Happy Birthday to Me!

Yep, today. another year older, hopefully another year wiser too. Lovely day!

Happy Birthday!

Happy 25 to my darling men: Leo & Simon! May you have many more, my loves!

Name Spotting

We stopped by the Country Store today, got the Kids a bit of candy, just like when they were little, and spotted the most adorable little Enzo! Yep, he was 2.5 and grabbing at everything he could get his hands on. We also spotted a tiny 3 mo. Amelie, a 7 yo. Vanessa and a wee George Thomas, who is a year old, tomorrow! Simon thought he was adorable, (which I thought was adorable). We’ve been out watching fireworks from the front lawn ( we’re on a hill, you see…) and I’m still so thrilled about the weekend, in general that I can’t sleep yet. I’m going to go play on the Xbox for a bit. Have a fabulous Fourth! 😀

Still dreaming of Jemima

Despite last month’s devestating loss, (well,it was for me!) I’m still dreaming of Jemima. I just adore her sound. Her look is pretty sublime as well. 🙂

Jemima Frances Ruby (had to flip middles, JRM are Fifi’s initials). So absolutely perfect. At least, I think so!

What middles would YOU pair with Jemima if Frances Ruby wasn’t perfectly fabulous for you? I’m just curious. Go ahead, let me know! 😀

Philippa redux

After Elisabeth so helpfully (and eloquently!) pointed out that Philippa Guinevere Alice sounded like she lived in a library with a dozen cats, I went digging for less heavy, more appealing pairings.

I found half a dozen that appeal for various reasons. If you’re at all familiar with me, you’ll know why. So without further ado, The Philippas:

Philippa Saffron Alice
Philippa Lucy Godeleve
Philippa Saffron Jane
Philippa Frances Loveday
Philippa Ruby Llanfaire
Philippa Ruby Valentine
Philippa Io Violet
Philippa Juno Adele

So, what do you think, any winners there? There’s at least two I really like and one I can live with. Wanna guess which ones? 😀

As always, thanks for stopping by and reading!

Elspeth redux

I’ve been loving Elspeth, nn Elsie forever, it seems. I’d thought Elspeth Scarlett Jane was pretty perfect. Sweet, lovely Elspeth, spunky Scarlett, refined Jane. But the more I said it, the more I thought ‘I can do better’.
So I went digging and found a few that appealled a bit:
Elspeth Juno Violet
Elspeth Guinevere June

and then I stumbled upon perfection:
Elspeth Iris Guinevere.

Irises were my Grandmother’s favorite flower. She had them all around the house. When I was 11, Grandpa died and Grandma moved. Before she did, I asked her for some Iris bulbs from the yard. I got a dozen. And I brought them with me when we moved north. I now have a hundred purple Irises ’round the yellow house! It looks so lovely in the Spring.

Granted,*if* this one’s a girl, (or a boy), it’ll be born in early November. Irises aren’t around then but the thought is still nice. 🙂

Guinevere charms Him,who’d rather Guinevere/Gwen up front/. She’s too much for me in front, but I can handle her as a middle. Hence Elspeth Iris Guinevere.

What do you think? I’d love to hear any thoughts.

And, as always, thanks for stopping in and reading!

The Boy List!

I know I announced our top boy name. It’s very likely that should this one have boy parts, he’ll be Rex. I just can’t get enough of Rex and I know my instincts are right in that he’s going to rise some more. Don’t ask me how, I just *know*. ;D

But we do have a small list, which Rex tops, just in case he’s clearly ‘not’ a Rex. It happens, and did happen with Simon, so I want to be prepared. Call me the boy scout of name nerds, but I like having stuff on hand for all eventualities!

With that said,here’s our small but handsome boys list:

Rex Aurelian Arthur: Tried Rex Arthur Aurelian but I like the flow better the way we’ve got it now.

Cosmo Henry George: I just can’t make myself take Coz off the list. He doesn’t sit perfectly with my other boys but he honors my dearest Great Granddad, and is absolutely staying, in case he suits. Henry George is for His Grandpop, well, Henry is. George is for the Trek nerd in us/My Pop’s patron St.George.

Remy Edward Xavier: Remy MacKenzie is too awesome for me to pass on just yet. And the possibility of Rex as a nickname (look at his initials!), just fabulous!

