baby shower #2 - the gallatin friends + family!

kapow - have i mentioned that my maternity wardrobe is 10x bolder than anything i ever dared to wear while slim and trim!?! well - here's proof.

it was such a sweet treat to celebrate baby munday w/ friends and family from the gallatin area a few weekends ago (nov 16th). shame on me for being so ridiculously slow pulling pictures from camera to computer AND for barely capturing pictures w/ any of the guests (including one w/ my mother-in-law and mom - who drove 7 hrs to make the celebration).

my sister-in-law melissa and good friend joanna were the perfect hosts. mommy went to town on the incredible spread - oh yum! and joanna what was the trick to the tea again? an arnold palmer (1/2 lemonade + 1/2 tea) + almond? new favorite drink.

thank you again to everyone for your sweet gifts & thoughtful advice. baby munday is so blessed by each of you already!

{nesting} more painting!

this weekend we painted ...

i spent all day saturday painting a twin bed for the nursery. i thought that was a big job ... WRONG. all day sunday was spent painting 2/3rds of the crib. it felt like punishment - crib prison. 2 coats of primer followed by 2 coats of annie sloan old white. my child might be forced to sleep in this crib until he/she moves out.

wade assisted w/ priming the crib. admitting that it was the most miserable job EVER ... he spent the rest of the day painting the nursery. we settled on the same grey tan color as our living room - bc 1/ we found a full can of it in the basement! 2/ it is super similar to restoration hardware graphite (our choice for the nursery).

we were anxious to move in furniture!!! {we're still deciding on final placement for everything.}

of course ... we still have trim to paint AND touch ups to the wall AND touch ups on both pieces of furniture AND a thin coat of annie sloan clear wax on both beds AND finishing work for the fireplace AND shelves to purchase and hang AND storage boxes to make ... AND ohhhhh so much more! i find comfort reminding myself that baby will not care what the nursery looks like!

now off to get some much needed rest!

{nesting} a dresser for baby

i think i've finally entered the nesting stage of this pregnancy. which is a good thing bc we need to get busy! luckily i'm entering it early enough that i can still work around the bump!

over the weekend we finally finished all the messy work in the nursery! super soon wade plans to post about this project! we have to cut and nail up a couple of pieces for the footboard + then paint! maybe this weekend!?! :) life w/o access to 1/5 of the house due to this dirty dirty fireplace excavation has been rough! and worst of all was sanding down the drywall and spackle. good golly - even our closed kitchen cabinets were fair game for dust. :-/

sunday following my first prenatal yoga class (so fun - nashville mommies-to-be check out kali yuga yoga for their next 6 week prenatal session) ... wade and i got in there and CLEANED. we mopped the floor 4x and washed down the walls and all the window and door frames and the chandelier. we still need to wipe down the brick of the fireplace before we seal it. i really should have taken a before and after of the cleaning process alone.

cleaning somehow motivated us though! wade spent the rest of the afternoon reorganizing the pantry. a job well done - and well overdue (could he be nesting too?). and i decided to start painting furniture for the nursery.

wade had this old yellow dresser which needed an update. 

to tell you the truth - it's a pretty rough piece - exposed nails, broken corners. but i think that's part of the charm! i approached him about painting the dresser thinking he might be sensitive bc it was his childhood dresser. turns out he has no idea where it came from. "probably some garage sale find by my mom." you mean - i could have painted it years ago?!

2 coats of annie sloan chalk paint in graphite later ... and i love it!

yes - black (well graphite) in the nursery. you won't believe the color we're painting the walls also! ;-) ... now to find the right knobs.

i think our nursery style has morphed into "french amish farm". haha! are there amish living in france?  *** time for a little google knowledge: the last old order amish settlement in europe (germany to be exact) ceased to exist in 1937 when it merged w/ a local mennonite congregation. there are a number of beachy amish congregations due to missionary outreach (beachy amish = more progressive allowing electricity in the home + automobiles & telephones).

this weekend i hope to start painting the crib and the twin bed that will be in the room! AND i need to start working on christmas gifts. 75 days until christmas. 100 days until baby! hopefully this energy streak will continue!

