photos of hats

here are some photos of the hats i'm making. as you can see, model daughter bribed with candy. and she still didn't want to wear them. they'll be for sale dec. 7th evening (friday) and from 11-4 on saturday the 8th. location: circle of hope, broad and washington. more info to follow, but that's pretty much what you need to know. i'm also working on getting a website up.

guess who peed on the potty???!

little sagey peed for her first time on the potty tonight. i am really proud of her, she earned her mini chocolate bar for sure (is it wrong to reward with candy? look people, i've got 13 short weeks til terror #2 is here, and i'd love to not be changing two poopy diapers at a time. so judge as you like, but it's better for all of us in the long run (landfills and water wasted on washing her cloth diapers)). i knew she had to poop and wanted that to happen on the pot, but no, another diaper change was in store. she wanted to read a magazine like mommy. haha!! i don't plan on pushing the subject too much, we'll see what happens.
in other cool news, i'm getting a ton of my creations together for art shop, a cool thing our church is putting on for local artisans to sell their stuff around holiday time. i'll be plugging it more. but today i finished my first baby cycling hat, in courduroy, and it's bangin. i need to make them baby-proof though, because even though it's the coolest thing that's ever graced her head, sage still rips it off right away. perhaps some winter-style ones with ear flaps and elastic. i made some really silly mistakes, as usual, but it worked out. i definitely like the courduroy.
i'm feeling huge (body-wise). i got pictures developed today for my mom and mother-in-law and saw how ripped and lean i was for my tri (even at 2 months pregnant) and it was sad. i'm trying not to worry about it, but i really do miss the endorphin flow that comes with a tough workout, and the mental challenge of waking up another day and having two workouts to complete. i really think that triathlons might be something i'll persue in the future, lord willing. it was cool to have the other challenge of raising money too, it was a good balance of training and fundraising.
that's all for now, i'm gonna try to take some pics of my stuff soon and post them.

"why do people even write blogs?"

my husband asked me this the other day. i am not sure i know the answer, but i said, "it's narcissism. people think other people care what they're thinking and writing." we agreed that some people live far away and lead exciting lives, and need to update family and friends with their goings-ons. not really me, but i still feel the desire to let out some thoughts to whomever reads (is "whom" the object or subject? i love the office.
right now i'm sitting in our third floor bedroom. the window is open and i hear cars and motorcycles, birds, an airplane, and my dog breathing. i'm sipping a cup of coffee my husband brought up to me. i'm not on the third floor because i would necessarily choose it, it's just the only place that our internet picks up a signal. but now i'm here and i'm loving it. the city has been quite the experience so far, i'm grateful for everything. we are loving our house and our neighborhood. i need to take some pictures of the house and upload them.
i'm now six plus months pregnant! i'm feeling quite big already, but otherwise healthy and well. starting to sleep a little worse just because i have to pee so much, but like i knew with sage, it's good preparation for being up all night (or at least that is a good way of thinking of it in the moment, but really nothing can prepare you for those nights).
sage is newly 16 months old. she's doing really well, and just started counting yesterday. it's really fun to see and hear her learning new things. i realized last night in bed that i haven't had many days lately where i wonder if i'll make it to the end of the day. i'm certainly ready to put her down at 7/7:30/8, but i'm not begging for it for hours. i've been trying to occupy our late afternoons with fun outdoor activities and that keeps us all a little more sane.
yesterday tray was demo-ing giant bicycles up at mountain creek in new jersey. sage and i had a nice morning at the park with madeline and jane and then after her nap we went for a bike ride on kelly drive! it was only our second ride there together, and our first just the two of us. it was a lot of gear to load and unload twice, but worth it. it is quite the workout and it felt great to be exercising and be outside. she hates it.
not much else to report. i'm gonna go try to get my new coverstitch machine from china to work. i've already tried for 3 hours so i'm kind of frustrated, but i would like to be able to use it!

