Tie-dye Creations

Here is a sampling of some of the one-of-a-kind tie-dye art created by our friends and family at the baby celebration! Twenty-five onesies were customized at the party, and we love them all! (Our child will either love us or hate us for this...hopefully we'll be forgiven! Tie-dye makes us smile, and I'm guessing spit-up stains will be a cinch to hide!)

By the way, Matt and Angela captured some great photos of the party on their blog, too. Check out the link to their site on the right...

Baby Celebration

Earlier this month, Cathy and Ken hosted a very fun, very relaxed gathering of some of our closest family and friends to celebrate the upcoming arrival of our baby. We had a great time, and we'd like to thank those of you who were able to attend for creating such a great day for us.

My sister and her husband drove up from San Diego. Aunt Julie and Uncle Dave have already started to spoil their first niece or nephew to-be!

It was a beautiful day, so we spent a lot of time enjoying the backyard.

(Pam, Jennifer, Trevor, and Cathy soaking up the sun....)

Getting down and dirty tie-dying onesies!

Later in the day, we were coaxed into opening gifts...We were definitely "showered" despite our protests! Thank you all for your kindness and generosity!

Grampa Kenny and Nana Cathy had fun selecting an ice cream cake for the celebration. The decorations featured an outdoor theme with a baby in a canoe. The caption on the side of the cake read "May the Forest Be With You." Perfect for our little family!

The Nursery

Yes, it's true we are a little preoccupied with baby business of late. I promise, we will return to our normal selves (as much as is possible!!) once we have adjusted to the newness of starting a family. In the meantime, bear with us! We are both downright giddy with excitement...Here is the progress we've made on Baby's room thus far.

The crib. (Thank you Nana Cathy and Grandpa Kenny! We love you!)

A little homespun decor...a creative effort between Jason and myself, with a grateful nod to the Goddess of Homemaking, Ms. Martha, of course, for the toadstool idea.

\
A Jason original...ditto for the kindly serpent above.

Latest Ultrasound

I'm a little behind here on the blog...I will post some new pictures this coming weekend, but for now, I just have a few quick updates...

Baby's arrival is fast approaching! Feeling excited and a little overwhelmed, to be honest! We are now at 29 and a half weeks. That means in roughly 11 weeks, life in the Hart household will be dramatically different! We just had an ultrasound on Friday, the first since week 12, and according to our OB, everything looks quite normal. The baby is in the breech position with his/her legs in a jack-knifed situation, but the doctor says this is not atypical, and there is plenty of time for the baby to move into the correct position. (jack-knifed meaning the legs are folded against the body such that the feet are in front of the face) Obviously, we'll be monitoring this situation as we get closer to birth time, and I have started concentrating on some specific yoga exercises that help "turn" the baby. By the way, this kind of explains the appearance of my belly...instead of a big round basketball, I seem to be carrying "low" because the bulk of the baby's body is at or below my bellybutton...

Jason and I couldn't help but notice how prominent is our baby's nose! The OB explained that the ultrasound picks up cartilage more clearly than fat and skin, and the face will fill out quite a bit more before birth, but WOW! That was the most distinct feature we could see other than the heartbeat, which was equally strong and clear! The doctor suggested she has a pretty good idea of the baby's gender, but we declined learning that information! All bets are still on, folks!

The huge trail construction project that Jason has been concentrating on all summer is finally complete! It was down to the wire to beat the snow, so he was working some very long hours through the weekends and furlough days for a few weeks, but life can now settle back into a normal routine. He deserves some much needed rest, and I think the plan is to enjoy some time off through the holidays. Yay!

Due to circumstances beyond my control, my last day of work is December 16th, a bit earlier than I had planned, but so it goes in a tough economy....Jason and I will enjoy the time alone together and of course, continue preparing for the arrival of the baby.

As is tradition, we will be heading to Grandma Helen's house in Sacramento for Thanksgiving dinner...

Cheers to a great holiday everyone!

