editorial

All is Calm

By Abby Kail, Contributor Leave a Comment

“Do not let the endless succession of small things crowd great ideals out of sight and out of mind.” @simplycharlottemason

It’s the New Year. New resolutions, changes and ABSOLUTELY a NEW YOU! Yikes! When will we all just sit back and enjoy the gift of time (below she is giving the “gift of time”)? The new year has gifted all of us more time. I get it new year and new goals but LET IT BE. The last several years have taught us time is fleeting, a gift not able to be bought. Time is quite literally how we spend it. Yes, it is the New Year, all is calm. No more holiday bustle, gifts and parties. No more hype and hoopla. 2022 is going to gather precious memories and make history just like every other year passed. Shouldn’t we be present and purposeful? My soul is calm (and in these photos so are my children ha). It is ready to take on the year that’s about to be thrown into our laps. I want to hold it gently for time is fleeing and I will not get these moments back. My children are growing at a rate that feels like a real life in person glitch. Counting my blessings, being purposeful and calming my soul with moments of precious time.

Clothing

Shoes and Accessories

Nathalie Everlinden

Lillster

Mimi & Lula

Very French Gangsters

Amongst The Flowers

By Priscila Barros, Editor-in-Chief Leave a Comment

In a field of roses she is a wildflower. Photo Kelly Roper

Mother’s Day Picks

By Abby Kail, Contributor Leave a Comment

Is it true that we become our Mothers? We nurture, sacrifice and occasionally raise our voices. So many days things do not go as we planned. Chaos ensues and the effects of such ripple down to even the littlest among them. We repeat our expectations time and time again (and if you read my previous blog this is not a bad thing). By the end of the day we are exhausted, hungry and mentally worn out having put in a full day of “well-raising” (aka work). We have quite literally poured our whole selves into our children. Yet, it doesn’t seem to break us. Don’t get me wrong, it’s hard it’s very hard. We do feel defeated time and time again BUT we rise. In the hardship, we rise. Amidst the beautiful chaos, we rise. We rise just like those who came before us. Yes, some call it messy. I call it Motherhood.

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Compiled a few of my favorite things (and more importantly people) in the photos below. Hope you enjoy!

Clothing:

Fish and Kids

FUB Kids

Jellymade

Little Creative Factory

Furniture:

Makeup:

Accessories:

Toys:

Bloom Where You’re Planted

By Abby Kail, Contributor Leave a Comment

Be The Best of Whatever You Are

If you can’t be a pine on the top of the hill,
Be a scrub in the valley — but be
The best little scrub by the side of the rill;
Be a bush if you can’t be a tree.

If you can’t be a bush be a bit of the grass,
And some highway happier make;
If you can’t be a muskie then just be a bass —
But the liveliest bass in the lake!

We can’t all be captains, we’ve got to be crew,
There’s something for all of us here,
There’s big work to do, and there’s lesser to do,
And the task you must do is the near.

If you can’t be a highway then just be a trail,
If you can’t be the sun be a star;
It isn’t by size that you win or you fail —
Be the best of whatever you are!
By: Douglas Malloch

Clothing:

Accessories:

Very French Gangsters

Florals:

Julie James Design

Her Own Fairytale

By Melanee Kate Leave a Comment

She writes her own stories and spins her own tales…

Photographer and stylist: Melanee Kate| melaneekate.com | @melaneekate
Model: Ella
Clothing: LuLu et GiGi and Atelier Spatz

Echo

By Abby Kail, Contributor Leave a Comment

Can we find joy in each day? Yesterday seemed to get the best of me (and I allowed it). Up was down and down was up. I couldn’t tell the difference. Paper work and phone calls stole time from my children (we are moving!). Mom guilt confession – I don’t do well if I don’t allot a certain amount of time in my day for the children. Truly digs at my core. By mid day I was dicey, at best, on the phone. Waiting in a parking lot, for someone to help me with my car (that’s 1 month new and seems to break when I touch it), I didn’t want to go inside. I had four of my children with me, one asleep, one screaming, one eating and one talking to me. I had a time slot set but I soon found that no one knew about my appointment. Quickly and quite easily, I was worked up on the phone. I was short with the man and said, “I will just come back. This is just too much for me today.” He paused and quite gently said, “Ma’am, where are you? I just need your location. I will help you.” I stopped and took a breath and as we finished our conversation I realized, how much a kindness does echo through to our souls. It was as though he was rescuing me from my wild day – he was going to find me and help me. His attempt to help was a saving grace for me and honestly changed my day around (and probably saved my children from hearing me scream). We can find joy in each day. Sometimes we have to look but most of the time it finds us.

“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”—Mother Teresa

Clothing:

Shoes:

Accessories:

Very French Gangsters

Quincy Mae

Lost

By Abby Kail, Contributor Leave a Comment

Never let us reflect upon small annoyances, and we shall be able to bear great

ones sweetly. Never let us think over our small pains, and our great pains will be

easily endurable. Charlotte Mason

A smorgasbord of choices. This tree or that tree. Cypher’s Christmas Tree Farm had plenty of fabulous trees in front of us. Each of my children would have enjoyed one in their rooms. It seems they were lost in the millions of prickly needles. Lost in the detail of the tree. Whether it was too large, too small, too fat, too skinny, too green or too brown. Field after field and filled with so much character. So many choices and yet unable to choose. Lost. I’ve been lost in this crazy year of ours. In the details of our “prickly” day. Love the encouragement from Charlotte Mason, “Never let us think over our small pains, and our great pains will be easily endurable.” The little pains of each day that cause us to endure this whole year altogether. It may have taken us getting lost in the details, to be found in the bigger picture. Finding joy in the prickliest of days.

Clothing:

Little Creative Factory

Shoes:

Accessories:

Very French Gangsters

Dainty Cheeks

Location:

Cypher Christmas Tree Farm

The Little Souls

By Abby Kail, Contributor Leave a Comment

2020 has been a lot of be kind to others and show grace. It’s been a low year for EVERYONE. Our children teach us to live where we are. Be there. Every minute of it, soak it in. On a sandy beach with rocks galore, each rock was unique and intriguing to them. Rocks are dull, sharp and hard (that’s one way to look at it). However, they are extremely fascinating – at least to these little ones. Even in hard lifeless rocks these little ones can find pleasure and joy. Life will always give you rocks – can you cleave a diamond?

Good thoughts bear good fruit,

bad thoughts bear bad fruit

and man is his own gardener.

James Allen