this photo (of andrea bock's) causes me to crave some fluffy, pink, cotton candy! i thought i'd give you some carnival fun this friday... it's putting me in a happy mood, how 'bout you? enjoy and have a magical week-end. xo 
your laugh
these are FRENCH TOAST nesting dolls! i'm seriously coveting these adorable dolls that depict the ingredients for making french toast. trish grantham has the coolest stuff in her etsy shop... i just HAD to post another estsy-centered blog today. it's a two-for-one etsy'tastic' wednesday at post script. ;) please, please visit trish's shop here... and view all of her other lovely creations... another amazing portland artist to fall in love with this morning. xo
can we all agree to being in LOVE with the above photos found at sarahseven's shop (etsy)??? omg. i neeeeeeeeeeed some clothing with titles such as 'robin's egg dress' (middle blue), 'powdered sugar dress' (bottom white) and 'blackberry jam shirt' (top). according to her bio, sarah is an 'independent designer living in portland, orgeon'. i am so very happy i ran across her shop and i'll be sure to keep checking back for new items and fashion inspiration. a portion (5%) of all sales are divided between two of sarah's favorite charities... so it's fashion with good taste and good heart.
*the nap spot i wish i was snuggling in right now...
*my favortie little asian girl... 
*first three images are from reincarnation vintage design where you can meet the lovely cindy and her husband who own the place - which is open only on the week-ends for limited hours.
*my sweetie checking out an old safe at sweet lorain. 
*what is it about bolts of fabric???
*the gilded 'sweet lorain' mermaid. i heart her.
*i'm not a big raddish fan, but these beauties could change my mind!
*grapefruit is my favorite!!! i have three of them tattooed on my right arm!
*mushrooms for my soup!
*view of the westside market from above on the balcony...
*i'm a sucker for religious iconography.
despite my cold (that still lingers...), my sweetie and i ran around to a few thrift/antique stores over the week-end where i picked up a fabulous pair of brown suede boots as well as a few little knicknacks for the house (including a wooden acorn plate - so cute!). during a little spree, we popped into my absolute favorite antique store - reincarnation vintage design - on loraine ave. and, as always, the displays were inspring and beautiful with many little treasures to covet.
today i'm craving a yoga class... hmmm... i'm feeling a tad bit stressed but i did wake up to home-made sour cream pancakes (made by the darlingest darling there ever was) and a rather leisurely saturday morning snuggling with the kitty and watching t.v.. also, i'm looking forward to a fun birthday celebration for my sweetie with friends tonight. we're going to the basement of pickwick and frolic. there's a fabulously swanky little martini bar there called kevin's martini bar. it's a throw-back to an l.a. loung in the fifties. we're meeting up with some of our favorite people and i'm so excited! but FIRST... yoga.
i once had a dog named lux. i named her after the main character in 'the virgin suicides' (that may tell you how much of a sofia coppola fan i am... as well as how much i love the name 'lux'). anywhow... i'm already off on a bunny trail... this LUX, that i'm about to share with you, is the photography company of my darling friend and yoga teacher, jennette zimmerman. jennette is a photographer, yoga teacher, mother of six and genuinely beautiful human being in a tiny package! i'm enjoying the great pleasure of getting to know her and i wanted to share her stunning photography with you. the top portrait is of jennette herself. 
i'm sad to say that i'm a little sick today. my throat is scratchy and i'm a bit stuffed up. i keep joking that michael franti gave me his flu because i kissed him on the cheek just before he shared that he was sick! well... if you're going to catch the flu from someone... it might as well be michael franti!
okay. last night, my favorite bachelor beauty was sent home!!! jillian harris - from vancouver, b.c. - had her heart broken by the most boring bachelor in the history of the show. seriously, this dude was kind of cool and down-to-earth when deanna was stringing him along... but NOW - i think all this bachelor'ness' has gone to his balding head and in my opinion, he's a total snooze attack. when he has nothing to say to the cutesy commentary and gushing from one of the ladies - he just leans in for a kiss. has anyone other than me noticed this??? ANYHOW - jillian totally out-classed (to use my dad's term) jason, and i hope she becomes the next bachelorette! wouldn't that be so much fun? this sweet canadian (maybe it's because i'm also canadian?!) has totally stolen my heart and i was so sad to see her drive off last night. sigh... if she's smart she'll soon recognize he wasn't meant for her anyhow. she needs someone far more adventurous and colorful who has something interesting to say in response to her mature and interesting dialogue. this show is my serious guilty pleasure... i'm not even going to apologize! ;)
in keeping with my recent thoughts about creative, talented, inspiring people in my life... i must mention my sister who is a very talented and growing photographer. i love to visit her flickr page (name - 'sing healing') every now and then and see what new abandoned building she's recently explored with her boyfriend... or what haunting self-portrait... or perfectly lit still-life she has captured. i couldn't say my sister's name properly when she was born (i was two!), so i substituted with the next closest thing which happened to come out as 'lolo'. i still call her this - much to her chagrin. here's to lolo and her fabulous photos!
i feel so very blessed to have witnessed another birth this week-end... and to top it off, A. is currently at TWO births at the same time! the midwife had to transport one amish couple to the home of another amish couple - both couples in labor - because she can't be two places at once! so as i sit here at my desk, i'm feeling ever-so-slightly jealous... :) last night's birth that i attended was very quick - less than 5 hours from beginning to end. the moon was bright and their laundry was blowing on the line outside the door of the front house. i wish i could have taken my own photos to share but things were very rushed. i'm feeling quite satisfied this tuesday morning. my week-end was crazy busy, but much was accomplished.
last night i witnessed my first birth in over three years. it was a re-connecting experience for me as i've only recently jumped back into my midwifery training after a three year hiatus for personal reasons. the beginning of january marked the re-start of my apprenticeship and i've been patiently - and sometimes not so patiently! - waiting for the first birth i would actually make in time! my expectations were low as i made the drive out to ashland yesteray afternoon. this amish mom was having baby number 12... and the midwife thought it would come fast. i had an hour and a half commute and i got lost twice - so i was half expecting to miss it, but eventually i found my destination farm and made the trip up the long, muddy drive and into the rustic, old home where i found a lovely woman and her cheerful husband laboring away... several hours after my arrival a beautiful baby girl was born and i remembered again - so potently - why i love this job. i bathed and dressed her in front of the wood stove and handed her back to her mom - who smiled and snuggled her under her chin. my heart skipped a beat and time stood still - like it always does in those fresh and holy moments after life has been given. the drive home in the dark had me feeling satisfied and complete in a way that still lingers into this morning... happy sunday to you all! 
when you're called at 6:00 in the morning to drive over two hours south for an amish birth... you kind of hope to actually make it to SEE the birth. alas, this was not the case in the wee hours of this morning. i made it twenty minutes too late. :( the view along the way and once i arrived at the farm was almost worth it though!
