Look behind you...

You passed it!

While royalty may have been able 

to make up their minds 

about their baby's name,

my relatives from Iowa 

haven't been

able to make that leap!

Little Miss No-Name here - 

I'm referring to her
as BeeGee

(for Baby Girl,

not the singing group!)

As a friend observed yesterday,

little do they know

but

this is not the hardest decision 

they'll face as parents!

It's even easier 

when you accept 

that no matter what name you come up with, 

your kid will hate it 

and spend several angst filled years

desperately wishing
she was named something else -

some name that more accurately reflected 

her 'true self'.

Try as you might,

as parents you don't get to decide

who your child truly is!

Trust me when I say,

with love,

it only gets harder from here - 

pick a name already!!

A Simple Girl

Good Lord, I'm easily amused!

Give me time, 

my camera 

and 

$2.00 worth of candy

from my childhood 

- and I can play happily 

for hours!

 For all you youngsters out there

who have been brainwashed 

into only accepting

the sanitized,

hygienically pure,

freshness dated

food of today -

sweat and dirt 

only enhanced the flavor!

July Photo challenge

is going well - 

thought I'd share some of my favorites so far - 

along with the prompts for the day.

Energy

surely I'm not the only one who can hear - 

Oh, NO, Mr Bill!? 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Translucent

yes, I still wash dishes by hand;

don't judge!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ground level -

for a brief second, 

I couldn't decide if I was going to go with 

looking UP from the floor

or straight ahead.

Of course, I went with Oreo!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

glitter

one jar of the same

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

word

the reclaimed door panel hanging over my computer -

a reminder of how differently we get 'mail' these days.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

More than 20

my legacy from a beloved great grandmother -

an original Miracle Whip jar filled with Cracker Jack charms

from the 40's and 50's.

I remember playing with them at her house,

on her chenille bedspread,

for hours!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Macro
here's the one I used

and here's on from this weekend

 I would have used - 

if I thought of it at the time!

Ever wonder HOW

the center of a sunflower 

gets to be the way it is?

Mystery revealed!

You're welcome.

~~~~~~~~~~

Glad I had some motivator 

forcing me to pick up my camera 

everyday this month!

Pondering

Is it really?

And then you know...

The possibilities seem endless.

All beautiful in their own right

Each with their own 'WOW' factor.

And then there's one -

that makes you feel like

every princess  
in every fairy tale 
ever told;

one that fulfills 

all the fantasies

you had as a little girl;

one that your posse

unanimously 
agrees is "perfectly you"!

Ding, ding, ding,

We have a winner!

“What we find changes who we become.”

Or it will on 11/16!

Tradition

I get it.

I know tradition means a lot 

to the House of Windsor 

and Spencer 

and Tudor... 

all those long dead royals.

 I liked the King who stuttered, 

his stammer only slightly worse 

than moments of my own.

It helped that he was portrayed by
my favorite actor, Colin Firth,

but even if he looked like a troll,

 how could you not like such an earnest,

good man who so desperately wanted to serve his country, 

and his people well.

See, I do get it...

but George?

Really?

My instant association is

the obnoxious character on Seinfeld...

whiny, screaming, neurotic,

unattractive

George Costanza.

Happy Festivus, little one!

That baby deserved better.

The Princess has arrived!!

NO, I don't live under a rock.

I'm aware there was some baby born overseas 

whose birth might have eclipsed the event in Iowa City...

BTW

what a Prince among men William

is turning out to be.

Honestly is there anything cuter
than an involved,
hands on,
devoted Dad.

Oh, I don't care if its only been 24 hours - 

devotion has to start somewhere.

I'm delighted he's not as stand-offish 

and formal

as his father;

if the Queen was as smart as I suspect she is,

she'll skip over her son and go directly with these two, 

straight away!

But, back to Iowa...

THIS little darling 

was safely delivered 

from her mom too.

Don't you love her curly hair?

Just like her great Aunt!

The one thing both babies have in common

is they haven't been named yet - 

what's up with that?

Why aren't young people more prepared?

I swear, back in the day,

we had more potential names at the ready

than we were ever going to have children...

come on already,

pick two!!

(Or in the case of the Prince 4-6 - 

that's the way to use up all those names!)

Blessings to all - 

can't wait to see the Princess in person!

and a special shout out to another great niece, Payton,
who's doing her best
to make sure the world is better for both babies!

(while her brother, Bas, recovers from surgery
and can't stand up to anything -
let alone racism!)
LOVE our little activists!

Say Yes to the Dress...

Our version...

no southern accent needed

and no dysfunctional 

family drama allowed!

 I've been given very sage advice 

from those who have gone before me that, 

as mother of the groom, 

my only jobs are to wear beige

and shut up.

  But when the future daughter-in-law 

asks you to go wedding dress shopping

 with her and her posse - 

YES is the only possible answer!

And I'm glad I did.

NO final decisions; 

its a process...

but getting closer -

and getting real!

Besides,

how many chances

in your lifetime

 do you get to say 

"ruching"?

Reason # 106 WICWTR

Don't know how many more times I can stand by as silent witness 

to the unbearable pain of watching a young family 

realize their baby is dead - 

as a result of co-sleeping.

With the very best intent of cuddling a beloved baby, 

getting skin to skin contact 

and

bonding with an infant,

the reality is 

every time 

you bring your baby into bed with you,

you're playing Russian Roulette.

CAN your child survive if they sleep in your bed?

Yes. 

Mine did.

Is there a guarantee they will?

No.

Trust me,
NO ONE ever thinks
it will happen to their family.
EVERYONE thinks
they're light enough sleepers to 'know'
if their baby is in distress.

How lucky do you feel?

I saw another family last night
who will never feel 'lucky'
again.

At least for me....

Leave it to author Anne Lamott to have not only spiritual, 

but healthy eating guidance!

Superstitious

There are certain things you just don't do in the ER...

You NEVER use the 'Q' word (quiet) because, as soon as you do, all hell breaks loose.

You NEVER mention a chronic patient by name because, as soon as you do, they show up on your doorstep and are in the ED for hours!!

Decades of having these, and more, prohibitions drummed into me have made me hesitant to say how much better I'm doing.

Yesterday, I was practically limp free - without any pain meds (OTC or otherwise) - and almost able to envision myself walking on the Camino.

Workouts with my personal trainer are going well - still expect to be sore after each session but know it's just sleeping muscles being told to fire up!

On track with my healthier eating and weight goals (down 10 lbs) and, after an encouraging note from one friend (a woman whose courage and fearlessness have always been an inspiration; see here) and an invitation from a different friend to come speak at her church in the fall about this journey of mine, I've had many more moments when excitement has trumped fear about my overall plans!

Yup, I might actually be on a roll!

Plus, in this transitional time, 

I've learned important lessons about how the power 

of physical pain 

can change your whole outlook,

discourage dreams

and allow fear to get rooted.

I suspect I might need to remember those insights

on the Way.

It won't all be soft misty mornings,

verdant pastures full of sheep

and ancient villages.

Memo to self: