Pages

What Keeps Me Going

Fridays on this space are dedicated to sharing what keeps me going... A moment, a photo, an event or a memory that stands out against whatever might have gone wrong or felt dark in the last seven days.


Today has been littered with drastic hormonal mood swings, disappointments, hot flashes, shortness of breath, a crabby babe and sleep deprivation.

Thank God that mixed in between it all, there was this moment:

I still love her pigtails, she still loves her yellow rain boots and who doesn't love a cute view of a baby booty? I swear, she'll be 30 and I'll still think her bum is the most adorable thing ever.


I would love it if you joined me in sharing what keeps you going! Leave a comment to let me know you're participating and each week, I will include a list of everyone who is playing along.

**A special thanks to my dear friend Jenn, my honorary MIL Mary, and to my Dad for sharing your words last week. Hugs to you all!  

Where she comes from

A few years ago, when I was still working outside our home, I attended an intense training on racism. It was very challenging to say the least, but I was open to what was being taught and I feel I became a better and more informed person because of it. However, there was one part of the training that angered me and still gets me fired up to this day...

At one point I was told that white people don't know their heritage. Hmmm... aside from that being an overgeneralized statement/mindset that I thought we were trying to avoid in the first place, I truly believe that for me, that simply is not true. No, we don't speak Swedish, French or German in our home. No, we don't eat schnitzel and spatzle or lutfisk every night for dinner (yummm... spatzle). But we do make an active attempt to incorporate aspects of the culture of our heritage into our lives as much as we can.

We tell stories about my Great-Grandpa Simon over and over again, and how he immigrated from Sweden to build a life here, literally from nothing. My grandma's German cooking was passed down to her from her mother and so on... One recipe in particular is a staple for us and has become a favorite of roommates, husbands and friends who have tried it. Even though my dad's side of the family is French, my mom and I have taken some classes and un petit peu of the language pops up here and there.

We have heirlooms that were brought over from the old country and are still held very precious and dear to all of us. While we definitely don't live the lives of our ancestors day to day (without a second kitchen, surstromming is simply not an option for me--pickled herring is about as close as I can get) and we are certainly products of American culture, I think it's safe to say we know where we came from and we love where we came from.

With all of that said, it is extremely important to me that Addie understand who came before her, what their lives were like and ways that we can include aspects of that life in ours. I mean, what two-year-old says, "Skoal!" when toasting milk at the dinner table? That's right--mine.

So now I'm sure you can understand the incredible amount of joy that it brings me to see that this book has become one of my daughter's absolute favorites.

On the surface, it might look like your average Winnie-the-Pooh book. And it is... but if you look a bit closer, you'll see that it is written in Swedish. The copyright is from 1981 and my guess is that it was bought for me in Sweden when my parents took me there about 28 years ago.

I also need to ask my mom who did the translation inside. Hand written in pencil above the original text is the word-for-word English. It is so fun to read because the translation isn't exactly conversational, but that's what makes it great. At first I was hesitant to let Addie handle it on her own because I didn't want the book to be damaged in any way. But after a few times of looking at it, she proved that she can treat it like the big girl she is, with care and tenderness. 

Even though her attachment to what she lovingly calls, "The Tigger Book" might seem a little silly to be excited over, to me it represents the beginning of her heritage education. And that is awesome. Never fear, my little Svenska babe! You will know where you came from and I promise, you'll love it. 

What I attempted to cover myself with today

Some days I sit down at my computer and I know exactly what I'm going to write about. I have it totally planned in my head, pictures and all, and I am ready to let it flow. Today is not one of those days. Thankfully, there is inspiration everywhere.

During my lunchtime blog reading, I saw that Lisa (author of one of my all time favorite blogs and creater of some really beautiful jewelry, which I WILL own someday) joined in on this fun idea.

Since I am having some major issues with my wardrobe lately, I thought why not? With 23 days left to go until my due date, I have entered into the land of belly exposure. When I was preggers with Addie, I refused to allow this and went out to purchase larger shirts to keep everything under wraps. Unfortunately, that was at the end of winter and all of those items are long-sleeved.

