10 things that make me happy

Someone suggested I do this - it's always nice to see what makes other people happy. Maybe it will help you remember what makes YOU happy!

1. Being creative - using my hands to do anything, whether it is drawing, painting, decorating...basically creating anything.

2. Fall - I love the colors of the fall, especially in New England. The leaves turn anywhere from red, to orange, to yellow...

3. A good book - there's nothing like relaxing (if you can find the time) with a good read...

4. Swedish Christmas - I grew up with a Swedish Christmas Eve. I love the food, the rustic decorations, the Akvavit. It's an awesome celebration of life and people.

5. A Summer Swim - Diving into a cold lake, pool, pond in the summer is one of the best things in the world. Refreshing and fun...try to act like a kid again.

6. Ski Resorts - Is there anything better than shacking up in a hotel/cabin, using an outdoor pool, going skiing, staying cozy...all while other people clean your room and serve you food? I think not.

7. Wine with Mom and Gummie - Although I can't do it anymore, I love sitting outside in the summer, or inside in the winter, and having a glass of wine with my mom and grandmother. No better way for three generations to get together and talk.

8. Hot Chocolate - A hot mug of hot cocoa on a cold afternoon is always special, if you make it that way.

9. White snowy mountains - I love driving up and into huge, snow-topped mountains. It's breathtaking and somehow makes me feel at home.

10. Breaking a good sweat - getting out and releasing stress, feeling strong, and sweating a little (or a lot) is key to my happiness.


What makes you happy? Think about it, and maybe create your own list. It's funny how really simple things make you happy. I think we need to focus on the smaller things, stop racing through life, and live with more fulfillment from the little things around us.

Terrific Tuesday!

I am just enjoying my day today. I only have a few left, so I am doing what I want and relaxing. Today has not been that eventful, haha. I got up and had some tea, did some laundry, and worked on a new project. We don't have many plates to eat off of, after having broken a couple, so I bought a new set of four. I am hand painting them, so I worked on that for a while and am taking a break now. They're dark blue and I am using pale green paint and painting a floral design on them. I found a pattern I liked, and transferred it onto my first plate this morning and painted it. Doesn't look too bad! They will probably become fixtures in our hutch, rather than in our kitchen cabinets. Picture of first one is below. Should I paint a border or just leave it as is?
Other than that I am just hangin' around in my PJs. I cleaned cleaned cleaned the house yesterday, but did not wash the floor. Ugh. Hate that job because there is SO much sand and dust here that they never really look clean after a washing anyway. I'll do it tomorrow, in the morning, before it gets too hot. The whole cleaning thing to go into labor hasn't been working, though! I was on my hands and knees washing the bathroom floors yesterday, and running around dusting and sweeping, and polishing the stainless steal appliances...but...NOTHING. No labor. And I feel pretty good overall, so at this point it's like, well...maybe I'll just be pregnant forever? Just kidding. I am due next Saturday. I have a feeling that won't happen though and that I'll go late. Pretty much betting on it. Boooo. However, I really am taking people's advice and enjoying my days now! How great is it to sit with a cup of tea and watch TV? Without any distractions? Pretty nice. Mike and I are going swimming tonight...it's been nice to do little things like that, and I can tell we are both making the most of it.

One thing I find weird is that I am trying to like, set up the house and constantly have things in place and clean. I always want NO laundry, so I pretty much do a little load every day or so. It's like if I get all things done now, I won't have any to do later. Which is so not true. There will always be laundry, there will always be a mess in the kitchen at some point, there will always be the everyday clutter of shoes and bags near the front door. I guess I am just trying to keep it all at bay and not let anything get backed up. At least for now, because I am sure it will get backed up pretty fast in the coming weeks.

So anyway, speaking of letting things get backed up, I am going to go take care of some things. Maybe work on the second plate...then meet Mike for swimming. Mmm so nice.

Happy Tuesday.

Yes, I am still pregnant.

Yep, just so every one knows. I am at the point where people see me and are like, "You're still pregnant?!" Um, YES. I think people should be nicer and say something like, "Oh you look so cute" (even if I don't). Just humor me. Come on people.

Not much to say today as I am just bumpin' around making the time pass by organizing the baby room, closets, trying to stay active, and MAYBE taking a nap every now and again. I succumbed to the "nap" which is something I never do. What a great idea, though, because I feel much better throughout the day and am probably less cranky. Plus, all people tell me is "get all the sleep you can, because you won't ever sleep again." I usually just brush them off, but now that I only have a couple weeks left, I'm realizing they're right...and freaking out!

I did hit the gym today for some elliptical..only 1/2 an hour. Boo. Maybe later I'll drag Mike there to go for a quick swim. The pool was PACKED with summer campers and family today and I didn't feel like fighting them for a lane. Granted, I could probably have just cannon-balled them outta the way. (Baby probably wouldn't have like that, though....) Anyway, I am so not fun today, so I'll see you all later!

Logan is giving me heartburn!

Everything I eat now just seems to come right back up. Or I just get ridiculous heartburn. Either way, it is annoyyyying. I have never had heartburn before...now I know why people complain about it. However, it did not stop me from eating my face off tonight. Yep. Came home from the pool to eat salad, buffalo wings, ice cream, yogurt and cheerios. Odd combination and order, I know. My body was just saying FEED ME. I'll probably weigh as much as a fridge at the docs on wed...GUH. Oh well.

The pool was nice...I only swam 800 yds...was kinda tired. I only slept for about 6 hours last night and got up early to go the "art" show. I quote that bc it was NOT an art show. They fooled me. It was all junk, and I barely sold anything. So...I packed it up and left early. What a flop.

Now that it's past 8 PM I am just totally wiped and will be hitting the sack soon...Mmmm. Hopefully I will be able to get some sleep with out, ahem, someone getting in the way. I guess he's always in the way now.

~Above~ I am sporting my naked belly for you all. I know you wanted to see it. And also...some drawings and stuffff. Not sure what they're for yet, but...eh. I'll just add them to my evergrowing pile of miscellaneous crafts that aren't finished yet.

Night night.

Morning folks.

So, I have been perusing through the runnersworld and trifuel websites, and absolutely agonizing over how I can't swim, bike, and run like I want to! Bah! I cannot wait to start increasing my fitness once again. I swam 1000 yards yesterday, and will probably just do 500-700 today. Hopefully it will make my arms look super svelt, bc we know other parts of me aren't! These days I am burning just as many calories swimming as I am running, simply due to the fact that I run so slow now. At my old pace, I would be burning way more. However, if I just stay in the pool for 30-45 min now I burn just as many. Running typically burns WAY more calories than any other sport, but I guess being pregnant and slogging along while I run isn't really doing too much for me. If anything, I just get out there once a week now so I remember what it feels like to run. Loooove swimming, though. It makes me feel active and happy.

Pregnancy related ~ I am just on cruise control! I see my doc in a week, then every 2 weeks and then every 1 week from here on out. Things are just sailing along, nothing bad to report. Logan has been rolling around all day, and tends to "sleep" at night. I hope this is the pattern he has when he is out in the world! I'm storing fat in my rear, though. Oh well, guess I have to keep the fat cells somewhere...boooo.

Okay, and for the fave Etsy item of the day!! I have been wanting some cool pottery for my house - bowl, vase, anything - so I found these CUTE vases on Etsy from jjceramics shop. The vases can be seen here. They are tall and skinny with a glaze finish. They would look totally cute with just one or two flowers in them on my kitchen table, sitting on a linen tablecloth. The shop has really cute and creative things in it, so if you are into pottery have a look!


Tiled Mug - now that's a tall cup of joe!