When it comes to learning practical skills, I had a mother of an experience this year.
In short: I had a baby.
Holding Isaac for the first time in the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). He weighed 3 lbs 2 oz at birth.
Longer version: I was pregnant for 7 months, then had an emergency caesarean because I got pre-eclampsia and the baby wasn’t growing properly and my liver and kidneys were about to fail and the baby was breach, then we lived in the hospital for 26 days and survived the most emotionally and logistically challenging month of our lives, and now we’re home and I’m the healthy mama of a healthy, 7 lb-ish baby boy named Isaac.
There are many topics I can write about as a result of this experience …
The revelation that my boobs had a higher calling and now sustain a human life, for one.
Or my newfound ability to survive without sleeping more than 4 hours at a time, even with the knowledge that I might not sleep 7 or more consecutive hours again for quite a long time.
I could talk about how miraculous it is that, despite all the drama with the pre-eclampsia stuff, Brock and I managed to conceive and produce a healthy baby, when I know way too many couples who haven’t had that luck.
I could wonder at the generosity of our family, friends and farm customers who have clothed and provided for Isaac with gifts of books, diapers, a bassinet, car seat and stroller, and everything else we’ve needed so far, without us asking for anything.
I have learned that my body is amazing and somehow knew how to make a baby: all I had to do was listen to its needs and get out of its way. Practical skills-wise, I changed my first diaper, learned to breast feed, taught myself to tie a Boba wrap, and developed a strategy to get over my fear of needles (it involves an iPod and Macklemore’s Thrift Shop).
Maybe it’s residual shock over the almost-dying part, or the sleep deprivation, or the life-altering experience of becoming a mom, but I’m finding it hard to settle on a single topic sentence for this blog post.
Maybe, instead of trying to put it all into words only 2 months and 2 days after Isaac came into the world, I need to stop trying for now and just go back to cuddling my increasingly chunky baby boy.
Isaac just before his 2 month birthday, weighing 6 lbs 12 oz.
Inspired by our January felting & looming workshop at Leola’s Studio, Renaissance Woman Sheila challenged the rest of us to commit to creating art every day for a month.
We thought it was a great idea, and each signed up for a few days in February. (Not coincidentally, the shortest month of the year …)
As a result, 28 pieces of art were created by our collective of members. On March 2 we came together at Teafarm to celebrate Art Month and “show and tell” our work.
Love Is In The Air, 2013, Sheila Ie (graphite, chalk pastel, oil pastel on Canson Art Paper)
February 2
A homemade-from-scratch Thai dinner, by Cindy J:
Thai tofu and vegetable stir fry with Thai peanut sauce.Thai hot and sour soup.Thai salad rolls with an authentic dipping sauce.Delicious fried pineapple with fresh lime and toasted coconut for dessert!
“Morning Cupcake, Any Way I like It,” by Sheila Ie:
“Morning Cupcake, Any Way I like It,” Oil Pastel, Ink and Chalk Pastel, by Sheila Ie
February 8
Tessa says: “I gave myself a one hour time limit and the task of creating a thank-you card for a friend.”
“Heart beets,” by Tessa (lino blocking)
February 9
Brenda says: “I like to create small spaces for special things in my home and office. This is my Wild Woman corner that I have had in every office for a decade – my ‘wild woman’ does not like sitting in front of a computer all day, so I give her things to play with while I am working. I just made this one yesterday in my new office – I change it up from time to time just to keep things fun.”
February 10
Maeve says: Acrylic on canvas paper. First time painting with something other than children’s washable paints. I call it “What my heart looks like on the inside when I watch my daughters dance an Irish jig in their pyjamas.”
“What my heart looks like on the inside when I watch my daughters dance an Irish jig in their pyjamas,” by Maeve (acrylic on canvas paper)
February 11
Cindy J’s art: “It is wet felted and finished with needle felting. My inspiration was drawn from the amazing new energy and growth being brought forth by spring, so appropriately titled Spiralling Energy.”
“Spiralling Energy,” by Cindy J (wet felting)
February 12
Patrick Friesen, poet
My 2nd art day! I gave myself an art moment by attending one of the Writers on Campus poetry readings. It was WONDERFUL to hear poetry in Duncan. Here are some of my favourite lines from Patrick Friesen tonight:
“I felt like I was walking over a plowed field.”
“You come home with stones from the beach and then you wonder why you bothered.”
” . . . naked in your green dress . . .”
“I don’t like long cars. They hold a human like a tiny seed.”
