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<channel>
	<title>Meg Kat Photography &#38; Art</title>
	<atom:link href="http://megkat.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://megkat.com</link>
	<description>Photography, Paintings, &#38; Recipes Galore</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Sat, 04 Sep 2010 18:55:50 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en</language>
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		<item>
		<title>It&#8217;s Saturday!</title>
		<link>http://megkat.com/2010/09/its-saturday.html</link>
		<comments>http://megkat.com/2010/09/its-saturday.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 04 Sep 2010 17:51:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>megkat</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://megkat.com/?p=3521</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This weekend is particularly exciting because it&#8217;s the first Saturday that Matthew is scheduled not to work. He now works Mon-Fri and we have the whole weekend to ourselves. This means&#8230;Saturday morning dates! We kicked off today with a visit to Panera Bread at Lake Eola. I was finally able to satisfy my craving for [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This weekend is particularly exciting because it&#8217;s the first Saturday that Matthew is scheduled not to work. He now works Mon-Fri and we have the whole weekend to ourselves. This means&#8230;Saturday morning dates! We kicked off today with a visit to Panera Bread at Lake Eola. I was finally able to satisfy my craving for one of their egg souffles that I&#8217;ve wanted for <i>months</i> and it was everything I had hoped it would be.<br />
<bR></bR><br />
The breeze outside on their patio was beautiful and I loved the classical music playing lightly in the background. It reminded me of a Jane Austen movie and Matthew kept making references to returning to &#8220;a time of refinement and civility&#8221; (a quote from The Office for those that don&#8217;t watch the show). Another big highlight was having someone ask me for the first time how far along I was in my pregnancy. Guess I&#8217;m starting to show more!<br />
<br /></br><br />
<center>I only get one of these souffle&#8217;s about twice a year because I have a feeling it packs an entire weeks worth of calories into one pastry-fill cup &#8211; but TOTALLY worth it. Oh yeah&#8230;and I got a bear claw. It was glorious as well.</center><br />
<br /></br><br />
<center><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/panera.jpg"></center><br />
<br /></br><br />
<br /></br><br />
<center>Also there enjoying the morning was this adorable boxer named Gunner. Look at that face!</center><br />
<br /></br><br />
<center><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/gunner.jpg"></center><br />
<br /></br><br />
<br /></br><br />
<center>After breakfast we walked over to the lake with our coffees. There&#8217;s always something interesting to see there on Saturday mornings. Today there were three artists with their easels painting the gazebo. I loved seeing  the same subject in three different and distinct styles.</center><br />
<br /></br><br />
<center><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/painters.jpg"></center><br />
<br /></br><br />
<br /></br><br />
<center>This one was my favorite. And who&#8217;s that I spy in the background???</center><br />
<br /></br><br />
<center><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/painter1.jpg"></center><br />
<br /></br><br />
<br /></br><br />
<center>Why yes, it&#8217;s Sombrero Man! (spotted last week and <a href="http://dailyobservations.blogspot.com/2010/08/walk-through-park.html">blogged by my mom</a>). He was a good sport and posed for me :)</center><br />
<br /></br><br />
<center><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/sombrero.jpg"></center><br />
<br /></br><br />
Next on the agenda is relaxing and then working on our baby registry. First thing I want to get for the nursery is this <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70185750">vegetable basket from IKEA</a>.<br />
<bR><br />
<center><img src="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l88drnnLAW1qzyfsto1_500.jpg"></center><br />
<br /></br><br />
**added** AND a <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30185747">fruit basket</a>! (thanks, Cindi!)<br />
<br /></bR><br />
<center><img src="http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l88khc9Hg91qzyfsto1_500.jpg"></centeR><br />
<br /></bR><br />
I&#8217;m going to turn this kid into a foodie straight away :)<br />
<bR></br></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Gua Sha</title>
		<link>http://megkat.com/2010/09/gua-sha.html</link>
