::: the privilege and the responsibility :::

http://www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com/

::: Colors of the Rainbow :::

Planning is underway for little one’s nursery. In my recent research I found the below information very informative and helpful, but confusing at the same time. We intended to paint the walls a earth tone buttercup yellow and then paint various birds in a very serene green and serene shade of blue with accents in an earthy brown color, along with a tree in the same brown color. Our thinking being that earth tones are soothing and calming. Here’s what we have found out:

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Color Meaning, Color Psychology & Color Therapy:

Warm Colors

Found on the red side of the color wheel, warm colors have a tendency to communicate warmth, intimacy and relaxation. These colors seem to advance closer to the viewer creating a sense of closeness and comfort. However, intense warm colors such as reds and oranges tend to stimulate and excite the viewer.If your child is warm and affectionate herself and if she loves to read or just relax in her room, you may consider suggesting she base her kid room colors on something from the red side of the color wheel.

Cool Colors

Found on the blue side of the color wheel, cool colors have a calming affect although intensely cool colors (very dark) have a tendency to depress the viewer. Cool colors tend to draw away from the viewer, which is likely why some respond to cool colors with a sense of coolness and reserve. Painting kid rooms, light cool colors such as blue green, light blue, blue-violet and even white have a calming effect and make rooms feel more spacious and elegant.

Earth Tones

Ground colors like grays, browns, and beige (muted yellows) ground you. They are a good choice for hyperactive children, creating a sense of warmth, comfort and relaxation.

Muted ground colors are best. Just look outside for examples of the browns and grays found in squirrels, trees, and the earth. (Since I’m from Prince Edward Island, Canada the rusty red color found in the soil has a grounding effect for me but it may not produce the same reaction for those in other areas of the world.)

Black

Black is best used sparingly if at all. Traditionally it represents darkness, despair, sorrow and mourning and subconsciously it is strongly associated with death. When it is used in large amounts it absorbs light and it can generate depression and/or zap the energy out of the viewer.

While discussing painting kid rooms, teens often mention black as a color choice. (I know my teenager and his friends did.) For them it’s creates a sense of mystery and modern style. The style they want to communicate can still be reached using black in restricted amounts, as accents or accessories. That said, black should not be used in large amounts, especially in rooms that are used frequently.

White

White predominately represents peace, faith, joy, cleanliness and of course, purity. Since it reflects almost 80% of light, white rooms seem brighter and larger than rooms painted in other colors. However, if you’re painting kid rooms predominately white, have lots of stain remover on hand. White is also a great anchor color that can be enhanced with other fun kid room colors.

Red

If you’re looking to create a sense of peace when finished painting kid rooms, you may not get it if you choose to use large amounts of red in the room. While reds can create a sense of warmth, they also stimulate and energize the viewer. The brightest of reds can increase desire, excitability and are associated with danger, passion, anger and tension. Used to counterbalance neutral colors, it can add life and sparkle in a kid room.

Orange

Yes, it has some of the same effects as red but to a lesser degree as it combines the energy of red with the happiness of yellow. Brownish oranges create warm, cozy vibes while brighter oranges are fun and lively, and a good choice for play rooms. The brightest of oranges are non-relaxing while softer oranges are warm, welcoming, satisfying and add energy to the room.

Green

Said to reinforce self-esteem and suggest hope, restfulness and calmness, green is a refreshing color that makes dim rooms seem more vibrant as long as it’s not too dark.

Use it on its own or to create a sense of relief as you counterbalance it with hot colors like red and orange.

Blue

Blue often signifies harmony, loyalty, peace, depth of feeling, sensitivity, wisdom, confidence and stability. It’s a great bedroom color as it slows the human nervous system and produces a calming effect that prepares the body to nod off to sleep.
It can soften bright rooms, making one feel comforted and at peace. On the other hand, certain blues can make the viewer feel cold. Blues that are too dark have the same effect as black.

Purple

Combining the stability of blue and the energy of red, violet can take on the characteristics of blue or red depending on the shade. Often it’s considered a risky, powerful color as the feelings it evokes depend on the shade. Traditionally it signifies royalty, power, justice, nobility and luxury yet it is also associated with depression and suffering. Dark purple can evoke feelings of sadness and frustration while lighter purples can make the viewer feel peaceful, romantic and nostalgic. Light purple is a good choice for feminine kid rooms.

Yellow

Stimulates, energizes and is sunny and cheerful. Pale yellows make rooms seem larger while stronger yellows create warmth and brighten dim rooms.  If overused it may be disturbing to the viewer. It tends to grab attention and stimulate muscle activity.

