Beauty Parlor

I recently discovered some hair blogs and today gave some of the more adventurous styles a try.  Here is Hannah’s French Braid Halo and “Messy Bun” (I guess that is the technical name for it) inspired by this hairdo. The girl in the picture has way more hair than Hannah, but I think it turned out pretty well for a first try and no special hair products; just water and hairspray. It did take me about half the length of “Lady and the Tramp” to finish it though.

Sabrina wasn’t quite as easy to please. At first she really wanted the same thing as Hannah, but then it took too long just to comb it out and I had just started braiding when she said, “I want something different.” I knew she would never sit still long enough for me to finish, so I tried out this Knotty Chain with a Half Ponytail inspired by this post. I was trying to go for the chain effect, but Sabrina was wiggly and I thought it looked cute this way too, so I just left it. Oh, and she also insisted I give her bangs a “shortcut” this morning. I’m telling you this girl has an opinion on everything!

Disney Sunday Movies

Remember the 80’s Disney live action classics? My siblings and I loved the Sunday night movies (Like The BRAT Patrol). We would tape them from TV onto a VHS tape and watch them over and over. I still remember that we would all yell, “pause!” when the commercials came on, and “play!” when the movie was back. If we pushed the buttons on the VCR at just the right time we could get the tape with no commercials and not miss any dialogue when the movie started up again.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3jp93TNCyg

Mr. Boogedy was one of our favorites:

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV9vvekSbr4

Our Comfort Zone

Tonight Emma, Hunter and I took a big step outside of our comfort zones.  We went to audition for Pageant of the Masters. It is an annual show in Laguna Beach where they recreate famous works of art using actual people as the subjects, and a life size background and/or props. I have to admit that I was the most hesitant of the three of us, Rob convinced me to go, and I’m glad he did.  The process was pretty organized and fairly quick. We filled out a form with our general stats (oh and one important question: Are you willing to be nude? No! I know you are covered with paint and all, but that’s too far out of my comfort zone), then we were measured from head to toe, and had our picture taken next to a height chart. Then we turned in our cards, grabbed some treats, and that was it. I was lucky enough to win a t-shirt when I turned in my card too, which was super cool! Now we just wait to see if our dimensions fit into any of the pieces.  I think only one third of people that audition get parts, so we’ll see… There was a gallery of some of the artwork that will be featured in this year’s show. Here are just a few:

Morning by Maxfield Parrish

Le Dejeuner sur L’Herbe by Claude Monet

Summertime by Mary Cassatt

The Horse Fair by Rosa Bonheur

Joan of Arc by Anna Hyatt Huntington

I couldn’t embed this video, but click here to see a good explanation of the pageant. Don’t bother watching past 1:50, it’s just random clips and no sound.

72 Hour Kit Giveaway

January 2009 Give Away at Totally Ready

If your resolution is to get your family prepared, go enter to win this Adult 72 Hour Kit! Super cool.

I Am Thankful For the Yahoo Girls

Kelly started up a Yahoo group and it has been so great. It is made up of many women in the ward and we use it mostly to coordinate park days, play groups, and babysitting. It is also used as sort of a message board and I get an email every time somebody posts something. Sometimes it’s hard to keep up with it, but I I love how I feel like I have a whole group of people that have my back should I need last minute help, advice on a doctor or mechanic or an uplifiting thought on a tough day.

I really enjoy seeing everyone’s personalities as they share their favorite blogs, recipes, and shopping tips etc. I have a seperate folder in my email for this group because there are always a ton of emails coming in (we seem to average about 400 a month). It is a great way for a person like me to stay in the loop.  I’m not the best communicator in person, and I never feel like I know what’s going on with anyone, but through this I feel like I have a group of people outside of my family that care about me, my husband, and my kids.  It’s kind of like that saying, “It takes a village to raise a family.” I have been so impressed at the quick responses people give to needs.  There have been so many times that I have seen a string of emails that I missed earlier where someone needed a babysitter, and within 15 minutes they found one.  It’s amazing, and I’m so lucky to be surrounded by these women that love to serve each other and truly understand what charity is.

I Am Thankful for Freecycle

I signed up as a member of Freecycle a while back and think it is fantastic.  People from your own community list things that they no longer need, but that might be useful to someone else and give them away for free.  It is perfect for giving away things that you have held onto just because you want to make sure they find a good home.

People give away all sorts of things: movies, books, clothing, furniture, appliances etc.  Just today I got three books of stories written for third and fifth graders as part of a homeschool curriculum.  We go through books so fast here, so anything new is always devoured quickly.  This person also gave me a half full container of liquid Tide that she hadn’t used because she doesn’t like the scent.  I have a few things in my garage that I want to freecycle, and after tonight I feel a bigger push to get it done.

As I drove away tonight with my books and Tide, I thought how nice it felt to have someone I didn’t even know offer these things to me.  And it also feels great to give things away when you know they are appreciated. It’s moments like those that are the true meaning of community.