		<comments>http://megkat.com/2010/09/gua-sha.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:59:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>megkat</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://megkat.com/?p=3509</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[While visiting my mom today I met Susan, an acupuncturist, RN, and a jewelry maker. We got to talking about my horrible back pain that I&#8217;ve had for the past five days and before I knew it, she was performing an ancient Chinese massage technique on my back called Gua Sha. (from wikipedia) Gua Sha [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>While visiting my mom today I met Susan, an acupuncturist, RN, and a jewelry maker. We got to talking about my horrible back pain that I&#8217;ve had for the past five days and before I knew it, she was performing an ancient Chinese massage technique on my back called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gua_Sha">Gua Sha</a>.<br />
<br /></br><br />
<center><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/back1.jpg"></center><br />
<br /></br><br />
(from wikipedia)<br />
<em>Gua Sha involves repeated pressured strokes over lubricated skin with a smooth edge. (We used a ceramic Chinese soup spoon and olive oil)<br />
<br /></br><br />
The smooth edge is placed against the pre-oiled skin surface, pressed down firmly, and then moved down the muscles &#8212; hence the term &#8220;tribo-effleurage&#8221; (i.e., friction-stroking) &#8212; or along the pathway of the acupuncture meridians, along the surface of the skin, with each stroke being about 4-6 inches long.</em><br />
<br /></br><br />
<center><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/back3.jpg"></center><br />
<br /></br><br />
<em>This causes extravasation of blood from the peripheral capillaries (petechiae) and may result in sub-cutaneous blemishing (ecchymosis), which usually takes 2-4 days to fade. Sha rash does not represent capillary rupture as in bruising, as is evidenced by the immediate fading of petechiae to echymosis, and the rapid resolution of sha as compared to bruising. The color of sha varies according to the severity of the patient&#8217;s blood stasis &#8212; which may correlate with the nature, severity and type of their disorder &#8211;appearing from a dark blue-black to a light pink, but is most often a shade of red. Although the marks on the skin look painful, they are not. Patients typically feel immediate sense of relief and change.</em><br />
<br /></br><br />
<center><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/back2.jpg"></center><br />
<br /></br><br />
<strike>It looks worse than it feels. The scraping hurt at times, but afterward there was no pain except for the tight muscle that wasn&#8217;t completely work out. It still hurts now but there seems to have been a small improvement.</strike><br />
<br /></br><br />
My whole back is tender and purple and the tight muscle is just as sore as earlier (if not more). I won&#8217;t be doing this again.<br />
<br /></br><br />
<center><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/back4.jpg"></center><br />
<br /></br><br />
Not too pretty though.<br />
<br /></br></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Halfway there!</title>
		<link>http://megkat.com/2010/09/halfway-there.html</link>
		<comments>http://megkat.com/2010/09/halfway-there.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 02 Sep 2010 22:24:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>megkat</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://megkat.com/?p=3501</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I really didn&#8217;t mean to go a whole week without updating, and I REALLY can&#8217;t believe I&#8217;m halfway through this pregnancy already. I want to write soon about art ideas, baby stuff, and recipes, but today I can&#8217; only think about eating and sleeping. The most I was able to do today was take this [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I really didn&#8217;t mean to go a whole week without updating, and I REALLY can&#8217;t believe I&#8217;m halfway through this pregnancy already.<br />
<br />
I want to write soon about art ideas, baby stuff, and recipes, but today I can&#8217; only think about <strong>eating</strong> and <strong>sleeping</strong>. The most I was able to do today was take this weeks belly photo and put clean sheets on the bed. So that&#8217;s all you get (the picture, that is, the sheets are all mine)<br />
<br />
<center><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/belly20wks600.jpg"></center><br />
<br />
P.S. We find out the gender on September 13th!<br />
<br /></br></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Channa Masala</title>
		<link>http://megkat.com/2010/08/channa-masala.html</link>
