the simple grandeur of the every day

please come visit me today at Kimberly Taylor's blog

Life on Blackberry Farm

 i have the honor of guest posting

for her new series, Simple Moments.

i have a few

reminders for you that there is 

beauty in our every day.

maybe a little encouragement to

cultivate a heart grateful for the priceless pleasures

found in the simple, albeit quickly fleeting, moments of our world...

 even in the charm of an old farm house.

see you there...

john wind monogram bracelet giveaway & a cause

 

if you haven't noticed

we're big John Wind Maximal Art fans around here.

my girls & i love the timeless styles

mixed with the perfect touch of whimsy.

the sorority girl necklace featured back in the summer

& the sorority girl pompom bracelet are two show stoppers

and have such a fun classic appeal.

speaking of John Wind,

our sponsor Carol & Company

has a wonderful offer for you

& an opportunity for you to help support a cause.

i love working with Carol & Company for many reasons

not the least of which

is their desire to give back.

 a portion of their proceeds goes towards the fight against human trafficking.

this week 15% of their sales will go to benefit Wellspring Living.

many of Carol & Company's customers live here in Atlanta.

the owner wanted to find a way to give back to our community

& Wellspring was her choice!

i'm so excited just to play a little a part in this!!

"1 in 4 women is abused sexually by the time she reaches adulthood. In 2001, Wellspring Living, a 501(c)(3) organization, formed to help survivors of childhood sexual abuse overcome their broken pasts and move towards hopeful futures. Our mission is to confront the issue of childhood sexual abuse and exploitation through advocacy, education and treatment programs for girls and women. Our programs are a refuge for women and girls who need a chance to start over. Through therapy, education, life skills and spiritual renewal, the Wellspring programs give participants recovery tools for the body, soul and spirit. "

so here's where you come in..

you have the opportunity to win

the JW monogram pom pom bracelet in silver or gold, your choice!!

but first please do the following:

1. "like" Carol & Company's facebook page

& let me know via comment which piece you love 

2. place an order via Carol & Company

& let me know via comment that you ordered.

remember 15% of your sale will go directly towards benefiting Wellspring!

if you do both, please leave a comment for each so i'm able to enter your name twice!

below i have several items from the John Wind collection featured.

obviously when it comes to accessories

we don't live under the "less is more" law!

featured:

universal monogram necklace

crystal stud earrings

the mesh bracelet

fancy mesh bow cuff

monogram cuff

pom pom bracelet

& initial pompom necklace, aka, the sorority girl necklace

&

i actually used the pom pom silver initial necklace wrapped twice to feature as a bracelet

& then as a necklace

(giveaway will end friday at midnight

& i'll post the winner first thing monday morning :)

 

 

thank you Carol & Company

for being an inspiration to me

& 

for your heart to help others!!!

~~

courage

"Courage is not the absence of fear,

 but rather the judgment that something is more important than fear. 

The brave may not live forever,

 but the cautious do not live at all"

caroline was watching Princess Diaries the other day
while i was working.
i overheard the portion of the movie where Mia is reading the letter
her daddy, the prince of Genovia wrote to her
as quoted above.

i sat & pondered that quote.
as you know, i battle with fear.
years ago i remember being so strong that i proudly
carried the "pull your bootstraps up & get on with it" attitude.
maybe it's age
maybe it's the realization of the frailty of our lives
but i feel much more vulnerable now
than i did back in those days.

i sometimes think back & wonder
where that girl went. the one who fearlessly lived.
who worked multiple jobs, seemingly effortlessly
& never seemed tired.
i know she's still in here with me,
she's just walked through the valley of the shadow a few times
& seen loved ones go on before her
& watched others battle so many hard trials.
she's fought her own battles too
thankfully never alone.

my favorite photographer of all time,
the one who most certainly planted the seed of loving beautiful images
in my heart,
posted this on fb the other day.
i grew up with him taking our family photos &
then was blessed to have him photograph both my weddings.
such an amazing photographer!
the above shot was what he envisioned
& then entered in a contest years ago.
she's the one who was fearless
 so i thought ya'll would get a kick out of seeing that image!

~~~

i have a couple friends who are really in a tough place right now.
they feel alone & somedays abandoned
questioning how much longer
& why.
i see their bravery and courage in the face of adversity
many of the friends around them oblivious to the challenge they have ahead of them every day.

our worship leader at our church posted this last night
 & i was mesmerized not only buy the beauty of the video
but the lyrics just washed over my heart...
so i post this today to share with them
& pray it ministers to you too.

{{He's faithful forever
perfect in love
He is sovereign over us
even what the enemy means for evil
He turns for our good
& for His glory.
even in the valley He is faithful

His plan is still to prosper
He has not forgotten us
He is with us in the fire & the flood....
faithful forever
He is sovereign over us}}

too many pans or burning plates or something like that...

i have way too many pans up in the air.


smirk

what? did i say it wrong?

yes.  

it's not pans is it?

no babe. it's balls.

balls? balls in the air?


yes. you know. like juggling. you have too many balls up in the air.

oh. well what's the saying about too many pans?

there isn't one.

isn't there a too many pans somewhere saying? like too many pans on the oven?


um. no. there's one about too many pots on the fire.

well whatever. burning pots, stacked plates, or juggling balls. i've got too many of them going on.


smirk

i say things wrong a lot don't i?

yeah babe. you do.

insert completely unrelated

albeit priceless image

of my 11 year old evangelizing,

tebow style. of course.

we're flirting with the month of may aren't we?

 she's just around the corner. 

perennially my least favorite busiest month. 

she has way too much going on

& no gathering around a christmas tree

or the promise of a new year as her consolation prize.

i looked at my calender & boldly proclaimed

i'm officially overwhelmed with may

& it's only april.

i spent most of this weekend working on a recent photo session.
i texted the mama & told her
if i'd have known they were going to be as cute as they were...
with one year old twins who rocked the session
for over an hour... they smiled the entire time...
i would've charged them double for the thousand images i took...
{teasin...}

see what i mean?


ok~

i would love to send a copy of the Christy Nockels cd to
amymck
ashlee
& yesenia

if ya'll would please email me your address
(in my profile link just over on the right)
& i'll pop them in the mail.
~~~

"if faith can move the mountains
let the mountains move.
we come with expectation.
waiting here for You"
christy nockels

{adam & annabel}

 

quite possibly one of my favorite captures of all time.

big brother completely unaffected by little sissy

who clearly has no interest in being lassoed in for a photo.

hilarious!

it also lends itself as a reminder of days in the future

& the ability of men to "check out" 

while women....how shall we say....ummm....vent

she obviously was able to

vacillate between the above "moment" & other moments of laughter.

atta girl

these little ones are very special to our family

& was a delight to photograph them.