what are your favorite blogs?
here are a few of my faves in NO particular order:
julie ashley PW shauna kimberlee nic michelle laura *e* tara jasmine kelle wendy
sarah carissa megan jess elizabeth crystal melissa edie jeanne elisa amy
julie heather amy karen aimee jenny kristin courtney heather marylea emily
how is that for a list?!
how long have you lived in that house?
6 years.
we moved here when annie was 2 weeks old.
it was planned for months.
we chose to leave the "city" life (chicago-land area) and move back to small town kansas.
just 25 minutes from where both craig and i grew up.
it was one of the best decisions we ever made for our family.
we haven't regretted it once.
this house was a real project.
our living room.
the playroom/guest room.
our kitchen.
talby and annie's room.
the yard had no grass. the walls were all wallpapered. and it was not pretty.
but craig and i could see the potential and it had GREAT bones.
and we've been working on it ever since.
who gave you the Meg quilt?
my super fabulous friend PAM who took me all the way to africa.
she was so excited to give it to me shouting "IT"S THE NAME OFF YOUR BLOG!!!"
i loved that by making it she got some time to be creative for HER.
that made me as happy as the gift itself...to know that she enjoyed her sewing time while making it.
it's so cool.
pam you are an artist!
how did you find time to be creative when your kids were little?
i just did it.
i had scrapbook stuff out everywhere all the time.
i painted a dresser in the middle of my living room.
i sewed on the dining room table.
i just did it.
i couldn't NOT do it....i have to make stuff.
(this was in 2008 with my scrapbooking girls)
go away with friends for a craft weekend...or have one at your house.
that was so good for my creativity and social needs when i had little ones at home.
find a retreat house near you or a rental and GO!
and sometimes...you don't even need to bring crafts.
when did you get to start sleeping through the night?
we finally got to sleep through the night on a regular basis about 2 years ago.
when annie turned four...everyone else was older and we realized we finally felt rested.
it was a 13 year stretch of rarely sleeping all night.
and we survived.
i think my bed is my favorite spot in my whole house!
i love to sleep....is that bad?
what does that say about me?
what kind of lens do you use....and camera...auto or manual?
i have a Canon 50D with a 24-105 lens.
i also have an 85mm lens but it's hard for me to use. i feel i have to be VERY far away when i use it.
like shouting to the families i am shooting...but it's a good lens.
i am ready for a new lens....if i can save my money long enough!
i had a 50 mm lens but i sold it to lauren when i sold her my Canon Rebel in April.
i used a canon rebel since i started this blog until this past april....it's a great camera!
i shoot in auto focus but will be switching to manual more this year....when i can....i hope.
can you tell us your birth stories?
absolutely!
here we go.....it was 1995.....on a dark and stormy night....
just kidding.
check out these lovely photos....
newborn lauren in the purple hat.
<--- 1998 pregnant with scott.
my birth stories are more funny than anything else.
i had epidurals with all my girls and not with my boys.
i chose to have the epidurals because it hurt more than i could handle.
newborn scott.
sean just born.
2000 - 10 days before sean was born. talby just born.
my boys' labors were quick...both 5 hours total.
talby's was long (for me) and lauren and annie were induced....meaning longer HARD contractions.
i had no c-sections or horror stories of 30 hour labors or morning sickness.
i learned how to breath....on my 5th baby.
i never knew i was holding my breath during contractions.
but i was.
i never took a lamaze class....or had help from a lactation consultant...because i thought i knew it all.
and believe me....i did NOT.
chicago jen's mom was my labor and delivery nurse who taught me how to breath. i love her.
we barely made it to the hospital with sean....that was crazy.
craig had to lie down....on the delivery room floor.
it was all just too much...happening too fast...he was light headed...and then BOOM...there was SEAN!
craig and talby.
one of my most favorite photos...
talby liked to be held after her naps....this day we were cuddling on the porch swing.....with baby annie crowding in on our space!
2004 - my friends lisa and chicago jen were at annie's birth.....that was AWESOME!
talby and annie newborn annie.
with scott and with talby i went into the hospital before i was in real labor and came back home.
i wish i would've nursed longer but i had a crazy deep down reaction after a few weeks in with all of them
that i needed some breathing room!
i just couldn't nurse any longer.
i felt smothered.
but it didn't feel that way feeding them a bottle.
the shortest i lasted nursing was 2 weeks and the longest was 6 weeks.
i always wished i was one that could have made it a long time....but i wasn't.
are you going to stay home now that your kids are in school?
i sure hope so.
i have my photography business and this blog and the etsy shop to provide income so YES i will be staying home....if you can even call that staying home....because really....that is a lot of work!
what does craig do for a living?
he is a commercial banker.
and he looks good in a suit.
mmm-hmmm.
do you have any advice on raising teenagers?
pray.
stay consistent.
try not to yell or engage in arguments.
find a close friend to share your feelings, frustrations and fears with...don't hold back.
talking about things you are dealing with out loud makes a HUGE difference in how you feel.
with a trusted friend you can share ideas, get advice or let them show you a new angle of parenting.
it's safe.
that is all i have learned so far.....
was your house in a magazine?
not pictures but linda featured me as a Blogger in Flea Market Style in 2010.
and there was a blurb in Country Living in 2009 called My Country Life
do you have a kindle....do you like to read....what is your favorite book?
we got sean a kindle for christmas but i don't have one.
nor would i want one.
i am not a reader.
i wish i was....
my dad and my sister are crazy about books.
sean, lauren and talby are in love with reading.
i don't have the ability to concentrate that long.
i did read "A Long Way Gone" last year before going to africa and it was fascinating.
and so sad....and traumatic.
i think it was made so much more real because i went to that exact place the next week.
and met boys who would have been that same age.
it was a life changing book to me.
and of course....Crazy Love.
why do you workout in an assisted living facility?
:)
i live in a small town.
i drive to a different really small town to workout because the gym there is nicer....and less expensive.
you can buy a membership there because it's the only place in that community as far as i know.
i like it because i am the youngest...it's REALLY quiet...and it's almost always nearly empty.
the machines have tv sound with headphones and i can watch will & grace on lifetime and no one cares.
or regis and kelly!
(this is not at my gym...this is a stock photo from google images...and these people look way more active than at my gym :)
if you want to feel strong and fast and young....workout at a retirement center!
seriously...it's helpful mentally.
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WOW that was a really long post!
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