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Life

September7th
57 Comments
The Beach {part 1}
Posted in: Life
Hello from the Gulf Coast! It’s REALLY, REALLY, REALLY good to be here with my family. We have had the most incredible weather and I’m so thankful that my whole family {including my paternal grandmother} is also along for our getaway! We are back at McBeach and it is somehow even better than I remembered it being!
First, before I jump into what we’ve been up to… thank you for your comments on the last post! I was very entertained reading them and I feel as though it is my responsibility to let you know that the CLC is requiring nothing of me above what is standard protocol. It has little to do with Auburn University and a lot to do with the CLC {who is their licensing agent and the company responsible for not only licensing companies to print their trademarks but also responsible for protecting their trademarks}! Basically if it looks like {or could even be mistaken for} something that Auburn University could sell, you cannot sell it. My understanding is that not only can you not sell it, but you also can’t make it for yourself. That is what makes trademarks so very tricky. But in my case, clearly I was in violation. If I were to use images/slogans that are not trademarked but could be mistaken for apparel that was representing Auburn University {which is where I think the colors come into play} that too would be in violation, which is why I will be refraining from here on out of printing anything that could be remotely associated with a university! Not to mention, I’m kinda on their radar screen! If anything, I’ve learned a lot and I’m thankful that I can be an example to the rest of you of what NOT to do! Oh, let’s not think about that any more… how ’bout the sugar sand beaches and blue/green water of NW Florida!?!?!
The kids have been up at the crack, dressed in swimsuits {or not} ready to hit the shore!
We brought a little box of matchbox cars for the Rover and I’ve noticed he’s not the only “boy” here that likes them. {DaddyBoy’s laptop screen damage compliments of my children.}
Please note: his pjs are licensed.
Our days have been filled with building sandcastles, swimming, boogie boarding {myself included and I may not be able to move for a few days}, seashell hunting, watching interesting flying contraptions, eating lots of good food and watching the sunset over dinner. The kids have absolutely had a blast {as have the adults} and John Martin is enthralled with Sloane, he loves not being the “baby” when she’s around… he also is really good at entertaining her!!
DaddyBoy clearly needs a Honey Bee t-shirt, not that I’m for parking lots on beaches, but I’m certain I can find him something a little more… subtle and stylish.
One evening DaddyBoy and I decided to go feed the seagulls. Yes, we are those annoying people! But we had so much fun, as did the girls, well, Paige was slightly terrified when they came in CLOSE! The seagulls seemed to love their Cheerio snack mix! I should also mention that DaddyBoy’s favorite movie is The Birds by Hitchcock…
After the birds were well fed the girls and I stayed and watched the sunset, it was a moment that I hope to not ever forget.
I am hoping very soon the Rover will come to terms with the fact that he needs to have his hair cut. I keep catching him looking at it…
Ok, I’m off to drink some coffee, watch the waves crash, the sun rise… thank the Lord that our stay here is only half over! Be back soon with this month’s sponsor post!!
September1st
168 Comments
Ignorance Is Not Bliss
Posted in: Life
Darby Doll is not doing well.
She inadvertently broke the law.
And she is so sorry.
She loves her alma mater with all of her heart… but she infringed on their trademark by printing the words “War Eagle” on tee shirts.
Within a few hours of posting the tiger tee in the shop last week someone at Auburn University let me know that “War Eagle” is a trademark of Auburn University. First, I thought about what an idiot I was for not knowing that and then I immediately removed the shirts from the shop. Just a few hours in the shop is all they had but the damaged had already been done. This week I was contacted by the Collegiate Licensing Company and I unfortunately knew what their email would say before I even opened it… it was full of legal jargon accompanied by phrases such as… “unauthorized use of a trademark”, “we will advise the University accordingly and suggest a legal course of action”. I spoke with the CLC today, to assure them that I had complied before even being asked to comply with their request to cease & desist, that it was an honest and ignorant mistake and I will do whatever I need to do to make it right, which I am currently in the process of doing. The reality is these trademarks are not taken lightly and I have learned a very hard lesson. I asked the attorney today that I spoke with if it would be okay for me to print the tiger on a tee shirt without “Auburn” or “War Eagle” and he advised, that while the tiger I used is not trademarked/copyrighted by Auburn University that it closely resembles a tiger that they use and told me I may not use it. There will be no more “team” related tees and I have been advised not to use any colors associated with the university as well; all of these are the proprietary rights of the university and I will not gain from what is rightfully theirs. Live & learn! The good thing is that I can still say “War Eagle!” which I intend to do this weekend. I also intend to sit on the beach with my family and not think about what kind of mess I’ve gotten myself into. The good thing is, I can at least look at Darby Doll in her orange {wood grain} jumpsuit and laugh and remind myself that His grace is sufficient for me.
PS- I didn’t touch Darby Doll’s hair, this is exactly how I found it in the bottom of a bin in the closet of the playroom… she’s such a mess!
August29th
73 Comments
Thank You & Books
Posted in: Life, tshirts
My goodness, I know I can’t say “thank you” enough for all your support of the new little tee shop. I vastly underestimated what would take place and to say “I’m so grateful” is an understatement… but THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! If you ordered a tee it’s already on it’s way! Justin and I have been burning the midnight oil, pulling, wrapping, packing, taping… and meanwhile learning the ins and outs of Click ‘n Ship, thankfully avoiding going postal in the process. My $30 Walmart printer pulled us through and reminded me of The Little Engine that could. After the kids were snug in their beds we transformed the kitchen into our workshop and worked like elves, wishing we had a few little elves! By the time we packed the last box we figured out the most efficient way to knock it out and hopefully are better prepared for the future… live & learn. I am in the process of reordering and adding a few more designs. I’ve yet to find a long sleeved tee that I love, but the search will continue. I have a handful of tees left that I didn’t list initially that are listed now in the shop {which has a new tab at the top of the blog} so keep checking and I’ll keep you posted on the status of the next batch. {I’m estimating they should be in the shop in 10-14 days.} Thank you again… I’m so excited that you liked them!
