The Nursery-final.

Here are the pics of the finished nursery!  

A few details:

The "buffet:" $150 on Craigslist...then sanded, painted, & sprayed (the hardware)

chair: Ikea Poang chair (LOVE IT)

crib: Jenny Lind crib purchased by my gracious parents (mattress, too)

rug: Costco :) Used to be in our room.

shelves: Ikea

mobile, light fixture and Humpty Dumpty Lamp: Chris and Matt's from when they were wee!

yellow lamp: garage sale, $5

Snow White mirror: garage sale, $5

side table: garage sale, $5

Elephant: Ikea!

The letters: my old roomies :)

Curtains: Target

We are excited for you to come little one so we can delight in you all the days of our lives :)

I made this for you today-you should come wear it!

40 weeks and counting...

 Lord willing this is my last preggo picture this time around :)  Pretty please :)

xoxo, Anna N

38 weeks.

Somehow the baby is in the middle today. That is a cow on our floor.

Less than two weeks!

  

I have less than two weeks left-in theory.  The doctor, who we adore, even gave us a personal note (I call it a "hall pass") so they will personally call him when I go in so hopefully we can have him do the delivery!  

I met with my dula/friend/mentor/sister yesterday and went through how to keep things calm and to truly enjoy and cherish every moment of this little one entering this side of the world.

I had a shower last weekend thrown by my beautiful sis, mom and the amazing Courtney and was abundantly blessed by amazing friends and family.  We seriously have everything we need to get "rolling" and I can't believe how generous our friends are.

(Pics to come)

Things to know about yourself, baby:

-you love to move.  And your feet just switched from the right side to the left side of my tummy. And no, you can't come out the front of my tummy like you have been trying.

-Your daddy is the most solid (physically and mentally) man I know. And he LOVES to dance.

-You are measuring at 36 weeks (odd because I was measuring ahead the whole time and now I am not).

-The doctor thinks you might be a boy.

-You might be up for a competition of being the most loved baby in the womb (thanks, mom:)). Wait til' they can kiss you!

-You have the best dad in the whole, wide, circular, rotating on a 13 degree axis, world.

-We promise to raise you as godly parents and love you in all the ways that Jesus loves us. Which is abundantly and unconditionally...

Side Bar

So Matt for Christmas said he would take me shopping to Forever 21 after the wee one arrives (he said he would "send me" and I asked if he would come :)  Need someone to hold that precious lil'!

Back to the clothing (our little one is currently naked and I am guessing will always prefer that).  I have been scouting while looking for "neutral clothing" and here is what momma-to-be would like to be donning in a few months.

Notes:

-I love silk. Mucho.

-I love color. Mucho.

-I love ruffles and lace.

-I like good prices.

Old Navy Silk Dress

Old Navy Striped Charmeuse Shift Dress

Old Navy Color Block Shift Dress

F21 Rory Beca Top

Less than 3 weeks...

In theory.  The doctor said my body was "doing nothing" in regards to getting ready for having the wee one and I am quite alright with that. I know that my body and the wee one will decide at just the right time when to make the big (hopefully not "too big") reveal.

Crazy, huh?  There is nothing in the world that can prepare for your entire identity changing in the blink of an eye (with labor of course...).  Kind of in the same way that one moment Matt and I said "I do" and the next minute I went from being Anna Wright to being Anna Norman. An entirely new identity-an unconditional commitment (praise God for coming up with marriage-I quite adore this man).

Here are a few things we have been up to:

1) This used to be a lion painting (see below).  It is very large...5'x4'.  It is being transformed into something a little less jungly.  I had the initial idea but of course the brilliant husband came up with even more ways to make it such a fun piece and more artsy.  Hopefully it will be done within the next few days...I know the Lion is awesome but my design imagination couldn't go that big.

2) Husband is taking me walking.  I know you might want to hear that I worked out all of my pregnancy but that would be such a farce.  I have literally been on 6 walks since being pregnant.  Yes, I can count them on two hands.  I so plan on getting back into this working out thing after baby arrives.

3) I found Juanita's chips in large bags: also known as, "Fiesta size."  If you know my husband, you might know these are one of his favorite things-EVER.  I make sure the pantry is always stocked but thankfully, a once a year trip to Winco, revealed that I don't have to put them on the list as often.

Does anyone else feel that place feels like the old TV show, "Supermarket Sweep?"

4) My husband's recent reading-well one of the many books he has been reading. This book is fantastic and a must for any new dad. I just wish there was a mommy version...I am relying a little too much on God's grace and the intuition He gives.

5) You. Must. Read. This. Book.  Single, dating, married...it is incredible.  You might have noted I am a LARGE Timothy Keller fan (technically with the belly I am now "large" in the literal sense:)).  This book is amazing whether you are a Christian or not. Such an amazing perspective on selfishness, marriage, independence, culture, etc.  We read it each night before we go to bed.  It is lovely.

You are lovely, too.

xoxo, Anna N

Design items.

Here are just a few things we have purchased (one that hopefully we will) for the new home!  I am waiting to borrow a fish-eye lens to take photos (and waiting for things to be more "before" and "after" in full effect.  In the meantime, here are some sneaks!

We got this same couch on craigslist (for way less money than list price) and LOVE it.  It is the black/gray wool version.  It is a Camerich (here).  

