Cross Embroidery, Modern Art and a Sleeping Baby

For those who asked about the hard-to-see thing on our baptismal gown, yes, it's an embroidered cross. The gown isn't a family heirloom. My mother had it made for me by a lovely woman in Pennsylvania when we were expecting our first baby. I tried hard to find her website, but it is no longer on the web. She must have gone out of business. That's too bad, but I know Cheryl could easily whip one of these out for anyone who's looking for a special, hand embroidered christening dress.



A while back I mentioned doing a mini re-decorating of our bedroom, to make it more summery. It was red and beige and heavy before, and now it's blue and white in light cotton and linen (I love the casual wrinkles of linen). The room now feels cool and breezy and calm and we've been enjoying it all summer.





But the room needs some artwork. We have almost all religious artwork in the house, all of it traditional. So I want to fill the huge empty wall opposite our bed with something more contemporary - a large canvas of pale greys and blues and greens.

Given that we can't afford the several-thousand-dollar canvases we saw last weekend at a local art festival (and I probably wouldn't spend my money that way even if I could), I thought I'd give it a try myself on a small canvas.



Now, don't laugh. I admit it's not good art. OK, it's not even art. I see all the brush mistakes and I know I didn't coat it with gesso before painting. But for a first try it was certainly fun, and affordable! I'm thinking with a little more practice I should be able to achieve a canvas suitable for the bedroom. It will be much softer, and more gray than the turquoisey one above. I'll keep you posted on how it goes, so long as you don't ask me where I get these crazy ideas!

Last, but not least, the gratuitous baby picture:

Baptism

Kilian was baptized weeks ago, and if it hadn't been for the fact that I was sick as a dog on the day of his christening I'm quite sure I would have posted pictures that very day. From what I can remember (which is very little) it was beautiful.

Gianna begged us to take photos of her with her baby brother in his gown. I'm so happy I did.

Though I don't remember much from the day, Kilian was baptized in the old rite which is extraordinarily beautiful. The ceremony included multiple exorcisms and Kilian had his first taste of holy salt.

I'm sorry little one, but I was so glad when the day was over. :)

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Snapshots

Since all I have time to do with this blog these days is pictures...
You get a good sense of Kilian's temperament from these photos. He's such a happy baby.

I think he looks like a sausage in this one below. :)

Never very fond of graphic tees before, I now realize it's because I had girls. I'm totally smitten with them on a boy!

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Precious Time

I've been telling myself I won't post anything here until I write a thorough post detailing the ways in which my life is different now with a baby, how I love that my time is not my own, how I've been freed of my terrible fault of laziness....but honestly I'm not sure when that time will come. So here's something short and lacking in depth:

I am so very happy. So in love with this baby and the relationships forming between he and his big sisters. It's hard to get away. When he sleeps I'm either doing laundry or spending time with the girls. We indulge in bike rides and swimming and reading together while Kilian naps in his bed, his car seat or his pram. Housekeeping is sacrificed as are many other things, but that's OK. In the evenings I'm too tired to write a post or read much, but I've been enjoying curling up on the couch, watching movies with my husband. Life is all about the big and little people around me right now, and I wouldn't have it any other way. It is so very good.

If I don't get to anything much more meaningful than a few words or pictures here for a while, you know why. It's all about Love. :)