books, world vision, marathons & yucky summer head colds

 morning friends.

let me just say it's a good thing most of this was already in my drafts

because this head cold or whatever yuck i have is making me feel real fuzzy.

wanted to share a couple of books i'm currently reading.

i was a huge Judd's fan in the late 80's and early 90's

and have always thought ashley was such a sophisticated beautiful actress.

for the last 10 years she's been quite the humanitarian traveling through asia

& africa as an advocate for women in the sex trafficking industry 

and others in poverty.

while she & i are on two completely different planets spiritually,

i am truly enjoying her memoir.

the last calender year has been an eyeopener for me regarding the HIV/AIDS crisis

the orphan crisis and the sickening amount of slavery that still exists.

with events such as Passion & my latest passion with Noonday Collection

i'm continually trying to educate myself in these matters.

 

 speaking of the Passion Conferences

i'm also reading Matt Redman's "mirror ball".

incidentally , matt's wife beth is also an advocate and passionately involved

in the A21 campaign

 & for more light reading i'm also enjoying the book club with edie.

all my advanced placement literature taking daughter's jaws dropped when i informed

them i would be reading The Odyssey.

& speaking of justice,

i'm loving how all of my chatter is actually somewhat connected,

my friend ruth

owner of Carol & Company

is preparing for a marathon. a full marathon. not a wimpy half like i've run.

but 26.2 miles.

she's selling these super cool lenny & eva cuff bracelets

free shipping, & the proceeds are going to World Vision.

i mean come on.

you can wear a great bracelet & help bring clean water to children around the world.

read here for more information

 

and now for just a little random life in the last few weeks.

i'm loving jeanne's latest bag and feel very cute at publix when i cruise in for my daily

groceries. yes i still have yet to master shopping with a list. in advance.

justin's chocolate hazelnut butter served with a banana.

life changer. 

rockstar ballerina being fitted for another pair of pointe shoes.

i love having a dancer in the house again.

 

mr hospitality,

always excited to see us

fear not. he doesn't live outside. 

i have all the hair on my hardwoods to prove his existence inside our home.

skinny cords at target. 23 bucks.

super cute & comfy.

 

after spending the day trying on skinnies

i was prompted to check a fashion statement with one of my college girls.

proof that we all need to have relationships

with people at least half our age. at all times.

 

letter day from our little man in uganda

is always a highlight.

sweet little guy. listen to what he said through his letter interpreter...

"he sends greetings to savannah, madison, emily and caroline

& he's glad he has so many sisters.

&

"he's very happy to be a part of your family"

&

"his family loves you so".

tears...

 alrighty my friends

i'm on day three of some kinda yuck that is completely kicking my tail.

i'm crawling back into bed & spending the morning with skeeter & minny

the new fall line & life lately

our new fall line launches today

at Noonday Collection!!

you need to swing on by & check out our beautiful new peices.

join us on journey to create a pathway out of poverty for artisans from all over the world.

i hope everyone had a wonderful labor day weekend.

for the vast majority of my adult life i've worked jobs that required i work weekends.

now i eagerly look forward to fridays and spending time with my favorite people.

in the last week i've had the honor of photographing a variety of sessions

a precious newborn

a spunky adorable middle schooler

a wonderful young man, days before he leaves for basic training

& a couple renewing their vows on their 40th anniversary

i was able to enter in these powerful moments

with each family & capture what i hope is priceless images for them.

i consider that both an honor and a privilege.

we're still rolling along on my wordpress page.

as soon as it's ready i'll let you know!

