Taking Dominion Over My Bling

I have a bling problem.

As in, if it glitters, shines, sparkles, glimmers or jingles, I want to wear it.

I'm not big on blingy clothes, per se. I have a couple of things in my closet that have some glitz to them, but for the most part I like solids and tailored lines and a bunch of neutrals.

Except when it comes to blingy accessories. And then I am a shameless Texan. Which I never thought I would type. And I know I have just caused some pain to my beloved Oklahomans, the state in which a big piece of my heart still remains.

And yet...

I have bling issues. Those of you who know me know it. I know it. And I can say it.

If one bracelet is good, two are better and six are best. And if those bracelets jingle and jangle and clang, all the better.

And yes, I often wear earrings when I run. For reasons I can't really explain.

And necklaces....oh, necklaces.  I am an equal opportunity necklace wearer.  All necklaces, all the time.

In my defense, my loved ones who know of my bling love have expanded my collection incredibly and generously.  I love it.  And it has created a unique situation.

My love of bling has led to a storage crisis. Door knobs have been serving dual duty...

The inside of the armoire where I keep a stash of birthday party supplies also has a few of these little things hanging around...

And yes, my organizational issues have included making this little bling holder from plastic hooks and, wait for it,....a chop stick....

I was draping bling over knobs on dressers and tops of chairs and puddled in drawers. And my bling was becoming decidedly unruly...and hard to find.

So I decided it was time to take dominion over my bling. I had used one of those accordion peg things from back in the day~~you know, closet organization old school? The kind you would hang belts on and pinch your hand incredibly when trying to install it? And it never really hung flush to the wall? And you could only store about 10 pieces of bling on it?

I ditched it for a 21st century upgrade....



Ooohhhhhh. Aaaahhhhhh.

I know. Streamlined. Multiple storage prongs. Sturdy.

My bling has been reunited. And contained.

Look how nice it looks, all collected and untangled...

Now, I'm sure there are those of you who are thinking, "Well, duh. I've been using that bling thing-a-ma-bobber for a long time." Be kind, Dear Organized Reader. Remember, you are seeing the efforts of someone who used plastic hooks and a chop stick for several years as a means of hanging her bling. I'm delving slowly into the world of using things for their intended purpose.

Oh, and then there's this. I hate plastic screw anchors. And they hate me, so it's okay. It's mutual. I mangled several in my attempt to hang up my bling organizer like a grown-up and not just rely on the whimsical integrity of my usual 'screw in dry wall' applications.

Carnage....

Here's an article on how you're apparently supposed to sink plastic anchor screws...I might give this a try next time....

My next bling project is to get all my bangle bracelets into some kind of cogent arrangement below the necklaces. And after I recover from that, I might even move onto the earring category, which involves some rather chandelier-like items...

But step one has been accomplished.

I have secured dominion over my neck bling.

Sunday Selah

Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.  Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

James 1:26-27

James. You task me (to borrow and butcher a quote of Khan from Star Trek). You task me.

James, the little brother of Jesus, wasn't playing when he penned his message to the churches that were being birthed across the region. He dives right in to the heart of Christian life, giving us all manner of quotable quotes about how we should be living and what we should be doing with this thing called faith. And his writing is so powerful, so frank and specific, it still speaks into today, current, applicable, utterly on the pulse of the church in 2012.

He's kicking my hiney. He always does.

My Bible is colored in techni-hues when I open up the book of James. Over the years, I have studied and read and studied it some more. I've underlined and marked and made notes and looked up the Greek. And here I am again, finding new treasure, old friends and fresh insight.

And conviction.

I love how James addresses the important need to take care of those around us in chapter 1 verse 27. He tells us that religion God accepts as pure is taking care of the needy, those without home or resource, the people in society who get overlooked. And I love that I see a movement in the modern church to address more strongly the need for social justice and that the church should be at the forefront of fighting poverty and oppression.

But.

James adds something to the social justice rallying cry. He doesn't stop his sentence in verse 27 with his call to feed the widows and orphans. He bookends it with something very important. Pure religion is taking care of the poor.

And.

And keeping oneself from being polluted by the world.

Oh.

Sometimes when we're up to all kinds of good works, when we're fighting human trafficking or providing for hurricane survivors and whatever the cause, we can forget James's call to keep ourselves pure. In our desire to shake off legalism and a doctrine that has been exclusive and judgmental, we can give ourselves a lot of latitude when it comes to the entertainments of the world. Our giving of time and resources can be great...but our control over our thought life or our mouth can be out of control, all in the name of not adopting legalism.

I love how James doesn't let me get away with it.

I love how he mashes social activism and pure living in a puree of faith and righteousness and dares me to take a big bite, where I can't pick through and only eat what I want.

He dares me. Challenges me. Kicks me a little.

And calls me to be proactive and unpolluted.

