Mutti

The french grandmother!!!

A Day in the Life of my Little Dude

Here's my little cutie, just doing his lil 5 1/2 month old thing!!!  He just looks so cute while he's doing it!!!

Playing with Mama

Little cutie, jitterbugging on the carpet!!!

Sprouts

This was so adorable!  My niece, Summer, came over to hang out and practice caring for Baby William.  It was so fun!  This was exactly one year ago today, December 26, 2012.  I've always called my 3 littlest nieces my "Sprouts", so now one of my sprouts is hanging out with my new little sprouts!  How cute is that?

Merry Christmas! World's Cutest Kid!!!

What can I say?  I'm biased!!!

Santa Baby

I was literally just in raptures of delight at the utter adorableness of William in this outfit.  As we walked into the family Christmas Eve dinner, I was overcome with excitement at everyone's reaction to William!!!  Totally a very fun moment in the life of this new parent!!!  My family's reactions didn't disappoint, they were very appreciative of William's cuteness!!!

Going to Cousin's

This was the first time that William met his second cousin, Kristian, who is 1 year older.  I hope they will grow to be good friends as the years pass.  I really love Kristian's mama, my first cousin Tiffany.  She is really sweet.

Les p'tits cousins

These are some really cute photos from when William was a newborn and Aurelien's family came from France to meet the new baby!  His 2 little cousins were quite enamored with him, especially the youngest one, Thibault.  They were so cute with William!!!

Oh Scrappy Joy!

Santa was very good to me, with lots of scrappy stocking stuffers!!!

Once Upon a Time there was a little elf...

He wore red pajamas, and then green pajamas, both in the same day!  And then he helped me with the painting I was working on!  He was quite the little santa's elf that day!!!!

Christmas Love

Here's my love, opening his gifts.  The main one was wireless headphones, so he can listen to his French talk radio and I don't have to suffer through it!!!  Now that's a smart gift!

Oh my darling!

He's such a doll!!!!  The cutest little face, ever!!!!

Baby's First Christmas 2012!!!

I think it was a good one!  He had so much stuff that he was still using that was given to us by all my friends and family that we just got him the complete Beatrix Potter set from Costco.  He got some presents from other people though, including this monkey from my brother Ray and his wife Sonjulaine, which has grown to be a favorite of his.

'twas the night before christmas...

Scenes from after Santa completed her work!!!

One Month Old

These are photos from August 19, 2012, when William was exactly one month old.  He slept a lot, I guess!!!  The photo in the upper right is of  my oldest niece, Rachelle, holding William...so the oldest cousin holding the youngest cousin!  Very cute!!!  And the photo in the bottom right is my mom with both of them, so grandma with her oldest and youngest grandchildren!!!

Christmas Eve Bath

Before we put William in his super cute Christmas outfit, we had to get him all clean and sparkly! 

Oh Christmas Tree

More photos of that precious moment...

getting ready for Christmas

These are some scenes from Christmas eve, as we were just chilling out before getting ready for the big annual Christmas eve shindig put on by my sister-in-law, Roxanne.  It is always the highlight of the holiday season for me!

newbie parents

Here we are, learning the ropes!

what dreams may come

Here's my little angel, peacefully sleeping away when I got home from performing in the church choir for the Living Nativity.  Daddy was on duty!  He did a good job! December 22, 2012.

Glory to God!

Here's Tiff and I performing as angels in our church choir for the Living Nativity last year!!!  It was a super fun experience!

Learn to Fly

I love this photo so much, my little koala cub sleeping on me while I read a book.  I'm a book-a-holic, and so it is cute to see how I am multi-tasking!!!

bff

This photo was taken after my longtime best friend, Tiffany, and I performed as angels in the choir at the Living Nativity at our church on December 22, 2012.  We have been friends since the 4th grade, so I think that puts the start date of our friendship around 1986.  So we've been friends for almost 27 years now.  That is a loooooooooooong time.  And I'm proud of that!

Wonder

This was such an amazing moment.  We showed William the Christmas tree all lit up.  He was wonderstruck, and it was soooooooooooooooooo exquisite to see it all through his innocent little eyes...I'm so glad I got pictures of it.

Authentic Heart's Random Musings-Poetry, A piece of my heart

Hello beautiful souls out there in cyberspace! 

Today's random peek into my heart is about Poetry.  I am going to share a poem that I once wrote.
This is a poem I wrote about 13 years ago when I was taking a poetry writing class as part of my program to earn my BA in English.  See, I used to write poetry constantly.  It was extremely important to me from seventh grade on, since I had always thought school was pretty boring until I made the delightful discovery of poetry that year in school.  And when did I stop writing poetry?  When I married my first husband at 24, and basically locked my creative heart up tightly in a little box and threw away the key...the only solution when one marries someone that they know they do not love, and who is their soul's opposite in every way. The last poems I ever wrote were the ones in which I was trying to work through my pre-wedding jitters.  I really should have listened to my own voice in those poems, because I knew I was making a mistake...anyway, those are other poems, for another day...

