Single Motherhood

(Print by Nan Lawson)

It's been a rough week around here. Rich (my husband) has been in the hospital (for FIVE nights) with pneumonia since last Tuesday. (we finally picked him up yesterday afternoon). Eesh! Where did THAT come from? What seemed like a (just get over it) common cold, turned into a full-fledged "I can't get off the couch or I'll die" pneumonia. So, I've been working, playing with Jake (who was also sick, and has now started snoring he's so stuffy), going back and forth to the hospital, and have managed to drive 500 miles in a week schlepping back and forth.

(Print by Nan Lawson)

This is, of course, after Rich broke his thumb about a month and a half ago, and had to have surgery (ouch). We seem to have kept the emergency room quite busy since we've been married.

(Print by Nan Lawson)

When confronted with doctors, and stressful situations...I tend to ask a lot of questions. I don't think I'm (shall we say "witchy") about it, I just like to know what I'm in for. I also don't like late night emergencies with a 3-year-old. And, of course, I like to feel reassured that we're getting good care, and that everything is going to be all right. Right? Well, not really. My husband doesn't ask a lot of questions, and thinks I'm nuts (I'm not). And rolls his eyes. So, there was tension. Great.

(Print by Nan Lawson)

So, how did the week go? Frankly, I think I was fairly calm with a few tired, freak-out moments (Jake really didn't go to bed until 10 pm for the duration). I coped. I used bribery. I went through the drive-through at McDonalds a few too many times. As fate would have it, McDonalds gives out Batman toys. I taped a new Batman cartoon. It's TERRIBLE. So, I taped a few of the 1960's Batmans. Great tv and graphics (if you ask me!).

And, I confess, I set up a little table with a towel under it so Jake could eat breakfast in front of the tv (I mean babysitter), so I could get ready in the mornings (that comes down to exactly 24 minutes). Jake unfortunately prefers the newer, terrible version. ("Mom! I like the one where they push each other and shoot guns"). 

I also tried to make things fun to get the job done. "Jake, it's backwards night! We're going to take a bath, THEN eat dinner, THEN go see dad in the hospital AND we get to wear our pajamas there!" Great! He thought that was fun, and added his own twist, "I know Mom, we can have breakfast for dinner!"

I made a pan of brownies, and ate half of them.

As if my weak stomach was going to digest that!

And, I shopped.

(Print by Nan Lawson)

I ordered this dress from Anthropologie:

But, it wasn't great on me...but this one from Tommy Hilfiger (at 40% off) is a keeper:

OK, I actually bought a FEW more things, but we don't need to go into all that right now, do we? (I'll just say those Cafe Capris at JCrew are also keepers. In two colors.)

Needless to say, all my projects for a creative, colorful, fun backyard, and lovely guest bedroom have been put on hold until I have time to breathe. Or maybe until after I shower for more than 3 minutes. But, I'm happy to say, that Rich is now home, and is feeling much, much better. And, miraculously, Jake went to bed at 7:15 last night. Maybe he just had to know that Dad was home. Yay! We're all ok!

I'm in love with all these prints by Nan Lawson that I came across on Etsy. Aren't they quirky and fun? She seems to have summed up my week!

P.S. Jake won't be watching the new Batman anymore. It's just the oldies, but goodies for us from now on! Or, at least until the next trip to the emergency room...

We're moving?

Well, not really, but ever since we found a bat (and slugs) in the house, my husband has been looking up all sorts of real estate on-line...mostly condos (new ones), but he came across this lovely home in the Hollywood Hills which he thinks we should move to once he sells one of his screenplays that he's been writing as a hobby. Nice, right? Too bad it's been sold.

I'm a little obsessed...

Like many of you, I am fascinated by looking at the interiors of peoples homes. When I travel to a new city or place, I come home and get right onto my computer to look up real estate in the area. I enter all sorts of search criteria until I come up with the home that was meant for me...if only I lived in X Y or Z (and had an unlimited amount of money!) 

When I start thinking about places like Charlestown, SC, or Boston, MA, my sights are immediately set in the old part of the cities with gorgeous old town homes. Then, the next day, I might want to live in the South of France, so I begin to look up real estate there. (I really must stop!)

ANYWAY...if you're a little like me, and can't help taking a peek, I came across this great real estate site called Move Modern which full of interesting modern homes for sale all over the U.S.  Have fun!