		<comments>http://megkat.com/2010/08/channa-masala.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 26 Aug 2010 19:38:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>megkat</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://megkat.com/?p=3475</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Now for one of my all time favorite recipes &#8211; Channa Masala! I could eat bowl after bowl of this delicious Indian dish. I usually make some fresh chapatis to eat with it, but next time I&#8217;m going to try my hand at homemade garlic naan. My mouth is watering thinking about it&#8230; Hope you [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Now for one of my all time favorite recipes &#8211; Channa Masala!<br />
<br />
<center><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/cm03.jpg"></center><br />
<br /></br><br />
I could eat bowl after bowl of this delicious Indian dish. I usually make some fresh chapatis to eat with it, but next time I&#8217;m going to try my hand at homemade garlic naan. My mouth is watering thinking about it&#8230;<br />
<br />
Hope you enjoy the recipe!<br />
<br /></br><br />
<center><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/8steps.jpg"></center><br />
<br /></br><br />
<strong>Step #1</strong><br />
Prepare the ingredients in separate bowls. It may sound a little tedious, but having everything chopped, measured, and ready to add to the pot is helpful beyond words.<br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
<br />
2-3 TBS vegetable oil<br />
1.5 tsp cumin seeds<br />
1.5 tsp onion seeds<br />
2 16oz cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed<br />
1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes<br />
1 large onion, chopped<br />
3-5 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped into bite-sized chunks<br />
3 garlic cloves, minced garlic<br />
1&#8243; piece of ginger, minced or grated<br />
1/2-1 jalapeno, minced<br />
2 tsp salt<br />
2 tsp ground coriander<br />
2 tsp garam masala*<br />
1.5 tsp turmeric<br />
4 C water<br />
handful of fresh cilantro, chopped<br />
<br />
<i>*if you don&#8217;t have garam masala, this homemade spice mixture will give you 2 tsp for this recipe:<br />
3/4 tsp cumin<br />
1/4 tsp coriander<br />
1/4 tsp cardamom<br />
1/4 tsp pepper<br />
1/4 tsp cinnamon<br />
1/8 tsp cloves<br />
1/8 tsp nutmeg</i><br />
<br /></br><br />
<strong>Step #2</strong><br />
Heat the oil over medium heat and add the onion seeds and cumin seeds. Saute for around 20 seconds then add the chopped onions and cook until they are lightly browned.<br />
<br /></br><br />
<strong>Step #3</strong><br />
Add the ginger, garlic and jalapeno and stir fry for a minute or two.<br />
<br /></br><br />
<strong>Step #4</strong><br />
Now add the can of diced tomatoes and stir fry for another 5 minutes, then add the spices and stir thoroughly.<br />
<br /></br><br />
<strong>Step #5</strong><br />
Add the diced potatoes and stir well to coat in spices<br />
<br /></br><br />
<strong>Step #6</strong><br />
Add 3 cups of water and put the lid on. Once it comes to a boil, turn down the heat a bit and let simmer for around 20 minutes to soften the potato.<br />
<br /></br><br />
<strong>Step #7</strong><br />
Check to see that the potato chunks are soft then add the chickpeas. Stir it all up and add another cup of water to the pot. Bring to a boil again and then turn the heat down to simmer for 15 minutes with the lid partially on.<br />
<br /></br><br />
<strong>Step #8</strong><br />
Stir in some freshly chopped cilantro then turn off the heat, put the lid on tight, and let it it stand for around 15 minutes while you make some rice or warm up some bread. It’s then ready to serve!<br />
<br /></bR><br />
<center><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/cm02.jpg"></center><br />
<br /></br><br />
P.S. This weeks belly photo! :)<br />
<br />
<center><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/19week600.jpg"></center></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>8</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Five things</title>
		<link>http://megkat.com/2010/08/five-things.html</link>
		<comments>http://megkat.com/2010/08/five-things.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 25 Aug 2010 20:20:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>megkat</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://megkat.com/?p=3454</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[1. After being bombarded with spam comments again, I&#8217;ve installed a new captcha program on my commenting system. If anyone wants to leave a comment to test it out and make sure it&#8217;s working properly I&#8217;d very much appreciate it. If there are any problems please contact me at meg.kat.art@gmail.com 2. I love love love [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>1.</strong> After being bombarded with spam comments again, I&#8217;ve installed a new captcha program on my commenting system. If anyone wants to leave a comment to test it out and make sure it&#8217;s working properly I&#8217;d very much appreciate it. If there are any problems please contact me at meg.kat.art@gmail.com<br />
