The Power of Photo-Editing in Real Life

I am still obsessed with magnet boards and still on my quest to make the best one ever! Artsy Jessica had the brilliant idea of making a magnetic makeup board but with CHALK paint, so it would also serve as a chalkboard to jot little notes.

I could show you this picture of my little board for Jessica and have you ooohh and ahh about how cute and rustic and creative it looks.
You can see how it definitely could fit in with some cute decorations in a bedroom or bathroom, holding all your basic, everyday makeup. Am I brilliant or what? And you would say, "Oh, Lindsay. Look how crafty you are getting, and your skills with your camera are definitely getting better! You know how to adjust the settings and make them look all...professional and stuff..."
Wanna know what? I used this editing setting because I NEEDED TO HIDE ALL THE CRACKS AND WRINKLES AND SPLOTCHES OF PAINT AND AREAS OF MISSED PAINT! In real, sunny daylight, this is one of the ugliest chalkboards you have eeevveerrr seen. (Sorry Jess, I warned you it might not be pretty :)

Ugh. I am seriously NOT cut out for crafts.

I had heard before that artists are commonly very skinny because when they are working on a piece, they are so lost in the moment, hours can pass without them thinking about eating.
Umm... Working on this project made me absolutely STARVING and cranky. I have never craved a Dairy Queen blizzard so bad in my life.

I needed a paper towel to clean off the chalk and my dad informed me that I literally STOMPED down the hall into the kitchen.

as we know, studies have been recently showing a link between how many times we get on Facebook and get status updates and how happy we are. The problem? Probably not the direction we want the correlation to go.

The more times we get on social networking sites, the more likely we are to have feelings of depression.

Ya know how it does... You get on, see all the fun summer photo albums posted, all the status updates about Ashley's hot date, Ben's 4.0 GPA from summer school, Sarah's check-in at the airport as she is on her way to Bermuda.

But really. How much can I complain? No one forces me to log onto Facebook and I do the exact same thing. I sure won't tell ya about the huge fight I had with Drew or the email from my boss.

Lindsay just had a HUGE fight with her boyfriend and she cried all the way home,

where she proceeded to go to sleep and not wake up for 12 hours! When she woke

up, she realized she didn't wash off her makeup so she had a HUGE pimple on her chin!

Ha. Wonder how many "likes" I would get on that Facebook status?

But do I have tickets to the Seahawks season opener? You can bet I'll tell my facebook friends about that :)

So, go get rid of your facebook account or only post pictures of yourself with no make-up on, first thing in the morning. Only write status' when you are mad, hurt or tired. :)

Let's be reaaaaaaaaaal.

This is just a little reminder to myself to not let myself get so blah and feel bad about myself when I read and see all these fun things that are happening in other people's lifes. I just hope when I see a fun art project, I remember to think about how many failed projects were behind it. How much spilt paint, how many ruined paintbrushes.

When I see a cute couple, I remember how many broken hearts and seconds chances it may have taken to get them where they are today.

When I see friend's adventures in a foreign country, I remember the possible heart-breaking goodbyes and the night shifts it took to save the money.

Facebook (Twitter, blogs, even just phone conversations with friends sometimes) don't mean everyone just lives a perfect little life except us. They have such fun weekend plans, and you feel weird saying you don't have a single party to go to. Or a single bridal shower to attend, when they are going off about their 7 showers to squeeze in on Sunday. There is nothing wrong with either of you :)

Just remember that, and all those encounters and websites will become a whole lot more enjoyable, for me at least. :)

and not to mention, I have a GREAT, GREAT newfound respect for artistic people. :)

Yet Another Post on Perspective

I think why I write so much about perspective is because it is something I SO struggle with.

If I forget my lunch at home and I had packed some good leftovers (ya know lasagna is better the next day, right?) , I can get so sad you would seriously think my dog died.

I try to send a card to someone and realize I just had used my last stamp. Is that SO annoying to anyone else or just me? Cuz really. Then you have to remember to get stamps and then remember to mail it and 3 weeks later by the time you FINALLY get the stamp the party you were sending the invite to is already over.

Or like, my dear mother (remember I live at home and my mom still does my laundry sometimes. err.. all the time but to give me credit she says it is easier just to throw mine in with theirs) when she gets a bleach stain on my FAVORITE shirt. Like not a big one, but just big enough where you think no one will notice. So you wear it, and by 9 o'clock two people at work have already mentioned it.

