Maternity Pictures

Wow.  Just realized that I never shared any of the maternity pics that Corey and I took at 33 weeks.  I think I was caught up in editing pictures for clients and then I just kinda forgot that I had them!  Since we are still waiting on baby Granderson I will share them now:  (my husband is a great photographer!)

 a little tripod action so that we could both be in the photo:

40 Weeks pregnant

   Woo-hoo!  We have made it to the end ... or at least it is very near.  I used to think the day would never come.  The days and weeks have flown by this fall.  It's hard for me to believe!

  How am I feeling?  So far, so good...  I was on eggshells last week just knowing that the wee babe would come early.  This week I've given up and I'm just going to go ahead and go on with life until the big event.  I've had 2 days over the weekend where I kinda got a little down and discouraged, but I really don't want to be miserable for however many days it takes for baby G. to get here.  That's no way to live.  I have busied myself with a craft to-do list and I have been having the time of my life making things!  For real.  I have been beavering.  [beaver- verb: to work very hard or industriously at something]  I feel like this is the first time in my life where for 2.5 weeks I have been able to do WHATEVER I want!  I have no obligations.  I sleep when I'm tired.  I eat when I'm hungry.  My list of things to do is all fun things that I have always wished I had time to do!  I have also been enjoying myself: hanging out with friends, going to the movies, going out to eat, and doing walking club with Corey.  (Corey and I walk everyday at lunch... we were doing 1 mile and now we've up'ed it to 2.)  Here are a few pics from walking club this week.  I've had to make some wardrobe accommodations since it's 20 degrees outside and I can no longer zip or button any of my coats.  Corey thinks this is funny.

Oh yea, that's snow on the ground.

  I got a few double takes.  (I'm surprised they saw me coming.)

   On another note, it does take a lot of mental energy to stay positive and patient.  : )  The weird thing is that I still feel pretty good.  Which sometimes makes me feel like I may never have this baby... who feels good at 40 weeks, right?  I'm also about to go nuts with all of the phone calls and texts asking if the baby has come yet.  OMGEE.  I cringe when my phone rings or dings and I brace myself for the most creative question ever, "have you had that baby yet?"  ('Yes.  Yes I did.  2 days ago... DANG! I must have forgotten to tell you!')  With any future pregnancies I have decided to not reveal my "due date"... in fact, I may make up a fake one to keep you occupied.  The watched pot never boils my friends.  I promise I am not holding this child back, and I WILL let you know when he or she gets here.  : )

   While we're all waiting, I may try to do a few blogposts on all of the fun crafty things I've been doing.  I try to take pictures step-by-step, but sometimes I get excited and finish the whole craft without taking pics. oops.  Ok... we'll see about those crafts.

Registering....

Today is a big day.  Going to register at Target for baby things.  I have been somewhat dreading this.  I was super excited when it was finally time to register for wedding things, but knowing what I know now... I am aware that this is going to be a difficult decision-making process.  The scary thing is I don't even know what I need... and I am aware of the fact.  I had somewhat of a clue when registering for wedding stuff... but baby stuff is a whole new ball game.  I need a tutorial!  I don't even know what some of these things are, what they do, why I would even want them.  Didn't prairie people just have blankets and some sort of baby-wearing device?  What all is really necessary?  I think I've walked through the baby aisles at Target a dozen times just trying to size this stuff up before "the big day" when I would actually register.  I am doing one smart thing... I'm leaving Corey at home.  Registering for baby stuff together would be like the blind leading the blind.  Kitchen stuff was hard enough.  I also know that he will not be able to withstand how long it will take for me to make each decision.  (my brain runs slower these days)  I am bringing mom along.  She's still in the "know" because she does foster care, so all the new products that weren't around when I was wee-babe don't scare her.  My biggest fear is that come January or February I will regret the decisions I make today.  I still have regrets about wedding registry decisions we made.  For instance, I was a college person so I registered for the cheapest of everything... not realizing that we would need knives that were of better quality than $12.99 and that some adult with a real job who appreciated cooking and knew that we needed nice knives would be willing to spend more than $12.99 to hook me up. I also wish that I had gone behind Corey's back and zapped a waffle iron.  Maybe i will ask for one for Christmas this year... pancakes are getting old.  He claimed that we would inherit his grandmother's waffle iron, but Lindsey (his sister) got married a few months before us and we think she may have gotten to it first.  (not that my brother-in-law would let them eat waffles- ha!  He's kind of a health nut.)  We also completely overlooked a butter dish.  I should probably spend $2.50 and get one today... what has been stopping me?!  Hopefully all goes well.  It's encouraging to know that the baby section is a lot smaller than all of the wedding registering home section.  Not knowing whether or not we're having a boy or girl also helps... everything that is either pink or blue is eliminated and the one yellow duck item is now my only choice.  : )

Growing up!

     I think it's official now, I'm an adult!  HA!  Yesterday I went with my friend Amy and bought big-girl make-up for the first time.  : )  (Yes, I'm 25 years old.)  All of my Wal-mart stuff left over from college finally ran out at the end of this school year.
     Investing in "nice" make-up is quite intimidating.  If Amy hadn't come with me I probably would have retreated after spending 5 minutes in Sephora.  There are WAY too many options.  It's also a big commitment.... financially and whatever product you choose you will use for the next 2-3 years- so you gotta like it!  Normally make-up is not something that I want to spend my hard-earned money on, however I received a nice little (definitely little) end of the year bonus from my teaching job. woo-hoo! I decided it was like the school district saying to me, "Hey, you worked hard as a teacher... why don't you go pamper yourself and get some new make-up!" (and I said, "yes please!")  I also justified it by taking the price of each product and then I considered how many months/years it would last.  Hey, now looking at it from that angle makes it all worth it!
     I am in love with my new stuff!  I got a bare minerals starter-up kit of foundation powder and all the cool brushes.  I also got some new eye shadow, and brace yourself,  LIPSTICK!  ahhh!  I never thought the day would come that I would wear lipstick.  Up until this point I have only worn chapstick like a 5th grader.  :)  haha!  I had fun putting it all on this morning.  The new brushes make me feel like I'm painting.  I actually have more talent now for applying make-up with all of the right tools.
   I know this is all silly, but I think it's all amusing.  This whole being an adult thing is pretty fun.  First it was wanting to hang up some ferns, then I discovered that I was in charge of Corey's wardrobe, and now big-girl make-up!

boo not feeling good

So... it's like 4:30am.  Why am I up?  CAN'T SLEEP!!!  ugh.  This heartburn thing is the worst!  For real.     We had community group tonight and I wondered if anything I ate was going to kill later.  It did.  Even "sleeping" propped up in a sitting position with a ton of pillows I still "woke-up" with heartburn.  BAD.  Bad enough that I got out of bed to come google some natural remedies.  I didn't really find anything.  I wasn't sure which ones were safe for the baby and the others we just don't have here at home.  Over the weekend I got desperate and took a TUMS and then threw it up.  I was desperate again tonight so I went in search of the TUMS and then ended up running to the bathroom to throw-up sans-TUMS.   *side note- I hate throwing up... who does enjoy it though, really?  What in the world is going on?!  I assume my body knows what it's doing because I do feel some relief now, but still!  We are in the second trimester now... why all the yucky?  (especially when there was no yucky in the first trimester.)  I guess I should be very thankful that I am having all of these symptoms and that I "feel" pregnant.  I think I'm already getting practice for nights where I don't get to sleep as well.  : )  I'm wondering how long this phase is going to last though.  This might be the longest 6 months of my life if I don't get some relief.  I'm also thinking how can I be that careful about what and how much I eat from now until December?  I had such a hodge podge of food at group, I don't even know who's to blame for tonight's spell.  Does this mean our child is going to be a picky eater?  Several ladies at school told me that this meant our kiddo is going to have a full head of hair.  (Hopefully this means that they will take after me and it will be blond and curly too ; ).
Alright.  I think I'm going to try to retire and prop myself up somewhere in the house and at least close my eyes.  Good night.

Summer is SO close!!!

I can see the finish line!

I'm so ready to be done!  My job isn't even hard... it's just HAVING to be somewhere everyday in the middle of the day.  : )  I'm not only finishing this school year... but I may be finished teaching all together...?  I'm not returning to teach next year for 2 very good reasons:

#1 I'm going to pursue photography full-time!  woop-woop!  It's been kinda crazy at times trying to balance both school and photography.  There were a couple of weeks where I didn't even get a day off because I taught 5 days during the week and then took pictures at a wedding on Saturday, and then edited all day on Sunday/ had other shoots.

