The ins and outs.

My dear blog friends,

Are you completely bored with my blog by now? Do you come over to have a chat and no one is home? Who ever posts here is for sure rude! Leaving a blog up with no updates. Geesh. Bloggers.

I feel like my blog has been living in a ghost town. Only because there is actually A LOT going on behind the screen...namely getting ready for baby.

Just an update, I am 34 1/2 weeks along and technically have only 5+ weeks until the baby is due. But since I have a history of having preemies, it looks like this baby won't be an exception. I have been having regular contractions for over 3 weeks now. Thus the Ghost Town Blog.

And frankly, I am pooped! I have been getting tons of help with my shop (I have two AMAZING gals over shipping and printing.) But it looks like I will be closing down shop for a bit to keep my head on straight. This pregnancy is taking all my concentration, which it should. And with projects that need to be finished up before baby comes, I have decided to close down after the weekend. A more formal announcement will come soon, but I wanted to give you guys the heads up!

Running an ETSY shop, creating art as a business, raising 2 toddlers with a baby on the way and still trying to manage a life full of daily enjoyments has been the learning lesson of a lifetime. I am driven to work from home yet have a home where my children never feel like I work. Every day I strive to make them first and be creative with how I use my time to still stay ahead in my business. It is a challenge, let me tell you! But it's also important to remember that life has big waves that sometimes can't be surfed with a surfboard full of stuff. Simplifying is needed to take on the biggest waves! And so, I will close my doors for a bit. And man...it's a good feeling:)

I'll still be here though. Check in to see cute belly pictures and baby pictures;) Any guess on a due date? If you think you know, fill me in! I'd love to mark my calendar:)

Thanks for all your wonderful emails, and your kind words and all your support! I just love hearing from you all, and wish I could just invite you all over for cupcakes and raspberry tea or something. And then you could watch my children put on a play for you with elaborate entrances and exits, and with handmade costumes made out of paper and tape, singing show tunes at the top of their lungs in a made up language, and then maybe you'll be glad to just read my blog...and no more:)

Have a lovely weekend!

xo

sarah j.

The simple joys found.

Oh hello. It feels really good to be back. You may have not noticed an absence, but I have been nearly a month without reliable internet. I have been having to go to my grandmother's to email, run the ETSY shop and make the occasional blog post. Granted, she only lives next door, but it did take a bit of planning.

Besides the fact that I was (am still) incredibly behind on emails, and have made a few mistakes with getting orders straight, I learned more than I had expected to! Life without internet is tricky when you work from home, but oh....it was a much needed break!

Lessons from a wireless-less home:

*Life is too full of wonder to think more wonder lies behind a screen.

* Emails can be attacked once a day rather than paying attention to the constant nagging of the "What-if-they-emailed-me-back" syndrome.

* Communication is a lot easier online. But much nicer on the phone.

* My children noticed a renewed focus on them. They can't say it, but they are much happier when I am not dedicating a portion of my mind to the distractions online.

*My business can do fine without my constant attention. Checking in Twice a day is just fine.

* Finding resources in books had become second to google. What a treasure to let go of Google searches and go to the library or bookshelf instead.

* Staying organized in Google Docs is only good if you have the internet. Paper lists became my support, and it felt good to sharpen more pencils.

* My home is beautiful and wonderful and I don't need it to look like a post from Apartment Therapy to feel cozy and safe and inspiring.

* Life is full of simple joys that can be forgotten when there are too many distractions around you.

But with all the lessons learned, WOW I am glad to have my missing arm back. It is just good to know now that moderation is everything. I can't wait to be blogging again, and posting more pics. It feels good to be back.

This time of year is so magical for me. Watching my kids play in the yard all day and experiencing an earth that is growing every day. I can't even get decent pictures of Ian because he becomes so transformed in his outdoor world I can't keep up with him! (The extra 35 pounds on my body has something to do with that too though!)

And in case any of you are wondering who made that darling green dress, it sure wasn't me. Cally has made me a few things over the past year or two, and I can't say enough about her incredible talents. Check out her blog here for more sewing awesomeness.

