I'm still awake, therefore I write.

[via]
Proof that it must be true:

[Negative, negative, positive! See the 21 day challenge is doing me a little good already!]
Honestly, the more I look at this picture(in all it's loveliness), the more I realize it really doesn't even do the situation justice. I look way worse than this picture depicts, for real. The shade of purple under my eyes, would look way more appropriate on top of my eyes.
Seriously though... I couldn't care less about the new shade of purple that's claimed it's spot under my peepers, I just want some decent sleep. It's been over 2 weeks since I fell asleep at a decent hour and stayed asleep all night.
It's getting old.

An open letter to sleep:
Dearest, Sweetest, Gorgeous Sleep,
I miss you. Don't you miss me?
Please come back soon. My life is just not the same without you.
I realize there was a time in my life when I neglected you and got along just fine...
but you see, I'm older and wiser and needier now and
I. Just. Miss. You.

Come back to me,
Lacey

I keep floss in my purse, true story.

[via]
I feel so uncomfortable telling people when they have something in their teeth.
I'd rather just avoid eye to mouth visual contact altogether & pretend I don't see it.
What's that about?
For this reason though, I'm a freak about checking my teeth or straight up saying,
"Do I have anything in my teeth?" to whoever happens to have the pleasure of hanging out with my completely uncouth self. In fact, my sister knows to just answer yes or no when I bust out my smile a la Miley(ahem, Destiny)Cyrus at dinner.

[via]
That's what Sister's are for, no?


Do you have a hard time telling people when they have something in their teeth, on their face, hanging out of their nose... uhm, etc...? Any good stories to go along with this topic? If someone has a really funny one, I'm totally reposting that bad boy.


I did OKAY with day 5 of the challenge. I admit that I did uhm, kinda sorta totally forget my focus for the day and went to facebook and got a little facebooky before remembering & then I was all, "Woah, facebook! How'd you get on my screen?". I cover for myself just in case the universe really is paying attention to me, you know?

Today's focus:
Sometimes we get so busy that we forget to stop and rest in God's presence.

And instead at the end of the day, as we're drifting off to sleep, we give him what's left.

If even that.

But how much better would things be, if we began AND ended our day with intentional time with Him?

So today I will begin and end my day with a little chit chat with my maker.
I tend to talk to him throughout the day, but usually a few hours after waking up. I'm no wind up toy... I take time to warm up to the world. I think He'll be pleasantly surprised to hear my mornin' voice ;)

Polishing my nails... & my life

Ever since I posted this picture(via) along with one of my posts a while back, the color of this girl's polish has been sloshing around in my head.

I needed it. I wanted it. It. Had. To. Be. Mine.
Every time I was out and about I'd browse the polish at every store I stopped in.
After weeks of finding colors that weren't quite right...
I'VE FOUND IT!

wet n wild Megalast Through the Grapevine

The color is pure perfection! Unfortunately, it doesn't photograph well, so I couldn't show you what it looks like on my nails(but seriously... they come out just like the girly's in the picture).
This polish is a bit thicker than I generally care for, but it was nothing a shake every now and then didn't take care of. Plus, at $1.99 a bottle, I can't complain.

I seriously think the right polish adds so much to an outfit, so it's not uncommon to see a few different shades gracing my fingertips throughout the week. Want a few polish tips?
Well, okay... you talked me into it.

1) Base coat & top coat always and always
2) I'm a speedy drying kind of girl b/c I polish my nails right before I go to sleep.
Two ways I speed up the process so I don't fall asleep and smush my wet nails:
a) I keep a hand held fan in my night stand. I fan dry my base coat & color to hurry things along.
b) Once I've painted on the top coat, I dip my finger tips in a glass of ice water for 60 seconds and it they dry almost instantly!
3) I'm sure you're wondering what in the world the hands are about up there... well, that's how I balance my hands to paint them. Holding your polish brush, touch your wrists together and paint away. I always used to wonder why I(a crafty girl who can paint a perfectly lovely picture) could never paint my nails and have them look as nice as when a nail tech did it. So, finally, I just asked a nail tech & she told me it was all about bracing your hands on one another and having your nails face you. DUH, why didn't I figure that out myself?
I find that resting my elbow(of whatever hand I'm painting) on the bed helps to steady me even more.

