Cheekwood

We decided to go to Cheekwood this afternoon, not remembering exactly how hot 90 degrees truly is when you factor in humidity. It was a quick but enjoyable trip, and I saw lots of strollers - so this will be a favorite spot to bring the baby in better weather, for sure!

Here I am checking out the hops, and wondering whether Paul's will ever get this large in the backyard. 

These are columns from the old State Capitol. 

The treehouses exhibit is very popular right now, and there were a ton of kids checking this one out. Maybe we can go again when it's not so hot and crowded - but they looked like they were having lots of fun!

Here's a cool bronze piece from the Sculpture Garden trail - chosen for today due to all the shade!

Looking back over the Japanese garden. 

After the rain

We've been fortunate after the intense heatwave to be blessed with rain every day. As a result, the yard's sprung back to life - it was limping along with my watering schedule, but there's nothing like a nice multi-day soak to bring out the best.

Zinnia, 'Cut and Come Again'

Rose, 'Dortmund'

Coneflower, 'Magnus'

Nursery Progress

My parents visited last weekend and helped us get the nursery started - which is a fancy way of saying they painted while I took pictures. The color we chose for the nursery is Valspar's Homestead Resort Parlor Sage (here's the best link I could find, other than these pics!), and it turned out a lot prettier than anyone first expected (it did look a little yellow in the beginning...)

I've always known I wanted some of Mississippi artist Walter Anderson's art in the nursery. It's appropriate for a lot of rooms, but the animals are very special. Here we are situating the first of two works in the nursery - the before and after...

Paul is watercoloring this one, Mother Goose, to go on the opposite wall over the glider. We were so fortunate to get the glider and crib from John and Sarah Beth, and the dresser we'll use as a changing table was my Aunt Frances' and was in our room.

So that's it, so far! You'll notice the fan in the second picture - and the abundance of natural light in the room! 

Soon, Jill will be done with the valances and crib skirt (both in the blue woodland stripe seen on page three here) as well as a custom quilt using the other styles at that link. So, look for that coming in a future post!

Earlier this week I started filling out the baby book we got at Costco - already the sheets are close to full with items in their pockets!