Pretty Pink Toes

or at least that's the way they look from my view :) I challenged myself to painting my toe nails. From where i'm looking they don't seem that bad. BUT A PROFESSIONAL PEDICURE WOULD BE SO MUCH NICER! My feet are really starting to take a beating. Any volunteers? I'm all for a sensational surprise.
I'm looking forward to a beautiful weekend to rock out June and crank in July. WOWSERS! July already. That marks the halfway point for 2008. Yikes has it gone by so quick (cliche but whatever!). So many changes, a few wonderful and others that stretched our heartstrings. Learning always.
I've started working on some stunning pieces of art. Yes, i said it, art. It should be ready for a reveal by late August. Cut me some slack. There's lots to do and only one of me. Plus a few of the details aren't yet available. And above all it is my art adhering to my schedule and i like that.
There is a basket of laundry glaring at me from across the room wanting to be folded. There is some more that i can hear calling from the dryer just waiting to finish. A vaccuum is silently humming but it will wait until morning.
Enough computer time. I'm rocking out ready.

Started soft

today did. It slowly shook away and rattled into the beauty that happens on perfect mornings. Bright sunshine, fresh air, happy boys playing in my house. Then THWAP! The tv is on, guitar hero is screaming out some song or another and i'm bustling around in the kitchen getting breakfast together.
Happy Father's Day to all the men who know what it is to be a daddy.

Hello Sunday! Let's rock out together.

Yipe

yup that's exactly what today felt like. a nice big YIPE. Sort of like a YOP from Dead Poet's Society but not quite. i'm kicking my tail into big time baby gear. yes that's right. one month from today i plan on having things just about good and done.
stay tuned, there is much in the works.
I'm ready.

Easy does it

Sssssshhhhhhhhh. My 30 day challenge has taught me that sometimes, actually most times, Life has a way of throwing at you what it will. My choice has been to roll with it. No need ot stress or panic or flop. I'm accepting it as it comes and making it all my very own.

A silent prayer this evening that Grandpa has crossed the Rainbow Bridge and is now at peace. With love...

Body Back

http://strollerstrides.com/blog/
I've been thinking lately about how i'm going to take back my body once Baby Me decides to make an arrival. The link to the blog above sounds great! How much easier can it be?
After i had my first, i was able to join a gym and, for three months, kicked my tail in high gear to shape up. This time around, i am not as confident that i'll be able to have the same time to dedicate or commit. Plus, i'm looking for some serious "my babies and me" time. I LOVE BEING A MOM! even with the whole new set of anxieties that this pregnancy (new baby) is cluing me into, i can't wait to do it all over again.
let's have at it, i'm ready.

Oops

Right, so my 30-day challenge is a touch behind. IT'S OK BY ME. I know exactly why and these last two days, paying attention to what my body was screaming was what was important. Sorry computerland.
today is going to be filled with this and that. Yummy coffee. I'm going to try and make stuffed pasta shells. They sound easy enough and can be prepared early so yum yum to that! and finally...drumroll...studying! yes, my exams are one week today and i'm worried. I need to buckle down and figure this jazz out. It's interesting stuff. Let's do this!
have a happy day. i'm ready :)

30 days of fun

What a sensational day to start a beautiful month. Hello June! How nice of you to have arrived with such beauty.

Meandering through blogland i've seen it done where people issue themselves 30-day challenges. This marks day 1 of mine. That's right. I'm going to do this. My challenge: one post every single day this entire month. Length and content don't matter just simply a commitment to jotting something here. So far, i'm doing pretty good :)

I loaded up images from my camera and played with this one taken early this spring. Isn't she pretty?

