hello up there!

OK Heavenly Father - what do you have in store for me?

I'll keep doing my best, you keep doing the rest?

-Your Daughter

no junk in this trunk

forreal... i have no junk in my trunk.

*drum roll*

I feel the urge to say BOW CHICKA WOW WOW..but it doesn't seem fitting. Maybe I'll go with SHAZAM! or POW! no no...

TA DA!

Anyway thought I would finally post a craft I have been working on for a long long time. These trunks were initially for Christmas for my two favorite nieces in the whole world. :) Obviously, I still have them and they have no idea they exist...yet! One has a birthday coming up so thats my plan for her and the other one won't know any different so I'll just give her trunk to her whenever.

So they look like borin ol trunks right? Just wait...

Steps I took to make these beauties:

1. Gather trunks from Joann's, lots of paint from Joann's, Mod Podge Gloss-Lustre, Sponge Brushes, Sandpaper, & paper cutter.

1. Sand trunk to death.
2. Paint...for hours. many coats.
3. Cry a little, curse a little, pretend to give up, leave them untouched for a few days then come right back to them with a renewed sense of mastery! This step not required or recommended. :o)
4. These things soaked up paint like...well, like a sponge! It was unbelievable. I think I bought about 5-7 little containers of paint from Joann's PER COLOR. The purple is Joann's brand "Violet", the brown is "Spice Brown", the blue is "Baby Blue" and the pink has been trashed so i have no idea what it was called. Luckily the paint was very affordable so it didn't break the bank.
5. WORST PART OF THE PROJECT: I of course enlisted my hubby for this - he used a wet paper towel and cleaned off all of the hardware, brackets and metal buttons.
6. I used my Cricut Expression & the cartridge is "Storybook" to cut out the names in the script font.
7. I used my trusty Mod Podge glossy to adhere the fancy letters.
8. I was having huge issues with the brown and pink - the brown kept getting all over the pink. I decided enough was enough and I found some cute paper to cut down to size and Mod Podge around the lip of the trunk. 1/2 an inch wide, its like a mm too wide but i sanded the edges down and it worked like a charm! Mod Podge the top & the bottom. I would suggest Podgin the paper and then putting it on the trunk. I didn't think the blue & purple one was missing anything so I left it as is.
9. I sealed the whole trunk with Mod Podge and it was DONE!

Not gonna lie - I pulled out my hair a little and had a few headaches but if I did it again I wouldn't have such a hard time. I know I will need a lot of paint and to wipe the hardware as SOON as the paint dries.

Anyway it was WORTH IT & I LOVE THEM! Now comes the hard part of giving them away.

-D

bright lights

I sincerely feel that because of my revelation yesterday... and the week before... and the week before... and the month before that - basically the one revelation about life that i have over and over again...because of that I feel like today was God's answer to my prayer.

Jobs are hard to come by these days... let me rephrase - jobs are nearly impossible to come by these days - ANY job ANY day. It had begun wearing on my soul. I wasn't sure if this depression was being so far away from my parents, my birth control or what. It was like one of those terrible dreams where you are trying to run or fly and your feet don't leave the ground. I want to fly & not only in my dreams. I want to succeed here.

Yesterday I decided to work really hard, be proactive and go outside the four walls of my living room to find a job. I went out, I searched, I applied, I asked... I did the footwork. I believe that Heavenly Father saw my hard work and made up for my shortcomings. I got a call today for a job interview - at a nursing and rehabilitation center.. it is EXACTLY what I want to do & where I want to be. I am SO excited.

There are a lot of people out there - if they were in my shoes... 6 months of putting in 6-10 applications/resumes per day with only two call backs they might have given up hope, lost perspective, perseverance, or eternal perspective. It was hard - really hard. REALLY hard... I prayed and prayed for a job and half-heartedly looked for one. The minute I decided to make my prayers come true and do as much work as I could on my own, Heavenly Father recognized it and did His part to answer my prayer as well. This is how it works.. sometimes we forget and today was a great reminder. I love my Heavenly Father and I know that He is the one who grants me His grace to make up for the difference, for my failings, & for my shortcomings. He is my rock & Redeemer.

On another note -

thought I'd bring back my Facebook status updates. Here are the top rated ones:

is there such a thing as restless butt syndrome? RBS? i have that.

thinking positively has a HUGE impact on your life... God recognizes your struggle & your hard work & gives you blessing when you least expect them!! ♥ ♥

BLAH BLAH BLAH if you have a problem with games played on facebook: 1) get a grip & calm down 2) block & hide the application... its like it doesn't exist! THAT WAY you aren't sucking the fun out of it for others. FUN SUCKERS!

What's the worst thing that could happen? I'll tell YOU! Having a stomach ache before you go to your Derek appt. this could be very, very awkward.

Some of these you have to decode because of the secret words I use. haha Anyway, thats my week in a nutshell. Ups, Downs & Plateaus. Today I'm going UP! I can see the light at the end of the dark crappy tunnel and it is bright!

