Dreams Come True

I've got to-do lists coming out the wazoo. Blogging isn't one of them (oops!), but I just stopped by to say that the video I've promised so many of you is D-O-N-E! It'll make its premiere at I Heart Faces this week. I'm definitely not a videographer, but I had fun throwing it together.

Oh, and we went to Disney World this weekend!

On a budget! Dreams really do come true!

More on that, once that to-do list is conquered.

Crust and All

So far, it's been this kind of day.

Chloe, you can thank me later for preserving moments like these.

Celebrate

I found these mini casseroles in TJ Maxx yesterday for $5/2. I about jumped for joy.

Ever since I saw a delicious picture of macaroni and cheese in individual casseroles in the Phyllis Hoffman Celebrate magazine, I knew I wanted mini casseroles and I wanted to make that mac and cheese. I hate (HATE) macaroni and cheese. But that, my friends, is the power of a beautiful picture.

By the way, next time you're in a bookstore, flip through Celebrate. The pictures are to die for. I mentioned to my mother two days before Christmas that I saw a cool new magazine in the store. It was called something about Celebrating? Two days later, my mother had wrapped a copy and put it under the tree noting she had given me a subscription. I'm looking forward to enjoying those photographs and recipes (and maybe even trying them) all year!

Conquered

I painted today.

After showing Michal the samples, he said he'd leave that decision to me. I tried three times to get some input and he vaguely narrowed it down to green and orange. (By the way, after looking at my color samples, I noticed that they were all my brand colors!)

I had a lot on my photography mind this morning, and decided I needed to do something totally unrelated to the camera. On a whim, Chloe and I headed out for paining supplies. During nap time, I painted like a maniac so it could be clean and dry and put away by the time Michal got home from work.

I knew it was kinda a bad idea. Michal is an ultra-perfectionist and no matter how well I did (and I did well), it wouldn't be good enough.

But at the same time, I was having one of those "I'm a big girl and I can do it myself" mixed with "I need to see something through to completion TODAY" and "There's a lot in my life I have no control of, but the accent wall is completely under my control, darnit!" days.

So, it's done. I did it myself. I completed it. I controlled and conquered that sorry wall. And Michal wasn't nearly as happy as I was.

But I think it'll grow on him. He doesn't hate it, he just doesn't love it. But I love that wall. And every time I look at it, I will think of today and all the wild emotions that went into its painting.

***That photo was edited using my new action set from Flora Bella. I'm in love. I can honestly say it's worth getting. Go check her out. You'll be in love as well.***

The Color of Their Thoughts

Wonder what they're thinking.

Maybe they're thinking about how I got the okay from the landlord to paint.

Or maybe they're wondering how we're going to convince daddy, lover of the bare, stark, superwalls to add some color to our lives.

Or they could be wondering which shade to go with. Mommy's got a shade of light green, light blue, light orange or light yellow already picked out from from Home Depot today.

But probably they're wondering when they can get this stupid picture over and get back to playing.

What Matters

I listened to a very simple but meaningful sermon this morning. He asked the question, "What matters and what appears to matter?"

It's made me think.

This quote his been hanging around in my head for the last few days:

"I want you to, in every moment, be in the place of mission, purpose and heart that God wants for you. And if you're living every moment with Him, you won't just "be" one thing "someday". You'll be His- now and always- and life will never, ever be a series of simple labels for identity. Life with Him is a constant adventure, with peaks and valleys, shades of gray and peace in the rain and shine." (from Life Every Day)

A series of simple labels. It's easy to get caught up in that.

Lunch Time

I had just finished making my 29th peanut butter and jelly sandwich of the year (seriously), cleaned off the apple slicer, and turned around to absolute, blissful, and unusual silence. No one was complaining about anything, or fighting, or even playing hard and loud. From the sink I immediately saw a peaceful, silent, beautiful picture. Maybe it was the silence that was beautiful, but either way, I knew this was today's picture.

Of course, by the time the camera was in the room and ready to go, there was a bit of goofing around. Noah loves his audience.

Anytime I showcase my yet-to-be-completed rooms on my blog, I feel the need to remind everyone that change is coming. I realize it's completely undone. It may take a year, or two... but I have plans. I'm slightly on the decoratively challenged side.

***If you have a few minutes, please stop by these blogs and leave some encouragement and pray. Both of these women were in my former Sunday school class. This woman had very premature twins, and this woman is about to give birth to a little girl with several of her organs having formed outside her body. Their faith challenges and encourages me.***

Why do yourself what others can do for you?

Chloe's a "me do" kind of girl. Noah, not so much. He's more in the "do me" category. He's content to let others to do everything for him, even dressing and feeding. And no, I don't give in to it, which often leads to a painstakingly slow and sometimes teary morning.

So after being told to put on his socks this morning, I found this: his just-turned-two-year-old sister putting socks on his nearly-five-year-old self.

Sickeningly lazy and yet curiously brilliant at the same time.

Dessert

So I guess the only thing to say about this is... Guess how many cookies were consumed in the making of this photograph?

(And Jessica, if you're reading, the ones that DIDN'T get eaten are coming to your house tonight!)

Not Crying

***Okay, so thanks to your comments, I've pinpointed that the problem is the word GOLDEN in the shade. So, now do I just let it fade, or do I go and get the same shade in a cool color?***

My hair is red. RED. It is most definitely not Natural Lightest Golden Brown like the box promised me.

Now, I'm tempted to cry. But I'm not going to.

Rachel's Reasons Not to Cry About Her Hair Disaster:

1. The roots and the grays are definitely gone. Not in the way I'd hoped, but they're gone.
2. The days of the $200-$300 salon days are looong gone. Instead, I'll be going to Disney and finally getting my prints 9 20x20 prints for the living room (so long, Superwall!) since they both cost about the same.
3. People will now think that Chloe got her red hair from me and not the mailman.
4. Really, shouldn't I know better by now?
   
5. Sigh. Maybe I'll cry after all. It will fade, right?
   

Well, I'm off to go look for big headbands and hats. Looks like I'll be wearing a lot of those for the next few weeks...