ho hum

I've been sitting at the computer for almost an hour now, trying to say something significant or beautiful or funny or wise. I am having no success. Here are a few of my very jumbled thoughts:

I need to start dinner soon. I have to start the walk back in 40 minutes. I'd better post soon.

The tree in my front window is so green and bright and pretty.

I should be writing in my writing notebook so that I would not be so hesitant.

I need to be writing to Paige instead of using energy on dead-end posts.

Today is such a pretty day. I wish I were taking a nap on the lawn across the way.

This belly of mine seems to be getting rounder and bigger and tighter and taunter every day. I wonder how many weeks big I'll be measuring this time.

I really wish I could speak at San Juan High School's graduation (as Dillon just called to ask me to do). I just don't know that a six hour drive two weeks before my due date and with a husband across the country would be feasible. Oh how I love those graduating seniors and want to be there.

I must start seriously packing one of these days. I pick Friday.

I wish I could go home for HBN Stake's Wizard of Oz this week. Living far away from Home is sometimes so hard.

Only 3 1/2 more weeks of work.

Life has such interesting ways of throwing unexpected curve balls sometimes. I wonder if I will ever feel prepared to catch them all.

I am a lucky girl.

But oh so tired at the moment. And have put off dinner making long enough...

Sorry my thoughts are so random and mismatched and entirely insignificant. Asi es la vida.

Five things I am grateful for

Every time Jeremy is having a not-so-good, I-am-more-stressed-out-than-I-can-handle day, I make him tell me five things he is grateful for. I am actually having a pretty good day over all... but am just a little ready for summer to be here, shall we say. So in an effort to be positive, I'll list five things for you...

1. The color red. I know, I know. You are all thinking that this doesn't really count as a something for today, but it does. Today I am wearing a red sweater and a red bow and every time it look down, it makes me smile. That is something to be grateful for.
2. My little guy is still healthy and strong. I really have had no major complications in this here pregnancy and instead have the privilege of getting to feel him kick and move all the time. Jeremy's coworker, who was due within a few days of me, just had her baby (at 34 weeks) on Friday... and as much as I think I would like to have this baby right now, I really am not ready! I am grateful to still be pregnant.
3. Mr. Jeremy Max. I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am for my husband. He is so good and kind and loving and supportive. I am grateful that he is willing and able to serve in whatever capacity asked of him.
4. We just got a steal of a deal on Office 2007 Ultimate for $60. Yes. You read that right. Only 60 bucks. If you're a student, or you know one who doesn't have Office 2007, you should check this out. I am so very very happy to have it on my computer as of half an hour ago!
5. Alright, alright. I won't let today get the better of me. I am grateful for my job. I have benefits. I have Friday's off. I don't grade papers on the weekend. I get to speak Spanish. I work with some pretty dang wonderful, funny, and ever-generous people. And I get to take a nap in the middle of the day (even though it means I have to go back and work until 8pm. Sigh.).
   

So the truth is my life is pretty great, and I can't complain. If you catch yourself caught up in the tiring and the tough, count your many blessings. Name them one by one.

Kunundrum

I love blogs with pictures. Beautiful and artistic pictures. A few whose pictures I can't resist include soulemama, The Family Chiara, A Family of Boys... and Me, Blue Yonder, my happy little life... just to name a few. I am excited when I see new posts from such blogs because I know they will be filled with images that inspire and describe, clarify and explain, beautify and uplift. I am grateful for skilled photographers who have a knack for capturing the simple and the everyday events and making them unique and beautiful.

And yet. I am not a photographer. Not even a little bit. Not even kind of. I don't even know where our camara is at the moment.

And so my blog has either stolen pictures (see post below. None are taken by me), or no pictures at all (or worse yet, pictures taken on my phone...). And sometimes I just don't post because I have nothing to give in the way of photography. Please forgive me.

I am, however, an aspiring writer. I like to think I have it in me to paint a picture with words in such a way that will make the image come alive just as your vibrant snapshots would.

Lamentably, I haven't been doing many posts that do this either lately. Partly because our internet is unstable. Partly because I am oh so tired these days. Partly because I have not chosen to. So today I'm telling you that I will start writing more. Not necessarily more posts. But writing-rich posts. The details of our lives. The bright red and yellow tulips that have opened to the just-arrived springtime sun, and that bob their heads at me as I walk to work. The quiet of yesterday afternoon spent with needle and thread and hopes for Baby. The pleasure of sleeping in until 7:20 this morning and waking up to a soft kiss on the cheek from Mr. Christiansen.

I hope that you'll forgive me for my lack of pictures. I'll do my best when Baby arrives to capture his little moments. But probably I will do better at describing and detailing with words. I hope you'll still come and visit.

