Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Long overdue but look my Nikon's back!

Winter 2011

I have a few free minutes so I figure I may as well post something. I have no idea how long it's been (whoops!) but it feels like quite a while.

So much going on these days...first thing to report is that my awesome camera lens is back - yes! I'm so happy and inspired by my camera again. I have only great things to say about the camera shop that helped me out. International Camera Technicians in Mt. View. A very sweet German man and his son who run an old school shop. He ended up sending my lens out to Nikon with a note saying "Rush! Baby due in March and needs camera ASAP!" I didn't tell him to do this at all of course but it sure made me smile when I saw it on the receipt. Pricing was fair, service was awesome - can't ask for more.

Daisy tree

The trees are popping out all sorts of blooms around here. We have some major chill and rain on the way again but Spring is 'round the corner. Such a relief to me...I'm hoping for lots of outside time once our little babe is here. Bird'll be happier, I'll be happier, hopefully baby will be happy. I've been wondering what he's going to be like. How I'll cope if things are totally different than expected. Mourning a little bit my last days of having Bird as my only child. That might sound strange but I bet most parents go through this.

I technically have to get to THIS FRIDAY to be able to have the baby at home (37wks). I've been really taking it easy. Then I plan to get back to my regular self as much as possible (heavy lifting, busy busy, etc.). Last week we all went through some version of the stomach flu and it was terrible. Really. Terrible. I got sick Tuesday night and although I only threw up a couple of times my stomach was in pain for a few days. This for some reason caused me to be in a near constant contraction. It was so uncomfortable. Thankfully it was done by Friday and I'm also thankful it's only the second time in my life I've ever had some kind of stomach flu. At this point in my pregnancy it's like I have no immune system (!). I'm ready ready ready for a change. Even if that means sleepless nights ;o)

Winter 2011

My days have been full of Bird of course...playing (a little slower than normal) and entertaining and teaching. I found her a trike off Craig's List and she loves it, although is totally frustrated by it too. Ah, new skills to tackle.

I've also been in deep clean/organizing mode in the studio. I've just been chucking stuff that I don't need anymore - no mercy! And going to town with a label maker, haha. I've been learning what I enjoy organizing (paints & sewing supplies) and what's a total drag (papers).

I'd love to have this place all picked up and set in order before baby arrives. I'd love to be able to come out here and say "oh, that's what I was working on" and get back into it, rather than come out here and frown at the piles of things I need to mail out, take to the basement, file away or sort. Currently on my list to complete is a simple quilt for baby. But I'm making myself wait till every thing else is done - a reward of sorts.

Below are a couple shots of some of my ceramic work :o) They aren't fired or glazed yet. And it's been near impossible to get over to the clay studio to take my last load of stuff (house #'s for a friend and a big platter I rolled from the last of my bag of clay). It's kind of an odd process to me. Clay work seems to take forever...you make something from wet clay, wait till it's at a certain state of dryness before you can do additional things to it, bisque fire it, then glaze it, then finally fire it again. When you're doing this on someone else's time table it can take a really long time. But I'm totally thrilled to have taken the class - ceramics are SO fun and I've loved being able to apply myself in a different medium.

Little pots, freshly carved

Owl vase, before firing/glaze

Now to tackle another pile of papers!

Happy day to you - hugs, Devon :o)

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Remodel, renew, refresh, then rest

Hipstamatic pic of the "coffee cup shelf" and glass knob hook in new laundry room

Mentally & physically exhausted here...we've been determinedly working away on the house in preparation for a home appraisal today (which will determine a value for our home & thus determine if we can refinance). Combined with the "nesting" nuttiness I already have, I've been in Jared's words a "tasmanian devil". Now that the inspection is done I've fallen in a bit of a heap. Sucking down my afternoon life blood of English Breakfast tea and chocolate chips/walnuts has helped but mostly I can't wait to veg on the sofa tonight and do nothing.

Just last night I painted our bedroom trim, painted touch ups for the hallway, painted the back door and areas of trim throughout the kitchen, stripped the porch french door of its protective film and razor bladed the dry paint from 2 days ago, then helped Jared cart out dry wall chunks from the wall he was demo'ing in the laundry room (future) bathroom. Then swept up the gazillion rocks Bird decorated the back patio with (while I was painting the french door...) and did general clean up throughout the house. And that was after making dinner & getting Bird fed and with Jared getting home an hour later than usual. Insert long sigh here. In the days before I also (finally) painted the (unfortunate) feature wall in our LR to match the rest of the room. And I should probably note that our laundry room is done (!!) - except for soft goods like a panel of fabric next to the washer/dryer and curtains. It looks amazing & it's super functional. I included just one tiny picture above - no Nikon yet - so just an iphone hipstamatic image for now.

Little painter

The weather has been crazy phenomenal here. I'm so sorry for all of you living in the winter freeze from hell. I got my fill in Montana over the week we were there for Christmas. I'm a Panama girl through and through - and start to wilt w/o soaks in the sun. Today Bird ran outside in just a shirt and diaper and laid on the deck in true sun worshipper style. Hilarious. Needless to say, we're spending lots of time playing outside :o)

Now to get my head back into the things I was working on previously - what were those things anyway??

Hugs, Devon