Settling In

Wow! I can't believe almost a month flew past since my last post.  I'm still alive and kicking in the Greater Northwest.  We recently relocated here towards the end of October due to my hubby's job.  The two of us took our time and really thought about where to choose for his next assignment.  We wanted to move to a place that we could see ourselves permanently settling down and raising our child (+ potential future children).  I won't go through how we made the decision but I will update you on how we like it.

I ABSOF-ing LOVE LOVE LOVE it here.  I can honestly tell you that I haven't been this happy in a long time.  I love the cold, wet, weather.  No, I'm not pulling your leg I really mean it.  I've always preferred cooler weather were I could add layers to be comfortable rather than weather that was so hot you cold sit still in the buff and still be sweating.  It's a slower pace here, the speed limit is 60mph and strictly enforced.  I guess since I know I can sit back and enjoy the drive without worrying too much about other speeding drivers.

It also feels like everything is falling into place relatively easily.  I say that (knock on wood) with my fingers, toes and eyes crossed that it stays that way.  I met and made a new female friend that I can say she's becoming a good friend.  I was able to find two toddler playgroups for Izzy to make new friends.  We found and bought a house that we love and we're excited to move in when it's finished.  We found out that we have family here and they live very close to us.  I was able to endorse my license to this state without any hassle.  The last two pieces are for me to find a job I love and someone we trust to watch Izzy while I'm working.  I hope those pieces fall into place with similar ease.  Thanks for reading!

Relocating

We're relocating to WA state in a little over a month.  I'm excited and a little apprehensive about the move.  I've come to love our current home and will miss it.  I'm not looking forward to the packing, unpacking and decorating to make our next house a home like this one was.  With each move there is an ENORMOUS job of sorting through the "junk" we've accumulated and identifying the pieces we will need for the new house.  I hope this will be the last relocation and WA state will be our permanent place to live.

I've already started sorting the pieces of furniture we're not bringing.  The bed in the guest room is over 7 years old so that definitely has to go.  My hubby got it while he was stationed in England and it's an unusual piece.  I was lucky enough to find a replacement queen storage bed.   I really like the South Shore Breakwater Queen Bookcase Storage Bed in Chocolate Finish and it helps that it's 27% off right now.

I also found a great accent chair through become.com for the spare room.  It's a Knoll Bertoia Side Chair, it's made of chrome with your choice of color for the seating pillow and the frame.  I'll probably choose red for a pop of color.  Fortunately, those are the only pieces of furniture we need to replace. After going through become.com, I also found a 5Pcs Twin XL Bedding Multi Dots Microfiber Comforter Set that would go great with Izzy's room.  The move will give me the perfect opportunity to redecorate her room which I wrote about here.

A special thank you to www.become.com for supporting Mama Tales.

Time to Redecorate!

It amazes me how fast my little girl is growing up!  In one month we'll celebrate her second birthday.  The past two years seemed to fly by!  She's definitely not a baby anymore and her mannerisms are more like a big girl than a baby.  I've been thinking about redecorating her room so it is more like a "big girl" room than a nursery.  Lately, she's been adamant about using the same things mommy and daddy use.  So this will be a good time to change things up and my "excuse" to shop.

Current wall designs

Wow, I didn't think I'd be a little sad changing her room.  I spent a lot of time decorating and painting the baby's room.  I didn't want a pink or purple room.  So I added cream strips and I put in a personalized boarder with over 10 different stencils.  The end result turned out great with flowers, butterflies, lady bugs, bees and an alphabet wrapping around the entire room.  Maybe I'm sad because she's growing up so fast.  It almost feels like sending her to school for the first time.  I'll miss the old nursery but as long as her likes the changes I'm making than it will be worth it.

The first thing I need to do is remove her crib and bring in a toddler bed.  I'll keep the same color scheme but switch the patterns for a "grown up" look.  It shouldn't be too hard changing the look.  I'll have to replace the window treatments and the bedding.  Maybe I'll add a book shelf or play center.  I was thinking of basing the new room on the bedding on the right.  What do you think?  Are any other mommas out there going through the same thing?