Now, I am without a second income and am faced with the choice of either buying more maternity tops that will see me through these last few weeks, but not beyond. OR, I can spend that money on nursing tops that will last throughout the next year. And the winner is option #2. Enter embarassed pregnant woman with her belly hanging out.


As you can see, I am not too thrilled with this look, but it is way too damn hot for layers, so this baby belly is forced to show itself to the world. Sigh. I am decked out head to knee in Old Navy, but funny enough, the skirt is not from the maternity department. Go figure. If I could have angled the camera a bit better (and believe me, I tried) you would see some brown Reef flip flops as well.

I will surely not see any fashion awards heading my way in the coming weeks, and I pray that I don't run into anyone I know every time I leave the house. But I am harboring the fantasy that one day, perhaps soon, I will sort of have my body back and can treat myself to this for the fall. A girl can dream, right?


Ladies lunch

What do two happenin' gals eat for lunch on a cloudy Tuesday? Organic yogurt with fresh blueberries and local honey, and pasta from my beloved pasta dudes with nothing but butter and freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Addie wanted to help make it so she sprinkled salt in the boiling water, dumped in the pasta, mixed the butter in with the steaming noodles and assisted in the cheese grating process. We had to continue with the "big girl" roll we've been on, so she sat in a big girl chair (wearing a pajama top, a pull-up and black patent leather mary janes) and ate on a big girl plate with a big girl fork. After a few bites, she yelled out, "Yummy! I love pasta!"


Oh sweet girl, you are mine.

Big girl bed

Last night Addie made the monumental switch from sleeping in a crib to her "big girl bed", which for the moment is a twin sized mattress on a trundle frame. We have been talking about it with her for over a month and yesterday we finally held out breaths and took the leap.

I was very nervous about how she would handle it and our girl surprised me by getting through the night without a hitch. Oh, if only that meant we were done--transition complete--end of story. This mama is not that lucky.

The fun started after I got back from the appointment with my midwife this morning, who graciously told me that she thinks I will go all the way to term with this kiddo. (Really, she just confirmed what I already suspected.) On one hand, it's an incredible blessing that I can carry babies to the bitter end and remain healthy in the process. But on the other, man it would be nice to shave just a few days off of that countdown.

Curt went into work and I stayed behind for the rest of what should have been a normal day, beginning with nap time. All started out well, but once it came time to leave Addie in her bed to drift off into an afternoon slumber, hell opened up its rusty gates and let out all creatures of the undead to take over my child and leave me sobbing in the bathroom not knowing what to do.

Eventually the dreadful screaming subsided as sleep chased her down and found her, but it has left me feeling exhausted and emotionally drained, wondering why these things only seem to happen when I'm by myself.

C'est la vie. Such is life. Such is motherhood.

To cheer myself up in these few moments of quiet, I will leave you with a favorite picture of my babe from last week. We decided to pick the lettuce that has been slowly and steadily growing in the center of our garden. We let it go partly because we weren't sure exactly when we were supposed to pick it and partly because once it started to get so long, it was kind of interesting to see just how big it could get.

Salad, anyone?

What Keeps Me Going

Fridays on this space are dedicated to sharing what keeps me going... A moment, a photo, an event or a memory that stands out against whatever might have gone wrong or felt dark in the last seven days.


This week has been a bit tumulutous with lots of way up highs and deep down lows. Amidst it all, the constant thing in the back of my mind that kept me going was the knowledge that as of last night, my baby sister would be back on U.S. soil. Even though I won't get to actually see her for three more weeks, the daily question of Will I be able to find her online or hear her voice? is no longer an issue, at least for now.

For now, I can call her anytime I want... on a U.S. cell phone... and not have to pay $.23 a minute. I can even send her a text message. I knew when she moved to Dominica that all of those luxuries we took for granted for so long would be deeply missed. I just didn't know how much. Last night when she called to say that she made it to Atlanta, I wanted to jump up and down and scream out for joy.

