Words: Joy Kusek Quote.

Beautiful Quote Found via Ché and Fidel.

Baby Joelee

My daughter turned three weeks old as of yesterday. She's been such a good baby, but she seems so much older than three weeks--she holds her head up, rolls over, and moves where she pleases. Plus, she looks like a little woman with all that hair.

1 week2 weeks 3 weeks

I'm a Mom!

On Monday I delivered my daughter Joelee by emergency c-section (everything is okay--her heart rate was dropping because she was under some stress because I was going through labor too quickly). She was 8lbs. 10oz., 20 inches long, and has a beautiful head of hair already. We're home and recovering, and I'm hoping to start another batch of artists to feature really soon. Thanks to everybody for the well wishing--we're so happy she's here safe and sound.

I'm Still Waiting.

One last photo of my pregnant belly (taken today).

I go into the hospital a little after midnight Monday morning to have my water broke, so hopefully I'll be a mom before Tuesday. Just trying to get a few things done around the house and with The Gallivanting Girl before Joelee arrives. Wish me luck.

Here's an article on Renoir that I found interesting.

In that same magazine on page 21 is a little blip about a man whose Hereford herd brought in a ton of money at a dispersal sale. Quite impressive even by today's standards, and that was back in 1937!

One of my favorite things.

I love anything from the past--books of course are my weakness. Since my house is overflowing with books, I was elated when I found books.google.com a few years back. It is a search engine with tons of books available for full view--many of which you can download and read as a .pdf file. My favorites are the photography magazines (such as the Photographic Times--whose editions start in the late eighteen hundreds and end in the early nineteen hundreds), and a new addition to their site Life Magazine (starting in the mid-thirties to the early seventies). There are also lots of wonderful novels (featuring a lot of the classics) and poetry to peruse. Also I've found a lot of nonfiction books dealing with agriculture and housekeeping that are a lot of fun to browse. So if you have some extra time I highly suggest taking a look around that search engine--I know I don't get a lot of things done because I end up over there for hours. Not so bad when you're just waiting around to go into labor (which, by the way, I've been trying to keep my mind off of for a while). It's hard to stay focused when the doctor tells you it could be at any time and then NOTHING HAPPENS. Alas, I'll just keep myself busy working on little things that need to be done and let nature take its course. I hope everybody has a wonderful weekend!! Oh and please be sure to tell me what you think of books.google.com--I hope you like it as much as I do.From a 1936 Life MagazineFrom Cyclopedia of Farm Animals (1922)

From The Photographic Times (1905)

Quite the Shock.

Seems like just yesterday I was reading this test, and now...

I had a routine doctor's appointment yesterday and they checked to see if I was dilated and where the baby was positioned. The doctor was just as shocked as I was when he felt that I was already 2 centimeters dilated, solid zero station (meaning she's not floating around but is engaged in my pelvis), and my cervix was very soft--he told me to make an appointment for next week, but he said I'd probably see him before then. We might be meeting our baby earlier than the due date.

I figured he'd say "Oh, you've not started to change much, but you've got plenty of time." At the same time, I knew she'd changed position because my belly disappeared overnight, and I was feeling quite a bit of pressure. Just never would've imagined that I could be close to giving birth. Today I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my body continues to change nice and smoothly and active labor starts in the next couple of days.

So, if you don't hear from me for a bit--I'm bringing another life into this world, but I've got lots more amazing artists to show you when I get back. Keep me in your thoughts!!

Busy Past Couple of Days.

A spiderweb that I found one lovely, misty morning.

We've been busy--nowhere near a computer--but today I'm back. I'm loving this autumn weather. Cool, crisp mornings--lots of dew. Makes me realize how close my due date is because it doesn't feel like summer anymore. The twenty-second can't get here fast enough. Being a mom is a dream I didn't know if I'd ever accomplish, and now ,here it is right around the corner. I've got lots of plans still brewing. I've got another batch of etsy artists written down that I'm going to ask permission of to feature their work. This time they are painters instead of photographers. I'm loving the inspiration I've been getting from exploring others' shops. I've got a whole list of ideas of where I want to go next with The Gallivanting Girl and how I hope things will work out. I guess I better head over to etsy and get to writing this next batch of artists.

I've also got some posts to put up of some neat things I've found on other writers' blogs, so stay tuned for that. Oh, and wish me luck--as you know, by 37 weeks pregnant, I guess I could go at any time. That's a scary yet wonderful thought at the same time.

Thoughts on Books and Other News.

