Just Pure Lovely

Happy Veterans Day!

 

Thank you, everyone who has taken the time to serve our country.  I'm a sappy mess when I stop and think of the sacrifice you've made - away from family, away from home, away from comfort - for me and mine.  We honor you today.

God bless you,

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"Now Is Not a Good Time, Ida."

We could do without all of her drama. 

It looks like I'll be spending my Monday glued to the tv forecasts, checking online radars, baking, pulling the kayaks and canoe to higher ground and watching the river levels. 

And then...Ida probably won't even bother coming after all that.

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Dance

This is a hint of where I have been lately, and where I will be until the last curtsy on November 24th.

The ballerina's chauffeur,   

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Happy Autumn!

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(Photo by me, somewhere in North Carolina, October 2008.  My brother and his family are in the canoe)

An Open Email to Our Oldest Two Kids

B and b,

Thank you for loving each other. 

It's the greatest gift you could give me.

I love you both.

All the way to the moon.

And back.

~ Mama

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Rebekah's Senior Pictures

Rebekah asked me to take her senior pictures.  

I don't do that picture-taking business, for money, for people.  I don't do let's-meet-at-6-and-hope-the-sun-is-just-right, and I really stink at flash photography and indoor lighting and fake poses.  I'm more of a hey-I-have-the-camera-with-me, look at that dappled light, kids, get out of the van, quick! kind of gal. 

For some reason, though, when Rebekah asked, my mouth said yes, sure, I'd love to. 

It's just that Rebekah likes Michael Buble and Jesus and writing, so I like Rebekah.  She's my type of gal and so if she wants me to take her senior pictures and if God will stop the sun in the sky just right, and if all the pictures can be taken outdoors... 

...yes, sure, I'd love to.

I was  nervous the days before we went out on our little photo "shoot." Shoot,  I've never done a photo shoot before.  All the what ifs? went through my mind.  My mind can be quite ridiculous.

As with most worries, I didn't need to worry.  God blessed us with not only a beautiful 17-year-old whose inner beauty shows up in her outer beauty, but He also blessed us by holding the sun in the sky just right. 

All I had to do was click a button.

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Customizable Organic Clothing for Babies

I found a fun company with organic baby clothes!  Apericots was created by a group of friends who wanted to give you an "environmentally conscious and unique alternative to all the lame baby clothes out there." 

Living next to a cotton field, I like cotton, but .... living next to a cotton field, I like organic cotton even better.  Apericots offers baby clothes that are eco-friendly in their trendy designs or your own customized design.

There are quite a few baby onesies on the Apericot site, both short-sleeved and long-sleeved. I love it that the designs are also customizable.  You can enter your own text, their art, or your own photo.  Here is the long-sleeved onesie I designed in honor of our favorite football team:

You're all Gators fans, right?  Right?

While I was having fun, I created a short-sleeved onesie for a little girl:

Other products I like are this super cool baby hat that can tie up in a knot (or not) and one-size-fits-all cloth diapers.

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