I'm gonna let it shine.

When you are in the business of purse making and spinach is your most favorite of vegetables...one must snack on these.

Yes, it's true. I munched on these yummies for the last half of my holiday making segment of custom orders. If anyone was to drive by my house oh, say anywhere from 1:00-2:00 in the morning, they could quite possibly have seen this exact plate sitting on my cutting table with me in my ever-presh and completely trendy jammies which consists of my husband's football shirts from high school or college along with jammie pants from circa 1998.

To complete your mental image, I would have had on hiking socks and my runner up clip from trusy ole k. as we all know what happened to the last one.

***** FIVE STARS.

That's what I give these munchies. Can only find them at BILO and I have opted to not look at the nutritional information. They're better that way.

The holidays for us were re-arranged, arranged, and re-arranged again. Through it all though, I feel like our family had a good celebration of Christ's birth.

There is so much to post about so I think I will do it from time to time gradually so as to allow all the goodness of story to flow.

First topic to report: Casey face is in a big boy bed.

Below is a picture of his first night asleep in his new bed...


Say it isn't so...my tee-tiny one is no longer behind bars.

For the rest of my life, I hope that the above sentence will always remain a true statement.

He is so proud of his new bed which happens to be the bed Eli went into at a mere 19 months as we had to get the crib ready for Casey's arrival. So Casey got to enjoy his crib a few months more than Eli as Casey took the big boy plunge at 22 months.

Santa delivered.

The boys must have been good because good ole St. Nick left them just exactly what they ordered...



Casey---my baller.
I can already envision his swaggerly strut-type run through the Power T...



Eli--my engineer.
This kid knows more about trains than most adults. Diesels, Steam engines, gondolas, piggy back cars...E man is on it.


As for Kenny and I, we are still on the quest to complete our 25 acts.
Yeah, there was a deadline. We each have like 7 more to do. I say deadlines definitely deserve extensions when you are doing nothing but the spreading goodness.

Anyone else out there working on their acts? I hope there are several of you making extensions or, better yet, in extra credit mode.

Our world needs as many acts of kindness as it can get.

The new year.
What?
Uh-huh. It's almost here.

Happy 2009!

In honor of this upcoming newness, the blog got a facelift!

My theme for this new year in all areas of my life:

"This little light of mine. I'm gonna let it shine."

It's got nothing but good vibes and positive energy all over it. I like it that way.

Tonight the Cobbles are hosting a couples' pajama party to ring in the new year. This party is complete with a money pot (winner to be announced at midnight), couples Wii challenge, mistletoe kiss contest, Do I Dare Challenge, and, my personal favorite, the revealing of every guests' bucket list based on this super fine flick.

And, of course, any and all New Years Resolutions for 2009. Only we are asking that these resolutions come with a time frame to accomplish and are bit more specific. All guests are on board with this plan as we all hope to keep ourselves accountable for the greatness and goodness ahead.

I wish you all a Happy New Year. I hope this new calendar brings us all hope, happinesss, humility, and hardwork.

It's all what we choose to make it.

This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine...

.mac :-)

Busy and Blessed

Santa's k.Mac sleigh has officially delivered its very last package as of yesterday. So, all together now: fa la la la la...la la la la.

Our family has been busy all season long. Busy and blessed. Blessed with great memories made already this Christmas season.

Blessed to have had my Mom-mommie for 79 years before she passed away on the 8th of this month. And blessed to have had Kenny's Papaw for 80 years before he passed away on the 21st of this month.

While the busyness that comes with traveling to memorial services and funerals is not anyone's favorite, it has blessed me with much to reflect on and without a doubt, has aligned my priorities right on time.

Presents, pretty papers, and fluffy tissue ain't where its at.

Little hands, giggles and cowlicks,
A glass of wine with my aunt and my sister-in-law,
Music that feeds my soul,
Tears of happiness and heartache,
Prayer.
Holding on and letting go...
Living, laughing, and loving with all I can.
Yep, right on time.

So thank you, God. Thank you for all that you give. Thank you for the huge hug of family and the warm blanket of toghetherness that you wrap me in.

I wish everyone the realness of Christmas. That in this season of all the busyness you find more than one moment to smile from the inside out and hug your happiness with your whole heart.

Busy and blessed.

It seems that Santa isn't the only one that knows my Christmas list.


Merry Christmas to all.

