moments in between

Checking in here and keeping flickr updated is still taking a back burner to life lately. All is well, just busy. Work has been very busy, I recently spent a week in Seattle and I am off to LA today for a short trip. We also took a mini-vacation to Palm Springs for a weekend - I love it out there, the desert is just so relaxing. We got to hike and go swimming, drink milk shakes and go out for breakfast each day.

I am feeling 100% better and and now big enough that my center of gravity is definitley off! I think this babe has been cooking 17 weeks. We have an ultrasound scheduled in a few weeks and the waiting is killing me. Trust me, I am in no rush, however I already feel like I am fighting the urge to nest and even though I want to buy, or even bring, very little baby gear into this house, I am already eyeing things and wondering if that should be the one special purchase. I know, I know, too soon.

just a few month lost - with a pretty good excuse

It's been nothing but the sound of cricket around here, on flickr too. I have wandered before, but these last few months I have been downright silent. I doubt anyone is even out there.

It has been an odd year so far, I might as well spill the beans - I'm pregnant. It was a surprise, or as I prefer, a bonus. So needless to say I have been sick and tired the last few months. I thought it was getting better, but the last few days have been miserable. I hate food, have no desire to cook and less desire to eat anything but bland carbs. I am showing so much earlier than I did with Jackson, I know that is normal, but it surprised me nonetheless.

I have resolved to start making again, anything. It has been ages. I have gotten into this funk were I silently lurk on blogs reading about what other people are doing and just observing. I need to stop and do something productive. I will share if I do, hopefully I can get that creative muscle working again.

If anyone reads this, old friend or new, I hope you are doing well and sorry I have been so out of touch.

weekend recap

Hope everyone had a good weekend, we sure did. My Mom had Jackson over for a sleepover on Friday and Clay and I went on a date. We had a yummy dinner at one of our favorite restaurants and then met some friends for drinks. It was fun, we don't often go out and I think we should do it more.

On Saturday we actually slept in and then went up to the litho studio, picking some kombucha up on the way for our ever so slight hangovers. Is anyone else riding the kombucha train? I am totally hooked on the stuff.

At the studio Clay taught me how to grind a stone. Between our undergraduate and graduate studies I have spent plenty of time with Clay in litho studios, but I usually just hang out. Most recently I was always heading over to the book arts studio to use the guillotine. We played music and Clay taught me to grind stones and bevel the edges. Then he showed me more about the process with some stones he is working on. It was a fun compromise - Clay wanted to spend sometime in the studio, especially while the students are on break still, and he also wanted to spend time with me.


So, earlier this week I finally did something I have wanted to do forever. I joined the local CSA and I couldn't be happier with our first box we picked up this morning.

Wow... carrots, dill, lettuce, chard, kale, oranges, tangerines, avocados, apples, lemons, guave, and cherimoya which I have never even heard of. It looks like a chiseled avocado and is suppose to taste like banana. Living in a temporate location has advantages.

Lots of people at work have been sick and I think I am coming down with a it. I can't really tell if this is the beginning of something bad, or just an annoying sore throat.

Farewell 2008

I've look through photos from 2008 and I can say that through the lens of the captured moments it was a good year. It went by quickly, I feel like they all do. I made some realizations as I browsed through the images and in the following year I resolve to:

1. Take more pictures: Our D80 is so big that I don't take as many pictures as I use to. Better pictures perhaps, but there is less documented.
2. Take more pictures with me in the shot: Really, this means I should delete less of the pictures with me in them.
3. Update my flickr more: not just to enhance my community presence, but to back-up the images we are taking.
4. Update this blog more: Don't get your hopes up, but I think I can do better than once a month... maybe.

Anything is possible I suppose -- Happy New Year!

get up and go

That was a long absence. I've just been super busy since the last time I posted. We took out workshop series to Tucson, taking me out of town for a week. It takes a good couple of weeks to prepare for our workshops, and then on either side of the workshop week we had out of town guests visit us. It was just a lot. Yesterday we finished up Jackson's soccer season and today I am really looking forward to being a homebody.

I am trying to get pumped up about gift giving for the holidays. I really haven't been making very much at all lately. Between some much needed cleaning around the house I am going to do a couple test projects to see if they have gift giving potential. I already cleaned up my work area.



And here is a hint about some of this years presents. One pound of culinary grade lavender!

Who's voting for McCain in Macedonia?

I don't know about you, but I am getting extremely anxious over the coming election. Many of my friends and co-workers are voting by mail, but I will be casting my ballot in person on the 4th. Again the whole thing makes me very anxious, so tonight I voted with the world and it was very eye opening, but what in the world is up with Macedonia?

http://iftheworldcouldvote.com/

post-worthy

I am still trying to figure out my voice on this new blog. Don't worry, I am still sticking to my "no-stress blog" attitude, but that doesn't mean I am always able to come up with lots of post-worthy material. For one, life is heavily about work right now, and I try not to talk about work here unless I happen to be on the road.

To be completely honest, I was quiet last week because I was a little bit down on most nights. Nothing too serious, just a case of the blues. It happens sometimes. I'm feeling much better this week though. I am trying hard to be positive and for the most part I think it is working, whereas last week I just couldn't turn it around.

Despite my gloomy outlook on life last week, I had some kick-ass luck at the thrift stores. Check out the two teak chairs we scored for our dinner table. Now we have two matching chairs and the teal chair which I still love.


I also picked up a wee sweet Arabia Finland dish and an equally sweet vintage Japanese ceramic bud vase.




I did pretty well in the clothing department too. I picked up a brown vintage slip, a couple of cardigans (I am a cardigan junky), and the mythical vintage Diane von Furstenberg dress for under $5! It has no shape on the hanger, but it looks rather good on and even though I have very little in this color, I think I have realized that it is one of the most flattering colors for me.