When Is A Baby No Longer A Baby?

As most of you have noticed I haven't been around too much lately. If I haven't visited your blog lately, please don't feel neglected or snubbed. At best I may post and visit other blogs once a week, if that!

Anyway, I just felt the need to express my sudden realization that our daughter has entered the true phase of toddlerhood and has exited the "baby" phase. She didn't even ask if I was ready either!

Yesterday, she turned 16 months old.

Where did the past 4 months go? It seems like her birthday party was just a few weeks ago.

I have witnessed her emerging independence as she doesn't want to hold my hand, wants "down" within seconds after I pick her up, and actually said today not just "no" but "No, Daddy" (which I secretly think is quite funny since she said it to him and not me- I am usually the bad guy:)

Ahhh, where did my little baby go?

I hope you all have a great weekend. Amelia's Nana and Papa are coming to visit for the weekend, and we can't wait to see them!

Four Generations-Honoring Grandma

One year ago today, I was a brand new Mommy- a Mommy celebrating Mother's Day with a baby that was just 9 days old. As I reflect over the past year, I cannot believe all of the memorable milestones that have passed - first coos, first smiles, rolling over, eating cereal from a spoon, sitting up,
crawling, first words, first teeth...no walking yet, though:) God has blessed me and my family with a wonderful year. We have had so many special moments together as we watched our daughter's precious personality emerge.
This Mother's Day I have felt feelings that I have never before felt...I feel a strong appreciation for the patience and gentle care my mom has given me my entire life. Living self-lessly every day for Amelia has taught me more about love than I have ever comprehended before. And I look at my mom now and realize that she has loved me in this fashion for 28 years. From the depth of my soul, I thank you for loving me, Mom.
This year has also been memorable in that my mom's mother, Grandma, went home to be with the Lord almost 2 months ago. She was sick for a long time and not quite herself for several years, but I still vividly remember and feel her impression on my life.
Last October, we got to spend some time with Grandma, and Grandma and Amelia (5 months old) met each other for the first time. I remember Grandma holding Amelia for a few short moments and she was stroking her little feet with her aged soft hands...Since we rarely saw Grandma and only occasionally see my mom, we decided that we needed to document this gathering of 4 generations. My aunt took one of us sitting. Then I took this photo of our hands. I am so thankful that we did this, as now there are only three sets of hands still living.
I would like to share a few things about the women behind these hands:

Grandma

loved pink- all shades, especially BRIGHT pink ; a GREAT cook - her biscuits and gravy and pecan pies are mouth-watering delicious!; a fruitful gardener who wore a flappy garden hat; a believer in Chrsit; she called flowers "FLARES"; goofy - she always made the funniest faces when she was confused or frustrated; Very resourceful and creative- she sewed clothes for her children, made toys for her grandchildren; hard of hearing - spent a lot of time saying "What?!" or "Mandy, I can't understand what you are saying"; helped Grandpa with the farm when she was a young mother; played dolls with my mom when mom was a young girl'; was only allowed to spend a little money every month (Grandpa had her on a STRINGENT budget!; she always secretly called me to her room and gave me a little spending money before I went back home; used to rub my feet and my legs when I was a young girl; used to take me to the park and city pool in the heat of the summer

Mom

soft spoken; meek; a believer in Christ; very intellectual-especially with numbers and math; has an incredible eye for color; an OUTSTANDING seamstress- she began making her own clothing in the 5th grade; made my prom dresses and wedding gown; loves to be at home; loves order and cleanliness; loves aqua, pink, spring green, and light yellow; met my dad the first day of college;makes lists for everything; has the memory of an elephant; used to keep a daily diary up until a few years ago; plays the piano and the organ; dependable - always on time - remembers and keeps her word; loves the show "Dancing with the Stars"; doesn't like to read; very level-headed and logical when giving advice; spent hours on the phone with me (when Amelia was an infant )listening to me fret or boast; the most LOYAL friend a person could have; innocent; loves meatloaf, home made fried chicken, vanilla ice-cream, plain yogurt; not a huge fan of dessert; was a Momma's girl

Me

I am a lover of music, especially singing and harmony; have a romantic, feminine style; a believer in Christ; laugh ALL of the time; very talkative; former French and English high school teacher; cat person; pretty paper collector; used to be a good athlete (basketball); enjoy fellowship with older women in my family; love blogging and photography; have an obsession for travel; love my church family
Amelia

speaks her own language of which I only understand a handful of words!; has beautiful BLUE eyes (my husband and I are brown-eyed); mellow baby; loves chicken, strawberries, and cinnamon/raisin bagels; not a huge fan of cow's milk or a sippy cup:); sucks her thumb when she's hungry or tired; loves to say "Wow" and "kitty kitty"; a sweetheart; loves to ride on Daddy's shoulders; has a rolling laugh; loves to flip through baby books and point at images;has hair the color of golden wheat fields;

a Daddy's girl

Kreativ Blogger Award & Nominations

A big MERCI to Dianna and Stephanie at Bonjour Madame for nominating me for the Kreativ Blogger Award. Almost two weeks ago, these two lovely ladies "awarded" me and several other creative bloggers this award. In order to fully receive this award, I must share SEVEN interesting things about myself and pass this award on to SEVEN other creative bloggers!

