life in the igloo

Sunshine and Awkwardness.

Well, I've been busy these past few months settling in to our new life here, and working on making new life. 

Calliope arrived on the 30th of November and she is everything I thought she'd be and so much more. She fits right in and she is the sweetest little thing I've ever seen. She sleeps a lot and keeps me more sane than I thought I could be with a newborn and a 4 year old at home. Emmett is a stellar helper and loves his little sister unconditionally-it is beautiful to see.

This year is shaping itself up to be a good one, with weddings and travel and a more solid base to call home and a business that is finally beginning to feel like it will make it. We shall see, but we all have our fingers crossed. 

It is sunny and sometimes snowy here in this California Winter. You can drive up the mountain and play in the snow, and still have beautiful warm days to play outside. This still boggles my midwestern mind, but I'll take it. 

So, here's to good things and new things and old friends and new friends. 

Etsy-wise, my shops are waiting to take off as I slowly work to redo them, hoping they will really come into their own as I devote more time to them this year.

The love in our funny little rental house, it is palpable. Even on days when we are grumpy or sad, it is still with us. Money is very tight and the stress isn't hiding, but the love keeps it from eating us. There is warmth here where love lives.

Some more recent outtakes:

 

<3 <3 <3

Three Months.

Here's what happened...

 

We went to The Easter Party (Marshall, NC)

 

 

 

Then, we drove south to Savannah, Ga for a quick tool-fetching trip and to see old friends. 

 

 

 

 

Then, we drove West.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We arrived. (finally)

 

 

We resumed life, and spent time with family.

 

 

 

 

We witnessed a solar eclipse. 

 

 

 

We went hiking. (Pinecrest Lake, Ca)

 

 

 

 

 

We found Home.

 

 

 

That's about it. 

April-July has been a huge blur of uncertainty and stress and love and excitement and awesome and life.  We now have a western home in the pines, and although it may not be ours in name, we are growing to love it.  I am 20 weeks pregnant and feeling good, Emmett is becoming an even more amazing little boy day by day, and my husband is creating a great little business and loving working from home.  

I have been struggling to keep from drowning in the long list of to-dos, and the blog has suffered. This week I have finally hit my procrastination overload and decided to attack everything, you know, do ALL the things.

So here I am.  On Sunday I leave for Indiana, where I go to fix up an old home and finish packing its contents, and then bring them here to us.  I miss the cats.  

I'm thinking I might be getting rid of more than I thought.

Living with the bare necessities but being well fed and happy is a pretty amazing and freeing thing.  I will be very VERY happy to sleep in our own bed and not on an air mattress.  However, so much of our 'stuff' just seems burdensome to me.  I am so ready to let go of so much.  

It's all new, it's happening, etc. etc. e.

Let's enjoy it.

<3

 

all images © Kerri R. Klein 2012, all rights reserved

 

 

Today was Good. Today was Fun.

Today I had a new hair experience, spent time with my favorite boys, and met with our accountant.  Life seems to be focusing in and readying itself for the Big Change. 

The move is coming April 2nd.  I will try to blog our epic road trip through Savannah, Asheville for Easter and then west to California, where we will settle in to our new and different life with good things and even better people.  

In the meantime, here's our past couple weeks or so:

 

An old haunt, now derlict.

 

 

Exploring the capital on a cold February day.

 

 

 

 

 

Sitting in a Broad Ripple late afternoon parking lot.

 

Dinner table shenanigans.

 

The Children's museum on a Sunday.

 

A rainy day at home.

 

What's in there, anyway?

 

Early morning dreams.

 

Oh what a time it was.  Preserve your memories, etc.  

<3

 

<3

Emmett, after I made hot cocoa today:
"I love you, mommy."
Me: "Do you love me because I made you hot cocoa, or because I'm you're mommy?"
E: (thinks about it) "Because you're my mommy."

Best. Valentine. Ever.

A Review.

 

Today I...

