::Gulp::

In exactly two months, Annorah Kate is scheduled to be born.


This news was met with mixed emotions on my part. It's an early surgery date, which I love, as you know. But Norah will be the first of my children to be delivered by someone other than Dr. Lamensa. He will be on vacation--the nerve! I find that I have come to be rather set upon having him deliver my babies. I attribute all my easy recoveries to the skill of this man, rather than the collective circumstances that have made it so, and ultimately the grace of a good God. I've become almost superstitious, and far too sentimental. It's a common procedure. And no incompetent doctor would be allowed past the front doors of the O.R. So, once again, I must put aside my fears and rest.

July 29th @ 10:00 a.m.

Note about the name:
Annorah means Grace in Hebrew.

::Apple Blossoms::

::Sarah's apple trees::

::Hanna's Letters::

{See a few more pictures HERE }

::"Summer Berries": Letters for Leah::

Remember Leah's birthday "L" from this post?
It only took me a year to finish what I had started.

::Purple offerings::

::Picnic Table::

For Mother's Day I asked for a picnic table...
Here's why:

Aidan put it together and I painted it with several layers of black floor paint. This meant I could avoid smelly varnish, and it will still be very cleanable. As for the paint job on the walls, my dear friend Tara sacrificed her weekend to come and transform the room from a misplaced yellow to a warm earthy brown. I could never have done it without her. As it was, it was all we could do to keep little fingers off of the fresh paint...

Happy Mother's Day to me.

::Tulip Festival 2009::

It's about the kids.
And the flowers.

::Desk Chair::

"Madison Swivel" from Target

So the one thing I would have loved for Mother's Day I can't have because I can't find it!
The heavier I get, the more comfortable I want to be at my desk. It's where I unwind. Where I do a lot of my devotions. Where I communicate... I want to be cozy. Plus, it wouldn't hurt for it to be pretty too. These are examples of what I want, but can't have.

Swivel & Cushion from Pottery Barn

Ikea JOEL swivel {Discontinued!!!}

Have any of my Ottawa buddies seen anything like this around here?

::False Allurement::

Star Fruit & Dragon Fruit


Alluring name.
Blah taste.

{Kate M. and I picked up some grocery store oddities to sample for fun when she was down for a visit. We shan't be sampling this particular combo again.}

::Two Fires::

I love to tidy.

I tidy my home compulsively, and usually with a sense of great satisfaction. This spring, I have been investing energy in tidying our great big mess of a property. Great piles of gnarled roots and twigs have been yanked onto the wheel barrow and piled into one intentional heap. How many trips back and forth? 40-ish How many spiders, {gasp!} dropped from the dry branched to hang in front of my face? 20, or so. How many scratches do I now have on my hands and arms? Over 50. SO worth it. I love the sound of dirt and food bits being sucked up into the vacuum, but I LOVED the sight of all of that mess being burned. I think I'm a pyro. Thanks for passing on the gene, Dad.

The kids took advantage all of this by inhaling over ten toasted marshmallows each, and smearing soot all over their faces and clothes--unintentionally, but inevitably--and staying up way later than is normally acceptable on a school night.

Long after the kids were tucked into bed, Aidan and I perched on the lid of the well and looked up at the stars, unwinding and rejoicing in this piece of land that is ours to enjoy... and to tidy!

::Warmth Postures::

A universal happening among creatures who want a little bit of extra warmth.

{A few weeks ago we spent the night at Kate & Dave's. Aidan found these two this way in their little tent. "When Lijah wakes up he is going to flip out!" Kate predicted. But an hour later they had reverted back to their usual sleeping positions without so much as a peep-- or meow.}

::Death of a Laptop::

Just a note to explain myself. I have MANY beautiful pictures and memories to share, but haven't been able to conquer the learning curve required to live without my laptop. It died. And so did my ability to photo edit and do just about anything photo-related.
I'm sad. I want to cry.
I loved my Mac and will miss it dreadfully.
So, there will likely be a big gap in my spring photo-journalism until I can wrap my mind around a new computer.