42/52

This week is kicking my butt and I have a feeling next week will too. But I did find some time to play out in some crunchy piles of leaves with the baby girl, and was able to snap a couple great shots. She wasn't quite as thrilled with playing in the leaves as I thought she might be and mostly just wanted to eat them instead, or swing.

Whatever floats your boat girlfriend!!!

41/52

Here's a pic from this last week! It's becoming near impossible these days to get baby girl to both look at the camera AND sit still long enough for me to take the picture, so this mama takes what she can get. (In this picture Paisley thought the game was that she should stand up as soon as I sit her down so that I turn into a crazy person because we're already running late but I just want ONE! PICTURE!)

I had a particularly mom-ish week this week if you were using a mom-o-meter to rank your week. Which I usually don't.

Amidst the usual attending play dates, trying to keep up with the laundry and dishes, cleaning poopy diapers, wiping milk spills off the floor, changing sheets, wiping noses, and standing in the doorway until she falls asleep, there was also sorting of summer and winter clothes, shopping for cheap winter jackets and snow boots, being the nursery backup lady for the women's bible study this week at church, and picking her up early from a sitter because she didn't seem to be feeling well. I've been feeling quite motherly through it all but then the biggest jump on my mom-o-meter happened yesterday while walking through the parking lot at Target and a passing bird pooped on my head. "UGH!" I said and felt my wet hair, while trying to look at my reflection in my car window. I couldn't really see much so I figured it couldn't be too bad and I'd take care of it once I got home in front of a mirror and a sink.

But by the time I had loaded the girl and the groceries into my car and then drove home to meet my mom and brother who were dropping things off at my house and then quickly made dinner and then ate dinner and got Paisley ready for bed and read her some books and waited in her doorway until she fell asleep and did the dishes and cleaned the kitchen and living room and cleaned out the litter box and got some laundry started, I had forgotten about the bird dookie.

Until late that night when I was brushing my teeth about to go to bed and I noticed...a small, thin, whitish streak in my hair.

"What in the...OH."

But I was too tired to do anything about it then so I just went to bed, resolving to change the sheets in the morning.

I don't know why I equate being "mom-ish" to being too busy to remember that a bird pooped in my hair and then too exhausted to take care of it once I did remember, but I also kind of do know.

Recent Work

I realized I hadn't shared any of my recent pastel work for awhile. But don't worry, there is plenty of it. I'm creating new pieces almost every day during baby girl's nap time and I'm starting to develop a problem.

I don't know where to put them all.

Currently in my art studio (which just a few short months ago looked like this...just look! So clean! So shiny!) the floor is covered with random pastels and illustrations. All over the floor, the desks, and any other surface that is flat. There's a small space in the middle of the floor, which is where I sit down to work.

And although I generally work well in chaos, I need to come up with some type of solution.

Soonish.

But here are a few that I have been pleased with:ALSO! Some house keeping. I re-did my about page. It's been long overdue - the picture of Paisley was from when she was like a week old, and the pictures of Brian and I were from like 2011 or something ridiculous and ancient like that. I updated with some pictures that the lovely Erin from Erin Bell Photography did for us, which I am in love with. I would have put them all up, but then my blog would be so slow to load that you would stop wanting to be my friend. But seriously, if you are looking for some quality photos for your family (or wedding! she does those too!) check out her work!

40/52

I realized after lunch today that I had no picture to post of Paisley for this week. And since we are about to have a busy weekend, I decided that the most logical thing to do was to have an epic photo shoot all throughout the house before naptime. I followed this girl everywhere and documented her while she "swept" the kitchen floor with her little broom, and while I wiped her booger face clean over and over (outstanding allergy season for this baby girl - her sneezes are explosive), and while we played tackle tickle attack on the bed in the guest room.

Once I deemed her sufficiently worn out I put her down for her nap and came out to this very computer, to this very spot, to this very moment, to look at the many, many photos I had taken.

All were blurry but two.

And only one was cute.

And so here you are! Boogers and leftover pizza sauce face, mid tackle tickle attack.

Instagram Dump - Take 4

Haven't done one of these in awhile! Tiny pictures of life from the past couple months.

39/52

Disapproving stare.

"Why are you taking pictures of me when you're supposed to be reading me another book?"

