Bits & Pieces of Today ~

Jenny brought Miss Elle,

and after resting with her (and feeding a hungry babe),

we dressed her up and took her picture!

Connor came, and Lena Grace,
and we dressed them up, too!

The little ones were so cute,

watching the even smaller one!

And Miss Patti? Like all grandmothers,

like me, she was in baby heaven.

and this is my favorite photo for the week so far ~

A Standing Broom ~

Will Burdett, 2 1/2, cautiously examines a broom that seems to stand on its own, with no visible support, in a Prattville storefront. Will's mother, Christy Burdett, is preparing to open the location as a consignment shop. (David Bundy)
There is a buzz in downtown Prattville! We seem to have another resident ghost, or ghosts depending on who is talking, in one of the older downtown buildings. A customer came in to the shoppe, which is directly across the street, all excited about a broom standing upright. With no one holding it. I'll let you click here and go directly to our Montgomery Advertiser for the full story and a video that was taken yesterday. Or click here to see Bryan Henry's take on it. (He and his cameraman parked right outside our door, but they didn't interview us this time. He interviewed Patti last September! You can read about it here, but I don't think the video can be accessed.) A-N-Y-WAY, let me tell you this town is a-buzzing! John and I walked across the street with Patti earlier this evening and sure enough, there's a broom standing upright. In the middle of the room. We tried getting a snapshot through the door, however the dirt and smudges on the glass made it difficult. But if you're downtown, stop by and see the standing broom ~ then cross the street and I'll be glad to help you shop at Cute As A Button!

08/27: Just a note ~ I've been asked if I believe it's 'ghosts' or what I think about this incident. I believe in God, His angels, and I know Satan's workers walk this earth as well. I believe in Paradise and knowing His children will one day worship at His feet. I believe there will be some sort of logical explanation for this, and no, I do not believe in ghosts. I don't disbelieve but there's nothing to make me believe in "wandering souls lost in the nether world". So take it for what it's worth. Do I find it interesting? Shoot yeah, I've had lots of giggles over it and laughter watching others try to figure it out. You should see the faces of others when I tell them about it. I've always loved a good story (wink, wink)
~Have a beautiful day!

Just Another Trigger Moment

Julie Conn.

A second grade teacher at Holtville Elementary.

My home-away-from-home for twenty years.

She taught down the hall from me.

Always had a smile, a hug, a dear friend.

She came into Cute As A Button last week,

looking for an outfit for her newborn son.

I turned around to greet a customer,

and it was Julie. Jules. My Jules, from 'that time'.

My counselor calls these moments trigger moments.

When my throat closes, the headache begins,

speech becomes labored, my thought process jumbled.

I wanted to cry, to hold onto her, to be back there,

to be back in Room 33, beside Lisa,

across the hall from Jackie and Deborah;

to live at 204 Spruce, the home Johnny and I loved,

to have it all 'not have happened'.

So much rushed me at once

that for a moment, or two,

all I could do was stare at her.

And remember. And hurt.

We talked, we hugged, I saw the baby,

she left. I remembered.

And I grieved. And cried.

Will it ever.get.better?

Will I ever, ever get to the point

that it.won't.hurt?

Logic tells me the house at Spruce was too big,

too much upkeep for a disabled retiree.

But my heart tells me

had the accident not happened,

we would still be there. Still sitting in the swing,

on the deck John built, and I loved.

I would still be teaching next door to my best friend

and learning from seven and eight year old

angels in little children bodies. Do I miss the day to day

routine, the parental worries, the paperwork?

You bet I do. I always will. It was a passion. It was me.

Honestly, I don't know if it will ever get better.

It will be three years tomorrow.

We are in a new home.

Another new home, as a matter of fact.

And Life is different. As much as he tries,

and as much as they try,

and as much as I try,

it will always be different.

And God help me,

I want it back. There are times

I ache I literally ache,

to have Life the way it used to be.

My heart tells me I have much

to be thankful for; much to enjoy;

much to find delight in. And yes,

retirement has freed me up for other things,

and I cling to the understanding

that He never, ever, allows anything to happen

that He doesn't offer some means of bringing

Glory and Praise to His Name.

But my heart still breaks,

when those trigger moments occur.

So if I see you at some point, and you wonder

why I fumble, why tears slide, why I stare~

just know you have triggered a moment

for a past I miss with my whole heart.

And I continue telling myself,

it will get easier.

And then,

I go to my Jenny's family blog,

and she has this photograph of Noah.

And I read her words with the picture,

"Run, Forrest, run!"

And I laughed.

Through the tears brought from writing to you,

I laughed remembering what I had seen on her blog.

So I have brought it to you for your laughter.

God works in beautiful, mysterious ways.

"My soul doth magnify the Lord.
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour."

Go, Noah! "Run, Forrest, run!"

Jenny works at Cute As A Button,

and today she came to help

with a large shipment.

And Noah came along!

The shipment was late arriving,

and we enjoyed sitting with Noah~

one of his favorite books~
I loved watching them.
and she loved sneaking kisses~

My turn!

Oh, and get a good look

at those thunder thighs.

