pictures.

Oh! Here is a blog post my friend Stephanie made about our wonderful adventure of a maternity shoot. The photos were taken at Stillhouse Hollow Falls.. an hour or so from where we live. The hike was a bit more difficult than we thought.. I was surprised that I liked how I looked in any of the photos because I really felt like a hot (pregnant) mess by time we reached the bottom. It was all worth it really! Stephanie is such a wonderful photographer, not just her talented eye but her ability to put you at ease. It all felt natural & fun! I hope once I am in shape again I can do another shoot with her.. maybe go for one of her more glamorous themed shoots. Click below!

My La Photographie Photoshoot

waiting.

(sorry ahead for typos.. meh.)

We are almost there. My due date is two weeks away! Though that doesn't mean that labor can't happen anytime between now and then OR that I might be late and have my baby in August (which for some reason I really feel is what will happen) I am understanding why women seemed to warn me or make a pity face when reminiscing about their ninth month.. guys.. it kinda sucks. I will be honest with my friends, being pregnant kinda sucks. Or I should correct myself, the symptoms, the ones that are not a lovable baby, are what suck. I don't know if some women have just totally lost their memory of the experience or maybe it is like a bad relationship where later all you can remember is how dreamy Mr. Douchbox was.. or if they are just LIARS. I am lucky in that I have youth & had a generally fit/healthy body when I became pregnant.. I believed, and several women told me, pregnancy was going to be easy as pie for me. I read dozens (really) of books and countless blogs about what would happen to me physically, I kept myself aware of all the gross things that I was about to experience. Luckily, bodily fluids and things like that do not usually bother me, being among the many Americans that are enamored with teevee forensics (the best kind, since you do not have to witness the smells.. the only reason I decided going after a career in the field would not work for me). What I was not prepared for and still cannot really deal with is the emotional effects of growing a new human. To be fair, I have a history of depression.. with a side dish of some random anxieties (i.e. ticking clocks, white noise.. ), also some body issues and a slightly anorexic past.. BUT I was functional. I was getting the hang of being a social person with "quirks". (this was relatively new, last year was my year of healing after nearly three dark years of terribleness) To take a girl who was barely balancing on the tight rope of normal anyway and impregnate her.. well.. it makes her a full on basket-case. After being pregnant this long and KNOWING that my hormones are out of wack and KNOWING something that I am about to cry about is silly and minimal.. it doesn't matter.. once the tear flow starts it cannot be stopped.  And, like a child, I start feeling sorry for myself or something and start to think of all the saddest things in the world then I somehow loop all the way back around to how much I suck as a person and how I am FAILINGGG. Then it is over. A five minute cry and then back to normal.. What was that?? This happens almost daily. Today I spilled my drink on the counter and you would think I had stabbed myself. I was hysterical, I knew it, but I could not stop myself. I sobbed and my poor fiance had to console me once more in utter confusion as to what has happened now. Luckily, he's incredibly patient. Much more than I am. Seeing him put up with crazy me has reconfirmed my belief of what am amazing parent he will be. In any case, I am thankful. After I am done crying I try to give myself a little pep talk.

1. You have someone that truly loves you.

2. You have a good support system of friends and family.

3. You are going to have a baby very soon that will change you forever, you are going to be a MOMMY.

4. Hey! You barely have any stretch marks.. yay. 

5. This is all a way better path than waiting around for Mr. Douchebox.

I am ready for her to be here. I am ready to get myself back to normal and focus on teaching this person about the world, and to continue the search for my place in it as well. Hopefully balancing it all with grace.

blogs i'm reading.

the top 3 blogs i am reading right now... and will definitely continue reading after baby is here :)

1. Prudent Baby
2. Simple Living
3. Offbeat Mama

just being pregnant lately.

I started this blog before my little one arrives thinking I would have so much to say about being pregnant before the obvious "look at my amazing baby do things!!" posts take over.. but really there is not much anything that would be too interesting. this is (thankfully) a normal pregnancy. I cry a lot, eat a lot, sleep a lot and I am impatient to be a mommy. I am 32 weeks pregnant now.. the only real complaints I have is how low my energy is. I feel the nesting need to make things and decorate and prepare my home for baby but then i feel the even stronger urge to be lazy and just WAIT for the happy to get here.

that's all for now. oh here is one of the iPhone preview shots of my maternity photoshoot with La Photographie Nashville. I'm so excited for the film to be developed. I hiked to a waterfall AND cut my leg on some rocks! it was great!

homemade lip balm & dry shampoo.

