Bump Photo!

Did you miss seeing this week’s baby bump picture? Well… check it out over at our new site… MakingOurDream.com. Make sure to change your RSS feed… we’re breaking out the mothballs for this site.

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Goodbye: Our Dream Foreclosure

It’s true.

This blog is going away.

Cue: tears…

… of joy! Because we’ve got a brand-spankin’ new blog for you!

More on that in a minute, first we want to explain some things.

Memories… that was our first post here on Our Dream Foreclosure, way back on August 30, 2009.

Since then, we’ve realized what a hot topic foreclosure can be. For us, it’s a great word… it meant we could afford a house we otherwise would not be able to pay for. For others, it’s a trigger word – and it triggers feelings of regret, depression, and sadness. We’ve had awkward conversations in the last three years – where we’ll happily spill our story of how we got our house, only to have the other person then spill their story – of losing a home to foreclosure or being under water and hoping for a short sale.

For the record, we hit a perfect storm that summer day in 2009. We qualified for the FHA loan incentive, which meant less money for our downpayment. We found our house at a steal because it was a foreclosure and had been sitting on the market for six months. (Read more about that in our “how we met” post.) We were able to lock down an interest rate on our mortgage that equaled an affordable payment. Now, homes in our neighborhood have appreciated so much, we probably couldn’t buy here. We know we’re blessed. We know we’re in the minority. We are so, so thankful for what we have and do not take it for granted for one second.

When Michelle lost her job a few months ago, we talked about downsizing or looking for a home that would equal a lower monthly mortgage payment. However, we quickly realized there was nothing on the market (even smaller or in a different zip code!) that we could afford. The best option, financially, was to stay put – which we are more than happy to do!

So, all that to say, for a long time now, we’ve really wanted to drop the “Foreclosure” from our blog title. We don’t want to turn people off because of what that word might trigger for them. We also don’t want to constantly remind people that the downturn in the economy, which was a downer for most people, was a serious bonus for us.

Also, since the addition of a certain blonde-haired, blue-eyed child…

Yep, that one! (The one on the left, to clarify.)

…we’ve strayed a bit from being a strictly DIY/Home Improvement blog. That’s our fist love and passion and what we’ll always primarily blog about. However, we also like to talk about Kenton and presumably we’ll feel the same way about his soon-to-arrive little brother or sister. So, we wanted to move on to a new title, a new blog that better reflects what we’re really about.

So, we present to you….

Check out our new digs at makingourdream.com. We’re even on Facebook (finally!)… and you can “Like” us (really, really like us!).

We hope you pack a bag and follow us to our new Internet home. Starting immediately, we’ll be posting new content over there – and soon, we’ll have everything on this site redirected.

Please update your RSS feeds if you follow us on Google Reader, Feedburner or something similar.

Thank you SO MUCH for your support!

xoxo,

Jason & Michelle, aka: The Dreamers

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Happy Birthday, Jason!

Today, I celebrate the birthday of my favorite person on earth…

Photo by O’Grace Photography

I am so blessed to have this man by my side. He is an amazing husband, wonderful father and great friend.

Happy 33rd, Jason. I hope you feel loved, honored and respected today – because you are.

xoxo

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Huxley’s Nursery

I am thrilled to share this gorgeous nursery with you today. It belongs to sweet baby Huxley…

He just turned one month old and to celebrate wants to share his special room with you… courtesy of his mom and dad, our friends, Adam and Shauna. So, without further ado…

FANTASTIC, right?! Let’s take a closer look…

Shauna made that no sew bunting herself with fun fabric and brown felt.

She also handmade the paper airplane mobile.

Obviously, a signature spot in the room is the chair with a pillow with Huxley’s initials.

Shauna already had this Ikea chair and was hoping to find a rocker, but has not found one yet – so it’s a place holder. But it fits in really nicely! The pillow was an incredible find at Goodwill! (Can you believe it?!) Shauna glued on the monogram. Adam and Shauna painted the table their chosen accent color for the room, a bright yellow/orange. It’s similar to the accent color in our nursery, so obviously, I LOVE IT.