Zing

yuppers, that's right about how fast this month ran away on me. Some much fun jammed into one simple month. YOWZERS!
I've been doing some reading in my not-so-spare-time, my ME time, my time-outs. I came across this today in a yoga journal and thought it was brilliant:
20 Ways to Feel More Alive

1. Start a breathing practice.
2. Express gratitude before meals.
3. Ride the bus or your bike instead of driving.
4. Begin each morning with a stretch.
5. Get a massage on a regular basis.
6. Smile at strangers.
7. Plant a garden.
8. Take a class.
9. Write a letter.
10. Move your practice outdoors.
11. Enjoy a 15-minute afternoon siesta.
12. Anoint your feet with oil - and a little massage.
13. See an Ayurvedic doctor to discover your dosha.
14. Smile in the mirror every morning.
15. Make dinner for your neighbors.
16. Take a media fast.
17. Visit an elderly relative.
18. Return to a hobby you love.
19. Sit under a tree for an afternoon.
20. Tell your family and friends how much you love them.

I'm working on #1 (it will be extremely important for me while in labour). 5 was going all right until things fell a tad off the rails. #6 is so special! i've tried it on neighbors that we haven't met and wow, what a difference a simple smile makes. go for it! smile at the world. #7, i planted my flower pots for the backyard and loved it. next to plant is the front area. #8 i'll be glad when it's over. i could use a class break. #11, yes right, 15-minutes = 2 or 3 hours when you're pregnant but really, who's keeping count? #12 HECK YEAH! the oil is substituted with cream but HECK YEAH! I've found new heaven-in-a-bottle (thank you Olay.) #14 has had me working. If i can smile at strangers, i can smile at myself. 16, an incredible step forward for a celebsmut junkie like me. I have refrained from buying any weeklys and do not watch any Celeb-ish tv shows. TRIPLE ARM PUMP to that! 18, well, i've been reading things i want to read instead of things i have to read. It has been a liberating journey. Plus some of my favorite authors have released new paperbacks. YES! I'm also exploring a few new hobbies. #19 i've mosied through the yard, not quite sitting under a tree but absolutely being outside and soaking it all in. #20 perhaps most important and one i will always work on because i really don't think it can ever be said enough.

So now i'm off until the next time...I'm Ready.

Scheduled

i have scheduled my studies in a somewhat logical fashion. yes, it is my roll at pulling it all together. this will work (right after i get back to studying after what is turning out to be an extended study break).
i brewed a delicious cup of joe with my mini one-cup machine. LOVE IT! i have a cappuccino maker and can spin out one mean latte but could never get into the whole regular coffee maker deal. really, i just thought i sucked at making coffee so i never bothered because every time i'd tried the brew tasted nasty. this past xmas, we played a fun xmas game and wound up taking home this mini one-cupper. Believing that i sucked at making normal coffee, it went into the cupboard and has been sitting ever since. this past week, i'd had enough and figured i'd try it. at worst i'd end up with a cup of coffee that i wouldn't drink; at best, something i could have again and again. just imagine my surprise when, KACHOW, the perfect pour, straight into my cup ready for the fixing. i thought for a moment that it was just luck, beginner's luck. i gave my pretty little mini maker another roll and KACHOW, another perfect pour. now it's all simply mmmm mmmm yummy goodness for this lady. a huge bonus is i just make one cup at a time, no pot to worry about, no wasted liquid, and cleaning the whole device takes a split second. added bonus: the liquid temp is perfect for me - hot enough that by the time i sit down, it's drinkable. not a burn-my-lips-wait-to-cool-too-cold-now deal, simply a drip-mix-sit-sip deal. again, yum yum and YES FOR ME! Hip hip hooray!
ok, enough outta me now, it's back to the books.
be back soon!

Burried

in the books, that is. A month to go until exams and i'm pumping up the study time.

i would love to go for a massage. my back and shoulders have been bugging me BIG TIME lately. Things have gotten heavy but someday they will become light again!

I've sprained my middle finger and am working on remembering that it hurts to move it. I had it buddy taped for a while but the tape started making me crazy. Now, i keep forgetting that it hurts to move/use it and am wincing in pain. Oh me oh my! How long do these things take to heal? Please, please feel better soon.

Well, study break is almost over, back to the books i go.