Dayna

Okay, I'm a fan of rare names. Not misspelled, not crazy, just rare. My main rule is that I don't know a kid with the name (I teach in a small school and have name association issues).

These three first names DH and I agree on. Your thoughts? Also, if you have a similar, rare name that you would like to share, feel free! We're especially fond of word names (nature/occupation based) and names with a country feel.

Shepherd

Cove

Roan

Okay, We're sounthern and found two names that we love. Here they are, with my reasons for loving them.

1. John Shepherd (Because it sounds better than Shepherd John). He would go by Shepherd/Shep (formally Shepherd, Shep as a pet name that may or may not stick). John is my DH's late grandpa's name, and he was well loved and respected. I love the meaning of the name Shepherd: a gentle, kind leader.

2. Beckett Allen: I love this. Allen is DH's MN and he shares it with the aforementioned grandpa. My mom's name is Becky, and naming a girl Rebecca is out of the question. Becket seems like a wonderful way to honor my mom in a boy's name. I love the name itself also.

Both names are pretty equal as contenders and we love them both! Just need help choosing between them!

Hi all! Just tossing around some name ideas! These are my favorites! What do you think?

Girl:

Evren (unisex, Turkish)

Afton (Scottish)

Evren Kay

Afton Susanne/Kristine

Boys:

Cove Allen

John Shepherd (Goes by: Shep/Shepherd)

All names have an element of honoring a family member.

Suggestions welcome. I like rare or unusual names, BUT they need to be REAL names and spelled correctly. :) TIA!

I asked yesterday about whether the name "Cove" for a little boy could grow on "you". The answers were definitely positive! I absolutely love the name, and DH does also! That being said, we have four options that I would like some input on!

1. Cove Allen Hickman (Cove Hickman)

2. John Shepherd Hickman (would go by Shepherd/Shep)

3. Stetson Lee Hickman (Stetson Hickman seems too mouthful-ish for me, DH loves it, though.)

4. Lance Allen Hickman (Lance Hickman, not my fave, but very meaningful).

The first two I'm torn on, I love John Shepherd. I think it sounds classy and sweet. And John is a family name and a perfect fallback name for that taste of an old name with meaning since it was DH's Grandpa's name.

Cove is also similar to "Cole" without being overused, I also love nature names and feel like it flows well. Plus, the single syllable meshes with his Daddy's name well. And these short names sound best with our surname.

Cove Allen (Allen being DH's grandpa's MN)

Lance is my grandpa's name, Allen is DH's grandpa's MN, so while it's a meaningful name, I worry it's not my style.

I'm a big fan of nature themed names. I always have been. Perhaps I'm a little hippie at heart, but I'm also educated and smart. If I were to have a girl, I would possibly use the name Wren Avery (Avery because it's my dad's MN, not because of the bird association, but it's cute anyway).

A boy though has been tough. I considered Canyon, and Shepherd (John Shepherd H. would be very cute). But recently the boy name Cove has popped up. At first I didn't like it. It sounded feminine, or it seemed like I was trying too hard. But the more I've heard it and the more I've tossed it around, the more I really love it.

DH's name is Jake Allen, so Cove Allen would be a fun way to keep it short, and it passed the yell test. I know it isn't the most popular or accepted (yet) name, but often the child makes the name. And I definitely feel like our child would pull off Cove flawlessly.

My question for you is this, will it grow on people? My family will likely think it's nuts. I did! But I really, really like it! So does DH!!!

This year I have a little boy in my class by the name of Aldon. I have never heard it before, but I thought it was adorable.

An older girl has the name Amory! I really like Everly, but it's rising popularity turns me off. Amory is very close!

WDYT of Aldon and Amory?

I'm up for suggestions that are similar, boy and girl! I like unusual names, but not names that are strange, or completely impossible to pronounce.

I also find that I like names that begin with vowel sounds, as I think they sound best with our harsh last name. :)

Thank you!

We had Stetson Lee picked out for quite some time, but I find that I don't feel like it fits with our last name well, which is kind of harsh, Hickman. Stetson Hickman is a mouthful.

I heard the name Shepherd yesterday and DH loved it (it's very hard to find a name he likes). If we used it as a middle name, and named him John Shepherd Hickman, it would have a classy feel that I don't think employers would roll their eyes at and John is a nod to his grandfather. We would call him Shepherd/Shep though, which sounds great with Hickman because of the soft sounds. I also find it to be masculine enough, and I like the association with true shepherds (a leader) and even the dog (strength, loyalty, beauty).

I do want a few more options, as I worry about the name feeling too much like a last name.

I'm looking for a strong name, and I love to find meaning in names. Masculine, Western feeling names are popular for my husband.

Suggestions and comments, please?

Our last name is harsh, Hickman. So I'm looking for soft names that sound pretty! I don't want an extremely popular name. But I don't want something unheard of either!

Here is our current girl list:

Willow

Wren

Elodie

Katherine (FULL name, not Katie or Kathy)

Juliette

Julianna

Sylvie

Middle name possibilities are:

Sue (Mom's MN)

Ann (MIL's MN)

Suzanne/Susannah (Putting them together

SueAnn

Jean (Grandpa is Gene)

Jeanette (prettier, but still has Gene in it)

and Kay (both my NN and my sister's NN)

What are your favorite combos?

I personally like...

Wren Jeanette

Elodie Suzanne

Julianna Kay

Our surname is Hickman, which is kind of a harsh name to match with other names. I've discovered that names that have a lot of hard sounds isn't as pretty as names with soft sounds in conjunction with the name.

For instance Jessica Hickman sounds okay, but it's a lot of harsh sounds.