I WILL lose twenty pounds by

the end of the year and

get toned up as well!

Noah wanted a 'nack'

and he knows we keep

'goldfish' in the kitchen.

His idea of eating is to stuff

his mouth before Ian can get any.

Ian wasn't even here, but Noah

still stuffs. Regardless.

I asked Jenny to get a shot

of Noah in his new outfit.

We have a photo album at the shoppe

for kids in CAAB clothing.

Noah

didn't

want

to

take

pictures!

This is as good as it got.

Noah took this one himself!

and ate off and on as he ran

back and forth when he heard

the bell ring. He'd call out,

'Coot as a butn!'

I'm so in love~

We didn't finish checking in

the shipment ~ it was huge!

But we truly enjoyed

our time together!

UPDATE! I haven't lost twenty pounds yet, but I've lost 16!! I WILL be under 150 by 2010!

I am so excited! {Of course, Johnny says it does NOT take much to excite me.} BUT, Cute As A Button is getting, this week!, these great closet organizers!! I first became aware of them when Jenny was pregnant with Ian and someone gave a set to her as a gift. Through the years I noted how she kept his clothes sized as she shopped for sales, etc. She would just go to the closet, insert them behind the correct size, and voila! She never wondered again what sizes she had!

I think they are the bomb, and I know that terminology dates me, but honestly I am so excited that Cute As A Button is now carrying them! Two colors are available and of course it's pink and blue!

I would really appreciate it if you would visit Patti's website by clicking here , checking out the page, and becoming a follower! And whenever you are in Prattville, come downtown and visit!

It's a happy place to be!

On another note, a health note,

both of us are finally to the point that there are not

millions of tissues on the floor,

our kitchen cabinet doesn't look like a pharmacy,

and we can sleep near each other without,

well okay,

one of us is always punching the other because of snoring.

I blame mine on sinuses being totally stopped.

Johnny isn't buying that, claiming I snore period.

Imagine! Me?! Snoring?!

I think not.

Besides, how would he know??

He's snoring too loudly to hear anything!

And I think I'll say goodnight on that one!

Shopping Downtown

Guess What! I found a new shop! Well, okay, so I didn't find it. In fact, it took both Patti and Jenny mentioning it for me to finally get downtown and check it out. Well, alright so that wasn't exactly the truth either. I went downtown to get another casserole to stick in the freezer. What, you ask. At Fanci Free, you can not only have a yummy meal in their soda shoppe, but you can take dinner home with you! They have the best entrees and sides you can wrap your lips around. And the bestest part is, you don't have to cook it!! Just slide those aluminum pans in the oven and relax as your home fills with a home cooked odor. My kind of meal~here's their menu!
Then, walking back to the car, I glanced across the street and saw it. Victoria's Boutique. Bingo, my memory kicked in and I stepped out onto the street, and had two vehicles come to a complete stop. Hm, guess that's why one should always look both ways~I found the cutest short swing coat, in Bama houndstooth no less!, and another key holder, a silver elephant for you Tide Fans. If you don't have a key holder, you really need to get you one. It loops over your purse edge, saving your fingernails as you dig through a 'too-big-and-everything-falls-to-the-bottom" purse! Here's my finds!

Only $10, it's nice and heavy and she has other designs as well. The tiger head was way cool, but not my style during football season~

A bit more than $10, but it's wool, lined, and I can already see myself with wide legged black pants, heels, and a soft black turtleneck.

Down at Carol Brooks Antiques, I found these adorable seasonal towels and even used the ribbon on the package to wrap around the towels~both for less than $19! {and the towels are huge feed sack material!!}

I also bought a dough bowl that caught my eye. I grew up watching my grandmother Yarbrough mix her yeast roll and biscuit dough in a nice round deep one and it now sits in Jen's kitchen with fruit, or snacks, or pocket change, whatever she happens to need it to be~

Carol's dough bowls are handmade in the USA and no two are alike. Mine was only $39 and I love it! Look at the darkened detail~the neat tile in the back is something Jenny gave me and it mirrors my belief.

Of course, I had to go back and get towels for the months of November and December. And maybe even January. Nah, I'll find another before then~

Cute As A Button will be moving downtown soon and I'm looking forward to having another favorite store on Main Street!

Layla & Cute As A Button Sale!

Today was such fun!! I got to meet Layla and Kevin!!! WhooHoo!! and not only that, but I got a gorgeous nightstand from her online home sale for only $30!!! I called Johnny on my way home and told him to meet me in the drive to get a piece of furniture out of the back seat. I knew he'd be wearing a frown. And I was soooo right, BUT you should have see that frown quickly become a grin when he saw how nice it is and that it was going on HIS side of the bed! I have a happy camper here tonight, folks. I'll post a pic later tonight as I still need to rearrange the side of my bed in order to move it all a bit {remember, apartments are not on the 'big' side}

Layla and Kevin are such a sweet couple with dreams that I just know will become reality for them. If you haven't voted for her today, and you can vote once a day!, please click here, view her video and vote for her! I just know she'll be on TV one day and can give a shout out to our historic town! Go, Layla and The Lettered Cottage!! Tonight she has some pics of Halloween decor and she mentions dough bowls. Well, if you're local then visit Carol Brooks Shoppe downtown!! Her store is the old 'Hope's' location and she has many dough bowls to choose from. Great prices, too!