now the third time i've written this

i'm onto writing this the third time. i don't know why i'm having such a hard time going start to finish. but i'm going to try really hard to finish. i don't know who for, but maybe just for me to prove to myself i can finish something.
well this week has been pretty big! we bought a house yesterday! i'm really excited, and feeling really inspired. just found this cool site that has fun graphics etc. and i'm just feeling inspired with paint colors and ideas for decorating. wow, so much space to do it, and really endless time. it's not like anything has to be done by a certain date. we got a couch at ikea tonight (thanks to jesse and lois for help getting it in, and for being our first visitors, and for the housewarming gift!) and i'm stoked, and fun stuff there on tuesday with danielle (you're a saint if you read this) (seat, ottoman, coffee tables, etc. our appliances got delivered today and they surprisingly didn't fill up any more visual space than i expected. i met our next door neighbor melanie, who is super cool, and our across-the-street neighbor gave me a big hug. two doors down is our neighbor who sage already loves. he's got a big buddha belly.
in belly news, we had our ultrasound today, and we're having another girl! well, my midwife today said she bets on a boy because the heartrate was slowish today, and i felt like i was having a boy (and still kind of do!). so who knows. the only thing that concerned the ultrasound doc was extra fluid in baby's kidneys. so that is a prayer request for those of you out there reading. it can mean a blockage of some type, or an increased chance of the baby having downs syndrome. they didn't find any other evidence anatomically that the baby has downs, but there is still a risk. we are grateful to have another baby on the way, but prayers that god would be preparing us for whatever he has would be greatly appreciated.
sage is a walking, talking independent girl. she likes to do things by herself, likes to dance, sing, play with her babies, annoy kitty, go for walks in and out of the stroller, go to the playground, and throw unpredictable, unstoppable tantrums. it's a fun but exhausting age. it's incredible how having a kid makes it much easier to break the ice with people though. it's kind of easy to walk up to people when youre baby is walking/dancing down the street waving both hands and saying "hi, hi, hi, hi, hi,..." "buh bye, buh bye, buh bye..." and playing peekaboo. it's pretty disarming.
alright i'm tired and this needs to get posted.

super smoothie

i've got a great recipe for not only a tasty smoothie, but a very healthy one (protein and fiberful, sugar free except natural fruit sugars):
in a blender place:
1/2-3/4 banana, in chunks
1 scoop soy or whey protein, i use hammer brand, but i hear spiru-tein is good
about 1 Tbsp. psyllium husks (i get mine at trader joe's)
1/4-1/2 cup (or however much) frozen blueberries, or mixed berries, i sometimes use frozen pineapple also, again, from trader joe's (cheap and high quality)
about 3/4 Tbsp. flax oil (this stuff is super gross, find out the amount you can handle, it's so good for you)
7 drops of liquid stevia (natural calorie free sweetener, i got mine at whole foods in the whole body section)
12 oz. ice and water (i use about 4-6 ice cubes and the rest water)...i use the pyrex measuring cup thing to measure out

blend, ice crush, etc. til fully mixed. it's really good and will keep you regular. for all the crap i eat all day i feel good when i get one of these down. it makes two servings, so make one for you and one for a friend, because they kind of separate in the fridge. i got the original recipe from oprah's website, from dr. oz's book.

in other news, getting excited about owning a home. we went to church with lois and jesse at circle of hope. loved it. i look forward to living in community immensely. and going to a cell group. now we're trying to figure out refrigerators and microwaves and washer/dryer and living room furniture. less than three weeks till closing day. woh! we also get our ultrasound that week, so be praying for healthy baby! we're putting off getting nursery furniture til we actually need it (stuff for new baby). i've decided to do a color scheme based off of this handmade wallhanging that my mom got in mexico years ago. sage found it the other day and kept holding it and looking at it and talking to the little people! she loves it. really vibrant blue and pink and orange. now i just have to get busy sewing!
we're housesitting right now, it's been like a little pseudo-vacation. we're in elkins park in this big stone house. taking care of a little dog named lucy. diesel and lucy are super cute together. been watching lots of 'ondemand', it's so nice to have so many kids' shows and workout videos!! haha.
i am loving this end-of-summer sunlight and lack of humidity the last couple days. this next month has the best sunlight as the day ends...so strong and dramatic. ahh, bjork in my ears.

