maternity shoot

 Over Memorial Day weekend I was in cahoots to pull off one of the greatest surprises ever for my tall guy.  Since our move, he has been begging his sister to come and visit before her migration to the south Pacific this summer.  Very quickly, time and weekends were dwindling away and he was convinced that she would not be able to come.

Little did he know that we had a plan...

The Friday of Memorial Day weekend, I lied to my husband that my brother, a pilot, had a layover long enough for dinner here in Atlanta.  This was how I got Mr. F to the airport with me.   A lie.  I think he's forgiven me.  When we got to the airport, he dropped me off at the terminal so I could use the bathroom (because, well, I'm eight months pregnant...), and go find the Stud.  He looped the airport and when he came back to baggage claim, there I was, not with my brother, but his sister!  There were some screams, hysterical laughter, and huge smiles.

I have no photos of them that weekend because they went and played on their own the whole time.  They went to a music festival near Augusta to watch pig races and hear one of Mr. F's favorite bands.  They ate ice cream, toured town, walked, talked, shared YouTube videos, and just had the time of their lives.  I loved when they came home at night brimming with smiles.  With major changes on the imminent horizon for both of these siblings, the odds of them being able to have time like this again is very slim.  I am so glad and grateful that they had that weekend together!

My one request for the weekend was that Sister bring her camera so she could take some maternity photos for us.  One morning, the three of us rolled out of bed with the sun, got dressed, and sauntered into the nursery.  Sister sat us down and took some of the most wonderful candid shots of us that I am always going to treasure.

When I thought about maternity photos, I wanted something that felt more natural to me.  While I love the shots of women in flowing gowns, grasping their bellies in the middle of long-grassed fields, that just wasn't me.  I wanted photos that captured my memories of this miracle pregnancy.  That meant my hair in  a top knot, because I'm too tired to do my hair beyond that, my favorite white blouse, the nursery that I have been pumping all of our hopes and dreams into as we get ready for baby girl, and my best friend.  I absolutely wanted Mr. F with me in the photos.  

Watching my gentle giant prepare for the birth of his first child has been incredible.  He has been so gentle and patient with me.  In the mornings as he wakes up, the first thing he always does is reach across the bed for my belly.  He talks to his daughter constantly, shares his daydreams for her future with both of us.  His capacity for love has expounded ten-fold and it just amazing to behold.

So there are no fields.  No flowing gowns.  Just us.  In our favorite room talking about our favorite girl.  Just us and her books, the chair we'll rock her in, the gown we'll dress her in.  Just us and our girl.  And all the cheese (:

strawberry picking

My cousin called a couple weeks ago to invite us out their country home for dinner as her parents were visiting.  We jumped on this chance to see the family and headed outside of the city for some serious bonding time.  When we got there, we found everyone waiting for us so we could go pick strawberries at a farm down the street. 

As a Midwestern girl, I am very familiar with the notion of apple and pumpkin picking, but I don't think I had ever been strawberry picking.  It.  Was.  Wonderful!  Oh my heavens, those berries tasted so good!  Our group divided, everyone in search of the lushest plants.  I sauntered along, pointing out berries to Mr. F and eating a few along the way.  My youngest cousin joined us and thanks to him our bucket was actually filled.  We kept eating more than we were collecting...

It was such a fun treat to an already highly anticipated evening!  Plus, we got to have a heaping mess of fresh strawberry shortcake for dessert.  It was a win, win, win, win of a time!

nursery..so far...

To say I am pleased with the way the nursery is coming together is SUCH an understatement!  It is hands down my favorite room in the house.  From the natural light, Hyacinth the Water Buffalo serving as guardian spirit on the wall, to the hand painted wallpaper and feminine touches.  It is just so sweet!

This week we got a dresser in there and it has made such a difference.  Prior to this, baby girl's clothes and accoutrements have all been piled in her crib and on a rolling Ikea cart.  Suddenly the room feels big again thanks to organization and things having a home.