The poem I am going to share follows a form, that is why it has the structure and repetition that it does.  I believe the form is called "Villanelle".  If you want to research that further, here's a link I found: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/5796

"Flux"
The Lesson of Flux

The source of meaning is deaf to my cries,
mysteries I seek to unravel and understand-
Time just flies regardless, it flies.

I learned the only way to know is if you try,
this means failure nine times out of ten, and
the source of meaning is deaf to my cries.

Feeble wings falter, escapes my weary sigh,
persistence the only way to survive and still stand
Time just flies regardless, it flies.

Life has led me to too many goodbyes
and sorrow with a measure of joy to withstand
the source of meaning is deaf to my cries.

Hope comes in the morning, behind my eyes
before life's realities burn my heart like a brand
time just flies regardless, it flies.

Many dark nights awakened by questions of why,
with only a small pebble of faith as a talisman in my hand.
The source of meaning hears my cries,
but time still flies regardless, it flies.

Christina Carnoy

Saturday Market

This was a fun family outing, going to the Portland Saturday Market during the holiday season.  Our neighbor sells his art there, so we stopped by his booth to say hi.

my boy

I just thought William looked so gorgeous in these pictures.

Mama-Baby Playgroup

This was such a great experience.  I really enjoyed meeting every week with the mamas and babies in the group, as well as our fearless leader, an experienced Doula.  Great for reassurance and fellowship.  I'm very thankful for this group.

100 likes on my artist facebook page! www.facebook.com/inara77

I can't believe it! I got to 100 likes on my artist facebook page (www.facebook.com/inara77) in one afternoon!!!! As a symbol of my ENORMOUS GRATITUDE, let's do a GIVEAWAY!!! I will be giving away one artsy mixed media supplies grab bag. Just leave a comment on this face book post (https://www.facebook.com/inara77/posts/1450765721817381?notif_t=like)  telling me what makes YOU creative, and make sure you've already liked my artist facebook page (www.facebook.com/inara77), and I will randomly pick a winner Thursday morning, and then send you your prize!!! https://www.facebook.com/inara77/posts/1450765721817381?notif_t=like

awe

This photo is of one of those moments as a new, first time mom, when all you can do is gaze at your baby in wonder and thankfulness.

So very blessed

This was a neat family dinner when my aunt and uncle and cousin were in town for just a few hours and so we had a quick lunch with them at a local fave Mexican restaurant.  It was so cool that they got to meet William.  I love my family so much!!!

me & dad

My guys, bonding.  I love it sooooooooooooo much!!!

Meeting the Fam

This is such a funny photo!  Poor baby William, with his Aunt and Uncle and all his cousins staring at him at once!!!  He didn't cry though, brave boy!!!

Thanksgiving 2012

And some more thanksgiving pics...again Mr. William is not a happy baby!  Mama!  Make them go away!!!!!!  Invaders!!!!!  LOL!!!!!  Hopefully this year will be a little better for him.  We'll see!!!

Ma Famille

Here's some photos of us, having fun together as a goofy family. (The best kind)

My Christmas Card featured on Scrapscene!!!

Ok so this is super exciting, I submitted a Christmas card to be featured on a popular scrapbooking website and they chose my card! Of course now you all know what your Christmas card is going to look like this year, but oh well! It was too exciting to not share!!! You can go look at it here: http://www.scrapscene.com/2013/11/christmas-card-a-day-day-8-3.html

Advent Calendar for my little love! (Let's Get Shabby Gold Challenge)

I never had one of these when I was a kid, so I'm super excited to start the tradition for William.  Hopefully he enjoys it as much as I will!  I made it for a gold project challenge over at the "Let's Get Shabby" blog: http://letsgetshabby.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/challenge-51_2490.html

In the Hospital Together

These are some of my favorite photos of William and I from when he was born...he really is my little angel baby loves!!!!!  Thank you God for my beautiful, long-awaited miracle son!!!!

DIY Ikea wall shelves

I love doing DIY projects to save money and/or to make something exactly the way I want it. This project was a little bit of both! I totally dreamed up the design myself and I looove how they turned out.

So Very Thankful

These photos are from Thanksgiving last year.  William was not into it all!  He was a very disgruntled little baby, with a bajillion people invading his house.  I was so darn happy though, to be hosting so much of my family for the first time ever!  It was AWESOME!!!!!

Another studio view!!!

So nice and shiny!!!

Cleaning the studio today!

My studio is now squeaky clean and I can't wait to get creatin'!!!

Free Worldwide Shipping at my online shop through November 17

Just in case anyone missed the news over on my facebook page, my online shop, www.society6.com/inara77 is offering free worldwide shipping through November 17.  There are many fun items that my artwork can be printed on, including this beautiful tote bag:

 

Thank you for looking!!!





Just another happy day with you.

Here's our little cutie-pie, all in green!

Authentic heart, revealed (No pictures!!!)

