SPC # 34

April Challenge - The Body

This is 21 weeks of growing a baby

This is our little girl's first home

This is the beginning of ....stretch marks.

This is my belly,

round and full,

growing with each day...

I never thought I could love my body

as much as I do at this very moment.

SPC # 33

January Challenge - "Resolutions"

I should be a little less lazy

I should eat a little less junk food

I should watch a little less TV

I should be a little less opionionated.

I should do a little bit more

and I should do a little bit less,

but I can't think of anything else

than this little bit of something

growing inside me.

It takes all I have to make it to work,

to make it off the couch to make it to the bed.

It takes all I have to eat something nutritional

when all I want is fast food & orange juice.

I am pregnant

and I am resolved to appreciate every moment

I am given with this blessing

to not dwell on our past experience

and have faith in the future.

SPC # 32

December Challenge - "Red"

The face is the mirror of the mind, and eyes without speaking confess the secrets of the heart." - Saint Jerome

It's growing...this secret of mine.

p.s. That's snow on the grass...snow in Las Vegas.

SPC #31

December Challenge - "Red"

This little piggy has a secret...

Mish Mosh...

alright... things have been a bit hectic around my world, and I've neglected my little space here... I'm really looking forward to the holidays and time to expand my blogging.

T to B, L to R:

1. I started making invitations to my Halloween party back in September. Halloween is right up there as my favorite holiday, any excuse to dress up and I'm there. I got this idea from Martha Stewart's Halloween magazine last year.
2. This is my first softie made at the end of September. The pattern is from this awesome blogger & crafter (Allsorts)
3. I took a solo road trip to so-cal for the one and only Gannon and her magnificent 1st Birthday party. Much fun was had! (bounce house, face painting, taco cart...and more)
4. On my way home I spotted this license plate and made a double take... I was giggling all alone and braved driving in california traffic, while snapping away with my trusty Nikon, just to see if anyone else saw what I did. (Best viewed at original size.)
5. When I got home from my trip I had my first coloriffic swap-o-rama package... it had the cutest handmade pin from Stephanie at A Wonderful Treat
6. Shortly after we went to Seany Man's 6th birthday at the park...another opportunity to jump in a bounce house and take in all of the silliness.
7. Finally the Halloween party was here... I spent entirely too much time decorating and planning, to the point that I wasn't really having much fun... but, my super cool brother made it to the party as Speed Racer and seeing everyone else in costume made it all worthwhile.
8. This past week I got to hang with my best girl Catherine which culminated with a suprise birthday dinner for her husband at Smith & Wollensky's and after dinner fun at the House of Blues Foundation Room... it was incredible, the view from the balcony was breathtaking, wish I was drinking.... but more on that later! :)

Coloriffic Swap-O-Rama - October

I joined the Coloriffic Swap-O-Rama Flickr group this month and am sending out my first swap package today ... I hope my secret partner enjoys it! Can't wait to get mine!

New Banner ....

courtesy of Joleen .... thanks!!

Overheard again...

So... I guess I'm just a big eavesdropper because I've been hearing quite a few cute conversations lately... also, I have a lot of alone time and I enjoy soaking in everything that's going on around me...

Here's the scene ... shopping in a store (of course!) and two little boys, maybe 4 or 5 yrs old, were standing under a clothing rack while their mom was browsing.

1st boy: Have you ever seen people step on toys?
2nd boy: Yeah
1st boy: But have you ever seen toys step on people?
2nd boy: No
1st boy: Yeah...life's just funny that way...

I really needed that this week.

Like a Ton of Bricks

Working in my office today I happened to look up at the calendar... something struck me about this week ... and then it hit me full force. Heart in my throat, gravity nearly collapsing my entire being... a year ago this week I was told that this miracle of life growing inside me was not going to live, that I was not going to hold her in my arms, that I was not going to be a mother. Today that pain took my breath away, like it was just yesterday. I cried for myself, I cried for my husband, I cried for my family... I cried for my daughter.

Tomorrow is a new day and a lifetime to follow, countless blessings to be had, moments to cherish...but this day I cried for a painful yesterday.

Searching for moonstones in Cambria, CA (4 mo. pregnant)

Overheard today ...

While casually browsing through my local Old Navy today I overheard a most curious threat...

mom: "Damnit, If you fall out of that cart & hurt yourself, I'm going to spank you!"

I giggled a bit... then thanked my lucky stars that I had a mom that let me fall out of the cart to teach me a lesson ... no spanking involved ... a quick trip to the E.R. ... and you know what ... I never did it again.

Lesson learned ... Life hurts, don't make it worse by standing up in a shopping cart.

SPC #30

September Challenge - "With Someone"

Girlfriends of all kinds,

near or far,

of all shapes & sizes,

ages & races,

truly make my life

worth living.

I love these girls!

more SPC here

SPC # 29

August Challenge - Enclosed Spaces

This one was tricky...
didn't want to look like a crazy girl,
all alone on a plane.

Early morning flight,
too early for contacts,
or a real hair-do.
Could hardly wait to get home...
enclosed on an airplane.

SPC # 28

August Challenge - Enclosed Spaces

Enclosed in these molecules,

Enclosed in these pills,

Enclosed in my hand,

Enclosed in my heart,

is hope...

Hope that one day,

if only for a short time,

a new life,

will be enclosed in me.

SPC # 27

August Challenge - Enclosed Spaces

sleepy girl between the sheets

itty bitty nightie

dry lips need a drink

summer freckles fully exposed

SPC # 26

August Challenge - Enclosed Spaces ... (with a twist)

We meet like this
nearly everyday
up & down ... rise & fall
slow & steady.

I know exactly
what button to push
to move you
where I'd like.

Reluctant to get off
in the morning,
I'd rather ride you
all day.

Can hardly wait
to hop on
in the
evening.

Smelling perfume or
smoke, I wonder...
who else have you
been with?

The thought fades
as you always
give me
just what I need.

Inspired by this ... challenged by this.

How am I going to fix this ...

I had a dream last night that my heart fell out...yeah, just fell out. I don't specifically know from where it fell, but it landed in my hands, cold and solid, like an anatomical model straight from this exhibition (which I recently, with slight regret, attended).

It was a snapshot of a dream, no doubt intertwined with other absurdities of my subconscious, but made for a tense and restless slumber... not so much with fear, but a delirious state of concern with how I was going to get this lifeless heart back into my body...it must mean something.

Self Portrait Challenge # 26

SPC - July Challenge - "Self Portrait as..."

As if... we were kids again...

giggles galore

funny faces forever

the best of friends

More Collage... Catherine & Logan

I live to create with my hands...it takes my mind off everything else in my life and allows me to express myself, if only a fraction of what my mind envisions, but create nonetheless.

This is my very best friend Catherine and her adorable son Logan in the fish costume ... we just spent a super fun...and tiring weekend with her in CA...Disneyland, Santa Monica... (pictures to come). I sure wished she lived closer...

Collage

I've been experimenting w/ collage using tips and such from this wonderful book by Claudine Hellmuth. Her style is quirky and I could hardly wait to try it with some of my pictures. I used a picture of my friends daughter for this one because I thought her pose easily elicited this "sweet" scene. More to come...

SPC #25

This months SPC theme, Pop Art, has been super challenging for me...but has actually given me a project to do with Photoshop. I so badly wanted to create something incredible like this or this, but since this was only my second time to ever use the program...this weeks submission is what you got instead... as Roy Lichtenstein as I'm afraid I can be...

More SPC here...