Could we just get tick collars?

So....we live in an area with LOTS of trees. Our neighbors have LOTS of trees. Our property backs up against a bog where there are LOTS of trees. It's pretty...did I mention that there are LOTS of trees? And ticks?

We had Lawn Dr over the other day to discuss the mess that is our front yard. It was churned to oblivion when our new septic tank was installed earlier this year. Now that it's spring, the mess is even more evident. The Lawn Dr gave us a whole write-up of everything we need to get....including 7 "yards" of topsoil. This is going to cost a LOT. And, he recommended for spraying for ticks. Well...really? Ricardo and I disagree. I think you'd need a lot more than a few squirts of tick spray to keep them at bay. Ricardo says, "Lawn Dr is the expert". I say, Lawn Dr won't be eating our vegetables.

The skeptic in me asks, what good is this going to do? The budding environmentalist in me, asks "why would we want to spritz additional chemicals on the yard that Jake is going to be walking barefoot on?" The blooming gardener in me asks "why do I want this stuff seeping in the soil and into the veggies I'm attempting to grow?"

Thoughts anyone?

Need some inspiration?

Make a list! Use this handy on-line site to list your wishes, dreams, or things you need to do today. They even provide ideas for things to put ON your list...in case you didn't have enough already!

1. Log on

2. Make list

3. Fulfill goals

How's that?

Make Way for Ducklings!

We recently had Flat Stanley come to visit for a month. We took him to the Audubon Sanctuary near our house where I snapped this photo. I think it may be one of the more impressive photos I've ever taken!

From my experience

As the creative director of a gift book publishing company, freelance designer, and published author, I have had the wonderful opportunity to work with countless illustrators and authors over my career. Many people ask me such questions as:

• How to get their book published

• How to get hired as an illustrator on a gift or book project

• What an art director looks for when hiring an artist, or spotting trends

• How I come up with product development ideas and how these ideas develop from concept through production.

As part of this blog...in addition to my rantings about such things as butt paste as a new mother, I thought it would be interesting to share my experiences with you, and to contact some of the illustrators and authors that I admire and/or have worked with to share their experiences with us. I have drafted some basic questions to start the discussions, and will begin posting soon.

Simply Fabulous!

My new blog has been tagged by my new friend Kim at TomKat Studio as "fabulous!" I am so incredibly flattered! As a newcomer to blogging I often feel like I'm writing into a void, so her compliment was very kind. It's funny, Ricardo and I were just talking about that word, "fabulous". I'm not someone who laces that word into everyday conversation, and I wish I could...I was kidding around about HOW I would use that word. Manicured hands (they're not) outstretched, eyes rolled up to the right, and say with authority, "It was FABULOUS". It exudes such confidence! 

Having said all that, here are 5 things I find FABULOUS (besides of course, my family and friends)...

1. New York City: the energy, the excitement, and the sheer magnitude of the creativity that lives, eats, and breathes in the city. It never ceases to stimulate my mind.

2. Cape Cod: Still such a wonderful, preserved place... especially due to the fact that Kennedy had the forethought to create the National Park there. 

3. The power of the internet: And all the wonderful connections it can make...friends, lovers, contacts, travels, shopping, and so on and on...

4. Candy. I think it's one of the best things about being an adult.

5. OK, I fold! My friends and family!

Five Fabulous Blogs:

1. Little Green Notebook: an interior designer living in Boston. Tons of great ideas!

2. The Style Files: lots of great interior design photos

3. Making It Lovely: A designer making her lovely home lovelier all the time. About to be a mom!

4. Becoming Mom: Ariana's new experiences as a new mom...and a really great photographer. Her other blog Becoming Home was fun too, but seems like mom-hood has given her (rightfully so!) new priorities

5. Two Ellie: a new blog to me full of daily inspirations about design.

Betty is your friend

Sometimes the brownie mix just calls to you...and there's not much you can do to stop the voices in your head luring you to the kitchen, other than just give up and make the brownies. Of course, if you were smart (unlike me), you wouldn't HAVE extra boxes of brownie mix in the house. While looking up my good friend Betty online, I came across these fun cakes. I especially like the pirate. I think the duck cake kind of looks like a Peep.

I would like to add, that they should never tamper w/ the Betty Crocker packaging in an attempt to update it. I like it just the way it is. Have you seen what they've done w/ the Tropicana orange juice packaging? I do not like...

