Mid Summer Update 2009

We have a six month old now! He's over 20 lbs, babbling away, starting to scoot around (only backwards, hasn't figured out forward movement yet) and, as always, is so sweet, happy, a good sleeper. . . we're amazingly blessed. Every morning we have a nice cuddle and after work we like to sit on the front step and watch the world go by. They're my favorite parts of my day. 

We go on family walks a few times a week.

We've had our first visit to the park. 

A morning at the county fair. 

And a great long weekend in Iowa at my parents house. Relaxing for me, totally fun for the grandparents, and hopefully fun for David too. 

My work continues to be stressful. There are rewarding moments, but it's been a challenge. I had to go into the city for some work events a few weeks back, and it was nice to have a chance to wander around the lakefront by myself. Beautiful Chicago.

I can't believe it's almost August. I feel like we've had some nice summer moments though, so that the months aren't passing by too rapidly. Life with a six month old is pretty sweet, so I'm just trying to enjoy every day. 

long weekend

If every weekend was three days long I'm pretty sure my life would be perfect. 

We've had a nice time so far these few days. Even though the fourth was rainy, it cleared up for most of the important parts: the parade in the morning and the fireworks. David slept through most of the parade, despite every single noisy float/band stopping right in front of us. Oh, to sleep like a baby. What he did see he seemed to enjoy. 

(Sidenote: David's getting HUGE. Almost 20 pounds already, can you believe it?)

Later we had some friends and Mike's family over for dinner. It was fun. I have to admit though. .  the part of the evening I enjoyed most was when everyone went to the fireworks and I stayed home with a sleeping David and the dog. Now that I'm a mom, I'm finding that I have very little quality alone time. As much as I love my husband and baby, sometimes it's nice to just be by myself. So after everyone left last night, I put the ipod on shuffle, cleaned up the house, caught up on folding laundry for the first time in months, and generally just enjoyed the solitude. The fireworks go off only a few blocks from our house, so near the end I walked out onto the front sidewalk and caught a glimpse of a few. That was enough for me. 

the end of May

update! i returned the skirt. I figured $70 for something I'll wear once or twice a month in the summer isn't worth it. Instead I bought this one

which I assume I will wear at least 8,000 times. Seriously, I love a good denim skirt. 

Everything else in life is just flowing along. For some reason I've been having a harder time dropping David off at daycare. . . He is just so amazingly cute these days that I hate to not be around him much during the day, especially when work is challenging, as it has been this week. But I am thankful that the time we do have together is so much fun. 

May is always my favorite month and I'm sad to see it coming to an end. Springtime is the best and it always seems so short. 

lovely afternoon

I had a long day at work today but it was a lovely spring evening at home. David was super sleepy when i picked him up at daycare, and he went down for a little nap when we got home around 5. Thank you angelic baby! I had a half hour to myself to just sit on the patio and unwind. David woke up right around when Mike came home, and we sat outside for a while and went for a little walk around the block. The weather was beautiful and it was the best way to end my day. 

magical science experiment

giant baby! 37 weeks. photobooth self-portrait.

Sometimes I forget that I look like this. Then I find myself near a full length mirror and it wigs me out a little. 

There have been a few periods of time during my pregnancy that I've felt really connected to the season in one way or another. Some of the milestones seemed to really merge with the larger patterns of the year.  It turns out that I had planted most of my garden right around when I got pregnant. And then I took the pregnancy test on Mother's Day. And soon after that, little seedlings started coming up in the backyard. The zinnias were in full bloom and the tomatoes were finally ready right around when I started showing. 

And then, Advent. The time when the church prepares for Jesus coming into the world as a little baby. So this Advent was super meaningful to me. . .preparing for our own little baby. I woke up the day after Christmas and just kind of felt Ready in a way I hadn't felt before. 

So that's where I am. Despite wondering and fears and nervous anticipation, I do feel like we're ready. Almost there. 

And in other good news, I also got some of my making mojo back. I've actually been making collages and drawing and finishing the quilt I started months ago. I really hope this continues for the next few weeks. Who knows what my creative life will be like after that. . . 

Merry Christmas

image from notebookdoodles. (a new blog discovery, which is a gift in itself.)

Although it's been a tough few days, the sun is finally out today and I'm feeling happy and Christmassy. This was the first year ever that I've not been with my family on Christmas Eve, which was difficult. But video iChat, lots of baking, and positive thoughts have made a big difference. Even though I'm not with my loved ones, at least I have them and it's just one day out of the year.

