Merry Christmas!

Phew. We made it through Cadence's first Christmas. We hope you all had a blessed holiday season!

Cadence's Baby Dedication

Cadence's Baby Dedication was a very special day. She had many family & friends visit for the occasion. She also got to wear the first of many beautiful dresses in her life.




The following video is of Cadence's thanking her godmommy Beth for her Baby Dedication Day video & showing off her pretty dress.

AC Premium Member Here.

I finally did it. I joined the AC Premium Community. I've been tip toeing around the main Accidental Creative website for months now listening to free podcasts & reading the public blog. Always eating up everything Todd Henry has to say. Now that I took the plunge (at only $9.95/mo) I have access to the entire archive of podcasts. I listened to four today!

I did have a little push from Accidental Creative - they are running a special right now where the first 30 days are free. So, you too can try AC Premium & enjoy their creative coaching.

** AC Premium is now AC Engage. Same greatness. Different name.

Mommy Time

I've finally succumbed to living my life on Mommy Time & it has been quite freeing. Now don't think I'm not still fighting my inner self about being in control of things; however, in the past month dishes have sat in the sink a bit longer, our bed isn't made most days & emails stack up in my inbox - I even missed a chiropractor appointment yesterday! I've NEVER missed a scheduled appointment. I may be late more often than not, but I always show up.

I didn't think adjusting to being a Mom was going to take this long. I could juggle working out, my freelance work, my full-time job, relationships & extra odds & ends with ease. Now that I've added a baby into the mix she seems to trump anything else that is going on daily - which makes me quite anxious when I'm laying in bed defragging from my day.

This past weekend would not have been possible if I hadn't given in to Mommy Time. Part of Mommy Time is realizing anything you do will take double the amount of time it would have pre-Mommy Time. With that in mind we planned a Halloween trip up to Wisconsin to go trick or treating with Cadence's cousins. Because of different family events I ended up taking an extra two days off of work to protect Saturday as Cousin Day and I am so glad I did! Cadence, the butterfly, & I, the Mom, had a blast flying from house to house racing the Rieder boys & collecting candy.

Mason Jennings

I don't think I have ever been this close to the stage and not in a mosh pit. Our fist time at the High Dive was a good one &, as expected, Mason Jennings put on a great show. Below is a snippet of the song Be Here Now. Enjoy!

Real Life Dreams

A post from our Project 2007 Blog
18th Aug 2007 - Leaving Alaska...

I know that I haven`t written much on our official blog; however, I hope my photos have let you all enjoy the scenery of the trip so far. Apx 3000 photos to date. Our travels in Alaska have been everything I could have wished for. It is always odd to finish something that you have been planning forever. Kinda like a wedding. "We are going to Alaska" was Jarrod & my mantra for the past three years. Bad day at work, "We are going to Alaska" Put that extra paycheck in the bank, "We are going to Alaska" Buy a gas guzzling truck when gas prices are high, "We are going to Alaska" And now, here we are leaving Alaska. However, the memories, stories, & photos that have been collected here will never be forgotten! And you know I`m sure Jarrod & I will come up with some crazy scheme for the next season in our life together. I asked Jarrod today, "is this living happily ever after?" and he said, "Yes."

I went for a run a couple of days ago in Tok, Alaska. I hadn`t ran in over three weeks. I forget how running doesn`t only give you time to exercise your body, but it exercises your mind too. I was able to digest all of the things I had done in the last five weeks. (Don`t worry Kandra, I still thought, "I hate this" every other thought or so! I would have rather been on a bike) Anyhow, while running I finally was able to grasp what a great accomplishment it has been to fulfill a dream. A real live dream. One that usually only greeting cards talk about! It has been simple when looking at it day to day; however, when you look at everything that encompasses Project 2007 it is pretty large. Hmmm... yup, still hard to grasp. Project 2007 is now half over for Jarrod & I, with only more fun to come. We have enjoyed including so many of our family & friends in on our crazy dream come to life. I can only hope that we have been able to convince people to follow their own dreams. Because you know, they really do come true.

