Nursery Progress

I got a lot later start on the nursery than I wanted and we didn't get very far by the time I was put on bed rest. We got the crib and book shelf assembled the weekend before. And we got the dresser assembled the day before I went to the hospital. Other than a friend getting the upholstered rocker glider into the room for us a couple days later, we didn't get anything else done. Once I got home I asked my mom if she could come sew all the items I had planned to sew myself. But then my dad was scheduled for bypass surgery in a few weeks and only had two weekends available before his surgery. I didn't think my mom was going to be able to come before because they were going to have many things to do around the farm to get ready before my dad had surgery. And I knew his recovery was going to take many, many weeks so I didn't think she would be able to come after his surgery for a long, long time. I thought about my options and really only had two. Pay someone to make everything I had planned to make myself since I had already bought all my fabric and materials. Or buy store bought, un-customized, mass produced items which was not my top choice. Then my mom informed me and my siblings my dad had canceled his surgery and she was coming that weekend. I wasn't sure how much we could get done with me on bed rest not able to help and trying to explain to my mom what I wanted as most of the sewing I had planned had no patterns and were basically in my head. Plus my mom and I have different sewing styles so I was also a little worried about that. One thing about being on bed rest is you have to give up a lot of control which if you know me well is not easy to do.

So I quickly created a to do list for me and my mom to follow and designed some of the items in Microsoft Publisher just so we had drawings and measurements to go by. Thank God my mom is a busy bee worker. She got half of my sewing done the first weekend and we got the remaining sewing done a second weekend. Probably the most labor intensive sewing was the curtains I designed for the nursery. They took the longest of all the projects but man they look amazing as you can see from the image to the left. Many friends and neighbors helped us with spray painting items, washing baby clothes and bedding, organizing and arranging things for me in the nursery and gathering supplies I didn't previously purchase. Roger even got in on the action many times helping my mom to cut fabric, hanging décor pieces and putting items up and away for me. We are pretty much done now with setting up the nursery except for a couple simple items. You can see more pictures of the nursery by clicking on the curtain image above. Now we are just trying to stay on top of washing and organizing clothes we receive and organizing gifts as they arrive. And we have turned our attention to getting ready for Lady Mo’s arrival by creating our birth plan, packing a hospital bag for all three of us, setting up the bassinet/play pen, installing the car seat in the truck, sanitizing and washing all the breast pump parts and bottles and organizing a cabinet in the kitchen for baby stuff. Although we are trying to be prepared I am sure there are many things we have forgotten or just don’t know to do yet. I guess there’s only so much preparation we can do. ~ Holly

It's About Thyme

I went on a little field trip of sorts today to a nursery right down the road from our house. I have been anxiously waiting the need to go buy compost, mulch and plants from them. And today I was finally ready. In anticipation for the sod coming next week in the back yard, I wanted to get some flower beds installed so we wouldn't have to pay for grass that we would eventually dig up later. So before the guy came out to measure the back yard yesterday I put in my edging around the deck below the benches so he would know not to measure that area. And today I got to the point that I was ready to fill those bad boys up.

It's About Thyme is a local nursery which has been open for 28 years. The people that work there are not only super nice, but have tons of wisdom and knowledge about landscaping, gardening, etc. And they love to share it by hosting free classes. Any question I had they were able to answer with good advice and accurate knowledge. It helps that I have been doing this for years so I know some, but can't always remember it. I felt totally welcome and appreciated there. Even with my maroon A&M cap in a sea of burnt orange caps and shirts. The gentleman who helped me load my truck even gave me a pat on the shoulder when he said goodbye and told me to come back again. They were great and their selection is unbelievable. Their plants are in great condition and they have lots of everything. I had no idea where to start but all I had to do is ask and they took me right to it. And there was always someone nearby or they appeared right when I had a question. Unlike some of those national stores where you can never find anyone to help you. That drives me crazy. Plus I felt great putting money back into my local economy. Not only was it a local business, but they supported local businesses as well. All my compost and mulch came from the local area, Austin and Cedar Park and one from Slaton which is close to Lubbock (still Texas!). And to make it better, all the packaging for the compost and mulch was recyclable. Awesome!

You definitely need to go check them out when you need any gardening and landscaping products or have questions. And just to give you some secret information. If you buy local farm eggs on Saturdays at the Sunset Valley Farmer's Market, you can get them $1 cheaper per dozen at the nursery anytime. They have a refrigerator in the little shack where you pay for everything. And there's a coupon on their website. The nursery is full of funky yard art and cool stuff inside the house. So shop local, help out your neighbors and have a great time while you do it.