Hellooo. It's been a very busy week and I've neglected my poor, little blog.

First of all, how are you?

I am dreading tomorrow and seeing the work week start all over again. I am sure I'm not the only one. I know I should be thankful but all I am feeling is burn-out right now, sorry.

We've loved watching the Olympics. I've decided I must get to London. It's picture perfect everywhere you look.

I finished tiling the 2nd little wall in the kitchen and now it's on to the final one. I will have to get to that in-between work this week. I made an adjustment to my little miscalculation but it looks ok, I hope.

Lately, I have been thinking about kindness and how one really cannot and should not expect the world to be kind to them if they're not. That sounds harsh, I know.
It's always been said that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. It seems to be true a lot of times but I don't think it's done so happily. I tell my children that for every person they will deal with, whether it's in a work situation, church, or school setting who has gotten or will get what they want with demands, leaving very little appreciation behind, has left a lot of people frustrated in their wake. I don't want them to be that person. I tell them that everyday, unbeknownst to them, they leave a little legacy wherever they go so make sure it's a legacy of kindness.

That has got me thinking I'd like to start some sort of kindness project but have no idea how to go about it. Anyway, just a thought.

Reese and I went on a mother/son date night to see Diary of a Wimpy Kid. We were the only ones in the theatre which Reese thought was so cool since he didn't have to whisper. I felt so bad though because I was so tired only having a few hours of sleep that day. I took Blair's pillow pet with me just in case Reese wanted to snuggle. We shared the pillow and sure enough, I fell asleep the last half-hour. Don't ask me how it ends.

I've had the awesomest of awesome pleasure to photograph lately. One was a birth story even - more on that later.

And that's all on my mind at the moment. Now I'm off to watch the closing ceremonies and make some popcorn. I love popcorn.

Thanks London, you guys know how to put on a good Olympics!

Have a great week!

DIY Adventures

Everything was going along swimmingly. The first small wall of tile went up in no time. Well, after we cut a lot of tile. When I stood back to look I decided it was worth the extra effort to go with a herringbone pattern. And once the white grout is in and the cabinets are painted, it will all flow nicely and the pattern will peek through.

Then I went on to the next wall where the tile was going all the way to the ceiling. This is when I wanted to punch myself in the face for deciding to do this. You could blame my fatigue (it was 1:30 am) or my lack of good math skills (I'd go with that) but I miscalculated and a large gap, no, huge gap, stood out between two tiles. My eye kept going right to it and I couldn't get around it so down came the tile. It was like that guy I may have told you about with the hair plugs that looked like a row of bristles on a brush. The one who didn't hire me for a job but called and asked me for a date. Then I ran into him later and my eyes kept going to his hair plugs. Did I ever tell you about that? Funny story.

Anyway, it's back to recalculating now. And it's 1:30 am again as I take a blog break which is why I'm digressing. This could be bad. The first wall looks good at least!

Let's just scroll back on up to that...

You don't know your beautiful

I think most pregnant ladies feel they are not looking their best in the 9th month. But don't hold off pictures for that reason because they can prove otherwise.

In between a bout of stormy days and high heat I was able to do a few maternity photos at sunset of my beautiful friend. It was still really hot but luckily there was no rain. We went to local grounds not far from our houses that provide a variety of backdrops. I have scouted most of them out since some are off the road a bit but we ended up finding a big patch of black-eyed Susan and caught the light just before it set in the apple orchard. How perfect to help tell the story of a baby born in summer sun.

(And yes, that's a One Direction reference in the title. We hear it a lot in this house.)

I love lamp

As I was out treasure hunting a while back I came upon this little art deco lamp. I loved it and carried it around with me for a while but decided to put it back on the shelf. I do that a lot. I talk myself out of things before I get to the counter. I figured one more thing to re-wire was the last thing I needed. But I really wanted it though.

Then the next day I came across this page in a magazine and there was "my" exact same lamp but with a great antique bronze finish. Who said anything about re-wiring?? So I went back and got it. Now I just need to figure out the best way to get it to look like its former beauty-queen self.

And now a little Anchorman-

Have a happy Wednesday.

linking to Funky Junk Interiors

linking to House of Grace
Somewhat Simple

In Memoriam

Carolyn Joyce Montgomery

I remember the first time I met my mother-in-law. She was far from being that to me since I was just the high school girlfriend of her youngest son. Jon invited me to his house for dinner and then we played Trivial Pursuit with his parents. I liked her voice right away. It was soft with a slight southern drawl. It wasn't harsh only subtle. She spoke slowly, carefully. She said it was "delaht-ful" to meet me. I liked the way she said it. I like the goodness that emanated from her voice. Its sound forever echoed in my mind.

It wasn't until years later that I saw her again. Jon brought me back to the old house to see everyone and this time we played Chickenfoot. She was still kind and soft spoken but now I was going to have years to see her true goodness, dedication to her church and God, devotion to her husband, love for her grandkids and quick wit. She was truly a lovely and talented woman.

Once when we were visiting she was knee-deep in piles of jeans. She held up a patchwork of denim that was to be the covering of the quilt on which she was working. She had organized a jean drive so she and some other ladies could make quilts for the needy. She wanted something durable yet soft so it would not wear out so quickly. She was always thinking this way, wanting the best for people. Smiling, she said she only had 10 more to go.

Her deterioration over the past few months have been quick. But before her body and mind succumbed to disease, we made a trip to see her. There were moments of lucidity on our visits, just enough time for her to recognize Jon and tell him what a good baby he was and that she was so happy he was there. I was touched by that sentiment and it summed it all up for me at that moment - what really mattered. And while our hearts are heavy at her passing today, we are thankful that her mind and body are at peace and that her parents will be so happy she is there, with them in heaven.

Walking thoughts

"It is a great art to saunter."

~Henry David Thoreau

I think a leisurely stroll working our arms and legs in rhythm creates a kind of meditative state. We can open ourselves up to inspiration and gain better perspective about what's on our mind. It's where some of the best thoughts and ideas are born. And those simple surprises found along the way make a little stroll a grand adventure.

Happy sauntering.

Friday (the 13th) Finds were not unlucky

I scored a few deals on some things that I didn't even set out to find in my travels today. They seemed to all be kitchen related too, except for the sweet Craftsman jig saw I got at a garage sale...

But the kitchen stuff had me extra giddy when I saw a Polka dot Pyrex. I won't even tell you how much because you'd cry. It was that cheap.

...and the old bottle holder. I scooped it right up thinking it could house some of my big oil bottles for cooking or maybe some colorful bottles as vases or just hold some water bottles for now. It's a little delicate so I can't really cart it around. She'll just have to stay put and look pretty.

and then there were some other things but they'll have to wait until next time. Tomorrow I may even see if the lucky streak continues. Just looking of course.