up to my eyeballs

{in hottish-pink, greeny-blue & chocolatey-brown.}

i love when clients choose the yummiest color combos!

it's official: i have a fun job.

words to live by {in chipboard letters}

yesterday i had the sudden itch to ignore all my current responsibilities & create some homespun color to adorn my wall.

this quote by the prophet of my church immediately came to mind as
i collected the spray paint and chipboard letters.

and let me tell ya- after a horrendous morning,
full of a series of unfortunate events, i'm convinced that my sudden craving to create MUST have been inspired...

because 15 minutes ago, as i was crankily scrubbing stains out with oxy clean / spray&wash,

i glanced over at president monson's words {in mismatchy chipboard letters} and my heart filled with hope again.

today i:

*was very,very weary after a night with 2 non-sleeping babies.
*legitly deleted my facebook account for good.
*plucked my eyebrows.
*hunted/picked up 12 blueberries that livy threw on the kitchen floor.
*fell in love with overcast arizona.
*spent a little time organizing a work project.
*chatted with my texas bf kayt.
*drove to coree's new house {2 minute drive: yay!} & hung out just for fun.
*put my kids to bed @ 5:30pm.
*vowed to be a little/a lot more productive tomorrow.

good catch

sometimes i make stupid choices.
{he} certainly wasn't one of them.

garage sale clearance items

thanks to everyone who bought my crap/stuff!!!
i LOVE getting rid of junk i don't use.
*it makes me happy.

i sold everything but these two items.
so i'm droppin' the price, folks.

holler back if you want to purchase/pick up.
angieinpink@gmail.com

BOTH ITEMS SOLD!
item #1:
19 inch, working, cute lil silver tv.
20 bucks.

&
item #2:
pink/green/yellow/white
plaid searsucker, king sized
{gently used-freshly laundered}
bed-in-a-bag from target.

*includes: comforter, 2 shams, sheet set, and bed skirt
20 bucks.

that's all.
thanks again, yos.

per request

i have a new calling/job @ church.

*sunday school teacher to a handful of teenagers.

every week i prepare a little lesson & a sweet snack.

and of course this week they wanted
rice krispies w/ fruity pebbles.

because they are awesome.

i love the youth of my church-
they are amazing.

want my crap?

i've been doing some summer de-junking

and i {finally} unpacked the garage from moving *in january*

so...i have some randoms to get rid of.

since it's hades outside,
i'm having a little mini ONLINE garage sale.

email me if you want to purchase & pick up! :)
angieinpink@gmail.com

accepted forms of payment: cash, cash, or cash. :)
{or i have a paypal account too...}

item #1: SOLD!
item #1: $60
1960-ish "vintage" wood kitchen table & 2 chairs
{does calling it vintage make it sound cooler?}
*cutest little table...and would be even cuter if it was painted an adorable color. that was my plan for it. but i am lazy. it can be big or you can take the leafs/leaves...[which is it?] out & make it the most darling little circle table.
i'm not gonna lie....the chairs could use some additional padding. they are hard.






item #2: SOLD!
item #2: $30
5ftx7ft decorative rug
*i paid a lot for this hog, so trust me: this is a great price. fun colors to brighten up a room. in pretty good shape...regular wear&tear. it's recently been professionally cleaned & has regularly it's whole life




item #3: SOLD!
item #3: $20
nike running shoes that are apparently too big for me.
i realized this after 1 run, hence no return. haven't been used since.
paid a lot more than 20 for them. *i don't want to talk about it. :)
size=8
black w/ pale pink-it's hard to tell.




item #4: $25
my bedding. {i got a new print for my b-day! yay!}
king sized plaid searsucker bed-in-a-bag from target.
includes: comforter, 2 shams, sheet set, and matching green bedskirt.
freshly laundered in yummy tide goodness.
*only used for 6 months.
{i'm a.d.d. like that.}
ps: how do you fold a fitted sheet? anyone know? martha?



item #5: $30
this random tv.
19".
um, & it works.... & hmmm...what else do you need to know?