Willow Hickman is much prettier to say, because it the soft sounds in the first name balance much better.

"H" sounds in particular are pretty with the "Hickman". Not due to alliteration, but because it lends a softness.

Halle Hickman

To that end, I wonder if you have suggestions of "soft" sounding names. I don't care if they are unisex, as long as they flow well.

PLEASE no popular names. If it's within the top 100, I probably won't like it. LOL.

Some that I have been considering:

Hollyn Hickman

Hollis Hickman

Kelyn (it's an old Cornish name that means Holly) Hickman

Harlyn (I just ran across this name, not sure if it's too "made-up" sounding).

Haddie

NOTE: I found all of these names from searching, not a single one came from a celebrity (as was previously mentioned). And while honest opinions are appreciated, please don't presume I took these names from TV. And please mention names you think would flow well.

These are our favorite girl names! We obviously need a short list, and aren't in a hurry as our little bundle of joy is still 8 months away! But these are names my DH and I have compiles over time and keep editing and revising. What are your favorites?

Surname is Hickman. MN will likely be: Jean, Suzanne, Sue, Ann or Kay in honor of family members.

Evelyn

Wyndon

Brylee

Susanna

Brynley

Larkin/Larkyn

Ruby

Kirsten

Halle

Hollyn

Hollis

Hadley

Jade

Shiloh

Briar

Charley/Charlie/Charlee

Eden

Adrienne

Sage

Lyra

Kelyn (Means Holly in Cornish)

Keelin

Arden

We're due in September and have a boy's name but we're on a search for a girl's name we like! I've found the best way to find names we like us to ask others what they like! So, what are your top three favorite girls names! Only three! In a few hours if a name makes our list I'll chose you as best answer! Go!

I loved the name a year ago, but now I see sooo many people using it that I'm worried its too popular. What do you think?

I'm almost 5 weeks!

We're looking for boy's names suggestions that are manly. Our favorite at the moment is Stetson Lee, but we do want others to consider.

Our criteria:

1. MANLY! No potentially girly names (like Charley, Kelly, or Alshley).

2. Nothing TOO popular (Like Hunter or Colton).

3. We like country/western style names (like Stetson or Colt).

4. We like Scottish names (Like Logan).

5. Nothing too different (like Matrix).

I know we're picky! But I hope everyone is according to their style!

10 points to my favorite answers!

I feel kinda stupid, but I can't figure out how to sync my apps from my iPhone 4 to the new iTunes so that I can update to the new iOS.

Can someone please walk me through it? I just want to rip my hair out!

I realized recently that more girls have names ending in Lee or Lyn than I care for. These names are beautiful, and many are on my list, Everly and Evelyn being top!

But I'm looking for beautiful names that don't end with those sounds. Here are a few that I love, please add your own!

Teagan

Hazel

Rose

Scarlett

Recently, I ran across the name Larkin. It was used as a girl's name and I did a little research and found that it is an old Irish boy's name. My husband has Scottish roots and I'm always looking for Scottish/Irish names that I like.

I personally like it for a girl, and would consider changing the spelling to Larkyn, to represent the name and my own name, which has a "y" in it that I have always loved.

Middle name ideas are:

Larkyn Kristine (my MN)

Larkyn Suzanne (both mom's names "Sue" and "Ann" put together)

Larkyn Rose

Larkyn Brynn

Larkyn Brielle

Anyway, I'm just tossing around ideas! Any MN suggestions and WDYT about Larkin/Larkyn?

So the Cannon Rebel is going on sale for Black Friday (my family and I are crazy Black Friday shoppers), but it's about the same price as the Nikkon d5100 on EBay.

This will be my first DSLR and a major learning camera for me.

Which would you go with, and why?

I'm not really someone with much experience with fish, and Blue is my first fish. He has been with us for three years after I brought him home from Walmart as a little guy.

Anyway, all summer he was very lethargic. I've done what I could for him, fixing a swim bladder issue by feeding him a pea, and he seemed to get better.

Well, the last two days have been very hard for him. He hardly moves and isn't going up to get any food. I even partially changed his water (which I do weekly) and he barely moved. He will wiggle a fin or two, but not swim up to get a breath or anything.

I have this terrible feeling that he is dying, and while most don't care, I'm sensitive to my pets. LOL! I don't want him to suffer!

Is there anything I can do for him?

Thanks!

We're trying to keep a little country in the names. We live in Texas and like the feel of Western/rustic names--old cowboy names. But not redneck (Like Bubba...*shudders*) Respectable, country names.

Here is our list so far. Tell me what you think! And feel free to add to the list of possible names!

PS: MN is either Allen or Lee after Dad or Grandpa, thanks!

Bowen

Luke

Landon

Cole Allen

Grayson Allen

Graydon Allen

Stetson Lee (mutual favorite)

Lance Allen (My pick: my grandpa+DH MN).

Stone (DH's pick... NMS)

I've been doing a little playing lately with a tiny digital pocket camera and won a few contests with some unedited photos. I've also been learning Photoshop and Indesign.

My point and shoot is great, really, it is, but when I look at photos I've taken from a borrowed DSLR and photos I've taken from my little cheapy, the comparison is unreal. I really am enjoying my photography, but I would like to purchase either a DSLR or a Crossover as this little "hobby" is getting out of hand...haha.

I'm on a budget, and will probably be hitting up ebay and other such sites where I can drastically save a few $$. I really prefer to stay under $700 if I can manage. I'm not a professional or anything.

What is the best camera in my price range? I'm not opposed to crossover cameras, either. But I'm at a loss as to where to start my searching process.

Thanks!