Charlotte Grace

"For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well."

Psalm 139:13-14

Charlotte Grace Howard arrived at 5:30pm February 7, 2014

She weighed 7 pounds 7.5 oz and was 21 inches long and perfect .... Well except that poor cone head she received from being in the birth canal a little longer than is normal. Poor thing. 

After pushing out my own bundle of joy, I now understand why my mother always discussed her birth stories with whatever mother she met. 

I have many memories of my mom talking about her various trials.

And now, I am proud that I birthed this little human. The Lord gave me strength and there was so much joy involved (In the end). It is something mothers have in common, a bond through a 'common' experience. I now get to join the mom club where you talk about epidurals, episiotomies, water breaking and contractions. So although we may have chosen different birthing plans we all birthed babies and that is pretty neat, and perhaps the only thing we have in common.

To many who aren't as familiar with births, these talks can seem weird, or make you uncomfortable (I remember). So if you fall in that category I am sorry if mothers (or I) make you uncomfortable, but you have to understand that birthing is one of the hardest and most rewarding experiences of a person's life, so your discomfort will easily be outweighed by a new mom's excitement.

Yes, dear friends, I am very much in love with this little nugget.  Raising her is now the most important mission in Stephen and my life; so forgive us for our changing interests and possibly becoming boring friends or talking about things that make you uncomfortable. We may not travel as much or go out as much, and we will certainly inform you of all the small accomplishments of our little one because, to us, that is exciting and important.

It's strange to have transitioned into parenthood, but I hope you understand and can allow our friendships to transition too. 

Motherhood

 

I have a pretty fantastic mother. This is her August 5, 1987 when my due date was July 25th; Sorry mom! 

This is my Mom and me in July 2011 in Manila.

 And this is me and my girl just a few weeks ago in Norfolk. 

As I sit here with my child putting pressure on my bladder, I think I've been really fortunate. I just watched an episode of Parks and Recreation where a character is complaining about all of her pregnancy trouble and I just think how blessed I must be. Now, I do not mean to brag, but I want to be thankful when I should be. Being pregnant, aside from the stretch marks and my body doing strange things, really has been a pretty joyful time.

I've had a job that although tiring, I have been enjoying. I have a husband who loves me and tells me I'm the "most beautiful pregnant woman ever." I can sleep through most of the night still (38 weeks now) with limited bathroom breaks at 2 hour intervals. And we have AMAZING friends and family.

Our co-workers, friends from youth, college, Virginia Beach, family and even friends from overseas have continued to shower us with blessings and love. Have I ever mentioned that gifts and service are big in my love languages? I have felt so loved in this time and am so thankful for everything. 

We have been given almost everything we could have asked for. God truly knows how to provide through generous hearts.

As I enter the final stretch of this pregnancy, I know the hardest parts are ahead and I know I will be supported and provided for physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  I have plenty of fears and the Lord is slowly destroying them and replacing them with peace and trust and faith. I think that's why He had me choose the word "Fearless" to represent this year. Becoming a parent has got to be one of the scariest things ever, but with Christ by my side and the support of my hunky husband, friends and family, I know that fear will not win.

"He will feed His flock like a shepherd;
He will gather the lambs with His arm,
And carry them in His bosom,
And gently lead those who are with young."
Isaiah 40:11

Inspired by a Grumpy Cat

So the Grumpy Cat meme is one of my personal favorites so I thought I would do some fan art and then thought, um....I can give it accessories!

My first thought was for a sailor. I felt many a grumpy sailors might appreciate this.

Then I thought, let's be real, Grumpy cat is a total hipster. And so of course he needed a pipe, bowtie, out-dated glasses and a hat....well the hat makes him a bit more British, but I thought it was a classy touch.

And of course because it is that time of year I had to do a valentines sweater. I made cards with all of these on my etsy page and the valentines one says either "Have a Valentine's Day." or "I kinda love you."  I also made a couple Birthday cards that say, "It's your Birthday.....Good."

Yay for advertising myself! I hope you enjoyed the cat!

A Sailor and a Seascape

A friend of mine, Kelci, decided she wanted to get a couples portrait for her husband before he got home on leave.... it was supposed to be a surprise, but she got so excited she sent him the picture via phone before he got back. I take that as a compliment. 

Believe it or not, I have lived at the beach for over a year and this is my first seascape. I'm not a huge fan of them, but I felt like this came out well. Simple in both color scheme and composition. 

Such a cute couple!

Jenna and Taylor Couples Portrait

This will be a short post, just enough to explain this portrait.

Jenna asked me to make her a couples portrait for her wedding and I was so excited to do it!

I chose their clothing by stalking them a bit on facebook. I had never met Taylor before the wedding so I had to do more research for him. I asked Jenna what colors they were thinking of using and used that as an starting point.

I am told Taylor was very pleased and wondered at how I knew what he would wear *heh heh*

This was a bit more adventurous of an undertaking for me since I didn't ask before I decided to splatter them all in paint, but I took a little artistic license and I think it worked better than if I'd asked them exactly what they want.

Just look at that adorable couple! I was so happy to be part of your big day and so excited for you two!

p.s. See that hat Taylor is wearing??!!

DIY: Shoe Box into a Vintage Suit Case

So I have had a to-do list in my head of the things I wanted to make that I have found on Pinterest.  This one has been there for a bit, but today I realized I had cleared out a shoe box and was about to throw it away, BUT WAIT! I need that!
So I stripped the shoe box of the wrapping paper that once adorned it and I used cheap acrylic paint to coat the box.....once, twice, and three times in a few spots.

After the paint finally dried, I used a thin marker/felt tip pen/sharpie to draw my lines. I used a ruler for some of the straight lines but the majority I did freehand to achieve that handmade look. (excuse my poor photography)

 I simply copied the patterns from the boxes I saw....which you can check out on my DIY pinterest board.

HINT: when drawing your lines, do put the lid on to mark where the designs on the bottom should end/begin, then take them apart and work on the separately. It is a hassle to try and work with the box all together... or at least I think it is.

So now my bedroom has a new box to hold all my clutter from on my dresser. I may make more for my  arts and crafts storage....maybe in beige next time?

Illustrations with COLOR

As I sat waiting for my car to be inspected and then fixed of its decaying belt and get new windshield wipers, I drew this little blue bird.  He loves Walt Whitman's poetry but is very distracted by sweets and caffeine. I made this card into a card that you can buy on etsy. It is perhaps my new favorite illustration, although the baby fox gives it a run for its money.

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Baby fox came from...well his mother. I drew a foxy lady sipping on some champagne but I wasn't satisfied with it. However I did enjoy her small pup sitting off to the side and felt it should be made larger. So I did make it larger. Perhaps around mother's day I'll reintroduce the Foxy Momma, but until then you will have to be satisfied with the wee pup above (in card form).