item #6: SOLD!
item #6: $5
2 cute red shag rugs.
{sorta a maroony red}
21inx32in style.
freshly laundered & hung to dry.




item #7: SOLD!
item #7: $5
heart photo hanger.
just because it's cute & i don't have a use for it.



item #8: SOLD!
item #8: $10
children's costco carseat.
cheaper than walmart.
freshly cleaned.
*the fabric's kinda torn on the side, but it'll do in a pinch.



k, that's all.
email me if you want my crap!
{you probably don't...}
but ya never know!

turn it up

{me and my when we were babies}

tonight i was in the mood to
start the playlist of a lifetime.

i entitled it:
"songs i will never, ever get sick of"
{ya know: those songs that you
can listen to on repeat over&over&over}

so far i have:

falling slowly {glen hasnard}
set the fire to the third bar {snow patrol}
true colors {glee}
hurt {nine inch nails}
sleeping in {the postal service}
rain {creed} *sad, but true
truthfully {lisa loeb}
all these things that i have done {the killers}
at the wake {the format}
i will follow you into the dark {death cab}
be okay {ingrid michealson}
you found me {the fray}
under the bridge {red hot chili peppers}
silent all these years {tori amos}
the world spins madly on {the weepies}

[check it: i heart youtube]

apparently chill/depressing is my genre.

what songs do you never, ever get sick of?

i am woman.......

hear me roar.

busy

sketching & planning for some upcoming classes
@ scrapbooks etc.

mickey mania 8*27*10

&
stayed tuned for sneak peeks & details
re: my new layout class, photo frenzy,
*coming this fall to a scrapbooks etc. lab near you.

{excited}

create

"let each day be your masterpiece."
{unknown}

***

mini devotionals

before chlo' heads to beddyby,
we read a few pages from the adapted-for-little-kiddos BOM together.

it's legitly the most tender 7-10 minutes of the day.

just when i thought it wasn't possible for me to love this girl
anymore than i already do...
she asks me a question about the land of zarahemla
& it's the sweetest thing ever, and i love her that much more.

who needs a kitchen table....

...when you can just slap up a couple costco work tables & play!

some of our furniture is still randomly scattered about maricopa county
{including our 8 seater kitchen table}

so, the other day when i needed a {big}, fun area to work...
i set up a couple of these bad boys.

and i'm not gonna lie...
i think i could get used to this look.

i mean, we have tv trays for meals.
{super awesome, hideously ugly/tight vintage ones.}

plus,
who really needs to eat anyway?

info: schedges

a few of you asked via comment & email
how to print your own little schedule cards.

this is how i did it:
{i'm not tech/comp savvy so don't make fun of me.}
haha.

*hit up a microsoft word document on your computer.
*go to {file} page set-up
*under the margin tab, change all 4 of your margins to .1
*under the paper tab, change the dimensions of your doc to 4x6

*now that your document is all ready to go,
just type your information for the front of your card.
{copy mine or change it up!}

*switch up your fonts, font sizes,
and font colors to your liking.

*print the front in your top-loading ink jet printer.

*follow the same directions for the back of your card,
but you'll need to change your
document's orientation from portrait to landscape.

if this makes NO sense,
or you don't have a cooperating printer,
or
you just don't wanna bother
&
are still interested...

i put a few custom-print 30-day trial packs in my
etsy shop for your ordering pleasure.

{if you live here i can deliver & save you the shipping...}

*happy prioritizing!

something that works for me

as mentioned in my birthday post:
i am a recovering stress-o-holic.

my old self would make lists a marathon long.
*both on my brain & paper.

i'd make lists of:
things i needed to do.
things i wanted to do.
&
things i said yes to.

and then i'd glance at a daunting calender/planner full of commitments,
obligations, deadlines & projects and feel completely defeated & overwhelmed.

{i'd sigh a very loud, obnoxious heavy sigh.}

i would become paralyzed &
consequently get {whole lotta nothin'} done.

well!
this little ritual has helped me
conquer that kinda perfectionism,
one day @ a time.



i printed these little daily schedges on these cheap little index cards.

everynight before i go to sleep i take 5 minutes {tops} & fill one out.
*i just plan out my next day.

i consult the calendar to kinda see what's coming up,
but i mainly focus on that particular day.

i only list things i really need/want to get done.
{and then all the extras & randoms i fill in spontaneously.}

i set one priority for myself.