.mac :-)

My Mom-mommie

Meet Merriam Lorraine Franklin Cook.
She was born October 10, 1929.
This picture hangs proudly in the dining room of our home. I have often stared at this picture and become lost in the simple and elegant beauty I see.

My Mom-mommie. I named her. It seems as I was a little girl the only real perfect name for her was this. She was my "Mom's mommie." So it stuck.

Growing up, she wasn't the grandmother type to dote or bury you with kisses. No, Mom-mommie was more reserved with her affections. Although you never left her presence feeling nothing short of adored in her eyes.

She was neat. Neat as pin. Organized. A seamstress nothing short of perfection. Growing up she made most all of my mom and aunt's clothes. She even made most all of their Barbie doll outfits too.

I can rememember several times that she had a hand in helping my mom with the finishing stitches on more than one of my prom dresses. She even made my one and only flower girl dress in the picture below:

Mom-mommie, Mom, and me

She was the one who bought me my very first Barbie (Suntan Malibu stringy blonde tanline Barbie if you will) as a gift when my brother was born.

In she and Dad-daddy's house you could always find "baby beers" (apple juice in the tiny cans) stocked for the cousins and there was always white bread and homemade apple butter to make toast.


Her smile.
I find my strength there.
Here we are on my wedding day. Her smile dazzles me. It takes up her entire face. It's so natural and moving to me.

I will miss this smile more than my heart can bear to imagine...

Today, my Mom-mommie passed away.

She faught hard and silently against her viscious enemies for who truly knows how long.

First, it was Alzheimer's Disease. Watching her gradually lose the withitness she once posessed was hard on everyone who loved her so.

Still, she managed to make the most of her time and was able to see me bring into the world both of her great grandsons.

Here I am about 2 weeks away from delivering Eli with Mom-mommie, Dad-daddy, and my Gramma Casey.






The joy of watching her smile that amazing smile as Eli visited reciting often to me, "He doesn't miss much." fills my heart with such pride.

Here I am about a month away from delivering Casey with Mom-mommie and my Aunt Sharon.

This picture was of the day Casey was born.

Sickened with the disease, I can remember taking this picture and thinking this will mean so much to you one day.
I was right.
It truly does.
My sweet baby's precious face so fresh and new. My Mom-mommie's strong yet soft hands holding his. Tears of joy stream down my face now as I am so thankful for that very moment.

Our final Christmas together was last year. Watching the disease slowly steal her away was becoming more and more apparent. But her smile never stopped.

This April, she was able to see Adam get married. Here are the 4 cousins, Bryan, Adam, Aaron, and me with Mom-mommie and Dad-daddy.

And then by summer another ugly demon reared his angry head. In June, Mom-mommie was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The doctor's gave her 2 weeks-6 months to live. The cancer had spread so rapidly that no form of treatments were available.

I did my best to visit often and sit with Mom-mommie. I wanted to take a picture of her or us everytime that I came to visit. The changes are so dramatic as I compiled and sequenced this post. Alzheimer's and Cancer did their best to take her with no haste, but her fiesty spirit and happy smile put up the fight of their lives. Her shirt remains the same each visit as she became attached to just this one.







Here is Mom-mommie with all of her great grandchildren, Eli, Casey, and Mollye. (Bless Kim's heart trying to wrangle those 3 up to smile.)






Here she is with Mollye Addison. This was the last time she held her.


Our last photo with Mom-mommie. This was Thanksgiving Day.
My final blessings.
I have so many.
The way she sought out her lips to mine to give me a goodbye kiss my last 4 visits with her...her I love yous she would tell me as I was about to leave, brushing her hair and whipsering thank you to her for all of the wonderful things she has taught me over the years...hugging her neck and smelling my Mom-mommie's sweet smell...

But most of her smile. Natural. Full. Genuine.

It is here I will continue to find my stength.

I love you, Mom-mommie. May you rest and smile most peacefully forevermore. I am so proud to be your granddaughter.


December 8, 2008.

Oh Holy Night!

Good Gaw! These things are sent straight from heaven! Yeah, those morsels of sweet swirly goodness and crystal sugar crunch that you see up there: The Candy Cane Hershey Kiss.

Oh sweet Lord, they are divine.

I received some this week as part of a gift. These loverlys were all snuggled up in a monogrammed covered drink cooler alongside of their cousins: The original Hershey Kiss and Hershey Hugs.

No, I am going to go ahead and tell it like it is, ladies. I am not one for chocolate. Nope. I pick Starbursts over chocolate ANY DAY, sisters...ANY DAY, I say.

