Baby J's Dresser & My Trip to Home Depot

We have been very blessed with nursery furniture. Some friends gave us their cute white changing table that they aren't using anymore. Our neighbors are doing some spring cleaning and getting rid of baby stuff they don't need - like an adorable white crib that happens to match the changing table.

Baby J will have a closet in his nursery next year. I must admit, baby clothes look so cute hanging up on their lil hangers all in a row in a closet...but it is a pain to fit hangers into those wee little clothes! Folding Baby J's outfits and fitting them easily into a dresser drawer would be better for my sanity. So the search for a dresser began.

We acquired this dresser recently...someone didn't want it anymore and I said, "Oooh, I'll take it!"

Our lil guy's nursery has a vintage airplane theme. The furniture is white, bedding cream, walls grey/blue and the curtains tba. There are accents of red here and there and I thought, "Oooh a distressed red dresser would look neat!" Adam wasn't so sure about that idea, he thought one big red piece in the room could look funny...perhaps a red side table or something would look better. He had a good point...and if I painted the dresser white, it would match the crib and changing table. Also, the white dresser would be gender neutral and easier to match with future furniture pieces and decor arrangements (there are lots of pros to choosing a neutral paint color). 

So off to Home Depot I went. I picked up two gallons of nursery wall paint and three cans of spray paint for the dresser. The Home Depot guy was very helpful, he helped me find satin white spray paint - primer and paint in one! (Oooh, and spray paint is getting pretty easy these days - they come with a trigger instead of some obnoxious knob that numbs your finger.) This worked like a charm - steady consistent stream of paint, dried quickly...and I'll be going back for the red paint as soon as we find that perfect side table. ;-)

While I was there I picked up some lovely blue/grey paint for Baby J's nursery walls. I got two gallons of low odor/zero VOC Behr "Blue Fox".... I think the white furniture will really pop against this wall color. :-)

Anywho, back to the dresser. After my two gallons of paint were mixed and ready go, I headed to aisle 11 - the hardware aisle. Part of recreating a piece's look is adding new hardware. If I wanted to go for the Pottery Barn look, I would've chosen white knobs...however, as some of you may know, I'm a sucker for dark metal vintagey hardware. This is what jumped into my cart:

When I was in the paint department, I had intended to get only two cans of spray paint for the dresser - good thing the Home Depot guy convinced me to get another can! I used all three cans and this is what the dresser looks like, knobs and all:

It looks like a totally different piece. I'm glad Adam convinced me to do white instead of red! The dresser will coordinate nicely with the white crib and white changing table.  I'm looking forward to seeing how everything will fit together once we move into our home late July. It will be great to finally assemble all of the nursery pieces and decor I've been accumulating over the past few months. :-)

It is the Lord who goes before you...

The other day a certain verse in Deuteronomy caught my eye. It's a verse that's found amidst a time of transition in the Old Testament, when Joshua succeeds Moses.  

Moses tells all of Israel, "Be strong and courageous... it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you" (Deut. 31:6).

Then Moses tells Joshua in front of  the Israelites: “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it.  It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed” (Deut. 31:7,8).


Note the peace and comfort that is given: "It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." Transitions can be tough, whether it be receiving a new leader, switching schools, moving 1,000 miles away for a year or coming back to a certain place in Indiana once called "home." Our Heavenly Father knows that transitions can be difficult, that's why the Israelites were given those sweet words of encouragement. Our Lord knows our hearts and sees our tears. That's why He gives us the comfort and confidence that He is with us, He won't leave us, we needn't fear in what lies ahead because "It is the Lord who goes before you."

Dinners, Brunches and Coffees Oh My!

The past couple weeks have been busy with social gatherings...fitting in lovely dinners, brunches, desserts and coffee dates here and there with friends. The baby will be here in about a month and then the big move is less than a couple weeks after the lil guy's due date. It's been wonderful to see old friends from college, nurture new friendships and continue to invest in older friendships during this time as we prepare for two huge life transitions.

What a blessing! :-)