Faithful Mommy

Thursday Thirteen!

   

Thirteen  PINK things that I love.

1. Pink peonies in my studio garden. They don't bloom for long, but when they do --mmmm! so pretty!

2. My pink sapphire and diamond ring that my sweet hubby gave me for Christmas. He feeds the insanity!

3. The pink Razr phone I'm getting in August when my contract with nextel is up! No the pink phone is not the only reason I'm switching. ;D

4. My pink crocs that my daughter just ordered for me. We've been trying to get them since mother's day, with no luck. Today we hit the jackpot!

5. My pink t-shirts. I wear them all the time - I'm just simple that way!

6.Cute little pink gift bags - share the beauty ya know!

7. Adorable pink notepads . I have a notepad fetish!

8. My pink daytimer. Too cute y'all. It's pink and brown. Way in style girls!

9. My pink purses! Duh! Of course that's plural!

10. My pink birkenstocks. Sooo comfy!

11. My cute little pink headbands.

12. My pink daylilies that the DEER just ate!!! All of them, in one night! Sigh!

13. My cute pink pj's. Night,night!

Rejoice with me, won't you?

I just called about my computer and they said i can come and pick it up!!! WooHaahaa!!!!! I cannot believe how much I have missed that thing. It's sad really, but whatever! I am leaving right now to go get it and I just pray that all is well with it.

This is pitiful, I know!
But, rejoicing anyway!

Works for me Wednesday is just below!
Tuesday Treasure is just below that!
A post you do not want to miss is just below that!

Stay awhile, I could use the company! Oh, that's right I'm leaving! Hang out and visit anyway!

Works For Me Wednesday!

    

I am melanin deprived!!! I am as white as white can be. I do not tan well!! Therefore, I need all of the sun exposure I can get just to look healthy - not tan, just a little healthy glow please! Yes, I have heard about the risks of sun exposure. I am not over doing it, I promise. But, since I need all the extra rays I can get, I like to come home on my lunch break, when possible and jump in the pool.

What I can't do is get my hair wet though. So I bought one of these  little handy dandy pool recliners and I just lounge around for a bit, catch a few rays and relax.

Oh girls, it does indeed work for me!!! Come join me, won't you?

Note:

No,silly, that is not me. She is simply too tan, otherwise she is practically my twin. HEHE!

Go on over to Shannon's to see other wonderful ideas!

Tuesday Treasure!!

My Treasure  for today is a candlestick that my dad made for me. I was actually the last gift I ever received from him.

My dad had suffered for several years with debilitating arthritis. He was in so much pain, I actually saw him cry on a few occasions. It's a hard thing to see your dad, your rock,your protector, cry in pain. He had gotten so bad off that he was miserable with his life, it was just so painful.He started taking some medicine that really helped him. He started feeling better was able to move and use his hands again.

When I saw his renewed range of motion, I decided to get him a Wood Lathe for Christmas that year. He had wanted one for a while and couldn't really afford one. When I showed him his gift, he was in awe. He LOVED it! I loved that he loved it. It made me feel good to give him something that made him so happy and he couldn't believe that I would get him something that cost so much. He knew it was the top of the line,because he'd been checking them out for a while.

He was finally feeling good enough to go out to his "shop" and piddle around with it and the first thing he made was this candle stick for me. I treasure it, because he passed away only a few weeks later. He only used the lathe a few times, but he was so proud of it. It still sits unused in his "shop", we can't seem to part with it just yet.

Anyway, This candlestick is certainly a treasure for me. He made it with his own hands, crafted it for me. That is a treasure to me!!!

Do you have a treasure? Share it with us. Link below to share with others that participate.

It happened along the way...

... we had almost made it home. The baby started fussing, getting hungry and we decided to stop for a quick bite to eat. We had been on vacation and had been on the road for many hours. We were about one and a half hours from home, so we were anxious to just eat and run. It was a fast food spot - Wendy's. We thought we could get in and out fairly quickly. But then, we walked in the door!

As I walked in holding little man, a young girl ( about 16-17 years) spotted us immediately. We seem to be hard to miss. She was an employee there and was replacing condiments and napkins at a counter in the center of the eating area. She said hello and started smiling and cooing over little man. It happens often (have you seen this kid, helllllloooo), so I didn't think much about it.

That is, until she came and sat down at the table with us. Hubby was at the counter ordering our food, so she just sat down and cooed and talked and touched little man. She asked all of the typical questions  - How old? - Can he talk? Is he deaf ( since he was signing)? Then proclaiming his perfection - I couldn't help but agree with her assessment!! Then she asked if we had adopted him. I said yes. When did you get him, she asked? At birth , I answered. We were there for his birth, so we were with him immediately.