So, as of today I have exactly one month until my due date. Tomorrow I have a regularly scheduled doctor appointment and after that I go every week to see him until the baby comes. It just seems like nine months has flown by. Last night I worked on getting stuff ready to be packed for the hospital and holding the little baby clothes really made it hit home--I'm going to be a mommy. It's amazing how life changes and it just puts you in awe.

Now, on to the thoughts I've been having while reading My Small Country Living by Jeanine McMullen (which I've finished) and Made from Scratch by Jenna Woginrich (which I'm almost finished with). I really appreciate these women for not sugar coating what a lot of other small-holdings/homesteading type books do...the realities of livestock and agriculture. When you have livestock you learn that death is inevitable. Many of the "How-to" books out there make country living and creating a small farm out to be a walk in the park. Reading those kind of books and then being handed the realities of gardening and livestock would make a person feel like a failure. These women in their books aren't afraid of exposing their mistakes and failures in order for their readers to know that it's okay. Accidents, diseases, and problems abound on a farm, but even at the roughest times you still can't imagine doing anything else--I think that shows in their writings too.

I came across Jenna's book because of her blog--coldantlerfarm.blogspot.com--she's young like me, but that hasn't stopped her drive or ambition to do what she wishes. I'm in the same boat--although I grew up on a farm with livestock and a huge garden--I'm trying to make a go of a small farm on my own now. She's an inspiration because when I read her blog I realize that I'm not the only person out there with these crazy goals and dreams.

Jeanine's book I happened on by accident at a Half Price Bookstore (my weakness is the Clearance section). I'd never heard of her, but she apparently is an Australian born English woman who bought a farm on a whim and then proceeded to plod her way through turmoil and almost defeat only to get her own country living radio program back in the eighties. I found her life to be quite fascinating.

I definitely recommend both books--I haven't been able to put them down since I started reading them.

Five weeks to go, but holy cow...

I've been feeling SO good here lately--like I can take on the world, but all at once this baby has me feeling nauseous again, with woozy spells, achy belly...it's like a time warp back to about six months ago. I feel so guilty for taking it easy because I have so much that I want to do to this house, the blog, The Gallivanting Girl, everything--but instead I find myself laying on my left side on the couch because that's apparently the only way she and I are both comfortable.

I know I shouldn't feel bad about relaxing for the baby's sake, it's just hard to slow down. Then again, if I was to keep going I'm sure I'd be in the hospital with premature labor and I definitely do NOT want that. So...if you don't hear from me for a bit it's because I'm listening to the wants of this little girl inside me and taking it as easy as possible. Soon enough I'll be a mommy and life will change again.

I'm going to lay down now. Wish me luck.

We're Having a GIRL!!

My wishes came true. We're having a little girl (as per the ultrasound technician's guess anyway). I'm really excited. I've been so busy just trying to keep up with this house and normal stuff (you get tired so easy, who knew), that my blogging and business endeavor's have been hurt a bit.


Just a quick thought on some plans for the nursery. We're going to be putting barnwood on one wall of the room for sure.

I want some kind of unique, industrial type, lighting--like this one from pottery barn kids, I believe. Plenty of art, old photographs, and shelves on the walls for nature finds. I want the paint on the walls to look old--so I think I'll either paint the walls a light turquoise and then put some dark turquoise in the corners and leech them out into the room to give it an aged effect, or try to mimic this:
A turquoise color with a light brown aging somehow. I think this came from Ann Wood's blog. Otherwise I just want a room that is enfused with Science, History, Agriculture, Art, Nature, and Heroes and Heroines. A kid's room where they can dream. We'll see what we end up with.

Sorry for the lack of updates--it's been busy.

I ended up with one painting in the show--there was a lot of competition this year. I'm just really happy I got something in. It was a painting of a nude seated figure with a good sense of light. I'm going down to campus tomorrow to pick it up as well as a painting I bought off of another student. She painted an amazing picture of a green glass jug with lots of blues and blue greens--I'm going to hang it in the baby's room. While I'm down there I'm going to stop at the stockyards where I used to work to visit with everybody.

The garden is doing GREAT--everything is growing! So far there are two types of tomatoes, two types of peppers, cucumbers, onions, spinach, lettuce, zucchini, strawberries, red and black raspberries, grapes, peaches, and apples. I still need to plant some pumpkin seed, green beans, peas, and carrots. I am really looking forward to all that fresh produce.

For Mother's Day my husband got his mother and me a goat each. They are both meat goat cross whethers and they are about 9 months old. The place where he got them only had them on hay and grass so they are skinny, but I'm working on that. They were bottle babies so they are very tame. This gets me started on goat practice, so maybe by next year I'll have a few dairy nannies to tell stories about.

