Nursery Time

I can't really do much about the nursery while I'm here.  You think I'm itching to?  Yeah.  So, I've been gathering inspiration.  Maybe too much.  My head's about to blow off and explode with bunting, painted letters, stripes, gliders and poufs.

I definitely have a more modern taste...no themes or anything too sweet.  I've decided that I like either soft and neutral or a white base with lots of bright color...and I think white with bright has won out.

I came across this and my belly bounced.  Probably because it's on trend with the neon, but it's fun and different and pleases my soul.

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Some of these sort of have the Scandinavian look...maybe Europe has influenced me.  Probably just decor blogs, though.

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not nurseries, but still white and bright.

This one's more neutral and soothing and I really like it too.  Simple and pretty. Maybe I'll want more of a space that calms my nerves...and Alexander's.

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and this...but maybe more for a girl

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 So, what to do when you need to avoid going through stuff, getting rid of things and packing for an international move?  Why, make a digi-nursery, of course!

ok, so maybe I've done two versions.
(Sundays are slow around here.)

These are way harder than they look.  Not sure I achieved the same look as my inspiration photos, but I want it to feel cozy too and not too bright and sterile.  Will I actually do the nursery just like this?  Probably not.  Will I have tons to spend?  No.  But, I still want to get into it and do something special...this is my first baby, now.  I just need to be in Pittsburgh with Target, Ikea, etsy, Urban Outfitters and the actual room.  I've got two months once we get there. 

Wish me luck!

Happy Weekend

Tulips in the main square yesterday

It's the perfect day for a nice picnic lunch.  I think we shall do that.  The lilac smells so good out there. 

Aglow

 { almost 5 months }

Don't adjust your monitor...my pants are actually glowing bright. So, I said I wasn't gonna update you with bump chunk pics, but here I am.   I've grown a lot in the past several weeks and I've been feeling great minus the occasional aches and growing pains.  I must be feeling good to be plastering my preggie bod on the internet.  This thing they say about pregnant women (especially in the second trimester) is true.  When I was first pregnant and feeling nauseous and terrible, I thought "who are these bimbos that say they love pregnancy?".  Now I'm one of the bimbos!  I don't know if the spring flowers and sun are helping...whether finding a new city and apartment has boosted my endorphins and excitement or what, but I just feel happy and content. 

Alexander continues to move around at his scheduled times of the day and I'm still loving that too.  I'm ready for it to be hard enough (and frequent enough), so that Art can feel it.  When I try to show Art, it stops, of course. Poor Art can't experience this the same way as me, although I think he's ok with that for now. :)

I'm feeling the nesting thing as well.  I'm always kind of feeling that my whole life, but it's kicked into high gear having my first baby AND moving to a new place (with practically nothing). 

Been picking up things here and there as keepsakes of Graz for his nursery.  Found this cute hand-carved bear and cub at the Easter market last week.  He fits in like a puzzle.

Saw this poster for a play here in Graz this month and liked that it said "Alexander's Place" and Graz and had a hand-drawn (not to scale or actual) map of the city.  Thought it would be cool to color in some of it and frame it for the nursery.  I want to try to have things in there that we've 'found' for him.  Not just cruddy knick knacks. 

So, that's my update.  Thanks for all your nice comments about our move.  We'll really miss it here, so gotta go out and enjoy it while we can.  Like, that means go get some ice cream.... now.

Easter Here & There

Our Easter was pretty uneventful...just nice and relaxing...and COLD. It snowed Easter morning! 

After Mass, we went and had lunch (where we had some fine window flowers) and then took a long stroll through town and the park.

My family back home in Texas had a bigger, sunnier celebration:

The Easter egg in his crate: Evan...cutie

Sam's egg huntin' and growing so fast I can hardly take it.  That's a bit of a sad hiding spot for the egg.

 Chris, Lindsay and pretty-in-pink Quinn

 My mama and my sisters

Coco's comin', girls!

Easter Beauties: Lindsay, Erin, Ceci and Ana

(and baby girl in Erin's tummy)

 the jungle "Jim" uncle we love

There was more than just Easter to celebrate yesterday.  It was my parents 40th anniversary.  40 years these little luvas have been trotting around together.  They are role models to all of us. 

 They even renewed their vows.  I wish we could have been there.

The gang.

 Pretty anniversary flowers.  These are actually from the kiddos.  Mama loves 'em.

It was also my brother's 25th birthday...he was born on their 15th anniversary.  Happy Birthday, Andy.  Oh, and Happy Birthday, Aunt Melissa!  April 8th is out of control in this fam.

Thanks for letting me share my fam and celebrations with you...hope your Easter was wondey, too!

Happy Easter

Check out this amazing Easter tree in Germany covered with 10,000 real painted/decorated eggs:

 

Go here to read about it.

Happy Easter!

Some News

Well, last week marked 3 years of blogging and a little over three years of living in Graz.  We'll be sad to leave this wonderful place, but we're excited for our new adventure because...

...come June, we're movin' to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania!

(source)

That's America, folks.

I found us a home there this weekend, too.  A cute little double duplex (fourplex if you will) in a great neighborhood.

(Google street view of the front of our duplex)

We have a front and back yard and a fairly decent sized front porch where I'll be sitting and rocking with Alexander.  Baby boy has a name now:

It's an older building, but charming with wood floors throughout and enough space for our small little fam.

One of my big priorities for our next city was somewhere we could walk and not have to drive a car everywhere.  After living that life in Graz, I realized how wonderful it is.  I knew that this was a tall order and not possible many American cities, but somehow we lucked out and Pittsburgh is one of them.  

  (source) 

Apparently this neighborhood has everything within reach...grocery stores, shopping, lots of good non-chain restaurants, Starbucks, Carnegie Mellon library and two big parks.  Art's work, University of Pittsburgh, is a 15-minute walk through the Carnegie Mellon campus.  He's been walking to and from work here for the past three years and it will be nice he can continue to do the same.  We're shooting to only need one car and to need it mostly on the weekends.
 

(source)
University of Pittsburgh campus and the Cathedral of Learning

Look at how pretty it is inside.

 

And I'm still gonna get my fall trees (and other three seasons) here!

Some pics of the neighborhood:

 

(source)

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I love all the trees and older classic American homes.

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Pittsburgh isn't the industrial steel town it used to be.  It's frequently rated high in lists like Forbes' America's Most Liveable Cities because of its good job market, universities, walkable neighborhoods, lively downtown and affordable housing.

I'm pretty sure there are some avid sports fans there too.

(source)

So, I'm already scheming up nursery decor in my head and a tiny bit stressing over packing up and selling our stuff here and saying goodbye to our wonderful Graz friends.  Also wondering whether to continue the blog in Pittsburgh.  Life in Pitt doesn't quite have the same ring to it.  And, I can't write of my culture shock in quite the same way, although I'm sure it ain't like Texas.

I know it sounds cheesy, but thanks for supporting and reading this little blog.  It's actually been a huge part of our time here and we've met more than a handful of friends from this little endeavor.   This weekend I met someone from San Francisco for coffee and a chat who had recently moved to Graz and we also went to dinner with a couple from New York that just moved this past weekend and needed a little American friend reassurance that they had made a good decision moving here. Both of these people found me through this blog.

I'd say our time abroad has been one of the best experiences of my life.  It's been a good start for our marriage and we've both grown and learned a ton from it.  Now onto the next chapter!