Comfort and Glory!

A prayer for this Marvelous Monday:

Lord, there is none like You. When I am sad, You are my comfort. Your calm presence restores my soul. Your words are cool, refreshing water to my spirit. Despite my confusion, You guide me in paths of righteousness, and it’s all for Your glory. Even when I feel like I’m lost in a dark valley, I will not be afraid—for You are with me. Your gentle strength and Your divine authority comfort me.

In Your Son Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen.

My Gallery...

It’s that time. Time to purge my iPhone of pictures. So I have PLENTY O’ ROOM for upcoming photos of Baby Elle! She will be here within a couple of weeks—whether she likes it or not. Winky Wink. (I keep getting messages—on an hourly basis—that I’m running out of “storage” on my cell. Sheesh. I already pay for extra. I’m quite determined not to give them one penny more.)

These pictures are some of my favourites! I hate to hit the Delete button. Truly. Sigh. Mean old Apple.

Photo #1: Little Leighton (LL). The Snow Bunny Fashionista on a chilly, country day last November. No words from this Grammy. No words.

Photo #2:  2015 New Year’s Eve at TLC’s cRaZy WILD casa. Her Hubby took this. Bless her preggo little heart. She was clearly pooped. LL, on the other hand, gets revved up when she’s playing games on her Mama’s iPad. It can be too intense. They actually now have a “NO iPad Play” rule an hour before LL’s bedtime.

Photo #3: LL wrote this “3”—her age, of course—coincidence?—back in January. Thanks to the dedication of her pre-school teachers and TLC, she works every day on learning how to write her letters and numbers. My Sweet Hubby (MSH) and I were sooo impressed! We’re pretty sure she’s a genius. Right?

Photo #4: LL. In her rocking chair—in her room (that was her Mama’s!) at Our Country Casa in February—watching Disney Jr or Sesame Street or Daniel Tiger or Peppa Pig. Confession: We all talk to each other in our BEST English accents when Peppa is on! I adore all the pink in this photo—and the tiara. Tiaras aren’t always comfortable, you know. It can be tough—to be Royal.

Photo #5: This tubtime snapshot was also taken in February. LL is obsessed with her Grammy and Pa-Pa’s garden tub—because it’s big. Her Mom and Dad have one, too. LL simply hasn’t figured out that she could take a bath in that one. Bless her kept-in-the-dark-about-that-possibility little soul. When we asked LL what her tub friends were doing/watching, she said: “They’re listening to the Princesses—(who remind her of Elsa and Anna)—sing!” I left this scene the way it was for days and days. I’d walk into my bathroom and smile. I’d smile with every cell in my old body.

Photo #6: LL's selfie! Be still my heart.

Thank Y’all—for humouring me! Like you ever have a choice.

Hope each of you has a Wonderful Weekend—wherever in the World you are…

smooches and hugs,

ELC

fancy nails...

Well, I'm still pregnant. We actually have a sonogram tomorrow. I'm hoping they'll tell me she should arrive any day--better yet, any second! In the meantime, I'm trying to keep my mind off my ever-expanding belly. One of Little Leighton's most favourite things to do right now is have moi paint her nails. She is just about as girlie as it gets. She sits so perfectly still and then "ooohhh's and aaahhh's" over her pretty nails for several days after. She adores getting to show her Daddy, Grammy, Pa-Pa and even her preschool teachers. She just beams with pride! She especially loves polish with glitter. That makes it "extra fancy." (She's also quite the "Fancy Nancy" fan. I really am, too! She's a hoot.)

When she was visiting Grammy a couple of months ago, LL was admiring ELC's extra sparkly gold tootsies. LL wanted gold fingers and toes, too! ELC had found this OPI color on one of her grocery shopping excursions to the cute town of Granbury. It's called "All Sparkly and Gold," and I'm here to tell you--it's seriously fabulous. The Three Leighton Ladies all love it. ELC graciously let me borrow it yesterday so I could have my first pedicure since July (don't ask--my feet were shameful!).

My two other favourite polishes as of this moment? Essie's "Pool Side Service" (a slate blue) and Sally Hansen's "Miracle Gel Top Coat." Both of these are on my hands right now. I truly think this top coat makes my polish withstand washing dishes and chasing a toddler several days longer! I don't typically splurge on manicures because they never last. The color inevitably chips by the time I walk out of the salon, and that's so frustrating! I've found painting them myself and using this top coat can give my mood a little boost at a fraction of the cost (and my sanity!)!

Happy Tuesday evening, Friends! I'm off to prop my feet up and watch something mindless. I'm getting so anxious!

March Mascara Madness!

That title could imply I'm featuring several mascaras. Sorry if I misled Y'all. Not the case. Just one.

This is—I pinky swear—going to be our last mascara post for a while. Maybe the rest of 2016. (Do I hear applause? Or sighs of sadness?)

1. TLC and I each have a makeup drawer full of not-empty-or-dried-out mascaras we need to do something with. Use them or get rid of them. Period. (And, yes, we are aware we’re not supposed to use a mascara for more than a few months—as we could get eye infections, etc. This hasn’t happened to either one of us—we’ll take our chances. We don't want/need an eye infection. Promise.)
2. Baby Elle could truly arrive any day now (although her arrival is technically not scheduled for eighteen more days)! TLC is beyond ready for her new little Angel Girl Baby to pop out. We suspect we won’t have time to do much “mascara shopping/testing” for a few months.
3. There comes a point in your life when you’re ready to stick with a product you love. At least until they stop making it. I’m going to go back to some of the mascaras in my drawer and see which was my most favourite. I’ll try to remember to report on that in the next few weeks.

I grabbed this mascara a couple of weeks ago. It was Buy One Get One for 50% off at the drugstore I frequent. I appreciate those kinds of sales! (I actually prefer the BOGO FREE sales the best!) After using it for a few days, I think TLC has a better opinion of it than me. The brush is interesting. She’s told me she’s found she has to put two-three coats of it on. Don’t get me wrong: I don’t dislike it. And I’m always always ready to give products a second and third shot. That is, if I don't despise them immediately. (This morning, when I applied it, I felt like it looked pretty dadgum good. For some reason, my lashes have too many days when they don’t seem to want to cooperate with me. Does that happen to y’all? I don’t know what it is. I do take my mascara off at night with three different products. I rarely use the same one two nights in a row. It’s a mystery to me. Like my bad hair days. What's the issue? Humidity? The way I sleep? No clue. Sheesh.)

Gotta scoot…MSH and I are trying to run away...we need to escape for a bit... 

Smooches and Hugs, Sillies Everywhere...and ta-ta for now!