Any polish recommendations?



Yesterday's focus was to turn negative thoughts into positive thoughts!
These are just a few of the negative thoughts I went through during the day. Some of them are personal and some I just want to keep close to my heart.

Ick, my skin. -♥♥♥- My freckles are cute.

I'm nowhere near where I want to be in life -♥♥♥- I am blessed and know God will guide me to everything I deserve.

What if I never figure this out? -♥♥♥- I'm strong enough to handle it & that makes me proud.

Summer suggested along with turning the negatives into positives, we could find a bible verse that might further encourage us in those areas. I found one that works well for all of mine...

Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

Today's focus:
Imagine all the things we could get done if we didn't have social media....
for example: Facebook & Twitter.
Let's try it out and see just what happens when we take a break for 24 hours.
Take notes on what you accomplish in the time not wasted.

Well, looks like I've got to go now! No social media for me today! I won't be back until after midnight tomorrow to see what you guys are up to!
Hope your day is lovely!
pssst: I'll still be lurking on your blogs, I'm just allowing myself a certain amount of time today instead of browsing however long I like! But noooo facebook. We already see where that gets me anyway!

For me?!?

I heart snail mail! Even better than a snail mail letter? A snail mail package!
& from a blog buddy? My heart swoons!

Eeep! Look how pretty it is just peeping in the box! All wrapped in cute heart paper & tulle!

This gave me the biggest smile today! I framed the post card b/c it's so gorgeous & will always make me think of the lovely lady who sent it to me! It says "Love Who You Are"& has a sweet note on the back :)
Anne, you totally made my day... heck, you made my week!
A million times... thank you!

This crazy blogging world never ceases to amaze me!
I started this blog to have a place to showcase my crafty goodness
& before long it became more of a personal journal.
& then one day came comments...
& then one day there were suddenly followers.
(I honestly didn't even know that existed for the longest time!
I was adding blogs as my "favorites" in internet explorer...hello, dork!)
& then I started forming a bond with you.
We found common interests and similarities in our lives.
We became friends.
Thank you for making my days a little happier
& teaching me a little about life and love.
I'm forever grateful.

Am I a horrible person, or is this normal behavior?

I logged on to facebook today & was immediately informed that 2 new albums had been created
and 2 of my friends were tagged in them. These two friends happened to meet at the same wedding that WG and I met at & they've been together ever since. She was actually the talk of the wedding... she was "that" girl, ifyaknowwhatimean. I'm not kidding when I say the phrase "She's a biter" pretty much summed up that wedding weekend because of her. Because I'm nosy & a glutton for punishment, I clicked in. There they were in sunny California, posing in front of the Hollywood sign & lounging on the beach. Below were captions talking about some of their time spent there.
Made. me. wanna. puke.

I'm horrible, right?
So much for a better me.

Having said that... it's time for an update on the challenge!

I scribbled down some of the things I was feeling blessed about yesterday...

1.) Dreams (I have some amazing, some crazy, some insightful, some awful... but I remember them all! So few people can remember all of their dreams, so I feel lucky to be able to!)
2.) Sweet emails & comments. Which really means sweet friends, I suppose!
3.) My family(Today was my brother-in-law's birthday and I got to spend the evening with the whole fam. Love them so much!)
4.) Sweet tea(or unsweetened, whatever!)... it's my savior since I gave up soda for lent.
5.) A roof over my head. (I saw a really young homeless man on the side of the interstate today. Made me so sad.)
6.) Sunshine :) It came out today and even though it's still cold...I enjoyed the rays on my pale skin for a few moments.