I am feeling irritated just writing these things...

So. I came across this:

(FYI: We are a first world country. An example of a third world country would be Somalia, in Eastern Africa.)

FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS:

~My hand is too fat to shove into the Pringles container so I am forced to tilt it.

~I didn't have a bad childhood so I can't turn my pain into art.

~I had too much food for lunch and now I'm tired.

~I have to find my own girlfriend because my country doesn't practice arranged marriages.

~I accidentally clicked I-Tunes and had to wait two minutes for it to open before I could close it again.

~My GPS made me drive through the ghetto.

~I'm trying to text while at a red light but I keep making all the greens.

~I can't hear the TV when I am eating crunchy snacks.

~My laptop is low on battery, but the charger is over there...

Now. I fully and completely acknowledge that even in our first world, wealthy country, there are still people dying of hunger. I know that for many, many people even in my city, they are struggling to fight addiction, find a job, pay the bills, finance their cancer medicine and deal with the loss of a child and I give them SO much credit for fighting through their "stuff."

When I read that first list of problems, I seriously felt like I connected with EVERY SINGLE ONE. And ya know what my friends? That is disgusting. Just yesterday I was complaining to my dad about how the TV doesn't show who is calling when the phone rings anymore. I actually RAISED my VOICE at him, blaming him for probably messing with the settings.

I started thinking about how much time each day I spend complaining about problems of "equal size" as that funny list. Like complaining when my ipad is low on battery and the charger is alllll the wayyyy in the other room.

My depressing rant is over. I think it's OKAY to feel aggravated sometimes (I mean, come on, you know you hate how long it takes I-TUNES to open) but just sometimes it's a good reminder to step back and take a look at the BIGGER picture. I think it will make that 'little' stuff not get to us so much.

PS... This is coming from someone who actually BOUGHT a plastic single size Pringles container to hold my Pringles that I pack for snacks so they don't smoosh. Heaven forbid, I eat SMOOSHED Pringles, right?)

PPS. This post makes me sound like I eat a lot of Pringles. I don't. I just went through a phase. Cheddar Cheese Pringles are bomb. :)

Pancakes

You know how birthdays always make the day more fun?

Even if it isn't YOUR birthday, it could be:

~your college roomie's birthday'

~your sister's birthday

~your BEST FRIEND's birthday

~your teacher's birthday

~your husband's birthday

~your boss's birthday?

You get the point. If you know a lot of people, these fun birthday celebrations (going out to eat, going out for drinks, picking out a fun present, sending a card,going out to lunch, eating CAKE, eating cupcakes...) always can spruce up a

otherwise boring work-week or a gotta-get out the house weekend.

I mean, it's always a little better waking up at 6AM on a Monday when I know we are celebrating someone's birthday at work.

It's someone's birthday SOMEWHERE today...

so make these for breakfast and eat them in bed, while listening to Katy Perry's FIREWORKS song.

Funfetti Pancakes.

This is seriously one the most brilliant ideas I have ever heard of.

:)

Miracles

Yesterday I was thinking about miracles and I was thinking... "Umm... I am a good person so why haven't any crazy, Oprah Winfrey worthy miracles ever happened to me?"

These thoughts may have started because I was hanging out with my friend Holly who was on The View when she was little because she saved someone who had fallen through an iced-over lake. Like really. How awesome is that.

You hear those stories about people who lose their jobs, find an envelope with 10,000 dollars on the street. They turn it in, and are rewarded by the owner giving them the money.

Or people who lose something really important and retrace their steps and FIND IT? Yeah. That has NEVER happened to me. I still wonder where my laptop is from sophomore year of college. Yes. I managed to lose a laptop. and my real pearl earrings. Ugh. Definitely searched every square inch of my house and they are still no where to be found. Why can't that awesome instant of "AH-HA!" ever happen to me?

and I mean. I know someone that has won the lottery. TWICE.

I watch the news, seeing how a woman needed a kidney and their just happened to be a man who was a match. He donated his kidney. They got in touch five years later and fell in love. That is SO awesome! I get chills just thinking about it.

Buuut. Of course. Getting caught up in this sometimes makes me just feel like such a loser. I have never done CPR on anyone, found someone's missing diamond ring or even really donated money at Christmas time to support a less-fortunate family.

I think sometimes I get totally caught up in the wrong idea of 'miracles.' It is not about attention or why I am not at the right place at the right time.

