Freedom...

There is a great deal to be said of this last election. 

 But whether your guy won or lost doesn't matter for the purpose of this post. 

 What matters is the process that we took part in.  

The process of choosing. 

 On the days, weeks..leading up to the election we all had the right to choose how to show our support for our values and beliefs.

  Some choose to toss their opponent under the bus...but that too is another post.

  

We had the opportunity to exercise the muscles of democracy. 

 We all had the freedom to think for ourselves and act accordingly.

  

 Simple.....freedom.

But we know that freedom came at a great cost.

We took the family to Washington DC over Thanksgiving weekend.

We walked the National Mall and took in all the sights.

This never gets old to me. 

 I remember going to DC as a child and The Lincoln Memorial steps , though an easier climb still leave me breathless. 
 I hope one day when I am very old they still take my breath away.

My kids are older now and much much wiser.  They know how to connect the dots.

  My William is 13 and the memorials hit him hard.  
He cried openly as he experienced the WWII memorial.

My hubby is fiercely God and Country and he too was overwhelmed by the sacrifices.

It was an extraordinary family trip.  One that left me with the question on freedom....

The fact that many people on our planet do not have freedoms that we take for granted.  

The freedom to think and act as we wish.  The freedom to open our minds and our hearts...

My father in love..(law), but I adore him..so love is more fitting...sent this to me and it was heavenly timing....

“The freedom to be lords of our own tiny skull-sized kingdoms, alone at the center of all creation. This kind of freedom has much to recommend it. But of course there are all different kinds of freedom, and the kind that is most precious you will not hear much talked about in the great outside world of winning and achieving and displaying. The really important kind of freedom involves attention, and awareness, and discipline, and effort, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them, over and over, in myriad petty little unsexy ways, every day. That is real freedom. The alternative is unconsciousness, the default-setting, the “rat race” — the constant gnawing sense of having had and lost some infinite thing.” commencement speech by David Foster Wallace given in 2005 (complete read is about 15-minutes – it’s one of the most inspiring things I’ve ever read). In it he said…

Did you get all that????

Holy Cow!!!

At times being a mom..a parent seems like "Groundhog day,". The endless discipline.  The hearing your voice repeat the same stuff over and over.  The tasks that are the same and never ending......this isn't sexy...this is important...this takes great effort...this is self sacrifice...and we choose to do it every single day...without pay...without rest..because we choose to.

I know this is a twist on freedom....

But it makes so much sense to me.


 
God has given each of us the opportunity to choose.  We are innately free to do His will.  To serve others and to care for other people in our own lives in our own homes.

Estate jewelry fantasticalness.

It is that time of year!  The air is crisp and the leaves are changing.

Football season is in full swing and with that comes Homecoming!!

I loved Homecoming.  It was a chance to dress up and celebrate.  I still love it and all that comes with it.

Shopping with my girl for the amazing unusual dress.  Because my Shelby cant have any old thing.  It has to be EPIC.

My girl is so much like me.  We love to mix up styles.  We have determined that our style is juxtaposition.

Mixing the old with the new.  The soft with the edgy.  So when I am at auctions I am always confusing the  caller.  A rusty gas can and estate jewelry........"what?" 

 Yes!!!!

Love it!!

So before these necklaces hit my etsy store I wanted to show them to you.

$12.00 first buyer gets first pick and the bracelet free.

As I am posting this I am trying very hard not to just keep this one......MAGNIFICENT!

Not to knock the mall, but this is the stuff you played with in your grandmother's bedroom when no one could find you.....princess wear!

This is a choker....kinda sexy ladies...maybe not for the teen, but for a little surprise for the honey.....just sayin........meow!

This one too....choker .....might be using this one...lol

Very elegant.......

I will have these listed in the next couple days at my store.  If you are local I can bring it by.  If you need detailed measurement send me a note.  The clasp is a claw and hook on all of them, so they will adjust to any comfortable length.

I guess I should take them off now......

Tiny spaces......

Awwwwww.......the tiny downstairs bathroom.

The one that everyone in the neighborhood uses.  The one that floods most.  The one that gets

 "clogged" most.  And in my house...the one that gets neglected...in the decorating department..

Who has time to worry about the way it looks and how well it is functioning when you need to be on the cleaning part....

Well with the kids back in school this was one of my projects.
I love crates.....and I scored a bunch at an old antique place...soooooo!

My little bath that needed some storage and some love got some this week.

I brushed the crates off with light steel wool and then hit them with lots of Minwax...clear.  There are lots of Minwax products for all sorts of projects.  I didn't want to change the color of the crates I just wanted to bring out the vintage yumminess and protect them from little hands.  This paste is easy.....wipe on wipe off.

My love for all things Ball Jar...continues...they just make me so happy...I mean who knew the jars that my grandmother used to put up the tomatoes are now used everywhere in my house....

FIND THE STUDS!!!

This is a must and I don't mean your hubby.......

This one isn't as old but the lid is great to hide the TP.......

The towel rack was pulled down too many times.  Kids eager to get back outside just yanked and it was gone.  This simple solution has managed to stay up and the kids return the towels.

My mom makes these cute purses.  We keep the hairbrush and face powder in it for quick touch ups...and it is a sweet splash of color.

Once in a Blue Moon.......

Today is August 31, 2012

August 2012 is a month with two full moons. And, by popular acclaim, that means it’s a Blue Moon month – but Blue in name only. That’s because a Blue Moon is sometimes defined as the second full moon in a calendar month. The first full moon was August 1. The second full moon is today – August 31, 2012. The second full moon of August 2012 is the Blue Moon. Happy Blue Moon, everyone!

And...... It is m 43rd birthday.

I get sappy on my birthday. I like to think about the year and the changes that have happened.  I also like to celebrate.  I am more of a week long birthday kind of gal.  Not ashamed of it.  It is special for me to celebrate with simple pleasures and sweet family and friends.  My hubby jokes that my birthday is like the 12 days of Christmas.

I am ok with that.....

So with my blog readers I will celebrate with you by showing you some of my favorite moments in photos....blessings!
.

Thanks for celebrating the greatest joys of my life......Love looking though the old pictures...they are getting so big...where does the time go?

blessings!