HONORING OUR VETS

“Hon-or: n. 1. High respect; esteem; a person or thing that brings credit.”

My dad was a veteran to our country and a hero to me.

He served our great country during World War II
and these photos were taken on his first trip home in 1944 from fighting.

Dad was the youngest of 11 children and is shown here
surrounded by nieces, nephews and siblings.

We all loved Elmer dearly - he was a genuine man
with a huge and tender heart and I miss him everyday.

His parents, Miss Minnie and Daniel O are shown here with dad as a youngun. Elmer was as ornery as he was cute... and I believe it was shortly after this photo was taken that he fell in a water well and broke his arm.

To honor all our veterans, this poem seemed perfect to post.... thank you for your sacrifice!

They Did Their Share

On Veteran’s Day we honor
Soldiers who protect our nation.
For their service as our warriors,
They deserve our admiration.


Some of them were drafted;
Some were volunteers;
For some it was just yesterday;
For some it’s been many years;


In the jungle or the desert,
On land or on the sea,
They did whatever was assigned
To produce a victory.


Some came back; some didn’t.
They defended us everywhere.
Some saw combat; some rode a desk;
All of them did their share.


No matter what the duty,
For low pay and little glory,
These soldiers gave up normal lives,
For duties mundane and gory.


Let every veteran be honored;
Don’t let politics get in the way.
Without them, freedom would have died;
What they did, we can’t repay.


We owe so much to them,
Who kept us safe from terror,
So when we see a uniform,
Let’s say "thank you" to every wearer.


By Joanna Fuchs

Sully came visiting last Saturday....

and stole my heart when he left to go home.

He was dressed up as a Sock Monkey and couldn't have been more precious!

Let me just share a few of my favorite pics with you here - he is such a happy boy and I love him to pieces :)

Mercy, I love that boy ♥

He Looks up to His Daddy....

He tried some rice... didnt like it -

then Mom gave him some sweet potatoes ... at first, he wasn't sure -

but quickly decided they weren't too bad!

Sullivan has 4 teeth now: 2 upper and 2 lower ♥

My o my... that boy loves his mama!

Happy November!

I dont know how it was at your house, but in my neighborhood, we had a record number of kids on Halloween! It was a little chilly out but hubs and I sat in lawn chairs out in the driveway, passing out candy to all the the kids dressed up in some pretty creative costumes. I was very glad to see many parents accompany their children through the neighborhood this year – and it just made for a great night or safe fun!

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We have some exciting news to share from the TDIPT Mercantile!
We are hosting our 3rd Annual Open House and celebrating all month long with a Colonial Christmas theme. As in past years, we will be offering wonderful giveaways by the talented TDIPT artists as well!

To qualify simply sign up for the TDIPT Mercantile newsletter here:
http://www.tdiptmercantile.com/
You will also receive an entry for each item that you purchase from TDIPT from October 31st through November 20th.

So be sure to check out all the lovely offerings from the TDIPT artists and start your Christmas shopping from the comfort of your own home! What better gift than a handmade one of a kind artist creation…

In honor of the Colonial Christmas celebration, I have created a clay and paper mache Belsnickle Santa – he stands 17” tall and comes complete with flowing lined robe and primitive star in hand.

Please stop by my page and check him out in more detail~
and be sure to join us in the festivities!

PINK!

My company is so good about supporting causes and giving aid to the community.

Yesterday we celebrated PINK DAY, to focus on breast cancer awareness. We had pretty good participation from many the associates as well ...and there were even some drawings to go with it.

The first person to get their ticket number drawn chose the next winning number and so on until all 5 gifts were given away.

Lucky ME! I won a lunch bag, which is the perfect size to fit two tall Red Bulls on the bike ♥

Now, when it came to picture taking, I couldn't help but ham it up in one of the photos. I hope they pick that one to go in the newsletter from North Carolina home office :)

TDIPT is hosting an OPEN HOUSE!

I wanted to share a bit of inside information on the "goings on" over at the TDIPT Mercantile. During the month of November, we are celebrating with a Colonial Christmas theme. Each of our amazing artists will each be creating something special and unique along this theme!

