August Break :: 5 Years Ago

Capturing my heart from the start, 

my sweet niece arrived on January 26, 2011. 

She has already gifted me with oodles and oodles 

(and oodles!) 

of warm memories and 

I will always treasure this shared, quiet moment 

after her baptism in particular. 

The whole time I held her, 

my precious blonde angel 

kept looking up at me, 

her beautiful blue eyes 

wide and rarely blinking. 

And with all of the love overflowing from my heart, 

I met and held her sweet baby gaze 

and kept looking right back at her 

for as long as she wanted. 

Ah, such a holy, cherished moment, this one. 

Is there such a thing as love at first sight? 

Yes. 

Oh, *heavens* yes. 

💕

#augustbreak2016

.            *            .

TBT :: Red Gingham Christmas

Remembering 

with great fondness 

how Moma used to make us 

matching Christmas 

dresses and shirts.

I don't remember helping to sew these 

but I might have. . 

I do remember 

standing at the fabric cutting tables 

in TG&Y 

as the salesman was helping Moma 

figure out how much fabric to buy 

for our long, dark green dresses. 

I was so impressed that 

he was offering her a deal 

because she was buying so much fabric.

She was very beautiful and talented.

I was so very proud to be her daughter

and I still am.

Miss her, too.

.         *         .

Throw Back Thursday

Me, 40 years ago, summer of 1974.

I was 12 

and had made 

my red, white, and blue 

halter dress, scarf, and 

matching shorts underneath

the split skirt.

Seems it was my 4-H dress review

sewing project that year.

It was also the only year

I was in band, 

learning to play the flute.

Smiling softly because I love that Moma

thought to capture both of these

important details about me

and where I was at that time in my life.

(In the next few years,

things would *so* change

both for me

and my family!)

I am standing to the left of 

the front of our family home and 

the house has since been moved.

When we go back for a visit, 

it's amazing to me, 

quite *stunning* at times,

to see how the farmland now looks like 

a home, 

and a family, 

were never there.

(But we were.)

.          *          .