The wallpaper took awhile but was totally worth the work.  For a few dollars of craft paint, I was able to create the look I wanted.  Mr. F absolutely loves the look of the flowers on the wall.  I still have plans to add a faux chair rail to separate the wallpaper from the naked wall beneath.  

By the time baby comes, her room will probably change a lot.  There are dreams of shelves over the dresser, the dresser will also serve as a changing table.  My new favorite wicker rocker will be brought up from the living room and replace the wingback.  Things like that.  For now though, it just makes me wildly happy that it's coming together!  I'm finally feeling like we're in decent shape to welcome her home.  I know, wallpaper won't matter a lick to her, but having a place that feels complete and like home is really good for my mental well being.

sources: dresser- ikea, riding car- church rummage sale, wingback chair- hand me down, pink gingham pillow- ikea as is bin, rug- nordstrom, Hyacinth- target, hexagon quilt- handmade gift, toy basket- goodwill, crib- ikea, bumper pad- goodwill

first mother's day

Very slowly we're starting to realize how drastically different our lives are going to be in just a few short months.  Beginning an MBA program is one thing, but starting that program at the same time as welcoming your first baby to the world is something else entirely.  Two will become three and one on one time will be a scarce commodity.

With that in mind, Mr. F and I went on a staycation for Mother's Day this year.  Taking advantage of one of the few free weekends we have left before the baby comes, we hightailed it to Lake Lanier for a few hours of sun, floating, and togetherness.

It reminded me so much of some of our adventures in Cyprus.  Whenever we had a free Saturday, we would hop in our trusty little Mazda Familia and drive all over the island until we found a place that suited us.  My belly has been limiting distance and ramblings, but we still found a perfect spot for the day.  We talked, Mr. F napped and read.  Me?  I floated.  For hours I floated in a chilly lake, embracing the fleeting sensation of weightlessness and an ache free body.

This will sound very, very cheesy, but the best part of the day was just being with Mr. F.  We know our time is limited now and seem to be savouring it more than ever.  To have a day to just be was bliss.  To leisurely find moments for conversation, to laugh over things only we find funny, to feed a mutual hankering for Mexican food.  To do what we wanted and do it together was such a sweet, wonderful gift.

candler lake

At the very last minute, Mr. F and I ended up with a Sunday free. No visitors.  No welcome weekends at school.  No work.  We were finally able to visit our new church congregation (it changed with the move) and for an oft desired but seldom possible Sunday afternoon walk.

Mr. F has been going for walks in the evenings after work, exploring routes to and around his new campus.  One such adventure took him to the trails around Candler Lake, a trek he had been eager to share with me.  

I say this often, but one of my favorite aspects of life in Atlanta is how nature is everywhere.  My love affair with trees is constantly nourished in this area.  The forestation is so thick, the hills so rolling, that very often you forget you are in the heart of the city.  The tall trunks and hillsides absorb all sound other than rustling leaves and the chirping of birds.  I knew this about Atlanta before our Sunday jaunt but was still surprised by the wilderness I was presented with.  

There is a trail around the lake itself, but shooting off from it are the most enticing, Robert Frostian paths to discover.  I lamented my diminishing bladder and energy reserves, as I normally would have spent the day trying to learn my way through those woods.  

All in all, it was a very Anne-like day.  Mr. F presented me with my very own Lake of Shining Waters here in the city.  I made friends with new trees and wildflowers.  We daydreamed of picnics on the grassy glens with our little girl when she comes.  

Now it's Monday and real life is calling.  Deadlines and to-do lists loom menacingly.  But behind all the gloom of Monday are the tickles of a chilly spring Sunday afternoon, giggling by the shores of a lake with my best friend when worries didn't touch us for a few blissful hours.

moving on

We just spent our third Sunday in our new home.  I can't believe that much time has passed already.  Mr. F and I joke that it still feels a bit like we're in a vacation rental and that we'll have to go back to real life soon.  