She looked longingly at both little man and I and said " I sure wish I'd been adopted. Maybe, then I wouldn't be in this lame place (remember she is only a kid), with these lame people, in this lame town". I wasn't sure how to respond. Was she angry with her parents or in foster care or what? I didn't want to pry either, so I left it alone.

As we are trying to eat our meal, yet another young girl comes to our table. She is also an employee of the restaurant. We are trying to be nice, but of course, we would also like to eat our food - quickly and while it's still warm. This young lady's question and answer time was pretty similar to the first girl. However, she said, as she was stroking his cheek, that she was in the foster care system. Again, What to say to that?

She asked if he could have a toy and I asked what kind it was. I agreed to a little stuffed turtle and I thought she was going to jump through the roof with excitement.

When she came back with the toy, she said " this is from me and my sister back there". I understood that she meant the first girl that visited with us. The first girl was African American, the second was Caucasian  and they were probably the same age.This is when I realized that both of these girls were in the foster care system - and had been all their lives!!!!

The looks on their faces as they touched and cooed over little man broke our hearts. These girls had been dreaming of a family - all of their lives!!! They were truly happy for our precious little one, yet you could see the wanting in their eyes.

At one point during this visit, the first girl reached over and took little man's hand in hers and said " I hope you become something great in this world". My heart melted.

For those two young women (who live with 12 others in their foster home), I pray that they too become something wonderful in this world. I pray for love and security and stability. I pray Jesus for them. Yes, we did talk briefly about Jesus. As little man bowed his head and we signed our blessing ( yes they were there for it all), we were able to speak for a moment. They didn't let us say much, they had so much to say.

It happened along the way.... that we were touched beyond measure by two young women that showed pure joy and love about a little boy who was adopted.

Thursday thirteen!

      

Thirteen things said and heard in our vacation house last week!

1. Did I get some sun? What do you mean? I got NO sun?

2. How long is he gonna scream like that?

3. Maybe I just need some self tanner!

4. Stop pushing him!

5. Don't you pull his hair!

6. What did he do???

7. I need a nap!

8. What are we gonna eat?

9. He had it first!

10. He's just tired that's all.

11. Did you just hit him?? Again???

12. Has anyone seen my.......?

13. I need a vacation from my vacation!   

BTW- See my post just below for important info regarding my immediate blogging future .

   

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

    The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday.  Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged!  If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments.  It’s easy, and fun!  Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well!  I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
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Sorta out of commission!!!

Y'all, have you heard that song -" you had a bad day"? Yeah, that's me! My laptop croaked!!!! that is where I do all of my blogging! Yes, I know, I have 4 computers at work - I don't live at work though. I do most of my reading/posting from home at night on my laptop. I was posting a comment on someones blog (who was that anyway) and all of sudden my laptop sounded like it sucked in air and kaplooy!!!

ODE to my computer

Beautiful blue toshiba
How I love to spend time with ya

You were cream of the crop
Now you've blown your top

You house my memory
Oh, how this will hurt me

I miss you so
please don't go

My beautiful blue Toshiba.

I am in mourning. All of my info is on there. Your blogs are all listed there for me. Do you think I know every address? Girls, I hardly remember mine!

So, all of that to say this ... I may get behind on reading everyone's posts. I may be able to read, but not comment. I will do the best that I can. Please be patient with me. I will post as usual. I will just cheat and do it at work (bad work ethic example for my employees). The computer place says it will take about a week to repair! OUCH!!!!

I will tell you this though - all of my beach sessions were on this computer!!!! Did I save all images to TWO disks immediately???? Duh!!! Of course I did!! See how important it is to back up?!!!!!! So glad I take my own advice!!! Be sure to heed it too if you want those precious images of your family!

Okay, I'll stop whining ... for now! It is pitiful that I am this upset over my computer/blogging situation. TSK,TSK! Shame on me.

Works for me Wednesday!

      

I actually have something to share this week!! YEEHAW!!!

When you go to the beach with little ones, take a canopy tent like this and a baby pool like this( except, put water in it, not the balls Ya, know!) so the little ones can play in the water,in the shade. This is especially handy if they are afraid of the ocean. Usually, you can leave the canopy tent up the whole time you are at the beach and no one will bother it! It's really big, it just looks small,in the photo! Really!

It works for me!!  ;D

Treasure Tuesday!

Today my treasure is a necklace that I wear everyday. I never take it off. It belonged to my Granny. She wore it everyday, as well. I don't seem to have a memory of her without this necklace. If she wore costume jewelry to match her clothing, she simply tucked it inside her blouse.

