Tiny Twig Goes Out on a Limb

M35 :: Creation

 

made this from the tut floating around the blogiverse

started on this project

captured this great memory of my boys playing on their "playground".  we do this every tuesday when I wash our slipcovers.

painted with the Twigs

 

Taking time to create made me feel more accomplished and less hurried.  It made me feel, interestingly, more creative.  Does creating beget creativity?  Why do I wait to be inspired, when obviously inspiration strikes those who are already engaged?  I felt calm and more like myself when I took the time to stretch my creative muscles.  A few days I snuck in some extra craft time with my boys, and then the other days I worked at the table while Husband finished work up late into the night.  It was loud and rowdy creation with the boys.  Conversely, it was quiet and cozy creation at night with Husband. 

Husband and I, we call that time "parallel solitude time".  My BFF in high school and I coined that phrase, because we would want to be quiet but want to still. be. together. (you know how HS girls are!!).  Husband and I still carry on that tradition of working side-by-side on separate projects.  We find these to be incredibly fruitful times where we feel connected even when working on different things.  It is both recharging individually and as a couple. 

I feel refreshed, engaged, and ultimately more lively when I've been creative.  Actually practicing creativity is now an activity that I crave to make a habit.  I know that now is not the time for establishing new habits, as tiny new people have a tendency to demand new habits of their own.  However, I do hope and believe I will find more time to actively create rather than passively watch others create.

M35 :: Create Things Everyday

I am a born creater.  I love to make things.  I love to see ideas come to fruition.  I love to dream about things and make them happen.  But, lately, I've been heavy on the dreaming and light on the making. it. happen.

This post by Lindsey over at Honeysuckle and Heart really hit the nail on the head for me.  This thought particularly catalyzed something in my head.  I think it is a place that all blog readers (and authors!) come to at some point. 

I can be guilty of looking at all the blogs I love, taking time to admire their projects and to file them away as "inspiration".  But, inspiration for what?!  If I'm not creating anything of my own...what is the point of being inspired.  I think this whole concept is similar to the feeling I get when I have 100 house projects left unfinished.  I hear whispers of, "You're lazy.  You're totally boring.  Not creative.  Fraud."  And that leaves me depleted and discouraged.  If this is how I feel from being part of the blog community, then I either need to change my habits or change my community.  :)  So, I'll try the easy part first...change my habits.  This week I'm going to do my best to set aside one hour each day to create something.  I don't know if all that time will go to one project or 5 really simple little projects.  However, I do know that I need to set aside some creative time...just to be. 

M34 :: My Thoughts on the Business of Being Born

 

On Wednesday night, Husband and I cuddled in to watch the documentary "The Business of Being Born".  He was a sport about it, although he was not thrilled about the naked ladies in the water giving birth.  It is one thing to watch your wife birth your child, and it is a whole different experience watching other women go through the miracle of birth.

And a miracle it is, indeed.  It is also a business.  Those things are both true of birth in America. 

I love learning about business of any form.  I always liken business to an organism that grows and adjusts over time, learning to adapt to the changing climate.  Learning about the business of hospital birth in the United States had me nodding my head.  I agree that our litigous society adds unnecessary cost and some unnecessary interventions to the birth process, but I also understand doctors' needs to protect themselves.  It is an unfortunate side-effect of living in a first-world country.  Many OBs are going out of practice simply because malpractice insurance is so amazingly expensive.  So, that said...I agree with the film that something needs to change.  The process needs to be evaluated, and the best outcome for the individual needs to be constantly sought.

I also completely agree that hospitals are looking to turn over beds, etc.  Because, that is how money is made.  That is capitalism.  That is part of the machine and ideology that you enjoy in a lot of other parts of your life.

My qualm with the film is in the "touchy feely" anecdotal part of the film.  Of course, this is a film--and I understand film technique.  However, I am not going to make the choice of how my baby is born based on the emotional response produced by a biased film.  Especially not when I'm pregnant...and hormonal...and admittedly half-crazy.  :) 

Part of my response to the actual birthing parts of the film is my own personal bent.  I am not an overly touchy person, I like my privacy, and I didn't even want "positive reinforcement" from Husband while in pain, let alone another woman.  So, I was not drawn to that experience in the film. 

Here's what I would love to see in the United States.  This is the non-professional opinion of a pregnant momma.  I would love to see "normal" and "uncomplicated" births attended by midwives in a hospital setting.  It would be lovely if midwives had autonomy in the hospital setting and were not overly burdened by "hospital policies".  Yes, I know that is wishful thinking. There is a lot of nuance in the legalities, the licensing, etc. wrapped up in the business of birth...even varying from state to state. 

However, I do not believe that the natural swing from "over-medicalized" birth is to birth at home.  If you want to do that, go for it!  However, I would like to benefit from the advances in medicine, pain-control, and emergency management should the need arise. I think we can benefit from the knowledge and techniques of midwifery without having to sacrifice the safety of a hospital.  Of course, the right to do so is not open in every state...and that is something to truly fight against. 

I think that it would be beautiful if, in America the land of the free, women were free to make (with their medical professionals) the best decisions for their family. 

M33 :: Thoughts on Our Family Trip

my boys and i at our favorite lakeside restaurant.