i have been trying to perfect my lip balm recipe. i would love to start an etsy seller account and sell homemade beauty products, but i am very picky and particular about things.. also it's going to be a large investment in the beginning so i want it to be perfect. there are several recipes other brilliant people have created that i adore.. one of my favorite recipe books out there is Organic Body Care Recipes by Stephanie Tourles. there are a few lip balm recipes in it which were all very nice but not quite what i wanted. after several trials, including the recipe from this site, i finally made it my own and i'm very happy with the results. instead of olive, shea or almond oil i settled finally on using organic coconut oil.. though i might end up charging a little more than i planned starting out because this stuff is not cheap. i would share this recipe but i would like it to remain mine.. sorry. if you send me a nice message i might just send you little test batch sample. ;)

amidst lip balm sciencing i noticed that i was running low on my LUSH coconut deodorant powder.. which is one of my favorite products. ever. i rub it all in my scalp on days i don't want to wash my hair as well as use it under my armpits. BUT with our budget and baby on the way i just cannot justify spending extra on too much personal girly stuff. i decided i can make this too! sorta.. i read several sites that had dry shampoo recipes (including this one on PetitElefant), i made note of the consistent ingredients i saw. i also checked out the ingredient list of the LUSH stuff. i ended up creating this recipe:

Charlsie's Coconut Dry Shampoo/Deodorant Powder

• 4 tablespoons cornstarch
• 4 tablespoons baking soda
• 4 tablespoons tapioca flour
• 4 tablespoons coconut flour

this made enough to fill four glass spice shakers that i bought at The Container Store. it felt really great to make these things myself. i hope my friends like my concoctions and maybe someday soon i will make a little extra cash making people smell & feel prettier.

homemade trail mix!

patrick says trail mix is his favorite thing to have with him while he's working long days outside. easy energy! but it is so pricey... I decided I can do it better!

here are the ingredients i used:

• unsweetened coconut flakes

• mini m&ms

• almonds

• dry roasted peanuts

• dried apples

• dried cranberries

• golden raisins

• sunflower seeds

you just put it all in a big freezer bag and mix it up! I think I'll get a big container to stay on the counter top and fill it up!

things to make.

baby:

• fabric bibs
• burp clothes
• baby powder
• blankets
• curtains
• stuffed animal toys with noisy insides
• bird mobile
• costume/dress-up closet out of small bookshelf
• different princess & fairy costumes
• assorted fabric animal ears
• hair bows/headbands
• baby food
• dolls
• bath crayons
• glow jars
  

household:

• laundry detergent
• citrus all-purpose spray
• chalk paint
• labeled kitchen containers
• fabric lampshades
• curtains
• to do/activity board
• light switch covers
• blankets
  

health/beauty:

• shampoo/conditioner substitute
• lip balm
• deodorant
• facial astringent
• perfume oil
• mosquito repellant

bookmark doll.

i felt like making something simple and i found this d.i.y bookmark geisha doll on pinterest.. you can follow the same instructions i did here . funny, i had several origami sheets laying around but no construction paper. so i had to color in some card stock with a sharpie.. next time i will have all the correct materials.

it is nice to make something while watching teevee. that's all. :)

playing house.

i have always had an idea of what i would be like when i grew up and what kind of mother and wife i would be. but now that i am pregnant and engaged i realize i actually need to put all these expectations of myself into motion! i am kind of a mess (part of my charm, of course) but now i will be having a little person looking up to me, (and if she's anything like me) absorbing every move i make and word i say, taking it all too literally. i know i will make mistakes as all new parents do but i hope i can remember everyday to be myself and do things as i want to do them. here is a list of mother advice i give myself:

• say i love you, thank you & please to her
• instill in her the importance of books & imagination
• be a spectacular story teller
• feed our family healthy foods made with care
• organize!
• take the time to play at her pace
• take time to be amazed by their art
• have time with my husband that is only ours
• send him & her on dates too
• take pictures.. a lot of them
• learn how to clean up after myself better so that she will follow my lead
• listen to her
• be honest with her & explain as much as i can
• tell her she is pretty
• make as many household products, beauty products, toys & clothes that i can
  
• be as organic as i can
• plan big adventures together
• take small adventures in the meantime
• make a budget & stick to it as best i can
• have something fun planned for every kind of weather
• visit family often & make sure she knows about loved ones who have passed on
  
• participate in her school events
• do charity work & explain to her that we are a lucky family

i am sure there is much more but that is all i have for now. also the belly is telling me to eat! must go feed my little pea and give my mister kisses.

new beginnings.

hello there! my name is charlsie. i am 25 years old and 20 weeks pregnant. i thought today might be a good day to start "blogging" as the people say. i have been reading blogs of so many mommies out there.. they are all filled with great advice, ideas and recipes. my bookmark folder is getting huge with all the great stuff i have read that i know i will forget to remember. then i realized, hey! i'm about to join this mommy club. i can blog about mommy things too! oh.. but today is a good day because we found out IT'S A GIRL. i am so happy, i kind of secretly really wanted a girl.