<br /></br><br />
<strong>2. </strong>I love love <b>love</b> Liv Tyler&#8217;s look in this photo for Gucci.<br />
<br />
<center><img src="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l7pzk12J2G1qzyfsto1_500.jpg"></center><br />
<br />
This is the style I am aiming for.<br />
<br />
I don&#8217;t know if I want to go so far as to cut my bangs that short so I’ve started pinning my bangs back in a similar way.  I haven&#8217;t owned lipstick in <i>years</i> but I found a brand of organic and low-toxicity lipstick called <a href="http://www.zosimosbotanicals.com/">Zosimos Botanicals</a> that I want to try out. My favorite color so far that is most similar to the one in the Liv Tyler photo is the <a href="http://www.zosimosbotanicals.com/product_info.php/products_id/781">Garnet mini stick</a>.<br />
<br />
I’m also going to work on the fun eyeliner application :)<br />
<br />
FYI: <a href="http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/">Cosmeticsdatabase.com</a> is a great website to find out how toxic or safe your health and beauty products are.<br />
<br /></bR><br />
<strong>3.</strong> I love when customers send me photos of how they&#8217;ve displayed work they&#8217;ve purchased from me.<br />
<br />
Allison and Brian in Maryland actually designed their new bathroom specifically for my <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/meganlee?section_id=6943854">Rock Star Scientist posters</a> and sent me a few pictures. How cool is that?!<br />
<br />
<center><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/pframed2.jpg"></center><br />
<br /></br><br />
<center><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/pframed3.jpg"></center><br />
<br /></br><br />
<center><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/pframed1.jpg"></center><br />
<br /></br></p>
<p>And Rob in Nevada sent me a photo of his framed mini posters:<br />
<br />
<center><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/miniposters.jpg"></center><br />
<br /></br><br />
<strong>4.</strong> We had another baby appointment at TBP yesterday and everything is looking good with me and Baby K so far. My blood pressure is still 110/80, I&#8217;ve only gained about 1lb, and I&#8217;m measuring right around 19-20 weeks. We also got our prescription to get an ultrasound and find out the gender!<br />
<br />
Since we only get one ultrasound (unless another is medically necessary or we want to pay for one ourselves), we&#8217;re going to wait at least another week or two so that chances are high we see the little girl or boy parts clearly :)<br />
<br /></br><br />
<strong>5.</strong> New belly photo tomorrow!<br />
<br /></br></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>7</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Date Night</title>
		<link>http://megkat.com/2010/08/date-night.html</link>
		<comments>http://megkat.com/2010/08/date-night.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 22 Aug 2010 22:54:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>megkat</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://megkat.com/?p=3428</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The sudden and intense desire to go to Ikea struck me yesterday, so of course Matthew took me for a little date night. One of the best things there: a cafe full of cheap food! (and cool light fixtures) (buy one salad and get one free!) I love their take-home containers for leftovers. I have [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The sudden and intense desire to go to Ikea struck me yesterday, so of course Matthew took me for a little date night.</p>
<p>One of the best things there: a cafe full of cheap food! (and cool light fixtures)<br />
<br /></bR><br />
<center><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/ikea01.jpg"></center><br />
<br /></bR><br />
<center>(buy one salad and get one free!)</center><br />
<center><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/ikea02.jpg"></center></p>
<p></bR><br />
<center><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/ikea05.jpg"></center><br />
<br /></bR><br />
<center>I love their take-home containers for leftovers. I have a thing for little brown paper boxes.</center><br />
<center><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/ikea03.jpg"></center><br />
<br /></bR><br />
<centeR>After eating we took a quick tour through the top level and I happened to fall in love with this kitchen</center><br />
<br />
<center><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/ikea04.jpg"></center></p>
<p></br><br />
<br /></br><br />