& Uhm, let's zoom so you can see another blessing...

I texted Summer last night in a sweets panic, "Do caramel flavored rice cakes count as sweets?!"
She said she didn't think so, but I still felt guilty b/c they're sorta kinda delicious and I almost prefer them to cookies. So, after perusing the aisles of Walgreens, I decided to try out frosted mini-wheats. I never enjoyed the texture when my Mom would buy them when I was a kid, but I thought maybe my texture taste had matured with age... and either I'm desperate or it has! I am loving my honey nut mini-wheat little bites (that's a seriously long title, Kellogg's!)!

To be clear, I realize I am blessed for much more than I listed, however today was a pretty blah day for me. I didn't do too much or really even converse with anyone until 7:00pm.
I'm a very blessed lady, and I know that.

Today's focus:
With every negative thought that comes into your mind,
first immediately STOP it...
And then, replace that thought with what is TRUE and positive.

Join in on the 21 day challenge over at Summer's!
Hopefully you'll do better than I'm doing! Haha! I'm going to get better, I promise.
I'm only human...

The Love I Give

Yesterday, I felt like I hadn't showed enough love.
I felt like day 2 of my 21 days was going to be a big fat failure.
I was feeling less than enthused due to my lack of sweets & soda & lovin'...
and then I heard a tiny knock on my door.
& Standing there with the biggest smile ever was my 18 month old niece.
"Hey Yay Yay!" she squealed.
(Yay Yay = Lay Lay)
& then I filled up the evening with all the love i had to give :)

This little girl has my heart. She totally knows it too.
I love the way she says my name & the way she holds my hand.
I love her heart & her sweet soul.
I even love her when she's wearing her Sassy pants.
And have i mentioned that I love her face?
I even think she's gorgeous when she's covered in pudding with crazy girl hair.
& I looove that people say she looks like her "Lay Lay" :)
I'm pretty sure my Sister made her just to make my life a little sweeter.
♥♥♥
Today, I also started working on some pillows that will be hitting my shop soon!
& I showed those lots of love, of course!
I've been wanting to add some home stuff for a while & now I finally have the time to do it!
I hope you'll love them as much as I do! :)
♥♥♥
& this is just for Rasha...I found that rainbow you were looking for :)
[the view from my back balcony this afternoon]
♥♥♥
Day 3: Today's focus is on the blessings in your life.
So grab a notebook and keep track of each and every blessing that comes your way.
When you're looking for them, you'll be sure to find them.

If you're in on the 21 days, you can find the day's focus each night over at Summer's!
I believe she even put a link up at the top of her page! She's a handy one, I tell ya! I think I just might keep her around ;) Love ya, Sum!

4:03, 2:22 & 21 days

Certain times make themselves known to me for some reason.
Plenty of people do the 11:11 thing, right? Make a wish...
But me?
It's 4:03 & 2:22.
I notice them on the clock often,
but even weirder is when they find me.
It's like they're seeking me out.
I notice them on the clocks in shows and movies.

[Gilmore Girls... my fav. show of all time :) photo via]
I hear them in songs(&songs) or see them in videos.
They just follow me... or maybe I find them.
Either way they are there.
Maybe someday I'll know why?
Or maybe they'll just follow me around the rest of my life & I'll never know.
But it makes me smile, because I feel like it's mine.
Is that weird?

Does anything follow you around?

p.s. I just realized it just so happens to be February 22nd.... 2/22 :)

I'm going to need your support for the next 21 days(and ya know, always and forever) because I've decided to join my BBB Summer in her 21 days to a better you challenge! Yesterday marked the start of the 21 days.
Day 1: Give up something for the 21 days. I decided to give up sweets!
I know, I know... I'm off my rocker. Giving up sweets for 21 days and soda for 40? I'm certifiable. So if I come to you(via email or blog comment) and tell you that I am about to inhale a plate of brownies or bag of skittles, feel free to slap my hand, shake me and make me sit in the corner. Every day I will be posting about what I've done that day to work my way towards becoming a better me! Join on in if you please!

