At 37 weeks…

It’s getting late, and I probably should be in bed. But Paden’s coming tomorrow (like it or not, wee squid kid), and, yeah, I’d rather look at photos than sleep.

The most awesome and awesomely talented Kaitie Bryant did a pregnancy photo shoot with us after church at the Classic Center on the day we hit 37 weeks. She made me feel absolutely beautiful. It was the best time I’ve ever had in front of the camera (let’s just say I usually prefer the behind-the-camera side of photo taking).

She captured us perfectly—our goofy, giddy selves. Here are a few of my favorite photos:Okay, kid, time to get here already!

On slowing down and needing (even more) naps

The hobby/free time question is always an interesting one. And, I realize I don’t answer it very accurately. Sure, when I’m not growing a not-so-wee-anymore person in my belly, I definitely love to run, swim, bike, read, craft, sew, cook, hike, watch football, banter with Justin, snuggle the cat and buy too many veggies at the farmers market.

But I’ve never listed my most favorite activity of all: Napping.

Sundays were made for naps. Days that end in Y were made for naps. Naps are good in the morning, after lunch, before dinner, instead of folding the laundry. I’m like a hobbit, only I’d rather have naps than six meals a day.

I’m 37.5 weeks along in growing this baby, and I need more naps.

Just over two weeks ago, Mom and Dad were up for a baby shower. So, Mom and I headed to north Georgia Saturday morning to buy some apples. On Sunday, we did a quick hike at Sandy Creek Nature Center. It seems that hiking and sleeping are some of the only two activities were I don’t feel like a giant hippo – even if I still looked like one on the trails. Evidence below:

I actually really love this photo. After our adventure, I think I went home and took a nap.

I’m not sure how I’m going to survive a shattered sleep schedule. But at least I don’t have to go to work for lots of weeks after Paden arrives. I’m also not sure how I’m going to survive until then. All of me is slowing down, right when I need to finish projects and get work done (don’t people at work know I’m only really able to use my brain right now to stand upright and keep from tripping on my feet?). It’s gotten so bad that it took me about an hour to roll socks last night. Socks!

Mom and I. Yes, we like the woods. Trees are pretty! I really just want to spend the next two weeks staring at them. That’s one thing I could handle.

When thoughts these days turn to diapers…

A few days ago, I tiptoed back onto Ebay for the first time in about four years. Yeah, I’m not into bidding. I have so, so many other time sucks (I’m looking at you, Pinterest, Feedly, Facebook and, well, Google searches).

And I won these used (BUT CLEAN!) cloth gDiapers:

Aren’t they adorable?! The wee one in my belly will be breathing air instead of practicing with amniotic fluid in about 6 weeks, and we’re going to need something to put on his wee butt.

gDiapers, from what I’ve researched so far, seem pretty awesome (this is not a paid endorsement. My blog doesn’t even blip in the blogosphere). They make both cloth and disposable inserts. And since I’m diving headfirst into this cloth thing—I’m even making my own cloth wipes—I figured used might be a good option. gDiapers, as adorable as they are, are pretty expensive, $30 for two covers and insert pouches at the cheapest (at BabiesRUs). So, bring on the used. Bring on Ebay. Bring on the bidding. And bring on the mom and mom-in-law, who both gave us two covers. I am so incredibly blessed.

That was me about three weeks ago with my mom, left (don’t we look so much alike?! I love it!), and my mom-in-law at my shower in Albany. I was overwhelmed by the love for this little kid. From handmade blankets to lots of body wash, he’s going to be well set.

Hidden. In a fairy land.

Last week, I added a bit of video/photo expertise to a communications training held on the UGA campus. And, being a training, we gave our “students” (very sharp UGA Extension professionals) some homework. The assignment centered around the UGA Trial Garden, always a beautiful spot, although some of us starting wilting rapidly in the August heat (um, yeah, so I thought we might get through summer without actually experiencing summer heat. Boo on August. BOOOOO).

Ahem. Where was I? Oh, yes, summer heat. No, wait, the Trial Garden. In the summer heat.

Flowers are so intricate and lovely. I don’t know what kind this one is, but I thought it illustrated well the concept of hidden for the photo scavenger hunt. I like to image being a wee fairy wandering through the flowers on a particularly warm day, collecting pieces of fragile beauty for my home.

If you look closely, there are tiny insects on some of the flowers. And, another angle:

I shot these with a 50mm f/1.4 lens. I left the color alone and love the bokeh (the blurring effect. Will have to experiment with this more).

Round. And why I can’t ‘taste the rainbow’

In the last post, I said no iPhone photos. I lied. It’s not every day that even a fun pack of Skittles is missing a color. How can I taste the rainbow if a color is missing? How can I experience fully the wonder that is eating all five flavors at once if a flavor is missing? How will my afternoon ever be normal if one of the five pillars of Skittles happiness is missing?!

I need to cut down on sugar. I see it’s becoming a serious problem.

In an effort to get this scavenger hunt started, my photo describing “round” is below. Because Skittles are round. Until you bite into them.

I used my new quick-connect iPhone lens, the olloclip, in fisheye setting, for this shot. The color is a little washed out and the photo grainy, but I’m cool with it. And, in case you were wondering, I still ate every single Skittle.