We kept getting phone calls from family members wanting to know if we heard anything. Then a slew of phone calls had to be made to let everyone know that Em was nearly home... She was in the country with one more flight to go. Everyone exhale. I felt like a publicist or an agent to a rock star. Where is she? Has she landed? Have you heard anything?

Damn, girl. You are loved. Welcome home.


I would love it if you joined me in sharing what keeps you going! Leave a comment to let me know you're participating and each week, I will include a list of everyone who is playing along.

Em, thanks for joining in last week. Your words always warm my heart and make me smile.

A little comfort

In the midst of late pregnancy discomforts and a new stage of tantrums only a two-year-old could muster, I have been looking for comfort wherever I can find it. Of course for me, that usually comes in the form of food. Some people crave ice cream, but this mama loves her bread and pasta. Since this is the fresh stuff from our farmer's market, it goes from the fridge to my belly in about 10 minutes flat. Perfect.


And then there's the soothing rhythm of needles clicking and sliding around delicious cotton yarn that feels so good between my fingers. Even if I can only find time for a few rows here and there, those moments are as restorative and calming as a nice warm bath. 

But the best comfort by far is at the end of the day, when my hubs slips into bed next to me, and grants me with every pregnant woman's greatest dream...
A foot/ankle/calf massage.
SO fantastic, it makes me wish nighttime was here already.

Where do you find comfort these days?

Yikes!

I have to be honest and say that when I reread my post from yesterday the first thing I thought was, OUCH--yesterday was NOT a good day. Even Curt came home from work last night and said he was worried after he read my blog because it didn't sound like me. Hmmm... Well observed, my dear.

Yesterday I didn't feel like me. I felt miserable, frazzled, exhausted, alone and I wasn't afraid to write about it. I think on most of the blogs I read, especially blogs by moms, there is usually a post embedded somewhere about the fear of how writing about rough times will be perceived in the future. Looking back, what will this look like? Will I seem like a bad mom? Will I regret being so candid once my kids can read this?

I admit to asking myself those exact questions and truly, I don't know the answers. Even if I do look back and think, Good heavens, why didn't someone have me medicated?, I can always rest in the knowledge that at the time, what I felt was honest and real. I can rejoice that I made it through the days that felt like hell and my family is still alive and well to tell the tale. I can be thankful that I had the space to share what my experience was at the time I was having it and not be afraid of judgement, but hopeful for support.

And really, those nasty days can be considered an invaluable blessing in that they give me the opportunity to learn once again that staying home with my girl (soon to be girlS) does not mean achieving a string of perfection...

A good day does not mean a day without discipline because I have taught Addie something important. A good day does not mean a day without tears because I am not numb to my feelings. A good day does not mean a day without baby feet pushing and squeezing my insides because I have a strong and healthy girl growing within me. Sometimes a good day is simply making it to the end and saying, "I survived."

Yes, I survived. With the leftover sting in my eyes from the tears that rolled down my face yesterday, I survived. And today is so much better, but not because there aren't hardships... We found out the bed we ordered for Addie is nowhere to be found and will in fact not be delivered tomorrow as promised, so now we have to start again from scratch. I had to swoop Addie up in the middle of story time and leave early because she threw glue sticks at other kids and then hit me in the face. I've had several moments when the pain of where baby Lena chooses to stick her limbs is so sudden and intense that I have to remind myself to breathe.

These are the building blocks of our life, for better and for worse. But when I stop and look, there is a lot more better... Hearing Addie play with her Mickey Mouse doll saying, "No, no. No hitting. Sozzy Addie. Oh, be OK." Seeing the joy on her face when she kicks a ball over and over again, in a way that is far more skilled than I have ever been in my entire life. Having her tell me at the beginning of story time that she needs to go potty, then taking her to a public restroom and helping her pee on the potty like the big girl she is. Listening to the giggles that explode out of her when I tickle her knees and seeing her eyes light up when she shouts, "Again!"

Absolutely. So, SO much better.