14 hours in the car with a 14 month old

actually wasn't terrible! she slept horribly the night before, as it was about 40 degrees in our little cabin. we stayed in a super cool cabin, and once i upload my pictures to shutterfly, which only takes a couple days, i'll send another link. the week up at family camp was awesome. it restored me to who i feel i am deep down: a girl who loves the outdoors and simple living, being around family and friends. i love not having a mirror, having black feet, building fires, swimming in the lake, playing cards and dice, reading just all the great stuff that makes camp camp. our dream to own some land and build a cabin of our own was cemented this past week. well, more like i got behind tray's lifelong dream. we're thinking the areas of hood river, oregon, but we'll see what god has in store for us.
no updates on the house yet. tray is at work and i'm waiting to hear if he's spoken with our realtor yet regarding what is happening with all the inspection stuff that needs to be addressed. being in nature made me want to move to the city a lot less, but we're looking at it as an inbetween home, somewhere that will make us really appreciate the wild. i certainly can't wait to have our own home.
i've got two people interested in carrying/buying my handmade clothes. one is a boutique in pheonixville. i'm excited, but at the same time, feeling little inspiration on that end right now. i'm more interested in designing and making full-size people clothing.
i hear it's going to rain for three days. anyone want to do something fun? tray is going out of town for four days to bike...ahh.

new house? and survey. and pics

today is friday. i just got back from work, it's only 10 am, and it feels like it's already 90 degrees. i guess we were bound to have a hot week or two at some point this summer. i am not necessarily loving it.
tray and i put an offer in on a house in the city on wednesday!! we are really excited. we can't wait to own our own place. lots of nervous excitement! check out the map here.
i'm getting excited about decorating and arranging and all that girly stuff. the nesting of course will be in full swing soon, feels like it already is. speaking of, i have a huge pile of unfolded laundry, and tornado of a bedroom, and an inch of doghair on all floor surfaces. hmm.
here are some new pics from the last month or two. some cute ones. the one of sage and i is from the house this past weekend when we looked at it. i was trying to keep her from melting down.
ok now for a survey:
1. Are you an Aunt/Uncle?
i'm an aunt of 2, shaya and lana

2. Can you do a cartwheel?
of course

3. What was the last movie you saw in theaters?
i can't remember. maybe mission impossible 3? james bond? it's been a while.

4. Do you eat vegetables regularly?
yes, usually.

5. If you were going to get a body piercing, where would you get it?
lip. kind of want it. might get it.

6. Do you ever hang out with someone of the opposite sex?
yeah, i kinda have to. lots of brothers and a husband.

7. What is the weather like at this very moment?
its like 97 but feels like 800

8. What is something that you can't wait for?
i'm pretty happy right now. i got a lot of thank yous in the mail today, having fun with sage, things are pretty good. it would be nice to own our own home, but with that also comes tons of responsibility and unexpected problems! i'm pretty content. obviously, birth of baby number two is gonna be awesome!

9. How many times have you been to Canada?
couple times. canoeing, and also the falls, and also trips through on our way to michigan.

10. Have you ever had a reptile as a pet?
totally: lizards, newts, snakes, and an alligator that escaped in our backyard. none of them were necessarily mine, but my brothers'

11. What is your favorite fruit?
usually pineapple. but there's always that awesome banana, apple, strawberry, kiwi, blueberry, etc. i love fruit.

