I'm a snob.

But the good kind.

Like I snub my nose at poorly made jewelry.
snob.

I am a perfectionist when it comes to my photography.
snob.

I only eat dark chocolate, preferably a good brand.
snob.

I pay a stupid amount of money for expensive hair cuts.
snob.

But ... and it's a big one -
I love a good bargain. I love to save money. I say I'm frugal, but I may have been referred to as "cheap" once or twice in my life.

So I love this sale.
I get to be the "Official Photographer" for the sale. (inside joke. And I really need a badge for that. Oh! I could stamp a necklace that says it!!)


The owners are fellow snobs. In the best way, of course.
Because they don't let "bad" items into the sale.
You know if you buy something that it's going to be cute, stain and hole free, no pills, less than 5 years old (no 80's puff paint sweatshirts), and usually a good brand.



They rent a building space on main street twice a year and hold the sale.
In the Spring, only Spring/Summer items are sold.
In the Fall, Fall/Winter.

And women come in droves. Boy do women like a good deal!
You should see the mountain of items they carry to the register.


Some are even known to bring their kids in their pajamas, just to get the deals.
Poor sleepless kids. At least they'll be well dressed for the rest of winter.


Toys, shoes, books, cribs, strollers, you name it.


And it's running for the next three days. So if you're in our town, strolling down Main Street, look for the window that has the adorable display and go shop!
Embrace your inner snob!


Disclaimer: I'm really not a snob. Unless someone's mean to me.
Or gives me cheap waxy milk chocolate. Then I am.

Do you remember...

...when you could swing and it made you laugh hysterically?


...when you loved soaking up the sun on your face and didn't even consider sun spots or wrinkles?


...when you could hang upside down on the monkey bars? (I should feed this boy occasionally, huh?)


...when a twisty tube slide was so fun, you could do it 30 times in a row and never tire of it?


You should do that today.
Swing.
Soak in the sun. (after applying sunscreen, of course)
Eat a sandwich.
Laugh out loud.
Drink in the great outdoors!

The Playground

I still wasn't sure if I wanted to blog about this, but several people have emailed and asked for more pictures.

Last weekend was so tough. I mentioned it here.
I was nervous and excited to meet Julie and Heather.
I knew my time with them would be limited. And it was.

The real reason they came was for the dedication of Cora's Playground.


If you're newer to my blog, Cora was the daughter of some friends, The Macs.
She passed away recently after a very brief 3 week battle with cancer.
She was barely 11 months old.

Immediately Joel and Jess made the decision to open a playground in her honor.
Julie began donating part of her etsy sales to help raise playground funds.
When the project became too big for her to handle, Heather stepped in and carried on with the organization.
Both ladies did an absolutely amazing job.



When I had the opportunity to write the article for Etsy, I panicked.
I literally had about 10 minutes to pull it together. They had a tight deadline.
I wasn't even sure if it was the right thing to do.
I'm not good with words. Could I write an article for a blog that gets a million and a half hits per month?
Would I be exploiting this horrible tragedy? I'd never want to take the focus and put it on myself. Ever.
I stopped and said a quick prayer and felt a complete peace.
God was telling me to just write it.

And so I did. In my hurry, I forgot to add Heather's contact information.
So as emails began pouring in, I kept sending people in her direction, hoping she could still handle the hundreds of sellers who were jumping on board.
And she did. She handled it all beautifully.


And so now it stands.
A place for children to play. And ask "why is this called Cora's Playground?"
A place where Cora will never get to play, but her siblings will.
A place where Joel and Jess will smile through tears, every time they see it.
Heartbreaking. Inspiring. And Hopeful.


At the dedication, 341 pink and green balloons were released.
Cora was on earth 341 days. But in heaven for eternity.
We don't understand, but we know that God is in control.


I can't imagine going through life not knowing Him.
And even in the darkest hour when you question if there really is a God, and why He would allow something like this, it's better to have Hope than be without.




Enjoy this Fall Monday. Hug your loved ones.
Rest in God's hope.

Apple Cream Cheese danishes.

Hello Fall.



You need -
8 oz. block of cream cheese (I use 1/3 less fat)
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 pack of refrigerated crescent rolls
apples

Slice your apples thinly. I don't even take the skins off.
Mix your cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla until smooth.
Open your crescent rolls and seperate into triangles.
I like to curl up the edges a bit to make a little cup or bowl shape.

Spoon in a helping of the cream cheese mixture. It'll be runny so the edges on your crescent roll will help. Top with several apple slices.
Fold over one corner of the crescent to meet the other.

There really is no rhyme or reason. Just put it together. Super easy.
It's gonna taste great, no matter how it looks.
Sprinkle the top of each danish with sugar (maybe even cinnamon!) and bake at 400 until the tops are golden brown.

TaDah!


So easy. Serve them to friends with a cup of coffee.
Or to your family on a Saturday or Sunday morning.
Delicious!

Happy Fall y'all!

Fingerprint Friday

There is a song by Steven Curtis Chapman that says:
I can see the fingerprints of god
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of god
And I know its true
You're a masterpiece
That all creation quietly applauds
And you're covered with the fingerprints of god
So look around you and see where YOU can see God's fingerprints. Is it in nature? Kids? Animals? Where do you see them? Here's how to join in.

1. Blog with your interpretation of God's fingerprints. Be sure to link back here so others can find the entire list of participants!
2. After you've posted your blog, sign the MckLinky below. Have fun exploring the other links as well! Please only sign in if you're participating. Hopefully this will make us look at things through fresh eyes throughout the week!
-------------------


This week The Boy has been really excited about Fall.
He wants to start raking yards in the neighborhood. And he plans on charging $.25 per yard.
Yesterday he said, "Mom I've been thinking. I think that I should donate some of that twenty five cents. Like maybe to Cora's Playground or to the homeless shelter or something. I'll donate part of it, and keep the rest for our own family."

How precious is that?! He is such a soft and kind little guy and always thinks of others first.

Falling.

It seems like the weather knew the exact minute the calendar said it was Fall.
Everything changed overnight and now we're smack in the midst of Fall.
And I love it.

I love the colors. The sounds.
The feel. The decor. (By the way, feel free to decorate now. Ha! Some of you will get that joke.)

I love Fall.
(did you know they make gummy candy corn?! I didn't. And I thought they were so cute, I bought some just to take a picture.)


The foods. The clothes.
The pumpkins. The activities.
The baking.

I'm falling for Fall.

11 days

I got to take portraits of this baby at only 11 days old.

Can I just say, Yum?!
(I don't resize them for my blog so sometimes they look pixelated here, but not in their real size.)




Baby Josiah.



I love this milk drunk look babies get.


We wore him out.


His mommy even served me lunch!
How nice is that?
Nice and talented. Look at this quilt she made.


My favorite shot of the day though, was the baby in the tree.
We really did put the baby up there!
Don't worry, he was safe. :)


I have lots more, but that's enough for the blog.

Thank you D family for letting me spend time with you guys!
Congratulations on your newest blessing.

If you're in Central Kansas or Southwest Missouri and would like portraits, please just email me.

The weekend...

Wow.
That's what it was. Just wow!

There was a huge craft show nearby. It's one that's always a hit.
My husband's family did craft shows the entire time he was growing up.
They did them for a living.
Traveled the country and did one craft show after another, while homeschooling their kids.
They were like christian hippie nomads.

So he now hates craft shows.
And I laugh that he got a wife that loves them and even participates in them sometimes.


But when this big one happens every September, I head out by myself with my camera and coffee and browse for hours.
Once in a while I go with a friend, but mostly it's perfect alone time.
Happy shopping crafter's heaven.

I loved these chenille teddy bears. So sweet!
I don't think she has a website yet, but I have her card and can give you her email address if you want. Just let me know.
They were precious and really affordably priced.


TwoDogPond had seriously cute jewelry. Charms galore.
And a blog. And an etsy shop. How fun!



I didn't get to take many pictures at this booth because they caught me and my camera and rushed to ask me to stop. haha!
Oops.
But the stuff is gorgeous. It's one booth I make sure to drool over every year.
It's called Closures.
All vintage beads and jewelry, refashioned into beautiful new pieces.


She also doesn't have a website yet, but I'll give you the email address if you'd like.

My favorite part of the day, though was meeting a few special new people.
I got to meet the tall and gorgeous Sarah of StellaJade, the tiny and gorgeous Heather of CookieMondays, and the perfectly sized and gorgeous Julie of JoysHope. I also got to meet Mindy and she's pretty much the most beautiful and fun person ever.

They could not be any more stunning and fun to hang out with.
And would you believe I didn't get a single picture of them?! For real.
I couldn't stop chewing on Julie's chunky baby.

She seriously wanted some craft fair food.

But her mommy would only let her eat cheerios. Isn't that sad?
Poor starving baby.

I didn't even realize that Jess was going to be there too, and it was good to see her.
And Megan was there, and her mom and sister, and Jess's sister and a whole crew of ladies!

On the way home from the craft fair I snagged some pictures of the beautiful scenery.
I have to say that this time of year Kansas is just really beautiful.




Yesterday was the dedication of Cora's playground.
Beautiful and heartbreaking.
I have lots of pictures, but I want Jess to get the chance to blog about it first and then I'll do it.

I bawled. Like broke into a full on ugly cry. Not the pretty cry with a tear or two trickling down. It was bad.
Luckily my sweet friend Amy was next to me with a tissue.

So it was a roller coaster of emotions. Up, down, back up, and back down again.
It left me exhausted, but incredibly grateful for all I have been blessed with.

Oh, one more thing. (This is the blog post that just won't end!)
I do have a terrible soft spot in my heart for children with cancer.
And right now there is a little boy named Carter who's fighting hard.
So I've listed this necklace to help raise money for him.
It can be stamped with SuperAnything.


Happy Monday ladies and gents!
Thank you all for your kind words, beautiful hearts, and loyalty.
You're the best readers in all of blogland.
And you look like you've lost some weight. Gorgeous people!
Have you been working out?

Midwest living.

One of the best things about living in the middle of the country is that there's not much to do here.
So we get excited about things like the State Fair!

And that's where we headed the other day.











My boys' shirts were made by my super talented, cute, and sweet friend Melissa. (Oh, I just went to grab her blog link and she's hosting a giveaway! Go check it out. I've known her for years and her quality is unbeatable.)



I thought I had a double chin, but this puts mine to shame.

This is a real bunny. There is a face in there somewhere.




What would a state fair be without a butter sculpture?






By the way, I haven't forgotten to get back with many of you.
Life is super busy at the moment.
I owe lots of you emails.
And return blog visits! Because I always try to do that.
Because I'm nice.
My kids will even tell you so. Most of the time.

Happy Weekend, gorgeous people!