Sunday, February 28, 2010

it takes a village

it's the little things in life that completely make my day
& yesterday
a little thing was accomplished
i
FINALLY
learned how to play around with some textures in photoshop



about a year ago i stumbled upon Shana's amazing photography on flickr
A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.
Shana creates the most fantastic textures & actions
so
of course i bought some

well
they've sat in "mom's folder"
on my hard drive
for months
& months

lately some of my fave bloggers have been rockin' at their photoshop
editing techniques
i pouted & thought
"why the heck can't i figure this out"

so i did what any self-respecting photoshop needy woman would do
i begged for help

my 17year old
was first on the list
i offered her cold hard cash if she'd 'gimmejust15minutes'
sweet child

then
i emailed my buddies & they came in as fabulous relief pitchers!
tracey , traci, & jeanne you are rockstars
& i totally appreciate all your patience
{tracey, apologize to your family...
tell them the crazy woman from atlanta
promises to leave mama alone today }
thank you for getting me started
sometimes
it takes a village!






here is a before~~



& here's what the shot looks like after adding the milk & honey overlay
















the down side....
i may never leave this computer seat again!

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

freshly fallen snow

over the last month
we've been your basic overscheduled family

one cheering basketball
one playing basketball
one being the administrator covering basketball

3 different schedules
added into the already busy mix

& since its been too cold to play out side
i've painted the dining room
i've painted the living room
repainted 2 dining chairs
changed out the chair covers
changed up the light fixtures
& replaced cabinet knobs
bought new pillows
new lamps
&
added to mercury glass collection
{will share later, ok?}

between valentines & easter
we will also celebrate
3 of the girls birthdays
my birthday
& our anniversary

savannah turned 17 on valentines day
that weekend
we also got the largest amount of snow Atlanta's seen
in many years
& since this entry is already off
to a " does this all go together anyway?" format
i'll go ahead & throw in the pics








remember those little tags i grabbed off etsy?
well i listed 5 random reasons "why i love you"
for each of the girls
they got tickled reading each other's lists



& since my sweet man
just bought my dream sofas
i felt certain he would appreciate
this vintage valentine

















they each had a little valentine package
waiting on them too






savannah & her besties came over for a little
valentinesdaybirthdaycelebrationsnowday photo shoot



& a some snowball throwing with little bit


most years we get very little, if any, snow
& it often seems to be grey and overcast
but that next morning was absolutely glorious
so after a crazy couple of months
the sweet peaceful silence
after the freshly fallen snow
was like a balm to my hurried soul





Wednesday, February 17, 2010

The Postmistress


a couple of days ago while awaiting the arrival of my girlfriend
for our lunch date
i began to peruse the life section of USA Today
on the front page was a write up on a new book by Sarah Blake ,
The Postmistress
they gave it a stellar review
compared it to the wildly popular "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett
Kathryn gives a little blurb on the cover ( here's an interview with both of them)


after lunch i zoomed over & grabbed my own copy
complete with a gorgeous cover
you know how shallow i am about gorgeous covers
and
ruffed pages
how i love ruffed pages
is that what they're called or did i make that up?

figuring if Kathryn Stockett loves it
& i love Kathryn Stockett
then by golly
certainly i will love it too!


speaking of "The Help"

please tell me you have read it
if not, climb out from under the rock & go grab yourself a copy

hands down one of my fave books of all time


i could hear the voices of those fantastic characters as i soaked in every page
i hated for it to end
i terribly missed Abileen, Minny & Skeeter
not to mention a fantastic cover :)


rumor has it
"Saving CeeCee Honeycutt" is fabulous
its certainly next on my list


don't send me hate mail
but i must be honest
"the time travelers wife"?
shoot me now
i could barely take it
i really needed that 500something pager to be done with itself
never could really follow the time line
& their love affair was a snoozer to me
i know all my favorite bloggers encouraged me to perservere
i did
glad i'm done
i sorta maybe kinda liked the very very end
hate me





francine rivers is a fantastic story teller
"The Sin Eater" & "The Atonement Child"
were both pretty good reads


also really enjoyed
"The Summer House"
by nancy thayer



"Pretty in Plaid"
started totally laugh out loud funny
but quickly disolved

besides the incredible "The Notebook"
why do i continue to read Nicholas Sparks
someone dies
you always cry
& i must admit
in my who-really-cares-opinion
i don't think he's an incredible talented writer
sorry nick
anyway
"The Last Song"
was okish

saw the movie "Dear John" to spend time with my 14 year old
which is the total target age for this movie
maybe because of ole Channing
did not like the ending
thankyouverymuch
savannah read the book
fairly certain she whizzed it across the room when she finished
shockingly the book ending was apparantly even worse
but on an upnote, i did love the music from the movie


my girls loved "The Doll People" series
so Caroline & I are reading that together


ya'll know i always love to hear what you're reading too!
xo

Sunday, February 14, 2010

happy valentines day birthday!!!!




My favorite valentine~

I want to wish you a fantastic wonderful 17th birthday sweet girl!

I am so so so very proud to be your mom. There is not a day that goes by that I fail to thank the Lord for giving YOU to me. You have been a ‘nearly’ perfect child to raise. Unfortunately, I feel I have given you reason to believe you are everything but that. I apologize for that. I do not want you to leave our home feeling anything but LOVED! You have never disappointed me nor let me down.

I apologize for the times that I have hurt you with my words. I apologize for the times that my actions lead you to believe you were anything other than a precious child to me.

Savannah, you have so much potential. I have always known that! You have been a bright & gifted child from a very young age.

