100 Posts!

When I first started this little blog I thought it would be something completely different.

  I knew I intended for it to be about gratitude for the many blessings I have, but I had some BIG IDEAS that I was sure were going to appear on every page and I would hit the ground running.

I had a passion for all things makeup that started when I was in college and I took my first theatrical makeup class.  I loved everything about it - the special effects and radical changes you could make in your appearance most of all.  It was a fun and exciting escape from the everyday and I thought it was the most exciting part of the new experiences I was having as a theatre major.  I learned lots from my professor Ed, but I also read books and watched demonstrations and went to seminars to find out more.  When I was a graduate student I actually got to teach a class about it and share what I learned.  Makeup never stopped being exciting and I never stopped wanting to learn new tricks and tips, but I slowly transitioned away from the theatre world and I stopped doing it on a day to day basis.  I think my original intention for this blog was to be much more of a beauty and makeup related page, and also I expected it would reflect my love of finding great deals and trying out the latest products through beauty subscriptions.  

Along the way I've visited that idea, but it was always hit or miss and I would go weeks or even months at a time without posting anything.  I was overwhelmed by the crazy amount of beauty blogs that seemed to repeat a lot of the same ideas that I had but in a bigger way and to hundreds of devoted subscribers, and I wasn't able to compete. My entries took on a kind of weird, braggy "look at this awesome stuff" vibe and I didn't like it at all.  Nobody else seemed to either.

It took me a long time to realize that I wasn't in a competition.  I was in this for myself.

Writing a little every day has really helped me.  It's given me a more positive outlook.  I'm grateful for that.

If you have been following along, or even if these are the first words that sprung from my mind that you have ever read, you may have noticed from the entries on the right that I post here every day.  It may just be a few pictures and a short story about how that day went, or it may be a long rant about an experience I've had that I needed an outlet for.  Maybe you find it boring and you navigate away as soon as you can click on a new window.  Maybe I wrote something you can relate to and you feel like we're kindred spirits.  Maybe you were sent here by accident and you were actually trying to find out how to rid your lawn of weeds while the word "dandelion" was flagged in cyberspace and it directed you here by the odd whims of the computer gods.

No matter how you arrived, thanks for reading.  I'm looking forward to sitting down and typing every day.  I think of new topics all the time and I'm learning that the more I show gratitude for the little things that make me happy, the more I realize that my worries are small and I have A LOT to be thankful for.

I leave you today with the words to a classic tune by Irving Berlin - it sums things up perfectly.

Taking stock of what I have and what I haven't
What do I find?
The things I got will keep me satisfied
Checking up on what I have and what I haven't
What do I find?
A healthy balance on the credit side
Got no diamond
Got no pearl
Still I think I'm a lucky girl
I got the sun in the morning and the moon at night
I got the sun in the morning and the moon at night
Got no mansion
Got no yacht
Still I'm happy with what I got
I got the sun in the morning and the moon at night
I got the sun in the morning and the moon at night
Sunshine
Gives me a lovely day
Moonlight
Gives me the Milky Way
Got no checkbooks
Got no banks
Still I'd like to express my thanks
I got the sun in the morning and the moon at night
I got the sun in the morning and the moon at night
And with the sun in the morning
And the moon in the evening
I'm all right

 And as a bonus you get a few makeup photos from times I messed around and found some new techniques I was excited about.  My friend Cody had cobweb "hair" built into his makeup and we added some plastic spiders later on.  His nephew Dru picked his makeup from a photo he liked and I tried to make him look "dead and cool" as per his request.

Here, I was just screwing around making some fairy wing appliances out of glue.  I should someday post a tutorial because this is an easy to make Halloween shindig look.  Maybe I will post it tomorrow for my 101st post!  I'm going to be here for the foreseeable future so be on the lookout!

Much love to y'all!