Even An Old Barn Looks Better Painted

Sometimes I tell my family that I need to "put my face on."

Lest you imagine me peeling the skin from my skull each night and gluing it back on in the morning, let me explain.

If celebrities can have pictures of them circulating the Internet without makeup, then why not me? We all look fairly ordinary without our face paint.

LDS Church President David O. McKay is quoted to have said, “Even a barn looks better when it’s painted.” 

Picture A

He didn't say anything about fixing a barn's hair, but when you compare picture A with picture B, you might notice that I did that, too.

 Picture B

In picture B, I have what would be my pioneer woman face and hair. (Well, the hair would probably be pinned up on my head if I lived a couple of hundred years ago, but when I do that, my face looks like a big, round pancake, so I don't do it a whole lot.)

The thing is, I don't have to look at myself, so I can feel just as beautiful inside as I want to whether I have makeup on or not.

I heard that Queen Elizabeth 1 (the first) took all the mirrors out of her castle when she started to look old. That way, she always felt as beautiful as she wanted, because there was no evidence to the contrary!

I sometimes think that would be a good rule of thumb (why in the heck is it a "rule of thumb?" Why isn't a "rule of pinky" instead?) for more of us to look outward and feel good about ourselves, rather than obsess over our appearance.

One time my husband, Bob, found a Facebook page of a lady who constantly posted new profile pictures of herself with kissy faces and pouty lips and 3/4 glamour poses. She was quite pretty, but my husband's only comment was, "Is she full of herself, or what?"

I don't know if I'm "full of myself" when I put my face on, but it only takes me about 5 minutes, unless my mascara is ornery and gets in my eye or smears my cheek. Then it might take 10 minutes.

The last thing I'll mention about Bob is that he says 90% of a woman's beauty is her smile.

(So put on a happy face.)

So do you like to get made up, (or shaved and combed, if you're a guy) in the morning?

Or do you prefer to just hop out of bed as God made you and head out for your day's adventures?

Thanks Daddy Dell and Momma Ru

My parents were so popular with our friends and neighborhood kids that my father, Dell Anderson, was given the nickname "Daddy Dell."

(Try singing this... 'The farmer Daddy Dell, the farmer Daddy Dell, Heigh ho the dairy-o, the farmer Daddy Dell.') See? It works!

(Isn't he handsome? He never lost his hair throughout his life, either! I think he looks like a celebrity.)

Daddy Dell

President Kennedy

So then the neighborhood kids came up with "Mama Ru" for my mother, Ruth Anderson. She was always setting extra places at the table for kids who would frequently drop by for meals, especially only child Ronnie Ballant, who seemed to be there every evening for dinner. Mom didn't even blink an eye, but fed whoever, whenever.

More than one person said she resembled the actress Myrna Loy. Go ahead, see for yourself! They could be sisters!

Mama Ru

Myrna Loy

So at this Thanksgiving time, I wish to say I'm thankful for my parents adding me to their big, happy family, because my brothers (2) and sisters (5...I make 6) are my ROCKS. They ROcK LiKE A PaRTy!

LOVE YOU!

Who's your rock?

Why there's a Pirate Flag on a Pink Car

I spied this car on one of my morning walks, and it made me stop and take a picture. If I didn't know the family, I would probably be able to come up with several theories behind the appearance of a pirate flag on a pink car. But this is the best reason I know of:

This family had four girls before they had a boy, so either one of the girls is really into pirates, or they already had a pink play car and didn't want to invest in another one, so they "pirate-ized" the one they already had for their son to ride. It could also be true that the girls and their brother collaborated on this effort, deciding to play "Pirate and Lady Pirates."

Whatever the reason, it struck my fancy, and I hope it tickles yours!