april is wedding month III: happy anniversary to me!

Hello abode lovers, I know, I know, long time no see huh? Well, my brain is still being consumed with pregnancy-- so I'm just about useless in all aspects of my life, especially anything creative! Why is it that my sweet Lochlan is zapping my creativity and motivation? WHAT is that about? I'm hoping that I'll go back to normal soon, I'm basically a couch potato as of now, and that's really not my style. 

Anyway, April is usually wedding month here at Abode Love but since this month I am pregnant and super lame, it's just not happening. (Just FYI, many people told me, including Super Mom that pregnancy would make me hyper creative... I guess I missed that boat, big time.) However, it IS still my 4 year anniversary today, so let's reminisce a little.....

Thank you to Stephen DeVries for my AMAZING photos that I still love dearly 4 years later!

For more details on THE DRESS, check it out here, it's a good story... 

Super Mom and General Dad 

Mister Husband with my baby brother 

Michael + Laurel-Dawn from Kinora Films on Vimeo.

I am making some serious headway on the nursery and can't wait to share all of the details with you! I am hoping to get a few photos taken over the weekend of my progress. I hope all of you abode lovers have a great day!

irish hunt nursery plans

Hello abode lovers! I'm still alive, I swear, I'm just pregnant and totally not myself. I'm this uncreative, tired zombie person who can't make a decision.... I hope I go back to normal when I have this baby! I'm missing my old ideas, complete decisiveness and personality! 

Today I wanted to share the design board for Lochlan Patterson's little nursery! I'm calling it the Irish Hunt Nursery... You see, the wallpaper is clearly a little English fox hunt, but since we are having a "McBaby" with a super Irish first name, I'm changing the theme to an Irish Hunt... Also, green is the main color I'll be using, so, you know... it all makes sense in my super weird preg brain, if it doesn't make sense to you... then don't worry, it's me, not you. 

The entire plan for the nursery is centered around Anthropologie's Lady of the Manor wallpaper that is no longer being sold. Do I have this wallpaper already? Nope. I wish. So, since I've been obsessed with this wallpaper for YEARS, I'm going to try my best (with a TON of Supermom's help) to make my own version by changing a few things to customize the print and make it my own. I'm going to add our dogs (King & Lady) to the wallpaper, take off a few horses and add leaves and tiny shamrocks instead of using the roses that are on the Lady of the Manor Wallpaper. 

I was devastated that this wallpaper was no longer available, but my mom and I are going to do what we can through Spoonflower's new custom wallpaper option and this way, it will be custom, which is pretty fun! Spoonflower's wallpaper is also removable, which is great for resell purposes! We are also now toying with the idea of getting Spoonflower's printed fabric option and hanging fabric on the walls-- (also removable, and perhaps much cheaper!) More on this subject later...

Here is the design board for the nursery space:

1. Pottery Barn Silk Dupioni Drapes (from Pottery Barn outlet, had these for years)  2. Augusta Iron Canopy Crib, Restoration Hardware Baby & Child  3. Mobile, Sheep Creek Needlecraft  4. Marlo Serena & Lily Nursery Bedding  5. Drum Side Table, Restoration Hardware Baby & Child  6. Mirimar Chair in Turquoise/Putty Diamond, Serena & Lily  7. Deer Wreath Pillow, Coral & Tusk  8. Julian Apothecary Floor Lamp, Ballard Designs 

Where will the nursery be located? The office of course! Mister Husband and I are going to have to do some serious finageling to move his entire office to his Man Mountain... You see, we never thought in a million years that we would still be in our little abode when we had our first child, so I didn't plan very well for the future when buying and placing furniture around our house. The booming housing market has kept us in our little abode, but we love it, so everything will be fine! (It might just look a little cramped, ugh, skank.)

Another nursery detail that I've been obsessed with for years for a boy or girl is the Marlow bedding from Serena + Lily.... which is also no longer available, but I purchased it before finding out the sex of the baby on CLEARANCE! Wahoo for me! I was able to snag the bedding at HALF price... major high five. Major. I'm honestly not usually a fan of any "bed in a bag" but I loved how neutral it was and all of the embroidery is so lovely. The price was also a major selling point and it's really hard to pass up a bargain when you have other big ticket items in the same space. 

Another item I'm BEYOND pumped about is the mobile. I swear, this is going to be my favorite part of the entire space. I'm commissioning Andrea from Sheep Creek Needlecraft to create a custom felt mobile of King (our lab) and Lady (our cocker spaniel) that is reminiscent of the mobile seen above. I LOVE the colors and cannot WAIT to see our pups made out of felt! It's a splurge but it's the only thing that will hang above the crib and I see it as a piece of art... so it's totally worth the cash to snag such a beautiful piece. I still need to get on the ball and send Andrea photos of our pups so that she can get started... one of many things to cross off my "to-do" list. 

There are TONS of other items that I'm in love with for this space, and I'll discuss the decisions about each piece as they start to be delivered... 

