Amazed

Yesterday the sunrise caused the sky to be this amazing pinkish salmon color.....it was breathtaking. I decided that my canon wouldn't really capture this amazing color anyway, so I just stopped & soaked it in while it lasted-something I rarely do as I usually love to document my moments on film.

Since I don't have window treatments on my downstairs rooms, they just glowed this amazing pink color. The girls came downstairs & were wondering what was going on .....why did everything look so wild outside.

I love it when God does that---throws in an everyday miracle.

Something that makes me stop & be amazed at his creation.

He knows we love the color pink around here & since I felt a little blue yesterday I like to think that he sent me that "little gift".

A little reminder that He's always with me.

He knows my every thought & sees my every tear.

Psalm 19
The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Earlier in the week I took Emi & Caroline over to the little pumpkin patch near our home. Might be the last time I get my baby to wear a smocked dress. The only consolation for her was that I told her I doubted she'd see anyone she knew.

As if...

Anyway, they had the most fab selection of pumpkins I've seen here in Georgia & a great selection of bumpy gourds.

My sweet Emi does not like to be photographed

so I am so lucky she was in the mood that day,

well, for one anyway!

My aunt & uncle gave me this wonderful huge antique dough bowl. I mean its huge~ almost the length of my kitchen table.

I love to fill it with seasonal goodies or just leave empty out on my back porch table.....

its so gorgeous even when its empty. Definately one of my most favorite treasures.

Filled it with my fun bumpy gourds & I love it!

(See girls,

if the kitchen was still raspberry

these fun oranges, yellows & greens

would look just plain awful in there!)

Last year I won a Halloween kit from Heidi Swapp. It came the week before Halloween & i just never got around to creating with it. This fun picture of Caroline ( I'll share the zoom of the photo later this month) was what won-was supposed to be a best costume pic but Heidi liked the fun image of Caroline so we were one of the winners anyway!

(One of these days I need to share the layout she created for me. It was a summer layout from two years ago in a photo contest she had. Sent in photos & she used them to create a layout for the winner & its was lucky ole' me. It is absolutely amazing. I'll share that one later too.)

I think these papers are from my September Jenni Bowlin kit.....

look at me--

actually up to date with my kits!!

A Jennifer Lanne inspired painting I did in my art lesson friday.

Reminds me of my trip to New Hampshire & Vermont a few years ago.

For a couple of years my family celebrated a wonderful harvest party with some of my lifelong dearest friends. Roasting marshmallows, glittering pumpkins, grilling out & just enjoying each others company.....so I did a house layout of my little fam at my girlfriends front door from that night.


That's all....
sort of hodgepodgey--
enjoy your day!

a field of wildflowers

Beside our exit off the highway, there is a field filled with purple poppies & wildflowers. The girls were out of school monday & i really wanted to take Caroline over for some photos.
"I'll take you for a treat"
"OK--can we go get a hotdog from QT?"
---sold!

Dont you love it when you have those rare moments when you actually are as hip as your teenager?!
The local radio station here in Atlanta that Savannah frequently listens to has started playing one of my fave new artists Colbie Caillet!!

But the funny thing is that I've been playing her cd for a few months now.



"Wow mom, there's that girl you like"



yes, it is rare, & it was only a for a moment, but i was cool......

mgk

She has the most beautiful blue eyes
She loved winnie the pooh as a little girl
She has always hated green beans
She is a beautiful ballerina

She has a great sense of fashion

She loves jesus

She wears high heeled espadrilles

She goes junkin with me

She hates it if anyone is mad at her

She is even tempered

She has two new best friends this year

She loves Jane Austen books

She sews her own pointe shoe ribbons

She loves the color pink

She is in junior beta club & chorus this year

She is reading the 7th Harry Potter book.....for the 4th time
She dances takes ballet 6 days a week
She has good manners
She has a dimple
She has a very tender heart

She loves Giada deLaurentis & Paula Dean

She tells the boys "no" when the 'ask her out'!

She always has painted nails

She wants to have a gourmet kitchen with stainless appliances when she grows up

She still calls me mommy

She is very creative

She takes painting lessons

She loves Amy Grant

She keeps the messiest room in the house

She was born 3 weeks early

She was my easiest labor & delivery

She is a pleaser

She is my little bird

**Homecoming**

What a super fun weekend!