Peace Out.

-D

my true colors.

Well since I really have nothing else to say I thought I would share how I worked out a difficult day in my life. It doesn't happen often, but when it does happen, I like to punch bad days right in the groin.. (I say PUNCH in the GROIN because I imagine bad days - if they were people - would of course be taller than me :] )I have been having those days where I feel downright worthless, like a leech almost. Like I take & take from life and can't muster up enough strength to give back more than I receive.

Anyway, if anyone knows me - they know this is truly out of character for me & in light of my new mind-set - "thinking glass half-full" I had to work out my attributes on a piece of scratch paper tonight. You know how people make pro & con lists to make decisions? I recalled something my Dad said (probably the only sentence in any talk my dad has EVER given at church that I remembered). He said, "If you are at a point in your life where you forget your blessings or are having a hard time, make a list. List everything you can think of that you have been blessed with and then you will realize how blessed you really are." I'm a list person, I'm a check-list person, & I'm a goal setter so this was right up my alley.

So, come! Follow me back from this sidetrack to the point. I made two lists: "Negative attributes that sneak into my head" & "What I actually AM and what I want to be".

What I felt described me:

Jealous, Envious, Failure, Leech, Failure (yes i realize i posted this twice), Stupid, No Life, Depressed, Angry, Sad, Afraid, Weak...

After I wrote that down I took a step back and gave that list the stank eye (you know the one). That is NOT who I am... that is NOT the truth.

What I am & hope to be:

Happy, Grateful, Blessed, Successful, Intelligent, Educated, Productive, Helpful, Humble, Fearless, Strong, Faithful, Lovable, Caring, Hopeful, Vivacious, Full of Life, Empathetic, Thoughtful, Brave, Kind, Eternal Perspective, Charitable, Loving, Patient, Steadfast... and the list will always go on.

Pull out your ruler and measure the distance of these two lists... The second is much longer than the first which means...that negative list has just received a roundhouse kick to the throat! On a lighter, less violent note - The glass IS half-full and it always will be. I put my faith in my Heavenly Father. He is the ONLY reason that I am & try to be brave & fearless.

"If we could perceive only a small part of the person God intends us to be, we would lose our fear and never doubt again.”

THAT ^^^^^^^^^^^^^

....is who I want to be. That is who I WILL be... with hard work, faith and dedication.

Hallelujah Hollaback.

[D]

endure it well

Today I was having a hard time feeling sorry for myself and being jealous of other people. I thought the best way to work this out was to write about it. So, here I am putting it "all out there" so to speak and hoping that I can raise myself up from this rut.

Daily, I remind myself to be happy for other's blessings and to be grateful for mine. It's just one of those days I guess. It's hard working so hard for something and not being able to get it while you sit by and watch others attain is with ease. That's all. Enough of the depressing, now onto my NEW AND IMPROVED thought processes.

My new year's resolution (which has been working quite well by the way) is always thinking glass half full! While some people hope for other's failure to make themselves feel better, I focus solely on myself and what I have control over.

I have gained much through trial. I keep saying to myself how blessed I am to be going through trials so I am able to learn valuable lessons that cannot be learned through ANY other means. I have learned much about money management, empathy and perseverance. I have learned the things in life that are TRUELY important: family, honesty, & kindness. Some people spend their lives working on rearranging their priorities in life and never can figure out what is actually most important. I am lucky to know this at a mere 22.

Music gets me through anything. It gets me through doing dishes, which says A LOT. Below are some lyrics that ring true to me today:

"The struggles I'm facing, the changes I'm taking, sometimes they knock me down but, no I'm not breaking... "

"There's always gonna be another mountain, I'm always gonna wanna make it move.."

-

"And every tear that had to fall from my eyes, Everyday I wondered how I'd get through the night,
Every change, life has thrown me, I'm thankful, for every break in my heart, I'm grateful, for every scar, Some pages turned, Some bridges burned, But there were lessons learned."

-

"That's all right, I'm ok.
It ain't nothin' but another day. "

-

"There are times in life when you gotta crawl,
Lose your grip, trip an' fall
When you can't lean on no-one else:
That's when you find yourself
I've been around an' I've noticed that,
Walkin's easier when the road is flat
Them danged ol' heels'll get you every time
Yeah, the good Lord gave us mountains,
So we could learn how to climb

This world ain't fair,
It can knock you on your butt
You can just lie there,
Or you can get back up
You gotta get back up"

Anyway, I hope you got the gist of this post to be hopeful and not sad. I am not sad, I am not mad, I am not jealous; today at least. But when those feelings start creeping back inside my head I will not let them reach my heart. I will not forget everything I have learned through the hard times that have presented themselves in my life because I know that trials WILL come. They always have, I am not immune from them. So its not "if" the hardships come, it's WHEN. My "when" is now & I know it's all about HOW I am going to deal with it. & I choose to deal with it positively. I will not be the self-loathing, sad sack who craves sympathy. I don't want sympathy, I want strength.