--

And now over two years later we will soon be living happily ever after in a cute home surrounded by big trees & cobblestone roads:



I'm still amazed that we found this adorable home as a rental! In our price range!!

Happy Birthday, Grandma B!

Ah, technology. Since we've gotten this new little FugiFilm digital camera I've been taking lots of short videos (like the music ones below). So, this morning Jarrod helped me take this super cute video for Grandma B's birthday. We tried emailing it. No go. We tried sending it via a facebook message. Not happening. We tried compressing it. Again, no success. Finally, I decided to just post it here. Phew. Happy Birthday, Grandma B!

Music

Summer is usually concert season at the Scheunemann house, well this year it moved into fall somehow. Cody, Leslie, Rhett, Dave, Jarrod & I went to U2 on September 13th in Chicago. Then, on September 19th Jarrod & I went to Iron & Wine here in Champaign. These two shows couldn't have been more different (see videos below), yet both were extremely amazing. And finally, on October 27th, Jarrod & I will be checking out Mason Jennings at the High Dive in Champaign. Oh how I love live music.

Operation Stimulus 2010

I was challenged to create a flyer for this year's Operation Stimulus that would stand off a table at a trade show with tons of other flyers. I'm still waiting for feedback if I was successful. The flyer is below:

CrossTraining 09

I once again worked on the brochure for the CrossTraining conference in Upper Michigan. Check out this year's updates below:

Another Newspaper Clipping

This is our third season of gardening. Each year we learn new things - like how many different ways can you prepare green beans when you have them coming out of your ears. Since we have always lived in apartments we do our gardening in community gardens. This year Cadence got to join us in the fun. Check out the photo of her & I that ended up in the News Gazette here in Champaign a couple Sundays ago. We were picking cucumbers. Mmmmm.

It's Official!

This magic little newspaper clipping from the News Gazette here in Champaign was created with a lot of sweaty armpits & nervous twitches. For some reason (fear of the unknown) I have always hesitated at making Jessie Marie Studio an official business.

Well, I read The War of Art & decided to fight Resistance head on. I had learned back in December that I needed an Assumed Name Certificate to accomplish anything. So, one lunch hour I went on an adventure to find the County Clerk's office in Urbana. I got the paperwork I needed to publish in the local newspaper. A couple days later, I headed to the News Gazette to run the attached ad for three consecutive weeks to declare my business name to the community. Now, I have to get back to the County Clerk's office, before August 11th, to get my Assumed Name Certificate. Then, I can set up a business account at my bank & my clients will finally be able to write checks out to Jessie Marie Studio. Phew.

Making Jessie Marie Studio an official business has made me realize - this is for real. I do freelance on the side. Which scares the daylights out of me. Why? What if Jessie Marie Studio grows bigger? Or collapses? I am just scared of the unknown. Things I can't control. Well, now I have a newspaper clipping to stick on the fridge to remind me that I can conquer the unknown.

Current Books

Jarrod's summer book list:
Monkey Wrench Gang
by Edward Abbey

Desert Solitaire
by Edward Abbey

The Unsettling of America: Culture & Agriculture
by Wendell Berry

Jayber Crow
by Wendell Berry

The Worst Hard Time
by Timothy Egan

Jessie's summer book list:
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
by J.K. Rowling
I've moved to reading the books rather than listening.
And, I finished this book just in time to go to the movie.

The War of Art
by Steven Pressfield
Amazing. Check out podcast AC#162: Die Empty on Accidental Creative for a snippet of one of the theories in the book.

Jessie is currently reading...
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - the British version.
by J.K. Rowling

New Inspiration

I stumbled upon the following fellows work while in search for inspiration for an upcoming project:

Jarrod Andrew Schorr
Works with detailed paper cuts. Pretty sweet stuff.

Shaw Nielsen
Fun, whimsical illustrations. He was featured in the Fresh section of the current Communication Arts.

Success

When asked when I will consider myself successful I answer, "when I have a deck & a dog." Now, I'm not that picky, a porch would work. Maybe one like Mount Washington Hotel's with the views of Mount Washington in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Now, if only I could decide on the kind of dog I want.

