Tornados and such...

On Monday, a tornado swept through my hometown (I still live there as a matter of fact) It hit about 2 blocks away from my house. Oddly enough, it came with little advanced warning (it had been storming all day, but we were not currently under any kind of watch or warning) The sirens never even went off.

The looting started shortly thereafter.

That is the part that sickens me the most. The fact that human nature automatically goes directly into a "How can I benefit myself?" mindset. It capitalizes on the misery of others w/out regard to the fact that, enclosed in the relics of what were once houses, these are peoples LIVES, their memories, their valuables, everything they have held dear to their hearts.
Children have taken first steps in these houses, said first words in these houses, travelled to their first days of school from these houses. They have went on their first dates from these houses, kissed their first kiss from these houses, earned their first paychecks while living in these houses. Fell in love, married, and brought home families to these houses. These houses, and additionally the belongings they encase, are more than just houses.
They are HOMES. They are all that represents LOVE and DECENCY in this world. SAFETY and WARMTH radiate from their very beings. And NO ONE should ever violate that.
Prayers to you all, that you should never feel that your HOME is no longer the sanctuary it should be.

I can BREATHE again!

I am soooo very thankful right now at this moment, and I would just like to share with you all.
My brother, who is a service man, is currently stationed somewhere in the Sandbox that is Iraq. Due to some regulation/rule/order we, his family (not even his wife), are not allowed to be informed of his whereabouts or what he is doing. We send our mail to a general postal address, and they find him. He calls my Sister In Law from a secure line once a week, and my parents about once a month or so. He has left his entire life behind to serve his country, and I am very proud of him (not something I could have said, say, 7 years ago.)
Yesterday afternoon we (both my mother and I independantly) received a phone calls from my Sister In Law. We were given the only information that she had -- my brother's Unit had been fired upon, and had sustained heavy casualties/damage. That was all. So, we have all been sitting on pins and needles, unable to sleep, trying to imagine a life that does not include him in more than just memory, jumping every time the phone rang, running at breakneck speeds just to have all our hopes dashed every single time it is not her with new informations. And, generally, not breathing.
Well, we can now breathe again. She just called my mother and told her that, while she cannot give any additional information (as the other families have not all been informed), she can tell us that it was not my brother. That is all she has.
And with those 5 little words, our whole world breathed a sigh of relief.

Additionally, my heart goes out to all those that have lost their loved ones to situations just like this. Their sacrifice is greatly appreciated, and they are remembered.

Heart wrenchingly sad, unbelieveably timeless.

I just LOVE the Classics. Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, etc. Women that wrote about true "Ladies", and endless love.
It is my opinion that every woman truely wants to feel that at least once in their lives. That breath stealing, heart pulling, searingly beautiful kind of love that only truely comes along once in a lifetime (I have been married twice, and yet have only felt this kind of love once - and not with either of my husbands.) A love that is desperately painful to let go of, and feels like the tremulous pain will never subside when that love is no longer a part of us.
I think that these women authors must have known something about that kind of love. Which is astounding for the time in which they existed. I am in awe of their accomplishments, and I am respectful of the way that they have inserted themselves into our contemporary lives with their timelessly beautiful words.

Never heard of them before a couple of weeks ago...Sugarland.

I am not normally a big fan of country music. However, I am completely IN LOVE with this song. It is sooooooo damn sad, and makes me bawl everytime I listen to it. But I also think that it is empowering in it's own way. It is interesting how a song can make one FEEL.
Anyway, this is the video Sugarland - Stay....

Some seriously sucky video quality, but you get the idea. Enjoy!

Looks we LOVE!!!

So, in my original post, I alluded to having "plans for this blog" LOL One of those plans includes what I like to refer to as "Looks we LOVE!!!" Each and every Monday I plan to seek out and post a few specific listings/pieces that we feel are drool worthy here in at our house. Hopefully, you will feel the same :)

The first comes from eBay seller flowers*for*lili (who creates ABSOLUTELY AMAZING clothing for children -- you should check out her About ME page for examples of her previous works of art.)

The second featured item comes from Etsy, and boy is it ADORABLE! Or should I say - Boy are THEY adorable. You decide! LOL onesweetbaby is bringing to you the most wonderful pair of baby booties that feature a SWEET, little Japanese Import - a Wizard of OZ print. And, if you LOVE those as much as we do, you should check out the other super CUTE stuff available in her listings (Can you say "HELLO SWEET HEDGIE HAT!!!"

Well, those are just 2 of the ADORABLE items that we have fallen in LOVE with at our house. Hopefully, you will find something in your searching that you fall in love with as well.

*NOTE* -- I would just like to say that, while we all love to look at items for sale everywhere, I am in no way endorsing these sellers or the items that they are selling. I know nothing of their business practices or the quality of their items. I am simply stating my opinion on the cuteness of the items they have listed. If you happen to fall in love with something on your own, and it doesn't work out (for whatever reason), I cannot (and will not) be held responsible.
This is my little disclaimer so that my a.i.c. Happy Monday!!!

PS - If you have a designer/listing/store that you would like to see on the Monday Looks we LOVE!!!, please send it to me. If we like what we see, and it is drool worthy, we may choose it to be featured (and by we, I mean, me and the girls)