Updating an IKEA Dresser

Posted in baby #2, home decor by

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Me assembling an IKEA malm dresser at about 12:30 am.

Mason’s old room — aka the Nursery — never had a dresser in it.  At the time we were assembling the nursery before he was born, I just figured we’d use bins in the closet and a small changing table.  It never really worked all that well.  You can check out what it originally looked like here.

We just changed Mason’s diapers in the bathroom on our long counter.  This kind of was used to store blankets and random hats/bibs/socks but not too functional.  And who keeps their child’s baby book within reach of the actual child?  Total photo staging and totally impracticle.

Those bins in the closet?  Never stayed organized.  Once he got into 12-18 month clothes, nothing fit in those tiny bins.  Sure, you can fit 20 newborn onesies in a little container but this was a total FTMM (first-time mom mistake).  This picture makes me laugh.  Ah, so organized.  So much time on my hands.  I chuckle to myself when I see “nursery reveals” from first-time parents.

So this is what we have now to replace the dum-dum changing table.  A real dresser.  (Well, a particle board dresser).  Next step?  I did finish assembling it so now I want to dress it up a bit and make it look less IKEA-ish.

Option #1:  Campaign Chest

You can buy these awesome things called O’verlays that add the campaign fretwork detail to IKEA furniture.  Just paint and glue.

Or Option #2:  Gold Campaign Corners

 

I’m kind of leaning toward option #1 to add some color to the dresser.  Opinions?

 

Rhubarb Crisp: My Favorite Recipe

Posted in food by

We won a “dessert of the week” at Mason’s school auction a couple months ago, which has been a blessing and a curse.   It’s certainly adding to the baby weight but it’s pretty great to have a ready-to-go dessert sitting around.

My favorite so far has been a rhubarb pie that was TO.DIE.FOR.  Not only was it delivered in a jadeite pie pan — gorgeous against the beautiful red-coral of the baked rhubarb — but it had the most amazing crust and rhubarb filling.  Perfection.

I’m not much of a pie baker but I can whip up a great fruit crisp.  My favorite rhubarb crisp recipe is from Mark Bittman, aka The Minimalist, of the New York Times.  He’s one of my favorites because his recipes are simple and practical but delicious (I’ve raved about his 100 Simple Salads before here).

This is mine.  I don’t care how it looks.  I will lick that pan clean.

 

Kitchen Remodel: White or Black Countertops?

Posted in home decor by

We’re in the beginning stages of remodeling our kitchen and have a major decision to make:  countertops.  I love the look of marble but don’t want the up-keep, so we’re looking at grayish-white quartzite.  BUT granite is much cheaper (I like honed unpolished absolute black granite so no specks or splotches, just plain flat black).

Option 1:  White/gray counters with white cabinets and brass hardware and white subway tile backsplash.  Love it.

 

**  OR **

Option 2:  Honed black granite with cream/white cabinets and brass hardware and a marble subway tile backsplash

Not too shabby, either.   I don’t know what to do.

 

Baby Williams #2

Posted in baby #2 by

baby williams #2

No. 2 is well on its way (I’m due in July).  Mason is excited to be a big brother but you can see in his face occasional recognition that things are … changing.

We wanted to surprise Mason and the rest of our families with a Gender Reveal, since they’re all the rage.

Great-Grandma Helen with the time-honored “string and gold ring” gender predictor (she was right :) .

(Drumroll)

It’s a …

boy!!!  Mason had been hoping for a brother and is really pleased (although the week before the ultrasound he started changing his tune to wanting a little sister.  Sigh.).

The winner of the birth date pool gets a lotto ticket for each day of that  month (22 if it’s born on the 22nd, 23 on the 23rd, etc.).  The name pool … weeeeell, that one was more just for fun. :)