39 weeks

Come on Sadie! Let's get this going! We're ready for you to come out and play!

Sew Crazy!

Thanks to Jayme, who graciously let me nab her sewing machine for a couple weeks, I've been sewing like crazy. Can anyone say nesting? I had lots of left over fabrics and things I'd been hanging onto. I decided it was time to take action. I feel like I'm gaining some confidence with the sewing machine, so maybe in the near future I'll try something that isn't basically a square. Until then, enjoy these manipulated squares...

Living Room window treatments- roll up shades (sorry this picture is dark)

Okay, so this one is not sewn, but still, I was pretty excited about recovering this slip seat.
Hall bath sink skirt (please ignore everything in this bathroom but the skirt) Baby steps to improvement...
Kitchen window treatment

Nursery Finished! (at least as much as its going to be)

Sorry for the prominent ceiling fan in this photo. Thanks to Brad and Megan for letting us borrow the infant seat! And to Ben and Beth for the crib!

I obviously still need to add pictures to the frame, and I want to paint a long horizontal canvas to go under it. Maybe that will be Sadie's Christmas present. I'm sure it is what she's hoping for. :)
Here's my crib skirt that I just sewed. Please ignore the wrinkles. I need to steam it. That's brown grosgrain ribbon. It looks dark and flat in this picture. I followed my friend Erika's brilliant concept for crib skirts- adjustable, perfect!

Pregnancy Update: 38 Weeks!

Well. Here I am! I'm feeling quite pregnant these days, but at the same time, I can't believe how quickly our due date is approaching (Nov. 4). The Doctor is pleased with how I'm progressing, so that is exciting.

People are still saying interesting things...two new stories.

1. So I was at the gym a couple of weeks ago, and a lady came up to me after class. She was saying all kinds of nice and encouraging things about how it was so great that I was still working out. Then she launched into her personal story about her pregnancies and working out. She unfortunately included some VERY personal details. Thanks. She ended the conversation by lifting her shirt to show me her stomach (which really did look great for being 50 and having 3 kids), and then she gave me two wishes in Spanish. The first one I didn't catch because I didn't realize we were entering the bi-lingual portion of the conversation. The only part I caught of the second wish was "leche." I really don't want to know.

2. I was walking down the street in Carrboro recently, which I need to insert that you never know who you're going to see or what they will say in Carrboro (love that), and I hear some one calling out at me (loudly), "AIN'T NOTHIN MO BU-TIFUL THAN A PREGNANT WOMAN! I tell you ain't nothin mo bu-tiful! You carryin' God wich chu! Ain't nothin mo bu-tiful!" As ridiculous as this scene was, it did make me feel special while waddling down the sidewalk. So I smiled sheepishly and waved.

I think I might miss these kinds of stories when I'm not pregnant anymore. For the most part, people are super sweet and encouraging, and that has been great. I'll miss it when I have to carry my groceries or open the door for myself.

NC Baby Shower

We had a such a great time at the shower last month (sorry I'm behind in my posts)!

Thank you to my wonderful hostesses! (LtoR: Caroline, Meredith, Lani, and Bethany)

Yea! The whole group (for those of you who are out of town, I'm going to tell you everyone's name so you can put names with faces, LtoR: Megan, Jayme, Settle, Caroline, Amy, Lani, Bethany, Meredith, Marlene, and in front, me, Kate, and Kelly)
Bethany did the flowers herself, and they were beautiful!
These cupcakes from Meredith were awesome, and enormous, which I love.

The New Modesty

Hey readers (all 4 of you)!

I love anything that combines design and psychology. I went to an ASID meeting last week (the professional association I'm a member of) and it was all about color theory- my FAV! During the whole presentation, the entire color spectrum was spread out behind the speaker. Nothing makes me happier than seeing all those beautiful colors and possibilities! I did get to learn some fun new info about color and psychology, which was super exciting. If I tried to convey it here, you probably get pretty bored.

