Baby pool

You know the guessing games 

(okay, betting pools) 

families get into when a baby is expected - 

the date the baby will be born, 

what it will weigh, 

the gender 

(if the couple is going old school 

and not finding out ahead of time) 

etc?

Our family is playing a new game called...

 When will this sweet pea get a name?

~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile,

summer goes on.

including plans for squeezing in 

one more road trip 

before Labor day

back to a favorite place!

Work with my personal trainer continues

(a sentence I NEVER thought I'd say!)

and will increase in the fall - 

might as well enjoy 

going only once a week

for as long as I can!

That which doesn't kill us makes us stronger, right?

completion

Oh, come on...

You knew I'd go there!

 Not that I live in New York and have any stake, at all,
 in the mayoral race -

but all the public debate
about whether this guys wife
should stay married to him
 or not 

is getting on my last nerve!

Whether he's morally
or intellectually
fit to lead one of the major cities
in this country
is certainly a valid point
open for debate.

It's also, ultimately,
 a decision citizens of New York
get to make;
not anybody else.

But
whether Huma decides
to stay married to Tony
is not anybody's business
but theirs.

Do any of us live our lives,
or conduct our relationships
by Gallop poll?

Is it a relationship I'd want?
Hell, no!

Is their marriage an example
I'd want my children
to emulate?
Also a big fat NO!

Then again,
 I hope I've taught my kids
well enough
that they already know
public figures -
politicians,
celebrities,
entertainers
etc -
aren't role models!

One of the wonderful consequences
of true 'liberation'
is being free enough
to make your own mistakes -
and live with the consequences.

No matter the deal she's made with the devil,
for whatever reason,
it's her deal!

Just be thankful
it's not yours!

A thought for the weekend!

"If we are facing in the right direction, 

all we have to do is keep on walking."

Buddhist proverb.

'nuff said

Yup... some weeks are just like that! 

 thanks Story People for summing it up so nicely!

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!