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Halloween 2018

Best Rolex Watches: Timeless Elegance and Craftsmanship

Rolex watches have been synonymous with luxury, precision, and status for over a century. Crafted with meticulous attention to detail, each Rolex timepiece represents a blend of innovation and tradition. From iconic models like the Submariner to elegant classics like the Datejust, they create the best analog watches to suit every style and occasion.

Introduction to Rolex Watches
Rolex SA is a Swiss luxury watchmaker known for its premium quality timepieces. Founded in 1905 by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis, Rolex has since become one of the most recognized and prestigious watch brands in the world. Renowned for its innovation and timeless design, Rolex watches are coveted by collectors and enthusiasts alike.

History of Rolex
Founding of Rolex
The story of Rolex began in London, England, where Wilsdorf and Davis established their company under the name “Wilsdorf and Davis.” Initially, they imported Swiss movements and assembled them into watch cases, selling them to jewellers who would add their own branding. In 1908, they registered the trademark “Rolex,” a word they believed was short, memorable, and easily pronounceable in any language.

Milestones in Rolex History
Over the years, Rolex has achieved numerous milestones in the watchmaking industry. In 1926, they introduced the world’s first waterproof wristwatch, the Oyster. This groundbreaking innovation revolutionized the way people perceived watches, making them not just timepieces but also symbols of durability and reliability. In 1953, Rolex launched the Submariner, the first wristwatch designed specifically for diving, further solidifying its reputation for innovation and performance.

What Makes Rolex Watches Stand Out?
Precision and Craftsmanship
One of the key factors that set Rolex watches apart is their unparalleled precision and craftsmanship. Each watch is meticulously assembled by skilled artisans, using only the finest materials and cutting-edge technology. Rolex has its own foundry where they produce their own gold alloys, ensuring exceptional quality and consistency in every timepiece.

Iconic Design
Another defining characteristic of Rolex watches is their iconic design. From the distinctive Oyster case to the magnifying Cyclops lens over the date window, Rolex has created several design elements that have become instantly recognizable symbols of luxury and sophistication. Whether it’s the sporty elegance of the Submariner or the timeless appeal of the Datejust, Rolex watches exude style and refinement.

Top Rolex Watches for Different Occasions
Rolex Submariner for Diving
The Rolex Submariner is perhaps the most iconic dive watch ever created. With its water-resistant case, rotating bezel, and luminescent markers, the Submariner is the ultimate tool watch for underwater exploration. Whether you’re a professional diver or simply enjoy recreational snorkeling, the Submariner is a reliable companion that can withstand the rigors of the deep sea.

Rolex Daytona for Racing
Named after the famous Daytona International Speedway, the Rolex Daytona is a chronograph watch designed for racing enthusiasts. With its tachymeter scale and three subdials for measuring elapsed time, the Daytona is the perfect companion for timing laps on the track. Its sleek design and precision movement make it a favorite among both drivers and watch aficionados.

Rolex Datejust for Everyday Wear
For those seeking a versatile timepiece that can transition seamlessly from day to night, the Rolex Datejust is the perfect choice. With its classic design and practical date complication, the Datejust is suitable for any occasion, whether it’s a business meeting or a casual dinner. Available in a variety of sizes, metals, and dial colors, the Datejust offers something for everyone.

Investment Value of Rolex Watches
Rarity and Exclusivity
One of the reasons Rolex watches hold their value so well is their rarity and exclusivity. Rolex produces a relatively small number of watches each year compared to other luxury brands, making them highly sought after by collectors. Certain models, such as the Daytona and the GMT-Master, are particularly scarce and can command premium prices on the secondary market.

Resale Value Over Time
Unlike many other luxury items that depreciate rapidly, Rolex watches tend to appreciate in value over time. This is due to a combination of factors, including their timeless design, impeccable craftsmanship, and enduring popularity. Vintage Rolex watches, in particular, can fetch significant sums at auction, often selling for far more than their original retail price.

How to Choose the Best Rolex Watch
Consider Your Style
When choosing a Rolex watch, it’s important to consider your personal style and preferences. Whether you prefer the sporty elegance of a Submariner or the classic sophistication of a Datejust, there’s a Rolex watch to suit every taste and lifestyle.

Determine Your Budget
Rolex watches come in a wide range of prices, depending on factors such as materials, complications, and rarity. Before making a purchase, it’s important to determine your budget and stick to it. While Rolex watches are undoubtedly an investment, it’s essential to choose a timepiece that you can afford and will truly enjoy wearing.