We put together this light last night (we enjoy team projects and with a goofy husband like mine, I don't know who wouldn't). Ikea Maskros light...it is seriously awesome but definitely not enough light for the dining room-and husband thinks it will cast weird shadows on peoples' faces...we would hate to do that to guests :)

So instead we are hopefully going to order this one from CB2: 

Oh, and no home can be without their own animal...ours just happens to be an extra large sheepskin rug and cowhide.

From Costco.

Koldby Ikea rug.

xoxo, Anna N

Project numero tres.

A project from today.  

It is quite large-36x24 :)  Not framed or set yet.  PS: You can get a box of almost 40 stencils at Ross right now for $3.99!  

Excited to meet you little wee one.  Your daddy and I couldn't love you more.

Thank you, Jesus for forming something that I could have never dreamed up in a million years (even if I were Einstein).  Cellular differentiation is beyond brilliant and I am in awe of the feet and arms that constantly let me know they need more room :)

Nursery-part 1.

Here is a little project completed for the wee one's room.  After my 28 week visit it kind of hit me we were actually going to be parents and thus I realized we should start the nursery :)

Color Palette:

THE BEFORE

THE AFTER

A lot of sanding, some painting, spray paint for the handles and "poof," our extra-large changing table! It is 70 inches long...and quite tall (perfect for our oh-so-short fam).

xoxo, Anna N

Ikea.

This afternoon I am going to Ikea...again  I hadn't been there in at least two years (I think) but I am need of some inspiration of some modern sort :)  Shocking. I know.

I am also getting rid of stuff before the move and selling things such as: the Kitchenaid Pro mixer (sold), the Kitchenaid 12 cup processor, the juicer (almost sold), glasses, etc.

10 days.  Really?!?!  Oh shoot..I should probably get going.  And maybe I should start packing.

PS: Go buy the Matt Hammitt CD and listen to "All of Me." It is a song written about finding out their little boy had a severe heart defect while in the womb and realizing that it stopped him from fully pouring every bit of his heart into loving that baby.  It is so beautiful.

I am going to make a sign for the baby's wall that says: "You are going to have all of us. You are going to have all our love."

{PS} Funny how God works: the one thing I didn't want in a home was something modern and the one thing Matt didn't want was to live in the suburbs.  Here is to God knowing where we should be better than we do :) 10 days until a modern home in the burbs. Love you, baby.

Hallelujah.

xoxo, Anna N (future baby mama)

Heart quatrefoil.

I am still sore...well I am recovering but wow-painting takes some interesting muscles. I figured I had painted 20 hours in three days.  And I am tired of white, desperately tired of pink (seriously, I wish we could find what kind of paint that horrible pink was throughout the whole house because it has taken 3-4 coats to cover it), and so ready for patterns/colors/etc.

Hence: quatrefoil.

I am off to the Depot to look for wallpaper, or stencils, or whatever might strike my fancy.  Here are some pics of things that I have found that I HEART.  Pictures to come from this MAJOR (thought to be moderate) remodel.

This below I will not do...this seriously must've taken 40 hours.  But wallpaper...there is an idea!

circa aqui.

I love this room-all of it.

Circa aqui.

Or maybe I will go find some fabric and see if my old trick of steaming it to a wall will work.  Yes, I have tried it and it worked (at one time).  Love this print. Classic.

circa aqui.

Also, two websites for you lovelies to check out:

www.houzz.com

www.decorpad.com 

xoxo, Anna N

New Home.

 Closing date: September 15th. 


What?!?!  I know.  Crazy/awesome/fantastic times for the 2.5 person Norman Family.  It literally dropped out of nowhere (kind of, story below) and we just knew we were supposed to say yes.


*We will be spending a month remodeling so we will be sure to show before and after photos  (I just love things like that!).

Story:

John Mark and his wife have literally been praying Matt and I would end up in their neighborhood for months. We kind of giggled about it but probably should've considered it more (he is a pastor after all and his wife is like an angel :)).  John Mark called us four days before we were off to go on our anniversary trip and said he was out running, saw a garage sale (two doors down from them) and asked the couple if they were planning to move. Turns out, their daughter already has a home for them in San Diego, he was dying to retire, and they could go whenever but hadn't put the home on the market.  Of course, he got us their number and we saw it Monday and Wednesday (we left for vacay on Thursday).

The entire trip we prayed and talked through it because it just all seemed so right and so out of nowhere.  We felt that God was saying "yes" mainly because of three things: 
1) It wasn't what we had planned (boy have I learned that one...). 2) It wasn't at all what "I" was looking for. I am rustic/cottage style chic and the home is mid-century ranch.  But then again, I did say I would never marry a man who drove a Subaru and look at what happened there!  He even proposed in his Subaru...pretty sure God has a sense of humor. 
3) People had been praying and it literally was specific to what they had been asking.

Thus, with no realtors involved, just a sweet couple who offer us coffee/drinks every time we enter their home, we came to an agreement, got some papers from Matt's dad (lawyer), Matt did the inspection, and "poof," we have a home effective September 15th. That also happens to be the date of our 20 week ultrasound (and no, we aren't finding out :)).

The before/after pictures ought to be great because the home was built in 1966 and barely touched since then.  I will be sure to blog about the month of remodeling and let you all in on the new home.

PS: If you want to google the style of home, it is a "Rummer" or like and "Eichler" if you are in Cali.

I love it when God makes things so clear.  Strange how it always tend to be right when we don't plan it...I should start getting used to this.

Here is a pic of the atrium of a home that looks very similar.