September 9, 2011

words

POPSICLE:


Pink popsicle, to be exact. It was 37 degrees when I snapped this picture early Sunday morning. Gotta love Montana girls. This darling thing had sweats, wool socks and fuzzy boots on under her dress, and that bought us enough time to get some gorgeous shots in the gorgeous morning light. What a trooper.

This young lady is the first of quite a few senior girls I'll be photographing this fall. How fun will that be?!

JINX:

Remember when I said we had been enjoying a lovely, wildfire and smoke free summer?

It would seem I spoke too soon.

Just days after writing those words, the fires started and the smoke arrived. We now have a 2800 acre fire just ten miles away, and many other fires scattered around our little valley.


It reminds me of the time I said, "I haven't had the stomach flu in I can't even remember how long", and within days I was on the couch for two weeks straight, or the time I said, "I haven't had a speeding ticket in ten years" and the next thing I knew, I was pulled over twice in 48 hours.

For the record, I don't even remotely believe in things like jinx.

Except maybe a little bit.

PINNED:

According to Pinterest, quite a few people were interested in my petunia filled washing machine, so I thought I'd snap a few more shots.


Trust me, there's a washtub in there.



Fertilizer is the key to getting your petunias to do their best. There was about a three week period around the wedding when I did not fertilize anything and my petunias almost totally quit blooming. Once I started feeding them again, they graciously forgave me and started showing off once again.


DEAD:

Something in my refrigerator, and I can't figure out what it is. I have personally smelled every single item that resides in there, but so far there is no obvious culprit.

Between the fridge and the smoke, this place stinks.

FOUR:

The number of my kids....including my brand spanking new daughter-in-law....who are currently under contract with various branches of the United States Armed Forces. Junior number three just signed on the dotted line last week, and leaves for basic right after he graduates from high school next June. My oldest is almost done with his four years in the Coast Guard, my aforementioned daughter-in-law is also a Coastie, and my middle son is currently off sunbathing in the desert with the National Guard.

It's just for a short little window of time that things are this way, but for me, it's kind of a big deal, kind of nerve wracking, and kind of hard to wrap my brain around. My daughter-in-law was out in the middle of Hurricane Irene doing her Coastie thing just weeks after she joined our family. She's one more to love, and one more to worry about, too. My youngest is five and seven years younger than his big brothers, and while they were out blazing their trails, it just kind of felt like he was our back-up kid. The one who would always be around. And now, lickity split, he's almost ready to leave the nest and head into the big unknown. What will the world be like during his years of service?

Now is probably a good time to pull a Scarlett and just plan to think about that tomorrow.

Or the next day.

REMEMBERING:

Ten years ago. A Tuesday morning. My kids had just hopped on the bus and I came in the house and turned on the news. We had contractors working on our house and invited them in to watch the horror unfold on the tv screen.

I'll watch the specials. I always watch the specials. I'll cry a little. I'll listen to the stories, and feel yet another surge of pride in my fellow countrymen. Normal, average Americans just going about their mornings. Some not knowing it would be their last morning ever, and some not knowing they would be unimaginable heroes before the day was over.


REMEMBER.

38 comments:

  1. My heartfelt thanks to your sons, daughter-in-law, you, and your entire family for their dedication and service to us, and our great country!
    xo Cathy

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  2. Dearest Teresa Amelia Bedelia,
    Thanks to each and every one of your (4) kids for their dedication to our country. And, thank you to you for being a supportive mama.

    Praying for a hedge of protection around you & yours, both at home, and away. {hugs} ~Sal

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  3. Teresa, this is a lovely post. You should be a proud mom of those four and I am grateful for them and thier fellow service people for what they do and how they serve! Your pictures are beautiful, as always. We are supposed to get smoke blowing in soon from the wildfires around Mt. Hood. Ugh...
    Annette

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  4. Teresa, this was a wonderful post, I am knew to your blog, but love it already. Thank you to you and your kids for serving their country. I will keep all of them from now on in my prayers.

    I love your photos, they are fabulous. I am happy to have found this bright spot in my day. xo,

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  5. DEAD: I had the same problem, took me weeks of cleaning out the fridge to find the culprit... EGGS. I forgot all about them, hiding in the door, Good Luck!

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  6. Great post, Teresa! It's hard to imagine 37 degrees when we're still in the 100s. Your petunias are gorgeous. I'm going to put some on my front porch.

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  7. Mrs. Teresea,
    I have never commented on your blog before or if I have I don't remember so, I'm commenting again. I just adore your photography and your little farm in Montana!! I SO badly want to hop on a plane and come to your house and visit with you! I know, sounds stalkerish, doesn't it? ;) No worries, I'm not really going to do that.... :) cheers!

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  8. Can't imagine how scary that is to have so many of your children serving our country. Kudos to them and to you!! Very honorable. I will say a prayer of thanks and safety for each.

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  9. You are such a strong woman!! Your children must get it from you :) I have such a great thankfulness in my heart for military, firemen and police. And your pics too! They are always beautiful! Thanks for sharing (your children and your pictures)!! God bless.

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  10. I am so happy that I found your blog. It is so beautiful. Have a great Friday!

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  11. I LOVE how you write and how ya' think to for that matter!!!

    God Bless the USA & God Bless your Four!
    We are thankful for there service!!!

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  12. Thanks Teresa, for the reminder of what truly make this a great country.... the people.

    ~Chris

    ps I can see I'm gonna be asking about a couple of more pictures to add to my collection ;)

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  13. The photo of that high school senior is beautiful! I wish my own high school senior's pictures had been have as lovely. As for the refrigerator, pull out the crisper drawers, if you have any. I once found something black and decomposing under one of mine.