Just be sure to link to my lady, like so , being as it was her grand idea :)


Day 2: Let today be a day that you are focused on going out of your way to show love and kindness to the people around you.

So to start my day off... a little note for this lady

Sunday Morning Psalm

[my favorite: psalm 62]

My soul finds rest in God alone;

my salvation comes from Him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation;

He is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

I discovered the beauty of this psalm when I was a teenager. I scribbled it onto a piece of notebook paper & tucked it inside my wallet. That piece of paper is still in my wallet. Always will be. I hope it can do for you today what it does for me every day.

photo via

always and always.

Truth be Told

I miss you.

Random is my middle name

Holy Random Post

I just saw a preview for Toddlers & Tiaras that made me laugh my booty off. The little girl(who looks like a creepy doll)is standing there with her trophy & a huge bunch of balloons. She has a huge smile on her face, showing off her fake teeth & says in the thickest country accent,
"Yeah, I'm excited about the money... but the balloons?
I am REALLY excited about the balloons!"
Cutest. Thing. Ever.
***

I have this thing for Flamin' Hot Cheetos. I find them torturous... and addicting. I'll buy the Hot Munchies & dig around until I find a hot cheeto, then regret it and dig until I find a pretzel to calm my mouth down... then I dig for another cheeto. I can't get enough, it's stupid!
***
I gave up soda for Lent. Do you know how badly I've been wanting a Coke today?
[I know what you're thinking. "Put the cheetos down & maybe you wouldn't want Coke so bad." Easier said than done.... don't you judge me! haha]

Mardi Gras night, I decided to go get a huge Coke(my last one for 40 days, so I was going to savor every sip)! I got to the speaker box and was seriously giddy about the amount of Coke I was about to consume, when the girls voice came on and said something that turned my special trip into an epic fail...
"Welcome to McDonalds, sorry but we don't have any carbonated beverages at the moment. Go ahead with your order."
Me: Wha? Ugh. But. [Sighs...] I'll just have a medium sweet tea, thanks.
***
I need a good virus protection/pop up blocker. I paid $50 for one that doesn't do it's job, so ya know... free would be good. I get these talking pop ups that say "Congratulations!" every 5 minutes. Ick, annoying & I'm pretty sure they're going to give my computer a boo boo. Can anyone help?

Please say yes, because I love my computer... and all of you live inside of it!
and I love you, duh :)
***
& Oh Me, Oh My, I won Oh Missy Me's giveaway!

This little win couldn't have come at a better time! I could use a little pampering right now!
& She's going to do a doodle for me! Love that :)

Happy Friday!
What are your plans for the weekend?
Mine? Nada. Oh the single life... it's awesome already.

Curtain Call

Every time a relationship in my life fails,

I change something in my bedroom.
[What is that saying about me?]
This time, it's the curtains.

Forgive me, I forgot to take a before picture!
They were completely flat black panels with white at the bottom...
not so special.
I will photoshop fake it for you!

[seriously, they looked JUST like that]
I couldn't really get any worse than they were, but woah woah I think I did a pretty stinkin' great job with the upgrade.
I wanted something light and airy, so
I bought yards and yards of thin white fabric.
It has pleats & ruffles & is a little wrinkled.
Just like me :)

So here is my little upgrade. I love them!

My flash makes my walls look light, but they are actually a lovely shade of medium grey.
When the sun comes up in the morning, my room is so beautiful!
It makes it look all glowey... like I've used the ortonish effect on it :)

Hey! While I have your attention, do you think I need to move my frame & iron work down further or am I good?

Music starts playing like the end of a sad movie...

