Holy Gravy...a blog on turkey, thankfulness, my ever-growing self and caving in.

How's THAT for a title? Impressive, right?

Its been a big week, and it will continue to be a big week, so let's recap it out!

Turkey Day happened, and it was good. If you haven't checked out my other blog, you should-I posted a crazy delicious menu that included wild game, mushrooms and gravy. Oh, and bacon. You can't have a holiday without bacon. You could, but that wouldn't be very tasty. For more on what I ate and ongoing bacony homage, go to: blackberrysage.blogspot.com.

With Thanksgiving comes giving thanks. I am pretty darn lucky, and have a lot to be grateful for. I look back at where my life was a few years ago, and give thanks every day for what I have now. Is it easy? Not always. Is it frustrating? Sure, but whose life isn't? Are there things I would change? You bet your sweet bacon I would. But each of those moments, the good, the bad, the heartbreaking have led me to where I am in life. What matters is that I have love, shelter, food and a career that allows me to make enough to travel and support my craft and food habits.  You can't ask for much more than that.

And my ever-growing mid section. Izzy is due in just about 6 weeks. "They" say that this is the time where everything slows down and the last few weeks start to drag out. So far, I haven't seen that. Things are flying by, and my impending mommy-hood is starting to freak me out. I have so much to do at work, and here at home, that 6 weeks (and that's a ball park, folks; I am a weebly-wobbly time bomb!) just doesn't feel like it is logistically enough time to get it all done.

What you don't always hear is that this is the time that shit starts getting real. You're going to be a mommy. You're going to have a little life, living outside of you. That's some amazing stuff to wrap ones head around. I have to admit, I am more worried that something will go wrong in these last few weeks than I am about having the tiny beast here. So many people that I know have had issues, so many late-term miscarriages have happened. These are the things that pop into my head when Izzy hasn't moved in a little while. I don't know how many times I have drank cold water and jumped up and down to wake her up, just to be comforted by feeling her move (yes, I do realize that is more than likely super annoying). So I am torn between wanting to keep her in me as long as possible to get as much done as I can with the opposite drive to get her out of me so I can see her, and protect her, and not just have to trust that my body can get through these last weeks. Oh, and don't even Google cord complications. You won't want to sleep, or want to roll over. Yep, welcome to the crazy. So between that, and the constant soundtrack of Europe's "The Final Countdown" running through my head, its a wonder I am ticking things off of the list. Meh, it'll all get done.

And the week in store! Phew. Work, and more work of course; baby class tonight (more than half way done!) and lots of Art Events this weekend-South Park Arts Under $100 Art Sale and Urban Craft Uprisings Sale are both Saturday, and I'll be hitting them both.  Should be a fun time! :)

Caving in...A few posts ago I mentioned my disdain for getting my picture taken in a studio. In realizing that I could make this a Christmas present for my mom, I caved in and set up an appointment to get "portraits" done. All in all, it didn't suck, and Nick came with me. Less than 30 mins and a little bit of money later, I have cute Weeble Wobble pics and will be able to give my Mom just what she wanted all along. I'll consider this a win for both of us. And I am pretty sure I win Mom of the Year points, since I insisted that Izzy only get one set of monthly pictures done.

Lastly, Thursday is the 6 month anniversary of my Dad's death. I can't believe that it's already been 6 months. In some ways it feels like it was a lot longer ago, but in some ways it still feels so recent. I'll have another post on that in the coming days,  but just wanted to call that out, since it's also been on my mind.

So I think that is it-bacon, gravy, crazy, busy, art and family...Sounds about right!

How's your week looking folks? Hope fabulously!

And on that note...I leave you with...Europe! This is going to be stuck in your head forever.  The video can't be beat-that hair, the explosions, the synthesizers?  Pure 80's awesomeness wrapped into my maternity theme song.  You're both welcome and sorry.

Cheers,
Raina

A Quick Chuckle

I have a fascination with facial hair. Men should really take more advantage of the groomy-goodness as there are so many possibilities!  I came across this site in an attempt to not get actual housework done, and thought I'd share:

http://www.dyers.org/blog/beards/beard-types/

Read on, and enjoy the facial-hairy goodness!!

Yours in lack of facial hair,
Raina

Fuzzy loves

I don't know if this quite falls under the "relaxation" category, but Nick and I adopted a new fur baby. We've missed having a pup around the house so much, and we found a little guy who needed adopting!   Kip was chucked out of a car and abandoned in Eastern Washington a few years ago and has been in and out of foster care for a few years. He's been living with a great foster Dad for about a year, but he just hadn't found his forever home. We found him a month and a half ago on petfinder.com, but we just weren't sure if we were ready. We missed Mia so much!

A month later, we saw he was still there online....still looking for a home. We knew we wanted a pup in need, one who wasn't your typical dog that everyone wanted (i.e. a puppy).  We started the interview process, to find out that he was adopted. We were happy to hear he got adopted out though!

A week later, we got an email from his foster Dad-he had been returned-it just didn't work out, and the back up family never even came to meet him.  We were up! After many emails and phone calls, we opted to drive out and meet him. It was love at wiggly first site. On the drive over the pass to meet him, I joked that I wanted to give him the nickname of Kipper Snack. When we met him and his foster Dad, we learned his nickname had been Kipper. :)  It was clearly a good match! He was pretty shy at first, but he integrated quite well, and has been doing amazing ever since. He's great with kids, babies, adults, and crowds. He's a big fan of the dog park, and snoozing on the couch!

