Multitude Monday : April 14, 2014

Well, neglected little blog, I think it's time for a little update! Since it's Monday, I think I'll tackle another Multitude Monday. What's that? In case you're unfamiliar with the concept, or new to the blog, I'll explain the theory behind it. Each week, I like to list ten things that I'm currently thankful for. It's a great way to start my week off on a positive note, especially on Monday morning - which is usually a down-in-the-dumps time of the week. Feel free to chime in through the comments, on your own blog, or in a journal - you could even list a few things on your fridge as a gentle reminder this week.

This week, I'm thankful for:

751 - a fun maternity shoot with Hind Heart Studios - I'll share more about that this week!
752 - a health scare last week that turned out okay after all.
753 - finally seeing the light at the end of the school/work tunnel. I'll be done soon!
754 - putting my first load of baby onesies in the washer this morning.
755 - an unexpected gift of a ginormous amount of diapers from a thoughtful couple.
756 - snuggling on the couch while Dan and my bro watched the newest Hobbit movie.
757 - adding cheery quotes to our chalkboard by our front door as gentle reminders.
758 - running out of almond milk for my morning smoothie and finding a can of coconut water. 
759 - positive feedback on work term materials!
760 - a splurge on new magazines that I can't wait to sink my teeth into.

What about you? What are you currently thankful for? Do share!

Happy Monday!

Shauna Niequist : Cold Tangerines

After sharing my Multitude Mondays this week, I was struck by how often I'm inspired by quotes from my favourite authors. Shauna Niequist, the author of Cold Tangerines which I spoke of on Monday, has so many gems in each of her pieces. I want to soak up every word that she writes, and yet sometimes, I can only take it in small doses, like really good quality chocolate. She's one of my favourite Christian authors that truly writes from the heart.

Many of my favourite lines and pieces of Niequist's work can't be taken out of context without reading the whole paragraph or story, but the quote above is one of my favourite stand-alone pieces. The quote is from the book that I own, Cold Tangerines. I created a little print of it using a photo from one of my summer adventures. Feel free to save it as an image for your desktop - simply open the image in a new tab to get the photo at the full size before saving to your desktop or background. It's a freebie from me to you!

I've had the rest of Shauna's books in my Amazon wish list forever. This is one of the first years that I've been trying to be more careful with my online spending, and my wish list is suffering a bit. With the baby on the way, I've been less self indulgent. Dan and I are both big readers: we used to place an Amazon book order at least once a month, sometimes every payday. I miss those days, but it simply means that when I do receive a new book in the mail, it's even more special. I think it may be time to place an order soon!

I hope that you're having a lovely weekend, spending time with your loved ones and avoiding stress as much as possible. I know that my to-do list seems to grow larger by the day, but I'm trying to stay focused on enjoying the little things, and Niequist's quote is a great reminder. We have friends coming over for lunch that we haven't gotten to see in almost a month, so I'm going to take the time to light some candles this evening, do a little tidying, and get as much food prep done as I can so we can get our meal on the table after church tomorrow with as little strain as possible. School and work can wait: I want to enjoy these moments, as they are what I'll remember a year from now, not assignment #4365.

Happy weekend!

Little Lentil : 35 Weeks

Right not on track! Today I'm 36 weeks, but I'm still running a week behind with my pregnancy post updates. Without further adieu, here's what week 35 was all about!

Here's what's new for this week:

Week: Thirty-five

What's going on inside: This little baby is a strong one! Sometimes their movements make me gasp. Their kidneys are fully developed, and their liver is now able to process waste. Back in the days when I first started feeling movement, they had a routine: certain times of the day they were active, and at other points, they stayed still. Over the past month or two, though, they've been active at all points of the day without much of a pattern. According to the experts, now that my belly is significantly larger, the skin is stretching: the amount of light that the baby can now see will help them to start having a sleep cycle once more. 

What's going on outside: I'm feeling quite large, lol. I've been more tired lately - my favourite afternoons usually involve a nap. I've been using an all-natural, local belly butter from Anointment (which smells incredible!) in an effort to keep stretch marks at bay, and I've been pretty faithful with the application. Unfortunately, I've always been prone to stretch marks and scarring (the curse of being pale!) so I have still developed some. At least it's totally worth it! Give me a stretch mark any day if it means a little baby in my arms at the end.

How big is that lentil? The baby is weighing in at about 5.5 pounds now.

Total weight loss/gain: I've been terrible at tracking my weight over the past month or so, but I've been gaining at a proper rate. I don't think I've gained much (maybe a pound or two?) since my last doctor's appointment. I'll find out tomorrow at my obstetrician appointment!

Food cravings: No cravings - although I hadn't had much protein last week. I went out for lunch with my mom and brother, and was drawn to all of the vegetarian options, but I forced myself to have something with a little more substance. Let me tell you, that burger and salad was delicious! :)

Best moment this week: Sometimes Dan will be reading or watching TV and I'll be napping beside him and he can see and feel the baby moving lots, even though I'm asleep! I love the fact that they're having a little bonding time without me involved. It's adorable to picture.

Happy Wednesday!

The Pre-Baby Design Sale

It's April 1st - hope that you didn't get fooled by anyone! I hope that it means that spring is just around the corner. (Although I doubt it - we've been pounded with freezing rain for the past three days and it doesn't seem as though it will let up any time soon.)

With the baby countdown now at less than four weeks, I'm putting a drive on to get all of my loose ends tied up. As a special discount, I'm offering two design specials for the next week, both advertised here on Polka Dot Soup, as well as my personal Facebook profile. This is a special incentive for family and friends, and also to beef up the design work in my web portfolio.

The two sales that I am offering are a custom blog header design for $30 and a Facebook cover quote for $10 (see the image above for more information.) If you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to contact me at the e-mail address listed above. I would love to hear from you!

Happy Tuesday!