Jackson's "Big Boy" Room

When I first found out that Brandon and I were going to have a baby, a million different things raced through my mind...

Would it be a boy or a girl?

Would he or she look more like Brandon or me?

What would we choose for a name?

How would we decorate the nursery?

Since we didn't know what we would be having until our 20-week appointment, I wanted to pick a gender neutral nursery theme that I could start working on right away... but what? One day, when I was out thrifting with my mom, I saw the CUTEST old painting of a kitten, which inspired me to create a vintage theme for Baby Sand's nursery.

And I LOVED it.

A few weeks after Jackson was born, Brandon accepted a network engineering position out in Denver, so we had to quickly pack up and move everything from our little rental house in Kansas. I was SO bummed to leave all of my hard work behind and came to terms with the fact that I would never be able to decorate another room for Jackson that I liked as much as his original vintage nursery.

I am happy to report that his new "big boy" room exceeded all my expectations and that I (and more importantly, Jax) couldn't love it any more!

The gallery wall is still a work in progress... but at least he can recognize the letter J! 

I lose track of the number of times each day Jax leads me into his room to read... and I couldn't love it anymore! (Though I am never allowed sit in this chair -- from Target -- I have to sit on the floor to read to him.)

My Aunt Cheryl made Jackson this quilt before he was born and it is still one of my favorite things in his room! One of Jax's favorite things to do is to stand on his changing table and point to the different scenes on the quilt.  

Ikea Spice racks (repainted white) and an Ikea Wall lamp.

The pièce de résistance is Jackson's new "big boy" bed, which was completely designed and crafted by Brandon! 

The making of the bed...

The finished product!! I'm not sure who's more proud of the bed -- Brandon or Jax! 

I can't help but feel happy anytime I step foot into Jackson's room... it feels like such a fun and colorful storybook oasis to me and I hope it is something that Jax will continue to enjoy for the next few years! (Or until I get the urge to redecorate again...)

Sandmeier Christmas Home Tour 2015

For those of you who don't know... I started this blog in early 2012 as a creative outlet/excuse to cook (hence the name). Another fun fact? My last post was more than 2 1/2 weeks ago, which is the LONGEST I have ever gone without posting. Instead of beating myself up for not doing everything at once (like I normally do), I have decided to enjoy these final weeks of 2015 and not stress out too much over every little thing... which, if you know me, is easier said than done.

Come 2016, I promise that I will be back here posting somewhat regularly... with all of our recent trips, it's been hard to entertain the babe, work, remember to sleep, and blog, but once the holiday season/upcoming anniversary trip to Mexico are both over, I will be back.

You've been warned.

Anyway, over the last three years, I have been sharing our Christmas home and had to do it again this year! Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday and I seriously look forward to the day when I can unpack my decorations and make our home cheery and bright!

Here's our 2015 Christmas home:

On our trip to KS last weekend, we FINALLY bought a nativity scene and I absolutely love it!

This kid... even when he isn't feeling well, he's hamming it up!

We bought a new tree after Christmas last year and it's pretty much the best thing ever! It's shorter than our previous tree AND is pre-lit! 

My favorite word :)

We have started a new tradition this year where we light the Advent candle(s), read from Fr. Robert Barron's daily reflections, and try to keep Jackson from blowing out the candle before we've finished. 

My sweet husband braved freezing cold temperatures to hang the lights -- they look great!!!

We are getting ready to bundle up and walk around the neighborhood to look at lights, so I better get this wrapped up. Hopefully I will have another post written by the end of the week with a recap of all our goings on!

Have a great week, mom (and anyone else who happens to read my blog)! :) 

My Obsession with Galley Walls Continues..

If you have ever been in our home or follow me on Pinterest, you know that I have a not-so-secret obsession with gallery walls -- I LOVE them! What better way to give your walls a little character, showcase your family's personality, and display beloved pictures and signs than with a beautifully decorated wall?

When we first bought our home, I knew exactly where I wanted to put our living room gallery wall and began planning it out in my head before we even moved. Want to take a take a peek?

"The Sandmeiers" Kansas Print / Pick Your Plum

"God Bless America" Print / LaLuna Designs

I absolutely love this wall and could stare at it all day -- this wall represents our family, beliefs, and loves. I am constantly on the hunt for little signs and trinkets that represent our family and cannot wait to continue adding to our gallery wall in the future. 

What do you like to add to your gallery walls? 

Splashing the Back

When we first bought our home, I was concerned about the kitchen.. it was small, the appliances were black (which I would have never chosen -- they always look dirty no matter how much you clean!), and it was pretty dang small. However, I figured that since it is our first home and that we only planned to be there for a few years, we could definitely manage.

Today I am happy to report that I have a beautiful NEW kitchen thanks to my husband!

Okay, it's not a completely new kitchen, but it feels like it because of the new backsplash Brandon applied over the weekend. Check out the before, during, and after pictures to see what a HUGE difference it made to our kitchen!