See you soon, and happy weekend!

xo

sarah j.

A new mother.

Above my studio room, in the eaves of the roof, a nest was built. And day in and day out, I have heard the flapping wings of the Mama bird come in and out, working hard on building that nest. And then this morning, in the new light of Mother's Day, there was this incessant chirping above the ceiling from what seemed like a nest full of baby birds. Addie and I went out to check, and sure enough, that hard working black bird became a mother today. We sat on a quilted blanket under the tree and watched that mama bird fly off and catch a worm, and then fly back to her nest with chirpy, hungry babies waiting inside. She would fly off again, and 4 minutes later be back with another worm. We watched for over an hour and a half while this new Mama diligently fed her new babies...in and out of the nest, never resting. Me, with my huge belly and baby kicking; addie with her 4-year old motherly tendancies; and this new black bird mother....all enjoying a springtime mother's day. It was so magical and slendid! Besides the incredible dinner, and three hour nap I got, it was the best mother's day present to see new birth and a new mother in the nest above my studio window. Motherhood is magical! Happy mother's day to all!

Oh we've got trouble with a capital "T"

And that rhymes with "C" and that stands for "Computer" Still having computer and Internet woes. It's a bit complicated, and has a bit to do with the fact our temporary residence at the moment is akin to a cabin in the wilderness. Lovely trees, but not modernized quite yet. I'll try and post soon. It kills me not to reply to all your wonderful comments and emails! The shop is still up and running thanks to my two dear friends who have taken on the shipping, packing and tracking duties while I get ready for baby. I'll be in soon. I feel a bit out of the loop with all that is going on around these parts. I really do love reading all your comments, and getting to know new friends! Have a great weekend, and hopefully I'll be back in the swing of things soon.

Cheers,

Sarah J.

Photo classic.

I couldn't resist the urge to post these pics from Justin Hackworth Photography. He posted some pics to his blog a few weeks ago, but after getting back from the preview of ALL the pics he took, I am left completely indesisive of which one I want to keep for good! Thanks Justin for making it soooooo hard to decide (and these are only 4 of the 80). So tough!

The closest to Martha I'll ever get.

This blog post is VERY over due! So many of you have been asking me a bout my "BOOK" and with my internet troubles, I have been rather behind the times in chatting about this!

To clarify: No, I don't have a book chalk full of my illustrations for children, but rather a non-fiction hardback book of mom-to-mom tips on pregnancy with spot illustrations throughout.

Full of Life, the book I illustrated for Nancy O'Dell and published by Simon and Schuster was released about 2 weeks ago and is doing great! It is currently #17 on Amazon's Hot new releases in it's category. But I will be honest: my illustrations have nothing to do with it! It helps that Nancy is a huge celeb in the Hollywood scene and has a great following. I was asked to illustrate 7 chapter headings, and a few icons through the book with Nancy in certain positions during her pregnancy. It isn't really a showcase of my art, rather spot illustrations in black and white. But it was a great experience to work with the publishing industry....something I really hope to do more of in the future.

Nancy O'Dell is quite the celebrity and has been on a book signing/media tour since it came out. I haven't had contact with her during the creation process (thus the role of art directors and editors) but I have watched her progress online since the book release. On April 30th, she promoted her book on the Martha Stewart Show for their Baby Shower episode. I was just tickled to see this picture of the book I illustrated in the hands of Martha Stewart! Can you see it? it is a bad photo, but the best I could find. The Empress has no idea who I am, and my name is only in small print on the title page, but still. I am entitled to a bit of butterflies in my tummy, right?

It was such a great experience to put this book together. Like I said...don't go rushing to see it for the illustrations (there are so few) but do go check it out for you or friends who are pregnant! It is really a GREAT book!

I am just so grateful for the taste I got of the book creating process, and I hope to get into that more now that Baby #3 is coming soon (8 weeks and counting!). I love my ETSY shop, but children's book illustration is my ultimate goal! But in the mean time, I had a little "Martha Stewart touched something I made" moment and as stretched as it might be, It did make me blush! And really, I am still blushing. Thanks Simon and Schuster for a great opportunity!