Love,
N

Halloween at Driftwood Farm

We just returned from a whirlwind visit to the coast. We didn't have enough time to visit everyone and all of the places we would have liked, but we did have a great time celebrating Halloween at Driftwood Farm, Angela and Matt's cozy abode! This was the first ever Halloween Party at Driftwood Farm, and I have to say, I think it should be an annual event! (wink-wink, nod-nod) I'm not sure which was more fun, setting up or the party itself! Thanks again, Mateo and Angela!

Laura and Andrew at the carving station. This was the first jack-o-lantern Andrew had ever carved! Good thing we were able to repair that tragedy before he moves back to Australia!

Pumpkins courtesy of Driftwood Farm!


Jason helping create a spooky ambiance...

Last minute interpretation of Mother Earth

Mullet Man-The Nascar Fan
and The Man Who Doesn't Know What He Did Last Summer

Tina and Angela...ladies of the Wild West

Laura and Peter singing into the wee hours of the night

Foliage and Fences

The fall color is at the peak of its glory in the Sierra right now! We haven't had time to view the aspens in the high country, but everyone says the color is spectacular this year. The few scattered aspens at our elevation will be a bit more showy in a week or two. In the meantime, the oaks, big leaf maples, and dogwoods have created an amazing patchwork of color amidst the background of conifers. It's truly breathtaking!

My dad was here a couple of weekends ago and was kind enough to let me photograph him enjoying the foliage. We had a great visit, but he ended up working quite a bit while he was here even though that wasn't our intention! He gave Jason a radial saw that he no longer needed, and Jason immediately started planning the first project he would complete with his new toy. They both became excited about a carpentry adventure, and before I could blink, Dad and Jason had joined forces on a fence project between our house and the neighbor's. The old, decrepit fence was deconstructed, lumber was salvaged, and together they designed and erected a brand new fence. It looks great, we have a larger side yard, and they seemed to really enjoy the project! They were having so much fun, I practically had to force them to stop for meal breaks! It's the first time they've worked together, and their work styles were very complimentary. Great minds think alike, I guess!

Goodnight Moon, Hello Little One

Today, I actually saw the baby kicking for the first time! Jason and I have been taking turns reading the bedtime story Goodnight Moon to the baby for the past few weeks. Jason reads in the morning, and I usually read at night. This morning, after Jason left for work, the baby was particularly active. Knowing the little one was awake for certain, I decided to read the story again. The kicks became far more prominent, and I could see my belly move each time I felt a kick! It was incredible! The baby was actually responding to my voice, so I read the story three more times...very surreal, and needless to say, I'm on a Mama-high right now! I posted a link to an animated reading of Goodnight Moon in the sidebar, in case anyone's feeling nostalgic...

Steak, Bacon, and Beer

Matt and Andrew just spent a few days here in the Sierras with us. It was an official "Guy's Weekend" so I did my best to stay out of the way. (To my credit, I did not once remind anyone to eat vegetables, but I did call Angela at one point for a little play-by-play and feminine perspective!)

It was great to see Matt and Andrew, and they were awesome house guests, as always. I know Jason loved having a few days with the guys. From the sidelines, I'd say they had a relaxing weekend. Two rounds of golf, a camping trip, a steak dinner, three packages of bacon, and of course, a few good brews...'nuff said!

And they say women always pack too much! (Sorry guys, couldn't resist!)

Camping at Utica Lake

Gardening Shame

While we were in San Francisco, we missed the first snowfall at our house. It was a mere dusting that melted almost immediately, but it was a serious reminder that winter is literally on our doorstep.

The garden typically has a tired and haggard appearance in early autumn. As I look out the window, I realize it looks down right pathetic this year. For the first time ever, I allowed the critters to triumph. I raised the flag of surrender over a month ago and abandoned the garden to take on the far easier task of deconstructing the guest bedroom to convert it into a nursery for the baby. Had I not this diversion, the story would have had a different ending. The battle would still be raging, and I would be a sad shadow of a woman-a crazed lunatic rooting around in the soil, muttering to myself, pausing only occasionally to unleash violent, curse-laden tirades against the gophers and other rodents molesting the garden.