The little diamond swivels in the teardrop, so I grew up playing with it - pushing it back and forth in the the teardrop as she held me or as I sat in her lap. My Granny was my heart, so I was always as close to her as I could get.

Years before she passed away, she was discussing who would get what ( I hated to hear her talk about leaving me) and she said I'd get her diamond earrings and my brother would get the necklace. I told her that if she didn't mind, I'd rather have the pendant (then I explained it's sentimental value to her). She just laughed and said okay. She said I'd be getting a better "deal" with the earrings. Of course, I wasn't thinking about monetary value.

One day I got a phone call and was told that I needed to "come home". My Granny was sick and she wanted to tell me about it herself. When I got there ( a few days later), she handed me the pendant and told my brother and I that she had cancer. They gave her only days or a week to live. She had lung cancer that had quickly spread to her brain. My beautiful, precious Granny was going to leave me. My heart broke that day!

I didn't want to take the pendant at the time because of what I knew it meant. I wanted her to stay alive and wear it all the days of MY life. She wouldn't hear of it. I put it on that day and still wear it everyday and I will until I pass it along to the next generation.

She was one tough chick and she decide to try to beat this horrid thing that had invaded her body. She started chemo  and we prayed for a miracle. It was not meant to be. We were blessed, however to have her for 4 months instead of the "days" that were predicted. I spent alot of time with her during those months. It went way too fast though. She knew how much I loved her and how it was hurting me so much to lose her. We layed in her bed and cried in each others arms. She passed away in that very bed early one December morning. A part of me went with her.

I reach up and feel for this pendant more times than I could count - everyday. I fiddle with it and push the diamond back and forth in the teardrop - many times, everyday. It is as much a part of me as my mouth and my eyes (which, BTW are just like hers).

I almost forgot to show you another aspect of this little treasure - the clasp. This is called a butterfly clasp. It is a safety clasp. It is, it seems, also unusual. I get comments on it almost daily. It is a little heavy, so it always seems to be hovering in front or on the side. People always think that it is the pendant, until they see the diamond.

I started wearing all white gold and platinum after I got this from Granny. All of her jewelry was white gold. I am blessed by having several of her things.This little necklace is not worth much money at all, yet it is a treasure indeed!

If you participate in Treasure Tuesday, be sure to leave your link below!!

I'm BAAAACK!

I am finally home. It was a great trip, but there really is no place like home. The weather threw us for a bit of a loop, but we managed it pretty well. I got great images for my clients. That was the purpose of the trip, so I am pleased. I had to give up our shooting time though. I did manage to squeeze in a few of the boys after one of the clients' sessions,but I was losing light fast - so it was a quick deal for our own stuff.

I usually reserve one  session for my little ones, but since we had a night that we were unable to shoot a client, I had to do theirs on our date. It was really beautiful every day - just extremely windy that one evening. The babies all had a blast and we did too. Little man loved the pool and liked the ocean and sand. We spent most of our time at the pool.

Where were we, you ask? We were in Seaside,Florida. It is just about the most perfect place. It is family oriented and beautiful. I grew up only an hour from there ( although there was no Seaside then), We always went to Panama City - which I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole now. Seaside is where they filmed the movie "The Truman Show". It is quaint and you can get there and never get in your car the rest of the time, if you so desire!

Our house (rental) had 4 bedrooms and a porch off of each one!
Yeah! I said it! Each bedroom had it's own porch!!!!!!

It had three swings ( and girls, I LOOOOVE me a porch swing) and the tower (mmmhhmm) had a hammock!!! Girls, it was splendid! I took a nap ( I know , it just gets better and better) on the hammock -in the tower- everyday!! It was so breezy way up there. AHHHH, the memories!

I just about swung myself plum ditzy - I mean dizzy! It was great!

Of course, with three little baby boys in the house - it was LOUD!!!! There was alot of - stop pulling on his clothes, you're pulling him down. And alot of If you push him ONE MORE TIME, you've had it mister. And, alot of No more hitting!! And, of course, you're going to the corner young man!

Of course with all of that came - He never acts like this, he must be teething. And, He's just off his schedule, poor little thing. And, He's just tired, that's all. And, he's just a baby, he doesn't know any better.

Naturally, next came - I'm going to pull my hair out if he screams like that ONE MORE TIME. And, I just can't take one more minute of this. And, OH.MY.WORD. how does he scream so high pitched? And, AAAAAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!

Then came- isn't he the sweetest little boy in the whole wide world? And, you are just being soooo good. And, give me a kiss, I wuv you!!!

Yeah, we had a good time!!! Here are a few pics from the trip!! Enjoy!

www.flickr.com

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