darcie's nursery tour

One of my FAVORITE projects while pregnant was designing Darcie's nursery. When we first bought our home 4 years ago, we planned for the extra bedroom beside the guest room to be an office until we needed it for kiddos. But we never got around to making the office idea happen....so it was perpetually a storage room (FULL of boxes) until I took a pregnancy test and Ben said, "Well, I guess now we have motivation to finally do something with that room!"

 I spent so many weekend mornings cozied up on the couch with my laptop scouring the internet for inspiration, waiting for packages full of pretty things to arrive on the doorstep...and as my bump grew so did my love of carefully curating a special space we'd bring our little girl home to.

This tiny room...a total of 10 feet X 10 feet was a true labor of love. All the details were lovingly chosen to evoke the warm & fuzzies with the most peaceful vibes. As I decorated, I would envision slow mornings spent playing together on the floor, afternoon greetings when a rosy cheeked babe woke up from nap time, and evening cuddles in the rocker with story time. It was all of those things and so much more. I'll never forget when I first brought her into her room. The morning after we got home from the hospital and I woke up to a baby and the feeling of happy happy HAPPY. I took her into the nursery, opened her dresser drawer, selected the inaugural outfit, sat in the chair, cuddled her close, and decided I never, ever wanted to leave. The morning light was just right as it stretched across the floor. My heart was just right as it stretched with more love than I thought possible. My daughter was just right as she stretched and yawned from that newborn slumber. It was in that moment when life seemed to be exactly what I always wanted. And to top it off, just when you think it can't get any better, Ben incidentally brought me a nutella latte and toast on ezekiel bread with strawberry jam...making it seem all too much like a fantasy world!

Such a special, special, special room -- my favorite in the whole house and the only one I always kept clean. It was pretty difficult leaving this beautiful haven just 5 months after finishing it (as our moving process happened rather quickly), but these photos below will always allow me to look back on Darcie's first room, which houses so SO many sweet and challenging memories for me.

My lovely friend Ashley from Luke & Ashley Photography graciously offered to take nursery photos (AND help me pack up my kitchen all in the same day!) Thank you, Ashley, for your part in fulfilling my home tour dreams for my blog! 

So alas, here's her humble beginnings in the tiny square room...

For my baby shower, we had everyone bring books in lieu of cards. This collection is so special to me and I loved putting everyone's favorites on display right next to the chair where we have story time.

*insert s/o to Jane Austen, Canada, and Star Wars*

Ben contributed a lot to this nursery (putting together the crib and other furniture for starters) but my favorite thing he did was build this sweet ladder! So proud of all the hard work he put into making a custom piece we can have forever.

This little pink bear was my first stuffed animal...all the way back from 1989. The little bib says "Baby's First" and I think it's SUCH a sweet, personal touch to Darcie's space. Mixing my life with hers is my favorite.

The "It Is Well" cross-stitching was a surprise gift from a dear friend from high school. I love the touch of green to accent the florals in her room.

MY HAPPY PLACE.

The donut rattle was the FIRST thing we ever bought for our one-day Rothwell Baby. Long before we were pregnant. We found it at a favorite restaurant / shop in Tampa, Florida on one of our many vacations (#rothwellroadtrip). It was just too sweet to pass up...and Ben was super ready for a baby & thought any attempt to get me to buy in to the idea would be worth it. ;)

side note: being a mama is my greatest adventure, calling, and purpose.

Too curious to focus on the story...

Her little toes!!! And her namesake book. <3 p="">

SOURCES:

Glider Rocker: Delta Children // Bookshelves: Amazon // Gold Pouf: Overstock.com // Marquee Sign: Target // Rug: Rugs USA // Lamp: Target // Changing Table: Wayfair // Storage Baskets: Target // Pom Pom Garland: Pottery Barn Kids (sold out) // You're Pretty Print: Lindsay Letters // Mary Jane Shoes: Monkey Feet USA // New York Print: Rifle Paper Co // Wooden Rattles: Bannor Toys // Crib: Babyletto // Crib Sheets: Burts Bees Baby // Macrame Wall Hanger: Home Goods // Changing Pad Cover: Little Unicorn // Blanket Ladder: Custom // Ballerina Throw Pillow: Target // Unicorn Plush Toy: Target // Swaddle Set: Little Unicorn // Play Gym: Hatchling Co

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snow day, crystal rapids, and details

{ this post originally appeared on Molly Hunter Korroch's blog HERE }

It’s still snowing outside. It’s been a blistery white mess out there since yesterday afternoon. We tried venturing out. It was a fun walk to the nearby golf course where we snapped photos and marched across a completely untouched and unobstructed blanket of white. But when we turned around to make the long trek back, we realized very quickly we must walk into the storm to get back home. All the magic and romance of snow? Gone. Every few yards, we stopped, desperate to turn our backs on the gusty wind and flurries of flakes. Then we took each other’s hand, scrunched our scarves over our faces and persevered.