Just like what he saw his Big Brother doing.

Selah.

JPEG of the Week

~My niece~

~a little blond pixie with a splash of mischievousness~

~but I managed to capture a picture of her at rest~

~rare~

Everything Changes....

That doesn't mean I have to like it.

I posted this week that Picnik, the online photo editor that I know and love, had sent out an email letting users know that they will be shutting their virtual doors come April.

I've been pouting since.

And I'm in good company. There have been a rash on blog posts and articles that have hit the web as Picnik users wail and moan and try to figure out what the next best thing is. Centsational Girl posted a fantastic article earlier this week (thanks for the heads up, JT) with some possible options, along with the article I directed you to from c/net. I'm starting to dip my toe in the editing alternative pool and played around some today with Pixlr, an online service that seems to extend a little hope. Here's what I've noticed so far....

1. The Pixlr 'Express' editor does give you some quick options for fast overall effects...

When you first arrive on the Pixlr home page, you'll see a tab that encourages Picnik users to try 'Express' first. It's called Pixlr Express and it's a condensed menu of effects, filters and simple edit tools.

This screen shot above is a picture of 2 of 8 and a recent photo shoot I did with her. The Pixlr options for effects are named for people, so my brain is having to rewire from Picnik's 'Holga-ish' and 'Sepia' type designations to random people's names for the effect I'll looking for. But it's cute. And I figure in no time I'll be thinking "I need to 'Julia' that photo...".

2. Within the Pixlr Express version is an editing option called 'Overlay'. Which is neato.

There are photo embellishments that look like solar flares and rain and all kinds of cool stuff. It's a far greater menu of items than Picnik offers within this category. However, there is not a lot of control over where you can place these items on your photo. You can rotate it and move it a tiny bit side to side. But I wasn't able to control it fully and so 2 of 8 kept ending up with star bursts on her nose or forehead instead of, say, up in the left hand corner. I'll enjoy playing with this feature with photographs that have the right 'dimensions' for it, but would love to see greater control available for effect placement.

3. The 'Border' feature will bring great joy to my editing life. I can already tell.

I still miss me some Scrapblog. Remember Scrapblog? One of my other favorite photo online playthings that went the way that Picnik is going, which is buh-bye. But the 'borders' feature on the Pixlr Express page reminds me of the little flourishes and curly-cues I used to be able to adorn pictures with. The one above is called 'Rustic'. And I like it. And I'm ready to border some more stuff.

4. The full version of Pixlr reminds me a lot of GIMP. A lot.

Which is good. And bad. Because GIMP sometimes confounds the heck out of me. And sometimes not.
(GIMP is a free program available for download for your computer that is similar to Photoshop desk-top editing programs.)

I'm sure I'll be playing on the full version more in the coming weeks and will hopefully become more proficient.

5. Pixlr will save edited photos to Flickr. Which makes life a little easier.

It will also save to your computer. But for some reason, it doesn't save it to my computer with a jpeg designation, even though that's the file designation I gave it. It may just be some little hiccup or it may be user error on my part. But it does make me have to go an extra step in opening up the file on my computer.

All in, Pixlr reminds me of Picnik in some ways and makes the departure of Picnik all the more keen and sad for me. But the Pixlr express version has a feel to it which is similar to Picnik and I do like the idea of being able to commit GIMP-like edits in the full version of Pixlr while online.

And then there's the part where it's free. Free. So I don't want to look that gift horse in the mouth too closely, right?

I'll be checking out more of the Picnik-alternatives I've been seeing in the coming days. And I'm still holding out hope Picnik may miraculously change its mind.

A girl can dream. And still adapt.

My Baby's Music

Have I ever mentioned that 1 of 8 is quite the singer?

I haven't? Are you sure?

Let me remedy that.

1 of 8 can sing.

This is 1 of 8 doing all the vocals and her amazing Paris buddy LG on ukulele....and see if you can't help falling in love...
Can't Help Falling in Love by Spatzen

Nooooooo!!!!!

For a long time now, I've used Flickr and Picnik in combination for my photo uploads and editing. I've used these services heavily in my blogging and can jet around pretty quickly.

For a little while, my Flickr and Picnik accounts weren't playing together very well (which yielded this post in which I waxed poetic...), but they seemed to get things patched back up and I've been happily uploading and editing since.

Until I got a little news from the Picnik people.

Picnik is closing April 19th.

Finito. Done. Closed.

I am not happy.

It reminds me of when I fell in love with this one body lotion and declared it my scent for life. And then they stopped making it.

So I've been doing a little sleuthing about what will be next for me in my online photo editing. I found this great blog post on c/net that has three great options. Give it a gander and see if it helps your Picnik demise.

Awesome Freebie!

I think I may see daylight!

