Day 20- Twenty Dottie Digits

In previous years I've numbered my posts but really hadn't thought about it this year...

until today when the coincidence caught me.

But I'm still not tricky enough to figure out how to take a photo of all 20 digits at once!

Polkie-Dotties Make Me Happy!

I love all things polkie-dotties and I can't believe that I DON'T have a label for that until today!

I've been wanting to try this pattern of polkie-dots for almost a year. So today I did! I've enjoy using CND Shellac* so much. My manicures last about 10 days so I always can try something new.

As I was painting my nails (which isn't a fast project for me) I remembered that, lo, many months ago, I told Debra Munn that we needed to do her toe-sies before Morgan and Macey were born (guess we missed that window of opportunity). So after some errands I packed up my little rolly-rolly cart and went down the street to spread the polkie-dottie cheer. (Can I just say I love going down to visit with them?)

Since I'd just pinned some new ideas on Pinterest Deb choose one of them and I got to try out another fun design.

And Mama Crook DEFINITELY needed happy polkie-dottie nails to pull her out of her funk!

It's amazing what a new coat of paint will do for your spirits!

Oh, Grow Up!

I don't want to and you can't make me! So nyah!

Well, that wouldn't be any fun! I love the saying, "I may be getting older, but I will never grow up!"

Ever since Namma got Ashton mismatched socks I've wanted some. To show you how desperate I was I even bought self-striping yarn, needles and a free pattern (hmm, how does one buy a free pattern?) all for the reasonable price of $20 (what was I thinking? I've since returned it all to Hobby Lobby!) and was going to make myself a pair of fun socks, which would have matched...

Tuesday I had Grammie duty at Lewis Zoo which just happens to be close to Target. So when I was finished with my duty I decided to go wander aimlessly at Target (one of my favorite activities!).  I came upon a whole display of the coolest socks ever. So, thinks me, I can make my own pairs of mismatched socks! Yay, little Joanie!



So I bought several pair of MATCHED socks (silly Target, that's the only way they sell them! for $2 a pair) and brought them home to mix and match as I desire... and you know if someone tells me my socks don't match I can just tell them-

"That's ok! I have another pair at home just like them!" bwahahahahaha



PS I've decided this is the winter version of cute toe-sies!

149- Ladybug Toesies & Musings in the Garden

First off I have to share my cute ladybug toesies! I love the whole polkie-dottie toesies. When I hit on this idea I though they looked just like a ladybug



Now for my musings...

This is my sixth spring here in Utah on my little quarter-acre of heaven. Every year I reflect on how grateful I am for all of the work the previous occupants put into making this yard a beautiful place.

The flowerbed that runs along the back fence where my raspberries currently reside had a slight mishap, last year the center third of the plants died (I think my bug-guy inadvertently killed them) I decided I want to have hollyhocks in that space. I love them... they are another one of the flowers that my mom grew.


"Faith is like a little seed... if planted it will grow..."

As I was weeding and amending the soil I thought, "Wow, look how nice this soil is! Isn't it nice that the *previous occupants* put so much work into this bed!" Then it occurred to me that when I weeded this bed for the first time 5 years ago the soil wasn't like this. It was hard and full of rocks. Wait... WAIT... I've made this soil as nice as it is! That surprised me. I realized that I've put a lot of work and effort into the beauty of my yard and gardens. Me!

As I pondered on that fact I mused how similar this is to our lives. We all start with rocky, hard, poor soil but by constant work, removal of the rocks and amending our soil we improve. The thought brought tears to my eyes. Just as my little quarter acre has taken the work and supervision of the gardener. If we turn our lives over to the Gardener, He will remove the rocks and soften our soil making it fertile and able to grow those seeds of faith, hope and charity.

012- At-Home Aspaday

Are you asking what the heck is an Aspaday? I'll bet Bek knows! Aspaday = a spa day! Years ago we were talking about having a day at a spa and she said aspaday and I couldn't figure out what she was saying... there you go!

So *this-day* I had an at-home Aspaday! I haven't pampered myself like this for quite a while. I put a deep conditioner on my hair, filled up my swimming-pool-sized tub and soaked. I won't gross you out with all the rest of the bath pampering but when I was finished I gave myself a pedicure (I wouldn't want to be hasty... it's only been 8 weeks!)