feeling inspired: a modern farm nursery

i have been all over the place when it comes to "theme" for the nursery. 1 // we're not finding out what we're having AND 2 // our nursery will also double as a guest room (or at least will include a twin w/ trundle) ... so the overall design needs to be neutral. let's face it - my overall style is pretty neutral w/ pops of color.

and then i stumbled upon these baby animal prints from the animal prints shop. swoon! i mean really!?! the debate became woodland animals or farm animals. woodland are REALLY popular right now - so there are so many cute ideas and fabrics available. but farm ... well google "baby farm" - and it's a pretty cheesy selection.

so today a simple take on a modern farm nursery:

{1} painted burlap rooster accent pillow via take flyte farm on etsy

{2} smile pillow via honey pie design on etsy (how cute would this be w/ a "moo"!?!)

{3} westport tchicken coup via pottery barn kids

{4} sweet lambie mobile via pottery barn kids (sadly this is no longer available via pb. and selling at $150 on ebay. yeeks. :( any blog readers out there that have this and are ready to sell!?!)

{5} super star crib sheets in fawn via aden + anais

{6} davinci 3-in-1 convertible jenny lind crib via amazon

{7} adorable cloud pillow + gold frame via colette bream on etsy

{8} garment-dyed medallion quilt in ivory via restoration hardware baby & child

{9} piped solid crib skirt in mist via restoration hardware baby & child

{10} garment-dyed crochet linen bumper in mist via restoration hardware baby & child

{11} dip-dyed tassel garland via the minimalist

{12} truffle large 24" sheep via jellycat (this doesn't do this adorable doll justice - see caroline lubbers's sneak peak on design*sponge for full cuteness effect!)

{13} "milky" sock animal (we picked this up while in NOLA. our first baby purchase!)

{14} duckling print via the animal print shop (we have our eye on piglet, lamb no. 2 and duckling. crossing my fingers that the llama releases before our due date too!)

we've started work on exposing the original brick fireplace! i really need to share some pics of the process. both grandpas helped way beyond their grandfatherly duty - we are so thankful!!! i get more excited every time i look in there - and can't wait to start cleaning up (oh the dust!). soon!

feeling inspired: the nursery

happy sunday, blogosphere! 

just gathering up the energy to clean house during my first trimester was an accomplishment. but finally a productive weekend around the munday household! i'm just into the second trimester and feeling much more myself - aka motivated!

i'm especially excited to start working on our nursery! so today i put together a little mood board w/ inspiration for our sweet baby's future room:

1 // this over-sized frame + whimsical cloud. via ColetteBream on etsy.
2 // exposed brick! do we dare uncover the old chimney?!? wade has the itch. any advice?
3 // and IF we expose the brick - we'll get rid of the awkward little closet and take advantage of vertical space by putting up piping and shelves to display baby clothes and toys. via baby lifestyles.
4 // our nursery will double as a guest bedroom. so i have my heart set on a twin-sized trundle bed. swoon - this laredo trundle bed by wesley allen in rustic ivory.
5 // THIS primitive dry sink for our changing table. yup - i have my heart set on this exact one. :-/ maybe i can find a builder to make a replica? via pinterest.
6 // layered rugs - maybe even our moroccan wedding blanket!
7 // more whimsical! i love the idea of monotone animals. of course, this adorable utopia elephant lamp (via jonathan adler) is slightly out of our budget.
8 // if we have room - a teepee! every kiddo needs a teepee. so cute! via design*sponge.
9 // and of course - most important - a crib. we love the millbrook iron crib at restoration hardware.

i know i know. i need more color. that's a hard part for me! but we do have a teal kitchen table! so it's not entirely a stretch! we aren't finding out if we're having a boy or a girl - so we plan to add color through accessories after he or she arrives.

now to start saving every penny. this little guy or girl is pretty spoiled already!

home sweet home

well hey there, stranger. it's been 4 months and 17 days since i last blogged! yup - basically forever!

yeesh.

of course - i keep telling myself that home ownership is the perfect excuse. a 98 year old house presents a never-ending to do list. wade has been a champ! however ... friends/family keep telling me that i now have EVEN more reason TO blog. even more design on a dime, even more DIYs, even more life lessons ... even more need to vent! true true. but blogging again has presented me with major anxiety. ha. where do i even start!?!

