I went for my first mid-wife appointment yesterday. I'm about on track with the little ticker on the sidebar. But I brought my chart so Laure could see that I'm not the normal girl, ovulating on day 14, and we concluded that although Dec 18th is my EDD, according to the day I ovulated we could be looking at a Christmas DAY baby!! So we'll see how the bun rises...

I have been feeling a bit better in the mornings. Mostly because I figured out a little bit what I want to eat. I want to eat french fries. Yep, no doubt about it. When I'm feeling gross around lunchtime, all I want is something hot, fatty and salty. Although I also found that Goddess dressing from Trader Joe's has an equal amount of satisfaction but not that immediate nausea turn off.

I'm slowly chipping away at my last Clothesline art pieces. I'd like to do one more plate. We'll see how that goes. I have prints to do and watercolor pods. It's all about balancing my energy.

I am hoping I can enjoy the Clothesline Show. If I feel this bad every morning and exhausted every afternoon I might hafta curl up on Laura's comfy red couch and take a snooze. The company and the relaxation will be wonderful though. And even though I have other pieces I'd like to finish, I am thankful I have plenty to show at this point.

So thank you blogland for all your well-wishes and congratulations. I still can't believe this sweet face is going to be a big sister.

I was getting to the point where I was I was feeling OK with just two kids, and then Joel mentioned that he had always had a feeling that he would have this certain child. That they would have a certain kind of personality. I know we can't plan any of that stuff, but my husband saying HE wanted another kid was not hard for me to go for it.

I am nervous about all the responsibilities I have now. I will teach again next fall, Josiah will start Kindergarten, Eden will start Pre-K. I have another homeschool group that wants to employ my services in the fall waaaaay up Nickajack. I also am nervous about telling the neighbors! How stupid is that! I mean, it's my life, my house, my children! We have enough room! Sorta.

We're thrilled, and a bit stunned. We didn't think that we would have a 2008 model! But we're squeaking in, Merry Christmas Baby! Whoo-Wee!

Make Work Grant Essay: Katie Ward Knutson

Provide a detailed description of the project or purpose for which the funds are being requested:
The project I want to pursue is a new body of work that reflects my illuminated memories and the universally familiar things to which we respond. I would like to complete between twelve and fifteen pieces. I would like to focus on the architecture and urban decay of these historical neighborhoods we are building back up. I would like to show a hope and a brightness as things are restored. I would like to show the beauty of Chattanooga by emphasizing the uniqueness of having wooded areas and city so accessible. While using Chattanooga as a central inspiration, I would like to study and experiment with universal connectedness as far as shapes, lines, and creatures. I would like to reflect on the instinct of all of us to look at the very top of a tall building as we walk past it, to look at the horizon as it stretches out in front of us, and the instinct of looking another creature in the eye and identifying with its presence at that point, at that time.

Explain how this will contribute to your own artistic development (the impact and outcome you hope to achieve).
This new body of work would consist of larger pieces and a greater quantity of pieces than I have been able to produce on my own. I would like to explore watercolors and more works on paper. I have been experimenting with this lately and have enjoyed the result very much. I would like to push myself to do large works on canvas as well.

I hope to achieve a level of symbolism and conceptual communication that I have not explored fully. I hope to challenge myself as far as technical skill, historical accuracy, and unique compositional approaches.

I am a mother of two small children. I love my position in life because I feel more settled and more reflective. This opportunity will give me a big step up to create a complete, mature body of work and give me the freedom to experiment without hurting my family’s resources.

Describe how the project will benefit the greater Chattanooga art community.
There are many obvious ways that I feel my project will benefit Chattanooga. I think it will give a very personal testimony to the history and growth of Chattanooga through me, the artist. I have grown up in and returned to Chattanooga with my family to start a new batch of memories. This body of work will inspire us to feel united as a city, but also to unite us with the power of restoration. The hope for the future, making our city great, each resident’s fingerprints; these things will illuminate the good works here.

