~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~
{Pretty}
We visited friends in Austin this weekend, and I found this beautiful image of Our Lady on my friend’s kitchen counter. I’m on a search to find out where to get a copy of this!! I think she is so very beautiful!!
{Happy}
Our trip to Austin this past weekend was for the Texas Rally for Life. I took a minute to say hey to Abby Johnson and snap a few photos!
Jonathan (squinting into the sun) and Abby. Speaking of, Abby posted my post, “Four Words I’ll Never Forget” on Facebook on Monday. Crashed the site. Really. That lady has some pull! :)
{Funny}
These two little buggers. Drive me crazy all afternoon, refusing to clean their room. So, I go all Pa Ingalls on them and tell ‘em no dinner till it’s done. They’re eating cold quesadillas at 8 PM and THEN proceed to get all cute, snuggling on the couch while watching ‘Mythbusters’. (In this photo they are very worried about the guy jumping off a roof wrapped in bubble wrap. It all ended well).
Too cute to stay mad at for long. That’s why God made kids cute…
My mom came for a quick visit yesterday, and that is always preceded by a fast ‘run around the house and pick stuff up’ session. This is what I scooped up off of our kitchen counter. I was trucking it into my room to hide it away when I realize it was a pretty funny conglomeration of my life. So, I took a photo. And then left the pile on the table for the rest of the day…
{Real}
Mom brought our family a real treat! A stack of books belonging to my dad and my mother’s father.
I had fun rearranging my bookshelves! Here’s the newest additions! Check out those 1911 Charles Dickens and the so very 50′s version of Tom Sawyer!
little scamp…
my grandmother’s handwriting – ’cause I’m not so sure my dad would have bothered to put his name in his books? :)
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And then, there’s this treasure! We figure it must have been some sort of college text book. There’s all sorts of writing inside the front cover – names after names crossed out.
My grandfather’s signature, Lynwood Bascomb Hardin. I never met him, he passed away when my mom was about 4 years old.
Someone who had this text really appreciated Henry David Thoreau, as do I!
I love a few of the handwritten notes:
“Lacks coherence, but hangs together fairly well as a whole”
and
“don’t take Thoreau too seriously…”
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Also, I’m up for the “Sheenazing Blogging Awards” over at A Knotted Life! Would you consider voting for me? Here’s the contest page, and The Loveliest Hour has been nominated for “Best looking blog” and “blog with best memes”.
So glad you joined, Lauren! I love this post. I really considered going to the March; maybe next year. I love the Mary image, and the items from the counter are hilarious…and totally what I would find on my own counters! Voted for you in the contest :)
What a wonderful collection of books! Stopping by from {p,h,f,r}
I have a serious jealousy of the treasure of a book collection you’ve been given – how wonderful!!! I hope that we can make it down to Austin one year for the rally for life, it looks like ya’ll had good weather for it this year. We are about 5 hours away, so I’m not sure how the logistics would work out with school and all, but it is a true desire to accomplish the trip for something so meaningful to our family.
Don’t take Thoreau too seriously. I love it! You know, it is always really hard for this Louisiana gal to type his name without adding an “x’ to the end.
When you find out where to get a copy of that lovely image of the Blessed Mother, will you please let us all know. I’ve never seen that icon, and I absolutely love it. And you’re right. Thank God He made kids so cute so we can’t stay mad at them long.
That image of Our Lady- tremendous! I love it! You should share it at our Marian Mondays link-up, or I’ll “steal” it and give you credit ;-) People have to see it- it’s delightful!
And Abby Johnson- how cool!
Also, is there anything better than an old book? I think not.
I think that image of the Blessed Mother may have been on the cover of Magnificat sometime in the past few years. It looks very familiar to me but I have no idea who painted it.
Oh what a sweet collection to acquire. I love finding reading notes in books, so entertaining.
Thanks to Karen above, I found your image in this post by Elizabeth Scalia:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/theanchoress/2011/12/10/our-yes-to-god-brings-his-more-perfect-yes-to-us/
Do I win the giveaway? Wait, there’s no giveaway?! ;)
I’m so excited! Thank you!! And, it’s British! Who would’ve thought – except that she looks a bit British, or Irish. I think that’s what I love about her. She looks a bit like me :)
The image has been found!!! Thank to Terri and Karen!! Yay!
Of course I voted for you – you made my blog look so nice :)
Also, isn’t it funny how all grandmas have the same handwriting. How do they do that??
And, judging from your pile of stuff, you still have your Fisher Price Nativity scene out ;)
Oh how beautiful. I am really, really trying not to be jealous and covet that lovely stash of books your mom brought! What treasure! I stopped over from PHFR. I’ll definitely be checking back in. :)
Those books are treasures! What fun. Thanks for joining, Lauren!