she lay down her sweet head.

I had planned on today's post being a cheeky review of last night's get-together with my lovely and diverse batch of church-ladies.  The fun, the food, the wine...

My camera was waiting on a nearby table, ready to capture the fun moments of the evening.  Then I saw her peacefully sleeping and my heart couldn't resist. 

This is sweet Ava, the youngest member of our group.  She knows our voices, our secrets, our joys, our trials.  As we met each week, Ava was nestled safe & sound in her mommy's womb the entire 9 months of her early life.  We could hardly wait to meet this baby and kiss her fingers and toes, knowing she would be just as special to us as her mommy: sweet, honest, kind.

Then, there was this moment:  Precious.  Tender.  Comforting.  I'm not sure who's enjoying the rocking more. This lovely gem is Juanita.  Juanita is the eldest member of our group and we all adore her.  She's loving, generous, kind, spiritual.  Juanita has a great laugh, is wise and loves each one of us.

The church-ladies didn't talk much about anything in particular...it was just a fun gab-fest.  But the above moment is what I'll remember most about the evening.  Just to be in the same moment with these two lovelies was a gift. 

And isn't that what each of us is called to do in this life?   To hold, protect, nurture and love God's perfect, sweetest creations? 

Job well done, Juanita!

gadget wristlet

Meet my newest little pouch.  I made a few of these as a test-run, taking them to the Riverside Arts Market to see how they'd sell.  They were cleared out within minutes. 

They're little wristlets, perfect for stashing your camera, cell phone or ipod.  Or, use it to carry your cash, plastic, lipstick and other necessities. 

Right now, I'm working on stock for the show coming up this weekend.  If you're out and about, please stop by our booth for a look and a visit.  We're located down by the river, at the end near the restrooms and food court.  Mention you read the blog and a 10% discount is yours!

Tonight, I'm hosting my ladies from my church group, CRHP Team #10 for a "meeting."  This should be a lot of fun. 

Tune in tomorrow for all the details of our little party meeting!

enter to win, link.

Does your home need a little lift?

Go to one of my favorite sites, Tatertots and Jello and enter to win a Scentsy scent burner...

Then check-out the rest of Tater's site...it's amazing!

summer Solstice.

*Old phone*

My phone died yesterday. It was about five years old and archaic.  I called Mom, as I was leaving church...I could hear her, but she couldn't hear me.  I think I called her once or twice after that.  You know, just to verify that something was wrong with:

a.) her phone
b.) my phone

Nothing like scaring your poor Mom half-to-death. 

Then I called my father on his cell phone.  Same problem.  Only Dad is more aggressive and called me about 8 times.  Just kidding, Dad!  maybe

I sped home so that I could intercept him from my house phone and make him stop calling my broken cell.

That evening, Jason took me to the store and bought me this hunk of burning love:

I am now living in the land of Apps, texting and music. 

I have been very busy learning how to use this phone. 

My thumb is tired.

glimpse.

I love this happy flower. 

Love-Birds. 

Just a few of the bags I've been working on. 

Next up...gadget cases.

3rd time's a charm!

Mom and Dad called yesterday, inviting me to the movies. 

I was kind of busy, but a movie date was rather tempting...

Especially when the movie is Toy Story 3!

Woody was his responsible self. 

When you're Sheriff, you pretty much have to be!

It's a good thing he has his irresponsible and emotional friends, or else Woody wouldn't have any exciting adventures.

Here's sweet Bullseye.  He reminded me of our sweet little mutt, B.B.

I love Bullseye!

Meet Big Baby. 

I loved Big Baby.

Maybe it's because I had a big baby of my very own!

10 lbs. 

That's big!

I loved, loved, loved the movie. 

And if you yourself have a young man ready to tackle college, you might even just shed a tear or two...

Visit the Toy Story 3 website for games...I couldn't successfully play any of them...get a kindergartner to help you.

perspective.

Father's Day.

 I grew up with three wonderful older brothers and had two strong and loving grandfathers.