we've been busy busy in the yard this spring!
so today - i'm sharing our front yard projects thus far + a few items on our wishlist:

 

here's what we've been doing instead of blogging:

• we added gutters on the porch. clarification: after countless hours of research, we decided to go w/ 6" 1/2 round white gutters. 1/2 rounds are a little more expensive but true to era for our home. (we are saving to gutter the rest of the house next year.)
• after a spontaneous trip to the flea market - we ... okay honestly ... wade completely dug up and replanted the 4 rosebushes, 5 crepe myrtles and 6 boxwoods that the former homeowners had planted prior to selling the house. i sketched and directed the process. ;-). then we added*:
• 5 irish junipers for height
• 3 virginia sweetspires bc they are a tennessee native and give a little color
• and an incrediball hydrangea under the dining room window (it boasts of blossoms the size of your head!).
• we also took the dwarfed dogwood tree from the front yard, moved it to the backyard and replaced it with a perfect little dogwood tree.  i'm pretty sure that the original dogwood was hit by a car at some point ... really praying our new little tree is a survivor.
• of course, a ton of new plants means new extended beds. we decided to use pinestraw as mulch. it was super easy lightweight and easy to spread. and the cost vs coverage is ah-mazing. AND where mulch can pull nutrients away from soil (aka don't put woodchips in your compost pile) - pinestraw adds nitrogren to soil which is excellent for hydrangeas and other plants. first time homeowner complaint // will the weeding of my beds ever end!?!
• we purchased, painted and hung a pretty little porch swing. pretty sure there are only 2 beams in our porch ceiling and we have several holes in our ceiling from a faulty studfinder. ha. after much frustration - it's angled a little differently than we had anticipated - but an ultimate favorite place to spend the evenings.
• last but not least, we added some porch decor. (i'll share some closeups soon.)

*PS - why do plants have to take so long to grow into their full potential!?! gah - i need a plant time machine or microwave. stat. 

of course before we wrap up ... let's daydream about curb appeal for a second.  {someday}:

• we're going to brick the front walk. we collected and bricked a patio in the back as practice. and now need to collect some more (and the energy to lay them!). and of course decide on a pattern. in the meantime, i've become obsessed w/ all the bricked walks and patterns in the neighborhood.  

 

 

• the back porch has ceiling fans - and they are going to be amazing w/ tennessee heat! so we definitely have decided that we need ceiling fans on the front porch! :-) and while we're up there - we'll update the tacky ceiling (and cover all those porch swing oops holes) w/ haint blue bead board. 

 

{credit - l: southern living, photo: laurey w. glenn; r: moodboard}

• wade is really really set on moving our house # to the transom window above the front door. and i might have to give on this. it would definitely look cool. (sort of a hard pic to see - but i love this font and use of No. ###)

 

{credit - the foo dog ate my homework} 

of course - {someday, someday, someday} when we have a million katrillion dollars ... 

 

we want extend the house on the left side of the front porch (removing the "2nd front door" behind the swing) to add a 1/2 bath. a house around the corner w/ similar layout recently did this - and we're super jealous.  we lucked out w/ a MONSTER OF A PORCH that would continue to be super big even w/ the addition. and we could use the added bathroom - talk about resale value! 

 

of course, we also dream about adding a master suite in back and bedrooms in the attic. okay okay i'm getting super carried away! ;-) 

 

hope some of you are still around. have missed you, friends.  

so what's on your curb appeal wishlist?

making adult decisions ...

want an update on the house? well she's coming along.
proof, you say? today she looks like this:

woo hoo! beautiful! right!?!

though i say that sarcastically, i'm actually THRILLED about that 100ft hose & black tarp parading through our foyer and living room. today we're having insulation blown into the attic! did you know that 37% of your energy loss is through your roof!?! (nerdy homeowner talk!) we knew that our sweet home like many in east nashville didn't have sufficient insulation when we moved in, and that it was a big priority! we're going from zilch insulation to about r-44 (between r-38 and r-49 are recommended for our climate zone). then next week we're insulating the basement as well. 3 cheers for efficient heating and cooling!

instead of running out to buy furniture + art for the house like i really really really really really want to do, we're spending some big bucks on maintenance. along w/ the insulation, we're having debris removed from the basement & vapo put down to seal it from moisture. we're also getting a termite contract to protect from future infestation (it's only a matter of time in this area). next we'll research gutters AND then ... THEN if nothing else crazy comes up (which i know it's bound to in a 100 year old home!), we'll start investing in the fun stuff.