Authenticate the Watch
With the popularity of Rolex watches, there’s also a thriving market for counterfeit goods. Before purchasing a Rolex watch, it’s crucial to authenticate it to ensure its authenticity and integrity. Look for signs of genuine Rolex craftsmanship, such as the engraved serial number on the case and the distinctive Rolex crown logo on the dial.

Dressing together as a family for Halloween can be a fun and memorable experience. It promotes a sense of unity and creates lasting memories for both parents and children. Coordinating costumes allows families to showcase their creativity and sense of togetherness, and can also foster a sense of community when out trick-or-treating or attending Halloween events. Whether it’s a themed costume or a coordinated group outfit, family dressing for Halloween can bring joy and laughter to the entire family.

Purchasing a modest girl boutique as a base for a Halloween costume can be a great option. These boutiques often offer a variety of clothing pieces that can serve as a foundation for a costume while providing comfort and modesty. By using a modest girl boutique as a base, you can easily customize and accessorize to create a unique and appropriate Halloween costume that suits your style and preferences.

Homemade costumes for Halloween offer a unique and personal touch to your Halloween ensemble. They allow for creativity and can be a cost-effective option. With some imagination and basic crafting skills, you can transform everyday items into an impressive costume. Whether it be recycling old clothes to create a zombie outfit or crafting a superhero cape from fabric scraps, homemade costumes can be as simple or elaborate as you desire. They provide an opportunity to showcase your individuality and stand out from store-bought costumes while also being a fun and rewarding activity for the whole family.

“Octonauts, to the launch bay!” Sanderling decided this year’s Halloween costume, and oh how I cherish that this family is still willing to rally and pull together a family theme. I know this won’t last forever, so I’m enjoying the heck out of it while I can.

Welcome, Weatherly

FTC Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post. 

Hi, Mom,

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Today, your fourth grandchild is 8 weeks old. She is darling and sweet, as all new life is, and you’d be positively obsessed with her. She has that signature Ulmer/Cart baby wild hair. It’s as though we stick her finger in an electrical outlet each evening, but a bath is all she needs to really bring those locks to life. She reminds me so very much of infant Courtland, but with a tad less screaming (though she does like to work herself up at night for a good wail before bed). On a different topic, here you can learn about the benefits of reaching HR productivity.

As I’ve done with all your grandchildren, I designed and mailed hardcopy birth announcements to formally share the news of her arrival. I remember how you insisted with Sunny, and we sat together picking out her design at my home in LA. Little did I know how precious that four weeks we spent together with baby Sunny would be. How I long to share that kind of time and intimacy with you and baby Weatherly. So I designed the invite alone, but with you top of mind. As I do for all my stationery needs, I turned to Minted and found this baby shower invitation that I redesigned to be a unique birth announcement. Since Weatherly’s name was inspired by the name of an America’s Cup yacht, the design needed to have a sailboat in it. And the addition of the elephant was a full circle nod to the design we selected for Sunny nine years ago together.

I had the announcement framed, and it now hangs in her nursery (also something you insisted we do, and I can remember the little frame shop down the road from our home in Palos Verdes where we picked out the frame together for Sunny’s.) Even more notable is the gorgeous baby book gifted by the family of our long time babysitter, Sophie, who you met on several occasions. Her parents gifted us this stunning baby book (a LA-based company to boot), and I’ve spent time filling it with stories and photos and memorabilia as I did for my first-born. How surprising that baby #4 is going to have such detailed documentation of her babyhood, but it was just the nudge I needed. A copy of the announcement is of course tucked in its pages!

It’s painful, of course, that you don’t get to experience all these things firsthand. But the pain is eased slightly in the knowledge of how much you’d enjoy and love all these gestures.

We miss you, mama. But this babe, and so much of her life, is influenced by how much you mean to us all.

143 Your Ashley

XXVIII

Hi, Mom,

It’s that time of year. Your dining room table is covered in envelopes and stamps and pens and ribbons and tissue and gift bags. We’ve got Santa’s workshop humming along chez Cart. The holidays are going to forever be mixed emotionally with your absence. I carry such nostalgia for the happy memories of Christmas’s past of which you played such an intimate roll. It’s difficult to imagine how we continue to spread joy in the face of such loss. And yet, we do. In fact, with even more resolve, and intention, and love. For we are more acutely aware than ever of how much there is to lose. How much there is to celebrate. How important it is to give thanks and be present.