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  14. Dear Teresa, first I want to thank your military family for serving our country, your 3 serving, your baby who plans to, and you and your hubby for having the strength and faith to see them go...

    second, ten years ago seems so long ago yet it also seems like yesterday that we sat watching in disbelief, crying, praying. and as we watch the specials we still watch in disbelief, crying, praying...

    third, i will from now on overfeed my petunias until they spit up...

    fourth, i hope the fires burning in beautiful montana are put out quick and the smoke and the stink in your fridge clear out soon.

    fifth, loving your pink popsicle model. sweats, wool socks, and fuzzy boots?? 37 degrees???
    we are so excited and looking forward to 99 degrees this weekend. finally two digit degree weather!!! may have to pull out my wool socks! oh, i don't have wool socks : ) Julie

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  15. We've had fire up here too, but luckily it was brought under control.
    Your children and new daughter are all to be admired for their service - what a way to start out one's adult life!

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  16. Absolutely lovely! What a great eye you have for setting up a shot!

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  17. I so appreciate your kids and their service. They are in my prayer journal as Teresa's kids. Now I have another one to pray for come June. You should be proud. I will remember on Sunday and cry. God bless the USA.

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  18. Oh I will remember... and thank those who played a part in service to others. Thank you for raising children who "get" the service part.

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  19. Great post. Lovely sr. pic; I have a similar picture of my sister in her wedding dress! God bless you and your four kids.

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  20. Perfect with words Montana Miss!
    (Photo perfect too!)

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  21. Several of my childhood friends died in 9/11, as we all grew up on Staten Island and two became firefighters. no, we'll never forget.

    LOVE that portrait, just beautiful..and a great representation of that age. You should have taken a shot with her holding up the skirt to reveal the boots/sweats under neath :-)

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  22. #1. I voted for you. #2 i love your house, your gardens, your greenhouse, and your photography. #3. Are you on pinterest?

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  23. Please give hugs and love to all your children and thank them for keeping us safe. What a mama you are. I was a fan of the washtub flowers from the start even though I couldn't see it. Miss Popsicle is a sweetie in her dress. I know her friends must be jealous.

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  24. God Bless the USA and everyone who serves, and their wonderful, sacrificing families. I am in awe of you all! As for the rest of the post, that is the prettiest Popsicle I've ever seen, 37 degrees in September?, hope the fires are soon out and no one gets hurt, and finally, I bet there's a whole lot of Meadowbrook Farm pinning going on!

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  25. Thanks again for just a feast for the eyes and the soul! Thank you for your children serving our country, my children and grandchildren! Love the petunias. This is the first year in a long time I did not 'mess' around in the yard. I made that decision early spring, so it was a good thing, hardly any rain this whole summer! So, it's so nice to see your pictures. :)

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  26. I remember on that terrible day i was in the kitchen making a cup of tea for myself & my daughter in law, i had the tv on in the lounge when she screamed, come look at this, as the 1st plane hit. We thought it was an accident, until the 2nd plane hit,then we knew the awful truth.The phone never stopped ringing for hours we live in England and we were all praying for you hoping, praying,crying,as the day wore on nobody could imagine the horror you all lived through,or the Heroes,that terrible day would produce.We Will Remember them all today our thoughts and prayers are with all that lost someone special on that terrible day xx

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  27. Fertilizer...Rats! I knew I forgot to do something this summer! No wonder my plants look so tired, they have iron-poor blood!
    I salute your brave sons and daughter in law...and you for bravely enduring their service; any mom knows that this must be very tough. You are handling it with much grace. Our prayers are with you and yours.

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  28. Petunia's...how often do you feed and with what, they are beautiful, well they are more than beautiful....

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  29. Awww, Teresa. The thought of my children being in any branch of the military terrifies me. The way I feel right now, I would rather them do anything else. But on the other hand, what a proud Momma you must be! I salute your sons (and daughter in law) for all they do for our country. I hope those fires stay far away from you and that they are brought under control quickly. And as always, your photos are breath-taking! Take care!

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  30. Beautiful and inspiring! Do you have a link to your pinterest boards?

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  31. Hi! I'm from Brazil, and found your blog by a picture that I saw in a brazilian blog that appears haven been using some pics and even histories that aren't from it's own. This person, is doing it with some of my friends and I start to go through it to see how fake it is. You can see for yourself your pics, that she says it's hers in this link http://mylifepalavrassmagicasparte1.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2011-09-07T14%3A26%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=30

    You may find some from people you may know, because she uses pics from a blondie that I'm sure is american.

    If you want to contact me, please feel free at lifenositio@gmail.com

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  32. Can I just say that I LOVE visiting your blog. ;o)
    And btw what do you feed your petunias? Mine were doing really good and than wham! They look horrible. I was thinking it got to cold for them. But you're colder than I. So ???

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  33. I'd say the culprit was some moldy cream cheese that escaped your clutches.

    T - are you going to NY city?

    I'm sure God is giving you the grace with your kids - there's no 'splainin otherwise the peace you have.

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  34. T-E-R-E-S-A
    I just saw that you WON!!!
    I congratulated you before you won because I knew yours was the best, but again...
    CONGRATULATIONS!
    Wear your crown proudly, you deserve it!
    Julie

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  35. Dead....this made me laugh out loud! Considering I live in a house with three small children, I could relate to this part way too much. Always enjoy your blog! :)

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  36. Gorgeous photos! And I have to laugh b/c there is something dead in my fridge too. And I can't figure it out either.

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  37. Awesome post! We have soldiers in our family too and it's a hard thing for sure....brave souls.

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  38. p.s. that senior picture is AMAZING!!

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