Do nothing extra

For the past several months of this pregnancy, I have made a true effort to attend yoga classes regularly. Some are just your regular old yoga sessions and others have a prenatal focus. In the prenatal yoga classes, a phrase that keeps coming up is, "Do nothing extra."

It is meant to have you focus on your breath, be in the moment, listen to what your body needs and... you guessed it, do nothing extra. Apparently it is a main part of Tai Chi philosophy as a means to help you become "one with the earth". It is also mentioned with some frequency in my favorite childbirth preparation book.

Today I am one month away from my due date. We still have so much to do. I have not one piece of newborn clothing washed--aside from new items we've received, everything else remains in storage. The nursery is a complete and total disaster area. There are stacks of things that must be sorted, cleaned, stored and given away. I have a food processor filled with two-day-old basil from the garden, still waiting to be made into pesto. The laundry is piling up and the refrigerator is bursting with ingredients that will go bad if not soon transformed into meals... The list could go on and on.

Aside from our many to-do's, my two-year-old craves more and more of our attention, as I'm sure she senses the anxiety of what is to come. Her fountain of energy sometimes makes me feel like I'm drowning and can barely come up for a breath. Today especially, with tiny baby feet planted firmly in my lungs, I am finding it difficult just to get enough air.

At this stage of my pregnancy with Addie, we were so much more prepared. We had most of what we needed and it was all set up far in advance. I'm sure we still have all of those new baby things, but where are they? Now I am staring the future of having two kids right in the face and I'm sure I look like a deer in headlights.

Then I try and pause, take as deep of a breath as I can and remind myself of that tiny little phrase... Do nothing extra... It would be fantastic if that gave me a sense of comfort, but to be honest, all I can think is, "What in the hell does that MEAN?" Do nothing extra.

Maybe in reading this you thought I would come to some peaceful conclusion that all I need to do is rest, relax, trust my body and the process and everything will turn out alright. Well I do NOT feel that way today. Today I feel like whoever came up with that phrase was not a stay at home mother with a toddler/pre-schooler and an eight-month-pregnant-bowling-ball-belly.

If I was going to listen to what my body is telling me and do nothing extra I would be lying in bed with a pitcher of iced tea and a super long straw, my feet propped up, listening to a nanny play with my girl while a massage therapist rubbed the crap out of my legs and just work on breathing. What a blissful fantasy.

Real life doesn't work that way. At least my real life doesn't. How can I truly do nothing extra when I have bodies to clothe, mouths to feed and new life to nurture? How can I mentally give myself permission to let go of things that seem vital to welcoming our new baby into our home? How could I put my craving for a feeling of wellness above making sure my family is taken care of? Any ideas out there? Because right now, I've not nothing.

I suppose what it comes down to is that I have a lot to learn about eastern philosophy and meditation, which is suppposed to be a huge key in making it through natural childbirth. I've got one month or less to figure it out. Excuse me while I go add that to the list.

After... and some thoughts on books

Saturday afternoon we had the final step of the process completed for ensuring that the shelves of our built-ins are straight. It is such a relief to know that the construction is done and we are so happy with the results.


We're still waiting on a few more shelves to be finished and delivered, but it's enough to start the next stage of the process--moving things from what once was the guest room and shall soon become the nursery. Curt was looking at the variety of books we've acquired over the years and said, "Wow, we look pretty well read don't we?"

I sort of chuckled and replied with a, "Yeah, if we actually read them all." It's very safe to say that we (and by that I mostly mean me) have a bit of a book buying problem. I belive it started when I worked at a local bookstore and took total advantage of my employee discount.

As much as I wish I could make the switch to library books, I just can't do it. There seems to be something about picking out the latest release in trade paperback, feeling the texture of the pages between my fingers, knowing that it's all mine and that, if I read it and love it, I can pass it onto others who will love and appreicate it as well. 

Alas, soon and very soon, these new shelves will be filled and once again we will run into a storage issue. Perhaps at that piont I will be forced to let go of my vice and hopefully develop a love for books that have that fantastic library smell, have been loved by so many others and will take that line of my budget down a notch. Or, I'm going to have to find some more wall space.

