wake up surprise...

 more snow!

 granola experiment...

 plaster belly cast...

fairie fun...
yup, more snow fell overnight (mid-march!), but it is really sunny today so it is melting most of the stuff that fell, although there was still quite a bit on the ground in the first place; totally bizarre!  japan suffered from a huge earthquake and tsunami a week ago, and now one of the nuclear power plants is really not looking good, already people are suffering from radiation; this has definitely put a lot of sadness into our days, but we must keep striving to live life to the fullest, no matter what...
on a lighter note, me and honey completed the belly cast finally! it was actually not that difficult, just messy, but even that was super easy to clean up, i'm not sure how i am going to decorate it yet...
and i also completed the gifts for the midwives... felted fairies! it just fit so perfectly with what the midwives are all about...
feeling good, almost too good, like baby doesn't want to come out... must be nice in the tummy:)
and what is a smell i would love to capture in a bottle... roasted granola! wow did it ever smell good as i tried to roast it on top of the woodstove, which totally worked! so now we have some delicious granola to munch on for breakfast or as a late night snack, which is what has been happening lately:) here is the recipe i fiddled with:
granola recipe...
(can be easily modified for your taste)
1/2 cup veggie oil
1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
1 cup raw wheat germ
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups oats
1 1/2 cup chopped mix nuts
2 cups mixed dried fruits
Preheat oven to 375 F. Stir together oil, honey, wheat germ, vanilla and salt. Stir in oats and nuts. Bake 15 min. Stir every few minutes more for ten minutes. Stir in dried fruit, let cool and then store in sealable container:)

transitioning...

 the baby shelf is up...

 pillow sewing...

winter into spring...
today i am feeling wonky, actually i feel exactly like the weather...sunny yet cloudy, wanting to be outside, but wanting to hide inside, warm but also cold... i forget about the transition from winter and spring, and how difficult it can be... i have been looking forward to spring so much that i forgot how it can make me feel: the conflict between happiness and sadness, social and anti-social... and with the baby coming too, i want to hide out, but my friends want to see me, and i feel bad about staying home... i am realizing that i feel guilt when i am not doing something, in particular working... and with the baby coming, i can see that conflict pretty clear... taking care of myself and the baby is the most important, but it is already proving difficult to think what is best... things to learn about myself...

nits and grits...

finished my fourth Puddy magazine; the rebirth issue...

and another piece of artwork...

getting down to the nits and grits these days... now past my full term date (yay) and getting ready for the new babe any day for the next few weeks... what a trip! honey is at the moment, prepping the compost toilet for maximum efficiency (yay!)... and i have pretty much nested the yurt, just have to put up the baby shelf (one of those fabric ones you hang, very simple in case we move), and then prep the crib... i finished the bum wipe spray, which smells fabulous, and was very inexpensive since i made up my own concoction (the one i found was too expensive to get the ingredients)... wow, any day now!

bum spray (for wipes or direct on the bum)...

4 oz aloe vera gel

100 ml witch hazel water with aloe

80 ml Weleda calendula oil

10 drops lavender essential oil

5 drops roman chamomile essential oil

8 cups pure water

Just mix and shake in a large jar, and then pour some into another spray bottle for easy use!

march madness...

cleaning frenzy...

baby supply carrier...

dirty diaper bags...

the march melt continues...
yesterday was cleaning madness... now i know when they say that as the due date approaches, moms go into a cleaning frenzy, i sure did! but now everything is really looking ready for baby, so it helps to clean and organize! i also finished the diaper bags, which are layered inside with a water proof fabric; much cheaper to make then to buy, like everything i have noticed!  and yes, the mild weather continues and we are seeing puddles...still lots of snow, but at least some warmth is happening!

belly melts...

big belly...

march melt...

we are nearing the middle of march, and yes we still have a lot of snow... but, alas, the melt was here today as it rained yesterday and was sunny today... i think this will help all of our mental states... and it will hopefully make things easier for me, as walking any hilly area is quite treacherous for my now very big belly! i am definitely feeling the pregnancy now, as my belly has gotten quite a lot bigger and i am feeling baby moving lots... i went to the midwives on tuesday and the baby is in an ideal position, and everything else looks great too:)
i had written this letter to baby on monday...
dear phoenix,
i am at nine months with you in my tummy, yup, 36 weeks! I feel great, it doesn't seem real that i am about to bring you into this world, that i am about to have a baby, it will only be believable once it happens... there is no way to prepare for this. just know that you are brought into this world with great love. this world is a magical one. the earth and its immense beauty, the sky, the clouds, the trees, the rivers, the mountains...they are all so magical. i can't wait for you to see its beauty... i love you, and wish you all the love in the universe.

9 months...

kitty pancakes...

harvest sniffs them out...

a yummy success...

9 months...

spring fairy...
today honey made his specialty pancakes, i call them perfect pancakes, cause they really are perfect! even harvest got his own kitty-sized ones... officially, today i am 36 weeks! feeling really good, doing a lot of fixing up around the yurt... cleaning, downsizing and organizing... plus crafting, hence the felted spring fairy i made this morning... i am almost finished the diaper bags, which were an experiment, but they will have to do... trying to save money by making and using what we have...
just came back from a beautiful walk along the beach (which is totally covered by snow, but there was an edge of rocky beach that was walkable)... makes me want spring more than ever! but the weather calls for more snow, crazy year indeed...

felting frenzy...

felting frenzy indeed! me and kathy, with edie and even kale's help, felted this huge blanket for baby... wow, was it a lot more work than i had anticipated... i was so worn out after the experience, i literally could not get up the rest of the night... i guess i went a little overboard as i am approaching nine months, and still haven't found that balance of taking it easy!
the snow is still here, it snows at night, and then is warm and sunny during the day... i am really wanting to see grass though, and i thought that baby would come when it was less treacherous, but winter is not willing to let go!
physically, other than overdoing it yesterday, i feel really good, not bogged down by the belly at all... i just want baby to be healthy inside! nine months tomorrow! and i see the midwives on tuesday... the count down begins!

babymoon...

 eating breakfast at our kaslo motel cabin...

 taking a walk down the kaslo strip...

 having a yummy lunch at bluebelle bistro...

 hot chocolate to satisfy my sweet tooth...

 honey with a delish lunch combo...

 a wintery view...

 the spot where we first fell in love with the kootenays...

 now, five years later on our babymoon...

hair fun at the cabin...
yes, we finally got to go on our babymoon! the car got fixed, we booked two nights at the kaslo motel in one of their cabins, and off we went! it was exactly what we needed and dreamed of... ah, the luxuries of bathroom, shower, easy heat, and hot water and no dogs barking!!! we did realize that the yurt is a wonderful home, but we had fun anyway with the new luxuries, had some fun hair cutting and dyeing, watched some movies, ate in and out and simply enjoyed each other... a highlight was going to the ainsworth hotsprings where we enjoyed a magical dip in the hot waters while a blizzard of snow was coming down upon us, a once-in-a-lifetime magical experience that transported us to another world...a truly wonderful babymoon indeed...
35 weeks in, and i am feeling healthy and good, although a bit anxious for the day.  getting the little cantelope ready for the magical world that he/she is about to encounter... it is truly a magical world... walks are my sanity and meditation... the count down begins...