Back from Maine.

Filling the Mom role while on vacation was quite a challenge. Come to think of it the last six months have been pretty challenging. The learning curve of becoming a parent is the biggest one I've tackled to date. Cadence, on the other hand, has been kicking the Kid role's butt. On the trip east she cut two teeth, checked out the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, went through another growth spurt, enjoyed the crashing waves of the Atlantic ocean, hung out with whales & puffins, went on multiple hikes, was a princess for a night at Mount Washington Hotel & survived multiple long days in her car seat. She is going to have a rock star life - I can sense it.

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Baby Sleep Boot Camp

Two Mondays ago, a new era began in the Scheunemann house. Cadence was put on a sleep schedule. Cadence had managed to weasel herself into sleeping in our bed. After three sleepless weeks Jarrod & I were desperate. I had been given the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Marc Weissbluth, M.D. when Cadence was born. I devoured the chapters that I needed to create an age appropriate, child appropriate sleep schedule & last Monday, the fun began.

There were multiple rules that you needed to follow when teaching a child to sleep, according to Dr. Weissbluth, one was that once bedtime arrived parents are supposed to be strong & let their child cry until they fall asleep on their own. This time can span anywhere from minutes to hours. Jarrod & I were nervous. Luckily, nap time didn't have the same rules - you could "save" your child after a specified time. Jarrod was in charge of Cadence's morning nap & I was in charge of bedtime. Also, Baby Sleep Boot Camp began in conjuncture with Cadence receiving her new crib that Grandpa Repovsch had refurbished. I actually slept in the same crib when I was a baby.

Day One: Cadence did awesome. She took her morning nap like a champ & at bedtime she cried only as long as it took me to walk out the door of her room. She slept from 7:30 that night until 5:30 the next morning. Sweet.

Day Two: Cadence got the best of Mommy. Bedtime arrived. I did the same routine as the night before. Cadence was put in her crib at 7:30PM. She cried on & off until 9:30PM. At this point I heard a loud bang from our upstairs neighbor. I thought this was the neighbor's way of complaining about the crying baby. Later I found out this assumption was untrue. Anyhow, I ran into her room, scooped her up & began sobbing saying over & over, "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." You know what my daughter did?! She looked up at me and SMILED! And then she had the nerve to let out a CUTE BABY GIGGLE! All she wanted was to hang out. This only confirmed one thing: Jarrod & I have an extrovert on our hands.

Day Three until Today: Jarrod & I fought back. Since we knew she was only crying to get us to come in & play with her we didn't feel as sorry for her. Oh, don't get me wrong, every time I heard a cry it was like getting stabbed in the heart, but our persistence paid off. She is taking two long naps a day, rather than multiple Cadence catnaps throughout the day. And I have tucked Cadence in while she was still awake at 7:45 each night this week & she doesn't let out a peep as I walk out of the room. And you know what else? She doesn't wake up until 7 in the morning!

Swim. Bike. Run.

I somehow morphed into a sprint triathlete in the past four years. Last season I took off because beginning pregnancy fatigue won out during my training. During the final months of my pregnancy I would daydream about being able to really sweat again while slowly walking on the treadmill. I searched the web for a race & found Tri the Illini. A sprint triathlon, here in Champaign, that included a 300 meter swim, an 11 mile bike ride & a 5k run. The race date was May 2nd. That date seemed eons away from my due date of January 8th.

Cadence arrived on January 19th & recovering from labor & delivery was a bit more than I expected. Okay, a lot more than I expected. I was able to begin walking on the treadmill, with Cadence riding along in her baby bjorn, about five weeks after she was born. At the six week mark I went to my first spinning class. Training was slow but steady. Three weeks before the race I decided I needed to kick it into high gear & focused on the run portion. I hate the run portion. I ran a total of 14 miles that week. Phew, did I mention I hate the run portion? But my lungs were much happier. Two weeks before the race I got the flu. I did nothing.

