Extra Special-ness

I've been a fan of this talented woman's blog for a few month's now but her most recent post has just doubled my admiration for the kind of love she gives to her family in the form of gifts and thoughtfulness.


Most recently she threw her oldest daughter, True, a Goldilocks themed birthday party complete with porridge, bear crowns, and a build-a-bear craft project. Check out the complete post here.




Check out more fun photos from their weekend outings as a family in RubyEllen's flickr stream.


P.S. Take a look at her beautiful home and crafty goodness while you're at it. You won't be disappointed.

RVA Weekend Coming Up

phtoto via RVA blog

We're putting the finishing touches on all of our kits and getting things ready for everyone who is coming to take part in our weekend of fun! A supply list for each class has been posted on our RVA blog so you can make sure you've got everything you need as well as directions on registration, etc. We're so excited and can't wait to meet you guys!!!

Red Velvet Art Update

Prints of 'Her Happy Dreams' are now available on the Red Velvet Art website! It's available in an 8" x 10" and an 11" x 14" and printed on velvet fine art paper. And look! I'm a paper doll! Elsie has designed these cute paper dolls and crafty accessories of each of the RVA girls. I've got the trusty Mac, the sewing machine and a Starbucks drink. What more could a girl ask for...

You can also find the new chalkboard key rack that I've designed. Perfect for roommate notes or reminders to feed your cat.

I walked into my bathroom this morning to find a garden snake stretched out alongside the bathtub! I screamed and Brett came in to catch it. Thankfully school was out today for professional development so he was at home to deal with the situation. I'm not sure what I would've done otherwise. It crawled behind the toilet and into the hole where the plumbing goes into the wall. We figured that is how it got in and wouldn't need to worry about it any more that day.

Well, ten minutes later I go back in to use the bathroom and IT'S BACK! I screamed again and Brett ran back in to try to grab it by the tail. It was too quick for us. At that point, I realized it may just be hiding and that we'd need to catch it to be sure it was out of the house. Brett decided to climb into the tub and close the shower curtain hoping it would come back out soon. We could see it's little head poke out from the wall but after five minutes, we decided he was onto us. Brett stuffed a wash rag into the hole to give us some peace of mind but I made him stand watch while I used the potty just in case that snake got brave again.

We've called the landlords to see what they'd like to do about the snake problem and they were sympathetic. We're going to set a sticky trap down in the meantime just in case he's still in there. Pregnant women wake up in the night to empty their bladders and I'm not about to let myself get spooked about going in there at 3 a.m. There is no way I'm going outside to relieve myself either as there are more of them in the backyard than in my house (SHUDDER).

I'd love to hear your snake or other creepy crawler stories. Consider it moral support.

Reporting For Duty

I had these wooden pieces custom cut for the chalkboard key rack (shown below) but couldn't stop thinking about painting on them. It only took me a week to pour the paints and get started this time! I have a few more in various stages that will be presented upon completion and one that was almost done until I jacked it up with something that I don't know that I can fix. It's part of the process I guess, so I can't count it a total waste.


The cloud theme and colors scheme carried over from my last painting but these are more graphic than abstract. I think I'll be making a few more before I start experimenting with some other styles.


I used a sharpie to sign my name on the side but figured I needed to add my last name or something more significant since I'm not a 'Madonna' or 'Cher'. So, I added my last name and then it looked dorky. Then I remembered my idea from last week of doing some fun journaling on the back and decided it was the best way to make the random last name on the back work. One of those happy accidents.





One of the other projects I've finished this week is a chalkboard key rack.It measures 9" x 10" and features a chalkboard front and three metal hooks to keep your keys handy. It could also be used to stash your favorite necklaces and show off your mad doodling skills. They'll be available in the RVA shop with the next update on Friday at 11 a.m. for your purchasing pleasure.

Photo by Leigh-Ann.

Speaking of Leigh-Ann, I walked in to Elsie's loft yesterday afternoon (totally winded from climbing the two sets of stairs) and turned the corner to the kitchen to find a sweet Canadian sitting pretty and working hard at her crafty to-do list. It was one of those short and sweet meetings that was mostly business but I'm looking forward to spending a little more time together before the big craft weekend. So far I know that she loves Sierra Mist and guacamole and that if we lived in the same city, we'd be hanging out a lot.

More mind eruption soon along with the cutest pictures of my son's first ice cream truck experience.


xoxo,

Rachel

Hi!

We've got sunshine and energy today!

This morning I:

* Had coffee brought over by Ms. Elsie. We caught up after a month of not seeing each other.
* Swept my floors.
* Wiped down counters and sinks.
* Called my sick friend and had a few good laughs.
* Took pictures with Sebastian.
* Read some articles on my new favorite online magazine, Babble.com.