As a little girl, I always felt safe.  Protected.  Loved.

As an adult, these are the guys in my life:

This is my Dad. 

As a young man. 

The Daddy I knew and loved as a little girl. 

The man who protected and gave me a sense of security.

The man who loved me.

This is my Dad, today.

The man who makes me laugh.

Who gave me away at my wedding.

Who loves my husband and son.

This is my husband.

Who took my hand in marriage, given by my parents.

The man who has loved, nurtured and protected our baby.

The man I look forward to spending the rest of my days with.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY...

To all the men in my life!

ruffled, in Florida!

It's madness, I tell you!  A ruffled bag...

It'll be cute, but what a project!

The ruffles?  All made by hand.  No long basting stitch, no gathering, no dental floss.

Waiter...where's my drink?

tale of 3 sisters & 1 brother.

I'd like for you to meet my girlfriends.

I believe it's important that one maintain friendships with people of all age-groups.  It keeps life real and fun.  Real fun.  Really, really fun!  My friends are 6 and under. 

These little beauties, along with their brother Charlie, came to my house for a visit.  They're modeling the little t-shirt dresses I made.  Bless their hearts, they couldn't wait to put those dresses on.  I melted.

Charlie got NUTHIN'!  Poor Charlie!

Charlie didn't even get a measly photo taken!

Charlie was busy wrestling my husband's big Lazy-Boy recliner.

Charlie won.

cupcakes.

They're not just for dessert, anymore!

art of living NAKED! (Don't read this, Mom & Dad!).

This adorable graphic caught my eye one day, as I was reading another blog (can you believe there are others out there besides this one?!) and I was intrigued.  So I clicked it.  And darn it, I am now immersed in this woman's life!  She's funny, smart, practical.  And who could possibly resist a book and a blog, entitled, Looks Great Naked?

How To Look Good Naked:

You look great naked when you have nothing to hide, when you accept yourself exactly the way you are--right here, right now, flaws, wrinkles, knots, bumps, lumps, bad attitude and all.  It's not a pass for slacking on the maintenance; it's not about obsessing over perceived imperfections.  Be yourself.  Who you are is gorgeous; trying to be what you're not isn't. 

That's really great advice.  It's often difficult to be real.  Sometimes it's easier to be who others expect you to be, rather than just being you.  Me.  Us.  Whoever I am.  Just when I think I know me, I realize that I'm wrong and need to keep searching from within and pull whoever I really am, up and out.  It's about self-discovery, balance, a quest for knowledge and faith. Because standing in one spot is boring and if I'm not moving forward, I'm definitely going to fall behind.  Falling hurts.  Momentum is thrilling!

Last night I read all about Grace Adams' dating antics on Match.com.  Funny stuff.  Grace lives in St. Augustine, Florida, a lovely town full of history, pretty beaches and some pretty nifty nightspots (not that I frequent them...any more!).  Always witty, Grace has a lovely knack of ending her post with a little pearl of wisdom, a humorous outcome, or a reflection to consider. 

Have a little look around her blog and enjoy Grace's charming writing.  You don't have to be naked to read it, just remember to be the real you and don't forget to LAUGH. 

tutu = 3!

You may recall  yesterday's post, in which I mentioned the fact that Maureen has three girls, three t-shirts.  One of her girls is a sweet baby and one of the t-shirts, a onesie.  Which has a sweet saying on it.

Naturally, I could do only one thing with the onesie...

Attach a tutu to the onesie.  Written in a numeric equation, would look something like this:

          Where:  1 = onesie, 2 = tulle, 3 = degree of cuteness

                                      2 + 1 = 1000(3)

                                            3 = 3000

The significance of the equation?  We're back to the number "3" which is where we began this project...

3 t-shirts, 3 girls and that was  3 X the fun of 1!!!

See, world... I can do math, no matter what my high school math teacher said!

strawberry fields, forever!

I have a boy.  I have two boys, counting Jason.  Neither of which has ever gone for anything frilly, ruffly, or pink.  Boys are just like that, I guess.

