A Woman's Haven: January 2012

Daily Wisdom

I found this saying {HERE} and just fell in love with it. I tend to reflect a lot in January as I look to the upcoming year and what I want or need to focus on in my life. It got me thinking about what hurts would I write in the sand and what blessings would I carve into stone from the previous year?

My Stone Carvings:

These two! They bring so much fun, joy, understanding, and truth to who I am!

This one! A new addition to a family really is a blessing!

This man! My partner in life!

This moment! So sweet!

These friends! Laughter, understanding, love, honesty & loyalty!

This family! They fill our life!

My Sand writings:

Sibling squabbles!
Forgetful friends!
Lost friendships!

What would you write in the sand or carve into a stone?

Another Week…

Another week has gone by in our wait for our little bambino to be born! The weather here in Michigan has been wet, snowy, windy, and icy leaving me indoors most of the time. My days mostly consist of working from home, housework, family, reading, computer, and t.v. Sore hips and acid reflux our keeping me up most nights until 4 a.m. or later. Once everyone gets off to school and work I am able to catch up on some Z’s until late morning, but I feel like my days and nights are backwards. Our bags are all packed in anticipation for the arrival of our little one. Ultrasound last Friday indicated that our little one may not be so little upon arrival! Estimated size was 9 lbs. 4 ounces! OUCH! Not looking forward to that! Just trying to stay positive and keep my spirits up! We are just so ready to get this party started so that we can welcome the new addition to our anxious family.

In preparation for the baby I have been collecting recipes on Pinterest.

Here are a few that I plan on making in the weeks following the birth of our baby.

Easy Peasy is what I like!

Crockpot Chicken Spaghetti

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Baked Potato Soup

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Baked Pesto Chicken

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Baked Eggs

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I just love Pinterest!

Shades of the Season #8

Welcome to my craft, food, & photography party.

Please link the following items:

Seasonal photos
Seasonal décor
Seasonal crafts
Seasonal recipes
Please grab a button & link back to A Woman’s Haven so others can join the fun!
Please follow A Woman’s Haven too!

Every Tuesday I am hosting a Home Tour Series called House Haven Tour. Take a look at some of the previous tours {HERE}. I am always looking for more participants to the series. If you would like to participate email me at awomanshaven@hotmail.com

Our nursery is 99% done. I have to complete a project with the dresser.

Take a look at the entire post {HERE}.

Grab a Button!

Counting Down the Days

38 weeks and counting down the days until the birth of our little one. My belly is big and I am uncomfortable. I had forgotten how the last month of pregnancy feels. The anxiety, anticipation, and even fear. It can be very emotionally draining! At this moment I feel like I have been pregnant for so long that I can’t see myself NOT pregnant. Don’t get me wrong, I have enjoyed having our little peanut growing inside me. We can’t wait to meet him or her!

Now that our nursery is complete I feel like I have no inspiration to work on anything else! I feel like I am just in limbo waiting until the BIG moment. I have been looking around the house gathering items I can use for photo props with the baby. I am really looking forward to taking photos of our newborn.

Here are some photos that are inspiring me…

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Image of Pea in a Pod Set

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House Haven Tour: Emerald Cove

Hello there!

I am Michelle from Emerald Cove and I am so happy to be here to tell you why our home is our haven.

I live not far from the shores of Lake Michigan and even though we have four seasons, I consider myself a beach girl all year.

Over the years I have transformed our house into our "beach cottage" by surrounding us with memories of days on the beach, summers at Glen Lake and treasures from dear family and friends.

Emerald Cove is a little cove on Glen Lake, MI that was named (by some dear friends) because it is as green as an emerald on sunny days.

It is a spot sheltered from the wind and anytime we are there it brings peace and comfort to our souls.

This photo of my daughter paddling on Glen Lake was the inspiration for many of my choices.

Let me show you around.

Shells and driftwood are my main accessories and you can find them just about anywhere in the house.

Treasures from friends and memories adorn one wall of our family room.

A favorite vintage map of Leelanau County Michigan hangs over our faux fireplace in the kitchen.

Aqua bottles and faux coral dress up the hutch in the kitchen.

My reading corner in our family room. I love using sheers in the house, they are soft, still let the sun shine in and I love to watch them blow in the breeze.

Our master bedroom lightened up for that beachy feel.

My daughter's room transformed into her beach escape.

And my son's room shows off his love of sharks and the beach.

I am lucky to be able to create such a place for our family and coming home feels like stepping into memories of times that I cherish as well as the people we spent them with.

Thank you so much for coming into my home and seeing why it is our haven.

Thank you Chas for inviting me, it has been such a pleasure.

Nursery Feature

Our nursery is featured over at {Tatertots & Jello}today!

Nursery Reveal

Get ready for a ton of photos. I am 99% done with the nursery. I have one more step to complete the dresser as soon as the embossed wallpaper arrives in the mail. I love how it turned out! I started the project in August. Most everything was purchased second hand except for the crib and glider rocker. The dresser was my great grandmother’s. I have had it for sometime now and thought it would perfect for the nursery.

The gallery area above the dresser are all repurposed frames that I picked up at Goodwill and yard sales. A fresh coat of Rust-o-leum’s Lagoon in Satin.

My sister made the stacking toy. She is receive all the talent for sewing. It is not my strong suit. I am hoping to do a post on all the items she made for the baby.

One of my favorite items in the nursery are the yarn wrapped lamp shades I made. You can read more about them {HERE}.

This is the gallery wall above the crib. I painted the tree to serve as a thumbprint sign-in tree for the baby shower. You can read about that project {Here}. The clown art are from curtains made by family members for daddy’s nursery over 35 years ago. I think they go perfect here too!