I think bookshelves can be so pretty. It’s practically art when you take the time to decorate and organize pieces of your home. Here are a few tips I use to style a bookshelf
.
1. Don’t clutter your bookshelf with just books.
2. Add some decor such as a sign, a picture frame or even a faux plant.
3. Make your book placement intentional. Whether you organize your books alphabetically, by genre, or simply tallest to smallest, make it intentional. Don’t make it look like you just tossed them up there.
4. Add some sort of space for treasures or basic household items, such as a small box or 3 tier drawer.
5. Adding notebooks, paper and pens looks great too!
6. Finally, add something above your bookshelf that catches the eye, such as an inspiring quote, a clock or a piece of artwork.
In the past few weeks as our baby boy has gotten older, we have been sprucing up Baby Bear’s nursery!
This crib was a gift from family friends who buy storage units. It’s considered a mini crib which is perfect for apartment living. We also put up the animal pictures which were a gift from a coworker off of my registry,
A majority of our son’s books are in the living room, however I like to keep a couple in his bedroom for easy access and late night story time.
We have continued to keep his shelf with bins full of clothes and it is perfect and a very efficient system.
Matthew started rolling around 7 weeks of age. He is now 10 weeks as I write this. Between 7 and 8 weeks we transitioned Matthew from the bassinet to the crib. However, we have kept the bassinet and are using it as a diaper changing station until he fully grows out of it.
This diaper caddy has been a lifesaver. We love having everything accessible and organized for diaper changes.
I decided to also create a bath time basket where all his wash cloths, soaps, shampoos, extra diapers and brushes can be found. I also am hanging his towels on a hook nearby where it can be easily found. I am currently storing this in his room while we continue to give him baths in the kitchen sink. Once we switch to doing baths in the bathroom, I would imagine we will move everything there.
Finally, I’ve continued to store blankets, sheets, bibs, socks and shoes on this shelf.
Thanks for taking this fun little tour of our Baby Boy’s updated nursery! 💕
I think bookshelves can be so pretty. It’s practically art when you take the time to decorate and organize pieces of your home. Here are a few tips I use to style a bookshelf
.
1. Don’t clutter your bookshelf with just books.
2. Add some decor such as a sign, a picture frame or even a faux plant.
3. Make your book placement intentional. Whether you organize your books alphabetically, by genre, or simply tallest to smallest, make it intentional. Don’t make it look like you just tossed them up there.
4. Add some sort of space for treasures or basic household items, such as a small box or 3 tier drawer.
5. Adding notebooks, paper and pens looks great too!
6. Finally, add something above your bookshelf that catches the eye, such as an inspiring quote, a clock or a piece of artwork.
Recently, in between feedings, naps, snuggles and baths; I decided to take some time in my laundry room and do a little organization.
In a one bedroom apartment we really don’t have a ton of space. However, I absolutely love having a washer and dryer in our apartment and not having to drag our laundry to a community laundry room.
Our laundry room is a mix of a storage room, pantry, baby boy’s closet, laundry room and furnace room.
Regardless we are thankful for what we have and I am so grateful I was able to take the time to organize it.
We currently live in a one bedroom apartment, so we will be sharing a sleeping space with Baby Bear at least for the first couple of months. Hopefully we will have a bigger space where baby will have his own room and place to store his toys, but still be able to sleep in our room until he turns 1. We got our travel size bassinet/ pack n’ play off of Amazon! It is a Graco brand and so far we love it! It’s perfect if you are working with a small space.
I found these cubes off of Amazon, and decided to use them to store Baby’s clothes, hats, swaddles, burp cloths and toys.
Baby Boy has 3 swaddles and over 30 hats all ranging in different sizes. He’s a winter baby being born in Michigan, so hopefully these hats will keep his head warm.
Baby Boy has a large amount of burp cloths and cloth diapers. I was told that cloth diapers work great as burp cloths!
Baby also has an abundance of books, and mommy has a thing for sloths so of course he has some sloths.
I plan to have all size newborn and 3 month clothes washed and ready to go before baby arrives.
