hey there silly girl

Did you know that you are the pink icing on the cupcake of life?

Did you know every little thing you do is magic?

I love you so much I get butterflies and goose bumps when you smile.

pick a winner, any winner

marcinema

I thought instead of randomly drawing a name, maybe I'd pick the winner for this latest giveaway. So many times I'd read a new comment and think, oh that's who I should pick, yeah, she really wants it, she never wins anything, she is longing for the beach, she loves aqua, she's bought my jewelry before, etc. etc. etc.

Bottom line is I can't do it.

So I asked the Boy to pick a number between one and fifty-two.

He said, "Eighty."

I said, "No, a number between one and fifty-two. It has to be no more than fifty-two."

He thought for a bit. "Pick a number or say a number?"

I was getting impatient. "Just say any number. The first one that comes to your head."

"One hundred."

"No. I said no more than fifty-two."

"You said just say any number that I think."

"Forget it."

"What?"

"Forget I asked."

He played with his legos for a bit and then he said, somewhat to himself, "If I were going to pick a number between one and fifty-two, I'd pick fifty-two because it's the biggest."

And so number fifty-two it is. Heather Taylor, who is my cousin. She is a newly-wed and she came to San Diego on her honeymoon. So she kind of doubly deserves to win.

That's how it all went down. It seems my son has inherited my aptitude for mathematics. He's practically a freakin' genius.

Whatever.

click to enlarge

i finished him off

I'm feeling pretty smug these days. My baby boy is chubby.

Do you know what an accomplishment this is for me?

Do you know the satisfaction I feel every time I find a new roll?

You see, the Lord gave me a little extra gift. Although Henry grew seven months in another girl's womb, the Lord decided to let me finish him off.

He arrived six weeks early and very skinny and weak and quite frankly a little pathetic. The Lord whispered to me, "Okay April. Here you go. Love him so that he grows strong."

And I set to work.

Today, my son is chubby and I feel one step closer to being the kind of mother I want to be.

The kind of mother the Lord thinks I can be.

she sells sea shells...

Funny how a little girl, born in Utah, was destined to be a beach babe.

Or maybe it isn't strange at all. Her family is beachy through and through. She must have picked us with this in mind. It's still a little chilly at the seaside, but that doesn't stop us.

It's been a while since I had a give away. Let's have another, just for kicks. Waddaya say?

Leave a comment to enter to win the above necklace. It is made with rough cut aquamarine beads and silver. The center stone is amazonite. If you take a fancy to this piece, and really pine to win, twitter about the giveaway and I'll throw your name in the hat twice. Blog about it and you are in it thrice. Make sure to let me know your doings so you get your rightful comeuppance.

And if you aren't lucky, don't despair. I'm unlucky too. You aren't alone. Pop over to the shop and see what lovelies are to be had there.

Beauties such as these "Mermaid Earrings":

Oh and FYI, embroidery patterns coming soon to a blog near you. In keeping with today's theme, here's the mermaid from my High Seas set.

a field journal

Day 2213:

I am now entering my seventh year living with and studying homo sapien pediactris. My work here has been very difficult, but rewarding. I find that the stress of this job has brought on a rash of grey hairs and a keen paranoia regarding foul smells. Homo sapien pediactris is a fascinating species. By and large, they are fun seeking creatures with little regard for personal hygiene.

The largest and eldest of the group is a male known as "Thom". Over the past few years Thom has grown more and more detached from me and I count myself lucky on those days when he welcomes me into his world. If I'm really lucky, he will sit with me and allow me to stroke his hair while he munches on fruits and berries. Strawberries are his favorite and I will often offer him a bowl of ripe berries to entice him to spend time with me.

"Amelie", the female, has established herself as the dominate personality in the group. She is prone to fits of rage and dramatic displays of emotions if she is displeased. The males regard her with mild curiosity but for the most part she is ignored. She often seeks out attention from the older male by any means necessary which often results in conflict. Amelie is a particularly attractive specimen and she has been very successful at acquiring food and winning favor with the local natives.

The smallest of the group we call "Henry". He has a sweet disposition and charming manner. At first, Amelie showed signs of jealousy and aggression toward this new, smaller, addition. But as the weeks have passed, her jealousy has morphed into intense curiosity. I find I must be vigilant regarding Henry's safety while Amelie is in the immediate area. Hopefully, Henry will grow strong quickly and be able to defend himself from her well intended, but sometimes violent, advances.


It must be noted that all three creatures regard me as their leader. I am expected to deliver food on a daily basis at least three times during day. As much as I love my work here in the field, I find that sometimes I need a respite. During these times, I seek out a dark quiet hiding spot, away from the heathens, to be alone with my thoughts. However, these creatures have what can only be described as a superpower which helps them locate me no matter where I might go.

Sleep alludes me here in the jungle. I am awoken by many strange noises throughout the night. Sometimes I find myself nodding off in the day which frightens me. I worry about the female destroying some of my equipment or harming the younger male while I snooze. I have doubled my caffeine intake in an attempt to stay fully alert.

I expect my partner to arrive later today with supplies from Costco. My spirits are always lifted when new supplies arrive. Funny what comfort one can find in a ice cream bar in a place like this.

I will push forward with my work here and pray that the good Lord sees fit to give me the strength to carry on.