So, peering inside my new cup, I went straight for the Hugs. Cause if I am going to eat chocolate, it's gonna be white, okay?

Allow me to list my chocolate priorities:

1. No chocolate and a big fat bag of Starbursts.
2. White Chocolate
3. Milk Chocolate with almonds
4. Milk Chocolate
5. Dark Chocolate

So, I did my thing with the Hershey Hug. On my way in for the 2nd hug, it happened. Mistaken identity. In the low lit ambiance of the restaurant I unwrapped a foreign chocolate and popped it in my mouth.

It was the above picture. And after one bite, I think I heard the cherubims from above singing, I kid you not.

It has it all. The refreshing although not overkill peppermint taste, the creamy buttery white chocolate sensation and then of course, the best part of all...the tiny crystal crunch of purely divine sugar bite-bites. I mean I compare this sugar crystal crunch to one of my other favorite treats, the Chili's frozen strawberry margarita...colored sugar coated around your glass rim? Need I say more?


WOWZERS. I love this candy.

And wouldn't you know it, my smorgasbord of candy treats only left me with a small handful of these dreamboats for my mouth.

The next day they were toast. Gonners. "GET IN MY BELLY" good.

Which left me with yesterday in detox and doing everything in my power to practice self restraint from jumping in my car with the kiddos in tow looking like Cruel la De ville after the herd of Dalmatian puppies. But they weren't' puppies, they were my crystal sugary goodness bite-bites. Cruel la and that hair and that long cigarette. Her face irritated and aggressively desperate for those puppies...my bite-bites!

Yeah, I was a crack feen for these yesterday.

I withheld and coached myself through it only to go into great detail to Kenny when he got home from work about these yum-yums.

He listened.
And then replied with, "I've had them before. There not that good."
To which I immediately put my hands over my ears and sang the LaLaLa song cause I knew he was delusional.

Today was a doozie. My boys. My sweet angels...

If I hear one more "NO" at the top of his lungs from my Casey face or see one more act of physical viloence from Eli towards Casey and vice versa...I AM GOING TO SCREAM!!!!!

Today, I should have worn my black and white striped baby doll shirt...cause all I did was ref.

And no one won the stinkin' game. No one.

UUUGGHH.

As both children are crying that fake melodramatic shrill cry/scream at the top of the stairs, I walk into the kitchen to unload the dishes for the umptyelventyhundedth time. Counting to way more than ten and simultaneously praying no doubt.

When in walks Kenny from work.

Great. I think. Way to help your husband feel relaxed after a long day at work: have him enter into Hellapoolooza 2008.

HE walks over to me. Swivels me around and gives me a huge hug and a smacker on the mouth. He smiles at me real big and then whips out...

MY HAPPY BITE-BITES!!!

And, I have been eating them non-stop ever since. I think I have truly eaten over a half a bag just since this afternoon.

Kids? Ummm, yeah. They don't get any of these.

Kenny even said to them, "Those are mommy's treats. Don't ask her for any. They are not yours."

I love him. I do.

Cause I am not giving any of these to them. Not sharing. Nosirree.

Oh this night has been so holy. Holy as my cherabims swirl around me while I pop one after another of these tasties into my mouth.

Obviously, for me, it's the little things, huh?

Little things AND giving stuff away!!!

Today is the day. The day to announce who won!

Well, it pays to play. Because all of you will be receiving one of k.Mac's hand poured soy candles! And the best part for us, your names will each be written on the card that we send with a check from k.Mac to the Special Olympics for a portion of the total cost of each candle.

k.Mac's new Sunshine for the Soul Home Goods line gives a portion of every purhcase to charity.

That makes number 5 on my 25 Acts of Kindness list!

You sisters send me your address and scent of choice and a little Santa goodie will be arriving at your doorstep very soon!!

Who knows. There might be something else DELICIOUS too. Wonder if I could find a good candy treat?

"Tis the season to be jolly. Falalalalalala..."

You hear'em singin?


.mac :-)

p.s. This sweet act of kindness was Kenny's #4!

You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.

Okay peeps. It's time we get serious.

There is just something wrong here and I aim to fix it.

Over this Thanksgiving weekend, I have encountered far too many people that truly could have given this guy a run for his money.

Allow me to spray, splatter, and slap some of the words at you that so violently drenched my canvas over this Thanksgiving holiday...

"I hate this time of year."
"I just wish it was already over with."
"This is all overrated."
"I can't wait until January gets here."