What Keeps Me Going

Fridays on this space are dedicated to sharing what keeps me going... A moment, a photo, an event or a memory that stands out against whatever might have gone wrong or felt dark in the last seven days.


I will admit, this week was sort of a rough one for me. Addie and I have had to spend our days pretty much confined to my bedroom due to all of the work happening in our house and the super hot temps outside. Stir crazy doesn't quite cover it! I did have one of my favorite events take place first thing this week, however: an appointment with my midwife.

I can't say how much I truly adore this woman. She is part of a practice in Frankfort, KY and she is utterly fantastic--well worth the 30 minute drive out of town. Throughout my pregnancy I had to see each of the physicians in the office. That way I could be familiar with them in case there is an issue and one is involved in the delivery. Finally I made it through them all and got to go back to Katie on Monday.

I forgot how much I missed her. I was telling my mom about my appointment last night and she agreed that Katie is like a part of the family. It really does feel like I'm going to hang out with a girlfriend rather than go to a Dr.'s appointment whenever I see her. I had my bookclub meeting Tuesday night and almost all of us see Katie for our gynecological needs, not to mention she has delivered most of our children. All you have to do is mention her name and all the ladies smile and sigh, "Oh, Katie. I love her!"

I tell you, she is something special! When I gave birth to Addie she did everything in her power to make sure the room was as peaceful as possible. Even though there were some things about the experience that didn't turn out the way I had hoped, Katie ensured that the actual delivery was all that I could have wanted.

Here she is with Addie and my mom, not long after Little Miss. found her way out of my belly and into our arms.

This time around, I am feeling a lot more anxiety about the entire process, perhaps because I now know what I'm getting into. But also knowing that Katie will be there to help us welcome our newest angel into the world gives me an incredible sense of comfort... and it leaves me looking forward to my next appointment.


I would love it if you joined me in sharing what keeps you going! Leave a comment to let me know you're participating and each week, I will include a list of everyone who is playing along.

The trouble with shelves

Tuesday afternoon, as we were admiring our newly installed bookshelves, we noticed a little something. On the inside of one of the shelving units, where the holes are drilled for the pegs that make the shelves adjustable, we saw that there were a lot of extra holes. Hmmm... Curious. After further investigation we discovered that said side panel was assembled UPSIDE DOWN.

The guys who installed the built-ins (i.e. attached them to our walls) noticed this as well and decided to drill extra holes to try and cover up the mistake. Had we attempted to move the shelves however, we would have learned quite quickly that on one side, all of the holes are 1/2 in. off. That's the trouble with shelves, I guess. Having them lay flat is kind of important. 

Cue dramatic confrontation with construction company owner.

My dearest husband spent nearly an entire day debating with this man over how the mistake was to be remedied. We think we have a resolution in place that does not involve ripping the thing off our wall, but only time will tell if it will work out. In the meantime, the project timeline has been lengthened and I have to deal with people in and out of my house for the next few days.

Seriously. Annoyed. I mean, upside down? Really? How do these things happen?

On the bright side, when these kinds of irritants pop up, they make a great platform for random bits of humor...

In the midst of a frustrated rant Curt said, "I wouldn't pay this guy to build me a birdhouse!"

I got a haircut last week and last night Curt picked up a single strand of one of my bangs that was longer than the rest and said, "Hey babe, I think Emily missed one." I said, "Oh don't you ever say anything bad about Emily! She does not mess up my hair and I bet she can put a bookshelf together the right way!"

At least we can laugh about it I suppose. Sort of. In the meantime I believe this calls for the indulgence of a few extra Biscoff Cookies to take the edge off and distract me from our house's current state of disarray. Those crunchy bits of gingery goodness work every time. Perhaps a box should be included for free with each bookshelf installation.

When it rains...

Oh yes, it pours! In our case, literally. Yesterday, after somewhat of a drought, we finally got some rain--all day long. Awesome for the garden, but not exactly the best timing when construction guys are in and out of the house, leaving me and Addie completely contained throughout the project.