I hope the drive for restoration will be universal to anyone who views my work and wishes to see any sort of change happen in their city, community, home and family. I would like to reach toward the future with brightness and celebrate the time that has past in a beautiful way.

And then yesterday, some jerk stole Joel's bike. In the middle of the day while I was washing the floors for small group. Broad %$^&ing daylight!! And it was an unusual day since almost all my neighbors were gone. He walked right up to our back porch and walked away with it. On top of that he left his sorry crap of a bike leaning up against our house! I couldn't even touch it, how repulsive. So last night we pulled together our game face and had a nice time at small group, then as I washed dishes later, I cried about many things. Our bikes, our van, our debts, things had to come to a head. Joel and I are taking steps toward taking care of all our previous home debt. But the car and the bike, I mean man! What luxuries must we live without! This morning I noticed that my broken bike was also gone. Someone had eyes for our stuff. I have been trembling with some sort of panicky frustration all day. I want to hang out with my kids and be relaxed but I just can't. I have been snappy and distracted. Forgive me kiddos. So I wrote our buddy Rob Simmons the police officer. Then while I was out at the store with the kids, I got calls telling me the guy had come back for HIS BIKE and walked off with it! Thank God, I didn't want to see that crappy thing. My neighbors called the cops, called me, and one of them hopped in his car and took pictures of the guy! Great job Gabe!

My other neighbor Smitty made this make-shift wanted poster. Talk about an aggressive neighborhood watch! Notice our thief has a dad-gumm BEER KEG in one hand! I would have loved to see him trying to ride with that thing. I knew that living downtown could not leave us with the luxury of stuff not getting taken, but man, we have great neighbors. I can't jump in my car and hunt him down, I have two kids! But thankfully, their is a comradery in Jefferson Heights.

It would be super keen to get our bikes back, pitch-fork angry mob style, but from now on I'll get big fatty chains for my stuff and call the cops alot. Also, Gabe's wife Noelle offered Joel a Mtn bike that she had sitting around the garage. I was praying alot this morning, and God has given me a peace that is unexpected.

I have been holding off on finishing these, mostly just because I have been crazy busy! These are two pieces from my neighborhood. The church at the end of Read Ave, and the Taco Stand on Main. I hope to continue to study buildings and stuff, my technical skill needs more and more practice. I want to get more challenging colors and concepts to compliment these buildings. I feel these two are good, but they are stepping stones to a new phase.

I also finished a bird called 'Winter's Gone'. I can't get it to upload here, I'll put it in my flickr. I am working on a block print of my Fawning composition and a Lino-cut of Cookie. I got tired of cutting the linoleum so I just printed to today to get an artist proof and I kinda like it unfinished. I will make plenty of prints for the Clothesline Show even though we have some great printmakers in the show already. I'm just doing studies of the animal images I've come to love. Repetition is a soothing and rewarding process.

Clothesline May 08 poster, originally uploaded by katiek2.

Look for this baby around town next week. We'll be slapping them on top of the old 4 Bridges posters!

When you don't have a yard, sidewalk chalk is survival. Eden especially can spend quite a while drawing and coloring in different shapes. She's my little concentrated artist. While Josiah is hopping around being a ninja, she's coloring the drawing of a ninja I made. Filling in each shape perfectly and meticulously.

Our friends Missy and Kevin Luce had their little boy on Tuesday. Birch Augustine Luce was born around 11am after a labor with no complications. He did have a high fever and low blood sugar so he was wisked away to the NICU. We're praying that today his labs come back all clear and they can come home Friday. Kevin is a doctor and it was interesting to hear his observations as to how the process worked this time around. It makes me very thankful for having two natural laborings, and one natural birth. It also makes me realize how blessed I was that even though Josiah was a lazy nurser and Eden had a smidge of a high white blood cell count, both of my kids are FINE, they were then, and they are now.