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER

My shoddy photography skills don't do our "new" kitchen justice, but you get the idea of how it looks now and what a HUGE impact it made! I absolutely love our kitchen and how much more personality it has now because of our tiled backsplash! I'm so glad I have a handy husband who likes to do projects around the house :)

House Hunters Hindsight

Our episode of House Hunters premiered on Thursday -- what a weird experience to actually see yourself on one of your favorite shows (and to hear the narrator with the cool voice talking about you)! We had such a fun time watching the show at my parent's with family friends and really enjoyed hearing from you during and after the show!

My Costco snack haul

I found a Family Feud app that shows clips of the show.. he was wanting my phone so he could watch.. 

My honorary aunt didn't want her picture taken.. 

As I mentioned last week, Brandon and I hadn't seen the episode before it aired, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Overall, Brandon and I were both really happy with the way the episode turned out, but I do have a few takeaways:

~I have never in my life used the term "digging", so I'm not sure why I felt the need to say it so much on the show ("I'm definitely not digging this," "I'm digging this paint color," etc.).

~Yes; we are Catholic.

~Carpet for Jackson seriously wasn't as vital as it sounded on the show.

~One person on Twitter commented that we had the biggest couch they had ever seen in their life.. that's because it is the largest couch ever made (it's no longer ours, by the way -- we sold it months ago)! 

~

She followed it up with some spiel about not posting things about people on TV because they made read it, tweet you back, and make you feel like a horrible person.. #truth. My takeaway from this tweet is that I also need to be kinder on social media.. in the past, I have tweeted about celebrity fashion choices, people on reality shows, etc., and now know how it feels. 

~My friends are hilarious:

~Jackson wasn't sure what to think of the show -- at first he was really excited because he heard Brandon's and my voices (he was standing there smiling at the TV) -- but before long, he was fighting me for my phone so he could watch more Family Feud clips. 

~I don't remember Jax ever being so tiny!!! 

~We absolutely love our home -- a few of the rooms are still a work in progress, but I'm hoping to have them finished soon! When I do, I will most definitely be sharing pictures :) 

Thank you to everyone who watched (including Courtney) -- we really appreciate everyone's support and kind words! It was such a fun and unique experience and we feel truly blessed to have been able to participate. Thank you also to my girl Ruthie for helping us get in contact with the show -- she helped us fast track the entire process, and for that we are very grateful! 

I leave you with a few screenshots that were taken by friends:

Veteran Wall

**Before I even begin, I need to address/apologize for the terrible quality of these photos -- this wall is located in an awkward hallway next to our front door with zero natural light (that and I'm not a photographer to begin with).

With today being Memorial Day, I wanted to take a moment to thank all our service men, women, and their families for the sacrifices they make on a daily basis. I love this country and cherish our freedoms -- freedoms that we wouldn't have without our service members hard work, sacrifice, and dedication. If you see a veteran today (or a family of a fallen vet), please buy them a coffee, give them a hug, or simply say "thank you."

As many of you know, Brandon is an army veteran (in fact, we first met when he was on his two week leave from Afghanistan -- more about that here) and I've always wanted to do something in our home to honor him and the rest of our veteran family members. I had been wanting to do some sort of a tribute wall for awhile now but never had the space for it until we bought our home. Once we moved in, I knew right where it would go..

To give you a little visual, when you walk through the front door, there are the living room and stairs directly in front of you, and then a little hallway to the left -- when we got settled in and began to decorate, I knew that that was our veterans wall.

Here's my favorite wall in our entire house:

(Top L to R: My Great Grandpa Edward; Grandpa Paul; Brandon)
(Bottom L to R: Brandon's Grandpa Donald and my Grandpa Julius)

I just love the way this wall turned out -- it's so simple, yet adds so much to our home! I'm so proud of our family and can't wait to teach Jackson more about them (he LOVES this wall! He's always wanting me to pick him up so he can point to each picture while I tell him who everyone is).

Our Love Nest

Remember that time Brandon and I bought our first home (7 months ago)?

You forgot because I never talk about it, didn't you?

I've been waiting and waiting for our episode of House Hunters to air to show off our home but it still hasn't aired.. and we have no clue when it will *side note: I check HGTV's website daily to see the upcoming episodes -- no sign of ours just yet!* Anyway, I decided enough is enough and wanted to start sharing a few of the rooms in our home.

Today I will be showing off Brandon's and my bedroom decor (the room where the magic happens *wink* sorry if you're reading this, 16-year-old Jackson!). Enjoy!

 

Would you believe that this little nugget threw the biggest tantrum of his (almost) 17 month life because I wouldn't let him play with our $600 camera? Though he probably would have done a better job at taking pictures with my wonky lighting set up.. #toddlers

Bedding//Gordmans

Mr.& Mrs. Bunting//2 Berry Creative

Soda Pop Art//Lolly Jane Blog

Always Kiss Me Goodnight Decal//Hobby Lobby

Live Laugh Love Frames//Alco (now closed)