So, we close on the new home in Dallas just before Thanksgiving and will move in December sometime.  There are 5 bedrooms in the house and then quarters over the detached garage.  No playroom in this 1920s house, and generally no basements in Dallas.

Our house here in Northern Virginia has been kept in pristine shape as it has been on the market.  This week ,since my husband is home and our schedules are off with Harry who is a week old today, the house is showing by appointment only.  Which means I really don’t care as much if Maddie’s toys stay out a little longer than expected.

But, it’s got me thinking of what I’ll do in the new house and I think I’ve decided to turn one of the upstairs bedrooms into a playroom for Maddie and Harry.  I will have a large armoire to store toys downstairs….but I am not having a train table in my family room….sorry kids, cannot do it.

Here’s a photo of the room from the Dallas MLS listing.

And here is my current inspiration image, à la Steven Gambrel.

Maps, chalk board, plush rug and gender neutral decor.  What’s not to love?

I blogged about the “Design Studio” packets that pair Robert Allen fabrics with coordinating color palates from the Sherwin Williams paint line here.  And, you may recall that Robert Allen and DwellStudio recently announced an exclusive collection available through Robert Allen.

Well, Robert Allen has recently added seven new design packets offering inspiration on how to pair the DwellStudio fabrics with coordinating colors from Sherwin Williams.  See all of the packets here.  Below are a couple of my favorites.

I love the inspiration these packets provide, both in helping with pairing the fabrics, but also in the assistance with color selection/inspiration.

If you would like more information on a particular product or design packet, feel free to contact me.

As promised, I am pleased to announce that our son “Harry” was born at 10:20 AM on Friday 10/22.  He was 7 lbs 3 oz and 19 ¾ inches long.

We came home on Saturday afternoon and despite the complete reversal of night and day (he finally went to sleep at 5:30 AM this morning) he couldn’t be more perfect.

His big sister, Maddie, is loving having a baby brother.

My incredible mom (who had brain surgery last week) was not only at the hospital on Friday but also made a big family brunch for everyone yesterday….she’s amazing!

Thanks for all of the emails and well wishes and like I said before, when I am back up and running (and less sleep deprived) my posts will shift back to design, promise!

Now, I am off to wake up my little one in hopes of reversing this sleeping all day partying all night cycle!

Just wanted to pop on and say thank you for the emails, comments and calls on my post about my mom.  I cannot tell you how appreciated each one was and I wish I could thank each of you individually.

The procedure is behind us….

Nanny and Maddie, Easter 2010

Her surgeon confirmed that they got everything and she is feeling great.  In fact, at 7:30 this AM she was showered and dressed with make-up on and had already been given the green light to come home today!  She’s a trouper no doubt.  I know we are at the beginning of the road, so to speak, but cannot tell you how proud I am of my mom’s strength and grace under such stress.  And, now she has a baby ready to arrive and meet her this weekend.  I’ll keep you posted.  And then, I promise, I’ll be back to regularly programmed design related posts as time permits!

I haven’t been up for posting much in the last week or so, please forgive me.  Life has been hectic.

My mom battled two types of cancer in 2008.  You’d never know she underwent two separate major surgeries and radiation during that year.  And, while we knew at least one of them had spread, she has been stable and feeling great–she walks 3 miles a day and claims she hasn’t felt better in ages.  Unfortunately, two weeks ago we learned that she now has a lesion on her brain.  This came as a complete shock to us all.  Tomorrow, she will undergo brain surgery to remove this lesion, which appears to be the only one.  Once they determine which cancer they are dealing with, radiation and chemo will likely ensue.

“Nanny” and Maddie, Christmas 2009

My mom never complains and she is always thinking about the rest of us.  In fact, today while getting ready to head up to Baltimore to report for surgery tomorrow, she was baking cookies for all of us to eat while we wait tomorrow.  Hello?  Always fiesty, she told me she will be mad if I go into labor before she she comes home from the hospital on Wednesday.

We have a lot on our plates at the moment.  I am due a week from Tuesday and we close on a house in Dallas just before Thanksgiving (my parents live less than 2 miles from us here in VA–so this move is hard on many fronts).  Last night we all carved pumpkins and enjoyed a great dinner as a family.  We are trying to take each day as it comes and stay thankful for all of the great things in our lives.

But, as we head up to Hopkins tomorrow….I wouldn’t mind if you would keep my mom, Nancy, in your thoughts and prayers.  We could use all of them we can get!

I have made a tad of progress (from here) on “Baby H’s” nursery and thought I would share.  Several weeks ago, Michele from My Notting Hill mentioned a barn sale going on in Vienna, VA.  Since I live literally less than 2 miles from this sale, I decided to check it out.  And, look what I found…..

Sorry for the poor photography.  My camera battery died after I took one picture and I do not have the energy to go back upstairs and play photographer at the moment!  In any case, I plan to use this chest as a combo changing table/dresser.  The black finish will go perfectly with my yellow and grey color scheme.  (By the way, if you live in the DC area be sure to check out the Fabulous Finds website for their next sale.  They had lots of great stuff at this particular sale.)

I have also settled on a crib and am just waiting on finish samples so I can order.  I plan to do a pewter looking finish on this Corsican iron crib…and am pretty anxious to place my order so hopefully my samples will be here tomorrow!  (Ignore the bedding in the photo below…)

Here are my fabric / rug / paint selections to date.

I am using a Schumacher houndstooth in “greige” for the upholstered swivel glider and ottoman.  The yellow/grey Julia Rothman for Hygge & West wallpaper will be on the ceiling.  I am hoping to use Stark’s “Logo” carpet made into an area rug.  Finally, I am trying to decide how to incorporate these fabulous Vanessa Arbuthnott yellow and grey prints into the room.  I love them all and am having a hard time determining which ones to use.  I am thinking of trying to find  a grey linen to do the interior of the bumper with one of these on the reverse (or perhaps all linen with a band of one of these fabrics).  The room has shutters but I still plan to do window treatments….so they will coordinate.  I’ll keep you posted once I’ve made my final selections.

And finally, I am working with the manufacturer of my dining room chandelier to try to work up a birdcage chandelier (inspiration here)  that will work in our space.  We will see if we can come up with a design that isn’t a budget buster….as I know the shelf life on a nursery chandelier for a boy isn’t terribly long!

With the angst over the impending move so far away from family, knowing that my little one will have a place to call home gives me some comfort!

And, on a somewhat related note, I will be guest posting later today for Averill over at Odi et Amo dishing out advice for new moms (as Averill is expecting).  Preparing for the post made me realize how totally unprepared I am for my new man….who is due on the 26th (induction scheduled for the 27th).  Yikes!