WFMW: Tent Day

When it looks like this outside.....























We do this!

When we have a rainy day, sometimes we beat the blues by making tents around the house and doing all our normal daily activities in tents. Believe it or not, it helps! :) Look for yourself, not a grouchy face to be seen.

Check out other tips from other moms at Works For Me Wednesday, here!

Shoes

If you had asked me several weeks ago if I was one of those shoe-obsessed women we read about in fashion blogs and see videos of their closets on youtube, I'd have replied that while I do wear shoes and try to avoid any major shoe-fashion-faux-pas, I am far from shoe-obsessed.

However.

The other night I finally cleaned out my shoe area (it's not actually a closet, but that's another blog post for another evening) and realized that I may indeed have a shoe fetish. Just a little one. Tiny, really. But possibly quite real, indeed.

Fifteen pairs, not counting the ones I threw out. (Those included one that didn't seem to have a mate. Not sure how that happened.)

From Sofi Ballet 09

Now before you get too vociferous in your objection to this extravagance in the life of the wife of a schoolteacher and a woman who like to fancy herself green and frugal, let me tell you that I didn't pay more than $15 for any of these shoes (except the sneakers) and I wear every pair on a regular basis (that is, as regularly as you can wear one out of fifteen pairs of shoes). Each pair has a special purpose in my wardrobe. It's own personality, if you will. A personality that speaks to a particular mood of mine and enhances and rounds it out, also making it possible for members of my family (if they ever paid that much attention to what shoes I'm wearing, which they don't) to actually judge my metal state by my shoe choices. I will refrain from boring you with a recital of said personalities. For now. If I run into a long spell of nothing to talk about, all bets are off.

I Heart Faces: Reflections

Sofi was not interested in posing after yesterdays endurance for ballet photos, so Judah is my subject for today's I Heart Faces. This week's theme is "Reflections". The mirror kind, not the thinking kind. Here ya go!

Ballerina Sofia

Pictures today, video later.

Yeah, but it still sucks.

I'm writing a little sick at heart. It's a feeling I recognize. A little bit of subdued rage towards God and lot of frustration that no one (read:God) seems to understand that MY way is the better way here. It's a feeling I carried around in my heart for many long months as I realized that my dream of four or five stairstep children running around my feet, toddlers babbling to me as a breastfed the baby, three high chairs around the table, was not going to happen. Realized that God's plans for our family were very different than the ones I had cherished for us myself.

This time the dreams I see fading are ones of cousins racing around the backyard while sisters chat on the porch over iced tea or lemonade, sleepovers under the Christmas tree at Grammy's, halcyon summers full of daily visits to the pool and shared vacations to the beach, easily available babysitting (I confess), retail therapy with the only other person who appreciates a bargain the way I do, a confidant next door or down the street, shared pregnancies, filling an entire row at church, an accompanist, loving accountability and admonition a five minutes drive away, knowledgeable guidance at the Starbucks counter, watergun fights on the sidewalks full of chalk artwork.

But again, it seems that the Lord's plans for our lives are not the same as mine. And again, I will have to learn to let my "small" good give way to the (what I must trust is) greater good. And over time I know that I will begin to see the larger picture and I'll look back on this Extended Army Re-enlistment Time, as I do on our two years of Infertility, as a time of growth and good in our lives and the lives of our loved ones.

But for now, it still sucks.

Birth plans

In the same vein as an earlier post, here are some links to take a look at some birth plans that I recommend. Birth plans are an excellent way to help you communicate your wishes to your care providers. A birth plan can be helpful even if you are planning a home or birth center birth. I had a birth plan of sorts with both of my water births, although we never went as far as writing it up in a formal manner. Remember, if you are birthing in a facility, your birth plan is not a legal document guaranteeing you certain things, but it does help you and your birth support team (husband, friends, etc) when interacting with your care providers.


A site to help you build a birth plan


A friend's birth plan-- concise and comprehensive


The birth plan of a favorite blogger of mine; also simple and short

I Heart Faces: Self Portrait

It's Monday again! This weeks theme is "Self Portrait". The rules basically are, I have to hold the camera and take the shot. I'm entering the "Kids" section, so I have to have at least one kid face in the shot with my own. This selection got the most "votes" from friends in this post (where you can see some more of the pics from my shoot yesterday). I had a nice cloudy day which gives some really cool lighting effects. That glow is caused by shooting up from the ground with the cloudy sky behind us. Really turned out better than I expected! The only editing I did was to sharpen just a touch and do some color stuff with her eyes. I figured out a way to approximate some of the awesome "eye popping" I saw in photos from last weeks challenge.

Anyways. Any feedback is appreciated! And I love new readers :) You can keep up with my photographic journey by clicking on the "Follow" button in the sidebar!

Because I can't do anything without getting a second opinion...

Which one of these do you like the best for submission to the I Heart Faces contest tomorrow?

*sigh*

I've been posting pics and video to avoid talking about some depressing stuff going on right now that I can't talk about here. We're all fine, and fairly healthy and I promise to tell you all about it when things are resolved. Hopefully that will be soon. I'll see if I can rouse myself out of this funk in the next few days...

Playing Around with Gimp

More Dancing Fun!

I know you're all just like me and can't get enough of these cute babies! (if not, too bad, it's my blog)






Now don't you feel sooo much better about life and the future of the world???

Easter Photo

I'm trying out the "I Heart Faces" thing that Niecy does every week. I got a pretty cute shot of Judah yesterday during our egg hunt and I thought it was worth a whirl. I hope at least to get some commenters to give me some tips! In particular, I'm not real happy with the lighting... In the original shot, his face was in too much shadow. I upped the fill light, but then lost some of the contrast between the sunlit sky behind him and his face. Perhaps the remedy would have been a better angle of the sun-- more towards the side of his face, not directly behind him? Also a little unsure of the tight cropping. Wondering if I should have left a little more sky framing his face...

Meditation

Father forgive them, for they know not what they do
(Luke 23:34).

Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise
(Luke 23:43).

Woman, behold your son: behold your mother
(John 19:26-27).

Eli Eli lama sabachthani? "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"
(Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34).

I thirst
(John 19:28).

It is finished
(John 19:30).

Father, into your hands I commit my spirit
(Luke 23:46).


1 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.
(John 14:1-3)

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
(John 14:18)

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.
(John 14:27)

Judah's allergic reaction

In case you ever wondered, this is what a moderate allergy to cephalosporins (a group of antibiotics) looks like. Sorry for the grainy quality. It's hard to get a squirmy toddler to stand still even when he isn't covered with blotchy red bumps! I will spare you pictures of the diarrhea.

Who knew you could have so much fun with a box?

From 4-6-09

From 4-6-09

From 4-6-09