Books, books, and more books. This year due to covid, I had a virtual book party instead of a baby shower, and let me tell you…. Baby was blessed with more than enough books.
We have lots of blankets washed and ready! Some are quilts, some knitted and some Sherpa.
Socks, booties, slippers and shoes are all organized in here.
Diapers and wipes are easily accessible and near the bassinet which is where we plan to change baby a majority of the time.
Diaper caddy is full of diapers, Vaseline, wipes, burp cloths, corn starch and first aid kit.
Thanks for stopping by my tour of Baby Boy’s nursery!
It’s official! I started my balcony garden for the year! Fingers crossed that I’m able to keep my plants surviving and thriving!
The day before Easter, I went out and bought all kinds of seeds… a variety of fruits, veggies and flowers.
This year I am using a few tips and tricks from last year, and using them to improve my gardening skills.
For example, I decided to keep the packets to all my seeds, tape them to popsicle sticks and place them in the pots so I can remember what I plant and where.
I also have been very observant of the weather/temperature and pull in my plants when it gets below 34° outside. I’m hoping this will help my plants not to freeze or get damaged.
I am understanding when and how much to water my plants. I water my plants the most when I first plant them and on really hot days.
A huge game changer that I have learned this go around is Miracle Grow. They don’t call it a miracle for nothing. That stuff does wonders!
Lastly, I formed a habit when taking care of my plants. For instance, I remember to water my plants in the evening when I feed Rocky, clean his liter and pack my lunch.
This is my balcony garden and I’m hopeful that it is going to grow, grow, Grow!
About three weeks ago, I was on Pinterest, and I stumbled across a video about how to grow an avocado tree from an avocado pit. It looked easy, so I decided to give it a try.
First, I gathered up a few avocado pits I had from an avocado and tuna fish sandwich the day before.
Then I peeled the skin off each pit.
Next, I got a paper towel for each pit and made them very damp. Then I wrapped the paper towel around each pit.
Once they were all wrapped, I placed each pit in a ziplock bag and sealed them tight.
Then, I taped each bag to my sliding door. At this point in the planting process the avocado pits don’t need sunlight. But I still hung them up just so I wouldn’t forget about them and they’d be near my other plants.
Fast forward to 2 and a half weeks later and I checked on my avocado pits.
One pit had finally cracked and sprouted a root! I was beyond excited. It was then time to place it in a full vase of water.
At first I used tooth picks to support my pit, but the tooth pics just ended up sliding, causing the pit to sink to the bottom of the vase. I then tried a rubber band, and plastic wrap.
About three days later I checked on my other avocado pits. One avocado pit has also opened and sprouted a root. The last pit had shown no growth so I figured it was a dud.
Progress on first avocado pit First avocado pit and how I keep it securely above the waterI placed plastic wrap over the opening and pulled a rubber band around the sides. Then I poked a small hole in the middle with scissors. This helps the pit to stay secure but allows the root to get water.
And there ya go, two successful avocado pits have sprouted and have successfully been transferred into water. Stayed tuned for more updates on my planting this season. I will be giving more updates in the coming weeks!
It is time again for another blog post round up! The following are a list of recent blog posts that were not only popular but also a favorite to myself and many of my readers.
My Kitchen Reveal!
In late March, my husband and I moved to our new apartment right at the beginning of the Corona virus Pandemic. It was crazy, quick and overwhelming. Regardless of how we got here, we absolutely love our new home. Check out my kitchen reveal post to see how I decorated our kitchen.
New Edition to the Family!
As many of you know, we did add a new edition to our family this year, and his name is Rocky. He is a gray, long haired domestic tabby. He is super smart, hilarious, and sassy. We love him so much and are so glad we adopted him.
Deep Fried Pickles Recipe
Since graduating from college, I have found myself in the kitchen more often. Part of this is because I have more time to cook, and it is also because I no longer have the luxury of eating meals at the dining hall. Check out my Deep Fried Pickles recipe, and other recipes I will be sharing this month.
What’s My Why?
What’s my why? This is a question that many influencers ask themselves. What’s the reason I write a blog? What’s the reason I advocate for this important cause? What’s the reason I do what I do every single day? This blog post talks all about why I do what I do.