But it gets even better than that.... we are hosting an Open House with prizes galore, donated by these amazing talents:

Big Brown Dog Primitives
Boggy Bottom Bayou
Brady Bears Studios
Chickadee Primitives
Country Thyme Stitchery
Crowsnest Pass Primitives
Diamiond K Folk Art
Eat Crow Primitives
Enchanted Woods Folk Art
Hot Metal Mama and Nostalgic Folk Art
Meadowbrook Cabin Primitives
Moon Pie Primitives
Nothing Plain by Jane
Old Branch Hollow
Pear Tree Primitives
Prairie House Primitives
The Wooden Acorn
Threadwork Primitives
1897 House Primitives

Getting entered into the drawing will be a snap as well - all you have to do is:

• Join our TDIPT Blog Mailing List (you are already entered in the drawing if you receive our monthly updates)


• Every purchase made from the TDIPT Mercantile from November 1st - November 20th, 2010 will earn you another chance in the drawing!

So mark your calendars, tie a string around your finger, post sticky notes to remind yourself and set your pop-up reminders on the computer.

You wont want to miss this one!

New upload on the TDIPT Mercantile

Here's a sneak peek at my offering for October on the Merc -

I think I could make punkinheads year-round and be quite happy!

Please be sure to stop by tonight and check out all the amazing offerings that will be available :)

RIDE FOR LIFE benefit run

Last weekend, we participated in a motorcycle ride called "Ride For Life".

It was an amazing benefit that started with a trip to my chiropractor's new office. He had recently moved into a new building they had built and as I was oooohing and aaaahing over the digs, he started sharing about the crisis pregnancy center called HANDS OF HOPE that was housed on the lower level. Once he got done cracking on me, I was treated to the grand tour and vision they have. To say I came home inspired is an understatement. I discussed everything that was on my heart with my hubs, asking what we could do to help these girls in trouble. I knew I wanted to come along side and promote in some small way. From that evening, the seed for Ride for Life was planted. We presented it to our motorcycle ministry and decided on a benefit run to be held in the fall.

There was much to be done, but one of the members stepped up to spearhead this event and for the last 9 months, has spent many waking moments with the whole concept on his heart and head. And the fruits of his labor paid off in a big way!

The day arrived last Saturday for the big event. Sadly for all his blood, sweat and worry working out every detail of this ride, Bill was not able to be there. His father was gravely ill, battling from complications of Alzheimer's and drove to Iowa to be with his dad during his last days. I just want to thank you, Bill - for all of your dedication and devotion to this project. Because of your efforts (and another lady who works at the Hands of Hope center), this was the smoothest and most enjoyable ride I've ever experienced.

This was most of the team ... morning of registration.

Three of the ladies who devote their time at Hands of Hope, coming alongside young girls who find themselves many times, alone, scared and pregnant. They offer love and genuine caring and let them know they are not alone. (L to R: Sonya, Dana and Teresa)

Hubs and I the morning of the ride - excited to see what God would do!

Dwayne and Pam, BFC family & dear friends that made the trip from Springfield to support us.

My sweet Sybil and me.... this was her first motorcycle ride,

and I think it's in her blood now ♥

The only way to describe this.... is T-R-O-U-B-L-E!
Love these guys - they have hearts of gold ♥

My sweet friend, Kim. She lost a grandbaby to SIDS and hosts a benefit ride each year to raise funds for that worthy organization. She gave us lots of tips on what to do and we are forever grateful for her "trial by fire" experinces that she shared.

Some shots of the ride.... since I was lucky to be at the head of the caravan, I was able to get some good shots of the group. There were roughly 30 bikes that participated, which I thought was a pretty good turnout for our first year at this.

We concluded the ride with lunch, a live band and many many drawings being held at a church that graciously volunteered to host our group. What a blessing - and delicious food too!! Thank you, Rock of KC ♥

Lo and behold, look what awaited us as we exited the church to head towards home! Crazy storm clouds that sure looked mighty threatening! Thankfully, God held off the rain till everyone was safely close to home.

I just want to thank Bill and Teresa once again for your dedication and hard work to make this all come together with such success! It's all to the Glory of God - and we were able to raise up close to $1300 to help Hands of Hope.
What a Blessing ♥