I realize that after Daddy Gregg died, you became my helper. There are times when I’m sad because I feel like I didn’t allow you the time to be a little girl. You always exceed my expectations. I am certain he is more proud of you than even I.

Please know that I carry much pride in being “savannah’s mom”. I love going to a meeting or an event being “savannah’s mom”. I love to introduce myself as “savannah’s mom”.

Know that I will always be on your side. I will always be on your team. & I will always love you more than you will ever know, sweet girl.

This is probably the last full year we will all live under the same roof as a family. My daily prayer is that the Lord help me show you just how much you are loved & cherished.

The world awaits you my dear.
I hope you always hear me cheering behind you & championing You on!

Happy 17th Birthday Savannah Miller
I love you
Mom





If i were to pick two best friends for you
I would have chosen Bailey & Danielle
they love you so much
they also wrote a little something for you~




Savannah Miller Knudsen has been such a blessing to my life. To think that we did not even know each other four years ago blows my mind considering how in these past four years there has been many times when I did not know how I was going to get through it without her. John 14:13 says "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends," and although, thankfully, neither Savannah, bailey, nor myself have ever had to give our lives for one another, we are all constantly making sacrifices and going out of our way for one another. I think the best friendships are made when people are repeatedly reminding one another how much they love and depend on one another the way that I am repeatedly depending on Savannah. Savannah's heart is beautiful. She has gone through her fair share of heartache and pain, maybe even more than the rest of us, and out comes a graceful, independent girl who happens to be a best friend of mine. So happy seventeenth to you Savannah! I love you, Danielle















Happy 17th!
I can't believe we are already 17. it honestly feels like we are still 13 again walking the halls of Trickum. I want you to know that the past four years that we have been friends have been such a blessing. You are a wonderful friend and I am so lucky to have you in my life. We really have grown up together. You have matured into a beautiful, brillant, inspirational girl. You have always been the sweetest friend, always there for me when i need you, always there to get excited with me about something and a sholder to cry on when I need that as well. You have become the sister I never had, and the greatest friend I could ever have. You are my person, and I hope that there never comes a day when I can no longer call you my best friend. Happy Birthday Savannah, I hope your birthday is perfect! I love you. Bailey

Monday, February 08, 2010

blessed is the man...




i wanted to share one of the gifts i have given to my sweetie




a couple of years ago i was taking an oil painting class
oh i loved it
i love the smell of the oils & the turpentine
i loved the feel of the brush against the canvas




i'm no artist
not by a long shot
i painted a few portraits of my girls
but usually i "practiced" by using an image
from N.A. Noel
or Jennifer Lanne




i saw this very simple painting of a single tree
done by jennifer
& immediately thought of one of my favorite scriptures
psalm 1
it describes the blessings
that will come to a man
who is wise
& who surrounds himself with Godly men

this is my Dan

he is highly respected in his position
as a highschool asst principal

he is a godly man
who is slow to react
& slower to anger

in fact
in all the years we've been married
he's never been angry with me

he shows our girls
a forgiving gentle spirit
but yet a strong capable protective daddy


i painted this tree
& thought of the shelter he provides
for all his girls
& the stability he creates
through his loyalty to
me

i love you sweet man
& happy early valentines day

YOU
are
my
soulmate
&
I
can't imagine
my life
without
YOU















He is like a tree planted
by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
Psalm 1.3

Tuesday, February 02, 2010

the heart of a 13 year old





one of my alltime fave movies is "you've got mail"

i love meg ryan
i love tom hanks
i love goldens
& i love goldens named brinkley





i love that she owned her own shop
i too used to own a shop
i love that her shop is a bookstore

because
of course
i love bookstores


i love her wardrobe
& i love the precious relationship between the two characters


i can quote practically the entire flick
i love it when meg, as kathleen kelly, types this:



"Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life - well, valuable, but small - and sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it, or because I haven't been brave? So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't it be the other way around? I don't really want an answer. I just want to send this cosmic question out into the void. "



i too lead a small life
& sometimes i feel like my blog writing is just like this
a cosmic question
or entry
sent out into the void


so today i do have a cosmic question
there might not be an answer
per say
& i don't know that i even need an answer

maybe just an affirmation
that you too
struggle with this

you see
i have a 13 year daughter
who loves many
& is loved by many

she is perpetually happy
& cheerful


she sees the good in all people
& gives the endless benefit of the doubt
to everyone
{something, i must sadly admit she did not inherit from me}


she is loyal
crazy loyal

for several years she looked just like the character that played Lucy Pevensie
in "The Chronicles of Narnia"
( she had the same bob & that precious round face)
not only one of my most favorite stories in literature
but undoubtedly
my favorite literary character
( which explains why i wanted to name my golden Lucy if
she was a girl
but since he is a boy...he his brinkley
follow?)


that's my emi
forgiving
innocent minded
&
trusting

so how do i teach a child to truly see the good
& trust people
to forgive

yet
at the same time
teach her that she can not blindly trust everyone
that her loyalty is like a gift
that others aren't always a sweet & kind as she thinks they are

how do i encourage her to be a friend to the friendless
yet
be careful because sometimes those friends
might not be good friends

that being loyal to her friends
might include asking adults to help
if that friend
that needs her loyalty
also needs some help
that is out of her league
as a innocent minded sweet 13 year old girl

how do i teach her to do
just as she has learned from scripture
to turn the other cheek
to do unto others as she would have them do unto her
&
yet
be careful
because not everyone will treat her
as the precious child she still is

there are people who will
take advantage of her loyalty
who will abuse her forgiveness

she has the strengths that are noble
i just want her to be careful



i don't want to come across as the jaded adult

or even just the realist that i am


its so hard....

letting them

be brave

when the bravery

is in the giving

of their heart.....