Shoe Envy

If I could, I would.  Have a great long weekend!

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28 Weeks

Hello, third trimester.  It's bittersweet to see 2nd trimester go, it was very good to us, but entering the 3rd trimester means we're that much closer to meeting our boy.   I feel bigger everyday.  It's an amazing thing, this female body.  The way it changes and adjusts and makes a comfortable, safe, nurturing home for a child.

As the 3rd trimester gets underway, we've started talking a bit more about birth.  I think Elizabeth said it BEST when she said, "more and more i feel like where and how we birth is just another way to divide mothers against mothers. i have many friends who have had c-sections and feel guilty that they never labored, many friends who had their babies in in their living rooms. is one superior to the other? not a chance. both stay up nights on end comforting a sick child, wipe away tears, give every bit of their resources and energy to make their little ones feel like the most important thing in the world"  Amen.  What matters to our family is that our boy is delivered safely.  I find comfort in research, therefore will continue to educate myself about the process, all the while knowing that when the moment comes, I will trust my body and my health care team to make the delivery of our first child as healthy and positive as it can be.

12 more weeks.   We plan to enjoy, prepare, rest and wait.....

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Blessings for a Marriage - James Dillet Freeman

A work week sandwiched between the wedding weekends of two dear friends, has marriage on the mind.  What does it mean to love another, to commit to spending a lifetime together, to vow before God, your family and your friends to love one another for the eternity of your lifetimes? 

I've had the great priveldge to be married to my best friend for the past 5.5 years.  I firmly believe that our souls connect in a way that is beyond the comprehension of the human mind.   There is, and always has been, a force, something greater than ourselves, which has drawn us together and kept us together.  I also believe, strongly, that marriage and love is ever growing, ever changing, ever needing of devotion and shared commitment to one, unified vision of the future.    

On that note, these eloquent words by James Dillet Freeman:

Blessing For A Marriage by James Dillet Freeman

“May your marriage bring you all the exquisite excitements a marriage should bring, and may life grant you also patience, tolerance, and understanding. May you always need one another -- not so much to fill your emptiness as to help you to know your fullness. A mountain needs a valley to be complete. The valley does not make the mountain less, but more. And the valley is more a valley because it has a mountain towering over it. So let it be with you and you. May you need one another, but not out of weakness. May you want one another, but not out of lack. May you entice one another, but not compel one another. May you embrace one another, but not out encircle one another. May you succeed in all-important ways with one another, and not fail in the little graces. May you look for things to praise, often say, "I love you!" and take no notice of small faults. If you have quarrels that push you apart, may both of you hope to have good sense enough to take the first step back. May you enter into the mystery that is the awareness of one another's presence -- no more physical than spiritual, warm and near when you are side by side, and warm and near when you are in separate rooms or even distant cities. May you have happiness, and may you find it making one another happy. May you have love, and may you find it loving one another.”

Tuesday...

:: Kicks, flips and turns.  Proof that my little boy is alive and well inside his mama's belly.
:: The crib that arrived yesterday and our sweet bedding choice from Dwell Studio
:: Summer Fruit
:: Prenatal yoga
:: A parking pass and not having to deal with public transportation, especially on rainy humid days like today

Just some things that make me happy today.  Enjoy yours.

(Our bedding.  Your crib is ready, sweet boy.)

Happy People

Happy people have two things in common. They know exactly what they want and they feel they're moving toward getting it - Barbara Sher

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Thomas Merton on Love...

So powerful and important to remember.

Maternity by H&M

I had no idea they have a maternity section!  and finding it yesterday was just what I needed.  I was desperately needing some "skinny pants" --- not only because it's nice to have some part of your body feel somewhat slim as I head into the 3rd trimester, but also my feet have started to ache and I really prefer flats.  But flats with non-skinny pants just look... well, they don't look good.

So, imagine my delight when I stumbled upon H&M's maternity section.  Finally a store that understands a pregnant person is still a person!  ...and wants to look decent but also knows these clothes are just for a few more months and I'd rather not spend a week's pay on them.   So without further ado, I got a pair of mint skinnies and a pair of black skinny pants for $24.95 each!  Yes!   Dare I say, I feel a bit "normal" today :)

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Housewarming via Julie Blanner

What a nice, practical, affordable housewarming token gift via Julie Blanner.

Monday...