*there's normally like 10 priorities,
but i've learned that most things will wait. :)

***

when i wake up,
i consult my little schedule.

i'll slip my card in my purse throughout the day,
but i'm not married to it....fly by the seat of my pants style.

[[take today for instance: it's almost 11
& a tired, cranktastic liv went down for an early nap]]
*so we just modify.



on the back of the card i'll write a little lesson
i've learned or a mini enriching experience i had throughout the day.



i collect all my little cards in a safe place.
*it's beneficial to look back, from time to time.

i wouldn't say i'm like super productive girl now or anything...
[um, far from it, actually]
{i mean: let's get real-my priority today is grocery shopping...haha}
but i can safely say i enjoy life so, much, more now!

you see:
i've had to really learn that grocery shopping IS my priority, ya know?
taking care of my family is my god-given stewardship & my season right now.
it's taken a conscious effort to widdle down my wants & focus more on my needs.
*while still being able to indulge in facebook & the bachelorette! {*wink*}

not over-committing has been hard at times.
so this little system is something that helps that.

me & my nerdy cards
are livin' up the here&now, baby.

releasing my inner-crazy one index card at a time.

night owl

i am so NOT a morning person.

so,
i just wiki'ed

[how to be a morning person]
&
[how to wake up on time]
&
[how to look normal when you wake up]
&
[how to be an early bird]
&
[how to look less tired when you wake up]

*it's all lies.
haha.

i think for now,
we'll just stick to our morning routine of
sleeping in as long as humanly possible...
aka {7-8am}
waking up when chloe yells, "wakey wakey" in my face.
& then enjoying some pbs & cuddling & dozing pre-breakfast.

the only trouble with that is,
i forever have sid the science kid theme-song
in my head all day.

*small price to pay for fame & fortune.

apparently it's naptime!

sweet dreams everyone! (:

srpoop

srp's time-of-use savings plan saved me negative 6 dollars.

*i promise i didn't even cheat once!!!

...and to make matters worse:
the bill gave me a papercut the size of texas when i opened it.

my hot house & sweaty self are protesting!

i'm doing laundry & running the dishwasher from
1-8 tomorrow & no one's gonna stop me.

so there.

thank you!

i had an epic birthday
filled with people i love, yummy carb-filled treats,
thoughtful gifts, sweet words, awesome voicemails/calls
& a delightful date night with a handsome redhead.

thank you, my dear friends, facebook homies & cherished fam:
for making it SUCH a special week for me.
*i just really, really love you.

thanks too,
for your sweet words, encouragement
& kindnesses re: my last post.

my cup runneth over.

and it will be runneth-ing over even more in about
2.4 minutes as i enjoy a "dixon helping" of moose tracks.

toodles!

TMI on my birthday

Every year as I inch toward birthday time I build a list of lessons I’ve learned throughout the last year of my life. I’ve shared a few of those lists on my blog. It’s rewarding & fun to reflect.

This year- on the 27^th anniversary of my birth, I am not going to make a list of 27 things I learned. I’m just going to share one major lesson I learned this year. One life-changing lesson.

Being 26 wasn’t {exactly} a walk in the park for me. *More like a legit hold-on-for-dear-life emotional rollercoaster. And though this story is deep & crazy-personal, I rank it worthy of sharing to benefit my own healing & also for those who share similar struggles- for those who might question their worth or place in this world.

I often feel a bit vulnerable when I blog about things of a TMI nature, or when I share my testimony about sacred things. Sometimes I’ll even write long posts & keep them as drafts for myself. I try to listen to my heart before I bare my soul to cyberspace. But today my heart says {click publish}.