I seem to be pretty much recovered from the mystery virus of last week. We're back from the iHollywood Convention, having arrived home to a clean house, thanks to the hard work of some magical OctaElves....

And then I find out about this little jewel.

Lysa TerKeurst has released the first session of her DVD teaching series that goes along with her book Made to Crave....for free! I can't wait to get to see this amazing gal in action in person February 3rd at Immerse Austin! Be sure and get your tickets today! And watch this....

Liberation...With a Sprinkle of Guilt

What a wonderful, crazy, sickly, busy week.

Sheesh.

I've been immersed in Immerse Austin, loving and fretting and worrying and fulfilled by all the details and planning and phone calls and meetings. Most of the kids came down with a major tummy bug at the beginning of the week...which went to the middle of the week....right up until I came down with a raging fever yesterday afternoon and the threat of nausea myself. My precious aunt was supposed to come see me today, and we had to wave her off, not wanting to infect her.

Lovely.

2 of 8 has a major dance convention this weekend. Mike's been up to his eyeballs in business. 1 of 8 started back at the university this week. Between all the barfing and new beginnings and events, it's been a swirl.

And so I made a decision.

A big one for me.

After almost 4 and a half years of posting to this blog Every Single Day, I didn't.

I didn't.

It was bizarre. And liberating.  And a truly deliberated decision on my part.

And I felt a bit guilty.

But then I had to think about 'Why guilt'?

Those of you who are regular readers know that I don't mind at all sharing our ups and downs and achievements and challenges. Anyone who comes to my house knows that sometimes you can use the guest bathroom. And sometimes you can't. Running a household of 10 people comes with mess and crazy schedules and multiple things left half undone. And it's okay with me for folks to know that. I've made my peace with it.

But maybe, in some little corner of my ego, I wanted to appear to at least have it together enough to post everyday. Even if it was just a quote. Or a verse. Or a picture. But my life kicked my ego tail this week.

I'm thinking it was good for me.

Once I gave myself permission to let it go a bit. And feel a little guilt over it. And then move on.

There is incredible discipline and benefit to consistency. To stick to the workout schedule. To stay on the healthy eating plan. To journal, to schedule.

To post.

And then, every now and then, there may be benefit to letting the consistency go. And it may actually take some discipline to do it.

And maybe it's good for us. Every now and then.

Good Times, Good Info

Many thanks for all the suggestions from yesterday's post! The majority of the crew seems to be on the mend. 3 of 8 got it the worst, but is finally able to hold down soup. He calls me at intervals on his cell phone from upstairs to update me on his condition. 7 of 8 took the barf dive today...but I must brag. She actually managed to, uh, contain herself to a bowl. Very advanced for a 4 year old, if I do say so myself.

The house is perfumed with bleach and I'm using Lysol as a body spray. I recommend the 'Fresh Linen' scent for a light, clean, slightly antiseptic perfume aura.

Oh, and I sprayed a bunch of stuff with hydrogen peroxide.

And I took Benadryl last night.

And so far I have been spared.

Okay, enough avoidance. I must go back to the pile of laundry, laundry, laundry.

TMI...(vo...)

What's that spell?!??!

VOMIT.

Yep. It's the new black at my house. All the rage. All the fashion.

We're running at 50% in the OctaKid puking population. Regulation requires that we elevate ourselves to a Code Queasy Green when we hit this kind of statistical involvement.

So.

I need your feedback.

I made a crazy discovery a couple of years ago. One of Mike's cousins was talking about her love of travel. I told her that I love to travel but that my motion-sickness button has tripped to hyper-sensitive. She told me about her attendant great love of Travel Gum, which is a product sold in Europe. I ordered said product. It worked.

It. Worked.

Even on the Metro in Paris. It.Worked.

But here's the thing....when I studied the pharmacological ingredients, it said 'diphenhydramine'. Which reminded me of Benadryl.

So I did some sleuthing. And as it turns out (and I'm not claiming to be a doctor here and I'm not dispensing medical advice and I encourage you to do your own investigation and APR is subject to change....) that 'diphenhydramine'/Benadryl is used to control nausea in some circles.

Benadryl?

Benadryl.

You can read a few more 'home remedies' here.

So tell me your favorite home cures for the tummy bug. Because, believe me, from the looks of things, I may have ample opportunity to try several of them. I seem to be running my own puking control group here....

Sunday Selah

From James 2...

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

JPEG of the Week

We waited to do gingerbread houses until tonight.

Well, the holidays sped past us. And then we realized we still had a crate of gingerbread house makings.

And so gingerbread house making ensued.

As did the mess. And gingerbread house destruction....

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Immerse Winner!

A big congrats goes out to Krauss Family! According to Random.org, you're the winner of the two tickets to Immerse Austin!!! Send me an email and I'll get all the details and your tickets to you~~I can't wait to meet you at the event!