This afternoon I:

* Put S down for a nap.
* Talked to my SIL who is currently making me cupcakes because I can't stop thinking about them.
* Am waiting for my midwife to come by for a two hour session. Talk about service!
* Plan on watching more online t.v. as I can feel THE YUCKY coming on.
* Will eat two previously mentioned cupcakes and only feel guilty about the second one.

Tonight I:

* Will call my parents.
* Will lay in Sebastian's room while he plays instead of watching more online t.v. even if THE YUCKY is in full force.
* Will be thankful for the things that are in my life and hopeful for the things to come.
* Will try not to eat a third cupcake.

The New Normal and A Beautiful Afternoon

The image above is from the first park trip S and I have managed to take by ourselves since January! We were both surprised at how things had blossomed and stopped to snap a few pictures. As I was focusing on this image I heard Sebastian say, "Popcorn tree." Thank goodness he wasn't hungry.

My parents came in for a visit from California early last week and spoiled us rotten. Poor Brett was sick part of the time and studying for a few big tests the rest but S and I enjoyed our mornings out with Grandma Mary and Big Papi. In the evenings they would take Sebastian to their hotel and hang out while we rested as I am still running at about 50% energy wise. We were all sad to see them go but knew my brother would appreciate a turn, too.

Saturday was our sunny day and I was feeling strong so we called up our good friends and planned a last minute Easter egg hunt and taco picnic at the park. It was just what I needed to get out of the funk I'd been in from being so sick and stuck inside. Sebastian and Diesel split the egg playing field and both managed to fill up their baskets.


Sebastian had quite an efficient gathering method that ensured maximum enjoyment for all. He would pick up a plastic egg, dump out the jelly beans and wrapped chocolate onto the ground, retrieve the wrapped chocolate, and leave the jelly beans for someone else (Katy and I) to scavenge. It was so funny to see him do this with each one. He wasn't about to waste any space in his bucket with silly jelly beans.


You may remember the posts last year about our friends, the Shatto's, getting ready to fly to Ethiopia to bring home their son, Diesel. Well, he's almost one year old now and such a beautiful boy. He's close to walking on his own and at one point he was so intrigued by the egg in his hand that he didn't realize Mom and Dad weren't holding him up. It'll be any day now.






We spent a quiet morning at home on Easter Sunday as I wasn't feeling well again. I told Brett it was the first rainy Easter Sunday that I could remember. Even Seattle gave us some sunshine on Easter Sunday in 2006! We did treat ourselves to Starbucks and Brett took Sebastian to the cheap theater to see his third dog movie.

I'm coming up on 11 weeks this Wednesday and will see my midwife for my first official check up where she'll get my family history, do blood work, measure things, and listen for the heartbeat. I'm sure the heartbeat will make things feel more exciting and real! It's been about a month of looking and feeling chubby, which I remember hating the first time, so I'm so glad that I'm finally starting to show a little. I didn't show with Sebastian until about four months but since my body has done this once already, it seems to be getting a head start. This is me at 4.5 months with Sebastian in 2006. Oh, the memories...


I'll work on an updated picture this week. Starting to order supplies and get organized a little at a time for the Art weekend later this month! I'm staying hopeful that the second trimester will bring a return to our regularly scheduled routines. All grumbling aside, I'm thrilled to no end abut this baby and thankful that this is a possibility for our family. I appreciate your patience as I spread my to do lists out in longer stretches. You guys are great.

See you next time.

~Rachel

Windy with a High of 67

Really happy that I was able to contribute in a small way to this.


Nearly done! from UPPERCASE gallery on Vimeo.

The image of my paint palette is the header to a page that is laying in the bottom left corner. You can get a subscription to this quarterly magazine here and read more about the production and content here. I think this might be one of those magazines that keeps a permanent place on your coffee table. Congrats, Janine, on a beautiful first issue!

In Hiding

Something about a long break made it hard to want to show back up on Monday. It's not something I've felt in awhile so I think it might be related to my physical level of energy and wellness. There has been so much couch camping and ginger pill popping these last few weeks that my regular state of mind has been struggling to function and most things that want to come out of my mouth will either sound like complaining or are 100% about pregnancy. I've been wondering how to make this part of the journey public without this space being saturated in hormones and lists of new cravings.

Thanks for your patience. I think this post broke the ice. I had one of my best energy days today and took my men to Target to find containers for things. I suddenly NEED to organize my kitchen pantry and counter tops. Now our coffees (thanks, Jen!) have their own glass jars with lids, as well as our teas, pastas and cereals. Next up is to mount the wine crates to our bathroom wall before my parents arrive this weekend. Pictures shall be taken and shared. Promise.

~Rachel