Healthy and Growing

First off, thank you, thank you to the kind ladies who left words of encouragment for me on my last post. It was comforting to hear your stories of similar experiences and funny to me that I can now relate to all the symptoms of pregnancy.

 

The past week has been difficult. There is no "morning sickness" for me, oh that it would stay just in the morning, nope, I've got "day sickness" as in "all day."

I'm taking medicine for the nausea to help me keep down some food, but the feeling never really goes away. Some days are better than others and I can get the laundry done and the house clean and maybe even sit down to my jewelry table, but inevitably that wears off and by evenings I'm on the couch with blankets and a Sprite watching old t.v. series on Netflix.

 

It isn't so bad, my family has been a great help and a constant source of comfort.

 

 

photo by Richard Alois

 

 

It's also been raining here a little each day. That has been merciful. I know there are parts of the country that haven't seen rain all summer and we're grateful here for every drop. It has helped hold the late August heat at bay.

 

 

I had my first ultrasound yesterday and everything looks great, one baby, perfectly sized for how far along I am and the technician assured me that a lot of nauseau during pregnancy was a good sign as it meant a strong and healthy pregnancy.

I'm taking those words and carrying them to help fight off the anxiety that a first mom always feels.

I'm really beginning to understand what it means to say that something is out of my hands.

I feel very much out of control right now but I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing.

 

There won't be as much jewelry from me the next couple of weeks, though I do have some things I'm working on when I can, but right now there are just more important things to do.

 

I hope your Tuesday finds you happy and healthy.



Like Those that Have Come Before

It is amazing to me how quickly our lives can change.

Very few things in life shift gradually from one phase to another like autumn leaves, instead we tend to move from one state of being into another state of being overnight.

From healthy to sick with the word of a physician, from single to married with a simple "I do" and the frightened student becomes the terrified adult with the toss of a cap.

We tell ourselves we're ready and we make preparations that are supposed to make the transition easier, but still the step into the unknown is laced with a certain uncertainty that we just can't shake.

But I have learned, mostly in the past 10 years that have made up my 20's, that each transition into a new phase also comes with a certain measure of blessing that the last phase did not hold and could not hold.

Next year will be for me probably the biggest transition I've made yet.

I'll step into 30 leaving my 20's behind knowing that I've gained from them a maturity that I now feel comfortable bearing.

But in the last two weeks I have discovered that 30 will also bring a baby for me and John.

And I have, in the last week, true to the women that have come before me, spent countless hours on a sofa trying to stave off the baby nauseau that refuses even crackers as a form of sustenance.

It is in moments like these that I am truly grateful for the wisdom of mothers and sisters who have already walked this path.

It is comforting to my heart and my mind to know that I am not alone but that I hold the hands of a long line of strong women who have come before.

Mother's Day has come early around here, and I feel as though the grateful spirit of that day will linger for a while yet...

well, definitely for the next nine months. ;)

No Beads Required

In an effort to decorate the new house, I'm doing my best to try to find ways to maximize the artistic impact while simultaneously minimizing the monetary impact.

This is not always so easy, though Homegoods helps A LOT.

I saw this design project on HGTV and decided to modify it a bit and make it fit for me and my house.

We're going to make a gallery-style wall to show off some simple photography or artwork. The best part? This one was cheap. How cheap? I'll tell you at the end.

This is the finished product, now I'm going to tell you how to get there:

Here's what you're going to need:

1. Artists' canvas clips, I think they're also called bullclips. I chose large ones because I wanted the impact. The holes will be used to hang them on the wall.

On the HGTV project she used little office butterfly clips, they were O.K., but I really wanted some impact, so I sprung for the way larger ones that are also designed to hold art.



2. Picture mats. These are 8x10 with a 5x7 opening and doubled. 

3. You're going to need some kind of artwork. I chose to cut up a photography book that I purchased at Homegoods. I've had this book for a few years now and it's finally getting some new life.

You could choose anything you like, wallpaper scraps, bold fabrics, even some of the scrapbook papers that are out now are just gorgeous.

Some other things you'll need:

clear scotch tape

scissors

small picture nails

hammer

Okay, let's go.

Start by choosing the photos that you'd like to use.

I wanted to stick with a red/orange/yellow color scheme.

Make sure that it fits inside the frame with enough overlap on the back so that you can tape the photo to the backside of the mat. 

Cut out your photo. I used the open scissor method here and drug the sharp end across the edge of the photo to free it from the binding. But if you've already purchased something that's already sized then there's no need to cut!

Tape your photos to the back of the mat. I taped all four corners and the four sides just to make sure it was attached really well. 

Constantly check to make sure the piece is centered as you're taping. Mine was interesting because I had square photos and rectangular mats, but I think the result still looks pretty sharp. 

Finally, center your clip on the matte and make sure that it's gripping as much of the mat as it can. 

Voila!

Instant art.

To hang simply nail a small picture nail into the wall with only about a 1/4" of the nail still showing and hang the back hole of the clip on the nail.

I haven't gotten mine hung up yet, but as soon as I do, I'll get a picture.



Okay, what was the damage?

Well, I purchased the photo book at Homegoods for $5 and only used five roses which means I've still got an entire book left in case I ever want to switch out the artwork.

I purchased the other supplies at Michael's and used a coupon which came to $23.

The tape, scissors, nails, and hammer are all lying around the house, so the whole project basically cost me $28 for a wall of 8x10 artwork.

Now, I will also say this. There were mats at Michael's that weren't the doubled mats and were also about a $1 cheaper, but because I had the 20% off coupon, I went ahead and sprung for the doubled mats, I also happen to think the result has a bit more of an art gallery feel with the doubled mat.

So, what do you think?

I know you've got something lying around the house that could pass as artwork.

What's your gallery gonna be?!