Rufus Wilder John: Rufus because we love him and he feels like family. Wilder’s one of the few family surnames that feels masculine to me and John is for Him, it’s his second middle.

Barnaby Edward Rex: Because Barnaby is so fun to say. 🙂 Actually, he’s in our favorite shared musical “Hello Dolly” (which is the only Streisand film I like). Edward for my Uncle & his oldest boy, my cousin. Rex, because Rex is stellar.

Clarence John Porfirio: Clarence is one of His cousins. The cousin goes by Ren, which is why I didn’t make thhe connection. We’d call ours Clancy. John’s for Him, Porfirio’s been my favorite name since I was 2.

and last but not least –
Cassius Barnaby Rex: Cassius because He loves it, Barnaby for *us* and Rex because he’s awesome.

So there you are, what do you think?

And, as always, thanks for reading!

The Official Girls List!

After three weeks of neverending name discussions we have a tenative girls list!
And boy, do I mean neverending. They start before breakfast, ” Which do you like better, Poppy, Penny or Nell”. Continues throughout the day in texts/chat/email, “What do you think of Philippa Andromeda”? and winds down over supper, “I still like Maud, could we give her initials that spell it out”? So I’m happy to report that from here on out, it’ll be a less intense discussion. 🙂

The list has 7 names plus 2 wildcards, one for Him (1) & one for me (2). Without further ado, the
‘Official’ Girls List!’

Penelope Juno Alice
Cecily Pandora Jane
Beatrix Juno Frances
Winifred Elinor Plum
Elspeth Scarlett Jane
Ottilie India Violet
Jemima Lucy Frances

(1) Philippa Guinevere Alice
(2) Clementine India Jane

Noot a bad set of 9,if I do say so myself. What do you think? Aw, c’mon, you know you wanna say something!

As always, thanks for reading! 😀

Now for the non-Family Girls!

We have a rule: if the first name doesn’t honor, middles must. We’ve stuck by that here, so you know. All middles have meaning to us. Huzzah! Onto the non-family girls:

Ottilie: Could say it honors cousin Otto, but won’t. I love her delicate look & sound and the potential Tillie thrills Him! Also Lettie potential for me. Fabulous combo: Ottilie India Violet (India, cousin, Violet, Aunt).

Penelope: The ‘newcomer’ to the list. Love her galloping sound. Nn Poppy, Penny or Nell in order. Combo: Penelope Juno Alice (Juno for Him, Alice for Mom, who wanted ‘me’ to be Alice!)

Clementine: I have loved Cleo forever (41 years!) and this is how I choose to get it). Clea is the other nn. Clementine is cheery and sweet and I love the pure Britishness of her combo: Clementine India Jane. (Cousin & Mom’s middle). *squee*! 😀

Philippa: I could say this honors Mom by way of Philip (which was her top pick for my brother), but won’t. 🙂 I love her galloping rhythm too. So pretty! Combo: Philippa Guinevere Alice. Guinevere honors several sweet Jennifers in ther family, Alice for Mom, again.

Beatrix: This is my love, Trixie she’d be, no doubt! I devoured Trixie Belden as a kid and have never stopped loving Trixie. Her combo thrills us both: Beatrix Juno Frances. Juno because He loves those goddess names (Io was our other choice for a middle), Frances *was* Mom.

Jemima: sweet, soft & beautiful. Jemima makes me happy. Her combo: Jemima Lucy Frances. Lucy was what Mom called me for 18 years, Frances, was Mom. I think she’d approve!

Susanna: Could say this honors me L.E.Susanne… but wont. 😀 I’m not thrilled with Susanna, the ‘anna’ gives me fits! Nicknames potentially, Zanna, Zuzu & Lily. But her combo thrills: Susanna Calliope Frances. Calliope is another of those Mythology names for Him, Frances is Mom.

Even my brother would approve of these! So there they are, all neatly set out. What do you think of these lovlies?

And, as always, Thanks for reading!

Presenting: the Family Girls on my list!

Here they are, the Family names on the list:

Cecily: honors Babci Cecilia, who’s already been honored & in use by three different cousins, Cecilia, Celia & Ceil. Cecily is the only girly variant that hasn’t been used. I’m closer to the cousin Cecilia and think she’d be tickled to have a “namesake”, so to speak. I like that she’s three syllables and not common but familiar enough that she won’t get strange looks. Her combo: Cecily Pandora Jane, honors all the way through, just like Josie’s.