Thanks so much to all those who entered~~and remember, tickets are available online at www.immerseaustin.com or www.serveourcity.com. It's going to be a great night February 3rd in Austin, Texas!

Giveaway Mojo

I'm wrapping up a big giveaway here at ye 'ol blog tomorrow, something you're sure to want to be a part of.

Just a little something involving this gal.....



And this one...



And this one...



Get your giveaway mojo on by entering here....

Good Thoughts...

Inspiration Quotes

Packin'

As the fifth daughter closing in on her fifth birthday, 7 of 8 takes her accessorizing seriously.

7 of 8 has been into my purses all day.

This is what happens when I try to clean out cabinets in one room~~the closets or cabinets in another room are being systematically pillaged while my back is turned.

Hence 7 of 8 claiming several of my purses as her own while I try to pound through bathroom cabinets. My back is turned. There are purses to lay claim to.

She found a particular sparkly black one that suited her fancy. I told her she could carry it for the afternoon once I established there wasn't anything in it. She hightailed it upstairs to get her best purse 'items', rummaged around in the bathroom for some more purse 'stuff' and then requested four 'monies' for her purse. And then she was ready, all prepared to head out into the wide world with her sparkly black purse.

"Mom," she said. "Mom! Do you want to see what's in my purse? Mom?!? I have stuff I need in my purse!"

By this point I had abandoned all hope of organizing the bathroom and was in my office, churning through emails.

"Here we go," she chirped, perching on the office floor. And out of her purse came a shiny lip gloss. Two pennies. One dime. A nickel. Some small scraps of paper, her 'lists'. A mirror. A barrette. A toy cell phone.

And then...

A tampon. And sanitary napkin.

Alrighty then. Glad she's packin'....

Sunday Selah

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what is says.....
James 1:22

Been studying James for an upcoming teaching.....

Just live.it.

JPEG of the Week

~Cousin Time~

Friday Night Date

Our weekly date...

Chips....

Salsa...

Jalpeno ranch dressing...

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IMMERSE Giveaway!!!!

Yep! I've got two shiny tickets to give away for the upcoming Immerse Austin women's event on February 3rd~~and they could be yours!


Lysa TerKeurst, best selling author of Made to Crave, Mandisa, American Idol singer and artist of the hit "Stronger" and Anita Renfroe of 'Mom Song' fame, are coming to Austin for a night of inspiration, music and laughs~~and you and a guest could be there, too!



Here's how to enter~~

1. Head over to the Immerse Austin Facebook page and 'like' it!
2. Visit www.serveourcity.com to see more details about the Immerse Austin event.
3. Leave me a comment letting me know why you'd love to win tickets!

The giveaway runs from now until Thursday, January 12th. The winner will be selected by Random.org. The giveaway includes two tickets. Cost of transportation or lodging is not included. Please include your email address in your comment so that we can contact you! Best wishes!

Hint, Hint....

There may be a really great giveaway on my blog tomorrow.

Just maybe....

So just in case, maybe you should check in and see....

Just maybe...

I Heart....

I'm in full New Year's mode.

Pretty much.

All the Christmas decor has been stashed. And I'm cleaning out my bathroom cabinets.

I'm feeling pretty spunky.

And part of the inspiration is a blog I came across a few weeks ago by an energetic and creative gal named Jen.

You gotta go check out her stuff. She can even make cough medicine and lozenges look attractive once she finishes getting them organized. And the name of her blog is pretty cute....IHeartOrganizing.

It's apt. 'Cuz now I find my self thinking, "I heart IHeartOrganinzing...."

Lessons Learned

I like to do a little debrief on the holidays, looking back at the weeks from Thanksgiving through the New Year. Each year I try to hone my process as the Chief Holiday Meal/Gift/Travel Planner. And after I get over the sense of being utterly and totally overwhelmed that I somehow have to pull it all off again in 11 months, I think about the season's highlights.

1. Anything Angry Birds Paraphernalia is a big, big hit.
Great tip. Which will probably change by next Christmas. But still. My sister-in-law and brother-in-law nailed it this year when they contributed to the Angry Birds' creators 401Ks and gave Angry Birds items as gifts.

2. Every Christmas event we attend should include 1 of 8 doing a little dance.
She's very festive.

3. 2 of 8 gets punchy the more family Christmas events we attend.
Very punchy.

4. So does 8 of 8.

5. 3 of 8 makes this face when he wears a tie.
And he likes to wear ties. So he must think this face goes with the look. Somehow.

6. I have the most adorable father-in-law.
Evah.

7. These two are trouble. Trouble. And if you sit by them during family events, be prepared for all kinds of ridiculous and obscure and genius humor and observation.

And don't have anything to drink in your mouth while you are sitting by these two. Because they will make you laugh. And you'll have Diet Dr. Pepper coming out your nose. And that's not considered very festive.

Usually.