• Slept in
• Washed a LOT of dishes
• Inhaled my coffee
• Paid a pile of bills
• Made chocolate chip cookies
• Cleaned up legos
• Danced with my 3 year old in the kitchen
• Managed to convince everyone it was pizza night 2 nights early
• Put new batteries in the comphibious(sic) remote control car
• Got some inspiration from the internet
• Made plans for a late night creative studio fix

Can't wait for tomorrow. ;)

Some flashes from the past week-ish:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

<3

Baby Steps.

I am feeling very What About Bob as I trudge through this week, reminding myself that at least it's better than last year.

You see, I had big plans to make this holiday selling season on Etsy run smoothly and to get everything done before the busy month of November.  Now, here I am, listing and making, and I'm nowhere near done.  Whoops.

It is an improvement over last year, and this year I am truly keeping two shops fully stocked, so there's that.  You do what you can.

In this current financial environment that so many are in with us, it is important to remember every day what we are really here for.  Loving your family, keeping their needs met and enjoying your time on the planet together are at the top of my list, even if on crazy days I have to remind myself repeatedly.  

The delicate balance of running your own little business or other stresses needs to not take over, to not impact the day to day awesome opportunity to be together all day long.  These times with my son will pass, and I will miss them.

The rest will fall into place, as it tends to.  

 

 

Monday Recovery.

After an insane and nerve-wracking weekend, things are finally getting back to normal crazy around here.

Yesterday my son ate poisonous berries.  If any other parents have been through the Poison Control rigamarole, I'm sure they can understand the panic and adrenaline that was racing around our house yesterday.  We opted to stay out of the emergency room but take him in the second we noticed any change, since the hospital is right down our street.  It turned out that he hadn't munched on the poisonous part of the plant(a yew bush) and never had any symptoms or sickness.  I am still on edge and have that want-to-cry-but-can't feeling running around in my body, unable to get out.  

After all we have done to fight and keep him well, I felt like I had failed him.  I was just letting him play in our 'safe' back yard while I did some yard work.  The guilt part, that is the tough part to reckon with.

All children will get themselves into a pickle on occasion.  They'r e little humans and humans were born to be imperfect and make bad decisions now and them, even with proper guidance.  He'd had the 'bad berry' talk.  I really do think part of it was rebellion, and he just didn't unserstand the repurcussions.  Oh, my strong and feisty and independently awesome kid.  I love him so much.

I don't think the answer is lockdown.  We can't hide our children away from the world.  We just have to give them the tools and teach them the best we can and let them go.  I just have to kep telling myself this, even now in the face of fear and anxiety.

Today, we recover.  Today, we do new and aweosme things to celebrate this life we all live, these moments that are so fleeting. Etc. etc.

<3

 

Emmett, 6 mos., June 2009

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anxiety and Buzzy Brain Syndrome...

Lately, all of the change has my brain on a feedback loop of background noise.  Each day I start out with a clear goal, and then watch it melt. 

I need to start paying attention to the little triumphs, and just keep building them into something larger. 

I need to make more lists.  Even if I never look at them. They help sort my brain.

I need to take 1/2 hour to myself with no people and no internet and no outside noise, every day.

I need to let go and stop trying to completely control this gradual process of leaving and moving and shifting, and just plan for it and hang in there. 

I need less coffee and more tea. 

I need to remember that it's ok to have an off day now and then, it is part of it all.

:::breathe:::

 

 

Sunday Morning.

Biscuits, family, coffee, love.

<3

 

Notebook flotsam.

"I want someone who is not afraid of me...
I want someone who is not afraid on himself."
-Ani DiFranco

I continually mourn the deaths of people who don't exist outside the space between my earlobes.
I had a dream that I was in high school and dating the lead singer of the Violent Femmes, who was secretly Hyde from That 70's Show on television.
Getting on a plane would be a nice adventure right now, but I'd need Lloyd Dobler to kiss me when the no smoking light came on.

(circa spring 2001)