We had SUCH a good time in Charlotte.  In fact, I'm currently still having such a good time in Charlotte.  :)  It is hard to explain, and hard to even discern for myself, how I feel about our visit.  Of course, it was such a great time seeing friends and being back in our old stomping grounds.  But, that's the thing, it was almost TOO great.  We lived in a really fantastic area, with really fantastic weather, and really beyond fantastic friends.  And, it's hard to know that we left this life.  All the while, Husband and I still have a steadfast peace about moving and know through and through that it took 4 years to build this life in Charlotte.  Surely, 8 months isn't long enough to feel firmly planted in a new city...even if that city was once home to you. 

To be honest, our long weekend here has felt more like "home" to me than our home city does in a lot of ways.  It's impossible to explain, and also really hazy to even feel.  I am partially blaming it on pregnancy hormones and lack of sleep.  :) 

We, of course, love being with our families.  We adore our lifelong friends in Indiana who welcomed us back with open arms.  We just miss the vibrant lifestyle we led here in Charlotte.  It is almost a good reminder to us that we can still cultivate that kind of life in Indiana...it just takes a little harder work.  :) 

We miss our good friends here, and we miss that our boys had best friends here--as evidenced by our "DIY Daycare" picture below.  This is two families worth of babies, born in the last 4.5yrs.  3 girls born to our dear friends, and we're currently working on our 3rd boy.  We have watched our families grow together, and our children have known each other since birth.  In fact, we babysat each other's children while in the hospital having our subsequent babies.  You have to know, when we go places with the 9 of us (4 adults, 5 kids)...people look at us like we need to be committed.  :)  It is such a chaotic and joyful scene when we get together...lots of innocent hugs and kisses and sweetness amongst the kids.  I think it's a little bit like a perfect arranged marriage situation.  :) :)  I kid, I kid. 

Our boys and their besties.

I know that we'll have to Skype a lot and plan our next visit soon.  We always said while we lived here that in a town full of transplants without family--your friends become your family.  We have done Thanksgivings and Easters and every day in between with this collection of friends in Charlotte...and bonds like that aren't easy to loosen. 

Our boys have been champion travellers, enjoying the free hotel breakfast every day.  They have stayed up way too late, slept in gloriously late, and have treasured every moment with their friends.  The 10 hour drive here was 94% enjoyable, which is pretty good in a vehicle with 1 driver, 1 majorly pregnant passenger, and 2 energy filled back seat little dudes. 

Here's hoping tomorrow's drive home will be just as great--and also that 10 hours is long enough sort out all of my feelings before we jump back in with both feet in Indianapolis. 

M32 :: I Mostly Finished What I Started

In the interest of full disclosure...this is what our family room looked like on Wednesday.

Yes, that is a mess on the kitchen table, and that is the rug that had just arrived 5 minutes before.  My very pregnant self pulled it slowly from the front door, praying I didn't throw myself into labor trying to lay it under the sectional.  People...I was lifting up that sectional and chirping at my little Twigs to roll the rug under.  Not the best plan of action...it sat in a lumpy mess until Husband got home to finish the project.

And these are the frames from Goodwill that have sat on our mantel since September.  That is, indeed, the original "art" that filled the frames.  An aerial photo of Notre Dame's campus and Touchdown Jesus.  I can't believe it took me 6 months to get to filling these frames with personal photos.  But, with a quick trip to the printers and Hobby Lobby--I spent $25 bucks and had handcut mats and 8x10s of my Twigs.

Much better.  They look right at home on our mantel now, which is filled with woven naturals and ivory frames.  I love looking at my favorite images of my little family every day. The mantel was actually the first thing I got about 80% done right after we moved in...and it was the one thing that helped me feel like the house was home.  I figured it was time to finally really "finish" it. 

This is some of my favorite art, the piece on top is from 20x200 and the bottom is a piece from our dear friend and amazing artist Jace Freeman.  I got the top piece matted and framed at Hobby Lobby about a month ago for about $35.00 when the frames were 50% off.  They had tremendous service and completely finished the back and even attached the art edition information on the back.

This is one of my favorite rooms of our house.  It is the first room we have officially "finished" and we spend the most time in this room.  That corner beside the fireplace will eventually house a built-in with our TV, etc...but, that probably won't be until later this spring.  The little round table is from my great-grandmother and is topped with carrara marble edged in brass.  Very chic and current for an heirloom.  I think I'm going to commit sacrilege and paint the base...but I'm letting it marinate in the space first. 

Finally, I did the powder room.  It was a completely different direction than I had originally planned...but when I sourced the pieces I would need, it was going to cost more than $150 just to print the images I planned to use...then I would need to frame them.  I don't have that kind of cash that I wish to spend in the powder room right now.  Plus, I had a ton of art from our Charlotte house that was relegated to storage because it didn't "fit" in this house.  So, I grabbed a hammer and nails and went to town creating my own little happy gallery of sorts. 

I plan to add to this room and completely fill it with special things.  But, that will happen slowly and over time.  Husband ended up loving this little room, which completely surprised me.  I plan to still do the team pictures, eventually, but for now this will be a happy little placeholder.

I didn't end up finishing our master bedroom.  It was just too much sewing and hanging of curtain rods and a little more $$ than I wanted to spend this week.  I'll get to it sooner than later, but not this week.  I did however, order this fabric for the curtains.  I wanted something navy and graphic without being geometric. 

It felt awesome to cross some things off my list and not look at unfinished projects when I walk into a room.  However, you'll notice I did something completely in line with my M.O.  I ordered fabric for a project that I didn't finish this week.  Now that project is staring at me--begging to be finished.  Whispering guilt in my ears.  When will I ever learn?  :)