Today we had breakfast and presenting with Mike's family, and now we're watching episodes of Arrested Development and working on crosswords. I made croissants and pain au chocolate, which has been on my baking to-do list for a while, and feels like a nice accomplishment. Maybe later today a nap and some snacks, with fake champagne. Yay.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

holidays and indignities

On the homefront.
I'll tell you a secret: I don't feel like I am very good at decorating for holidays. I don't like a lot of store bought stuff (which means i don't like spending money on store bought stuff) and when I attempt to make my own I'm not pleased with the results. This usually means our house doesn't have too many holiday touches. Which is why we haven't ever put up a big tree and we've been married adults for four Christmases now. I'm determined to change that this year. Or at least improve.

But it's December 7 and we still don't have a christmas tree. Two reasons: We are indecisive. and. Why are all the fake trees pre-lit nowadays? What a cop out.

I am having Mike finally bring down the advent/Christmas decorations from the attic later today. i don't mind not having a tree. but the house feels empty now without the advent candles and nativity scene.

But I did bake gingerbread men today so some sort of festivity has been achieved.

On the pregnancy front.
I am reaching a state of indignity. Putting on shoes and socks is a challenge. I finally broke down and bought the kind of jeans that goes over the belly. It's a new level of pregnant around here.

Thanksgiving

Thanks for all the thoughtful comments on my last post. It really is nice to be able to share something on a blog and feel like I'm receiving something good in return. I'm definitely less stressed now that I've made a list, and also given myself a reality check.

I have to say, I think Harriet might be on to something. . . maybe I really am more anxious about the baby than I'm willing to admit, but it's easy to transfer the worries to the furniture, to something tangible. So I have been turning those thoughts over in my mind and trying to make some peace about all of it.

And now, some happier, more Thanksgiving-ier news! I have been baking every night this week, which is so satisfying to me. Even when I'm doing two loads of dishes every night and not sitting down until 9 PM. We're having Thanksgiving at my parents tomorrow, so I really don't need to do or make too much, but I still like to bring something. This year it's two pies and some cinnamon rolls for Friday breakfast.

I'm super excited about this pie recipe from Martha Stewart Living, I think the November issue. Triple Chocolate Pumpkin pie! How can you go wrong?

(obviously not my photo! thank you amazing MSL food stylists!)

My other pie is pretty classic, the "Perfect Pumpkin Pie." I've made this one before. It really is foolproof, and takes almost no time if you opt to use a premade pie shell.

I'm so happy for this four day weekend and for all the things I have to be thankful for. I hope you have a great holiday, too.

happy day

good day today. why? oh,

• woke up early enough to do a pregnancy yoga DVD before work. it really is true that excercise makes you feel better. who knew?

• i let myself have a little regular coffee this morning. it's a semi weekly treat I allow myself and it always tastes and feels so good.

• wearing my new favorite earrings. something about my new haircut makes me want to wear giant roundish earrings. these were seven bucks from target and are the prettiest rosy gold color.



• all my favorite blogs updated today. yes, this makes my day nicer.

• work was busy but not crazy busy. ate lunch with friends and not at my desk, for once. had some pleasant afternoon conversations.

• and the obvious: it was the most beautiful october day today. crisp. the setting sun was gorgeous.

happiness.

things to do

I never know what to call my work. art? collage? scrapbook? it is what it is though. i'm pleased with these two, made the day after we had our 20 week ultrasound. I always feel like my artwork is better when i'm happy.

This is the kind of week where all I want to do is cut and paste and cut and paste. just let the pages in my art journal fill up, and make postcards for friends, and start a new sewing project. instead, I'll be working late every night and coming home with enough energy to eat, finish a few chores, and veg out in front of msnbc. I am always a bit envious of people that can stay up late working on projects and still function normally. i guess being pregnant doesn't really help that right now.