Also, the word “anaphora.”
February 13
Preschooler Valentines by Sheila Ie, made with construction paper, tissue, glue:
Preschooler Valentines by Sheila Ie, made with construction paper, tissue, glue
February 14
Patti says: Meet “Florencia,” my beautiful piece of turquoise seaglass found at Florencia Beach, Tofino. I made a lovely cage for her out of copper.
“Florencia,” by Patti (beach glass and copper)
February 15
“Tofino Dream Catcher,” by Patti:
“Tofino Dream Catcher,” by Patti
February 16
Linda’s poem:
To the mountains! we declared.
A roaring midnight fever
silenced our call.
This rare February day
so bathed in sunshine,
now spent indoors
snuggled on a couch
with books tottering
piled high on blanket folds.
We took council by the fire
with chicken soup
and stories of camping
years past and those to come.
And tonight I sit in gratitude
for tottering books
and this messy life
with her gifts
of unexpected pauses
and so full of fevered blessings.
February 17
Maeve playing “Chariots of Fire” on the piano with video footage of her amazing daughters:
February 18
For my 3rd art day I experimented with hand-quilting designs, using some drawn designs and some freehand. I usually just stitch the seams of my quilts (straight lines), but after seeing Angie’s designs on one of her quilts I was inspired to try this. This quilt has been my “play” quilt — I used it to learn how to hand-stitch curved pieces.
Hand-quilted designs by Heather McLeod (back of quilt)
Front of quilt (look carefully to see the yellow thread …):
Hand-quilted designs by Heather McLeod (front of quilt)
February 19
Katie made fridge magnets featuring Bruce Springsteen. She says: “The picture of him in the toque is from 1975, the year Born to Run came out.”
Bruce Springsteen fridge magnets, by Katie Harris
February 20
Angie says this about her quilt: “I’ve been working on it since November, with a fabric line called Botany. It’s my first full quilt, and a whole lot more work than I had anticipated (I thought it would be done for Christmas, which is so comical they could make a movie about it). I used a shot glass for the circle patterns, a ruler for the lines and a leaf template for the, well, the leaves 🙂 Today, to make sure I was doing something arty and specific to to our goal of trying something new, I changed up my pattern for the edge (gasp!), which I was going to leave plain, and did some crazy freestyle.”
Angie’s quilt, with hand-stitched designs.
February 21
“When the dog bites, when the bee stings,” by Heather K. (mixed media collage)
“When the dog bites, when the bee stings,” by Heather K. (mixed media collage)
February 22
Sheila Z. calls this ”The Art of Thrifting.” She says: “a roll of salvaged vintage upholstery webbing, a thrifted hanger, and a creation to chart your little bundle of love’s growth.”
”The Art of Thrifting,” made by Sheila with salvaged materials.
February 23
Pressed flowers from last summer made into tiny fairy cards made Linda D:
Pressed flowers from last summer made into tiny fairy cards by Linda D.
February 24
Heather K says: “This is what happens when the dog wakes the baby from his nap, the one you were counting on to make some art! This was co-created by myself and daughter Sami after a family hike down to the water where we found the driftwood. It’s called “fairy seahorse”. Her vision; I merely followed instructions.”
February 25
Cindy J says:
Yoga! I feel an hour and a half practice is most definitely an artistic expression. And since I cannot share this visually with you (thank goodness), here are some of my feelings, emotional and physical, during yesterday’s art of the practice of yoga:
breathe
open
focus
calm
grow
holy moly I can’t hold this any longer
free
moonlight
still
strong
revive
alive
Namaste, my Renaissance sisters.
February 26
When one of our members was unable to art it up, Sheila Z. came to rescue with this snazzy magazine holder. She made it using burlap from the same roll she turned into her February 22 art, plus a thrift shop-ed frame (shown on the top left). Final product is on the right!
Magazine stand, made with salvaged materials from thrift shops.
February 27
“Jewelry Graveyard Resurrection,” by Tessa.
She says: “My art tonight was taking a few broken necklaces, and mending and mixing them together to make a new one! Many of my ‘art’ projects are often more creative repair projects.”
Jewelry Graveyard Resurrection, by Tessa.
February 28
“Quick trip on a Rocket Ship,” by Sheila Ie (Oil Pastel, Chalk Pastel, Black Ink Pen, Illustration Marker, Paper 2013)
“Quick trip on a Rocket Ship,” by Sheila Ie (Oil Pastel, Chalk Pastel, Black Ink Pen, Illustration Marker, Paper 2013)