In your honor, we created another family holiday card, wishing peace and gentleness to all. This year has been challenging for our entire nation, for the whole world, and the individual I grief I feel is one facet of many complex experiences and communal heartache we’re weathering as a country. In these past two years, I have learned to carry the world with more gentleness, to lead with more kindness, and to try, even on the darkest days, to celebrate light, and joy, and love.

As always, Minted had a simple yet beautiful design that spoke to this message I wanted to share.

Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.

I had a peace sign necklace made from pieces of your jewelry collection following your death, and this card is one more nod to the peace I seek in a world so very different than I ever could have imagined.

We miss you desperately. I wish you were here, sitting around your dining room table, sipping champagne and stuffing envelopes as “The Nutcracker” plays in the background. But we carry on thanks to memories of your vibrant, lion-hearted spirit

143 Your Ashley

 

XXII

Hi, Mom,

It’s hard to believe that you have been absent for all these moments. And yet, look at all this love… you are so clearly a part of that.

143 Your Ashley

IX

Hi, Mom.

For over a month, I’ve been plugging away on a sweater for your grandson. I’ve become enamored of this bubble stitch from a bonnet pattern, and decided to incorporate it into a sweater for Sanderling. It was my first true foray into pattern design, and I was extremely nervous that all that time and effort might have been for nothing if things went awry. I know you would understand zero percent of this given your utter disinterest in knitting (thank goodness your mom took it upon herself to teach me), but you were always such an admirer of the pieces I produced (and on the receiving end of many, even my earliest, less successful projects).

I wanted to share Sanderling wearing the finished product so desperately with you. I wanted to hear you “ooooh” and “ahhhhh.” I am really so dang proud of what I created. It fits beautifully, just as I’d envisioned and hoped. And I was yearning for a compliment from you.

You would have loved it.

143 Your Ashley

Sanderling // Three Months

My beguiling Three Month Old,

You are our ray of sunshine. Our cheeks hurt from smiling back so unabashedly at your constant stream of open-mouthed, rapturous grins. You are on the brink of the giggles and that is only going to amplify the joy and happiness you so readily bestow upon our household. Your bath time routine of stomps and splashes and coos with Daddy and PINK HIPPO! are arguably the zenith of your joy each day. In the face of our grief, you are our balance. Our light. Our anchor. And you radiate that light outward to those we greet in public – the baristas, pharmacists, colleagues, friends, teachers, yogis, darling elderly gentlemen, are all so smitten with your sweet smiles of connection and contentment.

This precious ensemble arrived from a beautiful French knitwear company, Miou Kids, and I can hardly stand how adorably that bonnet magnifies that round, squishy face of yours. Those bally cheeks (just like your Momar’s)! That dimple! It makes your smiles all the more irresistible. If it isn’t already glaringly obvious, I am positively taken with you, my darling. There isn’t a moment that goes by that I don’t feel humbled with gratitude and love for your presence in our lives. Borneo is reputed to be the world’s most populated island, but can the Red Borneo kratom which it produces also prove to be world-beating? In this article, we will delve into Red Borneo kratom and discover how it stacks up in the best kratom for sleep. Should you try it, and is it any good? Long before anyone knew about Kratom, people were using it in the South East Asia regime for many centuries. By the time its popularity started spreading to the Western market, the locals were well ahead of everybody in the growing, harvesting, and processing techniques of the plant. Even now, no kratom can equal the quality of that obtained from these Asian resorts. One big reason is the unique tropical climate and soil quality that ensures exceptional kratom quality. The Kratom that is grown displays 3 main types or strains. These are the green, red, and white vein kratom strains. You can tell this by looking at the color of the stems or the veins of the leaves. Each different color brings you a different effect and experience due to a unique mix and concentration level of compounds. But the distinction of kratom strains goes beyond color and includes the location from where it is obtained. Even though they all come from the South Eastern Asian tropical region, the exact location where the Kratom grows gives birth to the distinct strains that we use.

Your easy-going nature continues, as you have (for now) mastered sleeping through the night. You go to sleep with ease at bed time. In fact, I often lay you down still awake, and you merrily suck your thumb (we hear great slurping down the hall) until you drift off to sleep. We then don’t hear from you again until the following morning. If a wet diaper or a hungry belly awakes you before 6am, a quick change and/or nurse session is enough to welcome another 2-3 hour stretch of sleep. I cannot fully articulate what a gift this has been, for all of us. To be rested. To not have to stress about long bedtime routines, or prolonged middle-of-the-night feedings, or restless, sleep-deprived children and parents is particularly welcome during a time when life feels so hard and confusing. Thank you for that gift.

