It’s been too long since I last posted. Life has been a mingle of joy and exhaustion, both in ample amounts. My writing energy has been channeled towards the articles I have lined up for publication, and the rest of my energy keeps being swallowed by pregnancy and parenting. Below I’ll do a recap of the past two-ish months, hitting the highlights and brushing past the lowlights.

may meanderings

We took a Memorial Day weekend trip up to the Mendocino area with some friends of ours, and we all enjoyed the beautiful overcast weather and brisk breezes.

The kids had a blast riding their bikes on the coastal trails, playing with their friends, and eating ice cream. The adults had a blast watching the kids entertain themselves, doing multiple puzzles, and chatting when the kids finally slept.

I made some progress on my Inclinations cowl (a project I’ve been working on in spurts since February) and read a lot while soothing children down to sleep. I’m not the biggest e-reader fan, but I do appreciate the backlit screen and ability to read one-handed while snuggling a grumpy toddler. I’m attempting to read 60 books this year, and as of now I’m on track. We shall see if I stay that way.

Aside from our trip and Jake traveling for work each month, life has been rather peaceful and slow. I’ve been quietly working on multiple articles for HERLIFE Magazine, which has been an utter delight. I wrote both the May and June cover features, as well as several other articles in those issues and in July’s issue. It’s been an honor to tell the stories of local businesses and the people behind them.

It’s been a while since I’ve posted any updates on my crafts: I finished a color-work beanie for my dad — a pattern inspired by Kings Canyon National Park. It was a bit of a challenge for me, and I learned to knit with both hands to keep my color dominance properly sorted. I also completed half of an 8 oz combo spin on my e-spinner and started on the next half. I’m loving the moody, autumnal hues lately. I’ve mostly been hopping between knitting projects and spinning projects as the whim takes me.

It’s been difficult to focus on anything for an extended period of time, truth be told. Much of my mental and physical energy is absorbed in my pregnancy. While I was given wonderful anti-nausea meds, they aren’t fool-proof, and if I ever forget to take them the nausea rears its head once more. The bone-deep fatigue still lingers, too. So I’m trying to accept that I’m moving more slowly in this season of life. It’s ok to have less energy, less stamina, less of myself, as I pour all into the growth of our third child.

june jaunts

June had its own delights. I dedicated myself to my Brick — a device that helps you lock your phone down to its bare basics during set periods of time — and spent a lot less time mindlessly scrolling and a lot more time reading and playing with the kids.

We’ve had a pleasantly mild summer so far — very few 100+ degree days. The kids have been playing outside and on our side porch more, and Michael had a blast mowing with grandpa and getting absolutely filthy in the process.

Both kids got hit with the respiratory flu mid June, and it was beyond miserable. Thankfully none of us adults contracted it, but I’ve never seen either of my kids so sick before. We pulled out all the home remedies and conventional medicines, but they both were very lethargic and barely moved from the couch for days. It took a week and a half for them to fully recover.

When they finally did, we celebrated Beatrice’s name day for her patron saint, St Margaret of Scotland. At her request, we had homemade pizza and purple sugar cookies (her absolute favorite color). They helped with each step, and were absolutely thrilled to use up all the sprinkles I could find.

In writing-adjacent news, I got a fantastic FB Marketplace score. A couple close to us were selling their antique secretary desk for $50, and I swooped in and nabbed it to create the writing corner of my dreams. The room that’s operating as our guest room/my writing and crafting studio is slowly transforming into guest room and homeschool room. Eventually, it’ll become Beatrice’s bedroom and our expected baby boy will share the other bedroom room with Michael. In preparation for the upcoming changes, this desk made the perfect writing corner in our main bedroom. It’s my new favorite place in the entire house.

Jacob had another business trip, but thankfully was back in time for Father’s Day. He truly is the best father to our children — one of the strongest, smartest, and kindest men I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet. I love him more than I can put into words.

That brings us to the end of June. Our garden is somehow flourishing despite my neglect — though the crab grass has grown up and strangled a lot of the smaller plants. But zucchini and tomatoes we have in abundance, and even got a small harvest of carrots.

I’ll write more soon (I hope) to recount our latest trip to the Midwest for Jake’s family reunion, as well as our other life adventures. But right now, we are home and recovering from the stressors of travel, slowly dancing back into the rhythm of daily life.