Angels Among Us

I hate my name. Who would name their daughter Tiffany? I even read a joke about it in a David Sedaris essay. Apparently he has a sister named Tiffany. I have complained about my name so much to my parents that they even confessed to me on my 29th birthday that I was indeed given the wrong name. Of course they wouldn't tell me what they should have named me, but at least they agreed with me.
The Saturday before Thanksgiving I was at Starbucks in the fashionable neighborhood of Buckhead in Atlanta. I stood in line with for roughly 10 minutes before placing my order which was 2 grande iced coffees. The girl behind the counter asked for my name and I lowered my voice a bit and told her, "Tiffany." She smiled and told me that she always believed she should be a Tiffany. I quickly told her my disdain for the name. She told me that the name was great and that it is a part of me for a reason. "Be kind to yourself and learn to love yourself." she said. A calmness came over me, something I only feel when I am in prayer. I looked into her warm brown eyes and said, "Thank you, I think I was supposed to speak to you today." It is odd to think that since that time I have not thought of my name once. Perhaps she was an angel.

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Hot Weather in Fall

This past Monday I had this great idea of having a picnic at Kinsey Farms over the weekend.  I planned a menu for the three of us and got our picnic basket ready. I also planned on picking up at least one pumpkin for decoration.  As the week progressed, I started watching the weather. I must admit it felt like a cruel joke when the forecast stated that it was going to be in the 90s this weekend- the first fall weekend. I was bummed, but we still made it to Kinsey farms for about an hour to buy a pumpkin. Hopefully we can have that picnic soon.

School Year has Begun

School has started in Forsyth County, GA.  With my little one only being two, this technically doesn't affect me, but it has made me get into school mode. For starters, I am currently looking for a job. I feel that after having a two year break from work, I feel it is time to go back.  I am not saying being a full time mommy isn't real work because it definitely is one of the hardest jobs I will ever have. It's just that I miss going to a job where you can have conversations with  people. I have also started eating healthier.  Another back to school grind for me. Once again I was vacation from that as well.  Eating junk for breakfast is over. I need to start the day with protein. I also need to read and write more.  It's funny how the back to school air effects us all, even if we don't have to worry about school buses homework.  Getting back to the grind is just programmed into us.  At some point in time all of feel that we have been on vacation too long for this and that and we need to get back to order.

Ballerina Pout

I love lip gloss. It is the one product I cannot live without.  Being a long time lippee lover, I  have tried many a lip product. Last week while shopping for birthday presents, I entered the Cosmetic Market. My mission: find a lip gloss for my aching lips. My eyes scanned  counter to counter until they stopped at Sara Happ. At this small counter, I found beautiful little boxes of lip scrub tied with a bow and five lip glosses. The lip gloss or lip slip I picked up was Ballet slip. Ballet pink,  my favorite shade of pink. I had to have this shade if only for the name. Although I thought the shade was pretty,  I had no idea how this Sara Happ lip slip would perform. I am happy to announce that this beautiful shade of lip gloss kept my lips gorgeous and moisturized. Since I bought this lip gloss, it is the only shade I have been wearing. Next on my list to try is Sara Happ's lip scrub.

For all you local gals living on the north side of Atlanta, Sara Happ lip gloss is sold at the Cosmetic Market in Avalon and Nordstrom at Perimeter Mall for $24.00. Go out and try it, your lips will thank you.
 

Father's Day

Father's day was this past Sunday and I feel I should give a shout out to my awesome husband, Klaus. In church on Father's day we were reminded that God wants us to call Him, Abba which means daddy. A daddy is someone who comes down to a child's level and helps them with a task or simply let's them know they are loved. This is precisely what God our Father has done for us when  He sent His son to walk among us. I mention this because I see Klaus everyday hold our daughter in his arms, tell her he loves her, and gets down on her level when she is trying to speak. Klaus is a wonderful daddy  and it shows when you see our daughter's face light up when she sees him. I can only say, 
"thank you ", to God for making such an incredible man and to Klaus for consistently being a great daddy.

Church Picnic

I love church picnics. There is something so old fashioned about them that warms my heart. Last Saturday was our church picnic. We showed up rather early with a bowl of German meatballs to share, my husband's specialty ready to eat. While my husband found a spot for his meatballs, I found a table for the three of us near the kids section. For over two hours we sampled food from around the world, a great thing about being at a Catholic Church Picnic and watched our little daughter play. The highlight for my husband and I were the Vietnamese vermacelli bowls, while my daughter enjoyed cupcakes. If you've never been to a church picnic for your church or at all, I encourage you to go. It's an opportunity to eat great food, play games, listen to music and a chance to  get to know people you see every Sunday.

Gardening

I have a black thumb, really. Everything I attempt to grow fails to thrive. My mother -in-law used to buy me silk plants and flowers so that I could have some sort of vegetation in my house. Yet, with all of the above being true, I find myself yearning to do yard work around my house.  My husband and I live in a small bungalow with a rustic yard and up until about a month ago, we barely touched it. Maybe I 've been inspired by fairy tales to create a patch of land where my daughter can frolic in nature, maybe I want to invite the sprites for tea in my garden.  Whatever the real reason,  I go out into my yard every day for almost an hour weeding and pruning and it feels me with peace.