Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Smiles and Revelations

Hopefully I'm not the only one that does this, but I have to confess that I worry about how I look.  Doesn't every girl want to be pretty.  I want my little husband to be proud to be seen with me.  Don't you feel better when your hair does what you want it to?
The other day as I was gazing wistfully in the mirror, lamenting the fact that I have wrinkles and acne...what universe is that right in?...I finally said to myself, "It is what it is," and smiled.  And that did it...when I smiled, I was pretty.

How easy is that?

The revelation is not new, but rather, renewed.  I need to make things.  Creating makes me happy....not cooking, not cleaning...but creating something, especially if it is something for someone else or something new for me to try.  I just picked up a garbage bag full of yarn and knitting needles from a friend who is done with her knitting phase and needing the room.  Look at this yummy dreamsicle color...it really is just exactly the color of a Dreamsicle!  What can I make with that?  Maybe my first prayer shawl, which is another project that has been swirling around.  Tanna?  Oh.  Wait.  Do I have to finish the sweater first?  Too hot for sweaters!


And I haven't been a knitter all that long, but I bet it's been awhile since yarn was $1.11 even at Murphy's, which is no more.


Today I finished birthday gifts for my friend, Karyn, and her daughter, who share the same birth date.  Karyn needs a new bag for all her Zumba stuff.  I didn't make the bag, but I made a sweet little tag to go on the handle.  See?
See the cute little daisy on the back, well, it will be the back....my friend, Mollie at http://wildolive.blogspot.com/p/embroidery-basics.html  
taught me how to make that with her basic embroidery tutorial.


Lydia is getting a Kindle Fire from her doting grandpa, (I know, right?  She's going into 2nd grade!  Where's MY fire?...OK, I'm over it now)  so I made her a cover for the Fire in her favorite color with her favorite animal.  I don't know that a poodle is her favorite dog, but dogs are her favorite animal.  




I have gotten a little better since I made the cover for my plain old Kindle, that I still love.

Oh, and my little husband is always proud to be seen with me...one of the reasons I love him so much!  He loves me all the way to the inside!

Gotta go pack for vacation now.  Not sure about connections while I am gone, but I will try to be in touch!



14 comments:

MonchyB said...

Great presents, Donna!
And my heart gets so thrilled by feeling how much love and tenderness you two share.
When are you leaving for a vaccation? Stevie wrote me! But I still didn`t find the time to write back and explain about the accident I had. And it is not easy to type with one hand :(. I am working on my blog post, but still have to put the story in English... Have a great trip!

Tanna said...

Oh, Donna!! That smile trick is so very true!! I think I've had that same conversation with the older lady in my mirror, too. hee hee

You scored on some yarn!! I will be looking forward to seeing what you create with it. You know shawls are addictive, right? ;)

Your handwork is simply gorgeous!! Love the tags and the Kindle covers!! All three are wonderful, as are every OTHER one of these creations!! Well done, my friend. Well done!

Hope you have a fun, fun, relaxing, restorative and creative vacation!! Hugs and love ~ tanna

Donna said...

Monika, we leave tomorrow for 10 days. We are taking computers so we will find the blog post that explains it all. Sometimes I type with one hand and my elbow when I am eating!!! =0
Are you almost well?

Donna said...

Tanna, since you are the shawl Queen, I will be seeking your advice for where to start.
I am packing lots of felt and a little yarn for creating time...
Glad you, too, smile in your mirror after you talk to yourself...didn't want to be alone and coo coo!

Karyn said...

I think you are beautiful! (Even when you are rolling your eyes at me!) Smiles make everyone look better. They are the best accessory!

Thank you SO much for my bag and the tag! It is the perfect gift. Useful, thoughtful, beautiful, and generously given. The colors are perfect and it is so much easier to carry than that box! (Not to mention much prettier.)

I can't wait to see Lyds open her gift. She will love it, I know. It's very Fancy Nancy, which is a favorite read of ours. Oo, lala!

Thank you for your friendship. I'll miss you like crazy after two weeks of hardly seeing you, but I hope you have a relaxing vacation.

Love you.

Donna said...

Yay Yay Yay! I am so happy that you love it! I was so afraid you were going to buy a bag before I got to give you this one for your birthday. It's really pretty impressive that I kept it for as long as I did...I wanted to give it to you as soon as I got it for you.

I do plan to relax on vacation...ahhhh.

Be glad to be back and on our regular schedule! Love you, too! A bunch.

Farida said...

Hi Ms Donna! I enjoyed your post so much. I think every lady no matter what her age is, always wants to look good all the time :)

My mom and grandmother taught me to put moisturizer since I turned 20. Now, it's a habit I cannot part with, haha! And it does wonders to the skin :D

Have a great weekend and take care!

K said...

Yes, I am listening to the sermon and I say, "Amen." Smiling makes us people, and people rise above the state of their faces the second they come alive. Thank HEAVEN. Love the projects - the tags are mui cute - and so is the case, bless your talented fingers. Hope you have a great vacation and you don't come home and go wild and mad and weird like I did. KISSES!

Baa-Me Kniits said...

Lovely felt work Donna, you are so creative....I love the poodle! Have a great vacation :-)

Rachel said...

Ugh! The mirror! I swear someone switched mine to one of those carnival ones. Distorted. Is that how I really look?

I always laugh in movies like, "Pride and Prej." when the girls sit and look at themselves in a mirror trying to gauge how they look. We all do it.....

I like how Kristen put it, the smile how it is engaging and the person comes alive. So true!

Your felt and needle work is just lovely. Very much like you!!!

Happy knitting in creamsicles. Can't wait to see what you come up with and delight.

Donna said...

Great idea with the moisturizer, right?

Donna said...

Sunday at the beach. Found a sweet 100 year old church and worshiped with strangers in the family of God...all very sweet and they gave us a little mini loaf of bread when we left.
I don't want to go crazy when I get home, either....but I might...there is always that potential. Hope you are over yours and have a plan you can manage soon. Love you.

Donna said...

Thanks, Jenni! So far so good.

Donna said...

So, if we could only just remember not to look n the mirror when we are not smiling...have that little talk with our own sweet selves, put on the smile and love the lady we see!
There's a plan....