a little inspiration

It is funny to be doing a minimalistic diet in conjunction with a clear out of excess physical stuff in my home.  It has got me doing a whole lot of thinking, of seeing the cross pieces of my life as it currently is.  Looking at the change while it is happening in a very intentional and cathartic way. Yesterday I thought I was doing very well with the diet, I even attended my first food oriented outing in the morning with great success.  I attended a brunch where people have a very clean, holistic style of eating and living and so I wasn't too terribly tempted.  However, I could only eat from three dishes there and by the end I was hungry. When we got home I made kale chips and consumed them all (okay, I shared a few with everyone else, E in particular.)  John made grilled cheese for himself and Emerson and that was fine until I was sitting across from them and had a little cartoon like daydream of myself ferociously attacking them and eating their sand...

I love that we are now in the season that our garden dictates our meals to some extent.  Would you like some cherry tomatoes with that? No? Well, here, have them anyway.  I love being able to eat from the garden too.  The problem?  I have no interest in maintaining the garden.  Or maybe, that isn't exactly true but I have two very strong objections to working out there. One is the heat.  As I get older my ability to withstand heat gets lower.  Sometime after I moved to Baltimore I got heat stroke working on my car in front of an Advanced Auto.  Let me tell you, the guys who worked there were really impressed until I fell over.  Then they were kind enough to bring me in and sit me down and get me some water.  I can be still in the shade in Baltimore heat, but bending and standing repeatedly to pull weeds makes me dizzy as anything. (Heck, standing up inside in air conditioning can make me black out, so I guess that is no surprise.) Th...

A couple Mondays ago I got up and got the Bug off to school and then bundled myself up with long johns and mittens and a fuzzy scarf.  I got into the car a drove a couple hours northwest even though the weather was bleak; foggy and with intermittent freezing rain falling from the sky.  I love days like that though.  Fog makes it possible to imagine so much more.  What is or isn't beyond your little limited view.  And the air always feels full of magic to me.  I will admit to not loving freezing rain or the temperatures that go with it very much. As I made my way deeper and deeper into the countryside it felt as if the magic was getting stronger.  The perfect little vistas with barns and old farm houses.  All cuddled in a blanket of ice covered snow.  I'm not usually the kind of person to say such things but it brought tears to my eyes a couple of times seeing such picture perfect places and thinking, however briefly, of all the lives that...

  It is interesting to step into new chapters of life knowing you are on a particular path.  Of course, you can only see the parts of it you are planning and so you don't get to see the whole picture until afterwards.  I never think of myself as the type to plan much (but I think that may not be reality either) and so I feel especially neat and powerful when I am looking ahead with intention.  Even if all the things I see are hanging in an ever changing tapestry and what is completely true today will be completely untrue tomorrow.  It only matters that the dreaming goes on and the effort to live right now is done with intention of your path held also in your heart. In trying to quiet the many voices vying for attention I have started spending one evening a week in meditation with others (called a sangha .)  This gives me the chance to set aside the time and choose to silence the competing dreams so that I may more easily follow the path that is best fo...

I've made about a bajillion things I should have shown you all but I was waiting until after the holidays.  I've really had the itch to crochet, perhaps because I have been so cold. I made another Acorn Cap but for an adult ( a special order) and sent it off to live in Spain with out getting a picture of it.  It was done in a darker colorway of that amazing Cascade Yarn - Eco Duo Yarn. This one is called Chicory.  Yum!  I had a bit left over after that and used it to make Senor's Christmas gift.  (He requested a hat.  How sweet!)  I had some yarn from the Bug's cap so I used that as well.  Now we look like a match set. (I love that yarn so much I made myself an infinity scarf with it in an amazing lace pattern.  It is blocking right now.  If we really get the snow they are talking about maybe I can get a pretty picture of it tomorrow.) John seems to like the hat.  These pictures don't do the yarn justice.  I made the li...

I just celebrated thirty years on the planet.  I have had some discomfort over the last year coming to terms with the idea.  Not because I think thirty is old but because I have been twenty something for such a long time.  I did also think you would feel more grown up when you got to thirty.  And since I so often feel seventeen in my head the disparity can be glaring... When I was twenty I moved to Baltimore. When I was twenty one I moved onto the career path that took me into event marketing. When I was twenty two I  realized I was staying in Baltimore for a while. When I was twenty three I married the most amazing man. When I was twenty four I traveled the country with my husband and met thousands of interesting people. When I was twenty five I experienced great losses at my husbands side. When I was twenty six I began to explore my creative side with sewing. When I was twenty seven I found out I would be a mother. When I was twenty eight I learned...

crochet, sew, baby bits , originally uploaded by Mr & Mrs Speeed . Remember when this was a craft blog?

The pediatrician hasn't called us so I think we are in the clear with the jaundice. And yesterday we were basically up to birth weight again. Yay! This morning we made a mad quick dash to the midwife for some hands on breastfeeding tweaking. I knew what we were doing was almost right and that the only way to correct it was with a little guidance. I can't tell you how happy my nipples are for the help. Senor is out walking the dog for the first time since we've been home. It has been raining nonstop so he is taking advantage of the break this afternoon. Poor, sweet dog. Have you seen these feets ? Ahh! The cuteness is hurting me! I still can't get over how much I love this little guy and how beautiful he is. I love also knowing that I get to stay with him all summer. I can't wait to be a little more recovered (and the rain to let up a bit) so we can stroll around the neighborhood identifying plants and enjoying sunshine. on a tangent- Last night I was freezin...

Can you feel the slight panic sensation? We're going to have a what? When? Okay, I'm over it for now... Last night I had a dream that we lived in this really strange hotel that was downtown but like something from Morrocco with tiles and bricks and weird levels. And then I went into labor, but it was now, at 30 weeks and so I knew that wasn't good but I didn't want to tell John becuase I didn't want to get him worried. Isn't it amazing the things you can feel normal about while dreaming? Anyway, we are going to the craft show in Baltimore this weekend and I am very excited. I also have a baby related project for each weekend until April so we will see how I do with that and updating things. I really do try. But you know, life gets in the way sometimes...

(Please ignore the mess. Focus on the belly...) I took this last week-ish with the intent to share. So there you go, gratuitous belly shot. This week since Thursday I have been battling it out with the flu. I sort of thought I was winning there for a bit but at the moment I am not convinced. At least the fever is over, but now if seems like the crud has moved into my chest. Perhaps to stay. Ugg. I do not recommend the whole pregnant and sick thing- Mom how did you do it?? I had to resort to thinking about Dengue fever and how horrible that would be so I could stand feeling so yuck. I've actually been using that tactic a lot lately. I think, I am so cold and then I start thinking about homeless people and night shift road crews working on burst water lines. Of course this leads to being cold and feeling guilty about not delivering hot chocolate to the homeless as a profession. (Maybe I am still delusional...) But speaking of night shift road crews- On Thursday night when ...