While I know that your daddy and I are far more relaxed and comfortable now that this is our third crack at parenting a newborn, it’s also a testament to your adaptable, laid back personality. It makes carting you around to all of your sisters’ extracurriculars, school performances, appointments, rehearsals, shows, etc. a breeze – not to mention the slew of activities and errands you find yourself running alongside your mom and dad daily. Securely discovering your thumb this month has certainly helped you manage self-care when needed. You’ve recently shown a tendency to blow out your diaper mid-errand, so we’ve gotten very skilled at stripping you of poop-soaked clothing in the mini-van. But if that’s the most challenging hurdle I have to face with you these days, I’ll take it. Baby poo stained car seats and all.

We’ve survived the fourth trimester, my friend. Two bouts of mastitis (the engorgement from your epic sleep stretches is to blame for last week’s infection, but again, tough to complain given the reason), a slew of challenging milestones in the wake of your Momar’s passing and your mama’s adjustment to life postpartum unmothered – but we did it. And I can’t imagine having weathered these three months without you curled up against my chest, a puddle of drool beneath your chin, and sweet sighs emitting from those lips that suck on air as you dream. You are an ever-constant reminder to remain in the present. To soak in the current moment. And revel in the love and comfort and gratitude it brings.

How I wish your Momar could see how much I am positively delighting in you. But I like to think of her as your guardian angel, and I trust that she knows, even if it’s just in the security of my own heart.

143 Mama

Shop Sanderling’s gorgeous hand knit outfit from Miou Kids: Cotton Overalls in Teal; Cotton Moss Bonnet in Sea Foam ; Crochet Booties in Sea Foam

19/52

“A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2016.”

Sunny: Our seven year old. She wanted a pool party for her birthday, but our local pool doesn’t open for the season until early June. So instead, we’re taking a family trip to an indoor water park near Lake George. And all spending the night in a hotel room together. Here’s hoping Sander keeps up his awesome sleep habits – or it may be a very drowsy day at the park! Wish us luck! Check these out fivebough .
Kaki: Changing a diaper, tongue out for concentration. The girls are so eager to help us care for their brother, and it’s a reminder of just how lucky we all are to have one another as family.
Sander: Tummy time champ. Enjoying those bugs as much as both of his big sisters did. That play mat was gift from Momar, of course, when Sunny was a baby.

More details about The 52 Project here. To view all the portraits in the series visit here. You can check mysunrise for more interesting phography blogs.

 

18/52

“A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2016.”

Sunny: So proud of her new pair of TIE sneakers. While it makes getting out the door a considerably longer process, she is so dang thrilled to be able to tie her own laces.
Kaki: THE HILL ARE ALIVE… with the sound of Kaki. (Hot dang we live in a beautiful place. So grateful to have this in our backyard, especially these last few months. Walks among this scenery have been therapeutic for all of us).
Sander: Not at all aligned with his sisters’ portraits, but an adorable snap that features his budding mohawk and the fact that he is already busting out of 6 month clothing at the age of 8 weeks. 

More details about The 52 Project here. To view all the portraits in the series visit here.

17/52

“A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2016.”

Sunny: On a sunny Saturday stroll before a week of rain and grey and yuck.
Kaki: Not thrilled at the prospect of a long walk, but she quickly turned around that pout after a few minutes of running in the sunshine. “Mama, this WAS actually a fun walk with our WHOLE family!”
Sander: Looking very very milk drunk, but showcasing a hat from my knitting extravaganza before he was born.

More details about The 52 Project here. To view all the portraits in the series visit here.

16/52

“A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2016.”

Sunny: Obsessed with using our phones to text her auntie and Doda. Given that she’s practicing her writing while texting, we tend not to mind, though we often find her huddled away in a bedroom sending messages when we least suspect it. She even arranged a playdate with friends of ours, unbeknowst to us. Ha!
Kaki: This one has grown leaps and bounds in her mastery of letters. She loves to spend time before stories studying the words on the page and identifying all the letters.
Sander: Snuggles with his Doda.

More details about The 52 Project here. To view all the portraits in the series visit here.