A photo scavenger hunt

I’m reviving my blog (whoo!) to join in Sarah F’s photo scavenger hunt (http://sarahsfavoritephotos.blogspot.com/). And I figured this would be a good time to post a lovely photo of me with a basketball in my belly (excuse the iPhone-used-in-the bathroom shot. I promise I’ll use my good camera for the actual scavenger hunt).

That’s me at 25 weeks, 2 days! Whoohoo! (I’m now 27 weeks, 2 days).

Once I figured out a decent angle to hold my phone, this happened:

That’s my normal reaction to a camera. Good thing I’m a writer. Broadcast would have been brutal.

And, the scavenger hunt list (I’m pumped! I needed this motivation to blow off the dust on my 60D. And, I better get started. I only have until Sept. 1. Oct. 1. We changed the deadline):
1. New
2. Round – done
3. Up in the air
4. Patterns
5. Tomorrow
6. Eyes
7. A sign
8. Tall
9. Amazing
10. Hidden – done
11. Green
12. Dirty
13. Weathered

The Beautiful Things

January is an interesting month. There’s a newness to the year—a newness in the dead of winter when, in Georgia at least, the first grips of cold really tighten and we’re left wanting spring. Because we are wusses. Wusses made for hot weather.

A lot of the blogs I read have been touching on the topic of comparisons this month, Pinterest in particular. It’s an easy target. When you have a social media site based primarily on beautiful images that can both spark creativity and open an internal floodgate of negative comparisons, it’s going to get picked on. It’s also a time suck. It definitely sucked too much of my time over the holidays (except I did find a really, really cool quilt that I’m determined will make it in some form into my guest bedroom).

My style is not years-past Swedish crisp and spotless clean. And it’s not on-the-farm creative, although, if I had to pick, that’s what I dream about and aspire to. It’s this year’s IKEA catalog—clutter and lived-in and color and chaos. It’s a growing ball of messy that gives me both grief and joy.

I’m finding, as the years roll by way too quickly, that I’m mostly okay with that growing ball of messy (some days more than others). And I’m trying to engage creatively (thanks, Coletterie) with the beauty around me while knowing that each of us approaches it differently.

But I think most of us will spend our lives trying to find our fit, ourselves. And maybe that is part of the beauty of it. We’re not going to fit here. We’re not supposed to fit here.

Am I okay with that—the looking toward Jesus and reaching toward heaven? Even when the greatest emotion I have on many days is feeling fenced in here on earth?

I had to fit in this photo of Millie somewhere. She so badly wants to be a “real” cat—to roam wide and free beyond our backyard. We so badly don’t want to her to get hit by a car. Ah, love.

The top photo is some form of lichen on a stump on Cook’s Trail in Sandy Creek Nature Center. That’s my life. Beautiful fungus. 🙂

Sometimes the sky speaks for me

Above: Sky heading back to Athens at the end of October after an interesting early Sunday morning drive into Sandy Springs

To say the past few months have been intense would be a severe understatement. Let’s just say it has something to do with reproduction and the clouds that constantly swirl in that sector for us.

So, this song by Gungor kind of sums up where I am right now:

Out on the farthest edge
There in the silence
You were there

My faith was torn to shreds
Heart in the balance
And You were there

Always faithful, always good
You still have me
You still have my heart

I thought I had seen the end
Everything broken
But You were there

I’ve wandered at heaven’s gates
I’ve made my bed in hell
You were there still

Always faithful, always good
You still have me
You still have my heart

A great live video of the “You Have Me” is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrbgelwcoPk

The watermelon cake

We had quite a July (yeah, I know. It’s almost September). J and I took our longest vacation ever (five whole nights, baby!) and the next weekend, my nephew turned 3, my mom turned a most beautiful age – 60 – and my niece was baptized. She’s .5 years old, for the record.

And I made a cake for Mom.

In case you can’t tell, I loved playdough as a kid.

Every year when I was growing up, Mom made my brothers and I a homemade cake for our birthdays. She still does. I guess the grownup years haven’t totally overtaken me yet. 😉

Somewhere in my teen years, I decided I would start making her a cake. And being creative of mind, I would usually choose the weirdest most interesting recipe I could find. One of them was for a watermelon cake – bright, bright red on the inside with a slight chocolate flavor, with raisins as seeds (I substituted chocolate chips for the raisins in the one above. Much tastier). The original recipe calls for a goo-green glaze. It’s a very interesting color. I went with fondant this year instead.

The pink is raspberry flavored. The green is cherry flavored. Both are marshmallow fondant, which is tastier than the stuff that comes in a plastic container.

My nephew wanted to test the quality

Overall, it was a success. Mom was happy. It got eaten. And, most importantly, we didn’t take any home!

On a rainy drive back from Savannah

I drove to Savannah Monday evening for a work trip (Tybee planning and an interview with the coolest environmental educator John “Crawfish” Crawford). Then I was back on the same route for a drive home Tuesday evening. Boredom + non-stop rain + the same road two days in a row + a good camera = photos of the sky.

Enjoy.

Below was the view on the right side of the road (toward the east):

And this was the other side (on the west), full of amazing, roiling beauty: