A Gender Neutral Nursery Fit for a Prince or Princess!

    My niece and her husband made what appears to be an unusual choice these days: they opted not to find out the gender of their baby. The birthing trend for most young parents is to acquire as much information as is possible beforehand, to organize and plan everything out to the most minute detail, and to outfit the nursery with a specific theme that is designed with a particular child in mind. Some parents-to-be even go so far as to schedule an induction so that even the actual birth day of the child will not be subject to the whims or vagaries of nature.(Heaven forbid!)  I won't get started on my opinion on all of that...but let me just say that I am a firm proponent of waiting. I can readily testify that the moment when you discover just who your child is one of the most magical and wonderful events in life.
   That being said, living in the day and time that in which we find ourselves, planning and executing a gender neutral nursery can be a significant challenge. Most of the decor that is available is geared toward one sex or the other. My niece, however, managed to pull together an adorable nursery that strikes the perfect balance. The soft blues, creams, and touches of white and burnished gold will lend themselves well to either a baby boy or a baby girl.
    I also love that she incorporated items that had been used in her own nursery. In some cases they were updated and in others, they appear just as they were thirty years ago. As you enjoy seeing her selections, I will try to let you know where she sourced everything.

The color palette is soft and soothing. No bright colors here to strike discordant notes. 

This little nursery will be a sanctuary for mother and child alike. 

Noted designer Erika Powell of Urban Grace Interiors 

worked with my niece and assisted her with the wall color, bedding selections, and window treatments.

From this picture you can see that the bedroom was originally 

paneled in hand-hewn tongue and groove cypress that has been painted with Benjamin Moore White Dove.
I am usually not a fan of paneling, but here it provides interest and adds a cottage feel to the room.

The pegged oak floors are original to the house and were refinished with a darker stain this past year.

The Jenny Lind crib was used by my niece when she was a baby.
Urban Grace worked their magic on the bedding.
 It is a masterful blend of textures, subtle patterns and tones.
It's neutral, but not boring!

The crib skirt fabric is a Jane Shelton linen fabric: Raindrops in Blue/Green. It is designed to adjust

as the crib is lowered. The crib sheet is Serena and Lily Aqua Trellis, and the bumpers

are Robert Allen Diamond Tuft in Natural with welting and ties in Fabricut Elements in Haze.

I love this piece and think it adds great cachet to the space. My niece searched high and low and

finally found this gem on a FaceBook auction.
Even though she had to drive 120 miles to pick it up, it

was definitely worth it. 

This ceramic bunny has a happy home in the corner

I don't know whose idea it was, but it was a genius plan to remove the closet doors and add the shelving for baskets (from Pottery Barn). It will be a long time before baby will need the extra length for his or her clothes and this makes wise use of what is normally underutilized space in a closet.

Here's a closer look at the changing table combination dresser. My niece
ordered this charming piece on Etsy from Dani's Custom Designs.
I love the retro knobs and the embossing detail on the front of the drawers.

My mother made each of her daughters a series of these counted cross-stitch nursery rhymes 

for our baby nurseries. My niece had these keepsakes reframed in burnished gold for an updated look. 

No family nursery would be complete without a hand-knitted baby
blanket designed and executed by the baby's great-grandmother, our beloved BaBa. 

The nursery rocker/glider is from Beau Home Interiors in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida,
 and is slipcovered in a natural cotton twill.

Both the shade and the curtain above have blackout lining. Draperies are Fabricut Carrom Robin's Egg.  Urban Grace fabricated the cornice board in-house.  Hardware is by Restoration Hardware.
One of my favorite touches is the bird lamp on the wicker table (from an estate sale)
by Dimond Lighting.It definitely brings a touch of whimsy to the space
 and echoes the burnished gold tones of the chandelier hanging above.

 Here are a collection of treasures that belonged to my niece when she was a baby

 Leather baby shoes that have been preserved in porcelain paired with a Wedgwood Bunnykins bank

The vintage Beatrix Potter music box by Schmid with Mr. Owl and the Squirrel

A closer look at the artwork by Ginger Leigh of Grayton Beach, Florida that was
 commissioned especially for the nursery.