Now we’re back inside. I’m on the couch, listening to my “Whimsy Winter” Spotify playlist, writing (a prompt for my beautiful & TALENTED friend's blog). Ben is painting. Something about snow days as adults…you take advantage of the forced inside-time to actually get things done. Today it’s our back door. I was tired of it being white and, because I’m too indecisive and/or scared of commitment to paint color onto my walls, I decided to put a splash of something fun on a door. Because why not. Like I said, we're adults.

I have this thing about selecting paint colors for our home -- they are chosen solely by their name. And it must be a nod to nature: Gentle Rain, Orchid Haze, Sun Shower, Ocean Pearl, Falling Snow. I like words, and I’m sentimental, so it shouldn’t really come to anyone’s surprise that I’d care about something like this.  Tonight, Ben is carefully painting our door in pristine Crystal Rapids. It’s the perfect mint-blue pop to match the new Anthropologie knobs on our pantry closet. Yes, I asked for hardware in my stocking this past Christmas. The standard knobs were just plain white wood...boring. I wanted something vibrant. Metallic! Patterned! Gold! After all, it’s all in the details.

Details. I once heard a quote, "Details are the difference between mediocre and excellent." And who wouldn't want life to be excellent? So me...I like making life all about the details. Smiling to myself that my husband knew exactly how much snow we’d be getting during the storm because he refreshed the weather app every ten minutes for the two days prior -- "we're definitely getting a lot."  to verify we were definitely getting a lot. When he called me over to approve the finished door (and interrupted this prompt) because he won’t want to retouch anything later and he knows I’m picky. Correcting my Taylor Swift lyrics nonchalantly or putting just the right amount of Nutella in my latte. Powdered sugar sprinkled atop our brunch pancakes or arguing in the kitchen over how we should season the chili. What he obsesses over as he grades college students’ papers and then reading me their outlandish theories. Falling asleep to white noise from a cell phone, the ceiling fan on and the door open. The door has to be open. How he bought me a bright pink silicone cover to slip onto the video game controller designated just for me…as if it really needed the distinction. When he burns the bacon just the way I like it or puts cream in the mug before the coffee to avoid dirtying a spoon. How I know that “day three” of no shaving is the best 5 o’clock shadow on his angled face. Details. Making sure the shower curtain is always closed to prevent mildew or folding dirty socks to make sure they make it into the wash together.

Details are what make him him. What make us us. Tonight, I’m not telling Ben that Crystal Rapids might be too bright. I won’t try and explain how a softer color might make me feel calmer or suit our home better. It will irritate him. He’ll say it’s no big deal. I’m being too specific. Too…detailed.

I'll just wait to tackle that tomorrow.

xoxo,

D

welcome home!

Right now I'm sitting in my newly built (still unstained) breakfast nook while my husband is painting "gentle rain" gray onto our walls.

It's the weekend. We have imagine dragons turned up loudly. I have a homemade mocha sitting next to me in my "everyday white" teacup.

There are pink peonies in a vase where I can readily see them from nearly anywhere in the house. They're so pretty I'm tempted to match their shade to a paint color & designate an accent wall.

I'm wearing jean shorts & one of ben's t-shirts because my summer clothes are still boxed up. I'm comfortable, but definitely not trendy. We'll work on that one later, though.

So this house! It's ours. And we love it. Uneven floors & all.

We're slowly transforming it from a refurbished structure into a home...a home that best represents us & our life together. The home we talked & argued & pinned about. The home we believed God would provide so graciously.

We've named it the rothwell square as its dimensions are that of a perfect square! Yeah, we're really creative.

First thing we did when we moved in was set up our coffee station. This included the: grinder, brewer/pot, keurig, k-cup drawer, & "today's roast" container. This was an important step toward our happiness & civility.

Next I had my mom come over & help me organize my kitchen (she's had 27 years of kitchens so she is a pro). Then I made baked goods. Which I've never been good at. But my new kitchen is so lovely that I couldn't help myself! We even bought a stand mixer -- on a whim. And ben keeps begging for muffins, scones, cookies, breads, & poundcake.

It got dark before we knew it & we suddenly realized how hungry we were. We couldn't tear ourselves away so we ordered chinese take-out. Without chairs, we sat cross-legged on the floor. Between slurping lo-mein noodles and piling fried rice onto chopsticks, we dreamt of everything this place would become. While our voices echoed across the hardwood floors.

It's been fun to settle in & inconspicuously figure out how to be a homeowner. Which has meant doing trivial things like researching the most affordable trash company, bribing my brother to mow our lawn with chick-fil-a combos, spending hours poking around home depot, & hosting the plumber with strawberry lemonade while he makes our toilets flush.

The story of our rothwell square is in the beginning stages, but we are are confident it will always be one of faithful love that conquers whatever threatens to come against it. We'll fill it up with reckless laughter, local produce, good people, God-given grace, vintage everything, favorite photos, natural lighting, & eventually....mini rothwells!

It's just our little place. And I want to be here all the time. Just my heart & his.