I also really really want to get a couple of these bookcases soon. I had been looking at the Billy Bookcases for a long time, but I actually like that these aren&#8217;t as tall and they have a cute little drawer on the bottom<br />
<br />
<center><a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00141769"><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/whitebookcase.jpg" no border="0" ></a></center></p>
<p>But, since that&#8217;s not in the budget right now, we stuck to just a few kitchen items (my favorite section in the entire store).<br />
<br /></br><br />
<center><a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30095412"><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/glasses6pack.jpg" no border="0" ></a></center><br />
<br /></br><br /></br></p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20132453"><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/servingbowl.jpg" no border="0" ></a></center><br />
<br /></br><br /></br></p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60149673"><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/foodsaver.jpg" no border="0" ></a></center><br />
<br /></br><br /></br></p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10082651"><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/garlicpress.jpg" no border="0" ></a></center><br />
<br /></br><br /></br></p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50045143"><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/kscissors.jpg" no border="0" ></a></center><br />
<br /></br><br /></br></p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00152946"><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/pizzacutter.jpg" no border="0" ></a></center><br />
<br /></br><br />
And of course I bought one of the hazelnut chocolate bars they stick right at the check out counter to tempt suckers like me. Yum :)<br />
<br /></br></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>New belly photo!</title>
		<link>http://megkat.com/2010/08/new-belly-photo.html</link>
		<comments>http://megkat.com/2010/08/new-belly-photo.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 19 Aug 2010 18:16:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>megkat</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://megkat.com/?p=3420</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We have our second appointment at TBP on Tuesday and then just two more weeks until the ultrasound :)]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><center><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/18wkbellyphoto.jpg"></center><br />
<br /></br><br />
We have our second appointment at TBP on Tuesday and then just two more weeks until the ultrasound :)<br />
<bR></br></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>An update</title>
		<link>http://megkat.com/2010/08/an-update.html</link>
		<comments>http://megkat.com/2010/08/an-update.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 18 Aug 2010 16:24:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>megkat</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://megkat.com/?p=3404</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Time is flying by still. Tomorrow I&#8217;ll be 18 weeks along in this pregnancy &#8211; nearly halfway! My belly is growing a bit but I still haven&#8217;t &#8220;popped&#8221;, and while I have felt the baby kick a little, the movements still aren&#8217;t regular. Speaking of regular, until I was pregnant I never realized how happy [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Time is flying by still. Tomorrow I&#8217;ll be 18 weeks along in this pregnancy &#8211; nearly halfway! My belly is growing a bit but I still haven&#8217;t &#8220;popped&#8221;, and while I have felt the baby kick a little, the movements still aren&#8217;t regular.<br />
<br /></br><br />
Speaking of regular, until I was pregnant I never realized how happy it would make me just to be able to poo. No wonder it is always a constant topic with older folks, because once it doesn&#8217;t happen, things feel BAD.  I&#8217;m happy to report that constipation is becoming less of a problem as the weeks go by and I am a much happier camper. I&#8217;m also back to feeling like my normal self with energy levels and eating. So much so that I sometimes forget I&#8217;m pregnant until I try to bend over or lay down on my stomach and I feel like a small bowling ball is lodged in my mid-section.<br />
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And because I&#8217;ve let this little blog lie half-dead for so long, I thought I&#8217;d post a few pictures of things going on lately.<br />
<br /></br></p>
<p><center><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/sitting.jpg"></center><br />
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We finally have a sitting table for eating. We&#8217;d been without any chairs until Matthew found these two in someones trash one day. Love curbside finds!<br />
