3 down

I think I mentioned how excited I was to be able to finally choose the window treatments for our new home.  Today I wanted to share the results of 3 windows being finished.  Above are our bedroom curtains, a vintage print that I purchased pre-Dave and love, love, love.  I'm lucky that Dave loves me because he hates the curtains but was willing to put up with them because I love them so much.  I must apologize for the darkness of the photos but all the windows that are done are on the north side of the house and so there is not much light in those rooms.

It feels like a small miracle that I found time to sew in the last two weeks and make these for my kitchen.  My birds are perched and they make me happy too.  Just the little things make me happy these days. 

 

As you can see by the pictures on the floor things are still all over the place around here.  But we're working on it.  I'll share more as soon as we get a cohesive room together.

Yoga for Two

Moms who are on their second, third, or more (yikes!) pregnancies will often comment that there just isn't much time to devote to connecting to the little one growing inside when you are taking care of older siblings. I am no exception to this.  As I've already mentioned the first trimester is hard for me, and I was so occupied with trying to cope that I rarely felt like connecting to the little one.

My solution has been to begin a pre-natal yoga class.  I only took one yoga session when I was pregnant with Kyan.  I found that after a day of working I didn't have the energy to take a yoga class.  This seems a bit funny to me now because I'm certainly more tired now than I was then but taking the time is really important to me.  I want to do special things this pregnancy that are related to this child and I can remember fondly once he or she has grown into a big kid.  It is also more precious bonding time for Dave and Kyan who are certainly best buds (Ky refers to Dave as his best friend) I can only think that a strong bond between them will help with the transition of adding a new member to the family in March. 

In other news my parents arrive soon for Thanksgiving and I am trying to get this place in order slowly but surely.  It will all come together one way or another.  I wish you all a great week.  I hope to post several times this week.

A simple first day of autumn

Just a couple of photos from our simple day with friends.  Food, friends, conversation and some lovely sunshine made our first day of Autumn very enjoyable.  I even managed to make banana bread this morning and a dinner of scalloped potatoes, tamari and honey marinated steak and green peas.  I'm exhausted now but it was worth it.  Happy Fall Everyone!

Art of the Month: September

Truthfully there has not been much art happening around here lately.  Instead I thought I'd share a piece I made several years ago for my friend Matt.  He was gifted with two Roman brass ornaments and he gave one to me to include on a cuff.  I was very into making cuffs a few years ago and enjoyed the instant gratification they offered as a project.

As you can see the ornament is very inspirational.  Heavy though so I'm not sure how much Matt still wears it.  He planned on using it as part of his stage outfit during performances but the weight may have deterred him from wearing it while playing guitar.

The golden hue and red are helping inspire fall feelings in me.  I hope to have a new project to share very shortly.  There is a little bit of sewing happening around here this week.

Our new outdoors

After almost a month in our new home we finally got out for Outdoor Mondays today.  Our fist adventure was to the compost bin!  I am very happy to finally have a compost bin.  The best part of this one is that I don't have to sort through worms and compost myself every three months.  (My worm compost bin lasted a year before I couldn't take it anymore.  I felt like a failure but was glad that I'd tried)  I'm really glad that Kyan will learn about composting and see the process happening.  And sharing responsibility for it is really great as well.

  And our latest development around here is that we rarely use the stroller anymore.  Kyan bikes all over.  He's getting really good at steering and we are using these daily sessions to work on learning the difference between left and right and about road safety (which sounds very official and strict but it's not really at this point.  He is only 2 and a half)  This trike is great since I can let him work his legs and also push if he  needs help.  I'm glad that I don't have to be bending over to help him get around while he's still learning.

What's really been happening...

August was very quiet around here, wasn't it?  I am going to share the main reason for this now.....
I am pregnant.  Our family is very excited to be adding our fourth member.  He or she will arrive sometime in March 2011.  The first trimester is nearing it's end now as I am in the 12th week.  With Kyan's pregnancy I was rather depressed and nauseous and oh, so tired.  The same has been the case this time.   Each day was different,  some more challenging than others but overall I think this time the yucky feelings have been a bit quicker to go away.
I am so glad to have this blog as a record of this time.  I did not blog when I was pregnant with Kyan.   This child will have a record of its growth from an earlier stage than Ky does.
So I hope this explains my lack of posts and it also is the main reason for my slow progress in getting our new home organized.  The long weekend helped us get some things in place but the process of settling in will take many months as we plan on purchasing new furniture and making this place look like us.  As I may have mentioned before our style is still a work in progress.
As more energy starts to creep in I have more posts formulating in my head and I hope to return to a normal posting schedule this month.  I won't go baby crazy here but I'll definitely keep everyone updated and relate baby news that I think is pertinent or that inspires my writing desires.
Thanks for sticking with me.  I hope you'll enjoy the new adventure our family  is undertaking in the months to come.  As a fun little comparison I took a photo now and contrasted it with one from Kyan's pregnancy.  My belly is close to the size it was at 5 months now at only 3.  But they say that you pop out much faster in subsequent pregnancies.

12 Weeks, September 2010

Around 5 months, August 2007

a belated thanks

Many weeks ago now I was excited to learn that I had won a Tarot deck in the wonderful Rue of Rue and Hyssop's giveaway.   You may remember that I only  have one other deck.  They have come to me slowly and while my Sacred Circle Tarot is very grounded on this planet the Celestial Tarot is all about the starts and the night sky. 
The two cards that have spoken to me the most so far are the Ten of Pentacles, Earth card and the Princess of Cups, Autumn card.

The artwork on this card just called to me the first time I saw it.  I loved the description of the card in the booklet as well: 

Embodying Life on Earth
The earth signs combine to prophecy prosperity and to reconnect us to the ancient mysteries of the ancestors whose blood and fate we inherit...

And of course since the season is a few weeks away and Autumn is my new year with my birthday and such this card just fills me up right now.  The ironic thing is that a tarot deck all about the stars is what I've gotten and two cards relating to being more grounded are what appeal to me right now.  I would equate it with the move and my need to set my roots down.  Once I feel more settled I'll be able to look upwards and let my spirit explore the messages in the stars.  Since I love astrology so much having a deck like this is really fun and I can sense a whole other layer of understanding about the signs just around the corner for me.

I'm also already thinking about what sort of a bag I'll use to hold them.  Perhaps I'll create a new one covered in constellations....I'll think on it.

Thanks so much Rue for having this giveaway.  And please visit her shop Spiral Spirit Offerings for your viewing and purchasing pleasure. 

last bit of summer

Part of why I've been so quiet here is that we took another little vacation last week.  We went across the U.S boarder to Blaine, Washington and stayed at the tranquil Semihamoo Resort.  A pebble beach, good food and a waterfront room were very relaxing and a great way to celebrate two family birthdays.

Our trips these days are never complete without finding a miniature train ride.  This one was even being pulled by the celebrity train himself.  Thomas continues to be a huge part of our family.