Sunday, April 3, 2011

Planning for the Nursery

Over the last couple of weeks I have been planning for the design of the nursery for my baby. As I have already purchased the furniture and have decided where each piece will go (matching taupe crib, wardrobe and change table from Mom & Co.) the next step is to choose the paint colour.

After looking through numerous pictures and blogs to give me some ideas for wall colour and design I came up with the idea to hang wallpaper on one wall which will have the crib adjacent to it for contrast. And after much mindful debating I chose a navy blue and beige plaid design which would complement the furniture and window and door in the bedroom. But I had to be okay with not painting the other walls blue since it would not match the wallpaper and upon realizing that blue is not the only "boy colour" available I made the choice to go with a colour that would complement the wallpaper. This colour turned out to be some shade of brown and, although I have not yet chosen the exact colour, I have an idea of what it will be and I am very happy with it.

I had originally had the idea to paint or order some sort of simple mural for one of the walls like a tree with flowers, but after finding out that I was having a boy I could not really decide on a design and I also did not know who I could find to help with such a design since I have little artistic talent. I happened to stumble upon a google image of a beautiful nursery in which one of the walls had a blue, white and grey argyle design that mimicked a boy's sweater and I thought it was brilliant. However, after visiting the blog on which the image was posted I withdrew my initial desire towards such an idea since it was actually tediously drawn and painted by the mother-to-be. And although she posted very detailed instructions for the design I was not about to get my hands dirty for such a task. So that is how I decided on the wallpaper idea.

The main issue with my wallpaper idea, which I only realized after the fact, was that I could not find it on the island in which I live, Curacao. So I thought the next best solution would be to order it online and either ship it to my address or my family address in Canada and they could subsequently ship it to me. I chose the latter.

I am almost 23 weeks and I almost have everything I need to get started on the nursery. I just have to buy the paint. As well, I still have a few minor repairs that are still pending such as the hardware replacement on the window, installation of a screen for the window which I have already ordered and purchased and installation of a ceiling fan which will be done after I have painted the room.

I actually won't be doing any of the painting myself since I am pregnant and it is not advised but will hire someone to paint and to also patch some holes in the wall sand parts of the walls. My husband and I will hang the wallpaper since we want to make sure it is done correctly and seeing as wallpaper is not sold on the island, how can I be confident that the person I hire will even know what wallpaper is??

I also recently purchased a crib bedding set online from Amazon and shipped it to my family address in Canada. My mom will be bringing it with her when she comes to stay with me for a couple of months when I have the baby. It is a 4-piece set which includes a comforter, fitted sheet, dust ruffle and bumper. The design is plaid with beige, chocolate brown and a dark navy blue/black. After searching through hundreds of designs I found it on an online American store but it was out of stock. And just when I thought I would have to continue my tedious search I found the same set on Amazon. Now, looking back I think that it would have been wiser for me to choose the bedding before selecting a wallpaper design. Nevertheless, I found exactly what I was looking for, but it required additional effort and patience.

There will still be a few additional things I will need to purchase to complete the room such as a rocking chair or recliner with small ottoman, wall hangings, curtains, change pad with cover, wash basin and a lamp. I am really looking forward to seeing the outcome of this project and it has been a lot of fun so far. I'm really glad that I started the project when I did because there are so many factors that need to be considered such as the length of time it will take to receive shipment of various items like furniture, wallpaper, etc. and the time you will need to spend on purchasing items and completing repairs.

I have posted pictures of the wallpaper and bedding that I have selected for the room.

Enjoy!

Blue Mountain Wallcovering (Design by Colour)
Banana Fish Spot Crib Bedding for Nursery

 Finished Nursery (missing curtains, bedding and... baby!)

Human Nature vs. Human Behaviour

Recently I watched the Zeitgeist movie (Part 1 and 2) and it has really made me think deeply about my original thoughts on human nature and our predispositions.

Firstly, I have had a chance to ponder about the human desire for believing in God; a belief that is mythical and therefore untrue. But is it really the desire of the human being to be drawn to such things that are believed in mass or is it something that has almost forced us to behave in this way? Is it then also our desire due to our nature of greed and selfishness that has attracted us to money and material things? Is this human nature or rather human behaviour that has drawn us in the direction we have taken?

After watching the aforementioned movie, I have come to the realization that a lot of how human beings think and act are a product of what has been perpetuated in society for thousands of years. From the time of pagan belief systems to the creation of Jesus and to the building of monetary systems, human beings have been subject to a power that is far more greater and dangerous than they have ever believed. The power to manipulate and control.

I have already said in my previous posts that human nature plays a strong role in the progress of human society and that is still true. Manipulation and the desire to control human beings is a product of none other than human beings, and this is a natural quality that is selected for the banding together of groups and the individual need for stability and security. However, when human beings in large groups are controlled and manipulated by a few individuals for their own personal gain, it is not so much human nature which is at play but a behaviour that has been stimulated from societal systems such as money and power.

During pagan times, a time of a much simpler society, people worshiped the cycle of the sun and the stars in order to better understand the world in which they lived. As societal systems became more advanced this was later translated into something that was more manipulative for the personal gain of a few individuals who had the power to play with people's minds. The creation of religion and the belief in God took advantage of human nature and forced people to behave a certain way or they would be subject to punishment. And later, as government became more complex and a monetary system was established, people were further forced to comply with laws that they were not involved in creating. So in essence human beings were forced to behave as prisoners for a few individuals who's human nature was overtaken by their own creation-- the system of profit-making.

A profit-driven societal system is what exists today. The controllers of such a system control the people and they control the creation of money. The monetary system was once based on something of value-- gold, a natural resource-- but today money is created from nothing and therefore places a debt on the government that needs it, or in other words on the people. Humans are thus forced to work for the powerful few and feed them through addictive consumerism. It is a vicious cycle that continuously increases the monetary debt on society and forces human beings to comply to its effects of ever-increasing interest, inflation and manipulation and never-ending slavery for the people. For the powerful, the result is the opposite. They continue to steal money from the people through profit-making systems and war and gain more power through this endless cycle.

Human nature has essentially been hijacked by the societal systems which we have created or ignorantly helped to create. Is there any hope for the future of humankind? Can humans regain their natural way of life and overcome such behaviour that has been forced on them? Can we break away from slavery and fight back against these powerful dictators who have themselves been manipulated by their own creation of monetary structure? Technology may help us to overcome this disaster since it will free us from a profit-driven societal system and give human beings more power to make decisions for their own governments. It will free us from one of the largest profit-making markets, oil, and instead harness the power of natural solar and wind resources. And humans can be brought back to what is more important in life which is the control of their own lives rather than being controlled by others for their own personal gain.