Living A Simple Life-Part 62: Summer Plans & Notes

This week, our midwives came for a visit to our home to get familiarized with everything before the birth. We made sure the birth kit was in place, and talked about our plans for the birth. The baby is head-down and engaged, and I will be continuing my regular "pelvic tilt" exercises to help with the positioning, as well as muscular strength. I've been having lots of regular Braxton-Hicks contractions, and drinking plenty of Red Raspberry Leaf/Pregnancy teas. It's so amazing to think that we could be holding our new little one within just a few short weeks.

Later that evening, a friend who will be with us during the birth came for dinner to discuss labor/birth plans. (Well, as much as you can really "plan" for birth, anyway...) But it was good to talk over logistics, as well as just enjoy the encouraging conversation that a deep-thinking, close friend can bring. We savored a summer dinner from the barbecue, of grilled chicken and homegrown zucchini (with marinades that Calvin had created), a garden salad, fresh summer berries, and homemade mint iced tea (from my herb patio garden).

The midwives instructed me to increase my amount of rest, if possible; resting as much as I can during this final stretch of pregnancy, in order to prepare for the intensity of birthing. One afternoon, while I rested, Calvin took Gen outside for awhile. They transplanted some lemon balm, and then picked our first batch of blackberries from the bushes around our house. They came in and presented me with a cute little bucketful (about 1/2 a cup or so). :) Gen did a great job picking the berries and putting them in the bucket (instead of her mouth). We praised her for her patience and self-control!

I decided to bake up a rustic blackberry tart with their harvest. I tossed together some gluten-free flours to create a crust (hoping it would turn out, since I didn't have a recipe!). It was actually beautiful coming out of the oven, with the delicious smells of cinnamon and ginger wafting through the house. It was the perfect ending to a light summer meal, as we gave thanks once again for God's provision of summer foods outside our door!

My mom will be arriving August 1st for an extended visit (she's hoping the baby will be born while she's here!), so I'll be focusing on spending time with her. (I haven't seen her in a year.) I have some automatic blog posts scheduled for the month of August, but I will likely be spending very little time online; especially once the baby is born. (We don't have internet at home; I make regular trips to the library, which I will take a break from once I'm babymooning at home during postpartum.) Some of the "regular" posts (such as the weekly meal planning posts) will cease for awhile, but I will pick them back up again in the fall.

I've been working on some simple sewing projects, tossing together summer recipes, creating lots of herbal concoctions, preparing relaxing items for birthing, doing some reading, and enjoying this season with friends and family. If you're subscribed in a reader (see the box on the right), you won't miss a post! I do read all your comments and e-mails, so feel free to keep writing them (thank you!). I love hearing your thoughts.

A few of you have asked for my mailing address recently. The location where we've been renting our mailbox is going out of business, so we will be changing our mailing address in the next couple of weeks or so. Please e-mail me at paisleysister [at] yahoo [dot] com, if you're wanting the address, and I'll send the new one out to you. (Mail forwarding won't be an option, so you'll want to make sure you have the correct address.) Thanks, friends! :)

If you would like to put my "Simple Living" button on your blog, feel free to copy & paste the code located on the right side of the page. Let me know if you do, so that I can visit your blog! To read previous "installments" in my "Living a Simple Life" series, click on the "Simple Living" tab at the top of the page. You are welcome to leave comments on any of the posts; I read them all. Let me know if this has inspired a blog post of your own! Each Thursday, I write a new post in this series, so stop by next week!