We need to think that a beautiful sunset is a miracle. The way little kids light up when they see their Daddy pull in the drive way after work. How you are craving Dreyer's Butterfinger icecream and the grocery store has ONE carton left.

Miracles don't have to be glamorous. God uses big things and small things, HUGE stories and little coincidences to show His love for us.

Do you know what else? He uses US to perform these miracles. It's not like I'm not smart enough, or pretty enough, or quick enough, or athletic enough to perform his miracles. Sometimes I feel like I don't have enough money for God to use me for monetary miracles. Sooo.. Should I give my measly grocery budget to the homeless man on the corner whose sign says he has kids starving in a tent? Miracles have NOTHING to do with our salary or with our job connections or how many tax-deductible donations we make. They are all done through him!

This man came to Jesus at night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him."

*John 3:2

I want to be a 'hero' so bad and be published in People's Extraordinary People of the Year magazine issue! (Not to mention they win a ticket to the SuperBowl... :)

I'm learning though. God doesn't want to use me right now for a intense medical rescue, or inventing a new type of "post-it" note. There are other types of miracles that he has in mind for me.

Whether it's just getting through an extended family dinner with no yelling or screaming or having the friend you have invited to church 17 times in the last year call you Saturday to see what you were up to Sunday morning...

These little bits of joy are miracles and God is just as proud of us for listening to our calling as those who donates blood all the time and have provided for 6 blood transfusions. (Plus, needles make me queasy, I can't help it.) :)

Look around, miracles are everywhere. Promise, promise, promise. (Example: More than one person reads this blog! :)

HE said to them, "For truly I say to you, If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

*Matthew 17:20

Fantasy Football: Attack of the Female

"Your fantasy football drafting strategy is going to set women and sports back 50 years."

~Drew

So football season is approaching. And dating someone who plays fantasy football has taught me a few things.

~Sometimes, we have to cheer for a team that is playing AGAINST the Seahawks if Drew has that player on his fantasy team.

~Sometimes, we have to miss some of the Seahawk game because we have to flip back and forth to another game if Drew's fantasy quarterback is playing.

If ya can't beat em, join them, right?

Big news. After much persuasion I have convinced Drew and Marcus to let me join their league this fall. They were asking me about my 'draft strategy' and so I told them who I wanted to draft.

First overall pick: Peyton Manning (who cares that he is gonna miss 1/4 of the season?)

OchoCinco (he has funny tweets)

Jake Locker, backup quarterback

Matt Hasselbeck. (35 years old can only mean experience, in my opinion)

Marshawn Lynch (anyone who has a nickname of "Beast Mode" has got to be good, right?)

The looks on their faces were a.m.a.z.i.n.g. Pure disgust. You would have thought I had told them that I just robbed a bank.

I love messing with them. They said if I draft my team "like this" I won't be invited back and I will be ruining things for the future generations of girl-fantasy-football-players.

So next weekend, I will be drafting my team. Any suggestions? Reggie Bush is pretttyyy cute, huh? :)

Cuz you have SOooo much free time, right?

So I have been seeing this idea all over the good ole world-wide web lately, and of course thought, I MUST DO THAT! Because who wants to deal with real life problems when you can make a CRAFT, right?? ;)

Cuz we all have time to run to Michael's and get cute paper, index cards and a cute basket, right? Of course!

And even MORE importantly? We definitely all have time EVERY. SINGLE. DAY for the next three+ years to write on one of these index cards.

Are you already turned off? Have I already lost you? Wellll... Stick with me...

So I LOVE looking at my baby books. Or my locked diaries from first grade that say, "I am SO excited for Matina's pool party. They even have a waterslide." In my cute little handwriting were i always wrote a's backwards... Or the organized photo-albums my mom made from when we were little.

But lately... We have digital cameras and our pictures are all saved on our computers organized (or unorganized, does organizing by year count? :). We have blogs, facebook posts, tweets and texts, but when we are old ladies sitting in our rocking chairs we can't just whip out our trusty old cell phones and show our grandkids our texts and teach them how to decipher code like LOL, G2GTTYL.

But I have the solution :)

1.) Pick out a cute little basket or bin or whateva style you like. Big enough to hold 352 index cards.

2.) Use fun/colorful postcards, make a college, use colored sturdy paper to make 12 dividers. Write a month on top of each divider.

3.) One each index card write the date on top. One card for every day of the year. ( A little monotonous, I know but we spend 30 minutes stalking our ex-boyfriends sisters new boyfriend on Facebook so we can spend 5 minutes working on a memory saver :) Ex: January 1

Next card: January 2. Get my drift? :)

4.)ORGANIZE TIME! Organize your bin. January divider. then index cards January 1, January 2, January 3 etc. February divider. then index cards February 1, February 2 etc.

5.) FUN PART! So... Today is August 26. I take out that card and on the first line, write

2001: now you write something FUN or crazy that happened today, something special you did, someone new you met, a new food you tried. WHATEV.

examples:

2011: I went to see a movie by MYSELF. (never done this before, but I WILL THIS YEAR)

2011: Tried Okra for the first time. (I dunno... I think it's a vegetable?)

2011: Grandma D. taught me how to make her strawberry jam. We made 39 jars.

You could even write a text message you got that day that was especially funny, or a facebook status update. Possibilities are endless. Have I inspired you yet? ;)

Everyday you write under the appropriate card: 2011: and then something you want to remember.

So the first year isn't all that fun :)

BUUUT. Just imagine September 26th, 2012. You pull out the card and see:

2011: Talked my way out of a speeding ticket.

you add 2012: and write something new!

HOW FUN! In five years it will be soo fun to look back on something cool that happened that same date for the last five years.

por ejemplo:

September 12:

2011: Played a 4.5 hour Boccee Ball Game

2012: Swam with dolphins in Maui

2013: Threw up all day. Stomach flu.

2014: Baked homemade peanut butter cookies. Set the timer for 10 hours instead of of 10 minutes.

(I dunno. Something like that, right?)

So; do this little project. Take 10 seconds every night after you floss your teeth or resist clicking on that facebook APP ONE LAST time before you go to bed. This will free up plenty of time. to write a little reminder of your day. You will be glad you did someday :)

Would You Rather....?

We are going to play a little game of Would you Rather. Ya know. Liiikkeee

Would you rather have a freakishly big smile or a freakishly small nose?

Would you rather have a panic attack 75 feet up in a tree or 100 feet from shore in the ocean?

Would you rather have to wear a nose-plug for the rest of your life or earmuffs?

Would you rather not be able to listen to music for the rest of your life and only watch TV or vice-versa?


Ya know. important things.

Like would you rather be the Kardashians????
Or these ladies who were next to us at Relay for Life?

I seriously cannot stop laughing at these pictures. HOW freakin CUTE are these old ladies. I love them. Who needs matching dark brown long hair when you can have matching scooters. Just a better bonding experience.

I must say, the gray-haired beauties look like they are having a MUCH better time than the forced smiles above from the celebs :)

This game is harder than you think. :) I really am considering choosing my old lady friends over the 'dash daughters. Just looks more funto me. Plus, I LOVE snack size servings of Frito chips like my old lady friends and I betcha Khloe Kardashian doesn't eat those too much :)

Lessons from the Lake House

So my grandparent's have lived in the same house for over FIFTY years. The house my momma grew up in. The same house where my aunt had her wedding reception. The backyard where my grandpa buried all sorts of pets when their time had come :)

Last week I overheard my aunt telling her friend about how my grandparents plan had always been to start remodeling their beach house a few years before they were ready to retire, retire, and live in their perfect little beach house. Knowing my Grandma's taste and my Grandpa's love for my Grandma I always pictured the house looking like this for my retired grandparents.
It's so easy to do this. I even think this this about 122 million times a day.

"Once I get my OWN place, then I'll start cooking better dinners."

"When I get to this number of the scale, then I can try out that new kickboxing class at the gym."

"After a have babies, that's when I will get in REALLY good shape."

"When we retire, then we can build our dream house."


I remember listened to my aunt tell her friend about my grandparent's plans, and then how when my Grandpa got sick, the remodel/move kind of went on the backburner.

I remember turning to my aunt and just feeling SICK. It's so easy in our twenties, thirties and even forties/fifties to just feel invincible. We daydream about the business we will start, the non-profit organization we would love to volunteer for, the opportunities or jobs we will take "later."

My gramps never got to live in his 'dream' home.

I bet he never in a MILLION years thought at this exact minute, his blueprinted "mancave" with the big screen TV would be a teenager's room. Full of cheerleading clothes, shades of purple paint and pictures of friends plastered all over.

I bet he NEVER would have guessed that his patio where him and my grandma would enjoy their nightly wine would be full of a 6 year old artist's chalkwork.

I bet he is just LAUGHING and smiling down on my aunt as she decides she is gonna be the one to just suck it up and tackle the prickly old holly bush. Everyone else has always been too afraid :)
Betcha 100 bucks my grandpa never thought there would be a room in this house with this color of walls or a big Taylor Swift poster for decorations :)
The backyard now has a little garden. My grandpa LOVED these malt shakes and burgers from a divey ole burger joint down the road. He would just be tickled the house now grows vegetables :)
So even though my grandpa never got to live out all of his life dreams, life has a funny way of working itself out.

I KNOW for a FACT that he is up there in heaven just bursting with happiness that four of his precious little granddaughters are living in his "dream house". He is SO proud of my aunt for all the hard work she puts into keeping the house like he would have liked it. Pink walls, Hannah Montana posters and all :) He wouldn't have it ANY other way.

I seriously cannot get over the feeling in my stomach when I realized how all of grandpa's "when I retire" never got to come true. Thanks Papa, for showing me how important it is to go after our dreams. Don't like your job? Think about finding a new one. Don't wait for the "economy" to look up before opening your art gallery. Or your bakery. Ya know what? The economy might NEVER flip around. You don't even have to get quite that drastic, folks. Don't wait for the rainy season to be gone before you start taking your nightly walks.Before you know it you might be 85 years old wondering why you never chased that dream, how you got into that walker, or why you are waiting for NOW to crack open that bible. Because even if things don't go quite how we imagined it, we have no IDEA what great things are in store for us :)

"One of the hardest things to realize is that our SOMEDAY is RIGHT NOW"

Rock On!

Hopefully if I ever have children I will become creative. This is just too cute.

First Day of the Rest of MY Life

Today is the start of a new "journey" for me. No more fad diets, no more restricting myself or cutting out an entire food group. No more emotional eating, no more binge eating.

I am going to go to Weight Watcher's on Wednesdays for weigh-ins. I am going to get to my "happy" weight.

I am not going to lose weight. I am going to get rid of it, because I NEVER want to find it again.

I am not going to eat broccoli and brown rice when everyone else is eating nachos. I am going to make healthy substitutions to everyday meals to make them filling and still fun to eat.

I am going to MOVE every. single. day. No excuses. Because If I have time to twitter, blog, facebook and check my email 10 times a day, I have time to workout.

"Do I have time to work out?" "Do I have time to be fat?" welllll. when it's put this way :) off to the treadmill I go :)

So here we go. :) I shall keep you posted :)

We Lost the Trophy

Don't let these pretty little pictures deceive you...

We went camping this weekend and even though it looks like we may have had fun... By going fishing, bike riding, eating deliciouuusssss food
and throwing around the football...
We also lost a 4.5 hour boccee ball game. We take this annual championship game verrryyy seriously. :) We were the reigning champions. We came in last place this weekend. We had to surrender the trophy. (and it was bedazzled with fake diamonds this year.) Do you know what it feels like to LOSE after 4.5 hours?


So no. We didn't have any fun this weekend ;)

High-Five!

I don't swear. I really try to use the golden rule and to treat others how I want to be treated myself. I get 8+ hours of sleep a night. I even pick up garbage if I see it when I'm on a run. Well, sometimes. Not if it's really nasty. I don't think I have EVER littered. I don't even get mad when my little cousins are annoying me. See? :)

BUT. Jesus, please forgive me. While I am WORKING towards loving all people like you loved me, I sometimes struggle.

While I am stuck in traffic on a 90 degree day behind a Canadian driver talking on their cell phone going ten miles under the speed limit, I can't seem to help it. Through clenched teeth I am reciting, "Love this person, love this person, love this person" while I notice I have a death-grip on the steering wheel and if looks could kill, they would be toast.

When I have a nectarine and a diet-coke and I'm in the "express, 10 items or less" and someone is in front of me, with like 35 ITEMS! (yep, I counted) and is not being very nice, I sometimes have a hard time. I know, I know. I should not be secretly hoping their container of blueberries opens and blueberries roll everywhere. I'm working on this.

So I came across this, and seriously laughed for like 3 straight minutes. Don't think that's a long time? You try laughing for three straight minutes.

