Mini Valentine Sessions by Sheila Godfrey Photography

This week, in honor of our Sweethearts,

I will be featuring some really darling

photos and vignettes.

I am amazed by all the creative artists 

 we have in our small community.

Today I would like to feature the

photography of one of my dearest friends,

Sheila Godfrey.

Our faith is the common bond that 

ties us together. 

She also shares my love for vintage.

We worked together in the small 

shop that I managed last year-

that is when she wasn't busy with

Photography sessions,

Christmas tree sales, 

Youth Camps,

Weekend Youth Retreats, 

Mission Trips,

Football games, Baseball games, Basketball games,

and all the many activities that go along with being a

wife, mother, and grandmother. 

This is Sheila with her husband and the newest addition to her sweet family.

I don't know of anyone who stays as busy as Sheila. 

She is busy during all the seasons

capturing precious moments

and memories of a lifetime.

Mini Valentine Sessions featured some of the darlings 

that she photographs for each special event.

Little girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice.

(And a little mischief too)

Already a heart-throb with flowers and candy for 

someone special.

Pucker up!

This little sweetheart is a doll.

I love the way Sheila is able to capture each child's personality.

Love the banner.

I can never resist a little red wagon.

Sheila also does cards for every occasion.

I'm crazy about that chalkboard!

Okay, I'm a Georgia Girl.

Couldn't resist showing off these two sweethearts.

 I'm quite fond of them both.

What endears me to Sheila so much is the compassion 

she has for others. 

She has a sensitive spirit and a special heart 

for mothers of young children and teenagers.

She has a weekly Bible Study for young mothers

and teaches youth and chaperons every event.

Her business is more than a business.

It is her ministry.

Is this not just the cutest little cowboy

you have ever seen?

These are just a few of Sheila's work.

I do love her style.

Thanks for sharing, Sheila.

Love you, my friend.

Lessons Learned from Baseball

We're a baseball family.

Been standing or sitting behind a diamond for 27 years now.

I drove pass my son's high school batting cages

this week and saw some kids practicing.

I cried.

Oh, the memories!

#5

That's my boy!

Some lessons we learned from baseball.

1.  Always be ready for your "at bat."

There was t-ball, minor league, major league, all-stars.

There was middle school ball,

c-team, b-team, and finally varsity.

There was summer league and fall league

and the traveling team.

Some of those games, he spent on the bench, 

watching, waiting, hoping, praying

for a chance at bat.

Sometimes it meant being the team's cheerleader.

Encouraging someone else's dream.

Sometimes in life, it seems that we spend more time on the bench

than we do at bat.

Sometimes it feels unfair that someone else gets put in the game

when we've been on the team longer

Chad's daddy always said, 

"Practice, Practice, Practice.  Work hard. Be ready."

"...Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks

you to give a reason for the hope that you have."  1 Peter 3:15

2.  Keep Your Eye on the Ball

Forget the crowd, the boos and the applause or anything
that will distract.

Chad's dad would say,
"Never take your eye off the ball,
watch it all the way in."

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,
let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that
so easily entangles, and let up run with perseverance the race
marked out for us.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the
author and perfecter of our faith....Consider Him who endured such
opposition from sinful men, so that we will not grow weary and lose heart."
Hebrews 12:1-3

Being a mother, there were times when I wanted to shush everyone
so that my son would not be distracted.
I asked him one time,
"Did you hear everyone yelling your name?"
He said,
"I don't ever hear a thing.  I am too focused to be distracted."

I need to learn that lesson in life.

3.  Swing

...even if it means you may strike out once in a while.

In life, when we take three steps forward and two steps backward,
at least we're not standing still.

So swing!

4.  Run with All Your Might

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one
gets the prize.  Run in such a way as to the prize."
1 Corinthians 9:24

5.  Never Quit!  Never Give Up!

My boy?

The coach said, "He's not college material."
"He'll never play college ball."

He went on to play four years for Trevecca Nazarene University
and a summer with the FCA Grays.

"So, do not throw away your confidence, it will be richly rewarded.
You need to persevere so that when you have done the
will of God, you will receive what He has promised."

