Daddy's Little Girl

I have an awesome Dad!  Most girls believe their Dad is wonderful, but I truly had the best! Was I Daddy's little girl?  Who knows. I'm not even sure if the women population of the this world, have figured out what that phrase really means.  We all seem to have different definitions.  We're so complex! :-)

I know this...

I always felt loved, I knew my Dad would die for me if the occasion presented itself and it did sometimes in my dreams. Ha! So, if that makes me Daddy's little girl, then so be it.

One of my fondest memories is sitting outside on a summer evening and watching Dad work on one of our used vehicles.  The cicadas would be making their horrible sounds, mosquitoes would be hovering all over me and Dad would be under the car. Sometimes I would lay on my back and get under there with him. He had a light that he would hook on to some random car part and we had our own little hideout.  My Dad, generally was a quiet man, however, he loved cars and would somehow find a million words to throw out of his mouth.  Listening to my Dad talk about engines and such, sounded like a foreign language to me.  He might as well been talking to the cicadas.  I really couldn't care less about how to fix a carburetor, but...I listened and asked questions. Why? Because I knew that someday I would want this information? Nah...I just liked spending time with my Dad.

Clearly, I can't tell you anything about a car's engine, but...my Dad was even more productive than that.  He taught me about life, love and most importantly, about God.  Through his faithfulness to God, he gave me a guide, an example to follow.  He taught me how to fish, instead of just feeding me fish.  (I'm pretty sure that is a cliche, but...if not, you get what I'm trying to say) 

My Dad gave me the greatest gift...he introduced me to a greater Dad, my heavenly Father.

My earthly Father loved me, protected me, guided me, disciplined me and was always there for me.  My heavenly Father did the same, only better.

My earthly Father was faithful, humble, kind, giving and wise.  My heavenly Father was also...only...only more.

My earthly Father was like an introduction in a book.  An earthly example of my heavenly Father. A Father who loves me...I always feel loved and I know that He died for me.  

Doesn't that make me Daddy's little girl?  You bet!

What you see, is what you get?

So, most of my Facebook friends know that my husband surprised me with a new car this week!  A..mazing!  I don't know too many husbands that would ever do that.  Maybe on Real Housewives or something and that's only because they are on TV.   Or, maybe they're not so real... after all.  Nah. ;) 

My experience with men has been that he gets the new car and I get his old one, or he gets the new phone, I get his old one, etc.  But, Richie is different and in a good way, not the "weird, trying to be nice by saying different," kind of way. Ha...I crack me up!

Anyway, it was a wonderful surprise and I have enjoyed the comforts of it all week.  Thank you baby!

It got me to thinking though. (I know...watch out!)

For a while now I've been feeling unappreciated, unnoticed etc.  All those emotions that we get when we are focusing on ourselves too much.  All the while, Richie was planning to give me a wonderful surprise.  So, while he was loving me enormously, I was wallowing in my self pity.  How deceived I was.  Deceived by what, you might ask? 

By what I saw with my eyes.

Our eyes can deceive us, if we only believe what we see. Real truth is bigger than that.  Beyond what we see, or any of our senses.  Truth is beyond what we think or feel, beyond our intellect and comprehension.  Truth is something only God knows entirely.  

Corrie Ten Boom is an amazing woman who went through enormous difficulties in life. After her Holocaust experience, she wrote books and spoke about her experiences. While she was telling of the atrocities she lived through, she worked on needlework.  At the end of her speech she would hold up the backside, which was just a jumble of colors and threads with no discernible pattern and she'd say, "That's how we see our lives.  Sometimes it makes no sense." Then she would turn the needlepoint over to reveal the finished side and would conclude by saying, "This is how God views your life, and someday we will have the privilege of seeing it from his point of view."

I'll leave you with one of my favorite verses, 1 Corinthians 13:12

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

 

New Room

Ashlee's room was lime green with hot pink accents.  It was her awesome room when she was eight years old.  At almost 15, it was kind of childlike.  So, I set out to give her a more grown up look, but something that went with her, her style.  I chose a color scheme of salmon and cream and aqua, then added lots of bling!  Here are some of the details that I think made the room really cool.

Because I had some stick on flowers, I had to do a light border at the top, so the flowers would show up with the correct colors.  I did a semi gloss first and then painted a pearl metallic over it. I tried to blend the colors, so it was not a complete opaque line between the salmon and cream.  Then I sprayed glue and blew glitter on the border.  That was a learning lesson.  I learned that when you blow glitter from a container...most of it comes back on your face. :0  I had so much glitter on my face...it was hysterical.  Missed the photo moment though.  I just wanted to get it out of my nose.  Ashley Lorraine was the only one that saw me, but later told me that she thought she was dreaming, since I woke her up to look at my glitterness.  So...I guess in her dreams, I'm a fairy. :)

Speaking of Ashley and glitter...When she was oh, about 4, she got very mad at one of her brothers.  When I inquired as to the source of her anger, she said "Sean's a glitter bug!"  Of course she was trying to say litter bug.  Only Ashley can make even littering, sound beautiful!

OK...back to the room.  After the glitter, I added the bling.  Mostly round glass pieces, but there are some sticker mirror rhinestones, also.

I wish the glitter was showing up better, but...use your imagination.

I spelled Ashlee's name with the salmon colored glass baubles.  She loved that part!

This is the frame of her mirror. I painted it with the same cream semi gloss and then sprinkled glitter on it while it was still wet.

I bought an inexpensive drawer divider.  They were cheaper than the ones that you purchase for makeup and just the same function.  I then glued the glass baubles to it.

This is her dry erase board.  We glued the baubles to magnets.

We also glued them to the tips of her peg board and to the screw that I hung her picture from.

So, that's it.  Took me several months of planning and dreaming and a weekend to paint.  Ashlee loves it!  And THAT, makes it worth all the work!  :)

Hope this inspires you to create something!