It’s no mystery to those that know me that I am a relatively happy person. I generally smile. I want life to be easy for others. I believe in compliments, laughing, joking, sarcasm, and I’d wink if I knew how. I enjoy searching for the miniature joys in the little things of life. I see the glass almost full to the brim. I believe happiness is a choice. I am super cheesy & delight in the beauty of a rainbow & the smell of flowers {gardenias especially.} Things as mundane as exact change and full toilet paper rolls make my day.

Well, deep inside that happy person that everyone knows…has lived a very confused, misunderstood, insecure, lost, scared little girl. She’s lived there for many, many years. During this last year I became well acquainted with her. She started taking over….{stealing all the joy.}

I knew in my mind I had a kazzilion things to be grateful for. I knew in my mind that i was, in many ways, living the life i had always dreamed. I grew up with loving parents who gifted me a blessed, happy childhood. I lived in a country free of oppression. I married great guy who honored and loved me. I had two beautiful babies. No major tragedies had touched my world. I had the gospel….knowledge of who I was, and where I was going. I knew in my mind I had all of that! I felt horrible for feeling sorry for myself when there are people in this world who knew real pain, real fear and trial. I felt so ashamed & guilty for being sad and angry when I had so very much to be thankful for!

For some reason though, completely untouchable from the help of my mortal loved ones, I have always had a part of me that believed I didn’t measure up. It didn’t matter what anyone said, any amount of love that was shown or any compliment that was paid to me. I didn’t believe it. I never felt as good, worthy, or enough. My mind literally reeled daily with snippets of my life….times at which I had fallen short, embarrassed myself, failed, spelled something wrong, showed up late to an appointment, been treated unkind, treated someone else unkind, felt humiliated, etc. I didn’t hate the real me, I just hated that I couldn’t be everything I expected of me.

Sparing you the nitty-gritty, I will just say that this led me on a path of people pleasing city. I was pulling all nighters, trying to do everything, not being able to do everything and then beating myself up for it. There was an obsession with being perfect. An obsession with how others viewed me. I compared myself to other people in the most unfair way. In many areas of my life I simply gave up because it was too hurtful to not be able to be 100% perfect at it. I started hating my body and continued abusing it with overeating. Outside relationships became difficult, and my anxiety level was off the charts & affecting my day-to-day function. I would slap on some marykay lipstick and a smile when I needed to. But times were dark and hard. I would blog about the obvious, wonderful, happy things around me to *try* to keep myself positive, while my inner soul was aching. My husband & a few aware family members would help and pray for me. But it was all inside of me. Stuff I needed to deal with. I felt trapped in my cycles and completely self absorbed. *You get the picture.

The {really} good news is, I had a turning point. One day in December {2009} I just wanted to be free of all of those feelings and emotion. I wanted more than ever before to stop the drama & just live my life peacefully.

I sought help from someone who I rank earthly-angel status in my life, who has taught me a lesson I pray I will never forget. She’s taught me many lessons, but the main of which being, that The Savior is very personally the ultimate source of freedom from mess. In fact, He’s the master mess cleaner upper. I have known that ever since baptism, but obviously had a hard time {really} applying it to me. {Really} believing that the atonement applied to me, Angie Dunn, a twenty-somethin' mom who lives in Mesa, Arizona. {Really} believing that it was possible to let go of that girl who didn’t believe she was good enough.

Well. It’s possible. Because I am letting go. I have let go. I will continue to let go. I have stopped defining myself as “that girl with the low self esteem.” I have stopped trying to be that un-attainable "perfection" & have started striving to just listen more closely to what Heavenly Father thinks the priority is. He is much kinder, less demanding & more forgiving than I have ever been to myself.

It's been by & through The Atonement of Jesus Christ that such has been do-able. I have felt his hands scoop away pain. I have felt his empathy as I have expressed my insecurities through prayer. In some areas of my life He has helped me facilitate change, while in other areas He has just inspired acceptance. I have felt more inner-joy lately than I ever thought possible. And I have Him as a momentary resource when any battle I face in the future should freak me out.