::: my favorite artist of the year :::

“Crazy Red Beard”

http://www.crazyredbeard.com/crb/

“happy buddha is you”

“terrapin”

above are my two favorite purchases of the year…

the first one, for our bedrom

and the second, for the little bundle of wonderfulness growing in my belly

::: the basics remain the classics :::

“Only great minds can afford a simple style”

- Stendhal

The Peacoat

The Button-Up Collared Shirt… solid, striped, patterned, or plaid– long sleeve or 3/4 sleeve only

The Cardigan… classic, v-neck, pocketed, printed, tie waist, long, cable knit, embellished, decorative… cotton, cashmere, wool, blend– anytime, anywhere, over anything, or worn alone

Cowlneck Sweater… long sleeve, short sleeve, dress

The Perfect Pair of Khaki Pants

Soft Corduroy Pants (wide or thin whale) in a multitude of colors from earth tones to bright hues and pastels

The Black Skirt

::: Only a song to warm you, through the night :::

i’ve written and erased and rewritten this blog post a few times but cant come up with anything quality enough to explain my love for yusuf islam’s new album, roadsinger (yusuf islam=cat stevens)

so, im going to leave it to this promo video to explain it for me:

and the lyrics to one song from the album:

Welcome Home

Saw a sign on the path
‘All seekers this way’
A fairy sat and laughed
And threw a petal my way
As I neared the bridge
Two soldiers stood and stared,
“No one passes by us, but, hey!
You’re welcome here.”

Carried on down the road
To the marketplace
I was still alone
No one knew my face
Then a stranger sang
With voice like the wind
Then the hills began, to sing,
“Welcome in.”

Time rolls on, ain’t no good to sit and moan
Time rolls on, and so we travel on
Never did I imagine
What a dawn could be
Till I opened my eyes, to see
It was welcoming me

At the end of my days
On my way home
I paused a while to gaze
Upon the Sacred Stone
There it stood in the middle
Of the Holy Domain
Then the people came out to say,
“Welcome home, again!”

Time rolls on, and so we carry on
Time rolls on, ain’t no good to sit and moan
Time rolls on, and so we travel on
Time rolls on, ain’t no good to sit alone

and the official video for another song from the album:

Now…. go and listen to what is my favorite album of the year thus far.

::: pregnant lady ramblings :::

new cravings:

- chef boyardee ravioli’s (which i havent eaten in years)

- peanut butter (and lots of it) in the middle of the night, along with a glass of milk

- cold turkey sandwiches with semi toasted bread

- raisin bran cereal (also in the middle of the night)

- glazed donuts (i wish there was a krispie kreme in denver)

things NOT to say to a pregnant lady:

1. “congratulations, thank god its you and not me!”

2. “natural at home birth? my friend did that and her baby died. good luck, though.”

the clothes issue:

i love clothes, its a simple fact. so my ever increasing belly has brought some challenges. for one, i can no longer fit into any of my jeans or cords, or anything that zips in the front. its too tight and hurts. as a result i have turned to gaucho skirts  (foldover waistbands) and dresses. i already had 1 gaucho skirt, but all the dresses i have that fit are long, which don’t work well in the summer when the store is ridiculous hot. i’ve hd to go shopping for short, loose fitting dresses that are a little too big, so i can wear them throughout the pregnancy as i get bigger. i do look forward to the fall when i can throw on any number of my long dresses and be super comfortable. another issue is that fact that i now must wear a bra. i hate them. i find them restricting and until now would go out of my way to not wear one. if i go one day without wearing one my breasts ache and hurt. not only must i wear one, but they’ve gotten so large i had to buy new ones to fit them into. it does feel quite nice when at the end of the day i take the bra off and unleash the monsters, but after about 5 minutes of being braless i will put one back on because they need the support, whether i like it or not.