The week before the race was a mental game. I went back & forth if I was really going to participate. I biked 12 miles. I ran 3. I didn't swim at all. I checked the weather for race day - it was supposed to be beautiful. I checked the weather for race day again - it was supposed to rain. Jarrod gave me multiple pep talks. Cadence had decided this would be a great week to start waking up in the middle of the night again. Needless to say, the night before the tri I went & picked up my packet. Picking up my packet made it official - I was going to do it. I got a free t-shirt. Who doesn't love a free t-shirt? I got excited. I got really excited! I was really going to do another triathlon AND I had only had a baby three in a half months ago!

I got to the race & came down with a crazy case of bike envy. My hybrid Gary Fisher didn't seem good enough. I had to remind myself, "I'm doing this for fun. I just had a baby." I set up shop in the transition area. I entered the pool area & waited my turn. Each participant had a chip that would be keeping track of his or her time, so we started one after another jumping in the pool & swimming six laps. The swim went really well. I got into a rhythm & before I knew it I was climbing out of the pool & running out into the brisk morning air to get onto my bike. The sun was shining.

I got onto my hybrid Gary Fisher & my bike envy got worse as people began to pass me. I had to keep reminding myself, "I'm doing this for fun. I just had a baby." And then, about half way into the bike portion I was passed by a 22 year old woman on a bike that was in worse shape than mine. Her bike was rattling. (By the way, our ages were written on the back of our calf in permanent marker. Yeah, awesome.) My competitive spirit took over, I passed her back. We went back & forth like this for about 3 or 4 miles. I finally gave in & stopped the passing game. I let her win and I was devastated. Then once again, I reminded myself, "I'm doing this for fun. I just had a baby."

The run went as well as I could have hoped for. I was able to keep the 10 minute mile pace that I wanted to AND I finally got that tour of the University of Illinois campus that I've never taken. As the finish line drew near I chanted the mantra, "Cadence Rose. Cadence Rose. Cadence Rose." You know crossing a finish line never gets old, you always feel like a winner. And, boy, that Saturday morning I was.

Interested in checking out the race results? Go here. I am the last name in the 30-34 Female category. Don't ask me why I'm in that category, I'm 29. Ah, well, "I did the race for fun. I just had a baby."

Current Books

Jarrod just finished...
Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash
by Elizabeth Royte
This book made Jarrod so anti-plastic that I opened our lunchbox on our last trip to Wisconsin to find two peanut butter & jelly sandwiches inside UNWRAPPED.

And The Crofter & the Laird
by John McPhee
A brief history on the clans of Scotland.

Jessie is currently reading...
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
by J. K. Rowling read by Jim Dale
I know I'm a bit behind, but I've been listening to all of the Harry Potter's on CD, Jim Dale rules at storytelling. Harry Potter references fill my day now.

And It Sucked and then I Cried: How I had a Baby, a Breakdown & a Much Needed Margarita
by Heather B. Armstrong.
Heather is the creator of dooce.com my favorite blog at the moment.

Spring Series

Spring Series I

Spring Series II


Spring Series III


Spring Series IV


Spring Series V


Spring Series VI


Spring Series VII


Spring Series VIII


Spring Series IX

Spring Art Shows

Spring Series IX

For this year's spring art shows I framed & matted nine flower photographs. The photographs were taken last spring at the Tulip Time Festival in Holland, Michigan & at Allerton Park here in the Champaign area. I am very excited about these pieces. They were all intimately framed. The largest image being 5" x 7" boldly matted in an 8" x 10" frame. If you have a chance please check them out at one of the following venues.

Boneyard Art Festival - April 16-19
Artwork will be displayed throughout Champaign & Urbana. Please check their website for maps of all the venues. My work will be displayed at the Lincoln Square Village in Urbana on Saturday, April 18th from 12-8pm.

Artists Against AIDS - April 27-30
Located downtown Champaign at the Orpheum Children's Science Museum. press release here.

TCBC's Youth Silent Auction - May 3, 10, 17 & 24
Located at TCBC in Urbana. The silent auction helps raise money for youth mission trips at our church, TCBC.