(this pic is basically a before/after --- the foreground shows what little insulation there was before!)

i'm highly aware that this isn't the stuff you blog home about!
but i'm doing it anyway! family work day - part 2 starts bright and early tomorrow.

what's the best investment you've made on your home?

may i introduce you to ...

saturday turned into family work day around the new house - so i didn't get around to blogging as promised. but we knocked so many things off the "to do" list. i'll blog more about a few of those things separately.

first let me tell you a bit about our move ...

we agreed that the seller could occupy the house until 9 days after we closed. unfortunately this pushed our move to friday, december 21st - yes 4 days before christmas. though we hired movers, we were blessed by a whole heap of friends dropping in on saturday morning before each of them went their separate way for christmas.

then it got cray! wade and i drove to his parents' that afternoon for christmas with his siblings. the next morning, we welcomed his brother and sister-in-law (and 6 kids under 11!) over for a quick house tour. wade's parents dropped by in the afternoon and we had in-town-for-christmas friends over sunday evening. by 8am on monday morning, we were back in the car and headed to christmas, part 2 w/ wade's family. from there, we drove directly to illinois for 2 days with my family. i ended up spending the 2nd day in bed w/ the flu. we packed the car and drove back to nashville on the 26th despite a snowstorm and recovering stomach adding 3hrs to our usual 6.5 hour trip.

we agreed to have the seller's repairs finished after our move bc of a quick closing & christmas and bc i was off the week between the holidays to oversee. thursday at 8am the contractor & crew arrived.*** over the next 3 days, our house was a mess of drywall, sanding, paint, caulk, plumbing, roofing, debris removal, and electrical projects ... and lots and lots of dirt + dust. the seller was awesome and had the house professionally cleaned the day before we moved in, but in the aftermath of repairs, the house was even more of a mess than it had been on day 1. now it was still in boxes and GROSS.

in the midst of all that crazy, we adopted a dog! hattie - a 4-year old english bulldog - came home to live w/ us on the thursday following christmas (yes - the day the contractor arrived!). if you follow along on instagram, i apologize. i've already become "that" dog mama. a few favorites:

poor hattie had all kinds of health problems after 6m of being passed around from foster to foster - double ear infection, impacted anal glands (def the only time you'll ever read that on my blog!), a skin rash from poor diet (hattie is gluten free like me!), allergies and the dreaded f-word ... fleas! talk about major pet ownership orientation! we're medicating and babying her back to health. i have to get over my ocd tendencies and find my loving, nurturing side. good practice for future little mundays? maybe.

my BIGGEST concern - fleas! say "flea" and i begin to itch! ick! i'm using a spritz of 5 drops lemon essential oils + 5 drops lavender oils + 1c water on her skin and her bedding in addition to her monthly flea/heartworm treatment and i sprayed the living room as a preventative w/ natural defense flea/tick spray. hopefully the essential oils will also be good for her skin. any natural suggestions to keep the fleas away? any other fun tips for new pet owners?

____________________________

*** 2 random things:
1 // i recommend seller's repairs finished before a move. there's already enough on your moving "to do" list. :-\
2 // our realtor blake campbell from village real estate went above and beyond! he was there the entire time watching over the repairs! moving in or around nashville? call him!

holy cow - it's 2013!

i've been so busy busy w/ the whole crazy move that i haven't even stopped by to wish you all a very happy new year! what the!?! it's already almost mid-month! have you set any resolutions? me? well - no. i'm currently trying to feel like i'm not a stranger in our new home! resolving to do anything other than exist and unpack is a bit over-whelming.

mom flew into town last friday and she has been so helpful. it's amazing what little things like a waste basket in your laundry room or a night light in the bathroom do to make a house a home. she's also determined to get me to put things on the wall. she claims it will make us feel more settled. and you know what? she's right! so thankful for all the furniture wade's parents and grandparents have given to us. and my dad drives down today w/ 1 final truck load!

i have a confession. our new house was featured on apartment therapy this past week - go here check it out ... it looks amazing. however ... it's felt a little discouraging. everyone's all "WOW your house looks amazing" and i'm all "oh if you only could see it now." we look like such a downgrade. boxes, temporary decorations, furniture that needs refinished, tweaked, yada yada. and this is where you all remind me that the former owner lived there for like 8 years. yah yah, i know.

how about  few pics of the OUTSIDE of our house. it still looks pretty pretty. these were part of the christmas shoot we did w/ the amazing alissa saylor prior to our move. please check her out!