You've seen all of the special touches that my niece pulled together to make a
 serene, soothing and inviting space for her little one to play and sleep and dream.
Now it's time to find out just who will be taking up residence in this lovely nursery....
Drumroll, please...
It's a Girl!
It's a Princess!
Here she is...

Nursery rug from Joss and Main
All baskets pictured from Pottery Barn

Mother Goose gift from Pretty Please

Chandelier found online

Small wicker rocker gift from friend

Round wicker table from an Estate Sale
Baby Girl - gift from God (every perfect gift cometh from above....)

Happy News...Our Family Grows Again

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children's of one's youth.
Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!
He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. Psalm 127:3-5

 It just keeps getting better! How could it not with the safe and speedy arrival of our fourth grandchild! In case you haven't noticed, we love, love, love babies around here. In fact, there is nothing sweeter in my book than holding a precious new life in your arms, especially if that little one belongs to someone you love.
   On Sunday, August 25, our middle son and his lovely wife welcomed their second child and first son into the world. The baby is named for both of his grandfathers which means that little James Edward Thomas White (to be known henceforth as JET)  has the wonderful heritage of two godly men who each feel so honored to have this little one carrying on a part of their name.
    One of the sweetest things we witnessed was getting to see Jet's Big Sister meet him for the first time. Her love and joy ooze out and spill over. If this doesn't warm your heart, nothing will!

Here we are in the Family Waiting Room at the hospital waiting for our son to come and get us.

Big Sister is nearly beside herself!

 Big Sister's first look: "What are they doing to him?"

 Daddy and his boy...

 "Can I hold him? Can I hold him? Can I hold him?" 

Mommy and Daddy patiently explain about how helpless little brother is and 

why Big Sister has to be so very careful with him. 

 "That's my baby brother...."

 My daughter-in-law's sister (Aunt B) came up from Birmingham to meet the little guy!

 The proud grandfathers with their namesake!

 This little girl loves her Mommy so much!

 Big Sister is just sure her baby brother is talking to her...

 Drum roll please...

Introducing the beautiful family of four!

 Baby Sister will always be a Daddy's girl!

 Camper and her Mimi

 One more hug...

" Is he here to stay?"

You betcha, Big Sister, and he will grow up thinking that you are the cat's meow. Just

promise not to paint his fingernails pink and you all will get along just fine!

Fig Preserves or Figs Yum Yum

   It's 'bout that time. All around town the Brown Turkey figs are starting to drip with that sticky sweet goodness. Go get your pickin' party together and head on over to your favorite fig tree. Mine just happens to be this gigantic tree in The Daughter's front yard. It's a beauty. Over 10 feet tall and 14 feet wide and this year, thanks to all that rain, loaded with figs. The birds love 'em, the neighbors love 'em and so do folks just passing by. The tree hangs over the sidewalk in an open invitation to share. That's why we call this fig tree "The Giving Tree." So if you happen to be in the neighborhood, just help yourself.

 

   One of the things I like best about talking recipes with The Baby Sister is that you immediately realize she spent years as a school teacher. Her explanations are thorough, logical, and clear. I hope I can do her justice.
Fig Preserves A Step by Step Guide or Canning for Dummies!
   Assemble all of your canning tools! You will need the following:
       1. Canning jars with screw lids and seals
       2. A ladle
       3. Canning funnel
       4. 4 quart heavy Dutch Oven
       5. Pound of sugar (you will not use the whole thing)
       6. A jar lifter or an oven mitt
       7. Approximately 4 quarts of figs

A few notes about the canning supplies: My sister uses both 4 ounce and 8 ounce jars. She buys these in bulk from her local Wal-Mart or they can be ordered online. She likes to have a few of both sizes available because you never know how your figs are going to pour out into the jars. Your last jar just might need to be the small size.
     

   

You will use the ladle for spooning the liquid in the jars. Spoons just don't work as well. You should trust my sister on this.

If you don't have a plastic jar funnel, you need to march right out and buy one. My sister said that this little $3 tool is indispensable. So go get one NOW. Again, she got hers at Wal-Mart. You can order nicer ones online, but I don't know why you would want to. This one works just fine.