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<center><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/freetable.jpg"></center><br />
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Last week I happened to be the one to find a garbage treasure. This coffee table was sitting on the side of the road in the rain with a &#8220;Free&#8221; sign taped to it. Score!<br />
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<center><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/birdframed.jpg"></center><br />
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This painting I bought several years ago has been framed at last. I figure it wouldn&#8217;t make sense to hammer holes into the wall right before we leave so I&#8217;m waiting until we move to hang it up.<br />
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<p><center><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/studio.jpg"></center><br />
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<p>I&#8217;ve been missing when my studio space looked like this and there was room to work.<br />
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<center><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/paintprogress.jpg"></center><br />
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It&#8217;s quite the mess right now so I still have not finished <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEi6uCltJZY">this painting</a> and it is paused in its early stages.<br />
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<p><center><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/backpack.jpg"></center><br />
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I found this incredible princess backpack that mom decided to model. Yes, those are puff sleeves and a ruffle skirt built into the straps.<br />
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<center><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/frogdance.jpg"></center><br />
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I also discovered this &#8220;frog in the throws of spontaneous dance&#8221; statue at a decorating store yesterday. It was so horrible it was awesome. Sometimes this is exactly how I feel.<br />
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<center><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/channa.jpg"></center><br />
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I made a big pot of Channa Masala last week and it was fantastic. I&#8217;m ready for another batch. Official recipe post should be up soon.<br />
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And that&#8217;s the recap for today :)<br />
<br /></br></p>
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		<title>All about Matthew.</title>
		<link>http://megkat.com/2010/08/all-about-matthew.html</link>
		<comments>http://megkat.com/2010/08/all-about-matthew.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 05 Aug 2010 22:50:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>megkat</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://megkat.com/?p=3383</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Some of the endearing things he does that make me love him more and more: He is thoughtful and likes to surprise me. Last week he showed up at the door after work with several bags in hand. He had just done all the grocery shopping for me (definitely not one of his favorite things [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Some of the endearing things he does that make me love him more and more:</p>
<p>He is thoughtful and likes to surprise me. Last week he showed up at the door after work with several bags in hand. He had just done all the grocery shopping for me (definitely not one of his favorite things to do) and bought me all the little things he knows I like. He also regularly has surprises waiting for me at home, like: washed dishes, cleaned laundry, or the sandwich and fruit popsicles I mentioned craving the day before,<br />
<br /></br></p>
<p>Yesterday, after mowing nine yards in 105F+ heat, he took me to the store so I could look at maternity clothes, bought me two shirts, then led me over to the baby clothes to look at teeny tiny outfits together (We also decided to have an impromptu date night at a new restaurant in the neighborhood, then went to the theater to see Inception with some free movie tickets. It&#8217;s as good as everyone says &#8211; go see it).<br />
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<p>He regularly pretends his wedding band is &#8220;The One Ring to Rule Them All&#8221;<br />
<center><img src="http://megkat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/onering.jpg"></center><br />
