how do i love thee? let me count the ways...

Five years ago today, Sir Harri and I exited the stained glass doorway of the Palmyra Temple united forever as man and wife.

We adore each other.

We compliment each other.
We respect each other.

We support each other, so very well.

You might say we were made for eachother. I agree.

We laugh together. All the time.

We want to raise our family to be an eternal one, like our parents did before us.

Sometimes life is unexpected and seemingly unbearably hard. And we don't like it.

So we look around, see that we're surrounded by people who we love, and who would do anything for us. We look for the positive things, the brightness that is always there: in the gospel of Christ, the beauty of the earth, and then we celebrate each sparkle of light in the corners of our world. We eat cake, kiss, and remember tomorrow, to serve and love eachother even stronger than yesterday. And before you know it, the unbearable darknesses of yesterday and tomorrow are gone, and it's already been five years.

I love you, Adam. And a part of me feels I've always known you, always loved you, even before I knew myself. Thank you for being my best friend, confidante, and lover. Here's to five, no, make it five hundred, more years of light, laughter, and love together under the banner of the starry heavens.

and the winner for the most productive day EVER goes to....

ME.
I've been up since 6am. I did {read: wash, fold, put away} four loads of laundry. I unpacked my suitcase from my myriad of travels lately, details of which will follow. I made three beautiful meals for my family (we had crepes tonight; I used a beautiful new cast iron griddle and MAN were they good). I grocery shopped for the next two weeks, thank you WMart and Trader Joe's. I put away said groceries. I cleaned out my fridge. And I cleaned out my freezer. I scrubbed my kitchen floor. And took flowers to a friend that just had her second baby. (And yes, they were yellow. But not on purpose.) I paid our rent. I got gas. I loaded the library books into the car. I kept Samuel occupied, fed, and happy. And clean. He got two baths today. I went to see a dear friend whom I've missed. We talked about etsy, textiles, schools for our kids, and ate really good food {a delicious salad with hemp seed oil dressing and freshly made pizza}. I welcomed Sir Harri and he ate dinner with us. I love family dinners. We put The Sam to bed. I got a massage, and wow does Sir Harri love me or what. I took a hot bath with The World According to Bertie. Now I'm going to bed. Until tomorrow, 6 am sharp. Besos, bye.

in print and other stories

Yesterday's mailbox had a treat inside: my published birth story in the latest issue of Midwifery Today. I felt so happy to see this out for the world to see, and almost purged of the bitterness I've carried for so long.
In other news, Samuel discovered a tunnel in the box my massage table came in.

And, finally: a creative exploit. I designed this crib bumper using The Sam's blanket, which is made from Ikea's Barnslig Djur fabric. It's 14"X10", double sided, and I'm constructing it in four pieces, so the above images are the two short sides. The base fabric is corduroy and the animals are felt cutouts that I'm going to applique on top. I think I love it, but hope it will turn out after the sewing (ack!) and the stuffing are done. (And yes, the pink duck needs some legs...)

simple gifts

A few weeks ago I got wind of a gift coming my way from Sir Harri.
And today, weeks ahead of our fifth anniversary, I unpacked this. Can you see what it is?

Yep. It's a massage table. I am in heaven. Feel free to come join me anytime. {The best part? Okay, so there's more than one best part, but from a design perspective: it's collapsible + portable.}

Oh, yes, and I snagged this at our local thrifty for 3$. Very cool midcentury modern design, minus the scratched wood and totally heinous upholstery. A yard of funky fabric and an updated stain will turn this into a beauty. Any textile suggestions? {Sir Harri's back from the store, and it's time to hop onto my table for some relaxation. Ahhh....}

rain, rain, come and stay

"For he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."

My sister Liz and I talked about this scripture on a misty day. She said, "So many people think this means that rain is bad; that the unjust are stuck with the rain. But really, it means that God loves everyone, so we all get the wonderful beauty of the rain." I agree.

Today we watch the rain fall.

Spiritual enlightenment here.

visions of the future

Yesterday, we went berry picking. The Sam had a blast on the ferry over to Surry., pointing at the FWLAG and the WATER and the BIRDS. While he, Liam, Ella, and Sam meandered around the farm (The Sam got rather dirty eating berries + splashing in irrigation water), the mommas (Kelly, Olivia, and myself) picked. It got hot, so we cooled ourselves down with some made-at-the-farm strawberry ice cream. Then The Sam found his dream chair. This is my dream chair(s). The Sam's chair seems a bit easier to come by, don't you think?

Speaking of dream chairs, I am exerting alot of effort to find my way into the interior design industry. We have a window of time on the horizon during which Adam can do Samcare during the day, so I'm working to find a Norfolk design firm to work or volunteer for and get a leg up in the profession. Faith is playing a huge role in this endeavor, and I must admit I'm more than a little bit scared-afraid-and-nervous about the whole thing, but I know it will work out because I want it REAL BAD and I do feel good about it even though I do feel scared afraid and nervous AND Sir Harri has been more than one hundred percent supportive, AND is praying with me, AND his enthusiasm on my behalf makes all the difference in the world. I do love him. He has saved and helped me in so many ways.

SO. Even though I don't know what the future of time will bring, I know it will be good. Because I have faith that it will be good, that I will be ready for it, and that my family will be supporting me every step of the way. So, like the adorab-ley handsome boy below, I look to the future with hope and a brightness of faith.

gorgeous vintage dress

This dress has popped up all over design blogs recently. She married Adam B., a friend I grew up with in Ithaca. Her wedding was so beautiful. Brooke from Inchmark designed the invitations.

{Photos courtesy of Rachel Thurston via Inchmark}

The Sunday Philosophy Club by Alexander McCall Smith is a fantastic book, I think you should reserve it from your library right now.

I've been lazy too. About blogging, I mean. It seems there has been far too much joy seeping from the corners of our lives for a mere blog entry. But I miss this, so here I am. Sunshine, graduation, more graduation, good music, and good ol' kitchen floor dancing parties have been some of my daily themes. And, speaking of graduation, Sir Harri is no longer a mere mortal: he has passed into the realms of Juris Doctorhood. And since our vacation, he has passed even further into the realms of oblivion as he studies for the bar. Actually, he hasn't passed that far away, since he's been home for Samuel's bath + bedtime nearly every day and has certainly met my every need. Samsam and I have been spending most of our time outside, mostly submerging ourselves in water of some type. I got him this awesome hat. Today he stuck his face in the bathwater and blew bubbles of his own accord. Then I did it too, and we laughed and laughed and I almost snarfed.

Post- Edit:

My computer is doing very funny things today--like making this entire paragraph look like a hyper link, when it's not. And not showing the links in the original post to be a different color. So, if you're bored, take a minute and mouse over the above post to see if you can find any secret links to interesting places. And, also: my eyes wandered over some previous + recent posts and I was stunned and a little embarassed to realize that my life reads trouble free, smooshy, full of ease, and even a little bit cheesy. Realize, however, that with every bit of sunshine there comes a cloud, no matter how small, and that this here Harri is not without her share of them. Just now, though, those clouds are rather far and away on the horizon. Which I must admit I'm happy about. Now maybe you can go find something joyful to snarf about, even if the clouds of your life are looming over you like a broken umbrella in a rainstorm. It'll pass. Storms always do. Love to you, always.