Coming back from a great extended weekend.  We got so much done at home - organizing the bathroom, the kitchen, the basement...making room for our little boy.   Although the house and it's ENDLESS list of work that needs to be done can seem somewhat frustrating and daunting at times, it's also a lot fun.  I'm grateful that my husband shares my interest and it's a creative outlet/pastime/hobby we enjoy together.  It's a labor of love, no doubt, but watching it transform and be a tangible reflection of our work is also quite gratifying.   We'll always remember this house and the time we spent together helping it grow.  Our first "baby" ~

With the nursery and back hall nearing completion, up next we've got to tackle the dining area off the kitchen.  I hesitate to call it a Dining Room, since we decided to sell our Dining Set and replace it with a casual eat in table and convert half of the room to a home office for my husband.   Hard to justify a sideboard, when my husband has been working off his laptop/coffee table for the past two years but there's also dining/office combos like this one, which is an interesting direction I hadn't quite thought of:

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Elizabeth Lesser on Happiness...

A great and quick Q&A with Elizabeth Lesser via Well Daily, that I would like to have archived here on my space. 

1. What brings you the most happiness? I take responsibility for my own happiness—no one else can give it to me or take it away from me. I do whatever it takes—meditation, prayer, music, ecstatic ramblings in nature—to remember that I am an eternal soul in a transient body. And I get my puny ego out of the way and love others with all my heart.
2. What do you do about stress? I ask problems, “What have you come to teach me?” and then I try to surrender and learn. I TRY. Sometimes I am successful, and sometimes I fall off the horse and lie on the ground kicking and screaming before I get back on. You can always get back on.
3. What’s your secret indulgence? A high-end cappuccino machine, grinder and beans, and a ritualized morning routine that I go to bed thinking about!
4. What inspired you to become an author? I can’t know what I feel or think if I don’t first write it down. Writing is my path through the woods.
5. If you weren’t a writer, what would you be doing? To be a composer would be heavenly. To write music that made people swell with deep emotion and rise with elevated consciousness.
6. What was the happiest day of your life? I measure happiness in moments, not days. It comes and goes, like weather. Real happiness is allowing emotions to run freely through the body and mind without attaching to them. Letting grief and sadness have their way, and then welcoming happiness and letting it go too. Greeting whatever comes with “unconditional friendliness” is a recipe for inner peace with flashes of delicious joy.

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Bookhou

I came across this Etsy shop via a nursery site because they make this sweet wooden alphabet.    However, their edgy bags and clutches quickly caught my eye.

(all images via their etsy site)

Rustic meets Modern in Barcelona

Just a dose of lovely Spanish style to start the week off right ~

Images via OneKindDesign which is full of all sorts of global design goodness.

The Edge

When you have come to the edge
of all the light you know
And are about to step off
Into the darkness of the unknown,
Faith is knowing that
One of two things will happen:
There will be something solid to stand on
Or you will be taught how to fly.
~ Patrick Overter

And speaking of the edge, check out these amazing pictures from the cliffs of Norway!  Unreal. 

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Bagster

Bagster is a great resource for Do-it-Yourself'ers like we are.   One of these days I'll get a complete album of the renovations we've been working on loaded up here but in the meantime, today is a good day because two bags and a few thousand pounds (!) of demolition debris has been removed from our driveway. 

It's a simple concept.  Pick up the bag at any Home Depot or Lowe's.   Fill it as you would a dumpster and when you're ready for it to go, simply call or fill out the online order form. A garbage truck will come and pick up your Bagster bag(s) (ours came the next day)*.  We had so much taken out of the house that we needed two bags.  They do offer a multi-bag pickup discount, so if you anticipate more than one bag and you have the room, it's worth it to wait and call for both bags to be picked up at the same time.  Also, I googled "Bagster Online Coupon" and found a $20 off promo code via retail-me-not.  (that site has great online coupon codes, always worth checking!) 

* Just be sure to check out the "rules" for collection.  Your driveway has to be a minimum size and there are some other details on the site.  It cost us about $300 for both bags and pick-up. 

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Product Review: Chi Hairdryer & Clarisonic

I bought this over the weekend.  Note: if you're in the market for this product check out your local Marshalls or TJ Maxx.  I always see them there and bought mine for $70, $30+ cheaper than Amazon or Overstock.

