We Have a Winner!

"But Mom, you should see the other kid!"

Congratulations to Nona! The winner of the contest!

Honorable mention goes to Pam with "The Eyes Have It!" Thanks for entering, Pam! I wish I had 2 so I could give away another! But, alas, I only found one!

This was harder than naming my kids!

I am serious! It really was! Every comment was great, and every time I saw another one, I would start laughing, and Sweet Geek would sit there and say, "What?" until I composed myself enough to answer him!

Boy was that FUN! I bet he was wondering if I was laughing at him -which (after the third time or so) I was! But that will just be our little secret!

Nona, contact me at imbeautifuldawn@yahoo.com to claim your prize and pass along your shipping info to receive your prize!

Wow! That was so much fun I want to do it again!

But not today.

I have to keep you coming back!

And I know all you sensitive men out there are crying because you felt SO left out. Don't try to deny! I can hear you with my bionic woman ears!

No, NOT really!

So let me just say, I have not forgotten you, and I am already planning the next great contest that has a gift with men in mind! You ladies might thank me too!

Thanks so much to all of you for visiting my site and entering the contest! Be watching for the next one!

I will leave you with these -the rest of the photos taken with Monkey See's little "makeover."

Enjoy!

If you aren't laughing, you will cry! This was so much fun!
Thank you all!

Name That Picture Contest!

Folks, today we have hit a milestone!

Today is my VERY FIRST contest!
(Jumping up and down, clapping hands! Squealing like a schoolgirl!)

CRASH!!!

Hold on a minute! I just dropped my laptop.

Just kidding. Don't freak out, Sweet Geek!


One day, when Mia was a baby, I came into the bathroom after I had bathed and jammied (not a word) Eliana.

And THIS is what I found:
She had been watching me apply makeup and decided to try her hand at eyeliner!

So, your challenge if you choose to accept it is:

Name that photo!

The contest period is until Friday at 2pm Eastern time. The entries will be reviewed and a winner will be announced on Sunday. Facebook friends will need to click on THIS link and leave your comment on the website. Facebook comments will not be counted. Feel free to pass along the page to friends for their chance to win!


Here is what you win:
This is a vintage handbag. Research reveals it was made between 1963-1965. It is in perfect condition and appears to have never been used. Estimated value is somewhere between $30-$150.

I found it at a steal, but I won't tell you how much I spent.

It will make all those people out there paying $150 cry.

I LOVE the crock-embossed detail. It is a beautiful handbag, but not practical for me. If you like anything vintage, you will love this.

For all you guys out there, this could make a great gift for a cherished woman in your life(I promise I will never tell) -or you could sell it on E-bay.
So don't hesitate to give me your best shot!

I can't wait to see all your contributions!
And my hope is that it will give me a little glimpse into each of you!

Here is one more look at the photo:
Name that photo!

This message will self destruct in 5...4...3...2...

Places, Part I

What a place I am in right now! I am not talking about a mansion, messy home or office building. I am talking about the emotional places that we frequent, or occasionally visit.

Have you ever heard someone say, "I am in a weird place right now", or "I am just not in that place yet."? I don't think that they mean they stumbled into something out of a Dr Seuss book, or landed in Willy Wonka's Chocolate factory. It also does not mean that they wish to be in Tahiti, but haven't quite made it yet.

Those phrases do not refer to the cruise you are on or the dream vacation. It is something far more important. They are places in our lives -emotional places.

There are times of emotional bliss: A new love, a marriage, a baby. The job you have wanted your whole life and the big deal you closed. You are confident, happy, full of light! You are in a great place!

But there are places of darkness: The loveless marriage you fight for, the child who has strayed into danger, the loved one who is terminally ill.

There is the monotony of daily battles that tear you down and sap you of your joy. It is a fight to keep your head above water -some days you settle for your nose above water. And the fear is always there that you will sink under.

What place are you? Do you feel overwhelmed? What do you fight for?

This week, on blog that I follow, PW sponsored a fundraiser for a family battling cancer. Though the contest is over (sorry guys), she asked a question for the entrees to answer:

What do you fight?

That is worth saying again. What do you fight?

Until yesterday, I did not take the time to read any of the answers. There are more than 10,000, but I read a few, and some of the answers are quite humorous! Pet dander, potty training your 2-year-old, fighting with the dog for a place on the bed.