We're so very lucky to have found this little guy, and we can't wait to give him many, many years of love, snuggles and adventures. Now, without further adieu....Kip!

The first pic is of his first day home with us. You can see, he's pretty nervous. That didn't last long. Less than a week later, he's stealing antique quilts to snuggle under. Can it get any more cute?

Even Iggy had to get in on the snuggles! :)

I am so lucky. I have great fur babies, great friends, and family. Here's to all of us finding our happiness, fur-covered or otherwise!

Raina

Sit down and shut up.

I really don't have any other better title for this blog than that. Date night went from watching the Seattle Sounders to this:

Yep. I got a fabulous trip to the ER. D'oh.  I did get a snazzy preheated blanket to snuggle under while I waited for tests and to have a fetal heart rate test done.

I had originally thought I was getting a bladder infection, which to any care provider means you're probably going to blow up, or some horrible thing. I had also been feeling run down after a few long weeks at work. Izzy had been pretty quiet most of the day, so that had us worried too. After a call to the consulting nurse, we opted to go into the ER and get a check up done. Turns out, I was fine, and the reason I felt like crap was that I simply do too much. Doc's orders:  Sit still. Relax. Let others help you more.

Basically, everything I suck at.

So I have orders from the nurse, the doc, and Nick, and countless others to do nothing. Sleep in, relax and slow down. I have stopped making new to do lists, and am trying to not do everything baby-related right now. It's super hard.

Here's to trying though!  This weekend is set up well to hanging out. I have a book sale to go to, and a baby shower tomorrow. It should be a good weekend. I'll keep you all updated on how that whole sitting still goes. It's now day two, and I am still in my jammies, so I guess that's something!

How do you guys relax?

Raina

Damn you Olan Mills

I hate getting my picture taken professionally. Any time this issue comes up, I instantly turn into a 5 year old, having a screaming ninny fit. The brakes go on, and I am just not having it. Why you ask?

My mom worked for Olan Mills when I was little. She worked there for years, in multiple states, which meant I got my picture taken damn near for free, and pretty much constantly. I lived in the studio (ok, it probably wasn't THAT bad), but after thousands of pictures and what I am pretty sure is years worth of time spent in the studio, and even working there for a stint, I won't set foot in any photo studio.

Let me give you some reference of what I had to go through and why I can't stand getting my picture taken:

At first, it's cool. You're a baby, and clearly clueless. See that? I have no idea that the next 17 years will be filled with this and similar backgrounds. I'm giddy. Possibly medicated, who knows what's going on here!

And then I get to about 1.5-2 years. Props are needed. I am also assuming my Mom or Dad is somewhere in my line of site jumping. I may just be excited to be around a goose....

At this point, I am starting to catch on...See that face? That's not trust in those eyes. That's hesitation. That's a desire to get away!

 By this age I have mastered the art of the forced grin. I had not, however, figured out how to hide my bucked teeth and bad hair and clothing choice.

Yeah, this is me shortly after the above pic, with a costume change and having my hair brushed out. Know why I am smiling??  It's almost done, and I bet ice cream was mentioned. 

 After a few years, my mom started letting me do my own hair and pick out my own clothes. I don't know that I did any better, but that smug closed smile says that I won the battle by choosing my Bon Jovi necklace, Native earrings and half can of aquanet hairspray.

Sadly, I didn't win the war. Later that year PROPS were brought in and photo techniques.  Clearly, that didnt work and I am pretty sure I am giving the finger here, too. 

It was cool though, as this was our holiday picture. This was after HOURS of photos being taken. See that glazed look? Almost as awesome as those Bart Simpson boxers I was rocking. Yep. I so lost this war.

But I was not to be out fought. I brought back-up, namely our portly teacup poodle Odie. I made faces like this in almost every picture I could. I also did my own hair and make up. This was 7th or 8th grade and close to the end of weekly picture events.

So, why the ode to Olan Mills torture?  All my years of fighting to avoid a studio have caught up to me, and have come to a screaming halt.  My mom wants me to get "maternity pictures" done. If possible, multiple photos, from multiple studios, so I can later revel in my belly days, where I can look back and go "awww, look how I look like a Weeble Wobble!"

Sigh.

She isn't letting up, and isn't throwing in any bartering chips. In fact, she's threatening my unborn with picture packages for the first year of her life. She says, if I just get my picture taken while pregnant, then I only have to bring Izzy in once a month to one location to have her picture taken. So I am stuck in a quandry...throw my kid under a bus, or buck up and just get the pics taken. Hard choices, people, hard choices.

Left to my own devices, I would escape to a small foreign country with suitable healthcare. But since I am being forced to do this, I did threaten a pic like these:

Her response? "I don't care, as long as you go. You'll thank me later."

I don't think I will, but I will have a good reminder of why I won't drag Izzy through this crap.

So here's to you, on this election night. I hope you got a laugh and some relief from the tension, but also a damn good reminder of how bitter you can make your kids by taking thousands of strange pics of them!

;)

Raina