Hello readers.  I am doing something completely new here.  Or maybe not completely new, come to think of it, after all.  I am putting my heart out there for you, my dear blog readers.  I used to do that actually, on my old blog, up until I got divorced 4 years ago, and started this new blog.  I guess I felt ashamed of getting a divorce and so I stopped putting my personal life stories on this new blog.  However, in real life I am very authentic and it has been nagging me lately that I am not being authentic on this blog.  I just feel something welling up inside and I know that it is time.  For a long time I have kept my true heart close and hidden on this blog because life is truly so painful sometimes that it was just so much nicer to put my art, my scrapbook pages, my cards out there instead of my heart.  I've been giving the world nice pictures, but keeping my words, my heart, for myself. 

So what I want to say is this:  Every moment of every single thing that I have been through has brought me to where I am right now and I AM PROUD OF WHO I HAVE BECOME.  I have just very recently discovered that in fact I have an extraordinary, inspirational story to share and so I am going to start sharing it.  Daddy abandoned little girl.  Foster child. Abusive first marriage.  Second marriage to my childhood sweetheart.  34 year old first time mom after years of infertility, and 2 miscarriages.  Post-partum depression.  Thyroid Cancer discovered when my son, William, was 6 weeks old.  Radiation and a 2 week separation from William when he was 6 months old.  Thyroid medication malfunctions off and on for the past year resulting in serious health problems and short term memory loss.  Cancer possibly metastasizing last month and then finding out it was a false alarm.  Carried through all of this on the wings of Grace given to me by my heavenly Father.

I went to this amazing conference (Soul Sisters 2013 http://www.magpiegirlgatherings.com/why-gathering-matters-the-results/why-gathering-matters-the-results/) 2 weeks ago in Troutdale, OR and it changed my life exponentially in so many ways.  I have many, many stories that I could share, but one story seems to be begging to be told right now, so here goes...

I'm sitting at a "coaches" dinner just answering questions, as usual completely embarrassed at my crazy, klutzy misadventures, when out of the blue one of the coaches, a published author and poet, looks at me and says something along the lines of the following, "Christina, you are an amazing storyteller.  I might have to use you as a teacher someday in one of my workshops."  My mouth just dropped open.  Literally.  I was speechless for a moment, and then I said, "Me?!?!?! Are you kidding me?  No one has EVER said that to me before.  Rather, I am constantly embarrassed by how often I mess up, get things wrong, trip and fall, have "accidents", etc..."  And she said, "That's what makes you so interesting to listen to.  You're a natural storyteller."  I was blown away.  Something that had ALWAYS been a deep source of shame to me had suddenly become a source of pride.  If that could be true of me, that a defect could suddenly become a powerful ability, what else could be true?  The possibilities were endless...

See, I have been keeping silent out of shame, thinking there was something wrong with me, that somehow I was more "bad" than others.  I am learning that this false belief keeps me, and I'm sure many others, from sharing their hearts and their lives.  And sharing our hearts and lives is how we find healing, and growth, and powerful living.  We need each other's stories.  So now I am giving you mine.

So that's just one story for now, many more to come.  I will try to write an authentic blog post every once in awhile on here, interspersed with all my art projects...thank you for listening, and hope you enjoyed seeing right into my true heart...

Happy

This is one of my very favorite photos from when William was a newborn.  I want to blow it up to poster size, frame it, and hang it on my wall!  It was such a sweet moment, just the two of us, out in the garden with the chickens...this is a really special  memory.

Harvest Memories

These were so more first, the beginnings of the ever-so-important tummy time, and then the first time William sat in his high chair, while I was cleaning the kitchen one evening before bed.  Just more fall memories...our first fall with our little sweetie!!!

November 6, 2012

Well, this was us a year ago.  How much we've all grown and changed!  This is using up another project life type pocket page.

I've waited so long to be your mama

Here's me and my wee little man, bonding...snuggly yumminess!

We're Expecting

These photos were taken in April of 2012, while I was pregnant with William.  This layout uses products from a variety of manufacturers: Glitz Design, Pink Paislee/House of 3, Webster's Pages, Crate Paper, Heidi Swapp, Tim Holtz, and My Mind's Eye.  When I do a layout I am usually working with a specific color palette in mind, usually with the colors in the photos guiding me.  I prefer to gather things that match color/style wise, and don't really like to use just one manufacturers products, unless of course it will make the layout even better...I really enjoy the mixed up/collage/shabby chic style I guess!!!

I had some of these Project Life type pockets, so I decided to play around with them and make a page.  It's not my thing, but I was glad at least that they didn't go to waste.  And it turned out cute, so it's all good!!!

I'm always thinking of you

This was the day of my first check up after the thyroidectomy, with  my mom and William...I couldn't sing for 8 weeks after this.  It was really sad.

Heart of a Mama

More pregnancy photos, from April 16, 2012.  We went out to lunch at an Indian Restuarant.  It was a fun date!