Patterns

Patterns have always fascinated me. I love to mix and match patterns that seemingly should not even be thought to go together, like paisley prints and leopard. And yet, there it is, right on my very own couch.
But what I believe is even more incredible than my own sense of style (if you want to call it that) is the sense of style God puts right out there in nature. Like the run of a river and its tributaries (as seen from an airplane- and incredible thing to behold), the stripes and intersections of different kinds of rocks, the texture of a field of grain with a backdrop of heavy, rolling clouds. Just beautiful. Can you see it in your mind?
These things are all quite grand, but sometimes i forget to look at the little things. Like the shimmer of droplets of water on the grass leaves, and the minuscule paths of bugs going through an old log.
Or, in the case of today, the simplicity of frost on a window. From a distance, it seemed fogged, but once the sun began peeking through the clouds, there was a shimmer about it, and upon closer inspection was such perfection that a machine could never duplicate.
So, without further ado, number 3 of 365 in my challenge 365.

A super duper...nursing cover!

I just got this cover from Serwa Chic (Jen :)- the same gal that make J man's cloth diapers- and it is AWESOME. The little man recently figured out how to pull blankets off while nursing, and was making a game of it. So, a nursing cover is a great solution- it even has a little pocket and adjustable strap and everything! Super cool~
She was so nice to custom make this one for me- the colors and pattern I was looking for- just so I could add my own little alteration to it- I painted a white silhouette of a tree on one side. Gotta love art!


~em

Field Trip!!

Today I went with the second grade to the Milwaukee Art Museum- they were so thrilled to be in the Calatrava and to see some of the artworks that we talked about in class up close and personal- and this was Josiah's first official visit to the art museum- he loved it!

Two of the kids looking at a Chihuly piece

Josiah in front of the same Chihuly piece

The Second grade class with Mrs. Kratz outside the Calatrava

Proclamation and Praise- final product!!

almost done......

finished painting! (the quality is not that great cuz it was taken with my phone:)

"Proclamation and Praise" kickoff service

Pastor Strobel could not have been more grateful and enthusiastic about this painting... he asked me to write up an artist's explanation, since there is a TON of symbolism within the painting- which I will post eventually, of course!
Have a great night, everyone!

Food Photo Challenge

This week I got inspired early (rarely ever happens)- usually I'm submitting close to midnight on Friday. :)
Our challenge this week was to submit 3,5,0r 7 photos of food: I decided to do 2 groups of photos that added up to 7 photos total.
Please feel free to submit any comments, feedback, or criticisms. I decided to play around a little more with the photos this week. Hope you enjoy!
(you can click on the images to see them larger)

Doctor Day

Josiah had his 2 month checkup today.
Here are the stats:
12 lbs 8 oz, 24 inches long.
He also got his shots- those needles seemed awfully big compared to his not so big thighs. It's not an easy thing to know something is hurting your child, but we pray this is for the best (I'm one of those people who is not totally sold on the "mandatory" shots- but that's a whole other story.....)
Another amazing thing that he has decided to do: He is now eating every 2 1/2 to 3 hours instead of every 2 hours. Yay! More time to waste on facebook. Just kidding. Maybe.
It's been an exciting week so far- and it's only Monday! I will be displaying some of my photography at Caribou Coffee on Hwy. 100 and Bluemound Rd- it's a pretty busy place, so I am thrilled about the exposure! Hopefully I'll have the pieces up by Friday. If not, then early next week. The pic at the top is one that's going to be put up (of 6 total).
WLC (my alma mater) has also commissioned me to do a rather large painting for a new church service that they will be offering. I am really psyched to start working on that, but I am a little nervous that they want it by March 13, and we JUST found out this weekend that they want me to do this. That's less than a month to do a piece at least 12 by 8 feet...hmm....I work well under pressure, at least!
OK-enough about me!
I haven't given an update on Jonathan in a while- he has officially been accepted to the Master's program at UWM- and will most likely begin this summer. We also learned that he may have some state funding for education left over from his Army days. I'm SO glad the army is still paying off for him :)

Now I should be sleeping, since Josiah evidently fell asleep. He falls asleep on his own. I just set him in his bassinet, and he falls to sleep. I am SO spoiled. ;)

~Em

My first (family) blog

Hello, everyone!
Welcome to my family blog :) I thought it would be a good idea to keep my friends and family (and anyone else who would be interested) in the loop about what's going on in our lives, since, I guess, we're not that good at sending out yearly letters.
So, I guess I will start updating with January.
Jan. 5- Jon and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary, and took a trip to AZ to hang out with Tom and Stacia Weinstein and to visit some of our favorite spots (we went there together for our 1st anniversary)The picture is of Jonathan looking at a strip of quartz we found in a little gully while hiking in South Mountain in Phoenix.
I finished up with "the Advent Prophecy" with Mike Westendorf- I sang solos from Handel's Messiah, then in February, I started "He is Worthy" with Mike Westendorf, another program featuring solos from Handel's Messiah. I also made lots of artwork for this concert program.
February was made up of a lot of concerts, singing, and whatnot.
March I went to the recording studio to sing backup for Mike's new CD, "Color through the Gray"
March, Jonathan finished his job working at Oxford Art Glass Studios, and in the time off between jobs, he and I took a quick little weekend getaway. He now has a job working as a Security Officer at St. Joe's Hospital (third shift....)
April, I started to go a little crazy with painting, and had my second art show opening at Point of Grace (www.tpog.net)on April 18th which went really well.
Then, on April 20th I found out that I was pregnant! So, we had been trying for YEARS. I was a little surprised, to say the least. Jon is thrilled!!
April 25th I celebrated my 26th Birthday, and my good friends surprised me with a party- it was a blast!
May, I had my first Dr.s appointment, and I have a great Dr. (and great health insurance, thanks to Jonathan's job at the hospital:)
May 8th Jonathan celebrated his 29th birthday!!
Memorial Day weekend, I took a trip out to Minneapolis for my friend, Jen's, wedding, which I was the photographer for. We had a GORGEOUS day (minus the little bit of rain and the tornado that hit a nearby town) the pictures are beautiful!
June, I have been really sick. Came to the point that I was getting sick every time I would eat. My next Dr.'s appointment, she prescribed Reglan for me. it seemed to help quite a bit, for the most part. I still have really bad days. I also had an ultrasound of the baby- they couldn't find the heartbeat with the doppler, so the doc wanted to make sure everything was ok, and it was.
Jonathan has been wonderful through the whole thing- it's been interesting getting to know my body again- what I am able to eat and how often I need to eat, and how much activity I can do without collapsing:) He is ever patient, and extremely helpful. Yay, I have an awesome hubby!
This past weekend, I shot the second wedding of the season. I have 2 more this month, so hopefully I will continue to feel better each day.
ok, this blog is long enough.
Love you all!
~Em