It hasn’t been an easy process. Repenting, forgiving, letting go, changing…it’s all hard. It doesn’t come all at once. It’s hard! At some points it’s felt, especially in my relationships, that it gets worse before it gets better. Though not easy, the process is simple. For me, it started with a million every-hour-I-need-thee type of prayers. I learned that I was scared of repentance for fear that I would fail again, and then I had a light bulb moment that taught me: The Savior’s atonement is ever-reachable to that discouragement too. In fact: I discovered that truthfully, He could handle, clean up, understand, empathize, and relate to every embarrassing, uncomfortable, seemingly-insignificant detail of my life that was threatening my happiness.

Through the spirit I have received answers. I learned that feeling the spirit doesn’t necessarily mean having a grand epiphany on the pew at church. It can be manifested through the sun shining in a happy way, a tiny feeling that everything’s going to be okay, a creative idea to resolve a difficult situation, an enlightening thought, the urgency to read a certain article or scripture for guidance, the unexpected kindness of a stranger/family member, or a pressing feeling that something is true. Through those things I started discovering true joy again.

So today, on my birthday, what I do have for sure, is bigger than any gift I have ever received: the {experienced} knowledge that Jesus Christ heals and restores. He is real and available to all of us. And I know this because he has eased my burdens and lightened my load this past year more than anyone will ever know. I don’t feel like a different person….I feel like the authentic me.

I welcome my late 20’s, 30’s and beyond. I feel alive again. With this experience I feel better equipped to face any difficult trials that will inevitably cross my path in the coming years. I am full of gratitude. I know Jesus is real with all the conviction of my heart. And I candidly share this raw slice of my journey here, to publicly acknowledge his hand in my life & remind anyone who is questioning….He is there for you too. ♥

stream of consciousness

i love smoothies,
and have them daily-ish,
but is the protein powder really necessary?
because it kind of makes me bimm.

bimm = barf in my mouth,
for those of you who don't speak dixon.

today i was really productive & then compensated
by surrendering 2 hours to the bachelorette on hulu.
*i have no regrets.

i got a mini "don't tread on me" flag in the mail today.
it's so cute. i'm in love.

i've had "i've got a feeling" in my head for 4 days straight.
and the only words i know are:
"i've got a feeling, that tonight's gonna be a good night, that tonight's gonna be a good good niiiiggghhht."
over & over & over & over & over.

my new neutrogena face wash is burning my chin off.
it cost $6.88.
and i am royally annoyed/disappointed [slash] cursing my dear ancestors who passed down the unfortunate skin/acne gene- a condition that {apparently} lasts for eternity.

tomorrow i have a "sacred hair appointment" as my friend marilyn calls it.
bless audrey & namaste salon.
me & my mullet are looking forward to a trim & color.

i also REALLY need to go grocery shopping tomorrow.
contents of my fridge = half a gallon of whole milk, aloe vera gel, eggs, spinach, an open can of el pato, and a few condiments, including an unopened bottle of worcestershire sauce.
the end.

the cutest thing on the planet:
livy playing fetch with mr. miyagi.
oh, you've gotta see it: it's tender moments.

i took a 3 hour nap {on accident} tonight, so i expect to be awake/wired until about 3 am.
i'm about to hit up the treadmill & jimmy fallon.
laughing & working out = endorphin city.
*the best.

thursday is my favorite day of the week.
almost to the weekend,
without the responsibility of remembering to take the garbage out.

have a good one!
♥

sunscreen & summertime

we've been doing a lot of swimming lately.

and i've decided i hate the smell/feel of sunscreen.

but i've also decided:
one of my VERY favorite feelings....
like, as in
on my list of top 10 favorite feelings....

is:

when you're in the car, driving home from swimming,
{you've just been in the pool for an hour or two}...
your hair is dripping, sunglasses on,
your skin is like tight from the chlorine....
it's freaking hot outside & your seatbelt is burning you....
but you still have goosebumps 'cause of the cold car ac.
you're like tired & hungry, but like a good tired and hungry, ya know?
*and you're blasting country on the radio...
full-fledged belting lady antebellum while wrapped in a towel.

ya know that feeling??
omg, best feeling ever.

az summers are hardcore brutal
but occasionally i'm obsessed with them.