I'm addicted!

HI
My name is Melanie and I've got an addiction. . ..




To DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY!!!!

I love all of the stuff I'm discovering and I can't stop!! I edit/crop/enhance pictures every day! Love it, you should too, then we can have an official meeting, with name tags and snacks, I'll bring my camera:)

Give credit where credit is due

Conversation with Damen this morning over toast:

D: Mmmm this is yummy!


M: That's right, mommy sure knows how to make good toast!


D: NO silly, Jesus makes us the toast.

Sweet.

I used my grandmothers paint brush today

April 17:
I did, I painted with my grandmothers paint brush today.
I decided on what to do with two of the IKEA plaques today. See here: http://howardsx3.blogspot.com/2010/04/plaque-shelf-drawer-front.html I took the yellow painted one and a plain one, sanded them up and then rubbed on some stain, rubbed it off and let it dry. I decided to use the painted/stained one to make a welcome sign for our front door. I cut out the letters w/my Cricut and traced them onto the wood, then I needed a tiny, itty bitty paint brush to fill in the letters. None of mine would cut it so into my Grandmothers stash I went and found this perfect one:


I saw this idea on someone else's blog, (no idea where, sorry) to paint the first letter on burlap, nail it on, and paint the rest of the letters. The idea I saw had the persons last name on it. I think this one turned out nice.



The other one I used this vinyl lettering I've had for a long time, added some ribbon, a metal heart, and a nail. Perfection!! (well for me anyway!)






I'm linked at :

Plaque, shelf, drawer front?

SO I finally got to go to the most talked about place on this crafty blog circuit (other than Hobby Lobby, no idea what that is), the Habitat for Humaniity RESTORE!! They just opened one near us and I've ventured down to it a few times now. On my first visit I saw these:



There were five of them all taped together with an IKEA sticker on the back. No price tag and no idea what they were. We thought for sure they were shelves that were missing their hardware. Regardless, I knew I could make something out of them so up to the counter we went. For the whole lot it was $1.00! Even better!


There were two holes going through each one so I filled them with putty, waited, sanded them down and began to paint. The first one I painted black satin, did not like. So then I tried this soft yellow, not even thinking about the hideous orange that showed through, that one will have to have something else done to it. So, I loved the plain yellow one but it's not done, I think I'll try some sanding/staining/sanding action and see what happens!




There was one piece of strange oval metal thing taped with it all, and I realized while holding it up to the holes on the "shelf" that it fit perfectly there, because it's a drawer pull and these are drawer fronts.

I love this application

This is my new favorite application for pictures! It's in Microsoft Publisher, love love love it!!

Easter

So sad the Daffodil Gardens are no more, we'll need to come up with a new Easter tradition. This year we went to the Easter egg hunt that the Parks and Rec puts on every year, fun until EVERY SINGLE PARENT (not us) got into the mix and then I was freaking out because I couldn't see Damen anymore and all the volunteers were yelling at the parents and the parents were yelling at their kids, it was chaos, and it lasted all of 5 minutes!


Ok, I'm over it, Easter Sunday was a nice quiet day at home with basket and eggs in the morning, then General Conference. It's a semiannual worldwide conference that our church holds. It's broadcast over most satellite/cable so we got to sit home and listen to inspiring and uplifting talks all day. It was a very satisfying way to celebrate the resurrection of Christ.

I handed Damen his easter basket in the car and this is how he "wore" it to the park.

Before the chaos and ahhh, the loot.



Finding plastic eggs full of M&Ms and Hot Tamales, Damens dream come true!

Last fun with Lori

This was March 26th, Lori's last official "day off" before she moved back to Washington. We spent it in STYLE in San Diego. Lori really wanted to tour Petco Park before she left so she dropped me and Damen off at Balboa park for a few hours, went on her tour then picked us up to go to the beach. We of course had to stop first at the corners of Bacon and Voltaire for Acai bowls (insert drooling here). Then to the beach for the afternoon.



Damen and I wandered around at the park, took in a puppet show and went to the TRAIN MUSEUM!!

Pure JOY for this kid!


The park is BEAUTIFUL! Below is the infamous Acai bowl, layers of Acai smoothie mix/strawberries/bananas/acai berries/honey/granola and coconut, it is DE-licious!



Looking for shells, we picked up a TON of really pretty orange, black, dark blue, all sorts of colors!


Taking a break

We miss you Lori!! We have had SO MUCH FUN on all of the adventures in the past 8 months, love ya crazy girl!

Do you think of them?

Do you notice them as much as I do, I wonder? Maybe you can go a day or two, maybe even a week without giving them a single thought. Maybe you can go to the mall, a nice hike, or even jump out of bed in the morning without a single solitary thought for them.
I can't.
These last four years I have taken great notice of my feet for one single and irritating reason.

They hurt.

A lot.

Every day, with precise regularity, even if the pain itself is not consistent. Imagine if you can, a constant prickling, like fire, on the bottom of your feet, from toe to heel. Also the occasional sharp prick rising from under the toenail and shooting along some imagined path up the foot. More recently there is a new and almost debilitating pain, more like having walked along a sharp bitter trail of rocks for some time only to discover the soles of your bare feet covered in bruises, only there are no markings to showcase the pain. This is my lot. There is a name to this ailment and of course there are Dr.'s who prescribe medicines and uncomfortable side effects to accompany them. There is no cure, and for me, no apparent source or reason for it.

I think of them every single day, before I ever leave my bed, get up from a chair, put on a shoe, a shock, a slipper, walk outside or navigate a toy strewn floor. I think of them.

I don't write this for pities sake, just so that someone reading this might earn a bit of gratitude in their hearts.
Remember when you get your next pedicure, or slip your toes into some outrageous heals. Remember when your feet hit the floor in the morning, or chase your child at the park. Be grateful, so grateful for what you bear and for what you don't.

LAUGHING SO HARD!

On the way home from church today, Dustin was teasing Damen that he was going to eat his candy. Damen said "No Daddy, No! I will cut you!"

We were laughing SO HARD!! Where oh where could he have heard that from? (sister that used to live with us?) I told him it's not nice to cut people so he said, "Daddy I'll poke you!" Not as funny, but still, it's nice to see he's got a strong defense.

I love

Obviously I love my family, my husband, my son, but here are a few things you may not know about me:

I love:

Blowing bubbles with Damen

Daffodils

Laughing until I cry, or in some cases pee (most likely to happen in the vicinity of my sisters)

Chocolate

Purses

Shoes (really cute ones that fit great)

The way my husband smells

Creating

Cooking a really great meal

Reading, almost anything, I don't even have to like it

Rain

The smell of a soccer field in Fall(seriously)

The ocean

Swimming

Getting flowers(and they don't have to be daffodils)

The "Aha" moment when you realize that the Lord loves you so much more than you can even fathom, yes YOU

Surprises

Competition

Someone else doing the dishes

The look on Damens face when he attacks the "stinky farts" in public (he means business)

Babies

The wonderful world of technology that I get to live in (dishwashers, microwaves, DVR)

Knowledge, byway of my testimony, of things certain and true

Security (in life, not like at the mall)

And lastly I wanted to share that I love seafood! Shrimp, calamari, mahi- mahi, lobster, crab, bring it on!