Stuffed

First of all, thank you for all your links to cute monkeys and mobiles. I can hardly sleep at night for thinking about all the things I have cooked up for that not-so-far-off baby room. Such fun! Hooray for nesting! I just thought I would share a few of my favorite finds after all my googling the last few days...

I can't help but love this little whale from craftpad.com. I love the blue eye on the red fabric

These fun stuffed animals come from mellyandme@blogspot.com and are so fun. I might just have to make a variation all my own using some of their fun stuffed ideas. My wheels are turning....

This is the original monkey (seen on ohdeedoh.com) I saw and wanted to recreate (although it's not handmade)... I think I've gathered (perhaps!) enough ideas to mix and match my own little guy.

And I love LONG loved this mobile from spool sewing. I finally found the pattern for the little bird. I don't know just how I will do mine... but I see birds flying above my little one's dreams


And finally... a few pictures stolen from Jackie's blog of the shower two weeks ago. I swear I'm bigger now too. I've been consistently measuring a week big... hopefully my belly button someday returns to its inward state! I wore this sweater to work yesterday and a coworker took one glance and said "you're huge!" I don't think these pictures do justice to just how fun my big ole belly has become!

If I post about it, will it come true?

Things I want to make for Baby bun:

• A set of ABC embroidered wall hangings to go above his crib (most of the drawing and drafting and scheming is done, I just need to start stitching)
• Some sort of garland with his name in it. I've been googling and planning, but have made no conclusive decisions of just how I want it to look
• A stuffed monkey. Anyone seen an internet tutorial out there for this? I really really want to make one. A red one.
• Or maybe (since it might be easier) a stuffed whale. I still want to make the monkey though
• A little white (with redwork) pillow to go in the corner of his crib. Next to the red monkey.
• A mobil to hang above his crib. Something not too obnoxious. Something sweet in red and baby blue and pale yellow. I'm not yet sure how to do this without hanging it from the ceiling... any thoughts?

Ok. That's all for now. Of course I hope to still do more bibs and burb cloths. Busy mamma! Wish me luck.

Baby Showers and Baseball

Whew! That is all I have to say about the last, oh, month and a half. Busy busy. The lastest two happenings were a baby shower for Cansas (my sister-in-law) and I, here in Cedar Ciy, and BYU baseball games.

Sadly, I don't have any pictures from the baby shower. It was thrown by the Christiansen clan and was just family. Just about all of them made it down for conference and the shower. It was so great to spend the weekend with everyone :). My first little boy outfits and board books had made their way to my baby stash. I tell you I am getting baby hungrier by the minute!

Then this last week/weekend was my spring break and a weekend of adventures in Provo for some BYU baseball. My mom and my sister, Paige, drove through on Thursday and picked me up, and Jeremy joined us on Friday (after his own little adventures with the ever favorite kidney stones. That deserves a post all it's own).

Can I just say that I really and truely love BYU? I do. I know it is sometimes controversial as there are plenty who don't, but I treasure the years I spent there. I love being on campus, going to the bookstore, visiting the library (oh how I miss that library!), and, of course, going to baseball games. This trip was no exception. I loved getting to be at all three games for the weekend (even the rainy game on Saturday), and mostly especially the Friday game when Blake pitched.

Usually when I watch my brother pitch, I am a nervous wreck. Seriously. But this time he was in control from the beginning and it never slacked. Somewhere around the 7th inning I realized it was still a shut out and that Blake on had two hits on him. Knock on wood. But he never flintched. He ended up pitching the whole game and was named pitcher of the week for the Mountain West conference. It was an awesome game. And I was there.

Now, I am back at home and back and work and maybe, just maybe, things will slow down for the next few weeks (until we move, of course, and the baby comes). I'm going to do my best not to throw myself into preterm labor or kill myself on too many more sewing projects (sorry, I realized I never took pictures of the quilts and bibs, dolls and bean bag frogs, chew toys and plush balls I've made... but I have had fun making all of it! Maybe I'll do more for my own little guy when I get some energy back).

All my lovin'

cj

Lost in the sewing room

I'm sorry my posts have been so few and far between! I am still alive... just seem to have been swallowed up in my sewing room. All sorts of projecting has been happening of late. Perhaps I will post pictures someday soon!

In the meantime, we had another great weekend with family for Miss Maggie's blessing. This time in Vegas. We also spent lots of time with Jon and Summer and their cute kids. Can I tell you how much I love five year olds playing tee-ball? I don't think I can. I can't wait to see them again this weekend!

The happy news in the Christiansen house these days is that we were approved for scholarship housing... which will make a huge finacial burden get much lighter starting May 16th! I'm not terribly excited to move three weeks before my due date... but it's better than three days, that's for sure. And it means we'll be able to be more settled once the wee one comes. Hooray for new adventures!