We took my last steer to the locker last Monday. He weighed 1,420 pounds which is very good gain considering about nine months ago he only weighed 400 pounds. This steer we sold as freezer beef. The other steer (that we took in about a month ago) we kept for our own freezer. He weighed 1,290 pounds and was a very nice steer too. Brown Swiss make very good animals all around. The steers are easy to fatten, the cows are excellent mothers and milkers, and they are a very hardy and sweet dispositioned breed. They are very calm and naturally tame. I can't praise them enough. The only problem is that they are hard to find anymore. They don't milk the volume of the Holstein (although because of their hardiness they can be milked longer), and they don't have the butter fat of the Jersey (but they are a bigger animal so they have more potential for freezer meat). So now I'm Brown Swiss-less for a while. I'll probably get a couple again next summer (when the freezer starts getting low). Someday I'd like to raise a couple pasture cows in order to get the breed going down here in Greene County. Just another goal to add to the list.

I've been having morning sickness again these past few weeks (note the lack of posts), but I feel pretty good today. I figured it's because my hormones are spiking to another level--but at any rate it hasn't been much fun. Gotta just push through though--can't let it stop me--I've got too much to do.

I've promised my husband that I wouldn't bring home any chicks, ducklings, poults, or goslings until June, so I've only got a month before I get to start bringing home the re-start of our homestead flock. Also in June I get to finally have an ultrasound which will let me see what this bump growing in my belly really looks like. I'm really looking forward to it. They should be able to see whether or not it's a girl or boy too.

I've got to go let the goats graze for a bit in the pasture. I'll try to write more later.

Quick update of the past few days...

I spent all day yesterday with my mom. It was great--we went gallivanting in the rain into the valleys of Greene County which she had no idea existed, and which secretly are part of the reason I love this place so much. We stopped at Dinky's for a moment, but I saw too many things that I knew I would bid on, so we just came home. I sold a bunch of my work to her, so she's now my best customer, and life is a little better knowing some money is coming to me.

On Wednesday I went down to the University in order to get some works ready to submit to their annual juried student art show. This is the last time I'm eligible, so I'm a nervous wreck about getting in. I matted work from 12-6:30, and by the time I got home I had blisters on my feet because they were so swollen (thanks to the kid that's inside me), and I had a heck of a time getting my socks off my oversized feet. Needless to say Thursday was a resting day.

The painting professor was a life saver though, she went out of her way to help me make sure my paintings got into the show. Heck if it wasn't for her I wouldn't have even known that the show was next week. She is somebody all professors should strive to be. An amazing teacher, role model, and above all friend to all the students that are in the art program. If she only knew how much she meant to me these past few semesters.

That brings me to today--I think I'm going to venture up to the studio today and ATTEMPT to tidy it a bit in order to maybe paint with some acrylics next week. The Rosie painting is asking to be painted whether it's a girl in my belly or not. So I'll let you know how that goes. Plus, the gallery opening is on Tuesday so wish me luck on getting something into the show!

Projects to do if this kid is a GIRL...

I know it's selfish, but secretly I'm hoping this little rolling, tiny ball inside me is female. Not because I think little boys are gross and dirty--because, believe me, I DO NOT want a girlie-girl. I want a rough-and-tumble tomboy who is an all American Farm Girl like I was. No I think the reason I want a girl is mostly to decorate her room. If this kid is a boy I'm going to be clueless on how to make a cool 'boy's room'--BUT--I have tons of ideas for a really neat 'girl's room'--for instance:

I found this project on Two Brunettes' Blog:



Easy enough--just a butterfly punch and magazines to punch from and a frame to put them in when you've punched enough of them--quite a statement.

The second project is to paint yet another "Rosie the Riveter" (since I gave the first one I did to a friend) because I feel it's important to let your kid know from an early age that they can do ANYTHING they can dream of if they just push themselves--to see my monochromatic original "Rosie" painting that I did scroll down a few posts below this one.

Second Trimester and a Chance to Refocus

This is a painting I did of Rosie the Riveter

I always liked the slogan "We Can Do It!"

It helps remind me that

I can make this business, and

my dreams work as long as I keep moving forward.

Next week will push me into the second trimester--I'm already a third of the way through this pregnancy! With the end of my first trimester I'm hoping there will also be an end to the fatigue, nausea, and the overall blah feeling. I've got to get refocused and start moving forward again. I've sort of slowed to a snail's pace since I've gotten pregnant, but now that I'm feeling human again I've got to speed back up.

First, is getting out of this house and gallivanting to small towns and such like I said I was going to. Second, is to get more things listed on etsy, AND get my name out there for people to see. Third, is to continue to blog on here and let all of you know what I'm up to.