[It's the kind of ending you don't really want to see]

WG and I broke up.
What an opening line, eh?
It was just time. The happiness was beginning to fade & we didn't know where to take it.
I felt like I couldn't picture my own future, because I didn't know where he stood.
That's a horrible feeling.
Was he next to me? Was he even in Louisiana? Was I still living in my hometown? Was I happy? Was he happy?
I didn't know. He didn't know. We didn't know.
So, it's over.
We hugged tight, he carried my bags to my car, and I managed to get away with only one tear having rolled down my cheek.
I drove home listening to music that makes my heart feel something.
I stopped off and bought a cute top, because it was Valentine's day & I had just endured a break up...I deserved it.
I talked to my Mom on the phone and told her what had happened.
She said I sounded good, but my heart felt a little empty.
Let me make it clear that I AM OKAY.
I am more okay than I ever could have imagined I would be,
because I laid in bed and thought about this for a week before it happened.
& I know that God is watching me and he knows what comes next,
but tonight...
Tonight, I'm back in this bed of mine and my heart...
it feels a little empty.
Because boy, for a while there that love was so sweet.
Isn't that the way it works though?
Sometimes it fades.
But tomorrow is a new day,
and I am going to fill it with jogging, fabric scraps, paint, family & thoughts of my future.
& Dreams of what I'll have one day.
What I've always wanted,
& what I deserve:

A simple life that is full of love.
Tomorrow is a new day.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

This gorgeous gal won herself a pretty little hat...
go congratulate her, won't you?

[just for good measure]
The winner of this contest was chosen on random.org by a true random number generator.
I would love to have pulled each and every one of your names or numbers... but no worries, another giveaway is coming very soon!

Fat Tuesday

HAPPY MARDI GRAS, Y'ALL!

{this is what trees along parade routes look like this time of year... pretty, right?}

pssst

They need every prayer in your heart today.

Hello Pretties :)

Hey Everyone! Being that we're right in the middle of Mardi Gras around these parts, I am going to leave the Purdy Things giveaway open until the day AFTER Fat Tuesday... Ash Wednesday!

Everyone enter even if you don't wear hats! You could certainly save it and give it to someone as a gift! High School graduations are just around the corner & how cute would it be to give your special graduate a handmade hat that was their college colors? UHM, perfect gift. YOUR WELCOME!
Enter enter enter! It would be plum silly not to!

Thoughts on Valentine's Day

via
♥ I've always said "Valentine's Day isn't my thing"... "Nah, it's not important to me."
& You know, that might be true if everyone else in the world weren't being given flowers and candy. They're getting flowers and candy? I want flowers and candy too!

♥ I remember feeling really bad Valentine's day of my Senior year b/c 2 guys(who I wasn't dating and not planning on dating) brought me flowers and stuffed animals. To this day
I still don't understand why! I felt so awful not having anything for them though. Ick, it still bugs me. I think you should have to ask someone to be your Valentine to prepare them! I hate not having a gift to give in return!

♥ Every year of elementary school (k-3rd) I was sick on Valentine's day. EVERY. SINGLE. YEAR. Never failed. I always missed out on passing out Valentine's, and receiving mine. My Mom would have to go to school to drop mine off for me. Mostly, this upset me because my Mom always had the best Valentine outfit for me to wear & I ended up wearing it while laying on the couch.

♥ One of my exes once bought me a REALLY nice necklace that i adored for Valentine's one year & then the next year he gave me a card. Uhmmm, what? I mean, it wouldn't have been weird if he had given me only a card the first year. He could have at least sprung for some flowers. You can't down grade that much, sheesh!

♥ I used to not care for red roses. They seemed cliche' to me. Now I realize I should just be happy with what I've been given! haha

♥ One Valentine's day there were 2 signs nailed to the tree at the end of my road that read "I still love you" & "Always will." There were only 3 girls who lived on the road that it possibly could have been for. None of us ever figured out who it was, but whew...
it was sweet.

♥ I really love y'all. Thank you so much for hangin' around these parts & showing me so much love! Will you be my Valentine?