Reason #2- We're having a baby!  Ahhhh!!!  So excited!  We are 13.5 weeks along and the baby is due sometime around December 4th.  Perfect timing if you ask me!  We are looking forward to the new addition to our family and I feel so blessed beyond belief that God has provided a way for me to stay home and raise our young'uns.  ; )

Summer is my absolute favorite time of the year.  This summer I'm looking forward to doing a little nesting- workin' on that baby room!  I have the ambition to create my first ever quilt and I can't wait to get started!  I'm also excited about gardening, lemonade, cooking out... especially at my friends' new homes!, playing mini golf at least once, getting a sno cone, laying out by the pool, going shopping, editing 1,000s of photos from wedding season ;), going to California and the Buffalo river, taking the top off the Jeep, the sun staying out until like 9:00... so many good things to look forward to!

Hopefully I will have the time now to take photos of some of the things that are happening in my own life now, and I will have plenty of things to update on here!
2 more days!!!!  Then it's officially summer!

Restoring a couple of good ole' soles | Dying my Toms

Lately, with all of this warmer weather we've been having, I've been ditching my boots and breaking out the flats.  I usually default to my Toms b/c they are the most comfortable, but I've been embarrassed to wear them this week!  I have the gray ones which are AWESOME looking when they are brand new, but they turn a puke, yucky, faded, gross color over time.  My kids at school have been saying, "Mrs. Granderson... (looking down at my shoes)....(pause)....I like your Toms." [When they say this they are only acknowledging the fact that I have Toms]  Then they say: "what color are they?"

Good question.  I'm not sure what color they are now, which is sad because I'm an art teacher... so I decided it was high time I did something.  Corey and I both agreed that I couldn't mess them up.  Anything would look better than how they looked now.

I spent an hour on the internet and couldn't find anything on the topic.  Not even a youtube video.  Come'on, has nobody tried this and documented it??  I'm sure I'm not the only pioneer, but here is my method using RIT DYE from Walmart.  (It costs like $1) 

I chose black for several reasons:  

1) In theory, it should overpower any other color.  

2) I wouldn't mind having black Toms.  

3) If it fades maybe they will look gray again!    OK... here we Go:

Before Shot.  This doesn't do it justice.  (They only look darker b/c I just washed them  (in the washing machine) and they are wet.  Oh, yea... that's STEP ONE: wash them.

STEP TWO:  Mix up the dye.  I used a 6 quart cooking pot.  I poured in the whole dye packet, filled it about 3/4 the way with hot water, added 3/4 cup salt and then added a tablespoon of dish detergent.  (The instructions are on the Rit Dye box, but I didn't follow them very closely.)

                                                                    
STEP THREE:  apply dye using paintbrush.  I didn't want to fully submerge my shoes because I didn't want to dye the soles or the tags, so I used a paint brush to apply the dye.  Action shot:

                                                  
 Notice the baggies on my hands.  Safety first.  I'm cheap resourceful like that.

STEP FOUR:  Let the dye soak in.... I don't know... say, 20-30 minutes?  (definitely more time if you really want the color to be dark.  In fact, I might even add another coat 1/2 way through.)  Below is a before and after shot... only not in that order.  (the one on the left has been dyed)

                                  
 STEP FIVE:  Rinse them out like the box says with warm water, then cool water, until the water is clear.   STEP SIX:  Wash shoes with laundry detergent.  Soak 20 minutes.  Rinse.

 STEP LAST:  Dry.

Here is the finished product.  They turned back to gray!!!!  This makes me excited.  I wish I had taken a better "before" shot so that you could REALLY see the difference.  Corey can testify.  In conclusion, if you want the color to be darker you may want to let the dye soak in longer and apply more than one coat.  If you are wanting to dye your Toms a color it may only work with white Toms.  In this case I just restored my gray Toms back to gray.

A desire to design

OH. MY. GOODNESS.

I have been in beaver-mode the past 2 days creating designs, templates, and cards in Adobe Illustrator. I am OBSESSED! AND I'm having the time of my life. : )

I have been wanting to dabble in graphic design for a long time, but I have always been really intimidated. However, after going through the process of learning about photography, I feel more empowered to take on graphic design... if i REALLY want to learn graphic design I CAN. It's going to be hard and frustrating at times, but it will be worth it! So... this year I am determined to learn to use Illustrator and hopefully add another facet to my business.

For my birthday I received an Illustrator "how to" book and a wacom bamboo board to draw designs on. LOVE.

Here are a few of the designs that I created yesterday: