Foto Friday–Around the Yard

This week’s theme is Around the Yard/Garden.  Seeing as how I don’t have a garden, I picked a picture of my cute little subject who loves to play in the yard.  Since the temperatures are back up well into the 90’s again, we’ll not be visiting the yard today.  Mommy’s pretty much a wimp when it comes to hot temperatures and would rather stay in the air conditioning.

I edited this with my favorite actions “Heist” from Paint the Moon and “Miracle Makeover” from (I don’t remember – Kim, help me out here).  Really, I LOVE these actions.  “Heist” seems to be my go-to action these days.  That being said, I do think it looked better on my screen when pulled up in photoshop than it does on this blog.  I’m not sure why.  I may have to go take some more brightness out again before I order them for my wall.  This is going to be my next framed picture of him I think.

*Sorry for all the photo-speak.  I just figured that some people like to hear how I processed my picture this time.

Have a great weekend.  I hope you get to do something fun for this long weekend.  Stay cool!

Let’s Talk About Nail Polish

I do not wear nail polish as a general rule.  It's not because I don’t like it. It’s because I’m too lazy to work on the upkeep.  Actually, I used to be too lazy – now I have a toddler.  I also don’t do my nails often (more than 2 or 3 times a year) because Rick doesn’t like polished nails.  He likes natural hair and nails.  I think he just likes that they don’t cost any money for upkeep.

Before I met my husband, I got my nails done regularly for about 2 years.  I LOVE how manicured nails don’t chip, how my cuticles look beautiful, and I never have to do a thing with them to keep them looking nice (except pay money to get them done again). I would go back and forth between a nice French manicure air brush and a pupley-mauve polish.  For Christmas one year I did RED.  I loved it, but never did it again.  Red just isn’t my style. 

Lately, I’ve found a neat product that I may spend the money on every once in a while because it lasted 10 days without chipping.  It makes your nails stronger, and the subtle blush color is more my style now than anything.  The only bad part is that if you don’t take it off correctly – like me – you may peel off a layer of your actual nail when you go to take off the polish.  And it takes a lot of work to get it off.  That’s why I like that it lasts so long.

When it comes to my nail polish collection, it’s sparse.  And it’s all very similar in the color selection.  I’m not very brave and I don’t try new polishes often.  *See first paragraph for why I don’t*

This weekend, while I was at my mom’s I was browsing through her Avon catalog.  I glanced down at nails that were painted a chocolatey-mauve and I fell in love.  I immediately asked if I could paint my nails with something she had in her collection.  Turns out, this apple doesn’t fall far from the mauve tree.  Her collection did not include this new color I had just become a fan of.  It looked just as mauve and just as sparse as mine did.

I love my mom.  You want to know why?  Because my mom is ordering this Avon nail polish just because I loved it.  I can’t wait to get it! She spoils me.

 

Not Again!!

Remember this post last winter?  It’s one of my best stories ever, and I highly recommend taking a second to read that post.  Jack still says “Bring me back my [insert object he wants here]!!” 

Okay, now, remember this project I worked on for my husband who bikes into work?  {He actually parks in the garage more often than not, though he should be saving us $85 a month by biking in just a mile or so from a free parking lot.} 

Well, when you put those two posts together, you get what happened over the weekend. 

Someone stole his bike.

It makes me want to storm out into the neighborhood and yell “BRING ME BACK MY BIKE!” I just know that if I watch the kids riding around, I’ll see his bike under one of their sorry butts.  But, I’ve been told not to confront anyone, and I don’t plan to. 

The full story is this….

Rick keeps his bike in the bed of his truck every single night.  It’s attached with one single bungee cord.  It does not have a tarp over it, and it’s not hidden in any way what so ever.  It’s been like this for about 2 years now.

This Saturday, I took the truck and left the van for my husband who was staying with Jack all day – God bless him!  He asked me to take his bike out of the truck before I took it, so I put it up by the front door.  (I couldn’t just open the garage door and slip it in to protect it).  Meanwhile, he had a rough day with Jack, and they never left the house.  Fast forward to Sunday night, and Rick says, “Is my bike still on the front step?”

“No, I thought you brought it in.” 

“I meant to, but I forgot. It’s really not there?”

“Nope, it’s not there.”

“Great.  Someone stole it.” 

I hate my neighborhood – mostly just the punks kids – and I can’t wait to move away.  Remember the land in the picture yesterday?  Let’s all pray that God provides us with someplace like that for us SOON.  The acreage can be less, the house can be less, and the distance away from our families can be less or more, but we’ll take anything He wants to give us NOW!

Scripture & Snapshot

 

A few months ago, we found this land that we LOVED in West Virginia.  For years now, we’ve been looking for land to move to, maybe with a house on it, maybe not.  Sometimes when we find land, I get a feeling of dread – like it would be a bad idea to move there.  Sometimes I get a feeling of indifference – like I’d be okay if we moved there, but I’d also be okay if we didn’t.  Very rarely I get a feeling of excitement – like I can see us moving there and I actually WANT to go there soon. This land was the rare occasion when I actually wanted to move here.  It was 80+ acres in the middle of nowhere, but so gorgeous and in our price range.  (I did confirm that there would be internet access before I felt excited).

When we went home to pray about/stew over it, we decided that we would make a motion forward with this property.  When we went back to the site to find it, it was gone.   

 

¹⁵And he said to him, "If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.”

This verse was part of our pastor’s sermon this morning.  It is exactly what I want to say when I face a decision like this.  Lord, I don’t want to go there unless YOU will be there. Evidently, the Lord didn’t want us to have this property.  That’s okay.  If He wasn’t going to be there with us, I wouldn’t have wanted to be there anyway. 

This verse also reminds me of my friend Brooke from Mountain Mama. Her family has followed where the lord leads, and they’ve been blessed because of it.  They’ve also seen hard times, which she is going through right now, but always, she has said “I don’t want to go there unless You are there with me.”  She is an inspiration to me.  Could you please say a quick prayer for her family as they’re figuring out what the Lord wants for them at this juncture?  Thanks!!