Thursday, August 30, 2012

loving on him...

i was sitting under our navy blue umbrella
watching him out in the crystal clear water
playing with two of the girls.
i soaked up that moment & pondered it the rest of our vacation.
while i know in my heart of hearts i married way out of my league
i never cease to be amazed how well he loves each of us.

he has never raised his voice at me.
he comes in everyday & "leaves it all" behind him.
always giving who ever needs it the most, his undivided attention.
he tells me he loves me dozens of times a day.
he sends me love letters in the mail.
he spends his saturdays and sundays with us, not out on the golf course.
nothing wrong with the golf course, he just told me years ago
that while he loves golf, the time and money involved would pull
him away from us. 
{ just a personal conviction. not a slam if your hubby is a golfer ;) }
he literally lays down his life for us.
every day.



dan's an assistant principal at one of the largest, most diverse highschools
in the southeast.
with over 3,000 students
his day is consumed with many hours spent involved in discipline.
he is under enormous stress right now. 
he's swamped, working 12 hour days. last week he went in on saturday and sunday.
yet he still spent some time with each of us over the weekend.
always making each of us feel so loved. so cherished.

many of the kids he works with come from backgrounds
& a homelife i can barely imagine.
even though he's involved in the discipline aspect of their day
he always shows them respect and grace.
he may be the only face of Jesus some of them will see that day.

he told me last night one of the students
who he doesn't really even know by name,
came up to him yesterday & said, "mr. knudsen, you're the best principal.
everyone likes you. even when we're in trouble, you always treat everyone nicely".

sometimes i wonder if the girls really understand
if they really comprehend
what an amazing man they have the privilege of calling daddy.
i hope they know they are seeing the tangible love of Jesus
in dan. every single day.
i know i see it...


one of the ways i try to love on him
is each night i try to be done with all my chores, phone calls, etc
& at least an hour before we turn out the lights,
we just hang out in the same room.
he may be watching the news or sports, or maybe even working
but i try to just "be" with him, maybe reading, maybe playing on instagram
but not all flustered & busy.
we just sorta wind down together.
i try to have our home tidy when he walks through the door
& even if i'm wearing a ballcap, i make sure i've freshened up.
i try not to bombard him with any and all issues right when he comes through the door.

we've tried, since we were first married, to each week have some time to ourselves.
while the girls were younger, that might have meant ordering take out
& spending time on the sofa watching tv after we tucked them in.
now a days we can head out to dinner on sunday evenings and just catch up.