I dragged out my tole painting dotters, bling and my small stippling brush (for clean up) and had a fun time giving myself some tropical nails. I needed something happy to offset the winter-doldrums.


FRAME- RhonnaFarrer_2ps_BlackFrame FONT- Albemarle Swash, ACTION- DPMoms Perfect Workflow, Johnna's Memories of Summer BRUSHES- KPertiet_HolidayTreesNo9-4 star only

323- Holiday Toe-sies

Yes, I know I may be rushing the season... but this year Thanksgiving was on the 15th at my house so I am ready to move on.

I became enamored with these polkie-dottie toes over a year ago and I haven't done any pedicures without painting on my polkie-dotties ever since! I've had black w/white, pink w/white and green w/white... but this is the Christmas season. Jingle, jingle!


FRAME- SP_ShabbyBorders1_StraightShabbyBorder, FONT- Georg, Freebooters Script JOURNALING PATH- JSprague_4-squareTemplate BRUSHES- RhonnaFarrer_2ps_SnapShotFrameKit, ACTION- DPMoms Perfect Workflow, TEXTURES- WeThePeople, fire damage TOTD #87 by SkeletalMess

Too bad for me that it is getting cold now and I don't get to enjoy my polkie-dotties toes so much... but at least once a week at choir practice I will have people to admire my toes. (I get so hot waving my arms for an hour that I wear as little as is possible for Sunday and kick off my shoes. Then I come home and put on the rest of my Sunday clothes to go to church... yeah, funny!)

One more funny... if you zoom way in on the photo you can see me and the rest of my quilt room in my toe ring!

153- New Flowerbed

Have you ever noticed that when you do some kind of fix-up at your house that it just leads to more and more projects? Yeah, me too.

The deck project has morphed into a backyard fix up project. For years we've been unhappy with the skinny little flowerbeds that were here.



This photo taken in March shows how narrow this bed is. Sadly with the cement curbing there isn't an easy way to change the size or shape of the bed without removing the curbing.

(Enter: Shera, Warrior Princess!)

I started yesterday with my trusty spade (aka shovel) and started removing the sod. The soil was just right to lift the sod and then knock most of the soil out of it before I hauled the grassy part out to the trailer. I lifted the curbing using the shovel like a lever. The good news is that it was a mostly sand cement so it broke into manageable-sized pieces just by dropping it on one another.

I wanted a curved flowerbed to add some interest to my very linear backyard. But you know what I found as I was digging don't you? Yep, lots and lots of rocks. Here's the grand-daddy of them all...



And you must remember that even though my feet look cute, pink and polka-dottie... they are a size 9. It took both Gordon and I with 2 shovels pulling and pushing just to get this out of the hole!

But don't worry... it wasn't alone... it had lots of friends and relatives to keep it company.



Here is what my flowerbed NOW looks like... graceful curves and rocks for accent (what else?). I removed, separated and transplanted the mums that lived in that bed and then transplanted some of my Gerbera daisies that weren't happy where they were under the willow tree.

Hmmm... what next??

Polkie-Dottie Toes

Last evening I just needed to get out for a walk. My shoulders were all stiff and achy from hunching over the computer too much. So about 8:30 I sneaked out of the house without Harley (walking with him is not a restful experience!) On my way home I found my friends down the street outside putting out the trash (lovely ritual, isn't it?) They are an all female household, like the one I grew up in and I always feel very comfortable there in their multi-generational femaleness. We sat on their brand-new front porch and admired the concrete steps and walk that had just been poured earlier that day. Their contractor is doing a very nice job.

Then Sandie came out and I just about flipped over her toenails! I just love being bare footed or in sandals and it is so fun to have cute toenails. Well, this was the tops as far as I was concerned! Sandie'd had hers done at a shop but told me the girl had just done the design with dotters. Being an old tole painter I have dotters galore at my house.

Today I made a Wal-mart run and picked up the black polish, I already had the white on hand (three bottles to be exact, two of which were so old they wouldn't even move!) I had lots of fun giving myself an "at home" pedicure and then making polkie-dotties.

I wish I had foot-model feet, but as we all know I don't... I have Fred Flintstone Feet... but even Fred feet need to be cute.
*Antique Paper PhotoShop Action from Michelle Coleman @ littledreamerdesigns.com