The prospect of an entirely free weekend makes it all better though. the weather has been so perfect this week it feels like time to start all the fall projects on my list.
-finally, finally putting up curtains in our bedroom. i found some simple white sheers and I think they might look great with a wide brown grosgrain ribbon sewn along the bottom. if I get ambitious.
-reorganizing and redecorating our mantle. I'm starting to get the thrifting urge big time, since it's been a couple of weeks, and hopefully I can pick up a few cute things.
-cleaning up the garden for wintertime. i have to say, the garden definitely fell to the end of the to do list this summer and it's looking a little unkempt, to say the least.
-organizing our wreck of a spice cabinet. you should see it, it's not pretty. so far I haven't found any perfect solutions. . . but I'm convinced it's out there somewhere.

to be honest though, if I even accomplish one of those four I'd be pretty stoked. i like takin 'er easy these days.

door county and milwaukee, august 2008

the subtitle for this entry would probably be "the bathrooms of wisconsin." i think the baby was sitting directly on my bladder all weekend long.

anyway! pictures!
on our sheep farm tour! I'm really excited, can't you tell?

mike and his sheepy friends

on a lookout tower, peninsula state park

eagle harbor sunset

whitefish dunes state park

milwaukee art museum



we had a great time, it was really relaxing. I always forget how much I love the country. we stayed on "the quiet side" of door county so I'm sure that made a difference. i think we experienced most of what door county had to offer, including: numerous wonderful hikes in state parks, a climb to the top of a lighthouse, a fish boil, yummy custard, browsing at touristy shops but not buying anything. . . and of course our wonderful bed and breakfast/sheep farm, whitefish bay farm, which I highly recommend. the breakfast was great and the sheep were soooo cute and friendly.

we also stopped in Milwaukee for a day this weekend too, and I always forget how much I love smaller cities. we visited the art museum, walked around downtown on the riverwalk quite a bit, mike drank a lot of brewpub beer, I loved shopping in the third ward and seeing the public market. happy times.

bits and pieces

Some pretty things I've found in the past few weeks. Wildflowers in a park near my house. Zinnias in the side yard around dusk. And "natural graffiti," shadows from some foliage on our dining room floor.

Things have been nice and quiet around here. Lately I have been waking up fairly early and really enjoying it. sunday morning the whole neighborhood was so cool and super quiet, I ate breakfast on the back patio and it felt like I was the only one awake for miles. It's lovely. We've been having some friendly bird visitors on our back patio, too; a hummingbird, a pair of american goldfinches, and a daily afternoon sparrow party (dozens of them!). It's fun to watch.

I'm appreciating all these calm docile moments. Lately I have been feeling a little unsure about some of my friendships. Once again it's an issue of my being in a different life place than some of my friends and it makes me feel so awkward. I'm pretty sure it's all just my perception, but still, I think about it too much and it troubles me. Not everything is easy. But. Everything is good, ultimately.

warmth!

my mom and I at "cloud gate" (aka, the bean) millenium park, Chicago.

okay, how many other good things could have happened this weekend?
1. friday night i fell asleep on the couch at 9 PM. yes, that's a good thing.
2. my mom came to visit. and she brought dari barn ice cream. .. with crunch coat (a hometown favorite). dude, best thing ever, in the universe.
3. we went to millenium park saturday afternoon and just sat there forever watching people. i really love millenium park, I truly do, and am really happy that some of my tax dollars as a city dweller funded it's billion dollar-ness.
3a. we had such a nice day walking around downtown, walking along the lakefront, drinking warm drinks at the cosi on michigan avenue with all the art kids, taking the metra through all the western suburbs, etc. etc.
4. today I did the crossword on the patio, then fell into some kind of dreamy sun coma/ half sleep. SUNSHINE. it is back, and like I said, I honestly feel like I'm in a whole new world. it's glorious.
4a. also this afternoon I made some collages with the windows open. is there anything nicer than a good music mix mingled with the birdsongs from the backyard? it's kind of the ultimate nice sunday afternoon sound.
5. tonight mike and I rode our bikes over to a friends house, sat on a patio, drank beers, and petted dogs. let's think about all the good things in that sentence. there's a lot.

Honestly though, it's so strange to live in this new universe of warmth. I feel like this was one of the worst winters I've ever lived through and now it's totally bizarre to get used to non-winter anymore. I'm sure I sound like some kind of weirdo talking about this, but I'm guessing if you live above the mason-dixon line you'll probably understand. SPRINGTIME. Yes.

behold the man

the betrayal of christ

ecce homo

the entombment

thinking about these caravaggios this week.

happy easter, friends.

still winter

it seems like there are signs of spring everywhere but here. the magazines and catalogs in my mailbox are full of hyacinths and short skirts. even the sun setting later makes it seem like my neighborhood should be warm and blooming. but it's not.

i don't think I'm really complaining though; it was warm enough today to ride my bike to the grocery store, one of my favorite activities of all time. there's a little path and a big pond between my house and the ultra foods. even though it's still wintry it's pretty in a sparse way. isn't that an interesting little seed pod?

let's get out of this country

well, just the state really. but i have had that camera obscura song in my head now for a few days.