i want to encourage you, no matter what stage of parenting you're in
if you're married,
to make time for him.
to make him the top commitment in your marriage...
not your kiddos.
while i totally understand after picking up babies, and holding little ones on your hip all day
while being emotionally drained from communicating with teens all afternoon
can leave you
over touched and emotionally spent
remember
to make the decision to make him the priority.
that will provide your babies, no matter their age,
the stability of knowing momma & daddy love each other.
they will lay their heads down each night with the security 
of their parents love.

~~~

& dan
i love you more today than yesterday
thank you for loving us unconditionally


all of me. always...

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Noonday sample sale!!

we are soon to launch our fall line at Noonday Collection!
the launch will be go live Tuesday, September 4th.

between now & then we have several items on sale, found here
which are going fast
and
i'd love to offer you some of my personal samples 
first come first serve
at an even more discounted rate.
( if the sample sells, please note you may also try link i've provided for sale price via site)

if you are interested please leave me a comment
or email me at paigeknudsenimages@comcast.net with your email address
so i can properly connect with you.
all sample sales through me are final sale.

reg 34, now 24.99
selling my sample at $26, shipping included.
{SAMPLE is SOLD--still available on via site linked above}
 

Taylor is modeling the now sold out precious tetris.
also sold through anthropologie this summer ;)

one of my personal favorites is the precious tetris necklace
An heirloom piece with stunning faceted gemstone chrysoprase necklace 
set in oxidized German Silver sparkles and shines. 
Each stone is hand cut and then set in handmade silver. 
This necklace won't just get attention but will command it! 

reg $220 my sample $130
includes free shipping & insured mail with delivery confirmation



the sold out , very popular, threadwork duo scarf
shown below on madison
reg $54 my sample $40 free shipping
{SOLD}


below items i am offering as at 40% off when sold together
the tribular necklace reg $82
tribular earring reg $42
sample set $75
+ $6 ship/handling
{SAMPLE SOLD--still available on link above until sold out there too}
 

the super popular handwoven embroidered belt
reg $72 my sample $50 (free shipping)
size L
 other sizes available in link above



my two favorite stories to share at Noonday trunk shows
is the kampala with love necklace ( not on sale)
&
the dangling filigree necklace

the dangling filigree is sold out, 
however i have one sample available 
Charming. Unique. Versatile. This necklace hangs 16'' low and adds that extra drama to an otherwise basic outfit. Handmade by artisans in Ethiopia using recycled metal beads and melted-down war weapons. This necklace is truly a statement piece. Genuine silver embellishments are made by a local silversmith. Each of these spectacular beads is a unique piece of artwork. Loop-tie closure. This piece is handmade in Ethiopia using recycled nickel, copper, and bronze melted down from previous war weapons. Most of the artisans who created the pieces are HIV positive and receive healthcare and literacy training in addition to job training. Not only are they are learning a skill, but they are learning that their life matters. 

did you catch that?
melted down war weapons
are created in to beautiful jewelry by HIV+ beautiful people
hello.

this peice is sold out
reg $138, my sample $85 + $6 ship 
delivery confirmation & insurance included

this is Ale modeling the sold out dangling filigree

my savannah is modeling several pieces below
the bracelet tagua seed in inca sun 
has sold out 
sample available
$26 + $6 ship

(she's also wearing the azteca earrings
cascading falls in salmon, embira seed necklace, minted necklace
& the riverbed bracelet in turqoise
 )
(brown-ish tagua seed also shown on bottom left of image)

 mckinley is modeling the horizon necklace listed at the top of the post
layered with our big seller, the funky paper necklace

she is also wearing 2 of the 3 available riverbed bracelets currently found
individually here

i will sell all 3 of my samples in a set 
reg $78, my price for 3 $46 
that's a 40% savings
+$6 ship



she's also modeling the pearl drop earrings 
also on sale here




also available
are my personal samples
1. beachside necklace here
my sample $15 free ship


2. pink acai beads here
my sample $35 free ship
{SAMPLE SOLD-still available via link above}
 
my sample $40 free ship


alrighty
hopefully that was clear & helpful

& remember
stay tuned for our Noonday Collection Fall 2012 release next week!!
you may also email me directly
i will answer first come first serve emails/comments

paigeknudsenimages@comcast.net

Monday, August 27, 2012

sweet 16 week of celebration


dan & i were headed out last night to a fancy dinner of mellow mushroom
pizza all by our sweet little selves
& were reviewing the last week.
i said something like, " no way. that was this  past whatever day?".
it's been non stop music.
remember my "ohmygah i'm so busy" pet peeve ?
yeah well.

we have not stopped 
like
i'm not even sure when.
in fact i mentioned last night that i'd love a little january blizzard
so i'm forced to stay home
nap
crank up my photoshot skills
read a book again in 2 days
& maybe have time to get a hair cut.

i digress...

emi turned 16 last week
& why have a big party and get all the celebratin' over in one fell swoop
when we can have multiple events.
all week long?

i'm just kidding.
when the girls were younger we always made a big fuss over birthdays
& had themed birthday parties 
complete with super cute printed invitations and all.
(before the age of evite thankyouverymuch).

we've had pony parties, pottery painting parties
madeline tea parties
gymnastics parties, ballet parties.
we've had character parties with winnie the pooh, anastasia and of course 
barbie.
as the girls got older we cruised in to slumber parties
movie theatre parties & putt putt.
but a big party for 16 year olds completely overwhelms me.
i am not a party planner
hence
the week of celebration.

emi is not a fan of cakes & cookies.
she's more of a candy & salty treats kinda girl.
 

her friends loved on her with a plethora of balloons at school that day.
 

& a special call from Kate
three peanuts, Kate :)
 






 

family dinner at Chow Baby
 friday night was friends dinner at Macaroni Grill
 




saturday morning she & i went on a little shopping spree
with her birthday morning.
destination: the new Lilly Pulitzer shop at Phipps Plaza
 
 & since ya'll know i'm so weird
i'm sure the fact that i fell. in. love
with the handpainted fitting room
( by a couple of "the" lilly print designers)
comes as no surprise.

& yes those are painted peanuts on the ceiling.
i just could not get over myself in there.
having lived all my life (minus a few years in nashville )
in atlanta georgia
i was smitten with all the peach state love!







we wrapped it up with a fancy sandwich
as we were all broke at that point
with emi's dearest friend katelyn and her mama carrie.
we had an awesome week full of making memories
& loving on our sweet sixteen brown eyed girl.


~~~~
new wordpress coming soon!