Tallulah: Was my Paternal Great Grandmother, my Grandpop’s mother. I never knew her. But I like Tallulah’s galloping rhythm quite a bit. I like that her combo honors beginning to end too, it’s: Tallulah Frances May.

Elspeth: Was my Great Aunt. Same Grandpop’s (from above) sister. I always knew her as Aunt Elsie. My Grandma filled me in long after both she & my Grandpop were gone. Elspeth charms me to my toes, she’s Scottish and so matches my surname very well. I like nn’s Bess, Elsie, Lily & Elsa best. But I like that she’d have about a dozen to choose from, should she want. Again, like Josie. I found the lovliest combo for her too: Elspeth Scarlett Jane.

Margery: Margery’s a lovely cousin I haven’t seen since we were 14 or so, but I remember her well. I’d probably nn Margery, Daisy or Maisie/May. Margey, which the cousin got, does not appeal, nor do the countless Mag- nicknames. Mag- is so masculine a sound to me. I’ll have a Magnus to nn Maggie before I’d use it on a girl! I found a lovely combo that honors thoroughly too: Margery Elspeth Violet.

Winifred: My lovely Auntie. Yes, really. Uncle Skip’s wife. Pop’s youngest brother. He’s a flake and a half, but she’s lovely! She’d be tickled too, if I used it. I found the perfect combo for her too: Winifred Elinor Plum. Elinor honors His side (a cousin) and Plums are His favorite fruit. And Plum is such a luscious sound!

So, there they are. What do you think? 😀

Lurverly Elspeth one more time!

I can’t remember when I started loving Elspeth. Elsie was my Grandpop’s sister. What a lovely woman! It never occurred to me that it was short for anything but Grandma Lily told me when I was in my late 20’s that Elsie was Elspeth.

So at least 20 years Elspeth’s been a love. I’ve had her in the middle of combos, at the end of combos but I’ve only tried her as a first name a handful of times. But nothing has stuck.

That changed three days ago, purely by accident. Elspeth was yet again on my mind and somone at Nameberry said they heard a mom on the playground yell out “Scarlet/t Rose! (no idea of Scarlet/t’s spelling). And my brain went: “Scarlett! The perfect first middle for sweet, sedate Elspeth!”

So, I went to Him with Elspeth Scarlett and said “what next?” He thought for a split second and said “Jane, Jane’s perfect; spunky, sweet, smart and Your Mom”

So, Elspeth Scarlett Jane is now on the list. She could be nicknamed Bess, Elsa, Elsie or even, gods help me, Ellie.
There’s a couple right behind us with kids named Dylan & Ellie. We know them but aren’t super friendly with them. Dylan’s 5 to Josie’s 7 and Ellie’s almost 2. How confusing would it be to have a Bess, Elsa or Elsie next door to an Ellie? Maybe just Bess or Lily (since Grandma Lilian Elisabeth was “double Lil’ “quite a bit).

So, what do you think of Elspeth Scarlett Jane? Too sedate? Pretty? Not regal enough to be the little sister of Josephine Rosamel Anne? or what?

Can I have some thoughts on Elspeth Scarlett Jane? Anything? All would be very appreciated.

And, as always, thanks for reading! 😀

We have a Boy Name!

After several, small discussions, a bit of online posting (thanks, berries!) 😀 and a huge meeting of the minds, we have an official Boy Name!

Drumroll, please, for…

Rex Aurelian Arthur MacKenzie!

Simple, sweet, handsome, sexy Rex. Aurelian honors his Great Grandma: Aurelia. Aurelius just doesn’t work or play well with Rex, for me. And Arthur was my Great Uncle. The last of the Great Uncles, too. Grandpa died when I was 11. His brother died when I was 12. Grandma’s sisters married, May’s husband Charles died during WW1 and May never remarried. Leslie/Buddy married Leslie (really!) and he died when I was 16. Carolyn’s Artie was the last one. What a lovely gentleman he was too! He died the year I turned 20. He was 97! Since his own Son (David Arthur) had only girls (Jennifer & Elizabeth) and neither girl has an Arthur, why not use Arthur myself?

Rex Aurelian Arthur MacKenzie.

Absolutely Perfect! 😀