Another Plants Update
This past summer was the first summer I had a balcony. I took full advantage of this balcony by growing many different plants. Check out my different blog posts this summer of my progress and fails in growing plants.
It’s Been 19 Years Since the World Changed
It has been 19 years since 9/11 happened. As I mentioned in this blog post, it is one of the first tragic terrorist attacks that I can recall in my life time. In this post I discuss my memories of that fateful day.
Happy Fall Ya’ll
Having holidays in a new apartment, means I get to try some new decorating ideas. For example, I have never had my own fireplace that I have been able to decorate. But this year, I plan to decorate it for every season. Check out this post to see how I decorated for fall.
Expanding Our Family… What’s Next for Us
This unexpectedly, was a super popular post. This was the post where I shared our thoughts on expanding our family. I also share a tentative 2 year plan as we prepare for parenthood.
Taco Baked Potato Recipe
I am such a huge fan of potatoes and tacos. So I thought, why not combine the two? In this post I share my recipe of a Taco Baked Potato.
Christmas Decorating 2020
Yes, I know… another decorating post. But I can’t help it, I love decorating and home decor. Check out this post to see how I decorated this year for Christmas.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! This year has been quite crazy, I can’t stress that enough. So, I thought my home was in need of a little Christmas cheer. Many times I try to wait until after my anniversary (mid November) to decorate my home for Christmas. But this year, I decided to go ahead and decorate my home a little early. With a new apartment, a fireplace, and some extra time off… I figured why not.
This year I was able to put 3 stockings over my new fireplace. One stocking is for my husband, one for myself and one for my kitty Rocky. My hubby and I are considering exchanging stockings this year, since we were able to hang our stockings.
This right here is one of my favorite Christmas decorations. It is a hand made, crocheted nativity scene that was gifted to us for our wedding. We absolutely love it!
My Santa Clause clothes line is an antique, and was passed down to me from my Grandma. While growing up my Grandma hung a normal little clothes line in her window over her kitchen sink. But during the holidays, she hung this Santa Clause one in her window. I love this unique Christmas decoration. It is one of my favorites.
I would say my Christmas decorations are coming along, but I’m not quite finished yet. I still have a few finishing touches I would like to add. Have you decorated for Christmas yet?
I just love Fall! The changing colors in the leaves, the smell of pumpkin, and apples, the crisp air in the mornings… it’s all my favorite.
Something I look forward to each year is decorating for fall. Part of the reason I decorate is because it makes me happy and I love doing it, and the other reason is because I have some decorations left over from my fall wedding four years go. These pumpkins on my entertainment center for example were some of my wedding decorations.
This leaf garland I recently bought from Hobby Lobby, and I absolutely love it! It fits perfectly over my fireplace.
This centerpiece is a combination of new and old decorations. The bouquet for example is actually my wedding bouquet. The pumpkin, gourds and straw are something I bought this year.
Thanks for checking out my fun fall decorations! It has been so exciting to be able to decorate my new living room for fall!
Hello friends! If you’ve been following me for awhile, it’s a safe bet that you’ve seen pretty much every part of my apartment since I moved in March. You’ve probably even seen parts of my balcony since I’ve shown you my many plants. However, I haven’t yet done a balcony reveal. So, without further or do, I welcome you to my balcony.
My balcony is full of plants, a lawn chair, a bike and storage. I love our balcony, as it is spacious and welcoming.
I can imagine I will be storing much of the items on my balcony, this winter. But for now, I am going to enjoy my current balcony set up.
Our balcony has a great view of the other buildings in our complex as well as the wide open sky. it’s so fun to see storms roll in, and beautiful sunrises early in the morning.
Recently, we bought a storage unit/bench we are able to store our pots and planting through the winter.
Last but not least, our balcony is accompanied by our large slider door. This door allows for gorgeous natural lighting into our living room and a wonderful view of our plants from the inside.
Thank you so much for checking out my balcony reveal! I only have two places in my home you haven’t seen… can you guess what room I’ll show you next?
Grief and Mercy 