Archives for July 2014

Great Links For You, Blogging Break For Me

July 21, 2014 By Leave a Comment

IMG_9528

July means it’s time for a two-week blogging break for me, but I’m not leaving you without some help, Mother of the Bride. I have some great links for you to peruse at your leisure. Whether you drink them in like one long gulp of refreshing lemonade or come back from time to time to have a sip here and there, I hope the ideas and inspiration you find here will hit your MOB spot.

Have you discovered the Strictly Weddings site yet? They feature the best of the best and are a great place to get ideas even if you’re not located in one of the cities they feature. I follow their Facebook page and Pinterest boards and love the photos they post in both of those places. Keep in mind that even if most of what they feature seems out of your budget, you can still look for similar items that will fit your price range better.

Here are the Strictly Weddings links:

Strictly Weddings website
Strictly Weddings Facebook page
Strictly Weddings Pinterest page
*My favorite board on their Pinterest page is their Wedding Cake Board.  Big surprise, huh?! :)

Enjoy the wedding eye candy, MOB! Hope you find some terrific ideas to pass along to your daughter. I’ll be back August 4th. See you then!

*You might also like to look at my Mother of the Bride Blog Posts board on my Pinterest page. It will give you a visual look at all of my posts. Another option is using the drop down feature in the Archives to see all of the blog post titles.

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, comes out the first of August. Sign up is free and to the right!

Leave a Comment Filed Under: advice, cake, help, Mother of the Bride, preparation, search

Blast from Vacation-Past—Plus a Blogging Break

July 21, 2014 By 10 Comments

24 - vacation

This year’s Summer Photo Fun emphasis wouldn’t be complete without some sort of blast from the past, would it? Since I’m starting a two-week vacation from blogging today, I thought it would be fun to share a snapshot of the Barker gang while on vacation back in the day.

The year was 1989. We were headed into Tijuana for the day. Culottes were in style (at least my style!) and Don toted a camera nearly as big as my purse. Kristin fit in to California quite easily with her glamorous sunglasses while Kelli was missing some teeth. We were a happy little group—at least while taking this photo. You know how vacations go :)

Speaking of vacations, I’ll be back from my blogging break on August 4th. Whatever the last couple of weeks of July hold for you, I hope you get to spend some priceless time with loved ones at some point. Blessings to all—and see you in August!

“the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” Psalm 121:8

*Will you be taking a vacation this summer or have you already taken one? What did you do or where did you go?

*Our photo

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, comes out the first of August. Sign up is free and to the right!

10 Comments Filed Under: adventure, family, memories, photo fun, summer, travel

Rustic Wedding Bridal Shoes: Boots—What Else?

July 17, 2014 By Leave a Comment

13129968355_158d02e965_b

Mother of the Bride, if your little gal is planning a rustic wedding, she may want a touch of country in her attire—and that may mean boots on her feet!

Even though boots may clash a bit with the best gown of your daughter’s lifetime, they really can be super cute when you have a rustic theme going on throughout the wedding. If you add a touch of rustic to the bouquet as in the photo below, the boots will even provide that other element that will tie her attire all together. And just think of all the cute photo possibilities!

So Momma of the Bride, saddle up and get in the hoedown spirit. If boots will make your baby girl happy, kick up your heels and join the fun. Boots it will be!

*You might also like to read about this décor idea for rustic weddings.

10807191213_aefeed4b48_z

*Flickr photos by Villa de Amore, Creative Commons License

 *The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, comes out the first of August. Sign up is free and to the right!

Leave a Comment Filed Under: appearance, bride, fun, Mother of the Bride, rustic

Summer Photo Fun: Name That Flower Returns!

July 17, 2014 By 9 Comments

IMG_1219

Have you noticed that I enjoy adding a little guessing game twist to some of my Summer Photo Fun posts? Hope you don’t mind working a little when you drop by here, but what can I say—I love making you guess!

Since I did a Name That Flower post last summer that featured flowers from our region, this time I thought I’d make you guess the names of some flowers my daughter Kristin and son-in-law Shawn saw while they were in northwest Washington and Victoria British Columbia in June. I don’t remember seeing these flowers here in the Heartland before, but I’m not even an amateur expert on flowers so they may be seen in regions other than the Northwest as well.

So let’s see how familiar you are with these flowers seen in the Northwest. Are you ready to name that flower?

Can’t wait to see your guesses in the comments. List your guesses 1 through 8, starting with the top photo (the one above), and I’ll chime in from time to time and let you know if your guesses are correct. Have fun with it—and rejoice in the beauty from the hand of our Creator!

“May you be blessed by the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Psalm 115:15

IMG_4138

IMG_4475

IMG_4452 - Copy

IMG_4304

IMG_4208*Looking for the name of the white/pale green flower not the pink one.

imagejpeg_1

IMG_4280

*So what are your guesses? Good luck!

*Photos by Kristin

*Take Note: I’ve changed my comment system to make it easier for some of you who have had trouble with or don’t care for the Disqus comment system. Give it a try now. Hope this helps!

 *The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, comes out the first of August. Sign up is free and to the right!

9 Comments Filed Under: beauty, flowers, nature, photo fun, summer, variety

Remembering Mom

July 14, 2014 By 12 Comments

HoyIMG_8832

I think my current Summer Photo Fun emphasis here on the blog is the perfect time to honor and remember my mom and share a few treasured photos of her with you.

As most of you will remember, we lost Mom unexpectedly last October as a result of injuries she received in a car accident. Our family misses her like crazy and feels her absence every day. I hope you’ll enjoy this glimpse of the woman that we loved so dearly for so many years.

God blessed us with many tender mercies during our initial loss of Mom, and the photo above is one of those tender mercies (also the shot below of Mom kissing Dad on the cheek.) Just weeks before Mom’s accident, Mom and Dad’s church had photos taken for a new pictorial directory. How grateful we are to God to have these precious photos now.

And so here is my precious mother. I love you, Mom, and miss you so!

Mom and Dad WeddingMom and Dad’s wedding picture.

IMG019Mom with me and baby sister Janice.

R1-39Christmas morning with one (among many through the years) of the silly gifts we got Mom. She always acted like she loved them.

R1-28On the way to church. I’m on the left, already in prayer :)

R1-20Mom worked as the secretary for the company Dad worked for. They were lucky to have a home office.

Boys with Grandma 2004 Ft. WorthHere she is with some of her grandchildren and a great grandbaby. She loved her family. Below, my sisters and I with our dearly loved Mom.

IMG_0610 (Branson #2 reunion) IMG_3010 (2012) - CopyWhat a great cook. She made lots of yummy memories for us.

Mom & DadDad loved Mom like crazy. Here they are at our family reunion last summer in Tennessee.

Great Grandma and Benjamin by AaronShe was so happy to get to spend time with her great grandkids who live so many states away.

HoyIMG_8826pJust weeks before Mom’s accident and death. Thank You, Lord, for the precious photos. Thank You for our precious Mom.

“I thank my God every time I remember you.” Philippians 1:3

*Our photos taken by various family members. We purchased the rights to the top photo and last photo by Artisan Life.

*Take Note: I’ve changed my comment system to make it easier for some of you who have had trouble with or don’t care for the Disqus comment system. Give it a try now. Hope this helps!

 *The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, comes out the first of August. Sign up is free and to the right!

12 Comments Filed Under: family, memories, photo fun
Next Page »