Then I found an idea for making t-shirt dresses.  T-shirt dresses.  T-shirt dresses...

Thus began my obsession. 

All I needed?  A little girl with a t-shirt.  Where to find one of those?  (Not the t-shirt, the little girl!).

Aha!  My friend Maureen...she not only has a little girl, she has 3 little girls!  Three opportunities to play with pink and pretty fabric...

The dresses were great fun to put together.  The strawberry dress took me a while, but the other went together in a flash and both have been ready for quite some time.  It's the darned flower that has me stumped, grinding my teeth in frustration.  And the strawberry dress still needs its little flower...I can't make up my mind as to what type of flower would look best on each dress.  The debate has been raging in my mind for over a week...

Oh, the agony of it all!

Perhaps by this Friday, a decision as to the flower will have been made. 

Or not.

tale of two cities.

As alluded to in my last post, I have visited the MOSH nine-hundred, forty-eight thousand, two-hundred and fifty-one (948,251) times over the past 15 years.  Most of those visits were with our son's elementary school class, over the course of nine years.  And might I add, I usually was the mother who was chosen to chaperon the "naughty" boogers children in the class, so it wasn't generally the most enjoyable experience for either Jonathan or myself.

But surprisingly, this last visit with Tom (my brother) was very enjoyable.  Was it the company?  The lack of children?  Or the exhibits that made the excursion so enjoyable? 

It was the combination of all three.  Add to these factors that Tom was hyperventilating over the fact that his beloved sailing vessel, the Maple Leaf, was on exhibit at the museum. 

We toured the Currents of Time exhibit and had a marvelous time!  I learned so much about the early settling of Northeast Florida.  Tom and I read all the exhibit descriptions and snapped away, taking lovely photos of the various vignettes of the region.

And then, and then...we came upon her.  Tom's beloved Maple Leaf (an article that Tom wrote about her can be found here).

I was excited to download these photos...if you look closely, you can see the reflection of my dear history-buff brother captured in the glass. 

He was relating to me the story of the Maple Leaf.  From her beginnings in Canada, to her celebrity in Rochester, NY and finally, her humble end as a workhorse vessel during the Civil War.  Her final resting place?  In the mud of the St. John's River, off the shores of Mandarin.

Which is very ironic, as Tom resides in Rochester and our parents, Mandarin.  

And here she is, the Lady herself....

It's nice having your own private tour guide...you learn some fascinating facts!

big mouth!

While my big (oldest) brother Tom was here visiting, he requested a visit to MOSH, the local museum. To be honest, I'd been there at least a dozen times over the past twelve years and never found it to be all that interesting. And I like history. The science, not so much.

But strangely, this visit was different. Mom & Dad, Tom and I went to explore the Museum of Science and History together.

Our first exhibit was The Body Within. Sounds a little "sciencey" to me...

SCORE! No, this is amazing! Look, there's Grandma and Pa entering the exhibit, right through the mouth of a teenager. I know it's a teenager because like baby birds, their mouths are always open, waiting for their next feeding. Go, Mom and Dad! Get swallowed up in knowledge and explore the wonders within!

Interesting...a film about knee-replacement surgery and all the medical techniques. Intriguing, at least for three of us. Dad's already had three replacements, Mom is on deck for a new knee this Fall. Mom didn't want to stand and watch the blood and gore, hammering and sawing...can't say that I blame her. Ugh!

Here we have the lungs of a 79-year old male. I've decided to serve pickled lungs at Thanksgiving dinner this year. Care to join us?

You run into the nicest people at the museum! This guy was fairly nice, though I found him to be a little "thin-skinned." Some people just don't take constructive criticism very well.

And that, my friends, was the first stop on our museum tour. On which I made an interesting discovery of my own: the reason it was so enjoyable? NO KIDS! Ha, I was actually able to read the exhibits...mind boggling!

Thank you for tagging along.

Coming up: our voyage on the Currents of Time.