Use a heavy pot for cooking your figs as in heavy like cast iron. Of course, Caphalon works well, or if you are lucky enough to have gourmet cookware, then go for your All-Clad or your Le Creuset. In our family, cast iron does the trick.

My sister uses an oven mitt to lift her jars, but I saw this jar lifter online and thought it looked fun. I probably would not use it enough to justify the purchase, even though it's pretty cheap. Also kitchen storage is always an issue at my house so this would end up at the back of a cupboard where it would only be seen by the mice. So, use the oven mitt.

I hope you are still with me, now we are ready to talk about the figs.

   You will need to put up your figs as close to harvesting them as you can, but if you don't have time right away, simply refrigerate the figs in an open container. DO NOT WASH THEM and DO NOT PEEL THEM. Just remove the stems. Your processing will get hot enough to kill any germs. I guess if they are covered in bird poop, you can wash them, but otherwise leave them alone. 

    Fill your Dutch oven up to the top with figs (usually right about four quarts) and go ahead and pour the sugar over the unwashed figs. The ratio is 1 quart of figs to 1.5 to 2 cups of sugar. That's a lot of sugar, but you can rationalize it by saying this is candy or dessert in a jar.

     Let the figs sit in the sugar overnight or for several hours uncovered.

     When the sugar has settled, you are ready to cook. Start the figs on low, low heat and cook them very slowly. Your figs will take several hours to cook down. 

      At the same time that you begin cooking the figs, put your jars in your dishwasher along with the screw tops and the seals. Run the cycle using the HOT temperature wash and dry cycle. 

      Hopefully the figs will be about ready when the dishwashing cycle is finished and the jars are sterilized and still hot. The figs should be brown and have a good bit of syrup. Don't let them get too dark or they will be more like candied figs instead of the consistency of preserves.

      Remove two or three jars at a time with a hot mitt (or your jar lifter) from the dishwasher and put them on the counter. Put your wide mouth funnel over one jar and using your ladle, fill it with figs until it is 1/4 inch from the top. Then ladle more syrup, completely covering the figs (this is important...if you leave figs uncovered, they will not be good). Leave only 1/8 of an inch from the top of the jar, which is the space needed for the seal to compress. If you have any leftover fig syrup, save it to pour over ice cream!

       As you finish each jar, put the lid seal down and lightly screw the ring to the jar. Do not fully tighten the ring yet. Leave the jars on the counter to cool. Soon you will hear the sound of popping as the jar cools and the seal forms a suction over the jar. This is good. When the jar has cooled to the touch, you may screw the lid on tightly. Four quarts of figs will make roughly 6-9 half-pints of preserves. In case you forget, a half-pint is 8 ounces. Even though my sister taught school, I had to verify this fact on the internet. Don't worry, she did not teach math. Label and date each jar with a Sharpie. Be very, very proud of yourself!

       If you have any jars that do not pop, simply refrigerate them and use them within the month. All of the other jars can go in your pantry. Your fig preserves will be good for a year or so, but I am betting that you won't have any jars left when the next harvest rolls around.

       I can this "Canning for Idiots," because my sister has made it so simple, anyone can do it, including me!  

       Here's a picture of Little One enjoying the fruit of The Baby Sister's labor of love...Figs Yum Yum!

       

A Sweet Love Part II

 Before we head to the reception, I had to share a few more pictures from the church. Here's the new Mr. and Mrs.

The Groom's immediate family

 The Bride's immediate family

 Don't you agree that one of the best things about a wedding is the celebration afterward? 

After the eleven o'clock ceremony the wedding party, a few close friends and out-of-town guests adjourned to Belle Meade Club for a marvelous luncheon. Guests sipped on the Club's fruit tea or their choice of Bloody Mary's and mimosas, followed by a summer luncheon plate of chilled shrimp and chicken salads, fresh fruit, rolls, and pecan sticky buns. However, the piece de resistance was the sour cream pound cake layered with caramel frosting by the inimitable LeLand Riggin of Dessert Designs

 Guest Book

Here are a few pictures from the dinner the night before the wedding,

 hosted by the Groom's sister and her husband