Self Portrait Challenge - { wanna play? }

This month's Self Portrait Challenge theme is The Seven Deadly Sins.
Yikes.

My chosen sin of the week - Greed.



I play to win.

Ok, I play nice, really I do. Most of the time. But who doesn't like winning, right?

{ succulent }

Remember this coffee cup? Here it is, in action...

I was playing around with lighting angles & depth of field, as well as hoping to capture the ethereal beauty of water droplets...

:: summer projects ::

For me (for once!), I finally finished the Cabo Halter from the Amy Butler pattern...




little sailboats made from recycled scraps...




a baby blanket...




I've listed custom options for the sailboats & blanket in my etsy shop, too!

recycled crayons

This is a fun, easy project for the kids when they're bored one day...
the wrapper peeling kept my girls busy for an hour yesterday, plus we had all sorts of fun conversations at the same time...




Unwrap all the broken crayon pieces from the bottom of the crayon container, and sort them by color into muffin cups.

Put the muffin tin in the oven & melt them down... if you don't want to have to heat the oven up just for this project, just put it in at the same time as something else you have to cook, for 10 minutes or until they're melted.

Cool completely before removing. They popped out much better after I placed the cooled muffin pan in the fridge for an hour.

These "crayons" are great for toddlers, because they're easy to hold & don't break.

Self Portrait Challenge - { shoes - adventure }

I woke Nicole up at 6:30 this morning to head out for an early morning walk. It is glorious to go out before the sun up, beating down its summer rays, scorching the pavement and my skin. That time is almost like a summer treasure, hidden away in those early morning hours, when there is fresh, dappled light and coolness is still in the air.





This shot was taken after our walk this morning,
the evidence of a lovely time with a little girl's hand in mine,
as we climbed around the empty, sometimes muddy, lots in our neighborhood.


This is the final week of the "Shoes" theme for Self Portrait Challenge - there have been some amazingly creative submissions this month!

if only it were that simple...

♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫

You know how you get a song stuck in your head & so you listen to it over and over for a while?

So that's been going on here with the song "Perhaps, Perhaps" from the top of my playlist (in the sidebar). If you've never heard it before, you might want to press play to listen to it before you read the rest of this conversation...


♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫

I guess I didn't realize how much I'd been playing it until Claire started singing the words with amazing accuracy in the car. I was smiling at how cute she sounded, when she stopped suddenly and asked me:


C - Who is she singing to?


me - A man who she likes a lot.


C (thinks for a bit, then asks) - Does he not know what is in his head??


me - Are you asking, Can he not make up his mind?


C - Uh huh.


me - I guess not, because he can't seem to decide if he likes her too.


C (thinks for a while longer, then...) - She should ask him out for dinner, that will help him be able to decide.

Fingerprint Friday { big brown eyes }

My husband, his mother, my mother, my sister, they all have these big beautiful browns...
but I know where she really got them from...

Thank you for her smiling eyes, Jesus - they light up my life!




There is a song by Steven Curtis Chapman that says:
I can see the fingerprints of God
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of God
And I know its true
You're a masterpiece
That all creation quietly applauds
And you're covered with the fingerprints of God

So look around you and see where YOU can see God's fingerprints. Is it in nature? Kids? Animals? Where do you see them? Here's how to join in:

1. Blog with your interpretation of God's fingerprints.

2. Be sure to link so others can find the entire list of participants! Go over to PamperingBeki's blog to add your link to the list of participants.

Self Portrait Challenge - { shoes - point those toes }

I could not decide between these two shots
for this week's submission for "Shoes" on Self Portrait Challenge...

anti-antibacterial

A friend passed on this article about antibacterial soaps -
it's very informative, so I'm passing it on here:

Go here to read the article on WebMD

Antibacterial soaps are just like antibiotics -
they do not kill viruses - that means they don't prevent colds, the flu, or stomach bugs!

Did you know they are also harmful to the environment? I did not!

You can still buy soap that is not antibacterial, you just have to read the label - I've found liquid hand soap, dish soap, and cleansing hand wipes (Wet Ones) that are all not antibacterial, all at Walmart - notice in all the products below they don't say "antibacterial" on the label.



And as the article says, it's all in the way you wash your hands, not the product you use - lather up & rub for 20 seconds, paying attention to the areas between your fingers & under your nails, then rinse with hot water.

I'm not a germophobe at all, I just felt this was great information to pass, especially since we all just got over the swine flu scare...

s u p e r s a l e !!!

S U P E R S A L E - 5 days only!




All premade clothing items in my etsy shop are marked down $15 off the original prices! Don't miss these huge savings! Click here to go directly to the sale category in my shop...

Up

We took the girls to see "Up" yesterday. We really didn't know a whole lot about the story or what to expect, but we heard on the radio that pluggedinonline gave it a great review so we were confident it would be fun!

This movie was fantastic! The first 10 minutes or so are truly touching, establishing that this movie is not just a bunch of empty-headed humor to make kids laugh.

The characters of Carl & Russell are wonderful, the dog Doug is hilarious, and the floating house is just too fantastical for words! If you want a good movie with great content (not just pratfalls and potty jokes) take your kids to see "Up"!

{ vintage blue }

just listed, see it by clicking here...

I love this new fabric...

from Jennifer Paganelli, I had to use it right away! Aren't the colors delicious??

and here's a new dress with the ever-popular vintage chenille bodice...
could be worn as a top by an older girl:

Both are in my etsy shop!

Self Portrait Challenge - { shoes - toe to toe }

If you love shoes, this month's Self Portrait Challenge will be a feast for your eyes!
Go check out all the great shoes people are walking around in here.

new pretties in my shop...

click here to go to my etsy shop & see more!