Creativity and Cravings

The satellite signal at our ward building was being a little testy Saturday night,

so I was not able to watch the Relief Society broadcast.
However, I was able to watch it here at home yesterday, snuggled up with a giant mug of apple cider (thank you technology!).

Marty got home from work around the time President Uchtdorf began speaking to the women.
As President Uchtdorf talked about women focusing on
what they do wrong rather than what they accomplish,
Marty said, "that sounds like you, babe."

I realize that I do this, as I think most women do.
It is a hard habit to break.
But I listened intently to the rest of President Uchtdorf's talk and truly want to work on exercising my ability to create WITHOUT criticizing and nit-picking my creations.

I love to paint--picking a canvas, mixing colors, watching the paint come to life--but that old stinker
(that part of me that likes to nit-pick),
always keeps me from finishing or hanging one of my own paintings.
But today is a new day, and I am going to try to not make up excuses in the process! Here is the progress I have made so far:

And while we're on the subject of creating, I have to share the oh-so-delicious dinner we made last Friday night:

Yes, that is a steak and onion ring salad.
No, it is not super healthy for us.
Yes, I enjoyed every bite.
I have to take a moment to thank Beezers for 6 years of training in order to make those onion rings. Those years in a hot, greasy kitchen are sure coming in handy when I get hankerings during this pregnancy.

So, ladies, let's be kinder to ourselves
and let ourselves more freely exercise creativity.
Our Heavenly Father trusts us to be vessels for the most important of creative processes. It's time we realize our worth instead of recognizing our faults.

Starting to POP!

15 weeks and I'm starting to show!
I feel like this is my prize
for all the puking, up-chucking, retching, tossing of cookies
that the first 13 weeks entailed.

Bring on the baby belly;
I'm ready to show it to the world!!

And these 5 are just the beginning...

Can you believe it?
These two crazy kids have been married 5 months!
Ahh, so much Love.
So much Joy.

To celebrate, we went over to Gooseberry Island to take a walk in the sunshine.
It's nice to get some fresh air for the baby.

I'm amazed at how I love this sweet man more and more each day.

Here's to another 5 months....or how about Eternity?
Sounds Perfect.

The times they are a changin'...

After months of looking and feeling like this...
I'm UP! I'm ALIVE! I'm COOKING! Tasting the bitter certainly does make you appreciate the sweet things in life.
Having our own space definitely helps with my drive to get up each day. I love our open kitchen, and I think Marty loves that he no longer has to eat frozen burritos or lean pockets for dinner.
We spend most of our time out in the living room area. Don't you love our groovy free couch and chair?--Circa 1978, Germany. Eventually we would love to pick out our own set, but we couldn't really argue with free for the time being.
And here is the other half of our open living space. I love all the afternoon sunlight we get--perfect for reading or painting. Notice the lack of television? Yes, we absolutely love not having a t.v. around and how much more productive we are because of it.
Of course the apartment is still a work in progress. I'm busy working on some paintings for our bedroom, trying to organize everything better, and figuring out how our "office" will be able to turn into a nursery. But overall, we're just thrilled to have a warm place to call our home.

Ahhhhh, that's more like it!

As a tribute to my favorite season, I decided to give our blog a new face.

Yes, indeed, I love the fall!!! I don't think I can say it with enough enthusiasm. Why do I love the fall? Well now, where do I begin...?

TOP 5 REASONS FOR MY UNABASHED LOVE OF THE FALL:

1) The return of school! Oh, yes. I love school--new books, new teachers, new ideas, all of it! I am not officially returning to school this fall (a fact I am coping with on a day-to-day basis), but I am engaging myself in my own reading/studying during this wonderful season of seasons.

2) The heat is gone! I sweat. I'm a sweater (thanks for the genes, Lewis). I admit it. Therefore, the summer is a rather uncomfortable time for me. I look forward with absolute glee to the days where the thermometer does not go above 70-75 degrees.

3) Speaking of sweaters--The return of sweaters! And this time I am referring to the oh-so-cozy body coverings of the season and not the people who have no control over their perspiration. Warm, soft material--what, I ask you, could be better?

4) Apple picking! I thank my years in Northborough for this fall love. Apple pies, apple cider, parades to celebrate the apple, farms at which to pick the apples--it is a veritable paradise for the apple lover.

5) And...drumroll please...the season in which I met my sweet husband! After meeting Marty, the fall has suddenly taken on a new meaning for me. When I think of September I now think of not only the cool nights, warm sweaters, and apple pies, but also of our first date to T's farm, some of our wonderful first conversations over warm homemade soup and bread, and the pumpkins he brought me when he first came to visit me out in Northborough.

Yes. I cannot deny my love for this beautiful season. This year will add even more love for the season and wonderful memories as it becomes the season in which my belly expands for the first time with our first pregnancy. So for all you lovers of summer that are lamenting our trot into cooler territory, watch the changing leaves, pull a sweater out of the back of the closet, sip a cup of hot wassil, and give this season a chance. You might be surprised at how much you enjoy yourself!