Let's face it...

shopping makes us happy. I'm so much happier today after purchasing my new happy green i-pod. The THIEVES stole my old i-pod (which was in just fine condition, thank you very much), and I've been missing it at the gym ever since. In fact, I've only gone on the treadmill about 5 times since the robbery because running on the treadmill sans i-pod has very little incentive for me. And, of course NOT wanting to go on the treadmill has made me mad because then I remember the robbery and all the turmoil that it caused me. But, now onto the rest of my  happy post shopping day!

What's Green and Sits on the Porch?

Pati-o furniture! 

I love this silly joke, and my friends and family get to hear it every year. As the weather is warming up...I'm starting to think about our lovely backyard which needs work. After much searching, we got a great table and chair set from Room and Board last year (top photo). It was worth the wait, and I even like the way the chairs look inside when we've need to bring some extras in.

Here are other patio options to get you thinking about spring! (second from top: Smith and Hawken; third from top: Pottery Barn; fourth from top: Restoration Hardware)

Happy St. Paddy's day!

Happy Go Lucky

Holly from Decor8, as part of her "creativity series" has written a great post on "developing a sense of humor" to inspire creativity. Her post immediately reminded me of a movie called "Happy Go Lucky" from Academy Award Nominee Mike Leigh that I saw last fall. Although I didn't love the movie when it started, by the end, I was hooked, and it really resonated with me. It's about a woman named Poppy (played by Sally Hawkins) who, despite the many ups and downs in her life, remains truly, deeply, happy, and yet very caring about others. She is not flip, or shallow. Just, simply happy.

Maintaining this sense of happiness in everyday life is a lot tougher than it seems, and I've found myself thinking back to this movie many times. Given the doom and gloom on the news, and the economy affecting not just my family, but soooo many other people, it can be very hard to remember that life IS short. Having a ONE YEAR OLD, and having lost my father to cancer too soon are two very good reminders for me that the time goes by very quickly and can't be taken back. I try to say to myself...despite all the difficulties I've been faced with...just to start with the moment and be happy in it. Jake is growing up quickly, and I don't want to miss a second of the joy that he is, and that I am helping to create. I deserve it, and most importantly, so does he.

Jake's Birthday Eve...

One year ago, I was nervously packing things up in anticipation for my scheduled c-section the next day. Tonight I spent the time watching Jake spin in circles for 45 mins. before bed-time. Last weekend he stole our neighbor's dog, and wouldn't give the leash back. He walked the dog through the nature preserve near our house (she was kind enough to let him...who wouldn't?). How did this happen so soon? 

This photo is from my cell phone...I wish it was bigger!

Namaste

A great site called Yoga Today delivers FREE daily yoga workouts for all different levels that you can stream through your computer monitor. If you click the little icon on the bottom right of the workout photo, you can see the video full screen size. They're filmed in Jackson Hole Wyoming, so the scenery behind the calm-voiced instructors is just beautiful.

I used to teach

I've taught many classes in the past on design at Parsons, and The Learning Annex. I've also been a creative director for many years and have seen tons of submissions. When I taught, here's an issue that always came up: "If I submit my idea to a publisher, how do I know that my idea will not get stolen". This would usually come from students taking one of their very first design classes.

Here's my opinion. It's tough to come up with a truly original, unique idea. Which is not to say that an average idea can't work. It usually does, and very often gets published, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. Publishers see TONS and TONS of submissions. Chances are good that they've already seen 12 of your ideas in the past, or already thought of your idea in some way themselves. They are not in the business of "stealing" people's ideas. They don't need to.

Also, a truly creative person who is most likely to be successful does not have ONE creative idea. They have hundreds. On the off chance that someone DOES "steal" your idea (which is highly unlikely), you'll have many more to follow through with. My motto is: Nothing ventured, nothing gained. The wonderful idea that is sitting on your desk will not get "stolen". It will also not get published.

If you have an idea you believe in...take a risk, and send it out. BUT, do your research. Go to a major bookstore like Barnes & Noble, or Borders and look for similar products and ideas. See what's out there. Find out who is publishing ideas that are similar to your own. How does your idea compare. How is it BETTER? How does it fill a niche that is DIFFERENT? Do your market research. THEN, view several publishers websites and follow their guidelines for submission. Do your homework, and send in a thoughtful, well-written proposal. You can also try to contact an agent.