Even sometimes I think I deserve a high five in the face with a chair. and when I remember that, it makes it a little easier to love others. :)

Monday Morning Equation

I have noticed a correlation between how tired I am on Monday morning and how many days of the weekend I had to put make-up on.

If I had to put make-up on both Saturday AND Sunday, it's more than likely a not-so-good, not feeling so hot Monday morning.

If I got one day to stay in sweats, Monday isn't too shabby.

If Monday morning I can't find my eye-lash curler because I haven't had to use it since Friday, it was a pretty darn good weekend :)

Happy Friday :)

PS. Am I way behind the trend in this, too? Before you put on your mascara you lay it and your eye-lash curler over a heat vent for a few minutes? I guess it makes them work better? and hey, who doesn't want beauuuutiful long lashes for those rough Monday mornings when we just HAD to go out the weekend before? ;)

answers

God has three answers:

1.) Yes
2.) Not yet
3.) I have something better

Perspective?

I met two very interesting ladies today.

1.) One was probably in her mid fifties and completely illiterate. Like couldn't write and COULD NOT READ.

At first this might not seem like a big deal. You always hear stories of people who are illiterate. There are movies about them, tutoring opportunities to help them.

But actually MEETING someone who could NOT read?

Could you IMAGINE? Going through your daily activities and not being able to read. It was absolutely mind-boggling.

2.) The other women I met that day was wearing a dog-tag necklace with a picture of a soldier on it. I asked her who it was. She took a big gulp of air and said proudly, "My son." She told me that he was on his third deployment to Afghanistan and he was killed 4 days before he was to come home. He was 22 years old.

Once again. How many horror stories like this do we hear every, single day? All over the news. All over the movies.

This also was my first, personal encounter with a woman SO deeply affected by the wars.

She showed me the website her son's widow had made in his honor. It was a home-made website and I was in tears within seconds. School photos, wedding pictures, all of a 22 year old boy who gave up EVERYTHING.

Then lunch rolled around. I got out my lean cuisine, my plastic fork and my gossip magazine. It was showing a list of the things that Kim Kardashian and her fiance Kris had registered for, for their wedding next weekend.

On the list? a $7,000 vase and a $880 salad serving spoon. Yikes. Have a tad lower budget? That's okay! You could get them a $43 butter spreading knife! My personal favorite? A $3,125 ash tray! NEITHER KIM OR KRIS EVEN SMOKE!

I mean hey. I watch the Kardashian shows just like everyone else and love me some cute little baby Mason pictures. This isn't about Kim being a horrible person (I don't think she is at all) or anything about them as a couple. This is ALL of our faults. I buy into it. I buy PEOPLE and US weekly. I read the tabloids and talk about the royal wedding and who is engaged to who and blah, blah, blah. and usually? I don't think ANYTHING of it.

I couldn't even stomach that stupid magazine that lunch break. All I could think about was the look of shame and pure embarrassment in that women's eyes when I asked her to fill out the paper and she had to say she didn't know how to read.

The pure heartbreak in the women's eyes when she told me how her son was raised is Mexico but still had a dream of fighting in the US army. About how her and her daughter-in-law were already planning his "welcome home" party when they got the news they didn't have anyone to go pick up at the airport next week. Could you even imagine? I sure couldn't.

I just don't ever want to forget the look in those women's eyes and how much my heart hurt. How bad I wanted to make a difference in people's lives after meeting them. When I get all caught up in why my skinny jeans definitely are not making me look skinny, or complaining about how much Weight Watcher's cost?

Those two women will never see this and I will more than likely never even see them again, but I just hope they know how much their stories and that short 5 minute encounter meant to me. I just hope I am as brave enough as them to keep smiling. :)

Well, well, well. It's official. The outside of the house is COMPLETELY done being painted.

This has been our summer activity. My dad is a perfectionist so heaven forbid we let a painter touch our house. Trim is the worst. He is very, very picky. :)

But. It is finished, and Dad, it looks great :) But you may ask, what has he been up to now that he has spare time again?

My dad sitting at the computer talking to himself:

"Oh man. I really hope that J-Lo doesn't start calling here now that she is broken up with her husband."

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I also came across this in the kitchen after our trip to Costco. Just a Keurig coffee castle chilling on the counter. No biggie.

Like seriously? How long did that take, Dad? ;)

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Also, one night we were leaving the grocery store and as we were getting into the car, I said... "Did you notice that guy and his son were totally staring at us? He sighs. Sits down and says, "Well. He probably thought I was Brad Pitt again. That has been happening a lot lately."

