Small Things

At week 25 I have been told to take it easy to try and minimize the intense Round Ligament Pain that I am experiencing with this third pregnancy.  Apparently these pains are worse the more pregnancies that you have as I just don't have the muscle strength to hold it all up and together.

Last night after a trip to the hospital to meet with my midwife to make sure that everything was just normal pregnancy pains, Paul has requested that I take it easy trying to rest as much as possible.
This means I am going to have to slow down. Does he know how difficult that is for me?  I feel the need to go, go, go so that I am able to feel like I am doing something with my day.  That when he comes home I can say I did this, this, and this today.  See it is great that I stay home, making me feel like I am valuable in some way.

So I am trying to realize that there is value in the small things that I am able to do.
Today I emptied the dishwasher and reloaded, put a chicken in the slow cooker, and tallied my expenses.  That's it!  I feel like I have done nothing, so I am trying to look at it from the perspective that technically dinner is more than half made.  Paul doesn't come home to a sink full of dishes, and I am ready to send the taxes off to the accountant.

Tomorrow I will do a few more small things, and the day after that a few more and maybe by the end of the week they will all add up to a lot of things done.

March

March...
It has always been a really strange and crazy kind of month for me.  It is my birthday month and the strangest things always seem to happen at this time.
Last year I got a bad case of Mastitis and had to have surgery to have the infection removed.
The year before that Lily was born 2 hours after my birthday.
The year prior to that I changed all our plans and decided that I wanted to have another baby. (Hence Lily 12 months later)

I always go into March with the Lion and Lamb theory.  I am excited for the newness of Spring that seems so much more possible as well as the celebration of my Birthday.  Then I am always apprehensive of the Lion laying in wait, ready to pounce at any time, creating craziness and throwing my world into a spin.

This year by the end of March I will have turned 30, I will finally be in my third trimester, my little snap dragon will have turned 2, and I will be two weeks away from closing the studio.  All beautiful and amazing steps forward, but I will be keeping my eyes out for the Lion in the tall grass.

Dreaming of Summer Nights

Image from Home and Garden

As the snow falls again this morning, I am dreaming of summer nights.  Of the time I will spend under the stars and lights with my new little babe in my arms.  Of nights laughing and sharing next to the fire comforted and warmed by the flames.  Of long summer days of running, sliding, swinging, falling and getting back up, afternoons in the pool, and adventures created.
Of a vegetable garden tended and cultivated by our hands and food exploding with flavor.  Knowing that the food was grown with love and care.   Teaching the kids about nature and growth.
Long walks in the dying sunlight, children deep in slumber that only long summer days and nature can bring, and the strange rhythm that summer brings and works so well for everyone.
But for now we are covered in a new blanket of snow.

Glaze Mixing Weekend

One of the things that I like least about being a Potter is Glazing.  There are so many different elements involved in this part of the process that if one was to sit down and think about them all one may choose not to be a Potter.  There is first the decision on what colors you want, whether to make them yourself or buy them commercially, and how much research into new and original color you want to do.  So far there hasn't even been any talk of actually making any glazes yet!  

When I first started the studio I decided that since I really didn't know ANYTHING about chemistry and I thought I would buy them commercially and then mix them up myself.  Sounds like a great idea, except super expensive!  So then I decided to try my hand at mixing and making my own glazes from recipes.  O.k. not a bad idea but a lot of trial and errors in the kiln and on pieces.  Not so great when you are either trying to sell stuff or it is on student work.
So in the end I have a mix of commercial glazes that I can count on as well as some of my own that I know may not work 'all' the time but at least when they do turnout it is amazing.

At the end of the last lessons in the fall I let the glaze run out knowing that I would have make all new ones in the Winter Session.  I thought that I would just make all new batches and we would be all topped up and ready to go for the Session as well as Production for the one Spring show.  Seems like a good idea, except I had not mixed that many glazes all at once before, so it took all weekend to mix all 6 glazes!  Many breaks, and a very fine mask on for safety, it is all done and completed.  Feels good to have it all done. Now on to the fun part of putting the color on!

{this moment}

This past weekend my Dad and Adriene came for a visit.  They live about 2 hours from us and so we don't get to see them as often as my Mom or Paul's parents.  The kids love it when they come as it is someone new to laugh with them and enjoy the their games and play.

You would think that not seeing them that they may play strange or be shy, but they run to see them, as though they see them every weekend!

Handmade Dress for 2011

In the middle of what feels like the longest Winter ever I have gotten the creative bug for some reason.  Maybe it is the middle of the pregnancy hormones or maybe it makes me feel like I have accomplished something on the days when I in reality I haven't done much else.  What ever the reason there are many new things being created daily.  

A few weeks ago I ordered the Ruffled Kimono from ManiMina to be this years homemade dress.  Looked simple, easy to sew, and oh so super cute.  It lived up to everything. 

 I was able to cut out the pieces, and sew it together in a little less the 2 hours.  This in my books is fast and great for my instant gratification that I sometimes need when knitting projects are taking a little longer.  The part I liked best was that I didn't need large pieces of fabric. I was able to mix and match to get great colour combinations as well as use of some of the pretty fabrics I have but are not large enough for a full project on their own.

I was also excited to use the yellow fabric with the pink flowers as now Lily and I have matching outfits.  Do you remember the sewing treat for me last summer?  Always wanted mother daughter matching outfits.  I think there is a few more of these kimonos in the future.  

Teaching Night Easy Dinner

Today is Tuesday which means that I teach my pottery class tonight and there is little time for preparation, eating and cleaning of dinner.  This means I have to find a few special meals that meets these needs.  

I thought I would share with you one of my favourites; Chickpea Ratatouille from Vive Le Vegan! 

*Please excuse the picture, I am no food photographer. 

It is super easy to make and enjoy.  Everything is mixed right in the dish and then put into the oven to cook.  I have even mixed all the ingredients in the morning and covered in the fridge until it was time to cook.  While the recipe is from a vegan cookbook we have been known to throw sausage and other leftovers that we may have from previous nights.

Chickpea Ratatouille (modified for little people's taste buds)
3 cups of cooked chickpeas
1 - 2 cups of red onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic
1 28oz can of diced tomatoes
1/2 cup of green/red bell peppers, diced
2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp of olive oil
2 tsp of honey
2 tsp of basil
1 tsp of oregano
1/2 tsp of rosemary
1 tsp of sea salt
1/2 tsp of allspice
2 bay leaves.

Mix all the ingredients together, bake covered at 400 degrees F for 45 minutes.
After 45 minutes add 1 cup of minute rice stir and place back in the oven for 10 minutes.
Take out cool for little ones and serve!

Enjoy!