Savannah's big girl room

This past weekend, Mick's wonderful parents took Savannah and Noah to spend the weekend with them in Cape Girardeau.

Mick and I got a chance to relax and have some "couple" time, which was wonderful. However, the main reason why they were there was so that we could finally get around to painting the kids rooms (we've only lived here for 7 months, I know...)

All of the design decisions were based on the amazingly colorful duvet cover that I found at Pottery Barn Teen a while back. That, and the fact that I really wanted Savannah to have my wrought iron bed, which was my first big girl bed as well!

Therefore, here is the finished product. We are still missing a few things (wall hangings above the bed, curtains, etc.), but overall I'm really happy with the way that things are coming together!

One half of the room- I LOOOVE this bed!

The rails aren't very pretty, but they are definitely necessary at her age!

The pin board was white, but I painted it with the hot pink paint and I love it! The mirror will get hung in the room somewhere.

These are Ikea spice racks that I painted pink- I love them for book ledges!

The sweet side tables are from Target and I love them. The alarm clock is designed to turn green at the time when it's okay to get out of bed in the morning. So far, she seems to be getting the concept, though she keeps unplugging it, so I've become and expert at setting the clock!

It's been an interesting transition for her to a real bed. She was in a crib until right after her 3rd birthday, when she finally figured out that she could climb out of bed. Since then, bedtime has been a battle to say the least. Here's hoping that having a room this pretty will make her want to go to bed easily and be the good sleeper that I always bragged to everyone about!

Unfortunately, this makeover did have a sudden an unexpected turn. Let's just say that the 20 year old white carpet will never be the same again. But more to come on that in another post!

With much Metzger love,

Meredith

Mother's Day Gifts

There are so many cute things that I want right now- everyone knows that saying that Meredith loves shopping is an understatement, so I thought I'd put together a list of items that would make great Mothers Day/Birthday/Random Tuesday gifts for the woman in your life! Men, take it from me- the Random Tuesday gifts are the best!

I'm really wanting a large tote bag for when we go on our 12 hour road trip this summer. But I'd like something that's large enough to hold a lot of stuff, but could still function as a big purse. Here are a few I like:

This is the Michael Kors Jet Set Tote. It's a little on the pricy side for me, at $228, but I love the color and the size is right. Here's the link to this one.

This one is by Rebecca Minkoff, and it's great because it has the pop of color with the strap, but the body of the bag is nylon, which will stand up to a lot of wear and tear. Plus, this one is a steal at $130.65- right Mick? For some reason, I can't get the pics to link, so here's the link to this one.

This one is probably my favorite, and it's also the cheapest- only $78! (Mick, run, don't walk to your nearest Nordies!) I like that it has a shoulder strap and handles, and the color is really fresh and springy/summery. Here's the link.

To go in another (bag-related) direction, this Rebecca Minkoff"Mini MAC" cross-body bag would be perfect to throw in my suitcase and use once we got to our destination. Cross-body bags are so nice with kids because they never fall off of your shoulders. I love the hardware and the adorable green color on this one! This one's a little pricier at $195, but this color would go with everything and it's classic enough that I'd have it for years. Here's the link.

Enough with the bags. Though I'm a purse girl at heart, I'm also hoping for several other completely purse-unrelated options! :-)

I love to craft, and the things that you can do with a Silhouette CAMEO are amazing. You can make any variety of paper crafts, clothing appliques and iron ons, etc. I think the things I could do with this would be seriously awesome. At $299, it's definitely an investment, but it is such a neat machine with so many possibilities! Here's the link.

I'm sure that Savannah is wondering what to get me as well, so here are some suggestions (in her piggy bank price range) that I love:

I love the layered look of bangles right now, and though some of the bright colored ones are gorgeous, I tend to make a color statement with my necklace or earrings, so when it comes to bracelets, I like to keep it simple.

I'm very into gold right now, so the first two two "love" bracelets above are exactly what I'm talking about- these are so gorgeous! And they are very reasonable- only $38 each! Both are Ariella "Messages" collection and can be found at Nordstroms. Here's the link to the first one.

The third one by Guinevere is a total bargain at only $18. The light pink color is totally neutral, and it would look so cute paired with the two above it. All three together would be a recipe for beauty! Here's the link to the third one.

Happy Wednesday! Hope it's a good one!

Happy Birthday Aunt Ally!

Yesterday, April 2, was Ally's 25th birthday. It is so hard to believe that my youngest sibling is a quarter of a century!

To celebrate her birthday, we went to Blueberry Hill in the Loop for dinner. Then, it was off to Pin Up Bowl, where we played a game of "Smith Family Bowling"! When we were little, we used to go bowling all the time. I'm generally a pretty AWFUL bowler. Surprisingly, Mom is pretty good.

Here are some pictures from the bowling game.

The Smith family all together. Ryan is being predictably ridiculous...

This is a milestone in our relationship. This is the first time Mick and I ever went bowling together!

Me and the birthday girl!

One more attempt at a decent family picture. We had to take the props away from Ryan.

This is also the first and only time that I can ever hope to tie Mick in an athletic competition. I am so proud of myself that I can hardly stand it!

Notice my score (top M) and Mick's score (bottom M). So proud!

Happy birthday Ally! I am so proud to have you as my little sister and Savannah's godmother!

At Savannah's baptism. With our favorite godmother!

At Savannah's first birthday. What a sweet smile!

At Aunt Ally's graduation from Wash U. So proud of our OT graduate!