April Meeker ~ May 10, 2010

all images a field journal

i'm pregnant

lissy elle

But I'm not expecting another baby. Thank the good Lord in heaven above *crossing myself* (I'm not catholic, but I like to cover all the bases just for good measure).

Oh good glory no. I'm not having any more babies. That train has left the station. My womb has closed up shop and retired to Florida. (If only.)

But my mind, now that is another story. My mind is pregnant with ideas. Why am I so inspired these days? Why am I waking in the middle of the night with a craving, not for ice cream or pickles, but for orange gingham fabric and baby blue vintage glass beads? Is this nesting gone wild?

Maybe I am doing the nesting that I would have done if I had known about the Little Mister before he was actually born.

Whatever is going on, it's very curious to me. I'm too damn busy to be doing all this crafting. Really I am.

But my mind is simply full to overflowing with ideas. I wish I could bottle them all up and put them on a shelf for simpler times. It would be like canning summer goodness before it rots on the vine. And at the end of the day I would stand back and look at all my sparkly little mason jars with treasures inside. Glittering. Waiting to be opened.

3

When the Boy was born, my good friend Shelley bought him an Amy Coe knitted chenille blanket. It became his blankie. He loved it dearly. He still does.

Shortly after we shipped off our adoption papers to China, I was in Target and I spotted the same blanket in pink. I wanted our daughter to have one to match Thom's. I hopped she would love it just as much. And although our little girl turned out to have strawberry blond curls instead of jet black locks, she does indeed love her pink blankie.

And then the Little Mister made his unannounced arrival. How could he not have his own Amy Coe?

But Target no longer sold this particular blanket, which is a terrible shame, because every child should have one.

I was fit to be tied. So I took to Ebay.

Now, I must admit here that I have a rocky relationship with Ebay. The problem stems from the fact that I am compelled to bid out of spite. I get mad at people who try to outbid me and even though I give myself a set limit, a top bid per the value of a given item, emotion takes over.

I once paid fifteen dollars for a set of pencil toppers that were only really worth a couple bucks. Spite drove me to do it. Spite.

Long story short? I ended up paying a ridiculous amount for a green Amy Coe blanket that is just like my other kids. Henry will have his blankie.

I honestly thought I would only have two. I have two matching baby photo albums. Two silver rattles. Two sets of children's chopsticks.

I built my studio in the last empty bedroom.

But I like three. As a designer I know that odd numbers are better.

Now to find a matching baby photo album...

history embodied, embroidered

I love the quiet rhythm of embroidery. The sound of the needle piercing the cloth makes me entirely happy. I feel connected to mankind when I embroider. It is a craft that has lasted thousands of years. I may be using my light board to transfer my designs onto the fabric with my iPhone and laptop close by, but the fundamentals of the craft have been unchanged. My great-great grandmother threaded her needle the same way I thread mine.

And I have no doubt she sat near a window just the way I do, for optimum light. And she probably watched her babies toddle around the room and she probably rose every once in a while to stir the soup on the stove. In this we are the same.

"It is a token of healthy and gentle characteristics when women of high thoughts and accomplishments love to sew; especially as they are never more at home with their own hearts than while so occupied." ~ Nathaniel Hawthorn

just cuz your breathing it doesn't mean you're alive

Sometimes at the end of the day, after the Boy and the Bird are fast asleep, I hold my baby. I lay him on my chest over my heart. I nuzzle my face into his neck and breath his sweet baby smell and his downy baby hair tickles my nose.

We take deep breaths together. He grunts and whinnies and stretches but he always resettles back into me as if there was some sort of magnetic force pulling us together. Who knows, maybe their is such a force between mothers and their babies.

There have been days lately when I haven't felt human. Honestly I feel like a robot mommy. Change the diapers, make the bottles, pick up the toys, bathe the baby, haul the kids to the car, buckle, get the snacks, wash the onesies, etc. etc. etc.

I don't think, I just do. Just get er' done.

But every now and then I snap out of it. I will glace over at my daughter, squatting on chubby legs, stacking blocks or trying to wrap her baby doll in a blanket and my heart sings. I feel more alive than ever.

And at night, when the house is quiet, when I breath with Henry, I am reminded that this is life. This is what it is all about.

And I don't want to miss it.

I will continue on with all the daily chores. I will take care of my family to the best of my ability. But from here on out, I'm making a little promise to myself that I will open my eyes and watch my children grow.

good news monday

My friend Shana Rae sent me this photo of her daughter, Sophie wearing a Secondsister necklace I made her a few months back.

When I saw it my heart skipped a beat.

I still have a few fiber necklaces in my shop from the Summer collection. Check it.



In other exciting news...

Registration is now open for Spark. I'll be there, with my buddies and my creative juice bubbling. The main classes this year are going to be amazing. According to my sources, the tickets are selling fast so if you are thinking about it you better decide soon. They also added an option to split the payment.

In case you missed the fun last year, here's a short of the magic that took place.

|SPARK| from Jmills ENT. Jeremy Miller on Vimeo.

Oh and also...

this makes me happy.

I love to whistle but I don't do it much anymore because I worry about making the little wrinkles around my lips worse. Nothing says aging quiet like bleeding lipstick.

Today is a day for positive, happy thoughts. If you have good news, I wanna hear it.

Bad news? Save it sister.