Give up?
NEVER!

A Trojan uniform!
The hair?
The Championship series.
We don't cut!

Staying in the Game,

Bonnie:)

What's Your Signature Scent?

Everyone should have a signature scent.

As I've shared with you before, 

my mama was always a White Shoulders lady.

As a teenager, my scents were

Windsong 

Heavenscent

Tabu.

I think I even wore the old, dime store scent

Evening in Paris.

My children loved to snuggle with their Nanny

and smell her sweet scent.

For the past few years, 

I've worn Love Spell 

by 

Victoria's Secret.

I do believe it's gonna be my signature scent.

I ran out a few months ago.

I finally made it to the mall last

and got myself a bottle of body spray.

It's scent matches its name

and makes me feel like I'm in love.

Hubby like it too:)

Of course, in my out and about

I peeked in Goodwill for a few 

and found this darling Shabby Chic box.

Isn't she delightful?

She was already my favorite Powder Puff pink.

And already perfectly distressed.

Don't you just love it when you stumble upon 

the perfect find?

I bought myself a piece of my favorite milk glass hobnail.

Ebay called it a "toothpick holder."

I think I'll use mine for cotton swabs.

Nothing like a spray of your favorite scent 

to put you in the mood for love.

It is getting close to Sweethearts Day.

What is your signature scent?

Love Spell (not Calgon), Take me awwwway!

Sweetness in Abundance, 

Bonnie:)

An Incredible Woman and "A Few Good Men"

From time to time,

I will be paying tribute to 

people who have inspired me-

those individuals who have reached beyond themselves

 to find a strength 

that supersedes human ability-

those who have chosen to live life to the fullest-

to overcome incredible odds 

those who do not even consider themselves incredible.

My friend Debra is my inspiration.

Debra is first and foremost a mother.

These are her good looking boys  men.
Her oldest boys, Justin and Dustin,
the handsome young man on the left and the handsome young man on the right,
are twins.

The good looking guy in the middle is
Debra's baby, Rusty.
Rusty is a sergeant in the United States Army.

As with any soldier, he left home a boy,
and returned a man.

The twins are my son's age.
Dustin and Chad played T ball together and grew up
fighting Ninja turtles and wrestling Hulk Hogan.

This is Dustin.

Meet Dustin's twin brother, Justin.

As a baby, Justin was an active little boy,
toddling and getting into everything.

The DPT vaccine changed the course of this family's life forever.

The DPT vaccine is given to protect
children against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis or whooping cough.

Before the vaccination, a parent is given a quick list of "possible" reactions
and assured that the child may experience a "mild" fever
one to three days after receiving the vaccine.
It is implied that severe reactions are "possible" but not "probable."

However for Justin,
the cards were stacked against him.
Justin peaked a high fever followed by seizures.
What should have been a routine visit to the health department
became a life-altering event in this family's history.

According to the testimony of Health, Edward Grant, Jr.,
before a US Senate Committee on May 3rd, 1985,
every year 35,000 children suffer neurological damage
related to the DPT vaccine.
1 in 100 react with convulsions, collapse, or high-pitched screaming.
1 out of 300 will remain with permanent brain damage.

You will never hear Debra complain.
She often says, "You would do the same thing."
She will not accept accolades or praise
because to her, she is just a mother who loves her children
and will fight to the bitter end to see that they, all three,
get what they need.

Debra has become an advocate for mothers
with special-needs children.
She is a self-educated learner who
knows what is available for those
who have no idea where to go for help.

Debra has spent her entire life
taking care of her family.
Debra is madly in love with the men in her life.

A few months ago
Debra and the boys found room
in their hearts for another man.

The story book romance
became this crazy little thing called love.
And as they say,
The rest is history.

Yes, I do believe she thinks he can walk on water.

Debra loves a "Few Good Men"
and only one of them happens to be a soldier.

However, Debra is the real fighter in the family.

I love you, girlie.
I'm proud to be called your friend.

Debra's wedding is a fairy tale
with a real horse and carriage
in true Southern style
in historical Savannah, Georgia.

Stay tuned,

Bonnie:)