Not to mention we realized our cat is having some health issues and Addie was running a very mild fever. It wasn't even what I would really call a "fever" but it was just enough to make her cranky and irritable. Fantastic. We all set up camp in Mommy & Daddy's room, as prepared as possible for whatever the day would hand us. Sick cat, sort of sick kid, no internet or cable and a super preggo mama. Hang on tight for a bumpy ride!

I learned pretty quickly that Miss. Addie and our super scaredy cat are both terrified of nail guns. I suppose that is as it should be, but it made for some difficult moments. That along with no nap = speedy trip to crazy town. I have decided that if the US government really wants a terrorist to confess to his crimes, there is no need for waterboarding and the like. Just lock said individual in a room full of two-year-olds who have not had their naps and that sucker will spill his guts in no time. Although, I guess that probably has the potential to be considered cruel and unusual.  

As always, we somehow made it through and it seems the loudest part of the job is over. Now we just have to deal with all of the aftermath and details that need to be finished before everything is complete. Our house is still in a major state of disarray, but at least the nail gun has left the building and nap time has been reinstated. At this point, I'll take what I can get!

I managed to squeeze myself behind the couch and take some crooked pictures of the project in progress...


All of our plans for preparing the nursery hinge on the completion of these units and the storage they will provide, so we are anxiously awaiting our final product. While it has definitely been a headache, I think I can almost say it's been worth it. Almost... We'll see if I still feel the same after the waterboarding torture alternative has worn off.  

Before...

A few months ago, we went to the Central KY Home, Garden & Flower Show. Lots and lots to see and explore, but make sure to bring your pocket book if you venture out next year! There are too many fabulous things and it would be next to impossible to pass them all up. We proved this by going to the silent auction and bidding on custom built in bookshelves along with the potential for having some other work done. We won! No, this does not mean we received all of that for free, our bid was just the highest. Still not sure if that was a good or bad thing.

Hopefully this week will solidify my hope that it was completely worth it. There will be several days of construction work taking place... all... day... long... That means my respite time in the afternoon during Addie's naps will quite likely be on hold until this project is complete. "Unlike."

I will be sure to post throughout the process, although my schedule may be somewhat sporadic. Hopefully we will make it through relatively unscathed and with beautiful new shelving to boot. We shall see.

To properly document this event, here is a before pic...



And we have a winner!

I used the True Random Number Generator to determine that comment #15 is the winner of my very first giveaway! Congratulations Katie, you won!!! Send me an email with your choice of pendant and all your current address info. and I will pass it along to Kelly at StudioKin.

Thank you everyone for participating and hopefully it won't be so long before another giveaway opportunity presents itself.

In other news, we have major construction going on at our house this week... Built-in bookshelves and crown molding will be installed over the next few days. I am super excited and anticipate that this event will surely lead to many interesting stories... Stay tuned.

My favorite

Our cabin in Baldwin, MI is quite likely my favorite place in the entire world. It is a place that houses so many memories... It is where we go to get away, and away it is--1100 miles roundtrip to be exact. I have been nearly every summer of my life and although it was difficult to pull off this year, just as predicted, I don't regret the struggle of traveling in my 34th week of pregnancy. What was sandwiched in between was well worth it.

The sight of the lake provides an instant calm.

Her face discovering our small beach defines happiness in her mama.

Hours and hours of playing and discovering...

Paddle boat rides with Daddy...

And with Memere & Pepere...

Her first Jones' ice cream cone...

Seeing her look like such a big girl...

 And yet, still a baby...

...makes me so grateful for this cabin of ours.

Until next time... May it not be so very far away...

Tomorrow Addie and I will be home and next week we'll go back to business as usual. But I will hold onto the hope that the magic of time spent at our retreat that has stood for generations will stick with us in the days to come.

Next Friday I'll return to my "What Keeps Me Going" musings. Special thanks to my honorary MIL Mary, for sharing such a sweet story from last week. Mary, your inspirational words always make me smile and warm my heart!