Shauna added just the right amount of “pops” of this color. It’s not overwhelming, but there’s enough that you pick up on the theme. I love how the color flanks the changing table area…

Can we talk about the dresser?! It’s a simple Ikea dresser that Adam and Shauna dressed up with simple thumbtacks to tie in the chevron theme…

Brilliant, no? I love that concept.

Speaking of chevron, let’s take another look at that signature wall.

That’s where the room got me. It got me at chevron. I just love it. (Shauna shares the tutorial that helped her pull it off below…)

The art hanging there is all from Eric Carle…

It’s throughout the nursery and really brings the eclectic theme together. They took that concept to the next level by adding some animal accents throughout the nursery, bringing those prints to life.

Can you all agree with me? This room is nothing short of AMAZING, right?

Huxley, how much do you love your room?

“I love it THIS MUCH!”

Adorable.

Love this space as much as I do? Want to replicate the whole darn thing? Or maybe parts of it? Well, you’re in luck… Shauna put together this exhaustive list of everything in the nursery, including paint colors. As you’ll see, it’s all very thrifty and affordable… making something great EVEN BETTER!

WALLS/PAINT

• Blue wall paint: Behr Ultra Interior Satin Enamel in Sea Rover (Color #540C-3)
• White wall paint: Behr Ultra Interior Satin Enamel in Camembert (Color #W-D-210)
• Orange paint: Behr Ultra Interior Satin Enamel in Orange Peel (Color #S-G-290)
• Chevron wall: Template from House 36 blog

FURNITURE

• Crib: Hensvik Crib, Ikea
• Bookshelf: Expedit Shelving Unit in White with 4 Pjas Baskets, all from Ikea
• Changing table: Malm 3 Drawer Chest in White, Ikea – modified using thumb tacks
• Chair: Tullsta Chair in Ransta Natural, Ikea
• Orange side table: Bought it at Marshalls in 2010, painted it orange

DECOR

• Rug: Zigzag Rug in Ivory/Espresso/Flax, West Elm
• Crib sheet: Missoni for Target (no longer available)
• Cross stitch crib pillow: Made by Shauna’s mom for Shauna’s nursery
• Elephant stuffed animal: Goodwill
• Paper airplane mobile: Handmade
• Wall art: Eric Carle Decorative Prints
• Chair pillow: Goodwill (glued on felt-letter monogram)
• Spherical side table lamp: T.J. Maxx
• Rocking horse: Bought unfinished at Michaels
• Pendant name banner: Handmade
• Dinosaur stuffed animals: Anthropologie (No longer available)
• Lion stuffed animal: Cordy Roy Lion by Jelly Cat
• Pooh stuffed animal: Classic Pooh Winnie the Pooh Plush by Kids Preferred
• Lamb, sock monkey, kangaroo stuffed animals: Goodwill
• Wood numbers train: Ross
• Very Hungry Caterpillar toy: Very Hungry Catepillar Wood Pull Toy by Kids Preferred
• Hamper: Rattan Elephant Hamper in Honey (Home Decorators Collection)
• Changing table cover: Carters Super Soft Dot Changing Pad Cover in Chocolate
• Changing table lamp: Bought it at Target in 2008 (No longer available), painted it orange
• Changing table lampshade: Goodwill
• Mirror above changing table: Bought it at Target in 2010 (No longer available), painted it orange

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Sneak peek: Huxley’s Nursery

Happy Monday! I’ve been teasing you a bit with a friend’s nursery that I am so excited to share with you. And… I’m going to make you wait one more day. Let the anticipation build!

Here’s a sneak peek…

I am absolutely in LOVE with this space. It is the nursery our friends, Adam and Shauna, designed for their sweet little baby boy, Huxley. Here’s a shot of their family while he was still cooking…

Photo by Christine Mosby Photography

And here he is now…

He arrived (a bit early, but healthy!) on June 1st.

So, Jason and I have an interesting history with this adorable little family. See if you can follow this…

Jason first knew Adam’s mom, Jean, through work when we lived in Portland, Maine. Jean owns the amazing and gorgeous Nonantum Resort in Kennebunkport, Maine.

See? Gorgeous. Both photos are from the resort’s website.

