good use here in our guest room.  The second one also survived the trip to Raleigh and has finally made its way out of the storage closet and into the nursery.  We painted it all white, bought a light kit, and hung it above the window seat-  it looks fabulous and turns the space into the cozy little reading nook we envisioned from the start.  Loving it!!

Finally- Floating Book Shelves with Hanging Storage:

Floating book shelves seem to be quite the nursery trend right now.  Ask anyone with a baby or toddler on their hands and they will tell you that of course they have floating book shelves in the baby's room.  We knew we wanted to incorporate some into our nursery to display Baby T's growing library but we weren't sure exactly what we wanted it to look like.  Then Dan came across our inspiration picture (on Pinterest of course!).

The book display was just what we wanted to do and the hanging storage baskets were such a neat addition we figured we could come up with a way to make the whole thing happen.  Now I've found most people have purchased their floating shelves from Ikea, but if you know us then you know we aren't going to buy our floating book shelves.  We are going to make them.  And we did!  With two pieces of molding from Home Depot, a nail gun, and some L- brackets for mounting.

Before

After

And for the baskets we simply hung an adjustable curtain rod, painted two black garden hooks white, then hung two lined baskets that were buy one get one free at Michael's.  

And for the completed product...

I'm sure the baskets will be filled in no time with stuffed animals, toys, and more books!

We are so excited with the way it is all coming together.  Here are a couple more pictures to help you get a feel for the room so far-

Only 6 more weeks and 3 days (give or take) until we meet Baby T-  but who's counting?

We spent Memorial Day weekend back in Georgia for a wonderful friends and family shower.  Baby T sure is loved by so many already!!  It was such a great time and we are feeling much more prepared to bring Baby home now after being showered with so much love and so many goodies!

So many fabulous gifts!

Check out these book titles that decorated the tables!!

All the little details were so thoughtful and we got to bring it all home to help decorate the nursery!

Gotta have a diaper cake-

Boy (mustache) or girl (lips)?  It was pretty split!

Hostesses

Grandmothers

We are now 32 weeks, baby weighing in around 4 lbs and measuring close to what it will be come delivery day.  Can't believe there are only about 8 weeks left!  Hoping to get some nursery pictures up soon-  just a few more projects to complete before the big reveal:)  

Lately, things seem pretty busy around here.  But with the exception of birthing classes, nothing on the to-do lists is out of the ordinary.  I'm just not moving as quickly as I used to and it seems I'm also becoming less efficient with each growing inch of this belly.  I guess Baby T is teaching me to slow down and relax while I still can:)

Here are a couple pictures to update you on what's been going on in our neck of the woods when we aren't crossing things off our to-do lists at a break neck pace-

The weather has been fabulous (and already a little hot- 90 degrees in May?!)  We are loving our new outdoor entertaining area and just need to get those casters on!

Dan's been manning the grill for some yummy dinners.  I am obviously helping from the comfort of the swing.

Enjoying a stroll by Shelley Lake just beyond our backyard.

Believe it or not I've managed to keep up some creativity at school, too and Spring has brought some super cute projects so check it out in Cool School!

Happy Easter from the Raleigh Towlers!

I think it's safe to say spring is finally here!  Although the last two nights we've had a freeze warning...here's hoping the weather we've experienced so far in Raleigh (the summer monsoons, the winter blizzards, and the frigid spring temps) are not to be expected every year.  Hard to believe we are closing in on a year of being North Carolinians!  Spring is the only season we've yet to experience fully here and even though it's been a cold few days, it's shaping up to be a good one so far-

Our front and back yard are blooming quite nicely!

Looking forward to spending more time outside again and hopefully doing some spring and summer entertaining, Dan has been busy sharpening his carpentry skills with this latest project.  He gets full credit on this one-  he's imagined it for months and started making it a reality a few weeks ago....I don't even have a whole lot of pictures because I was inside making a crib skirt while he was busy at work.  But here you get an idea of the process in building our Outdoor Bar-

The idea was inspired by our old kitchen sink and a how-to tutorial we came across on none other than This Old House.  A little help from Ana White on how to build a potting bench and there you have it!  Some "oops" stain (yes, that is redwood stain) that added to this budget friendly piece and we are just about ready to chill some drinks in the sink and serve up some hors d'oeuvres.  We need to add a few finishing touches like casters so that it can roll easily around the patio and a little something to disguise the under side of the sink but we are almost there!  Impressive, huh?

We've also finished the other valance in the nursery-

My next nursery project is getting under way today while I enjoy this Good Friday off of school-  I'll share the finished product with you soon!

And if you need a good Easter dessert or just an anytime dessert you HAVE to try these- 

Brown Sugar Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Brown Sugar Frosting

I'm not usually big on cake but the peanut butter frosting had me sold.  These were out of this world!  Easy to make with everything I already had in the pantry and fridge but they tasted like I spent a fortune at the local cupcakery.  Mmm mmm mmm!!!  I forgot how fun a cupcake is and what a treat they are!  I may just try my hand at some more cupcake recipes soon.  

Today marks 6 months for Baby T-  measuring in close to 9 inches tall and weighing over a pound and half now, the size of an eggplant they say!  Since time isn't slowing down, in fact it seems to be doing just the opposite, we are continuing to make headway on the nursery.  We've completed one of two valances using some extra crib skirt fabric.  I showed Dan the inspiration I'd come across on Pinterest and he was of course able to whip something up in no time!

With plywood we had on hand from our old kitchen counters, Dan measured, cut, and screwed three pieces together.  Then we measured fabric to fit-

Pulling tightly, we covered the wood with the fabric using a staple gun.

The sides fit snuggly around the window box and are screwed right into the molding.  Ta-da!

This is one of those easy projects that packs a big punch.  What a transformation it makes to a plain old window.  The lines are so neat and clean and it really adds a nursery feel to the room.  Loving it!

The other valance will be hung above the window seat but we didn't have enough left over kitchen counter wood.  To Home Depot we will go to complete the whole window treatment look- a small price to pay for a fantastic finished product.

We also celebrated Dan's birthday over the weekend with a delicious key lime pie I made with the help of the Pioneer Woman-  the recipe was quick, easy, and out of this world good!  So good that I didn't get a chance to snap a pic before it disappeared.

And even though it's a few weeks late, here is a family photo from our trip to Charleston for a friends wedding 2 weeks ago-  Baby T starting to get in on the action:)