A little rest: another step towards balance

Ever since I chose my step from last month, I secretly wondered if I was really going to do it or if I would let my goal fall through the cracks once again. After all, I have a pretty good list of things that could easily be considered a higher priority than trying to get a book published so I could have let it go... Right?

Wrong. Even though, as June came to an end, I saw my list of to-do's growing longer and longer I finally came to the conclusion that pushing this aside was simply no longer an option. So with the help of my trusty companion:


I did it. I sent off my first query submission to a small agency in California. Now I get to play the fun waiting game of finding out whether or not they would like to see more. As if the next 30 days won't seem long enough trudging through the end of this pregnancy! With hope and prayers, perhaps I will receive a positive outcome, but if not I am prepared to continue moving forward.

As the saying goes, the first step was certainly the hardest. But in the end, I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and hit the "send" button on my email. Now, it is out of my hands. It feels really scary, but really very good.

A big fat check mark complete for June and it's onto July!

Amidst all of the plans, lists, excitement and occasional chaos going on as we prepare for the expansion of our family, it was pretty easy to set my goal for this month: I need to rest. The other day, I planned to vacuum the entire house. As the hours went on it became very clear that my body just didn't have the energy. I asked Curt if he would take care of it for me and he was happy (at least he seemed happy, and that's good enough for me) to oblige.

Later that evening we talked about how it's getting to be that time. Time at the end of the pregnancy when I need to recognize my limits and allow others to help me. This realization nearly brought me to tears as I hate having to rely on people, even my husband, to assist me with getting basic things done, like cleaning my house.

I've always had trouble asking for help and having that virtue forced upon me feels pretty rough. But cloaking it in the reality that soon enough I will be a mother of two and busy as I've ever been in my life, perhaps it isn't so bad. So as lame as it may sound, for July, rest it is! My, I hope I can manage. :)

In the spirit of my new goal, I'm going to take a few days off from this space to enjoy some time away with my family. I know I've been slow to respond to comments and I promise I will get back on track with that very soon. In the meantime, thank you for bearing with me!

Enjoy your days and I'll see you back here on Friday with updates from our week!


Head on over to which name? to see what Nicola and others are doing to find
balance this month. Feel free to join in if you are so moved. You won't regret it!

What Keeps Me Going

Fridays on this space are dedicated to sharing what keeps me going... A moment, a photo, an event or a memory that stands out against whatever might have gone wrong or felt dark in the last seven days.


Today I'm keeping my gratefulness short and sweet. What has driven me and kept me on course this week? Well that's easy, it was YOU! I was more than a little nervous on Monday to see what the reaction would be to Sisters Away. It has been such a personal project for me and my sisters, and making it available for public viewing was a big step.

I think I can speak for all three of us in saying that the responses we received from all of you have been absolutely incredible. We are definitely feeling the love. Thank you for your support towards the relationship my sisters and I have, and for the encouragement you have given. It means so much. We will most certainly keep going with our beloved space and are thrilled to take you with us on our journey.

If you haven't already done so, don't forget to enter into the StudioKin scrabble tile pendant giveaway... only one week left! And please remember to leave a separate comment for each of your entries. I want to make sure you get all the chances you're due!


I would love it if you joined me in sharing what keeps you going! Leave a comment to let me know you're participating and each week, I will include a list of everyone who is playing along.

**A very special thanks to my dear friend Lee and my honorary mother-in-law Mary, for once again sharing your inspiration last week. Love to you both.**

A little flair

It would appear once again that our girl has quite the flair for drama. About a week ago, out of the blue, she put her hands over her eyes, made a frown face and said she was sad. I was concerned and asked why she was sad. Then, Miss. Addie pulled her hands away from her face, threw her head back and laughed like she just pulled off the funniest trick in the world. She kind of did.

Now she wants to do it over and over again, but in front of a camera. I can't let her down. After all, I've got to earn my place in her Oscar acceptance speech, right? If she keeps this up, she just might get there.