And… that is where Jason proposed to me on June 16, 2007. Jean helped work out the details and it was a PERFECT. During our trip back to Maine last year, we stopped by and snapped a couple of pictures at “the spot”…

Gorgeous, right?

We’ve always been in touch with this family and were really excited to learn that Adam and his new bride, Shauna, were moving to Arizona right after they graduated from law school. They knew no one and didn’t have jobs yet, but that is just how adventurous they are! They now have a fantastic mid-century home in Phoenix that they have decorated so beautifully – maybe, someday, they’ll let me show off more than just the nursery. But, for now, the nursery will be enough to BLOW YOUR SOCKS OFF.

Tomorrow, I’ll be back with every colorful, thrifty detail in this gorgeous and affordable space.

Okay, okay… one more peek…

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Happy Friday

It’s Friday, Friday… gotta get down…

Sorry.

Also sorry for the lapse in posts. You can thank my friends at…

Yep. My sweet baby Mac had to be admitted to Apple Hospital for an overnight stay. That set me back a few days on posts. It is crazy how much I depend on having her happy and healthy. She’s fine – just a minor glitch (knock on wood).

I promise I’ll be back next week with a nursery to show you that will KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF. We’re talking chevron walls, fantastic palette, Ikea and Goodwill finds and a CUTE baby. I’m so excited to show it to you. (Nope, it’s not mine… you can see mine here.)

Until then, have a fantastic weekend.

PS – for those who may have noticed my “mom cliques” rant on Twitter, I do plan on blogging about that… but right now I’m too upset. If I say something now, I’ll most certainly regret it. However, I will be posting on that topic soon and will be very curious to hear other people’s experiences and advice. Can’t we ALL just get along and include everyone, though? WTH?! Peace out.

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An evil monster

I’m a bit late on today’s post, but I have a good excuse. So good, in fact, I’m going to keep this short.

A monster has invaded our house. I don’t know what his name is, but he is evil. He takes his scaly hands, reaches into your belly and stirs everything up until it goes out the way it came in. When it’s empty? Dry heaving.

See what I mean? EVIL.

So far, he has set his sights on Kenton and I, but I’m sure Jason is next. Which would be terrible because he’s in the midst of painting the living and dining rooms. Oops, I mean it would be terrible because the evil monster stomach devil is terrible.

Later. I need to refresh my ginger ale.

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Waking up from a Dream

It’s Monday morning.  Typically, I would be racing around the house at this hour… half-dressed… wearing whatever pants or skirt I picked for the professional part of my day, paired with an old t-shirt that I would quickly change out of after my 11 month old was cleaned up from his breakfast (learned that trick the hard way).  I’d be trying to pack some snacks to silence my ever-rumbling-all-day-long pregnancy hunger while Jason would make oatmeal and lattes (half-decaf for me!).  I would be rationing out formula and baby food – stocking the diaper bag – so my son could eat while he was at the sitter’s house.  I would occasionally yell at the Bulldog slobberly-slopping up baby-breakfast-leftovers from the tile floor. Gross. I would cheerily remind my husband, “We have no plans tonight!” as Mondays are our only free nights during the week. I would pack up my sweet munchkin and drive him 5:00 minutes away to the sitter’s house, and then another 5:00 minutes to my office.  My day would begin like many other working moms, crazy, insane, hurried and purposeful.

But not today.

This morning, I’m sitting at my kitchen table, with my half-decaf latte and oatmeal.  I’m not wearing anything professional.  Jason left for work a little while ago.  The baby is enjoying a few more morsels of his breakfast.  The Bulldog is drooling nearby, desperately waiting for me to turn my head for a moment, so he can lick up a few dropped treasures under the high chair.  I’m taking it all in, slowly.  No need to rush.

I am unemployed.

I have nowhere I have to be today.

I’m past the shock.  This is not what I planned for, not what I expected.  I trust that there is a purpose and a plan for this temporary trial. I know it was planned before I was even born. I know there are lessons to be learned and growth to occur.  I take comfort in that and treasure it.

I wish I could share more information – there are details that would make your jaw drop – but… I can’t.

So, the really great and wonderful news is that you’ll be hearing a lot more from me.  I’ve spent most of my adult life working on a deadline and if I don’t have one, I’ll go crazy.  So, I’m giving myself some deadlines and hope you’ll come back to see what I have to say and show.