Because, my dear darling Paisley, as thrilled that I am that you are perhaps turning into even a bigger bookworm than myself, sometimes mamas have to do something other than read Put Me in the Zoo six times in a row.

Someday you will understand these things.

Ren Fest

I went to the Minnesota Renaissance Festival last weekend with my mom, brother, sister, and some friends. We go together every year and are always looking forward to it, this year being no different! It rained the first half of the day so things were admittedly a bit glum for a few moments...especially when the rain resistance of my jacket finally breathed it's last and I felt drops of water start streaming down my scalp, neck and back. But we carried on! Warming up with some hot mead we stuck to it, and eventually the rain stopped and it got dry enough to snap some pictures and air ourselves out.

If you are wondering if you are the type of person who might enjoy a renaissance festival, then ask yourself this list of questions:

Do you like people watching? The ren fest is some of the best kind of people watching there is.
What's more, do you like people watching especially those who have dressed up in elaborate costumes?
Or perhaps you like to dress up in elaborate costumes yourself?
Do you like giant pickles?
When someone wearing a horned helmet starts talking to you as if they are from the days of yore do you laugh and ask to take their picture instead of feel annoyed?
Do you like watching small men stand on a ladder that is balanced on a rope that is on fire? While juggling?
Do you enjoy wandering around in shops looking at pottery, art, jewelry, and interesting trinkets?
Do you like watching hilarious shows and skits?

Do you wish you were eating a turkey drumstick as large as your forearm right now?

If you answered no to most of these questions, then it's best if you don't go Minnesota Ren-Festing.

But if you answered yes then I think it's obvious what you need to do.

Huzzah! Drink Hail! Thee, thou and whilst! And all that stuff.

38/52. Also, Dogs.

Baby girl's silly little personality is starting to show itself more and more. Like when she and her daddy sneak up behind me so they can poke me and laugh when I pretend to be surprised. And when she wears my sunglasses all over the house like a necklace. And when she spends incredible amounts of time organizing her bibs. And when she smiles shyly while giving out kisses. And when she squeals and flails her arms with delight each time that I agree to lift her onto my lap and read whatever book it is she is requesting via high pitched little grunts and squeaks and points. I'm just having so much fun with it all! I think I'm realizing that I may be a bit more of a toddler person than I am a baby person.

She also likes to blow raspberries while she swings. It's all just a big joke to her, this life we live.

There is, however, the thing about toddlers and repetition. More swinging! More books! More strawberries! More pattycake! More poking Mommy! And of course all these things are fun! But you know, repetitious. And I realize that it's all because her little brain is working hard to learn things but really, I can only read Go, Dog. Go! so many times before my eye starts to twitch.

Which, by the way, brings me to another thing. Dogs. She loves them. LOVES. She just can't get enough and so I have this growing little fear inside of me that she will be begging for a dog as soon as she is able to verbally express her dismay that many people own such marvelous creatures but we do not. Our cats will not satisfy and she will call them "old" and "boring." And that little fear grows a bit bigger because what if we give in? And actually get a dog? Which she will soon tire of and move on to wanting a hamster or something else rodent-y (I know these things because I was also once a little girl who's lovestruck eyes yearned only for those pets which I did not have) and then I will be responsible for letting it out and pooper scooping it's business and I will want to go places but won't be able to because WHO WILL WATCH THE DOG?!?

Shhhhhhhhh

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

There there. I can't worry about such things now.

So.

In the meantime we will be content with feeling ecstatic with every dog we see in the park, perk up our ears any time we hear the neighbor's German Shepherd barking, love on all of our friends' puppies, and read Go, Dog. Go! over and over until I start questioning my sanity.

I heart chocolate stuffed croissants

I had brilliant, brilliant plans this summer/autumn of going to the farmer's market every single Saturday to buy my produce, and perhaps more importantly to buy a flaky, delicious, dark chocolate stuffed fresh croissant for breakfast. But life happened in it's usual bustling way and in all reality I only went a pitiful THREE times, although I still have a few more weeks before it closes for the season. Here are some pictures I snapped from the few times that I did go.

The Mill City farmer's market - my favorite of favorites.

After we shop we like to head to the park on the other side of the Guthrie and release baby girl to run free in the long fields of grass. Except instead of running free she usually chooses to inspect the buckles of her stroller for long periods of time. Because, you know. Buckles. We have much to learn from them.