the fat issue:

during the first month or so i felt very anti-social, which was caused for a number of reasons… exhaustion (growing a hero is hard work), not openly telling people our news yet (we wanted to wait until i was further along to tell people other than our families), and the fat issue. i immediately started feeling fat. i read that the uterus begins expanding very early on and for me this expansion felt like i was fatter than i was. i realize now that i’ve actually gained ten pounds that i wasn’t really fat in the beginning, i was just feeling the changes inside despite them not showing on the outside.  i didn’t want to go out because i didn’t feel attractive in anything i put on and i didnt feel like talking to anyone because all i wanted to talk about was the special thing growing inside of me but we were not ready to talk about that yet. so i found myself sitting at home, alone, crying a lot because of all these emotions inside of me. luckily, im over that now and the crying fits have stopped. its still difficult to go to a concert and feel attractive, because i am in the in between stage of weight gain and belly development. i have a baby bump, but its not large enough for people to immediately assume its a belly bump, so i assume/they assume “gosh someone’s gained some weight” and i just don’t like that. i am ready to have a full on pregant belly, so there will be no question as to why i look a bit frumpy. its really all so silly, because it shouldnt matter to me what others are thinking, but i’m a girl and its our nature.

the useless factor:

i’ve been feeling quite useless since becoming pregnant. there’s so much i can’t do now. i can’t print and fold stack shirts coming out of the dryer, because the fumes from the inks are bad for baby. i can’t pick up heavy boxes, because its bad for baby and my back. i can’t work long hours, because i’m so tired after just an 8 hour day. all these things and more have been causing me to feel worthless for two months now, but then something occurred to me… i am doing one of the most USEFUL task anyone can do in this world! this reality check has helped me see things a little clearer and give myself the slack i needed to be “ok” with not doing the things i use to do. and let me tell you, its feels really good to not be so hard on myself!

::: the edge :::

edge:

1. the point at which something is likely to begin

2. the area or part away from the middle; an extremity

3. a dividing line; a border

“I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all the kinds of things you can’t see from the center.”
- Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

“Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Appreciate your friends. Continue to learn. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is.”
- Mary Anne Radmacher

“When you have come to the edge of all the light you have
And step into the darkness of the unknown
Believe that one of the two will happen to you
Either you’ll find something solid to stand on
Or you’ll be taught how to fly!”
- Richard Bach

::: hope, fear, adventure :::

it’s almost time…

::: currently :::

currently…

feeling- pregnant, busy, hungry

doing- work

listening to- the pacific ocean on you tube

looking forward to- fall weather

missing- fitting into my clothes

wishing- i had more fat girl dresses

thinking about- the ocean

wearing- brown skirt, tshirt, rainbows

::: mental vacation: “peaceful sea” :::

close your door

turn off the tv

turn off the music

turn off your cell phone

sit up straight

go… here…now

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth’s oceanic divisions. Its name is derived from the Latin name Mare Pacificum, “peaceful sea”, bestowed upon it by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. It extends from the ArcticAntarctica in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east. At 169.2 million square kilometres (65.3 million square miles) in area, this largest division of the World Ocean – and, in turn, the hydrosphere – covers about 46% of the Earth’s water surface and about 32% of its total surface area, making it larger than all of the Earth’s land area combined. The equator subdivides it into the North Pacific Ocean and South Pacific Ocean, with two exceptions: the Galápagos and Gilbert Islands are deemed wholly within the South Pacific.Mariana Trench in the western North Pacific is the deepest point in the Pacific and in the world, reaching a depth of 10,911 metres (35,798 ft). The Pacific contains about 25,000 islands (more than the total number in the rest of the world’s oceans combined), the majority of which are found south of the equator. Including partially submerged islands, the figure is substantially higher.

Water temperatures in the Pacific vary from freezing in the poleward areas to about 30 °C (86 °F) near the equator. Salinity also varies latitudinally. The water near the equator is less salty than that found in the mid-latitudes because of abundant equatorial precipitation throughout the year. Poleward of the temperate latitudes salinity is also low, because little evaporation of seawater takes place in these frigid areas.

The motion of Pacific waters is generally clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere (the North Pacific gyre) and counter-clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. The North Equatorial Current, driven westward along latitude 15°N by the trade winds, turns north near the Philippines to become the warm Japan or Kuroshio Current.

Turning eastward at about 45°N, the Kuroshio forks and some waters move northward as the Aleutian Current, while the rest turn southward to rejoin the North Equatorial Current. The Aleutian Current branches as it approaches North America and forms the base of a counter-clockwise circulation in the Bering Sea. Its southern arm becomes the chilled slow, south-flowing California Current.

The South Equatorial Current, flowing west along the equator, swings southward east of New Guinea, turns east at about 50°S, and joins the main westerly circulation of the Southern Pacific, which includes the Earth-circling Antarctic Circumpolar Current. As it approaches the Chilean coast, the South Equatorial Current divides; one branch flows around Cape Horn and the other turns north to form the Peru or Humboldt Current.

I love the Pacific Ocean, its my favorite of all the oceans.