Things you may not know about me:

1. When I was a young girl, I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and to this day, that relationship with Him has been the foundation of my life. I believe that trusting in Jesus is the only way to heaven. The Bible says in Romans 5:8 "But God commendeth (demonstrates) his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
Acts 16:31 "...Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved."
(Yes, this is mentioned in my profile, but I am glad to have the occasion to better explain.)
2. I LOVE singing, harmony, and music. I grew up singing in church and I teach the youth choir at our church. Music touches a part of the soul that nothing else can touch.
3. I was also a highschool ENGLISH teacher. I really hate to admit this because I don't want to be judged for my mistakes and lack of eloquent writing skills!
4. I am a CHIP-a-holic! I love Doritos, Cheetos, anything that ends in -ito! I know-very unhealthy. Chips and salsa was the one thing I craved on a daily basis while studying abroad in France!
5. We have lived for over 3 years without television! We use the Internet and local newspapers for news and watch lots of movies. When I tell people that I don't have "TV" they look at me like I said that I like to lick jellyfish! They think we are insane. Believe it or not, it really is wonderful!
6. I LOVE colors and giving them names. When I was a toddler, my mother, a seamstress, taught me all of my colors with an album full of fabric swatches. Only instead of blue, red, and brown, she taught me turquoise, burgundy, and tan! She said that older people used to love to "test" me by pointing at odd shades of colors to see how precise I would be.
7. One dream job for me would be to create my own line of interior paint or to be one of the people who names paint colors for major paint companies. Yeah, I am a DORK!

Well, I hope you enjoyed learning about me.

Now on to some KREATIV BLOGGERS:
In no particular order, I have selected these seven bloggers to receive the Kreativ Blogger Award on my behalf. Some may have received this award before, I don't know... Please take the time to visit each of these stunning blogs. I visit each of these on a regular basis, and I always feel rejuvenated upon my visit!

A Gift Wrapped Life

1. Sande, at A Gift Wrapped Life is a truly gifted blogger (no pun intened). Her blog is a daily must see for me. At her online shop, Oooh la la Cadeau , her products include a variety of specialty items- Mother's Day gifts (chamomile bath salts, perfumed candles) and birthday gifts (decorative file folders and notebooks). Each gift is individually wrapped in rich beautiful papers and topped with sumptuous satin bows. My favorite thing about her style in her ability to create unique, striking color combinations.

Paris Atelier

2. When I visit the Paris Atelier, I always learn something, whether it's about fashion, Versailles, or a famous cafe in Paris. Judith used to live in Paris for many years and is now back in the states and she graciously shares all of her insider knowledge of Paris with us! I am so glad to have met her via blogland. If only we lived closer...

Bushel and a Peck

3. I found this talented blogger via French Fridays. Jeanne at Bushel and a Peck specializes in handmade journals, purses, clothing, and aprons and sells them in her Etsy shop. Absolutely beautiful!

Gris-bleu

4. Okay, I am going to share a blog with you that I have had on my sidebar for a while. Honestly, I'd like to keep this blog to myself because I just love her blog colors - gray, aqua, and pink and I have been so tempted to use these colors on my blog!! Gris-bleu has such a beautiful blog with outstanding photographs, which she takes of her country- France! I don't know much about this blogger. The blog is in French and I have read a little of it, but she hasn't posted anything new in a while. This blogger's style is consistant- her photos and blog's appearance always seem to coordinate - muted pinks, blues, grays, golds. C'est si romantique!

Parisienne Farmgirl

5. My separated twin as we call ourselves is an incredible woman- she is a wonderful Mommy, cooks better than Paula Dean:), sews, gardens, loves Paris and France, creates wonderful things for her home, has an insightful and unique blog full of interesting contests, "design on a centime" tips (I wish I had thought of that!), political discussions, mouth-watering recipes,... I feel like I'm leaving something out because Parisienne Farmgirl can do it all!

A Bookish Life

6. I found this blog via a great friend of mine. Its called A Bookish Life. This blogger is an avid Mommy, seamstress, and gardener. Most of her homemade treasures are clothing for her daughter and gifts for friends. Much of homemade items are on the warmer side of the color spectrum- marigolds, corals, yellows, oranges.

Painted White

7. One of my new favorite blogs is Painted White by Alice D. This blog is laden with inspiring ideas and showcases the beauty of WHITE!


I had to throw in a couple of other wonderful violet images I found recently! I hope you enjoy checking out these truly inspiring blogs- These women are truly talented! See you on Friday for French Fridays- Lesson Number 2!

Marie Claire Maison

Marie Claire Maison