Next topic, books…
First, I was honored to be included in Oh Dee Doh‘s Favorite Children’s Book Interview last week…
I loved all of Carrie’s questions and thought I’d pass the LINK along to those of you who are interested in children’s books! Our all time favorite authors include: Scarry, Wilder, and Wells and we had the opportunity to talk about our favorite illustrators as well. Answering Carrie’s questions made me realize just how much we love children’s books! This summer we started reading Laura Ingalls Wilder to the girls… we plowed through Little House in the Big Woods and are about half-way through Little House on Prairie. Morgan {age 5} especially loves it and looks so forward to it every night. Wilder is such an amazing writer and I, too, have come to have such a respect and admiration for her style. Not only do I love her style, I think her books are full of valuable life lessons and applications for our children! If I’m honest, I probably look forward to the next chapter as much as the girls do.
I also just finished a little review for our church newsletter and thought this would be a great place to post it as well… it’s for a devotional book called Jesus Calling. My friend Katie gave it to Erika and me for our birthdays this summer and since then I have recommended it so many people… except y’all, so now I’m doing so! I’ve hesitated thus far to post about it because the reality is I am consistently inconsistent when it comes to a lot of things, one of which is my quiet times. I didn’t want to depict a false image of a devotional book guru, but the reality is I feel passionate about this book and love the perspective from which it is written. Not to mention, I think a lot of you would really love it. {If you’re an iPhone user she even has an ap for your iPhone.}
Here’s what I wrote about it…
Written from the unique perspective of Jesus {written in first person}, Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence by Sarah Young is unlike any devotional I’ve ever read. It is teaching me the importance of the practice of listening to the Lord and what his Word has hidden in it for me. The book reads with an authentic feeling of meeting with the Father and hearing Scripture spoken to the heart. Filled with a devotion for every day of the year, Jesus Calling, is a powerful devotional that speaks truth into the life of a believer to combat the all distractions that keep us from communion with the Lord. Each daily entry is accompanied by scripture references from which Sarah Young has compiled her text. Jesus Calling is so packed with Biblical exhortation it was hard to chose one excerpt, but this is just one snippet of truth…
“Stay calmly conscious of Me today, no matter what. Remember that I go before you as well as with you into the day. Nothing takes me by surprise. I will not allow circumstances to overwhelm you, so long as you look to Me. I will help you cope with whatever the moment presents.”
Sarah Young is currently a missionary to Japanese people living in Australia and holds degrees from Wellesley, Tufts, Georgia State, and Covenant Seminary. In her introduction to the book, Sarah explains, “The Bible is, of course, the only inerrant Word of God; my writings must be consistent with that unchanging standard. I have written them from Jesus’ point of view…so the perspective is of that of Jesus speaking to you.” I think Sarah Young has done an exceptional job of guiding and encouraging her readers into the presence of God. I am grateful for this devotional and I highly recommend it!
I’ve done a little reading myself this last month; The Help, Her Mother’s Hope, and I’m just starting The Kitchen House. I loved The Help {I’ve not heard of anyone who didn’t} and Her Mother’s Hope. Although it wasn’t my favorite Rivers book, I still managed to finish Her Mother’s Hope in a few short days, had no problem turning the page, and I certainly will be reading the sequel, hoping some of what I’ve read will be redeemed. Something about the character of Marta and how she treated Hildemara didn’t settle well with me and honestly I found myself slightly frustrated {which is likely how Rivers wanted me to feel}. In my opinion, even the last chapter fell a little short of justifying her actions/behavior toward her own daughter. I won’t say more… in case you want to read it. It is well-written, a little on the darker/depressing side, but by no means boring. I’d love any recommendations you all have for good reads…
As you can see by the picture above we are still pretending like it’s summer around here… in fact, we’re in the home stretch of our countdown to our summer beach trip! We are headed back to McBeach this year for fun and sun and are thrilled the beaches of NW FL are still oil free! Thank the Lord!
Ok, I need to go kiss those lips. Be back soon…
Oh, before I go there were a couple questions on the post about the gingersnaps & ferns…
- The ginger snap recipe says it makes “250-300 small cookies”, I wouldn’t know for sure if that’s accurate because we made average size cookies and it yielded about 3 dozen average cookies… but true gingersnaps are probably the size of a quarter or half-dollar so it may very well yield that many.
- The recipe also calls for “butter flavored shortening”, I know, not appealing, not healthy, but I imagine this is how they stay chewy on the inside… if anyone substitutes butter please let me know how they turn out!
- I also forgot to mention that the ferns like to be misted with water, I just use a hose and lightly mist all the fronds when I’m watering them.
- In the cold months {Dec, Jan, Feb} the ferns come inside to my foyer and I sit them on folded towels so I can still water with out risking ruining my floors/rug. It’s not the most ideal place but it has windows and they seem to like it there. I think a garage would be fine but ours weigh so much we just brought them right into the house. They do not bring in bugs {that I’ve noticed} but rather lizards, but we welcome the lizards over bugs because they eat bugs!