Watch out Mom, we got a celeb on our hands :) and we quickly need to find a new project for dad to start on :)

actually. scratch that. I just got up to look at the coffee machine to check the spelling of "keurig" and my dad was sitting at the counter. What's he doing right as we speak? Oh, just making a bocce ball trophy for camping this weekend. Like with wood. and rounded edges. and an engraved plaque... Point. Proven. :)

oh baby

You guys. Did y'all see these at Target? Cuz the baby stuff is on the way to the electronics now (yep, we are now officially cool. We have a grocery-store Target)

So. While walking to look at IPad covers, I just HAD to take a little gander at the baby stuff and make sure little Evy (one of my bestie's little baby girls) didn't need anything ;)

Well then.

Not only do women have to deal with the decision between cloth diapers and disposable, but now???? Baby diaper fashion?

I dunno. I mean could be funny. Rocking a little white tee and a jean diaper? I dunno. Whatev.

Now THIS????????????????

Okay. I am speechless. I think it's a joke...? Maybe Lululemon is happy cuz now they can start a line of baby yoga pants and we won't have to worry about diaper lines?? ;)

No More TV in the Living Room For Me

My dad just discovered COPS is OnDemand. You would think he discovered an oil well under our house.

QVC

I missed the new episode of Jersey Shore so I was trying to find the re-run. I was flipping into the higher channels that I don't usually go to when I said "screw this" I am going look it up online. The channel I happened to leave the TV on was yes. QVC. I have never watched QVC in my ENTIRE life.

Before I knew it, I felt like how I imagine it would feel to be addicted to drugs. I could NOT stop watching this old lady tell me all about Isaac Mizrahi's new clothing line.

I am really into ruffles and lace right now (I know, I know. I am behind in the fashion seasons) She was trying to talk us (TV watchers at 6:45AM) into purchasing this ruffle skirt.

Really though. Isn't it cute? For work. Like fancier but not like woah dressy. Just what I need.

I snapped to my senses when I went to find my phone to order it. i have NO idea how it fits. It probably is just a scam. La di da.

The old host lady probably spent 7 STRAIGHT minutes talking to the viewers about how they just HAD to order this skirt. It will CHANGE your life. Flattering higher-waist, shows off the toned part of the legs. Blah, blah, blah. I finally came to the conclusion that if this lady had to sit on national TV and try and sell this thing to me for 10 straight minutes, there probably was some sort of catch.

Sometimes I feel like we do that as Christians. We are salespeople, trying to tell everyone about the "awesome new life you will get if you just order now" or "how joining this bible study may be the best 60 minutes of your entire week." While yes, these may be true, I sometimes feel like I let my mouth run and run like a used-car salesman.

So. Imagine the look on my face when a few days later, I saw a REAL.LIFE. HUMAN. wearing the QVC skirt pumping gas into the car next to mine!

I probably stared for like 3 minutes, looked at it from 5 different angles and finally got the courage to ask where she got it...

She proudly said in her southern accent, "Oh, honey. Everything I own is from QVC!" Ah-ha!

Right then and there I decided I wanted to order that skirt too. :) It looked great on her! and it was nice to see that it wasn't some scam, it wouldn't be a mini-skirt I could not wear to wear, but it also wasn't a hippy/down to the floor skirt. (Fine also, just not what I was going for :)

What changed my mind? I saw it in real life. She didn't have to tell me how it fit, or about the great inseams or the comfy fabric. I could see it for myself.

So many times I catch myself rolling my eyes when I see people doing things that aren't "godly." Seriously? Swearing in the grocery-store when the creamsicles aren't on sale? White-trashy. But then I hit my elbow on my dresser and it's okay to yell s*** then? Or gossiping about someone who is such a "bad friend" when gossiping isn't exactly the most desirable quality either?

I don't wanna be a salesman anymore for God. I think if I start actually living more like him, I won't need to do as much talking about how we should be living.

Annnd I am getting a cute new ruffle skirt. Sorry, QVC lady. You were a good convincer, I just needed to see it in action to believe you :)

Seattle Anxiety

Jess and I went to Seattle this weekend to visit Mandy.

1.) We shopped at U-Village

2.) Went to Gasworks park

3.) Ate at Chipotle

4.)Walked Green Lake.

5.) Got Jamba Juice

6.) Pretended I was a rich and famous photographer who took weird/ugly pictures but people paid thousands of dollars for them because they are so "unique." Whattaya think? JK. I just can't figure out how to use my camera ;)

Most importantly?????

I HAD A REALLY GOOD TIME! and why does this matter, ya weirdo?

Because... I still get anxious and a sick feeling in my stomach when I go to Seattle. Emotions and memories from that horrible year their seriously haunt me. I don't care if you don't believe me. :) I get a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Usually when I go down there and stay with friends or Mandy, I am fine the first night, but when I wake up the next morning, I am ready to peace-out. Like as in, pack my stuff, stay in my PJ's and drive bare-foot down I-5 back home.

This time? I woke up to the cheerful chatter of the farmer's market setting up and all the commotion of being getting ready for Sea-Fair. I ENJOYED going to Whole Foods and hanging out with the granola/hippy folks while we got our smoothies. I didn't mind the mobs of rollerbladers and dogs taking over Green Lake.

In fact... I probably could have stayed ANOTHER night in Seattle.. and for me? That is huge :) can't wait to tell my new psychologist that maybe her anti-anxiety exercises are working. More on that later. Be excited. It includes chanting and tapping the top of your head ;)

Fall Blahs? Not so Fast!

Even thought I am the first to admit it is ONLY AUGUST 7TH, with all the back-to-school clothing sales and school supplies all over the stores, not too mention Drew has started to talk about his fantasy football team, we just cannot avoid it. Fall is just around the corner.

Some days I am SO excited for sweaters and new jeans (we are still school clothes shopping right, mom? So what if your daughters are 21 & 25???) and other days the mere THOUGHT of putting away the swimsuits makes me feel sick.

Previews for the new Fall TV shows look kinda funny (come on, you know you laugh when that girl comes down the stairs all dressed and her husband asks if her overalls were dirty?) but yet we know we don't want Sunday television to be taken OVER by the NFL.

It's a very tough transition. Early September to Late September. Ugh. Ugh. Mike's Hard Lemonades to Pumpkin Spice lattes. Need I go on? Or do you get the point? I thought so. :)

Buuuuut. ya know how life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you react to it?

That means....... The wet, rainy, fall days and the snowy cold, frozen windshield-get-up -early to-go-to-work winter mornings? We can only blame that for 10% of our bad moods. :)

EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. CAN BE SUMMER (90% summer, that is. the other 10% is the freezing weather or non-stop rain we just have to deal with. Is that not hte best logic ever, or what? I know. I am brilliant ;))

So if you are starting to dread the days where your biggest worry is not being able to push the paddle boat in by yourself, or you are starting to get sad you will have to retire your water-shoes soon. DON'T!

Summer is a mindset, baby. :)

Waffle Cookies

Make your normal chocolate chip cookie dough.

Put a scoop on the waffle iron

Chocolate Chip Cookies in 90 seconds :)

how cute! :)

www.thekitchn.com

3 Things Tuesday

3 Things Tuesday (Number Edition)

1.) This weekend Peyton Manning (quarterback in the NFL) just signed a $90 million dollar 5-year contract. They say this equals out to about $633 every SECOND he is on the field...

2.) I heard on the news that a man is trying to get a physical copy of EVERY SINGLE BOOK every published for his collection. He has about 150,000 books so far, and there are about 500 million out there? :) Good luck, bud :)

3.) When I have nothing going on, I have been helping my dad paint the outside of our house. He filled up my gas tank. It worked out to me making about $2 an hour. I was seriously STOKED to see my gas gauge arrow at the top. Best fifty bucks I ever made :)

Manicure Mania

While I was getting some nail polish remover, I told Jenna to pick out the color she wanted me to paint her fingers and toes.

When I came back to the table, she informed me that these colors were for her fingers...

and these colors were for her toes...

Yep. She wanted a DIFFERENT color for EACH finger and toe.

Notice something else???

She only lined up 4 colors for each hand, and each foot. :)

When I asked her why she had only 4 instead of 5, she looked at the table. Looked at her hands, looked at her feet. and looked at me and said...

"Whoops. Man, I ALWAYS forget about my thumbs and big toes!" ;)

She was very proud of her organization. One hand was pink colors, one foot was purples, one was sparkly colors and one hand was.. umm... a mismatch :)

...and i spent like 20 minutes debating between two different shades of pink... She definitely reminded me what's really important in life. :)

Have a bright Monday ;)