Joel's cousin Katie had her first baby at home on Tuesday, a little girl. Two birth's two very different scenerios.

The Clothesline Art Show invites arrived on Tuesday, a baby of mine I guess. They are being folded by willing helpers. Now to get the poster done so we can advertize. I have a few more pieces of art under my belt to start and to finish. I wish I had more to show ya. I need some selfish time, and Lord knows that that is hard to come by these days.

This is in progress. The legs on this stand are a bit off. The are like that though. Joel's not so sure about the plates I'm painting on. So prove him wrong my beloved buyers!

And that with this life-altering thing (cuz that's what I think of it as, a thing), have been the tasks that I normally do. And I went on, achieving satisfying results. God blessing is still on us and shines on my efforts. I had a wonderful day printmaking with my two art classes on Monday. They all had a blast! I took on the always daunting task of designing the Clothesline Art Show card, and it came out well, I think it will make an impression. I received a call from someone doing a short video on ArtsMove from the Lyndhurst Foundation and they want to interview me for their video. I made a list of the artwork I have for Clothesline and I already have around 18 pieces just going in! I talked with another homeschool/cottage school leader last night about teaching art to around 10 7th graders, and man, that would be nice! I could make $1000 a month teaching art! I'm thinking now as I read all the summer camp stuff in Chattanooga Parent that I should do a freakin' Summer Camp! I mean dang!

Even though I have no idea if I will get one of those itty bitty grants that Create Here has to give away, I still want to work on my vision. The thing is, will it sell? I'd love to take a survey some time to find out what the Clothesline clientelle would want. Maybe if I did that I'd be painting Mini Metros and Pods my whole life. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Well....we all want to see growth. Bunny trail, so this is the church at the end of Read Ave here on the Southside. There are many lines I need to fix, but I am in love with gouache and the character of it. I just add another layer and it dries to a wonderful matte texture. I'm sure there will be a circle in this one before too long.

I feel the trasition to one car will be challenging, but this is the perfect time of year to do it. Now if we could stick it out until mid-May to June... stay tuned, I might just become that biking Mama the Chatt TFP cited.

And on the crappy, horrible, whatta-bad-day, side of things: I wrecked the Prev on the way home from the CDM today. I was driving, I didn't stop at the damn blinking red at the end of Carter Street and I got hit. I am praising God that we are all OK. Let me say that again PRAISE GOD WE ARE ALL OK!!! I have some fear about the process. The man I hit was really mad, and the woman in the car with him, who was disabled already, was sent off in an ambulance. I do not want to be full of fear, but I am afraid of the outcome. I have never been in a wreck like this. I was in shock for quite a while. I am ashamed of myself, that I did this with my kids in the car. The kids got over it really quickly, they were bringing me loads of dandilions as we waited for the police to come. But I also am amazed that I haven't wrecked before. I mean screaming fighting kicking children in the backseat, isn't that a recipe for an accident? That could have happened whenever. It shook me up good, lots of tears. lots of what if's. Honestly, what I have resolved about this is that (besides the inconvenience) I want to pray for the other party involved. They need it, and I need to get my mind off me.

I think this is my fave, originally uploaded by katiek2.

I would love to post pictures of artwork but it's all still in a process that's not worth posting. Now that one deadline is over I have a couple new ones. Specifically Clothesline. I have been waiting for Photoshop to arrive in the mail and I"m starting to sweat! Pray that it arrives soon! As soon as my new Photoshop gets here I will get the design done immediately, order them and get them into our hands to mail out! There is so much that goes into Our Clothesline Show, my little part seems like the tip of the iceburg. I love doing it though.

I also have art projects to grade( I should have had that done two weeks ago), course descriptions and supply lists to make up. And I've had another homeschooling group ask me if I would teach ten pre-teen girls next fall. I'm kinda dreading August, but with a sense of a really interesting chapter of my life. Kids in school, teaching school, possible grant. Lord, give me grace! Changes are scary but they are necessary in order to make me wiser, more flexible, and ultimately more selfless.

