please, no more cake!

i just don't have the willpower to say no anymore.
my cheeks, arms, belly, and ankles know it too!


angie is expecting too! (due in September)

the pictures are from a a wonderful little shower i was given this past saturday, with mostly kevin's family. good folks, good food, and CAKE from publix with the yummy whipped icing. so much sweetness going round these days!

"E" is for Ellie...

the other evening, my wonderful friend and co-worker, liz, hostessed the sweetest little baby shower for me.

the highlight? among other wonderfulness (including orange and mint infused water for me, mimosas for the gals, tasty treats, a few fun games, and some fantastic gifts), liz had prepped all kinds of nifty fabric with iron-on transfer backing and we got to make "custom" onesies and bibs, just for ellie!

so lovely.

i'm a lucky girl. only wish i had more pictures documenting our time!

belly!

pete thinks it a big, round, hard pillow....

i know it's a big, round, hard belly. With a baby inside.

it doesn't get any less trippy.

a quiet ah-ha moment.

(i need this book. must buy soon)

i think i want to be a fabric designer when i grow up.

perhaps.
it used to be my intention. a while ago. and then it just kinda, poof!, disappeared for a few years.

but i am constantly inspired by fabrics and designers and this wonderful blog world which links them all together. or maybe i am just desperately racking my brain to come up with a way to stay home with my baby.

yes, that too.

either way, it keeps coming back. this crazy idea that i am talented and good at it and the only thing that is keeping me from doing it is ME. perhaps its time to pull out the old portfolio and remind myself it's something i love. if i can only shake off the wistful feelings of "coulda, woulda, shoulda" and embrace the idea that it's never too late.....

so it's an ah-ha moment, but a quiet one. for now.

(keep this link)
(and this one)

when it rains, it pours...

literally. and in the case of our house here recently, as much as i normally love it, water is NOT our friend.

welcome to chaos!

i spent all last week in atlanta for work-- which was nice and restful for the most part-- but it was truly difficult to unwind with so much going on at home.

long story short: 2 pretty big problems.
1) busted pipe in the bathroom, resulting in water filling up under our flooring and seeping up through. which has resulted in kevin tearing up all the laminate in the den and hallway and part of the front room. we currently have ServiceMaster Clean's high-powered fans and dehumidifiers all around the house running 24/7, trying to dry things out and avoid a mold problem...
and
2) oversaturated drain field. as in, the ground is so wet, there's nowhere for water from the house to go. we live in a marsh, after all. pretty big predicament. goodbye toilet-flushing and showers, laundry, dishes, etc. thus, the HUGE trench kevin is digging in the backyard to re-do our drain field and create extra flow space, with the help of some friends who "know what they're doing." hmmm... not a pretty sight....

(kevin and pete both love the excavator-- pete hops up in the seat next to kevin to fully participate. must be quite a thrill for a dog who loves to dig!)

so things are all over the place for the time being. and while its been a bit crazy, i kinda love the last few nites we've spent altogether in the bedroom, playing Mario Brothers on the big screen. we're quite a team, kevin and me-- gettin' close to beating the whole game!

kevin hates it, but i pretty much love not having the tv hooked up to cable. in addition to our quality Wii time, we've snuggled in bed and watched movies, had some good conversation, and even played a few games of yahtzee...

so here's hoping the insurance adjuster comes out tomorrow and cuts a nice, sizable check for us! while i'm not really trying to play it up, i gotta say, being 8 months pregnant is kinda helpful in getting things moving 'round here. surprisingly, our insurance company has been extra on top of things and has really helped out. let's hope it keeps up!

we have a month and half to re-do all the floors, fix the drain field, and get our cozy home back to 'normal' before ellie comes along!

still.

(serenity?)

i had monday off from work this week in recognition of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and what a beautiful [understatement!] day it was. unfortunately, kevin had to work, but i spent the day with my 2 best furry companions: riley and pete.


after sleeping in a bit and a tasty breakfast of toasted wheat bread with almond butter and agave nectar (yummy), we ventured out to ft. pulaski: one of my favorite unwind-and-drink-in -the-salty-air kinda places.

it was simply lovely.

but, to my surprise, VERY tiring.

i think i'm slowing down a bit. i suppose being 8 months along now will do that to a gal. but it's just so crazy to me-- i was pooped before we even made it to the beachy area where the dogs swim. how was i tired?!

but that certainly didnt keep them from racing around, getting muddy as possible, shaking to dry off while standing right next to me and loving every minute of it.

so they played. and i sat on some smooth and bleached out driftwood, basked in the vitamin D, took some deep breaths, and enjoyed every minute of just being still.

(ahh, sitting still. who knew it could be so wonderful?! i highly recommend it.)

yoga tonite with all the other expecting ladies-- yay! more stillness to savor.

takin' it back 10 yrs...

ha!

came across this today-- taken the first time kevin met my family in NC. (i love my my mom's pretty handwriting labeling it just so!)

aww... the summer we fell in love.... crazy kids.

who'd a thunk we'd be here, 10 yrs later, with a little one on the way?!

we did. and it somehow happened. :-)

green pizza

scrumptious!
(i called it white at first, but kevin corrected me).

whole wheat thin crust, olive oil and pesto, spinach and more basil leaves, red peppers, green olives and cheese-- yum.

but besides this tasty concoction, today is truly a good day. had my first appointment (finally!) at the Midwife Group and Birth Center.... phenomenal. i can't wait to see how different and hopefully wonderful my delivery will be... water birth?! maybe!

and then this afternoon, i sat on a park bench for a bit and soaked up the sun, just breathing in and out slowly and loving the warmth on my face-- 70 degrees in January, after this horrific cold spell. savannah, gotta love it.

happy weekend!

i appreciate...

A cup of warm green tea in my cozy little house.

My 'growing nook', with all our healing aloe (and other) plants.

and these 3 jokers.

My thoughts go out to of all those in Haiti right now-- whose suffering and loss is staggering and truly unimaginable...

it makes me look around and realize, again, not to take for granted how fortunate I truly am.

fancy new look...

thanks to my dear friend jessica, i now have a snazzy new blog header.

isn't it super?!
(jess, you're the best.)

have a fantastic weekend!

yes, that is my husband wearing a camouflage coors light hat. you arent seeing it wrong. i married a redneck and i might possibly be the last to have figured that out...

(the for-sure proof)