“There are cycles of good and bad times, ups and downs, periods of joy and sadness, and times of plenty as well as scarcity. When our lives turn in an unanticipated and undesirable direction, sometimes we experience stress and anxiety. One of the challenges of this mortal experience is to not allow the stresses and strains of life to get the better of us—to endure the varied seasons of life while remaining positive, even optimistic. Perhaps when difficulties and challenges strike, we should have these hopeful words of Robert Browning etched in our minds: 'The best is yet to be' "

“Whenever we are inclined to feel burdened down with the blows of life, let us remember that others have passed the same way, have endured, and then have overcome.”

And my MOST favorite quote of ALL time. It always seems applicable.

"Joy is not a stranger to pain. We may not feel deeply enough to know joy unless our hearts have been hallowed out by sorrow. A heart may not be big enough to know real joy until it has been stretched and pulled by trials and hard things."

I hope someone, somewhere, can read this and find the strength that I have found. Life is always going to be hard...but we already knew that. Before this life we excitedly shot our hands up in the air and volunteered for this. We hoped to experience this life. We knew what would happen, how hard it would be and knew that if we put our faith in Heavenly Father we could return to be with Him and our families. I for one, am planning on returning with honor.

Love D

the fabric allergy..

To understand how amazing this bug that bit me is.. you have to know a little back story.

*DEEP BREATH*

When i was a baby my mom would tote me around to fabric stores dreaming of the day when she could teach me how to sew. Her mother taught her how to sew and had wonderful bonding time while they completed projects together. You can say it "awwwwwww". Ok, now get ready to wipe those tears.

As the toddler years rolled around I started throwing a tantrum the VERY SECOND we walked through those glass House of Fabrics doors. Needless to say, me and my dad spent quality time in the car while my mom shopped. As I got older I would feign illness to get the HECK out of that store as soon as possible. Then eventually I would just shrug off questions my mom would ask about how fabrics looked together or blah blah blah. She made all of my prom and dance dresses (minus one but that doesn't sound as good as "all").

People would ask me all the time if I was going to be like my mom and sew all the time and be great and fabulous and make blankets for the sick and costumes for the primary.. buuuuuh. My answer was always the same, "That gene must have skipped me." My mom would tell people that I had an "allergy to fabric". Sounds about right. I would just nod and agree. At least she understood! Anyway, she quilts, she hems, she creates and I would get bored and annoyed at all the racket of the sewing machine chugging away while I was trying to watch Real World.

.....flash to the year I turned 21. Would you believe that I voluntarily entered a fabric store? Me either. Not only that, but I was ACTUALLY looking for fabric.. wow. I'm healed? apparently so.

Then I called my dad. He owns a vacuum & sewing machine store and I asked him the hardest and most embarrassing question I had ever him.

"Dad? I'm not sick I promise... you won't believe what I'm about to ask you... do you think... maybe... you might be able to.... find me a sewing machine?" silence....... "Please??" I choked as the words exited my lips. I cringed as I waited for the answer. I was half-suspecting him to schedule me a psych appointment or at the very least, faint. "Yeah sure! What kind do you want?" It was that easy? Really? My mom on the other hand made sure that he HOOKED ME UP with all the sewing goodies my weak little sewing heart could handle.

The rest of that year my sewing machine got little use, but it WAS used (miraculously). I made a corset for my pirate costume... grommets and all. I'm sure when my dad handed me the sewing machine he thought this was a "phase" I was going through since I was the "phase" type of child. Then I turned 22, helped my sister-in-law sew some quilts for her nieces and nephews, made another costume, crocheted around some baby blankets...(and probably sewed a few other things that got thrown to the side because I was disgusted with myself...)

FF to today. (FF=fast forward... its on your remote control)

This week my mom came. What did we do? Sew. I'm surprised her heart didn't fail. I made table runners, curtains, table squares and picked out ALL the fabric. We went to the fabric store 3 times in 3 days. Again, I thought she would have been hospitalized by now. Apparently I have caught the "bug". The allergy is lifted and I'M HEALED! HALLELUJAH! Now I have to take back all the naughty things I said about sewing. BUH.

Anyway, I thought this post would say, "I sewed some crap, I'll post pics later." Guess I had a little bit more to say.

Love, D

Danielle is...

If blogging was half as easy as changing my status on facebook I would do it multiple times a day.

Today's status updates:

...just looked myself up on urban dic. & i like what i see! apparently Danielle's everywhere are: loved, short, amazing, intense, crazy, a capitol B-word, funny and great at rapping. what a good use of my time. cha right. goodnight! :)

...it's basically impossible to watch my sister's keeper and NOT cry. especially when you have been through/seen loved ones suffer from that disease. upside: it gave me one more glass half full thought about death: those who leave us will wait for us.

...T.G.F.M. -> Thank Goodness For Mamas. ♥

...ok ok i give up. im not changing my pic but what celeb do i look like?? i have abso-friggin-lutely NO CLUE.

They said i look like Punky Brewster & Snow White. What do you say?

Danielle