The first week was a blur of projects, fun, and family.  The weekend of the move, Mr. F's parents drove in from Florida to assist in everything.  His mom ended up staying the better part of a week, helping me when Mr. F went back to work.  We painted rooms, loaded bookshelves, made Ikea runs, and generally staged the new space.  She left and my parents came in time for our anniversary and Easter.  Yet again, loving parents were hard at work hanging shelves, artwork, and painting the nursery.  I look at what is now our home and smile.  Already it is full of memories of family and love.

There has been a noticeable change in our attitudes since the move, an extreme sense of peace and contentment.  These new walls have enveloped us in a safe haven, creating an environment where we can dream and plan for the days and months to come.  Prior to the move, our time together was edgy, laced with worry and fatigue.  Now?  It is joyous.  We both get excited to come home and bask in the light-filled rooms.

Some of our favorite features of the townhouse include the deck (which is being replaced, but look forward to urban garden ideas!), the space, the neighbors, the light.  We have, for the first time ever, luxuries like a garbage disposal, microwave, and ice machine, not to mention the addition of a washer and dryer.  As a lover of laundry, it has been a serious challenge for me the past few years to go without an in-unit washing machine.  I now wash everything in sight, whenever, just because I can.

Out of our bedroom window are the most delicious trees. Not just one or two.  A veritable forest, the likes of which only Atlanta could provide in such an urban environment.  There is quiet here.  Calm.  Light.  Peace.  Space.  Home...

In the evenings, we now curl up in bed and feel our little girl doing the macarena inside of me.  We talk to her and of her.  In the morning, she is still, but I am greeted by the light of dawn pouring in through her little nursery window.  It effuses the hallway with light and joy.

Things are still in flux, and probably always will be, but we very much so are feeling like we're at a point where we can be still and just enjoy our home.  I'm slowly getting back to work, catching up on etsy orders and beginning to paint again.  So even though we feel like we're still on vacation, real life is seeping in and it never looked so good.

marketing

Over the weekend I had a booth in a small artist market at Decades Antiques and Vintage, a really cool local shop here in Atlanta.  And dude, was it fun!  It was a one day market that had been postponed because of rain on the scheduled day.  Because of that, turn out was lower than expected.  Other vendors were complaining about this.  I didn't seem to notice.  We stayed busy all day long!  Whoop whoop!

This was also a really cool opportunity for me to set up shop outside of our apartment.  When your kitchen table is your studio, and your walk-in closet is used to store supplies and inventory, you tend to lose perspective on what you actually have and how it looks.  I'm accustomed to selling online and seeing products in my own home.

To see everything put together was the COOLEST!  Thanks to some generous friends who lent me a tent, tables, and linens, I was able to set up a display that felt so true to who I am as a person and as an artist.  To have it all read well was just the icing on the cake!

Plus I had some really cute friends stop in... (:

and cute helpers (:

Curious as to what the best sellers were?  I thought I'd share, in case you missed seeing everything in person.

In stationery, the top contenders were:

1.  Llama Note Set  2. Assorted Word Card Set (Most popular of the day!) 3. Red Poppy Set   4. Herbs Set  5. Daffodil Set   6. O Night Divine Nativity Set

That said, all of the stationery sets did really well!  Everyone loved the assortments.  Honorable mentions go to anything floral or with sea life.  (:

Prints:

1. WHALES!  Both the Whale Friends and individual Seymour and Humphrey.  I nearly sold out of all of them.   2.  Give Thanks Pumpkin   3. Wintry Pine Tree   4. Poppies  5. Llama  6. females are strong as hell.  I still need to list in the shop the prints for the other word art, but all of these did really well!

The real star of the day was the 2016 Fine Art Calendar.  People were excited to give this away for gifts, or to give to themselves.  (:

It was SUCH a good day! I would love to do it again! In the meantime, the shop is open and stocked full of everything from the show, with a few additions coming soon.  Thanks to everyone who came out! What a blast!