TWINKLE TOES

Aren't they pretty?

I couldn't get very good pictures so it is hard to tell that they are a glittery deep purple.

My two friends who come to my Friday morning Bible studies gave me a mani/pedi for a combination birthday and Christmas gift and made it a fun day!

The three of us went together. We first stopped at a small bakery coffee shop and ordered lattes and pastries to go. Then we drove to the next town and had our treats at the nail salon while my feet soaked and I tried to pick out the colors that I wanted. My friends just had manicures or we would have been there all day. As it is, we were there for about 3 hours, leaving at 12:30. Then they took me to lunch at a small cafe/coffee shop that has a very limited but very good menu. Fun, fun, fun!

And here is the result of the manicure. Again, not great pictures. It was hard to not get too much shine from the flash.

I chose a more 'sedate' color for my hands. I gravitate to the lighter rose shades so if it chips it isn't so noticeable. I wish I knew what the name of the color is but I don't think I even heard the name. I didn't think to ask. It is slightly pearlized. Then I added some silver glitter at the base and she slightly pulled it part way to the tip. The glitter sparkles with a prism of colors when the light shines on it. Of course, I also had to do the single featured nail that is so popular today, and so my ring fingers have white chevron stripes stamped on. I LOVE IT! Now I am spoiled, but it is something I can't afford so it will probably be the one and only time I will have it done.

My friends convinced me to do the shellac polish and I am so amazed that after 5 weeks (yes five!) they are still looking as good as when I left the salon. If you look really close you can see how much the nails have grown near the cuticle. But it is not noticeable because of the lighter, more natural color.

I'd say that my friends got their money's worth with their gift. Thank you so much for a very fun gift.

TURTLING

Turtling. That is what I am doing. I thought I came up with the word but when I googled it I found a few definitions and some slang usage. The first thing that came up was simply hunting for turtles. But I ask, do you call it deering when hunting deer? Or ducking if hunting ducks? I guess we do call 'hunting' for fish as fishing. There is a physical condition called turtling but it is not something I care to discuss here. And some of the slang usage is unmentionable as well.

My definition of turtling is when I pull my head and all extremities inside my shell and stay there. You might call it hibernating since we have had a severly cold winter and are in a storm watch for tomorrow. We did have one blizzard as well. I just do not go out if there is ice and/or snow as I don't want to fall and break a bone. I will even cancel a medical appointment if the weather and roads are bad.

I also have withdrawn from Facebook most of the time, and have not posted to my online group friends very often. And obviously have not posted here either. I do have some posts titled and in the drafts folder so will be sharing them eventually. What is there to write about when you don't do anything? Last week and this week I have been watching the Olympics and I don't multitask very well anymore, so I don't get much done. But they are finished in a couple of days and then I need to get busy.

HOME EC

Are you old enough to remember these home ec kitchens where we were taught how to cook and keep things clean as we went?

This picture looks a lot like the ones we had in my school back in the late 1950's.

The teacher put us in small groups per kitchen and had us prepare a meal with the recipes and ingredients provided. We worked together with prep, cooking/baking, setting the table, eating the meals and the clean-up afterwards.

I remember one time I had to sweep the floor after we were finished. The teacher said I didn't do it good enough because I did not pull the chairs away from the table to sweep under the table. As far as I was concerned, it wasn't dirty under the table or chairs, but she said it had to be done anyway.

Now tell me, when you have a family and a job, pulling the chairs out if things look clean is not a priority, right? You only have time to take care of the messes.

My teacher was a perfectionist. I am not. If it looks neat and obvious mess is cleaned up, it is good enough for me. I have other things I need to do, and other things I want to do. So I will never pass the white glove test, but who cares?

When I was younger and able I would do a deep clean of the whole house at least once a year, just as my mother did and it was usually in the spring when all things in nature are renewed with new life.

We are still having lots of winter and I am so ready for spring to arrive. I do hope to get some spring cleaning done but it will be minimal at best.