Thanks for your support.

xoxo,
Michelle

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So, I took an unexpected week off from blogging.  That was not intended.  There was a convergence of circumstances outside my control that prevented me from getting to where I am right now – the “add new post” box.  You know…

• Sickness (the hubs & babe – not me, yet)
• Work stress (you guys have no idea… I’ll tell you the story someday)
• Too many commitments on my calendar (I’ve got something every night of the week, every week. UGH.)
• Exhaustion (see notes above)
• The Hunger Games (have you heard of it? -sarcasm- Time suck. Like a black hole, it just sucks you in.)

Good excuses?  I don’t know.  But they’re real.  And, unfortunately, they’re not going away soon (except for THG – I will finish those SOON – if the exhaustion doesn’t get the better of me first!).  So… I’ve decided to be less harsh on myself with the blog deadlines for now.  I have so many great posts started, just not completed – so, I will eventually get to them.  Like my long-promised diaper storage post, which was almost ready for you last week – but I decided the Photoshopping was half-a**ed and I scratched it.  See?

Sorry about that… much better collages to come.

Thanks for your patience and understanding… I’ll reward you with some fun news… soon.  😉

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Dreams Only Girlfriends Know

Happy Valentine’s Day!  Also known as, “the day after my birthday.” The two days are separate, mind you – not to be combined or muddled.  I always hated it when people gave me Valentinesy gifts for my birthday.  There was also the boyfriend who thought he was clever and gave me a combo “big” gift for both my birthday and Valentine’s Day.  Needless to say, that relationship went nowhere.  Mr. Dreamer has never done that – in six February’s together.  LOVE HIM.

This year, though, he outdid himself.  He took on daddy duty for the weekend so I could hang with my girls.  Remember them?  Jessica, Leslie and I went to college together and have some fantastic, never to be shared in public, memories – and we love adding to those memories in our thirties.  Why not?

These two gorgeous gals came over from LA and we had a great weekend… dinners, hikes, shopping, wine, looooong chats, tears, hugs, baby cuddling, lots of laughter.

For the record, Leslie absolutely bought that “outfit” and will find a way to work it into her one-woman Broadway show someday.

I must admit, the best part of the weekend for me was when these two fashionable ladies tore apart my closet.  We dragged everything out.  I tried on countless combos.  They gave honest thumbs-up or thumbs-down.  They helped me figure out new things to wear and *gasp* told me I could wear skinny jeans and/or leggings in public (without a shirt or tunic almost down to my knees).  I’m still holding on to a few pregnancy pounds – for the memories, you know? It’s hard to let that go, emotionally, of course.  I’ll never be able to do the leggings – something in my soul just says NO – but I did decide to take them at their word and wore skinny jeans out to my birthday dinner with the Mr.

Why, yes, I was that lady taking a picture of myself in the restaurant bathroom.  Trust me, it’s better than taking it in my bathroom (the cleaning ladies come today… whew!).

Not bad!  I actually felt comfortable and …wait for it… sexy. 🙂

And confident enough to inhale my birthday dessert.

(In case you’re curious, we’re at my favorite Scottsdale restaurant, Olive & Ivy.  It’s our third year in a row eating there for my birthday!  I love it.)

So, I’m another year older – and finally not dressing in baggy post-maternity tents.  Yay, me!

***

As you can tell, most of the photos above were taken with my iPhone, in not-so-great lighting.  However, you should see the photos before I “fixed” them with my favorite iPhone app…

Not bad, huh?  The app is called Snapseed.  It’s like a dumbed-down version of PhotoShop for your phone – really easy to use.  I got it for free during a promotion, and it looks like it’s free right now – so, GET IT.  (I think it normally runs $4.99)

And this concludes your lesson in iPhone photo editing and girlfriend fashion helping for today.  Come back tomorrow to see my bathroom drawer.  Seriously.

PS: Snapseed didn’t pay me or ask me to write anything about their app.  I just like it.

PPS: Jessica and Leslie didn’t pay me or ask me to write about their fashion advice. I just like it. I like a lot.

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