Uncle Max, Aunt Harriet!

via

I had a dream about the Mucinex phlegm people during my afternoon
drug induced sleep sesh nap.

Cold medicine does weird things to me:

-Whenever I'm about to fall asleep and i'm pumped
full of Nyquil, I have these conversations(with other people) in my head.
Weird?  Yes. & I'm totally aware of it,  which makes it really awkward.

-Sometimes, right before I'm about to fall asleep during these convos in my head,
I think of an email I need to send and I login to my account and write
this enormous email & hit send.  Then I wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy
and don't remember any of it.  Again, awkward.

- Last night, I decided that stuffing tissue in my nose and just letting it hang there for
a while wasn't at all weird or gross.  I'm talking the whole tissue.  It was like pom poms for
the face.  LOVELY.

-My legs are hot, but my feet are cold.  I resolved this problem by taking off my pants
and putting on slippers.  I look hot.

- I actually googled how much it would cost me to get my own Icee machine today.
One day you will be mine, Icee machine! YOU. WILL. BE. MINE! Muahaha

- As of 2 hours ago, I would have bet you a benjamin that today is Thursday.
ahem, it is not.
(when I wrote this, it was Wednesday)


This is why I never played around with recreational drugs...
Hoo Wee, could you imagine?

p.s. Good news! I'm actually starting to feel better!
Thanks for all of your well wishes!  Suuuuccchh sweetie cakes! edited to add: 

After publishing this post last night,
I had a snack(smart thinking, I thought) THEN took my medicine ...
then a bit later, apparently decided it was a good time to touch up paint my walls!
WTF? I woke up this morning thinking it was a dream, then looked at my walls &
where they once were nicked or color worn, my-oh-my they are perfection.
Only me.

I'm a wittle baby

via
Yep...
I'm sick.
Fever, stuffy nose, coughing, aching, sneezing, sick.
When I'm not feeling my hottest, I like to be babied.
I'm not going to hide it or lie and say "I just want to be left alone and sleep."
I mean, of course I want sleep, but when my little peepers pop open I want someone to hand me my medicine and a big Icee and maybe brush my crazy hair out of my face.
Maybe that makes me spoiled, but who doesn't like a little spoiling?
When I was in high school, I would even put on a little sequin crown to make my Mom laugh when she came in to check on me. Okay, okay maybe it wasn't so much for her as it was for me.
Made me feel pretty, damnit!
There are just some things that a sparkly crown can fix...
even my pale skin, purple bagged eyes & nappy hair were beautified by it.
So, since I don't have anyone to wait on me hand and foot right now,
[admittedly, my parents did bring me an icee and skittles today]
I'm looking for some of your pick-me-ups & remedies!
Give me whatcha got for a pork chop.

& please say a prayer that I'm feeling better by the weekend! I want to enjoy Mardi Gras!
I'm already missing the big Saints parade tonight :(
& I even had tickets for the bandstands and after party b/c my brother in law works for the Saints. Boooooo illness. Go bother someone else.

...face mask covered smooches...

The Space Between

"When the butterflies are gone," she said...
"What is left?"
A dear friend(who I'm completely blessed to have)said this to me in a conversation we shared earlier. I thought it was so eloquent and beautiful that I wrote it down.
It continues to do laps in my mind, so here I am to share it with you.
[Sharing is caring.]

Here's a little tuneage I'm enjoying this week:
I just realized it's all chicks, which is weird, because I tend to be drawn towards male artists... but ya' know, GIRL POWER, or something like that.

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

photos via

Summer time in February

I'm over at Summer's today :)
Come play!

It was celebrity doppelganger week on Facebook last week!

It was fun to see who people posted as their's! Some were dead on(like Summer's! I had never picked up on the Buffy thing before!) & some were so far off you had to giggle.

Who is your celeb doppelganger?

DON'T FORGET TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY!