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Projects...
One project I have been working on is finding gifts for the Young Women's birthdays. I wanted something that was cute and would make them feel special and pretty...but I still wanted to be able to give them a spiritual message. So- at Pier 1 I found these ADORABLE glass rings for $4 each. That is the cheapest I have ever seen them. So I bought a ton of them and wrote a little note for each of them. It talked about how the ring is made layer upon layer and filled with "imperfections" that make it unique and beautiful. Then I compared this to the way God has made each of us layer upon layer and how each girl is unique and their flaws and 'layers' (the paths they have chosen) are what make them beautiful. I have given them to a few girls so far, and they seem to really like it. I cried writing the note. I love these girls in a way that I can't possibly explain.
I am the crappy homeroom parent that didn't give her son's teachers anything on teacher appreciation day. So I decided to make them something cute for an end-of-the-year present. I think it turned out pretty cute. I hit up the clearance shelves and Pier 1 and got these adorable, huge green wine goblets. You can't tell how cute they are with all that wrapping, but they were cute...and the perfect size for stuffing some goodies in. I filled them with some cute soaps, yummy smelling candles, a cooling eye mask, a blockbuster gift card and a little hand-written thank you note that I rolled up and put one of those cute glass rings around. I hope they think they're as precious as I do!
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Temporary pleasures...
I know these things won't follow me into the afterlife, but sometimes just buying a new cute thing for myself or my home brings me so much pleasure. I am not bowing down to them or using them to replace the eternal joy that the Lord offers. But I see nothing wrong with having something shiny in a room that makes me smile each time I see it! Especially when it was on clearance! (For those of you that don't know already....that was all supposed to be humorous sarcasm).
Here are some of the shinies I bought on those awesome Pier 1 clearance shelves. It's been nice to add a little bit of color to my otherwise VERY neutral home. It's much easier to buy a couple of colorful trinkets than it is to commit to the time and energy it takes to paint all the walls!
*Ms. Fishy - thank you for making my hall bathroom sparkle*
* Teal drum lamp- thank you for completing this tiny corner of my home and shining your light on the pictures of my precious niece and nephews. You have really brightened up my $5 chair and picked-it-out-of-the-dump table.*
*Throw pillows- thanks for adding such color and life to my old, mangy sleeper sofa. Your beautiful embroidery makes me giggle with excitement.*
*Gorgeous misshaped turquoise dinner plates- thank you for bringing your charm to my otherwise bland dining room. But most importantly, thank you for being marked down to $1.50 a plate so that I could afford to buy a lot of you!*
I also got a new throw. What are the chances that the EXACT throw I have been wanting for my living room was being majorly clearanced out?! And a couple of other decorative things that ranged between $.48 and $3.00. For that price, I can find a place to use them.
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The Hales (a family @ church) invited me to come to their oldest daughter's senior recital. I can't turn down the chance to listen to beautiful music and get out of the house right at the kids' bedtime! But I'm pretty sure I will never be invited back. I sat by Melanie (one of my young women) and she brings out the 'best' in me. ;)
All my goofing off aside, though, I really enjoyed myself. I watched/listened to these people and kept thinking "I need to go back to school." I mean, why didn't I finish?! Obviously I want to be able to play like Rachel! Obviously I want my fingers to be able to fly across the keys like crazy weird mechanical spiders. What am I doing just sitting around on my butt (aka working like crazy and raising two kids) when I could be continuing my education!?
I will attempt to upload videos tomorrow.