Next week Mike and I are headed down to Florida for a few days of beachy fun, spring training baseball, and me not complaining about the weather every three minutes. I tell you people, it's turning me into Captain Bringdown, big time. Negative twenty wind chill tonight! And, every time I go outside I get so mad I feel like punching the cold air in the face. And that's kind of difficult. So! This trip could not come at a better time.


Gotta represent for the family team. Dude, i cannot wait.

happy valentines

some flickr prettyness for today:

1. What's Cookin'?, 2. do you like my baubles?, 3. Untitled, 4. Spring's coat...., 5. Sketchbook Stuff, 6. Untitled, 7. Frills, 8. I love you more than tea, 9. heart tags, 10. we had sunshine today, 11. take 1, 12. New eye candy for etsy shop, 13. Be Mine, 14. pink cupcake with sesame street toy, 15. Peonies from my yard, 16. HI

happy valentines day!

lucky number seven

since I don't have a lot to say I'm doing one of those "seven things about me" posts. just random stuff. for the record, yeah, i haven't really created anything lately so I don't have much to share. I think my brain is frozen. and the negative wind chill can bite me.

okay, anyway! here they are.
 
1. I absolutely hate being "blessed" after sneezing. It's probably because I sneeze a lot and would just prefer people to ignore it.

2. I sing songs to my dog ALL the time. Most of them are tuneless. And most of them are about how she is a pug dog, or how bad she smells. So the songs are not good, but I sing them with love.

3. I have vivid dreams and remember them often. When I was younger I had recurring dreams that I was shopping for something specific and could never find it. These dreams stopped when I married Mike. Seriously! Now I dream a lot about whales, and sometimes Bob Dylan.

4. I have really bad excema on my hands this winter and it looks like I have some kind of flesh-eating bacteria. It's getting better, but at one time it was really gross. Not sure why I'm sharing this. You're welcome!

5. If Google ever went away about half my life would fall apart. I rely so much on gmail, my google calendar, and google reader. I use gmail as an address book, I email PDFs of my work to myself for safekeeping, all my appointments I would completely forget are in the calendar. . . it would not be pretty.

6. I am not very good about remembering birthdays, and I really wish I were better about sending gifts and cards. This was one of my New Years Resolutions.

7. I'm starting to get SUPER excited about planting my garden this spring. I'm hoping to plant tomatoes, zucchini, snow peas, spinach, green peppers, hot peppers, and herbs. I think this is finally the year that I have learned I can't grow basil and oregano from seed, so maybe I'll finally have some herb success.

on that note of looking forward to springtime. . . I'm out.

 

2007, in photos

Last night, as I was falling asleep around 11:40 (yes, lame, but I'm 100% fine with that) i told my husband that 2007 has been one of the best years of my life. It really has been.

the evidence:


rome. my heart explodes in love for rome


friendship. lea, renae, valerie and I at the baha'i temple.


my beautiful garden.


boston. and my newfound love for baseball.


being the star mascot at my company's national conference (what a bizarre yet wonderful experience!)


visiting my grandpa's farm in iowa with the whole family.

almost too much to name. It's hard to condense all the good things, great and small, about this year into a few photographs and a couple paragraphs.

happy new year, friends. here's to another one that's even better.

peace

Happy, happy Christmastime. The past few days have been so full of family and friends and nice quiet moments with Mike and the dog too. This is the little princess asleep in a sunbeam this morning.

The days have been so peaceful and I'm grateful and humbled by that, feeling so blessed. I strive for peace and seek it out, balancing myself by making art and saying small prayers and trying to live in the present, happy moments. Taking all these things and pondering them in my heart, you know, the true meaning of Christmas.

So today I have the day off work and am just puttering. I'm hoping to clean up the house a bit and send some things on their way to Goodwill, evening out the flow of new things into the house by sending others on their way out. Though I will say, I haven't done any of that yet since I always get distracted when I'm in the house. Taking a few photos of some recent art to share.





a new page in my art journal. and the journal, almost full. maybe I'll try to finish it in the next few days so I can start fresh in the new year.

larger sizes at my flickr.