babybloomr

Well, it’s been a crazy couple of weeks around here, and my mind is a big ol’ hodge-podge of Stuff I Need To Get Done Before _____(fill in the blank with deadline of your choice.) Posting has been kind of light (I KNOW!!!), but I promise to do better next week. *smiles sweetly and bats eyelashes* Hang in there with me, people!

Here are a few pictures that hopefully are worth a thousand words– you know, the thousand words I DIDN’T write here this week. In no particular order…

*** Madi and I took off on a little day trip to Bell Buckle on Monday– you guys remember that little country town with all the cute antique shops and the great cafe that we go to every fall? Yeah, THAT one. Madi had full control of the camera, which is always a great idea because the kid has got a real talent for capturing moments and creating beautiful pictures. Here’s a shot of the Tennessee countryside she took out of the window of the car:

*** Madi diving into her good ol’ Southern cookin’ lunch at the Bell Buckle Cafe:

*** This dessert is outrageously good! They call it ‘chocolate cobbler’  on the menu, but it’s actually some kind of magical brownie/melty chocolate cake/ice cream/hot fudge sauce kind of thing… Aw crap, now I’m craving it.

*** Bell Buckle storefronts:

***Sidewalk painting with Madi’s shadow:

*** (This one’s for you, auburn60…)

***This is out behind one of the shops– great background, isn’t it?

***Our annual “Madi becomes part of the local scenery” photo:

*** Here’s a montage of pictures Madi took inside several of the antique stores:

***This house is just off the main square and was totally tricked out in fall finery, with a side order of Halloween black cats and baby pumpkins stuck on fence posts. Madi and I were ready to move in on the spot.

*** Switching gears– Thursday we all went to Charlotte’s swim meet at Tennessee State University. This is her first year as a Brentwood Academy Aqua Eagle, and this was her second meet. Here is the team doing some kind of primal scream thing right before they started– the bald guy in the middle with red writing on his face is their delightfully weird head coach, Mr. Chapman. Char’s in there somewhere, but danged if I can find her!

*** Here she is on the far end getting ready to swim the 50 meter freestyle– she came in 2nd!

*** My favorite shot of all– Russ took it on his phone. (Those shadows under her eyes are a result of the weird lighting in the building, not swine flu or anything!):

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND,  EVERYBODY!

Most of you know that Russ and I have been involved for years with the ministry that our friend Becca Stevens started called Magdalene. It’s a long-term residential program for women with a history of  drug abuse and prostitution, and it does truly amazing work with some of the most courageous, inspiring women you will ever meet. This is a new clip that they put together that just got uploaded to Youtube and I wanted to share it with you guys. That gorgeous voice you hear at the beginning (and elsewhere in the clip) is Becca’s husband Marcus Hummon, a truly gifted singer, songwriter, artist and playwright with a song that he wrote for the women of Magdalene.

For more information on Magdalene and Thistle Farms, which is their cottage industry for healing bath and body products, check out their website: http://www.thistlefarms.org/