I wish this were me....out shopping keeping up with my other two littles. My belly is that big...but I sure feel a lot less mobile! No sign of her coming yet, which is so ironic to me since I have been dealing with signs of her coming for 6 weeks now. Oh well...more ice cream and pickles for me!
Still here! Barely. I'm feeling rather like a swollen tomato ready to pop at any moment. I go to bed every night wondering if tonight is the night...but no baby yet. Funny how she nearly came 3 weeks ago, and yet we're still here!
This week I have been able to attend the fantastic BYU illustrators and writers for young readers conference. WOW. It has been a week long (8am-5pm) intensive workshop/seminar that has given me so much inspiration and motivation to go more into children's books. I have been able to meet with editors from Random House, Bloomsbury and Harper Collins who been great mentors and teachers this week. Not to mention the fantastic authors and illustrators who are motivating me to get more involved in the world of children's literature and art.
The best part has been the workshop I have been able to be a part of every morning for 4 hours with instructor Will Terry. Will is a very accomplished illustrator for children's books, and he has really helped me to get a better understanding of how art is applied to children's books; a very different world then in design or gallery art. And most of that 4 hours has been used to draw and create...a very nice present before baby comes when I will need to take a break for a while!
So, I am still here....with posts lacking due to my body being very focussed right now on other things besides me. Baby is taking most of my energy, and I can't wait to meet this little person who gets all the attention at the grocery store and in long lines. She's a big one she is!
Maybe next post will be an announcement??? Stay tuned.
My 9 month pregnant brain has needed a whole lot of help lately. I feel like my brain is mush, and I can't keep it all in order. Well, that is my excuse at least!
LobotoME (Pronounced Lo-Bot-Oh-Me) came into my life a few months ago, and wow. Things have changed. I have tried LOTS of stuff to keep myself and my home in order, but these are my new sanity.
Really.
I lost my LIST ME notepad last week, and I have been a wreck! I use Google Docs and Google Calendar for my business needs, but what about when I am not on the computer, then what?
My favorites are the LIST ME, FEED ME, FIT ME (not now....but I know when this baby comes I will be so excited to use this!) and the Weekly Calendar which magically has a place for all these things in one place. It's Genius.
It's a great system....perfect for the mom at home trying to keep it all together. They are so simple, and seem to follow the way my brain works!
LobotoME even has a great blog with tips on staying on top of it all. THANK YOU!!!!
These are the kinds of things that keep my happy during the week. Happy Friday!
I have posted about this site before, but I need to post again since I just got my letter back.
Futureme.org is a site where you can write a confidential letter to yourself and request to have it sent to your email at any date you prefer.
So, year and a half ago, I wrote myself a letter with goals I wanted to accomplish by June 2009. I had completely forgotten about this letter, but when I received it this week, I realized that most of my goals had been accomplished! There is so much power in putting your dreams on paper!!!!
Write yourself a letter...a list of goals, things you want changed, what you are feeling in this very moment right now...and see where you have gone sine that moment.
There is power in the written word.
I don't know if I mentioned my other half and his crazy over the top dancing skills. Not only does he cook, but he is a crazy awesome dancer/actor/singer! He has been rehearsing for the past 2 months for the summer run of "Singing in the Rain" and he is playing the role of Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) at a local community theater and the show opens next week! My good husband hasn't performed in a show in 10 years (it is a rather big time commitment!) and I couldn't be more thrilled for him.
He and I actually met our very first day of college in BYU's Musical Theater program and I fell madly in love with his tapping skills. What girl doesn't swoon over a gorgeous guy in tap shoes who can flirt with a triple time step? I fell for it, and glad I did.
If you are in Utah, come and see! It's a fantastic show.
Hale Center Theater come Monday, Wednesday or Friday.
Happy weekend!
Oh these are the days of swollen legs, swollen belly, swollen face, swollen everything! How is it that I can be so uncomfortable, yet love how I feel all at the same time? Today we saw a hot air balloon sailing through the summer sky, and I could completely relate.
Now that the shop is closed, we are getting everything ready! I found some new swaddling blankets today, and we have moved the cradle into the bedroom. It is all becoming real now.
Baby girl is coming soon!
Keep checking back for updates....
xo
sarah j.
OK! It's time! Baby is coming soon, and we're closing to get ready!. Order through the weekend, and all orders will ship Tuesday May 26th. Thanks for all your support! We'll be back come July.
xo
sarah j.
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.