Savannah had a blast at her homecoming Saturday. She went with a precious young man & about 10 other couples. I took the obligatory picture when he came to the door to pick her up despite the 'OH Mom!!' comments.

Are they cute or what?! Then over to his home for all the couple shots. I just loved seeing all those cuties dressed up in suits & cocktail dresses!!
some of my favs of them goofing off!

All the moms loved the backs of the girl's dresses & they were quite fun posing when we told them that!

They are so cute I could just squeeze 'em--but I did refrain.

One of my best girlfriends thought it was so fun that the kids were going in a limo bus. She told Savannah to consider herself lucky as her first limo ride was on her wedding night!

"Make good choices!!!" These last several weeks have been full of fun events for Savannah---cheering at the football games, competition cheer off's, pagaent preperations & homecoming. I love watching her enjoy all these things & making memories that will last a lifetime.

Now this mom needs a nap!!

Leaves

That night was the turning point in the season

we had gone to be in summer

& we awoke in autumn;

for summer passes into autumn

in some imaginable point of time

like the turning of a leaf

Thoreau

So proud!

Acceptance

I read a couple blog entries today that really burdened my heart.
Rebecca so eloquently talked about all the pressure our girls face today to be perfect. Her entry & the song she shared left me with tears in my eyes & a broken heart for so much of what I see today. Beautiful young girls who are inundated daily with so much media & pressure to perform-- & its not just with physical appearance either....the pressure in sports & other activities seems to have also gone over the top. They can't just be an average athlete competing in several sports anymore. From a very young age, children are expected to be the best at whatever they do. To be the best requires focus on one sport or one activity. From private lessons all the way to multiple extended long practices weekly-- it just never lets up.
My oldest will be in a pageant this weekend. She has spent countless hours raising money, preparing her bio, preparing for her interview, having her gown fitted & altered, etc. This is her school's largest fund raiser & she's having a ball! She will be beautiful. I will be so proud of her (as I am all my girls) but especially Saturday night. No matter what the outcome I pray she feels special . She feels celebrated. She feels beautiful.
But lately she's just been exhausted. She leaves from school each day for cheer practice followed by practice for the pageant. Cheerleading, which incidentally is coached by someone who seems to never compliment these girls or give them praise. I asked one of the cheer moms why this coach was always this way. She so quickly replied matter of factly that the girls will rise to the challenge & perform better. Oh please! I couldn't disagree more. Yes I think there should be expectations & the challenge to improve. But give me a break. These girls are giving 100%. An occasional "atta girl" would be great.

My prayer is that my girls feel accepted & loved. That they have a solid foundation both at home & at church. But I also know that is easier said than done. One of my girls has a precious friend who currently is struggling with depression. She is gorgeous. She is smart. She is kind & sweet. She is in a great school & in a great church . She has parents who love her. But yet we all know those things don't always bring happiness. It breaks my heart to hear her think she isn't pretty enough or popular enough.

My Madison is dancing with a new ballet school, a wonderful school with great success. They are currently preparing for the Nutcracker & they do indeed put on a spectacular production. However, she is expected to attend practice 7 times in 6 days for the next several weeks. What is a mom to do? She loves to dance. She would live there if she could. She has long wanted the opportunity to have more stage presence. But as a mom I have to be careful for her and make sure she is doing what she loves -not what she feels she has to do to please me or anyone else. I want them to experience success from the talents they've been given....just worry sometimes about the cost.

Sometimes I wish we lived in a smaller community. But would that really change things? I think not. I know the Lord has us right where he wants us. My girls are happy & love all the opportunities that are afforded in a large school. My commitment to them is to shepherd their hearts. To fill those tanks up at home as much as I can so they don't go looking for that elsewhere. To make sure they know that I'm as proud of them if they chose to be a homebody with me or if they are the princess of the pageant.

Meg also had a link on her blog to a fabulous campaign Dove is running.... go take a peek.

It might sound like a contradiction talking about my girls level of involvement and at the same time expressing my concern for all the pressure they face. What I hope is to find balance in this world we live. Encourage them in areas they are gifted yet also trying to maintain a level of grace & contentment while we figure it all out!

Its probably easy to see a family who chooses to have different schedules/priorities & think you'd do it differently. I hope I don't criticize those who are involved in even more than my family is.... & as much as I 'm not a fan of Hillary, I think she said it right....

It takes a village!