I have started a gouache piece of the brick church on Read Ave and I have my eye on another plate with the cool orange Taco Stand on it. I love the shape of that taco stand!

We had a discussion of the film Into the Wild last night and found ourselves talking about our children and how to bridge the time period where they venture out on their own. We prayed that the so-called "inevitable distance" would not be an issue in our families, and we would strive through prayer and patience to guide our children into adulthood instead of having them want to rebell against what we are as parents. It's kinda terrifying, because we still have no idea who these little people will be. But trusting the Lord to help us parent and trusting that He will lead them no matter what gives us comfort.

Having my daughter melt-down into a first class drama queen just reminds me to be patient, and much like my mother, stop, be silent and listen. Even though I have multiple opportunities to advance my career, I have to remember my life goal is not to be an amazing sucessful artist, but to be a great mother, wife and child of God.

I taught class with about half a brain, I was thinking I needed to assemble my applications and that would ease my mind. I did it during the high school class all the while sharing with them the process. Shouldn't every artistic venture be a learning experience? I left school around 3:20 with the plan to make a B-line for Create Here's office to get that application dropped off. I was so nervous. I didn't want to be, but I knew I had to get that application out my hands to feel better. I also had too much caffiene yesterday, that doesn't help the old nerves. I parked, left the kids in car right outside. I ran into Laura Murray from AVA and gave her a hug. I was handed a check list, "Do you want to run down this list and make sure you have all of these things?" I looked at it and noticed there were things on that checklist that I didn't make 6 copies of. Some things they had not asked for. I felt my temperature rise. I was pissed. Don't they know I have my KIDS in the car?? I can't just "run to copy place". "Hopefully we'll see you before 5?" "You probably won't" I said. I drove home because I had to make 5 more copies of my CD. It took me all afternoon Saturday to figure out how to make CD's on this new laptop. I grabbed my laptop and my stack of CD's and told the kids, "we're going to Grandma's house". Dad has a printer that copies, and the kids would be happy. They wouldn't nap, but they'd be pleasantly distracted. So for the 3 miles between my house and Mom's I called her and said, "I'm so sorry, I didn't want to do this but I'm desperate." I copied 5 more copies of my signature page, W-9, and letters of Reccomendation. My dad copies CD's of his old music all the time and without his help I would never have had a chance. He made 5 more copies for me without a hitch. I was fussing the whole time how I HATED procrastinating and how I know Create Here is new and is fumbling through this process just like me but ARGH! If I had made my copies Sunday night I would have been able to trouble shoot BEFORE 4pm.

Yesterday was my Mom's birthday and we were going to have dinner with them anyway. Two hours early didn't seem too bad. I just know how Mom works, especially when she's making dinner. But really, it could not have been an easier problem fixer. Mom had dinner ready to pop in the oven, the kids changed into dress-ups and helped put candles in the birthday cake. Monday is Dad's day off so he was spending his afternoon trying to fix the doorbell, he was glad to stop and make copies. I was able to snatch my purse at 4:40 and say, "I'm leaving, I'll be back!" I ran into Mia (a wonderful portrait painter) as I hustled back into Create Here. She said she finished her application ina weekend. It took me 2 weeks. It's a different timeline when you have little kids to care for. I told the receptionist, "Next time, put this checklist in your PDF file". She said she made it up this morning because of the confusion. Ugh. We're all newbies.

I was frazzled beyond belief. I needed a drink. This morning I'm nursing soreness from being so rushed. I don't think I"ve been that nervous in a long time. The thing is, I hope it's worth it. I told myself I wouldn't kill myself over this thing. I hope disappointment isn't around the corner. But I've been praying that this experience helps me try again and again. It would be awesome to get money. We'll have to wait a month and see.

whatta view, originally uploaded by katiek2.

Why yes, that's a diaperless bottom! We're potty trained! At least confidently about 90%. Eden's my big girl.