Bits of Splendor

I had a wonderful relaxing weekend, which is a nice way to start off Spring Break but my Bits of Splendor come from moments with some kids. I work in the church nursery so having little tender moments with kids is not unusual but this week these two moments caught me off guard as I was not in the nursery for either one of them.

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The first one happened on Saturday. I was at a leadership meeting for my church and after catching up with some people I ran to the bathroom, when I cam out I realized I was one of the last ones there. I came down the stairs to leave and little boy "M", who is six years old, and I have taught in Sunday school and baby sat for was at the bottom of the stairs. He had his jacket on with the hood hanging over his head like a cape. I said "goodbye M." He looked up at me and said "goodbye Miss Blaire" and when I got to the bottom of the stairs he said "you are always willing to help, thank you," and gave my leg a little hug. I said "of course I love to help" and I think I patted his head. It was a very sweet moment. "M" and I have an up and down history, as his Sunday school teacher some times I have stop him from running and being a typical six year old boy and I am sure he doesn't like it at all. But when I am his baby sitter he gets very cuddly and likes to sit on my lap. So I was very touched that he hugged me and recognized my willingness to help. 

There is this little girl "E" who every time I see her for a the first few minutes looks at me as if I am a stranger but then after a bit she is very chatty. I have grown accustom to this so on Sunday when I said hello to her I was happily surprised she waived at me. Then later after church I ran into her and her dad and she just started talking away about her purple dress and how she got to wear a pink one Saturday and she really wanted me to see it. Her dad wanted to get her brother from the nursery but "E" didn't want to go so her dad asked if she would like to stay with me, she said yes. Then to talk to her better I knelt down on my knees so I could be eye to eye with her. But then she too knelt down. It was very cute. 

Sorry I do not have any pictures of "M" and "E" they are really cute kids.

Exploring the World of Makeup

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On Saturday I delved deep into the world of make-up by exploring the magical store of Sephora. Not being a make up girl myself I usually find this store scary but my friend Kendra at Random Acts Babble held my hand as I explored the world of makeup.

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This exploration started with my Journey into Makeup post. But then I read the March issue of  Elle Magazine. In the article The Cover-Up by Claire Gutierrez (sorry couldn't find link to article). She wrote that her face had always been the same and she didn't know how to change it; she had never really learned... me too. Minus other people have doing my makeup I had never changed my face, maybe more or less mascara. For the most part I really connected with this author. But the piece that got to me was when she quoted a psychology study at Harvard University, where they studied people's immediate reactions to women barefaced and varying levels of makeup were more likely to perceived as amiable, trustworthy, and competent. "Even women who opted for glamorous looks were perceived as more competent than those who, like me, favor a natural look."

my younger sister and I

close up

As I have already admitted I am not a big makeup person. Since I was a teenager people have always thought I was younger than I was. People always thought my younger sister, who discovered the world of makeup before me, was the older one. And no matter how many times my mom says I will like looking young when I am 40, it didn't help when I was 16 and it doesn't really help now. I don't want to look older than I am but I do want to want to look my age. I also want to look competent and trustworthy. So if this means makeup than I am willing to explore this world.

I don't know if I begged, or casually brought up my desperation for make up to my friend Kendra but we made a date for yesterday to go shopping. I got a little make over which was lots of fun. I asked for a natural look that and I could easily repeat at home. I also knew that brown eye shadows  brought out blue eyes but I love pink or I wanted a good combo. The woman who did my make over found a great palate for my eyes (Lorac unzipped).

Some of the make up

Half way through the make over...
my lovely makeup artist in the background

Close up of my eyes...sorry for the weird expression

After she had finished my eyes she worked on my lips (Laura Mercier) then she took me around the store and showed me a nice foundation that was a little darker than my skin to give me a little glow. Sephora made a pretty penny off of me but it was fun to invest in myself a little bit. 

my eyelids somewhat shut.
at the Gap

my eyes and my lips

Now it is my turn to play around with all of it as I explore this world of makeup and of growing up. 

Be Calm

I know a few of my friends are going through a mid-term crunch as we anxiously await Spring Break. So this song "Be Calm" by Fun is for you guys. Soon it will be over.

Thoughts on Thursday

Kelly over at Fly with me is having a personal challenge to read the bible in 365 day and to stay motivated she is posting about the life lessons she is learning on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month. If you have been reading my blog, this semester I have most of Thursdays off so I like to sleep in get some good bible time in, work on my blog and basically relax. Today in Boston we are continuing on with our second snow storm, that started yesterday. It hasn't really accumulated to anything just a mix of rain and snow. So it was a good day to lay around and really do nothing or as my step-day would put it "burning day light."

Personally I am going through the old testament. I started with 1st and 2nd Samuel and now 1st Kings (so I thought it was cool that Kelly is also going through 1st Kings). I have never been good at reading the Old Testament. I have read the "poetry" books and some of the prophets but sadly not much of the history. It didn't really seem applicable. But the more I read it the more I realize I am like the people of Israel. Israel, rejects God by worshiping other gods. I may not worship the idols of golden calves but I put other things before God. Then like the Israelites I call on God when I need help. But once I am settled and good, I put God on the back burner and I fall again. It is a sad cycle. 

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Today I read 1 Kings 17 about Elijah and in the time of famine he is fed first by ravens and then he is taken care of by a widow. She is at first worried that she will run out of food but because she follows God's command she never runs out of food. It is amazing how much God provides for us. While I am not being fed by ravens, God constantly provides for me. Whenever I lose my way I must remember that God will always provide for me. He has provided so much for me. I read out of the Life Application NIV Study Bible and it has insight into the key players of the Bible. In Elijah's little biography states "all that happened in Elijah's life began with the same miracle that is available to us-he responded to the miracle of being able to know God." And in what I call the cliff notes of the Bible it states "Faith is the step between promise and assurance. Miracles see so out of of reach for our feeble faith. But every miracle, large or small, begins with an act of obedience. We not see the solution until we take the first step."

I can look back and see the miracles in my life but sometimes it is hard to see the miracle in the moment.  I don't know if that is normal or if it is because I am not focused enough on God. 

This song was recommended to me through YouTube and I really liked it.  

Hope you had a good day.