Baby Branded Cards

Cadence Rose's Birth Announcement

outside

inside

And the Thank You cards

outside shown. inside is blank.

What would Mr. Budget do? Part One

For three or four years now my friend, Kandra, & I have affectionately called our husbands Mr. Budget Sr. & Mr. Budget Jr. They received these names because they each have their own crazy money management skills. Plus each of them have magically been able to get Kandra & I abide by them - most of the time. Kandra & I both have wanted to pull our hair out at times because of the limitations these two men have put on our spending habits; however, I think I can speak for both of us when I say, we are happy to have money to use rather than going into debt when we make big purchases, go on vacation or decide to go out to dinner at an expensive restaurant.

I have posed the same five questions to both Mr. Budgets in hopes of helping my readers manage their own money. Below are the answers from Mr. Budget Jr.

What categories is your budget broken into?
budget categories: food, eat out, fun, household goods, gas, bills (rent, phone, elec, insurance, etc), school, baby, miscellaneous, business

How often do you review your budget?
every week, depending on time

How do you manage your debt?
the goal is to not amass any debt. some loans are necessary like school or home loans or medical bills but we strive to pay off loans as quickly as possible. we always pay extra on our loans if we have the money available. save your money and pay cash for as much as you can. the less that the banking systems own you, the better!

credit cards are the bane of our nation. my wife & i use them like debit cards so that we can collect "miles" to get rewards from the credit card companies. we subtract every credit card payment from our checkbook like a debit card. since we have been married we have resolved to pay off our credit cards every month. if we can't do this then we will discontinue using them. i feel there is no reason to pay 18% interest for anything.

patience is the key to getting the things that you want. Ecc. 5:10 "Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness."

Do you have a favorite money website for my readers to check out?
no website's... trust any book by Larry Burkett. some of his ideas would be very difficult to accomplish, but i encourage you to take a look at them and apply what you feel you can use.

And finally, what budgeting technique do you think drives your wife crazy?
jessie fights any constraint i put on her. :) but in the end she realizes the advantages. she likes good food and it is expensive, so she likes to test the food budget when she can.

Weigh In - Two Month Check Up

Our little hippy child, Cadence, has been sporting the greener choice in diapers, a combination of cloth & gDiapers, for awhile now. So we thought it was about time that she & the fuel efficient Corolla finally meet. So instead of loading her into Kyt, our Nissan Xterra, for today's doctor appointment we put her in the backseat of the Corolla. The Corolla was excited to finally hang out with the newest Scheunemann.

At the visit Cadence came in at 10lbs 1 oz & 22 1/2 inches long. She also got her first round of shots. Needless to say Cadence wasn't her happy self for the rest of the day. The poor girl has a bruise on her entire upper thigh. Sad. Her & Daddy are currently sleeping on the couch.

Operation Stimulus 2009 Program

Below are some sample spreads from this year's program. The most entertaining part of this project was that it was due to the printer by January 14th - six days after my due date. Well, little Cadence obviously wanted Mommy to finish what she started since she didn't arrive until the 19th. Why were we all worried about the deadline again?

Weigh In.

Cadence went in for her 3 week check up yesterday.
She weighed in at 7 lbs. 6.5 oz and was 21.5 inches long.
Grow Cadence, Grow!

Branding My Baby

As many of you know my love for typography & color is a bit more than that of the average joe. Normal first time Moms go out & buy their babies clothes, I bought my baby two typefaces: LD Bohemian Filigree (words 'new baby' in sample above) & Machiarge (word 'scheunemann' in sample above). After buying these two perfect typefaces - which, by the way, I made sure were unisex - I then went through the trouble of creating my baby the color pallete you see above - also unisex. I started with the colors that were already used in now sweet Cadence's room (National Park dark brown, light brown & red) and added an accent color to be used when needed - slate blue. And a brand was born! I've been using this new baby brand for baby Cadence's thank you cards & birth announcements. Stay tuned to see the finished products!

Good News and BETTER NEWS!