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<p>For the past three months I&#8217;ve been sleeping on the futon in the living room. Not that I don&#8217;t want to be snuggled with Matthew all night, but I&#8217;ve become such a light sleeper that any time he turned over I would wake up. At first he stayed in the bedroom by himself, but now he&#8217;s moved into the living room to be with me. Not on the futon though, no. He lets me have that all to myself while he takes the pillows off of the little love seat, arranges them on the floor with blankets, and sleeps at the foot of the futon next to me every night (and it always remind me of Micheal Scott sleeping on the tiny bench &#8211; except I don&#8217;t make him do this!)<br />
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<p>Last night he had trouble sleeping. After awhile he decided to sit on the porch balcony and I looked up to see him waging some sort of battle out there against a giant cockroach with a spray bottle full of vinegar. The poor guy then fell over a small aluminum table and manged to scrape and bruise both knees, an elbow, his wrist, and both hands. He has since been wallowing in his little injuries and declared them his &#8220;war wounds&#8221;.</p>
<p>Every time he tries to stand up from his little makeshift bed on the floor he moans and groans and scoots slowly across the floor because he can&#8217;t use his hands or knees to help himself up.</p>
<p><b>Him:</b> &#8220;It&#8217;s a good thing I&#8217;m a tough little soldier.&#8221;</p>
<p><b>Me:</b> &#8220;Aw, Baby, you make me laugh&#8221;</p>
<p><b>Him:</b>&#8220;Oh, good. I&#8217;m glad you laugh after I&#8217;m injured in battle&#8221;</p>
<p>And that&#8217;s just a little glimpse into why I love this guy so darn much.<br />
<br /></br></p>
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		<title>Good and bad</title>
		<link>http://megkat.com/2010/07/good-and-bad-2.html</link>
		<comments>http://megkat.com/2010/07/good-and-bad-2.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:47:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>megkat</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://megkat.com/?p=3379</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Birth Place (TBP) called me this afternoon to tell me my blood work was fine (YAY!) but my urine showed I had a urinary tract infection. Really odd because I&#8217;ve had absolutely NO symptoms. They wanted me to start taking an antibiotic called Macrodantin to clear it up. I hung up the phone and [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The Birth Place (TBP) called me this afternoon to tell me my blood work was fine (YAY!) but my urine showed I had a urinary tract infection. Really odd because I&#8217;ve had absolutely NO symptoms. </p>
<p>They wanted me to start taking an antibiotic called <a href="http://www.drugs.com/pdr/macrodantin.html">Macrodantin</a> to clear it up. I hung up the phone and freaked out.</p>
<p>I don&#8217;t take drugs. I hate even taking Tylenol. I treat everything I can with simple homeopathic remedies and herbs. I started reading about Macrodantin and <a href="http://www.askapatient.com/viewrating.asp?drug=16620&#038;name=MACRODANTIN">it&#8217;s side effects</a> and freaked out even more. Severe headaches, abdominal pain, persistent cough, wheezing, and quite a few cases of anaphylaxis that nearly resulted in death.</p>
<p>I have always been extremely sensitive to medications I&#8217;ve tried in the past, and three years ago I cleared up a UTI with just cranberry juice and parsley tea, so I called TBP back, told them I was really uncomfortable with taking the prescription and asked if I could just treat it naturally. </p>
<p>I guess I&#8217;m used to typical doctors pushing drugs and I was afraid it would be &#8220;You HAVE to take this drug or ELSE&#8221;, but they were totally fine and immediately agreeable with that and said they would just check to see if it was cleared up at my next appointment.</p>
<p>SIGH. Huge relief.</p>
<p>I&#8217;ve been reading that if a UTI spreads to the kidneys it can actually cause premature labor so I definitely need to start taking my cranberry supplements/juice immediately, but I&#8217;m so so thankful TBP is sp open to natural treatments. I mean, a huge reason I chose them is because it&#8217;s an all natural birth with no meds.</p>
<p>It still amazes me that so many people scoff at natural organic elements  &#8211; that CURE &#8211; and think it&#8217;s totally normal to ingest a man made chemical that usually causes even more problems than it treats/masks.</p>
<p>Don&#8217;t get me wrong, I think meds have their place for emergency situations, but not this long term prescription living that most of society accepts.</p>
<p>Enough ranting.</p>
<p>I dreamt last night about french fries and hot dogs and I&#8217;ve been craving Hot Dog Heaven ALL DAY. Ugh. Why can&#8217;t I only crave salads and beans?<br />
<br /></br></p>
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