have a great week!

~~~

1 corinthians 13

 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

 

 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 

  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.    

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.   

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

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...

wordpress, logos & a noonday sale

 

morning friends!

i wanted to give ya'll a heads up~

i'm making the move

& switching to wordpress!!

i'm currently in the throws of registering a domain

choosing a template

& also creating branding and a logo for my photography.

i feel like i'm building a house.

well that may be a bit of an exageration

but doing everything at once with terminology

 i don't use in my daily life is craziness i tell you. craziness!

it's sorta always been a bit of a pet peeve of mine

when someone says, ohmygosh, i'm just so busy.

because we're all busy. really.

but

having said that,

ohmygosh, i'm so busy.

i'm hoping it will all be a smooth transition when it's all complete

& ya'll will come along and follow me there.

i wanted to let you know that we're having a sale over at noonday

& making room for our fall release

set for the first week in september.

some of the items are phasing out & once they're gone, they're gone.

others like the dulce necklace are just marked down because they've been

great sellers & we're trying to offer a temporary special.

i'll also offer a couple of my sample pieces at a  40% off, discount

 including the precious tetris necklace. 

handmade from the gemstone chrysoprase

(regular retail $220, my sale price $135 plus $6 ship-inbox me if intersted)

savannah's gorgeous AXO sister!

alrighty,

ya'll have a great day!

 

ps-don't forget the sale offer for you at Yesterday Jewelry

30% off

enter AUGUSTSALE at checkout

helping them find their way & a fall sneak peek from John Wind

 

i think one of the most challenging aspects of parenting

is helping our children find their way through the maze of  opportunities

both afforded in academics and in extra curricular activities.

finding their 'thing' if you will

& yet not overcrowding their schedule.

if anything, i've always leaned a little more towards

the 'let's not overdo it' end of the continuum.

especially when they were younger.

in fact i vividly remember the days when the girl's schedule & obligations

ended by 5

dinner before 6

& baths and books read by 7

& lights out by 8.

i remember seeing families with older children and wondering

how on earth dinner schedules had gotten so wonky

& maybe just maybe

even criticizing ( in my mind. quietly) choices that seemed

to make their children appear over scheduled.

yeah. i learned quickly the reality of life with multiple children

in various sports and activities.

 sports are so much more intense & competitive now than when i was growing up.

little girls are shuffled into gymnastics and ballet at age 3.

if they have talent or natural abilities

placed on , or encouraged to join,a competition squad or company by age 10 with classes 5 days per week.

travel ball. tennis. they're all like that.

our community is a very competitive one regarding sports.

to play recreation soccer or take dance just to take a dance class is almost 

unheard of.

dan & i

desire for our girls to find something they love

& if it's something in which they excel

well that's icing on the cake!

trying to balance their 'thing' with rigorous academics

is a whole new ballgame.

so fastforward to caroline.

she danced when she was 3 for a season.

she also took a tumble class.

nothing crazy just a little something to do.

& honestly, being the 4th of 4

i didn't go overboard with her schedule.

she began to dance again last september.

she is a natural in dance.

 she is a natural with tumbling.

she loves both. intensely loves both

she also has a very rigorous school schedule with every academic

being an advanced class.

throw in the middle school program at our church

which we value very highly

she is packed out.

i wish her homework schedule was lighter.

i love when little ones especially can come home & just play

after being in class for seven  hours.

however,  we're also seeing the benefits of hard work & rigorous academics

as savannah attends a college whose admissions alone was competitive

she has academic scholarships & is in the honor program.

anyways

not trying to stir up everyone's views on education & extra curriculars

just journaling my thoughts on decision making.

i know it's completely different for each child.

not knowing whether this 'thing' is something that they will love for years.

something that besides the obvious benefits of the particular sport,

an opportunity where they learn leadership, commitment, how to work well with others.

 just to name a few.

or 

is it something that will overwhelm them with expectations.etc.

sports, academics, homeschool/private/public

all aspects of parenting where we can easily judge others 

who may be doing things differently.

i don't have a clean cut template for this one.

i don't think there is such a thing.

over here, we're just trying to do the next best thing

for each of our girls, individually

& taking it one year at a time. 

all the while, planning for the future
yet

enjoying and making the most of the
today.

 

madison danced for 11 years.

dance has been a sweet connection for them

 

madison is modeling several pieces of John Wind

& featuring a piece from the new equestrian line

soon to be released from John Wind. 

another fabulous piece of modern vintage glam!

follow John Wind Maximal Art on facebook

& twitter

be sure to check their retail website in the coming weeks

as they receive a fashion makeover!

 

 (image from john wind)

book club, a few good books & a give away

 

my router has been giving me fits all day 

so this post has taken me all morning to get rolling...

anyways

if you haven't seen already, my fave blogger, aka edie, is starting a book club.

click on the above image & it'll take you right on over.

we're  taking " chronological approach"

"as a way of following the development of western civilization 

and how one writer’s work builds on the writers before them"

therefore

we're going to begin with The Odyssey

(gosh i feel so fancy regardless of the fact that i copied & pasted her spoken word)

& friends. i must admit hanging out with edie will make you feel very intellectual.

while she's quite the hottie

she's also a brainiac

which is a tad intimidating

but being so down to earth

she loves friends like me who actually have to google "the odyssey" 

just to make sure i'm using correct spelling.

 so wherever you may land on that continum why don't you join us...

 

i also wanted to share a few books i read this summer & am currently reading

i am really enjoying the ESV Study Bible

english standard version

The Mirror Ball by Matt Redman

Billy Graham's Nearing Home

Nicholas Kristof  "Half the Sky"

& for teenagers,

"the message// remix: solo"

"not a fan"--a great book which now also has a teen version

 

 love my ever growing collection of the penguin classics

two amazing men, Billy Graham & Ronald Reagan.
i love reading anything about them.
"i love you, ronnie", is a precious book with some of the love letters he sent nancy...
makes a sweet gift.

dan read "The Reagan Diaries" this summer.
many a night while we were in bed reading before turning out the lights
he would read a sweet portion from the diaries about how President Reagan always missed nancy when she was away. what a legacy of love & what a good man...

& my favorite read of the summer

was "Kisses from Katie"

read in 24 hours & is a life changer.

i highly recommend this for your teenage/college age girls.

 

Karen White's "the Memory of Water"

which i did enjoy 

but i'll tell you is based around a few characters with bipolar which made it a little heavy

but i did enjoy how the story was written.

another favorite was "A Sweethaven Summer"

by my personal friend, courtney walsh.

a sweet, sweet story about friendships & healing hearts.

courtney has just released her latest work,

" A Sweethaven Homecoming"

& has offered a copy for one of you.

please leave me a comment & tell me your favorite book.

i'll post the winner monday!

Local New York Times best-selling author Courtney Walsh celebrates

friendship and forgiveness with the release of new Sweethaven book.

“The sequel to A Sweethaven Summer brings back well-remembered and well-loved

characters. This second book starts where the first one left off….With scrapbooking as the backdrop, readers who enjoy that craft will appreciate the addition to the storyline.”

—RT Reviews

The Sweethaven Circle—Jane, Lila, Adele, and Campbell—are together again in the latest novel, A Sweethaven Homecoming, from New York Times bestselling author and professional papercrafter Courtney Walsh. Readers will meet a new Sweethaven friend, country singer Meghan Rhodes, who has returned to her childhood home of Sweethaven. Walsh continues creating the genuine characters her readers love to know.

ps--we're having a big sale over at Noonday,
ya'll swing by