12. What song is on your MySpace profile right now?
rasta courage by soja.

13. Who was your last missed call on your cell phone?
the mom of the kid i teach swim lessons to

14. Where are you most ticklish?
probably my torso

15. How many hours a week do you normally work?
8

16. Who's your number 1 on your top?
lindsay jane

17. Do you have deep dark secrets?
not that NO ONE knows. they're just dispersed to a couple select people.

18. When was the last time you were sick?
i felt sick last night. but like SICK SICK? the stomach flu this past winter

19. What color is your car?
black

20. How many siblings do you have?
three brothers

21. Have you ever gotten caught sneaking out?
no, never did it

22. Did you ever try running away from home when you were younger?
course

23. What makes you the happiest?
feeling like i have no troubles. being up at camp maybe? snowboarding?

25. Where do you want to be right now?
michigan

26. Have you ever finished a Rubik's Cube?
i wish. i don't understand the tactics.

27. When is the last time you drank too much?
can't remember.

28. When was the last time you rode a bike?
the other night with sage in the trailer

29. Do you have any vacation plans for this summer?
family camp!!

30. Where were you 1 hour ago?
at work

31. Who will be your next kiss?
sage when she gets up from her nap

32. Do you kiss a lot of people?
sage and tray, that's a lot compared to certain times in my life!

33. Are you wearing socks right now?
heck no. i can't contain these stinky things in socks when it's this hot out!!

34. When was the last time you went out of state?
up to new york state for my mom's family reunion.

35. Have you been to the movies in the last 5 days?
no, as stated earlier, i can't remember what movie i saw last.

36. What was the last thing you had to drink?
water

37. What are you wearing right now?
tray's tshirt and jean shorts.

38. What was your last purchase?
hmm that's hard. i think walmart for a hula hoop, some diapers, and formula. so exciting!! actually, the hula hoop is really fun.
39. Last thing you ate?
cinnamon bun. mmh.

40. Have you bought any clothing items in the last week?
yes! amazingly. i usually never buy clothes, but i can tell it's going to be necessary this pregnancy.

41. Are you a sexual predator?
sometimes.

42. What is in the backseat of your car?
a bunch of sage's crap: diapers, straps for the dvd player, dolls, my swim stuff, carseat.

43. Three words to explain why you last threw up:
flu + baja fresh

44. What is the equation for the Pythagorean theorem?
pregnancy^2 + pregnancy^2=brains^(-2)
45. What was the last movie you watched?
dejavu...i liked it! oh wait, i lied. telletubies.

46. Do you think Barbie is a negative role model for young girls?
yes. but sage already has one, and boy is she perfect.

47. What kind of car does your father drive?
crv.

48. Do you like Scrabble?
yeah, but my mom is really good and competitive so i hate playing her. and tray doesn't like spelling so i can't play with him.

49. Where did/do you attend high school?
abington senior high school... i think you all know who went there

50. Favorite scent:
baby or man...hahaha

51. Do you like mornings?
usually after a "lord give me a new attitude" prayer it's all ok

52. Last television program you watched?
tried to watch 'the office' but channel 10 was screwed up last night (i was pissed)

53. Spell your name without any vowels:
mrn or mrgrt

54. Does your neighbor have an animal that annoys you?
there's this little black rat dog that walks by our house, he's kind of annoying.

55. Does your family own any boats?
canoes and kayaks!

56. Something you can't live without?
ice water

57. Do you wear flip flops constantly?
eh, i guess i wear my chacos a lot

58. What do you think of Adam Brody?
don't know who it is

59. Do you have air conditioning in your room?
a window unit that kinda sucks.

61. Where were you when 9/11 happened?
at work.

62. How often do you read books?
eh, not so much anymore unless they're parenting related.

63. Do you like James Blunt?
don't know.

65. Describe the computer you are currently using:
my laptop, it's so old.

66. How long does it take you to get ready to go out?
a while: baby bag, baby snack and drink, me dressed and teeth brushed, baby dressed and fed, etc etc. not as long as it used to though!

67. Will you donate your organs after you pass?
probably

68. Have you been outside of the USA?
only canada and guatemala

69. Would you ever get your nipple pierced?
did. again? no.

70. If you could pick one person to be with forever who would it be?
already picked.