But some of them broke my heart.

Like the woman under pressure from her husband's manipulative family to leave the career she loves and take an unpaid job in the family business; the woman who is reminded every day with stinging comments that her husband is not her soul mate; the mother and wife who is caring for her husband and daughter as they simultaneously fight cancer; the woman living in a loveless marriage for the sake of her children; the young woman dealing with years of physical, emotional and sexual abuse. And I could go on, and on.

I cried as I sat there.

It made me count my blessings.

Blessings:

Monkeys

Sweet Geek

Mom and Daddy

My sisters, My best friends:
(there is another sister, but alas, I have no good pictures of her)

Baby toes


And so many more things than I could fit pictures in my blog.

These are the light to me, and my heart aches for those others dwelling in a dark place.
They are in the trenches. That is the place that they live their lives. Can you imagine being there indefinitely? What about the fear of a much darker place? Like the loss of a loved one, or divorce. Can you imagine every day feeling as if you can hardly breath -the pain is so overwhelming.

And yet, we go on. We move forward. Resilient. Choosing a great attitude over a sorrowful one, but always feeling the pain in our hearts. Choosing to count our blessings; enjoy the simple things in life (like shoes!); and thank God for every moment, every hour, every day with the ones that we love. And fighting to not let the little struggles get in the way of enjoying the ones we love.

I want to hear about your struggles. If you do not want to share your name, leave the comment under anonymous. If you are on Facebook, and you don't want to use your name, click THIS link, and it will take you to the blog. I want to hear about what you struggle with.

The radiant light that you see or the dark place that you must dwell right now. The peace that you have. The fears you live with, the hopes that propel you. The cruise you are on to Tahiti...

Where do YOU live?

Oh, and if you find MY comment on PW's site, I am sure it is shallow and silly. Please disregard completely.

It Boggles the Brain!

It is interesting how, over the years, the relationship between my girls has changed. Monkey See and Monkey Do were

"...like peas and carrots!"

Like green eggs and ham!

HAM!!
Adored each other!
Always together...

Partners in crime.





And as they grew, a cute little invader entered the picture!



Monkey shine.



Do you see Monkey See's face?

She is in pure BLISS!


Have you ever noticed that girls always seem to couple up? Why in the WORLD do they have so much trouble playing together? Why is it that the relationship changed so much when there was a third Monkey added to the family?

I also realize that in MY family, growing up, every other daughter paired off. T and J were very close and K and I were very close. Then, as T and I left home, J and K bonded quickly.

I never understood it.

Still don't.

But to be fair there are tons of other things I also do not understand, like:

Why do you drive on a parkway and park on a driveway?

Why is something transported by ship cargo, and something transported by truck a shipment?

Why do men become addicted to video games. (You know who you are!)

How in the world does a beautifully dressed child look like a mud pie in 13 second flat?

Why do men fall asleep best when there is a movie on? (Again, you KNOW who you are!)

The questions about men could go on and on. And on. And on. And on. And on, on, on.



But there are other questions we should be asking ourselves:

Why do we do what we KNOW is not best again and again?

Why are we so willing for the "just-ok" right NOW, instead of being willing to wait for the "weak-kneed-heart-racing-smooching-and-holding-hands-when-you-are-eighty" kind of substance love?

Why do we let all things go too long before fixing them? -Cars, homes, plumbing, marriages.

Why are we willing to settle for "almost good" instead of working toward what is truly great?

Why do we shortchange ourselves?

Why do I do it to myself?

And another million questions about why men are so weird.

Ouch! My brain is threatening strike! It just picked up a sign and is heading to the picket line with all the brains of those kids who try to do stunts on dirtbikes and the guys from those movies with the stupid stunts. I won't say the name.

No! Wait! Stop! I NEED my brain! Those other guys may not use their, but I NEED mine! Ok, I know you are accident prone, and I make fun of you a lot, but don't take it SO personally. It is a joke! Laugh once in awhile!

Uhm, I don't think Brain has much of a sense of humor. Maybe it has an unhealthy self-image.

REALLY, brain! EVERY other brain in the world has high fat content and wrinkles! NO! I will NOT bet you Botox! Just forget it.

While Brain and I are renegotiating our contract, I am just going to focus on getting my girls to get along.


That should keep brain busy for awhile!