So- what do you think of my vision for Lochlan's Irish Hunt nursery? I have been so excited to share this plan with all of you, and also nervous-- I can't wait to share the progress with you as we get started on changing the office to our sweet baby's space!

I hope all of you abode lovers have been well, I have missed all of you!

our little lad...

Hello abode lovers! That's right, I guess Mama's intuition was RIGHT! (and Daddy's intuition for that matter) We've decided to name our sweet baby boy Lochlan Patterson McBurney-- it's super Irish, and we love that since we are a McFamily after all...

Super mom made the ombre style blue cake... loved it! She also rigged up the "babykins" sign and hung the mobile that she made well over 20 years ago for me before I was born!

Mister Husband and I couldn't be more thrilled... we were so happy to see our sweet babykins kickin' like a champ (a soccer champ that is) and waving to us with his tiny fingers... sweet Lochlan melted my heart! Way to give your mommy and daddy a show... 

So... now the planning begins. Our little lad will be here at the end of July and he needs an amazeballs nursery... so I MUST get on it ASAP! Here are a few pieces that were already purchased before knowing the sex...

The Augusta Canopy Crib 

This puppy was certainly a splurge, but I'm confident I'll use it for every baby I ever have... all 8 of them... or maybe just 3? Anyway, I snagged this bad boy right after Christmas when they were running one of their deals... I got this crib on sale, thank God! It's not due to arrive until April, good thing I ordered it so early! 

I am planning on placing this beautiful crib in front of a large window, so I knew that I wanted a crib with some visual weight OVER the crib... I love this piece! 

Serena + Lily's Marlo bedding. (I've loved it for years for a boy or girl) It's no longer being sold, but again, I snagged this bedding right after Christmas when it went HALF OFF for the first time EVER and is now GONE for good! We won't be tying little bows on the spindles... I will be tying very masculine knots so that Lochlan knows that he is in fact a boy :) Although, I don't mind the sweet touches of flowers and little bugs... babies are babies, and I love this bedding! 

No worries abode lovers... there will be plenty of masculine touches in the room and color that will help "boy up" the space... this is just what I have so far! I can't wait to share an inspiration board soon!  

Thank you so much for all of your kind comments and well wishes-- this is such an amazing time in my life and can't really wrap my head around the miracle that is happening within me, but I know that I'm excited! I hope all of you abode lovers have a fantastic day and Hip! Hip! Hooray! for BOYS! 

little lady or little lad?

Hello abode lovers-- I know, I know.... it's been a while, again. I am SO disappointed in my lack of blogging as of late. I mean, who knew pregnancy takes it out of you like this? I'll be 15 weeks Thursday and have been feeling much better. Thank you all for your kind and super encouraging messages! This gal has been in skank-town-USA without any clue of how to get the hell out of there! But after nausea, sinus infections, and er, other.... infections.... (thank you pregnancy) I finally feel like I'm coming out of the woods.

I didn't mention this in my last post, but it's SO exciting. My sister, Nene, not her real name, that lives in Atlanta with two boys is also expecting a sweet baby 8 days before me! We're 19 months apart, so we've always been super close and I feel so blessed that I get to walk through this experience WITH her! She also found out last week that she's having a GIRL!!!! I die. I literally die of excitement.

This Friday, Mister Husband and I are taking a little trip down to a 4-d ultrasound place to find out what we're having EARLY! Why are we doing this?? Easy. Two words. NURSERY PLANNING!

Now, some of my long-time followers might be thinking.... "WAIT! You already designed your nursery, like, years ago".... and you would be correct. BUT things change, AND unfortunately, some items stop being sold. So, while I still adore my original nursery plan... there have been many fun and inspiring changes that have made me SUPER excited to get started!

Here is my plan from way back in September of 2010. It's gender neutral and I still think it's super sweet... however, I have had some major changes going on in my head that I cannot WAIT to share with all of you! (But I've GOT to know the sex before I really start diving in)

So, truth be told, I'm positive I'm having a baby boy. I mean, positive. Mister Husband also thinks he's a boy as does my amazing OB. So, what do YOU think it is??? I LOVE wondering about it and would just explode with happiness with either sex-- but I do have that "motherly instinct" that I'm dealing with a super tough boy in my belly. (He's given me a lot of hell... so I'm just thinking it's a boy that's hard headed and full of passion and life- just like my precious Mister Husband!) 

Now, I know that wives tales say that being sick=girl, but that's never been correct with my family and friends... so I just don't buy that! Chinese calendar says boy on one version and girl on another.... so, a big thanks to the chinese, you're of NO help. Heartbeat has been fast both times we've heard it (which is by the way THE most amazing and magical sound) but again, I don't buy that theory either! My super mom brought home her first daughter to a blue nursery and airplane sleepers because my sister Nene had a slow heartbeat! 

So--- I need predictions. We can only guess and wonder what it will be for a few more days (although it feels like an ETERNITY)! So abode lovers.... lady? or lad????