LAWZEE DAY IN THE MORNIN'!

Now don't get me wrong. My husband will gladly attest to the fact that I am no Mary Poppins all the time.

Sure. I have my shares of I don't wannas,nothin' specials, and who really cares.

-I know the economy is as Kenny would say, "No count."
-I get how over-commercialized Christmas has become.
-I understand we all have a Cousin Eddie or two as relatives.
-I see how the December calendar page looks like a zillion of red X marks the spots filled with havetogoto gatherings.

But let's just stop right there.

My trusty left-handed partner-in-blog crime sheds wonderful light on these subjects of negativity and ungratefulness both here and here.. Like me, she aims to fight these evil powers with 2 of the greatest super heroes.

(Stella, it is uncanny how we were both flying alongside one another at the same time! You look great in your red star undies and rocket blue corset, might I add.)

Who are they?
Well, it ain't the Hulk. And it's not Superman either.

No. Flying in mine and Stella's invisible, optimistic jet cockpits are heroes who can leap more than tall buildings in a single bound and can lift those heavy cars of doom and gloom off your back as well.

Yes,our co-pilots are reality and perspective.

And they will gladly team up with you to defend and promote what we all should have and share: joy and kindness.


Reality and Prospective are actually very fond of Joy and Kindness. Matter of fact, they are akin to one another as we say down here in the south.

It's your choice.
Take a look at your reality. What have you been offered? What have you been blessed with? What have you been blessed not to have as a burden or struggle?

It's your choice.
Find your perspective. Others will always have it worse. Others will always have it better too. Do you see the big picture? The goodness in yourself and others? The glimmer of hope in some one's eyes, the warm touch of a handshake or a happy hug?

It's your choice.
We can all choose stare into this holiday season with doubts, damnits, don't haves, and don't wannas.

OR

We can find our reality and allow our microscope on life to re-focus so that our perspective is clearer and ready to find the tiny details and small subtleties that make this world a better place.

And when we CHOOSE to do that... well, that's when JOY and KINDNESS come galavantin' on in like 2 old sisters both co-chairs of your town's finest welcoming committee. They come complete with a pitcher of sweet tea, a basket of fried chicken, a big fat chocolate pie, and mason jar full of daisies just ready to get the party started.

So I say let's get it started.

25 Acts of Kindness

Kenny and I drummed up this plan while he was helping me get into that invisible jet of mine before he took off for work with his webbed hands.

Here's how it works:

Deadline: January 1, 2009
Challenge: Complete 25 Acts of Kindness
Requirements:
Each act must be from the heart.
You need to write each act down so to keep yourself accountable.

These can be acts as simple as bringing a friend some fresh flowers to let he or she know you love them, paying for the person's gas beside you at the pump, taking someone else's duty at work (i.e. bus duty for teachers), sending a friend or a neighbor a hand written card, volunteering for a cause, donating,cleaning up a community area, etc.

I have completed 3 so far.

My favorite has been delivering one of our handmade candles to a Wal-mart employee on Thanksgiving Day. The day before she was my cashier and made the comment that she would be alone at work all day on Thanksgiving and would not even get to eat with her family.

So on Turkey Day I marched right into my Wal-mart and handed her this simple gift with a tag that explained how appreciated she was for the job she does in my community.

...And I felt like a million bucks when I left. :-)

So, it's that simple.



Here's what you need to do to help Stella and me spread nothing but goodness this Christmas season:

If you are a blogger:
1. Copy and paste the above into your sidebar on your blog.
2. Leave a comment at the end of this post to let me know you are in!
3. If you choose to let others know about this in a blog post with a link back to this post, leave another comment letting me know you did so.
WHY post again you ask? So your name can go in the giveaway drawing not once, but twice!!

That's right. It's giveaway time! I am going to pick 3 winners from the comments section of this post to receive one of k.Mac's new products.

Lots to tell you about. All in good time AND another post, but to keep it short and sweet k.Mac has begun our very own home goods line.

3 lucky winners will receive one of k.Mac's hand poured 12 oz. soy candles!

We are currently making Candy Cane, Cucumber Melon, Citrus Pomegranate, and Sugar Cookie scents.

If you are not a blogger: (your participation counts too!)
1. Leave me a comment at the end of this post.
2. Tell everyone about this Christmas challenge
3. Get on it and spread some goodness!!


I will post the winners on Friday, December 5th!

Good Luck, Happy Goodness Giving, and TAKE THAT, GRINCH!!!

:) .mac