Good News: The Corolla is back on the road!
It was only $400 away from being totaled (crazy!) but after working with the guy's insurance company that hit Jarrod & their body shop of choice, we were able to get a new bumper free of charge to us. Yipee! It does look pretty funny with no stickers on the bumper & tons all over the rest of the car. Let the traveling begin!


BETTER NEWS: Cadence Rose Scheunemann was born!
Cadence Rose arrived on January 19th, 2009 at 2:20PM.
She weighed in at 6 lbs. 2 oz & was 19 inches long.
We have been enjoying the challenge of becoming parents.

Pregnancy Top 5

At the end of any trip we ask, "what's your top 5?" Since the pregnancy of Baby Scheunemann was quite a trip we compiled a Top 5 for Jessie, Jarrod & Baby Scheunemann. Enjoy!

Jessie
1. Prego complexion & hair
2. The ultrasound
3. Feeling the baby move - ALL THE TIME!
4. Baby moon to Colorado
5. Meeting Cadence Rose for the first time

Jarrod
1. Taking the baby to it's first and second Jack Johnson concert
2. Taking the baby to it's first 14er. (Pikes Peak)
3. Watching Jessie be the toughest woman ever during pregnancy and labor
4. Hiking with the pregnant mommy
5. Meeting Cadence for the first time

Baby Scheunemann
1. Listening to Dad read me Psalms at night
2. Making Mom feel better by giving a kick
3. Kicking the dopler off mom's tummy at the doctor's office
4. Worship music at Church
5. Meeting Mom and Dad for the first time

The Morning After

Yesterday, Jarrod called around 9:30AM to tell me he was in an accident on his way to work. Jarrod is okay - shaken up, but okay. The Corolla on the other hand has seen better days. He fishtailed in the icy, right hand turn lane & while trying to decipher how to straighten out the car - BANG. The guy who was following him slammed into his back end, decorating the road with about 500 pieces of shattered bumper stickers. When the cop got there to do the report Jarrod turned off the car. We had already been having issues with the battery, so when he went to restart it - it wouldn't start. It probably didn't help that it was -28ºF with the windchill. So the Corolla got towed. During lunch Jarrod was able to get a new battery & free the Corolla from jail!

After work, Jarrod headed over to a body shop place to get an estimate. $2,800. Wow. Kelly Blue Book says it's worth about $2,400. We'll see what happens. Cross your fingers that the Corolla hasn't seen the end of it's traveling days! AND if we do get a new back end we will have to start traveling for new stickers. Anyone want to join us?

2009: A Year of Focus

With a new year comes a time for reflection. While I was currently reflecting I learned the following about myself: When I have a choice between the hard way & the easy way - I choose the easy way. This new found character trait isn't true in all areas of my life; however, it blazes like the sun when it comes to tasks that involve learning.

I know what you are thinking, "Jessie you did well in school. What are you talking about?" Exactly my point! This is why it took me five years to discover this character trait. I did well in school, because I had direction. I always had a teacher to teach me. I never have to dig deeply to find the answer to a problem. Since I've been out of school the list of random projects that involve learning continue to grow, because once I get to a point that I have to dig for answers - I put down the shovel.

As I was dissecting this character trait I created a list of projects that fell into this category (see below). And then I thought, "Why not try to dig deeper in 2009? A New Year's resolution of sorts." I've always been a sucker for resolutions. I had to hold back thinking I could accomplish the entire list this year. And yes, the thought did cross my mind. It did take me five years to start all these projects, so instead I've decided that 2009 will be a year of focus.
1. To focus on being a new parent
2. To focus on one item on the below list at a time.
While enjoying lunch at McAlister's with Jarrod, I was able to prioritize my list.

Drum roll please... the scary projects...
1. Set up time machine on my mac
2. Fully understand the manual settings on my camera (f/stops, shutter speeds, etc)
Even though I've been taught this numerous times it has never stuck.
3. Create HTML emails for Jessie Marie Studio
4. Redesign jessiemariestudio.com
5. Publish a book.
6. Publish a typeface.