And, for those of you that love to shop at Cute As A Button, Patti won't be moving until later in October (due to extensive construction) SO she's decided to bring in fall and holiday items NOW!! AND, in order to make room for it, starting tomorrow the 40% sale items will now be 50%!!!! and she's adding gift items and accessories!! I can't wait to go tomorrow and find out what else is now on sale!

The weather? It's definitely cooler! and I'm lovin' it. Love the breezes, love the leaves falling, love the rainy, overcast days. I hope your day has held many moments of laughter for you today and may you find sweet rest tonight~

It's been a really nice week. One of those where you feel like you got a lot accomplished. Didn't attain some goals I set for myself, but still got a lot finished that needed attention. Know what I mean?

Leigh (did I spell this right?!) Graham came by Cute As A Button this afternoon and it was so nice to take a break and chat with her. She had been to a funeral and was on her way home. Sad occasion, but wow, did she look great! I'm more accustomed to seeing her in work clothes. As my daddy would say, "she cleans up nice". ha ha You did look sharp, girl!

John is ready for the Alabama game tomorrow evening and has ordered the game and wanting some 'snacks' from the grocery. Ian has his first soccer game in the morning, if it isn't raining (like it is at the moment) and I intend to get in the garage and organize some boxes!! I've been putting it off and can't get park my cute little car in there until I finish.

Pray for those on the coast that will be affected when Hurricane Ike comes ashore tonight. May they be safe and may it cease in strength before becoming landbound.

Sleep good, and I'll check in with all of you a bit later this weekend~

A Blogger Par-Tay!!

Today, Kristy Busby and her two precious babes came into Prattville and to see me at Cute As A Button!! It was so much fun meeting her face to face, as we've only known each other through the blogging world! So we decided to ~

have a gathering of bloggers!!! Go to Kristy's home page and sign up if you're near the Montgomery area and can attend!! Here's some info, but to make it easy for us to get an accurate count leave a comment on Kristy's blog and be counted!! Hope to see you!!

It' a Saturday lunch, and any and all local bloggers that we know would be invited! I will begin by inviting all my local blog buddies: October 4th at 11:00am. Details will follow as to where we will meet. I am open to suggestions!

1. Please RSVP so that I know how many are interested and are able

2. Please nominate a restaurant! :) I HATE picking out where to eat!

3. Invite your local blogger friends - especially ones that follow bloggers that you know may be there

4. Be prepared to share your 3 favorite blogs - and why!

A couple of notes tonight~first, I'd like you to visit Graham Shenanigans and leave a comment! Leigh came into the shoppe today and we had the nicest time sharing. Found out that we both have a blog and swapped addresses!! She's super sweet, loves the Lord, and lives here in our town. I know you'll enjoy her blog as much as I did tonight~

Please continue praying for Patti Phelps' family. There has been another tragic accident within their family, where emergency surgery had to be done at UAB. She is very concerned how this is affecting her parents. When I spoke with her yesterday, she sounded fragile. I assured her there were many praying for this family and that He would not leave them alone.

I hope all of you had a safe and restful Labor Day weekend. And as always, have a week filled with laughter!

Prayers Needed

The owner of Cute As A Button, Patti Phelps, has lost two family members within a 24 hour period. Her brother-in-law, Charles, was killed in a robbery/double murder last week in Highland Home. He owned a grocery and was killed, along with a friend that was there helping him stock. This has rocked the family. While preparing to come to Alabama for his funeral, a family member in Tennessee died. Her funeral will be Tuesday afternoon, allowing the family in Alabama to attend Charles funeral and pack for the trip to Tennessee. Patti is concerned for her parents. Her mother passed out yesterday and her father is shell-shocked, to say the least. I know they would appreciate being added to prayers lists.

Also, Jenny's son, Noah, has another double ear infection and she has requested prayers for him that a healing will take place and circumvent the need for tubes. All mothers hate to see their children hurt, much less have to be put to sleep for any type of procedure.

We serve an awesome Saviour and He hears the prayers of the righteous. It is a wonderful feeling to come to you today asking for this and know that it will be answered. Thank you for being a prayer warrior and a child of the King. I'll keep you updated~

Monkey & The Dog

What do you get when you mix a napmat with a little boy?

One very relaxed and happy grandson~
Cute As A Button has some really cute napmats and Jen wanted two for the boys to keep upstairs and watch TV~Ian chose the Dog and picked the monkey for Noah. Ian really liked his,but not nearly as much as this little monkey

was instantly loved by Noah! Aptly named, Monkey,Noah immediately got down on the floor and nuzzled all over this furry animal!He was so cute, and I really think he would've fallen asleep had Jenny given him the time~

Last night, I met with three of my dearest and bestest friends. Deborah had a delicious casserole and chocolate dessert!! Kay and Lisa brought lots of hugs and laughter and we had such a great time together~I would hate to think of life without them. Here's Lisa and Deborah. Kay and I refused to pose for the camera~