Love Really Is All You Need

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What is love?

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Is love real?

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Can everyone find love?

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Do you have to work for it or does it come to you?

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How do you really know when you are feeling love?

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There were so many questions I had about love three years ago. I questioned relationships and myself constantly. There were no goals in my life, I had no direction. Then it all changed.

As May arrives, I think about where I was three years ago. At two and a half months pregnant, on Mother's Day, I announced to my family that I was having a baby.

At the time, I was in the early stages of the pregnancy, and the reality of the situation had not completely hit me. I look back on my pregancy experience now and know that I really had no idea what I was about to experince. Obviously, all first time mothers dont know what to expect, because you can not be prepared for motherhood. But what I have learned about the most, and what I am so grateful to have in my life, is Love. The enormous feelings that I have for Oliver are consuming. Love feels like a small, insignificant and often abused word to use for such an amazing soulful connection.

Regardless of what word is used to describe the feelings that a mother has for her child, it is something that every woman deserves to feel in her life. Oliver is a blessing, joy and so much more. I am so lucky to have this priceless child in my life.

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Little Quirks in Life

I have been much more observant lately, I think partly because since I began sewing and crafting more, now I inspect things, mostly to see if I could make them, and along the way, I notice more random things that I don't think I would have seen before.

For example, my new shower curtain's label says

"Problem: your shower curtain keeps giving you dirty looks"

I think that is strange.

There are so many things around this world that are worth noticing and even if you dont think they are important, they are, because when you think about it, it really is the little things that matter most. Ever since becoming a mother, I treasure those little things more, not just little things about him, because that's obvious, but little things about life, that were taken for granted before. Its a little frightening to think about the things I sometimes miss, but here are some Examples:

~Time, in any and every form

~Going to the bathroom with two hands (because when you have a sleeping child in your arms, or a toddler who screams if you put him down, you learn to pull down your pants, pee, wipe and pull up your pants with one hand, all while holding the child with the other arm...yeah I know, its partly my fault, but he's so cute!)

~Telling yourself that you are going to get something done, without having the feeling that you wont actually get it done, or if you do it will take twice as long as it should and probably be half assed and feel rushed, unless you wait until the wee hours of the night, in which case it wont be done well anyways because of the sleep deprivation

~Talking to someone who doesn't have kids without wondering if you are boring because they think that all you talk about is your kid

There is no way that this list can ever be finished because there are things added to it everyday, but those are just the ones that come to mind at the moment...

And something that is a bit random, but seems fitting in this post, is that sometimes I have this feeling like I have a mental disorder because I cant for the life of me remember what it feels like to not have my child constantly in my thoughts...




As I lay in bed next to a sleeping baby, I am typing about enjoying moments and thinking about taking advantage of the time I do have, and I am not getting up to do the bazillion things that I should be doing....Ironic, stupid, or just plain lazy...either way, I'm still here...not up getting things done...

(A street you must go to should you ever visit NOLA)

The Nylons...Part Deux

I am very happy to (finally...) report that the Nylons HAVE NOT canceled future shows in Madison. The news that they were cutting Madison from their tour was an evil rumor and I was relieved to hear that it was not true. Claude Morrison (a founding member of the group) himself told me that they will be back for many years and that he could not believe that people were saying that!! I was lucky to hear it from the horse's mouth, and I learned a lesson I should have already known: DONT BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU HEAR!

With that said, the concert was more amazing than I ever thought it could be, not only did we have 3rd row seats (YES THRID ROW!!), but they performed my two favorite songs (Bop till you Drop & Heavenly Bodies), which I've never seen them do before and it was amazing!! The two returning members were a fantastic addition to an already fabulous show and I was so honored to be able to see them all perform together! To top it all off, we were included in the after party taking place onstage, where we were able to mingle with the Nylons (along with about 30 other party guests), take pictures with them, get autographs, but mostly it was great to just talk to them!

Billy Newton-Davis (one of the retired returning members) took half of his shirt off to show Erin and I his tattoo!

~It was frikin' schweet!~

Me & Gavin Hope

Ok, ok, ok... I know I'm sounding like a Nylons groupie...but you know what? I'd rather be a Nylons groupie than most anything else!! Because The Nylons are **Awesome**!! :-D

The Nylons...

So, tomorrow I will be attended a momentous occasion, The Nylons will give their final concert in Madison, 25 years after their first concert here, they are cutting Madison out of the tour schedule. Why, I do not know! But I do intend to find out! I will be attending the VIP after party, thanks to my inside sources in the myspace Nylons fan group, and the members of the group can expect some hard hitting questions from me about this issue! Not only does the Overture Center practically fill up when they come to town every year, but Madison has a huge fan base for them. I know that there will be many a heavy heart tomorrow as we say goodbye to a wonderful yearly tradition, one that I have looked forward to sharing with Oliver. I am feeling very mixed about tomorrow's show, I know that it will be a great one, but I cant help but anticipate that there will be a sad tone hanging over the evening. The Nylons are a important part of many childhood memories for me, and as silly as it feels to say this, I feel like we are loosing them in a way. Although they will still be around, it will be much more difficult to experience the live shows that I have loved for the past three years. And like I said, I've pictured taking Oliver to see them when he was old enough and I hope that they are still touring at that time so he can have the opportunity to gain the admiration for them that I have.


Despite all of this, I am really looking forward to the show,
I know it will be a fantastic concert and I am really excited!

Craft Weekend

My friend Stef and I had a fabulous weekend crafting at her house and I am happy to steal her pictures to display the fruits of our labor! The tote we made first is so fabulous, it will be hard for me to part with it, but I made it for my dear friend Kitty and I know she will love it, so it will be a bittersweet parting for the Owl Tote & I....

On the second day of our craftaculous weekend we make keepsake boxes, one for Stef and one for her friend's 4 year old daughter who is a treasure collector! Here is the adorable box that Stef made, it's not finished on the inside, but its still looking fab!

I have discovered that there are few things that I would rather be doing with my free time other than craft/sew. If you don't have a hobby, or are looking to pick up a new one, I highly recommend crafting and sewing, two fantastic hobbies that I am very pleased to have discovered.

Shout out to my dear newish friend Stef, the pleasure that spending time with you and our crafts gives me is priceless and I am grateful to have you in my life!


(Our kids hugging, so precious!)

Thursday Morning

I recently discovered a fantastic show called Private Sessions on A&E, its a showcase of musical artists, they have very interesting intervews and then give live in studio performances. This weekend the featured artist was Maroon 5. I have always liked the band and their music, but seeing them on this show really gave me more insight into who they are and what they have been through. Adam Levine seems like a really cool guy, I love the way that he talked about writing his songs, like they just come to him randomly. I also found it very interesting, but not surprising, to hear that he is extremely self critical, and when he first wrote "Makes Me Wonder" which is one of my favorites by them, he hated it! Another of thier songs that I love is "Sunday Mornings", and the live version they did on the show was even better than usual. If you have not seen this show, you should try to catch it, they almost always have super good guests, It is on Sundays at 9am. Check it out!

http://www.aetv.com/private-sessions/index.jsp