{photos: alissa saylor photography}

my honey-do list and personal to do lists are growing! we have so many fun ideas for the new place. first off however we have to do the practical things like buy gutters and install insulation and get a termite contract. woot woot. things that really look impressive on the blog. :-/

back tomorrow w/ a fun little update!

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas ...

despite our crazy holiday schedule (oh - and packing to move!), we took some time off this past weekend to hang out w/ photographer alissa saylor. we are so blessed to have talented friends.

as excited as we are to have our very first home - i have to admit it's a little bittersweet packing up our apartment. we have so many memories of our first 2 years of marriage here - and we will definitely miss mornings in our little kitchen. not to mention i nearly cried telling our wonderful neighbor jerry (and his kitty lily) that we were moving out. *enter watery eyes again* ... we were so very thankful that alissa could capture pictures of us at both our brand new home & at our current apartment.

i especially love w/ the pictures of us decorating cookies --- a vickroy family tradition that we will someday pass along to our kiddos.

per wade's usual, he makes one, eats one. :) which yes - means all our of christmas cookies have already been consumed. an excuse to make more!?! (can i find time - and get this house packed!?!)

head on over to alissa saylor photography to see more of our pictures & more of her amazing work!

ps - here's my gfree sugar cookie recipe! definitely the yummiest gfree sugar cookies - and to be honest ... we like the better than the glutinous ones we ate before we realized my allergy. these are sooo delicious bc of the oat flour! and this time i substituted almond extract for vanilla. let's all say it together ... yum!

we're moving! (so rent our apt!!) UPDATE: rented!

yup! we've decided that we need a bigger place. and that sadly means that our cozy little apartment is up for rent. i wanted to share it with my blog friends/family first ... in case any of you were interested!

the details:

$1050 - 1bd/1ba apartment located on the 2nd floor of a historic home on 18th ave. seconds from hillsboro village hot spots - enjoy the yummiest breakfast in town @the pancake pantry, coffee at fido and an independent film + a glass of wine at the belcourt theatre. minutes from downtown and a short walk to music row/belmont/vanderbilt. plus - you can't beat this area if you're a runner/walker!

almost 11 ft ceilings, hardwood floors, ceiling fans, big kitchen w/ built ins + a pantry. w/d hookups in kitchen. plenty of STORAGE. the master bedroom includes his & hers closets! shared front porch - we'll even throw in the hanging lights we installed. no smokers or dogs. available jan 1st. one-year lease + deposit.

we have loved this little place. i can remember when i found it shortly after we had gotten engaged. wade was still in boston and he trusted me to find our perfect "first home". i walked into the kitchen filled w/ morning sunshine and knew it was perfect. wade is a morning person - and he spends each morning at the kitchen table drinking coffee and reading the new yorker as the sun rises and fills the room. we've made so many memories here in our first 2 years of marriage.

it will definitely be bittersweet to move. :) although much sweeter to pass it on to someone who will love it as much as we have!

UPDATE: i'm 99.9% sure it's rented! will let you know if her references fall through. yay!

"sew" what now?

time to decorate!

at home in illinois for the weekend. doing a little antique shopping w/ my mum, my neice nyah & grandma while dad & wade golf. of course - shopping w/ a purpose!

inspired by these adorable sewing spaces from the 36th avenue & going home to roost:

and this ridiculously cute print from pen & paint on etsy:

{source: 1, 2, 3}

my singer 15-91 obsession.

if you follow along on FB or instagram or have run into me in person lately - you're quite aware that i've become a bit obsessed w/ old singer sewing machines. with much research, i purchased a beautiful singer 15-91 from stagecoach road sewing (reborn sewing machines on etsy). the wait was impossible!!! but she finally arrived last week.