Nonetheless, here's your dose of design and psychology for today. Thanks to Stephen and the WSJ for the article. I like the Newsies (open the gates and seize the day!) vibe of some of the new fashion collections. It's a subtle luxury- really great materials and tailoring. I'm just so glad we're moving past all the bling. Let's all just be real people- not the real housewives of Atlanta (which I hypocritically watch- at least I'm honest about it, right?).

This post would be more fun with some eye candy...

Dearest Ralph Lauren:

I couldn't help but start out with this Canadian tuxedo, though admittedly, here are my favorite parts of this outfit. The jacket has great lines. The hat is killer (no where to wear it, but would). And I have decided that I support the purchase of distressed boyfriend jeans. Maybe once I have a waist again, I'll consider the purchase.

More Ralph...those of you who know me know I love me some overhauls.
Hermes goes sporty.
Thanks to style.com for all the photos. I recently got to help my friend Amy style her nephews for a photo shoot in this style- so fun. View it here.

Nursery Update

Hello!

Here is a quick update...more to come soon (hopefully, if I can get my act together).

Our rocker is finished! Hooray! Here is a reminder of the tragic before:

After (I love it! Looks like a Hostess cupcake):
And here is a picture of the dresser we picked out. We got a killer deal on it from the Eclectic Garden in Raleigh, and we bought the turquoise knobs from Anthropologie. Oh, and did you notice my cute rug in the picture above?
It's finally coming together! Now we just need a baby!

The Summer of Selling Out

I know we're all far past summer, and if you're like me, you spent an entire day surrounded by SEC football. However, since it is still hot here (almost 90 yesterday, seriously?), I feel like some summer reflection is appropriate.

I really sold out this summer. Here are 5 reasons why:

1. Totally obvious, but I have a blog. Never, ever thought I'd do that...not hating on other people's blogs, I just didn't really think I had anything fun to share. Maybe I don't, but I'm still sharing :)

2. Along the same technological lines, I joined Facebook. Never, ever thought I'd do that either. I swore up and down that I would not let technology rule my relationships. In a time of surface interaction, I was determined to pursue meaningful and real contact with people. So much for that take on things. It's been so fun stalking people on Facebook for the last several months.

3. I registered for baby items at Babies R Us. Again, not judging anyone else's decisions. I just thought I could figure something else out. That place freaks me out. The good news is that I'm less than a month from having this baby, and it still freaks me out. I went today to pick up a few odds and ends, and I spent a lot of time staring and confused. Maybe I'm not a total sell out.

4. The Foster's got cable. Not just cable, but oodles of digital channels and DVR- which I'm TOTALLY obsessed with. I know. I'm like years behind. Let's talk about what I've been missing out on for the last several years- Bravo (like most shows, but I could watch The Rachel Zoe project for hours each day), I finally understand the Duggers, and I can watch So You Think You Can Dance in record time now that I can fast forward all the stupid parts. We told ourselves that it was okay to cave in and get cable/DVR because we're going to be stuck at home with a baby- and awake at crazy hours. Not so sure that is a great reason, but it worked for us.

5. Finally, (Courtney, you're going to be so disappointed in me) I bought a hairbrush. I haven't owned a normal hairbrush since maybe 1999?? I've only had one round brush that I used while I blew my hair dry, and that's it. I never brushed my hair outside of my time with the dryer. My dear friend Leah guided my purchase and affirmed that hair brushing was good. She is also a recent hair brushing convert. She's a stylist, so that makes me feel better. I do love how a mid-day brush fluffs my hair back up.

So there's the honest truth. I blame a lot of this on getting laid off in May- I had entirely too much time on my hands.

On a redeeming note, I did manage to start my own interior design business last month, and it's going great! I'm so thankful for it and really wish I would have done this earlier. I like being my own boss and working at my house while doing laundry. The website needs tweaking, but feel free to visit in the mean time. Some of you have seen a version of this site before...

www.fosterhouseinteriordesign.com