Anyways, I just wanted to report that I am a very happy customer.  It's expensive but it really does dry my hair considerably faster than my old dryer, which not only helps my rushed morning routine but also must be healthier for my hair.  And it's light weight and easy on the arm!   I would definitely recommend this product.

 And speaking of products, I've been meaning to write that the Clarisonic face brush that so many reviews rave about was a total let down for me.  I didn't notice any change in my skin from using it and I find it to be a waste of time.  Save your $$.   

Structure

And on this Monday morning, as has been the case for several Monday mornings this summer, I found myself --- dare I say it, looking forward to heading into work.   For as long as I can remember I have worried about work/life balance when the time came for motherhood.  Actually, at 22 I chose a job that would be best cut out for motherhood, while still bringing home a nice paycheck.  My job path is not particularly glamorous or intellectually challenging, yet it isn't entirely bad either.  I work in a great place with people that treat me well.  Our benefits, financial and otherwise, have helped us get to a place that I feel extremely proud and secure and I have a defined and marketable skill set.

But something else is happening recently.  Between the pregnancy and my husband's recovery from surgery, I have started to look forward to this quiet little space where I spend my weekdays.  I like the routine of it.   I like knowing what to expect, and knowing that I am valued and good at it.  I like the pace --- where once I found it tedious and boring, these days I'm feeling gratitude for the time in the morning where I can make my coffee, read a few of my favorite blogs, gather some thoughts here on this space, and start my workday.   I used to daydream of how I could find a job that would give me flexibility to enjoy more of the summer --- but you know what, the summer is hot.  And after a sticky humid weekend, my cool office seemed like just the right place to be.  

So - what am I trying to say here?   Just a note to my younger self, I suppose.  I spent countless hours worrying whether the career path I chose would allow me the family balance that I know I need.  And just recently, as my belly grows and life becomes increasingly busy, I think that I did make the right choice.  I like the predictability and structure of what I do.  I like being part of a talented team.  I like coming to work and being productive. 

And that's it.  For now, I'm content. And that feels really good.  For now, my head isn't going in a million directions wondering how I got here and whether it was right or wrong.   For now, I'm just enjoying this unique time in my life and soaking it in - a sincere and true gratitude for where I'm at and nothing more.

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Serena and Lily Onesies

I know they're overpriced and you can find plenty of similar things for half the cost, but I might have to splurge and buy a few of these for Baby C.   They're so sweet and everyone raves about Hanna Andersson.

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May I Suggest

Thanks H, for sending along some tunes for Baby C and I.   This one got me a little weepy this morning. Right on. 

MAY I SUGGEST 
From: New Non-Fiction (2001)
Copyright © Susan Werner

May I suggest
May I suggest to you
May I suggest this is the best part of your life
May I suggest
This time is blessed for you
This time is blessed and shining almost blinding bright
Just turn your head
And you’ll begin to see
The thousand reasons that were just beyond your sight
The reasons why
Why I suggest to you
Why I suggest this is the best part of your life

There is a world
That’s been addressed to you
Addressed to you, intended only for your eyes
A secret world
Like a treasure chest to you
Of private scenes and brilliant dreams that mesmerize
A lover’s trusting smile
A tiny baby’s hands
The million stars that fill the turning sky at night
Oh I suggest
Oh I suggest to you
Oh I suggest this is the best part of your life

There is a hope
That’s been expressed in you
The hope of seven generations, maybe more
And this is the faith
That they invest in you
It’s that you’ll do one better than was done before
Inside you know
Inside you understand
Inside you know what’s yours to finally set right
And I suggest
And I suggest to you
And I suggest this is the best part of your life

This is a song
Comes from the west to you
Comes from the west, comes from the slowly setting sun
With a request
With a request of you
To see how very short the endless days will run
And when they’re gone
And when the dark descends
Oh we’d give anything for one more hour of light

And I suggest this is the best part of your life.

And here's a clip of it being covered by Red Molly.

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Alone Time

Last night I woke to your dad laughing.  I had fallen asleep early and he had his hands on my belly, as he loves to do.  You were kicking and turning non-stop and your dad felt every movement.  He said "shhh, you're going to wake your mom" but you'd respond with a double-kick.   He was sure that you felt him there.  My boys --- playing alone together for the very first time.   

Emerson

"The world makes way for the man who knows where he's going...." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

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