isn't she lovely ...




why the 15-91, you ask? 

it was between the singer 201-2 & the 15-91. both include cast iron body and the same gear driven internal motor (aka - no belt - perfect for thicker materials!). they use the same needles and low shank, screw-on feet and attachments & have the same quality straight stitch + reverse feed. there's a difference in hook type, bobbin size, light placement and a slight difference in harp size (read more here), but the biggest difference is price. released around the same time, the more expensive 201 was known as the "dressmaker's machine" while the 15-91 was slightly cheaper and known as the "farmer's wife's machine". let's face it folks ... i'm much more of a "farmer's wife" type. :)

i was also completely sold seeing how excited mike from stagecoach road sewing was over my pretty girl. (yes - there's a video.)



of course - once i bought the machine, i had a new mission. she needed a home. the mother of one of wade's friends from high school saw that i was buying a machine on FB and offered us an old table that she had in the basement as long as we took the broken machine inside w/ it to dispose. we like free! we drove to gallatin over the weekend to pick it up. (thank you, deb!)

unfortunately we soon found out that older singer's require very specific cabinets. wade promised that he could jerry-rig the table to work - but instead we decided to check out craigslist and see if we could find a bargain cabinet that fit exactly. yup - i became OBSESSED again. i think i checked craigslist on the hour for the entire weekend.

and then on monday am (at 9.25 to be exact) ... the post:

singer sewing machine in cabinet. model 15-91. works and is in great shape - was my great grandmother's and i simply do not have space. comes with every attachment you can think of!

i pounced! so ...

see that little desk perfectly fitted for the 1 spare corner of our bedroom. well it's so much more than just an absolutely adorable little antique writing desk. it houses my refurbished 15-91 & is the 1st piece to our sewing nook puzzle! yes - an excuse to decorate! peekaboo:

that means that we now have:

4 sewing machines and 2 sewing machine tables!! 

• 1 rinky-dink kenmore sewing machine (my original - which i'll keep as a backup - and until i get a zig-zag stitch attachment for my 15-91).
• 1 broken 1980's model viking.
• 1 singer 15-91 (in working condition - but in need of some TLC and possibly rewiring).
• and my prized possession: 1 completely refurbished singer 15-91.

yes - in our 500-something square foot sweat shop apartment.

(the not so pretty twin! - still super pretty, eh?)

a little outdoor lighting DIY

one disadvantage to apartment living is the lack of a yard. especially for wade. poor guy. he's eager to help our friends work in their yards/gardens to make up for it.

i'm not complaining - we love our little apartment. we're way up in the trees - and our kitchen is almost entirely surrounded by windows. and w/ a quick trip to the hardware store - we now have a fantastic outdoor addition.

say hello to our updated front porch:

we used 8ft deck railing painted white to blend our terrace lighting into the current decking. with 6 screw hooks (3 at the top of the deck railing & 3 along the eave) & hanging lights the ones w/ built in roof hooks, this project was a snap!

and she will be loved. extra space is well appreciated when you live in a 3 room 500-something sq foot apartment!

my goal was to surprise wade w/ this little DIY while he worked the morning of the 4th of july! then i planned to set up a little picnic for us to enjoy! unfortunately, i didn't have the muscle to attach the railings to the old fence myself. even with the electrical drill. (see wade - I NEED YOU!) and the weather wasn't on board w/ my little plan either. i can't complain - we've needed rain!

so we moved our little picnic inside:

now to thrift more comfortable and more "me" porch furniture! :)

home is where the heart is ...

is anybody still out there? is anybody still out there? 
echo? echo ...

finding time to blog has been a bit of a challenge lately! sorry folks. but that's a good thing - life has been super busy/fun lately.

over the weekend, w+i went to visit my grandma in martinsville, illinois. i've shared about martinsville time and time again. it's my heart. :) especially now that grandma is back living at home.

grandma has been in a nursing home for the past 2 and half years. i'm so thankful for my mom & her sister AND early retirement for each of them! they are now altering months as grandma's full-time caregiver!!! we colored. we took a drive out to grandpa's farm. we sang christmas carols and we ate really well! we were even able to catch the first evening of the martinsville agricultural fair. 

where is home for you?