I needed a far more peaceful summer this year, and by the grace of the Great Mother, there is still a fair amount of plants standing in the garden, albeit hanging on for dear life, and they do now require my attention to prepare them for winter.

Although there were a few hopeful green tomatoes and peppers hanging on the vine, I cleared the entire veggie garden just before our trip to the city. With the exception of a few asters and our native California fuchsias which are still in bloom, all of the herbaceous perennials have been cut back. I've collected seed from all of the annuals, and the spent plants have been transferred to the compost pile.

I still need to mulch all of the roses and tender perennials that are in the ground, and the big job ahead is moving all of the plants in ceramic pots into the garage for the winter. The ceramic will crack with the freezing and thawing of snow, and the majority of the plants I have growing in those containers are not winter hardy. (I just can't let go of some of my tropical favorites!)

I'm actually looking forward to an early winter so that I can hide my shame under a thick blanket of snow...Will someone please remind me of this next spring when I'm begging the snow to melt, and I'm obsessively sprouting seeds prematurely, eager for another season of gardening to begin?

A persistent rose blossom...

Eastern Redbud 'Forest Pansy'

Fiddles, Banjos, and Thai Food

Jason and I just completed our fourth pilgrimage to the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. This was the 9th annual HSB festival, and for better or worse, the event has become more popular than ever! (We skipped last year to go instead on a camping trip/fall foliage tour of the Eastern Sierra...)

The three day festival is free, and the musical line-up is unbelievable, so it draws insanely huge crowds. It was estimated that over 500,000 people attended this year! (There were reports of a few Woodstock flashbacks!) In years past, the crowd was overwhelmingly friendly and down-to-earth, but we did encounter a few rude folk for the first time ever this year. There was a small handful of people who were clearly there because it's the hip place to be, and they weren't at all interested in the musicians. I'm a purist when it comes to good music, so I was rather annoyed and a bit disappointed by this aspect. Overall, the crowd was kind and enthusiastic, and the music was incredible, which more than compensated for the cramped conditions and a few impolite neighbors...

There are six stages and over 80 bands at the festival. The musical line-up includes traditional folk, gospel, indie-rock, blues, neo-folk, and of course, good old-fashioned, true-bluegrass! We usually claim a spot at the main stage, The Banjo Stage, and take turns circulating the other venues so that we can catch as many acts as possible. This year the crowd was too big to navigate through quickly and easily, so we planted ourselves under the big banjo and enjoyed two full days of mostly serious bluegrass. (with a little Gillian Welch, Emmylou Harris, and Old Crow Medicine Show tossed in for good measure!)

Day One at The Banjo Stage.
We decided the baby loves bluegrass music, too. I usually only feel movement late at night or early in the morning, but there was a party going on in my belly all day long! (unless the kicks were in protest, and we're actually having a child who loves rap or death metal...YIKES!)

Gillian Welch, Emmylou Harris, and Old Crow Medicine Show performing "The Weight"

We were much closer to the stage on Day Two. This is the legendary Earl Scruggs, still picking a mean banjo at the age of 86!

A sea of bluegrass fans at the main stage...Hippies and hillbillies as far as the eye could see! (including those of us whose spirits are touched with a little bit of both) Something about fiddles, banjos, and that high lonesome sound speaks to the heart of a wide ranging audience!

We also had a fun visit with Cathy and Ken, aka Nana Cathy and Grandpa Kenny, who were kind enough to let us stay with them during the festival. (By the way, Ken makes a fierce steak fajita dinner! Yum! Cathy kept us well supplied with homemade toffee cookies for snacking at the festival! Thanks again, guys!) We rounded out the weekend shopping for maternity clothes, and of course, a trip to the city isn't complete without at least one meal at a thai food restaurant. (in my book, anyway!) It was a great weekend! We had our fill of good food and music...Nice to get a little taste of the city, but always lovely to return to our cozy little home in the woods!