...and a happy new year...

i love the new year so much.

minus my dog barking at the fireworks.
& drunk driving.
oh, & confetti gives me anxiety.

i just love that {fresh start} feeling.

even though technically, it's just another day,
it still makes me happy to know that i've survived another 365 big ones.

i'm approaching this year similarly to the last.
no big list of resolutions for me.

2011 is going to be all about conscious living-
chillin' in the here & now.
one bite @ a time.

my theme for 2011 is going to be patterned off this amazing talk given by an apostle of my church.

in his talk he discusses the 5 elements of living a consecrated life: purity, work, respect for one's physical body, service & integrity.

each week, i'll be setting mini, attainable-yet-challenging, private goals for myself related to these principles.

ultimately, i'm just going to [try] to make better use of my time & talents & energy in this coming season.

i'm so excited about it-
i'm looking forward to a colorful, amazing, fulfilling 2011.

happy new year everyone!!

how sweet the sound

[via this inspiring lady]

we're about to say peace out to 2010, & so naturally,
i've kinda been reflecting what's gone down in the last 12 months of my existence.

and the consensus is: i've had {one of} the [most] blessed years of my life.
lots of soul searching & self discovering & defining moment-ish stuff has filled my days.

i definitely did not win the lottery, my pant size is still/forever-on cruise control, i still have awkwardly hard moments & i still, of course, battle personal worries/heartaches-just like everyone else.

but, i feel like i've gained some serious perspective this year that i didn't have previously.

overall, i've learned that my past behaviors, past perceptions of myself/others, past hurts & anxieties-even if it was just yesterday-does not have to define who i choose to be today.

in other words,
each day, i know,
i can take a deep breath & choose to start over.

and that whole process is made possible through repentance & our savior's grace.

if i had a word for 2010, it would be that:
grace.

i've been blessed to learn in very personal/sweet ways,
that jesus isn't just my judge, he is my friend.

*and really, truly believing & having faith-in that profound truth,
has made [all] the difference [in my little world] for me.

it encourages me move forward with hope & excitement for the future...

happy 2011!

toy corner

to be honest,
i'm {always} a little thrilled about taking down the christmas decorations.

i mean i love the tree & lights & glitter,
but 3-ish weeks is plenty for me & then i tend to get a little claustrophobic.

this year, we replaced our tree with a toy corner for the babes.
we found a new home for the DVD's & outfitted our red wire rack w/ dollies & playskool goodness.

*finished off with the sweetest little vintage chair grandma overson let me snag from her home this weekend.

i love our new tiny space.
random-bright & kid-friendly is how we roll.

makes me so happy.

we love benson

we were lucky enough to have some time to visit benson over our little holiday.

we had such a nice time with family, picked some pecans, and the girls played with the cousins.

we also took a trip to dragoon to see the richard's awesome home & farm of cute animals.




i love that myron is so content & in his element when he's in benson.

there's something so peaceful about the country & the big open sky there.




we love our visits.
*and grandma's pecan pie.

i believe

my babies are in bed.
{all three of them.}

christmas was so sweet this year.
my heart is hardcore warmed.

here is a play-by-play/the highlights:

*finishing my scrapbook work christmas eve morning & dancing a celebratory holiday jig in the kitchen with the girls
*fun, happy, generous delieveries and visits throughout the day
*baking gingerbread man cookies for santa with my very, very, very excited sidekick
*a sweet evening at the fretz home with people we love, amazing food, and generous gifts.
*oliva barfing all over creation at 2am.
*waking up at 5:30am with the fam to find that santa had come & rudolph/his crew had eaten all their carrots & cookies.
*pure magic, amazing, sparkle, joy & excitement. LOVED watching the babes open their simple treasures.
*chloe singing, "it's a pillow! it's a pet! it's a pillowpet!" {pillowpet theme song} upon discovering that santa had left her number one request!
*livy's squealing & delight = priceless.
*taking daddy to work @ 7. ):
*driving to the dixon's & seeing the street lined with their traditional luminaries....and chloe asking, "what are all these lunches for?"
*fun times at granny & gramps...laughing & playing, exchanging gifts & yummy breakfast.
*naptime!!
*picking daddy up from work (:
*dinner & toy story 3 party!
*kisses, hugs, sippies of milk, nyquil for a fever-ish myron & sweet tuck-ins.

i have definitely felt the spirit of christ today.
i am so grateful for my savior.
basically, my feelings have already been summed up here.

it's my goal to have his encouraging, forgiving spirit fill my life everyday in 2011.
good night & god bless, friends!

merry christmas from our home to yours!

xoxo

wrappin' it up

this holiday season has been oh-so lovely,
with absolute perfect weather, simplified traditions, and lots of snuggling, sugar & love.

christmas wouldn't be christmas for me though,
if there wasn't a little madness thrown in there, too.

i still have a ton to do by way of scrapbooking {for clients}
& my identity/most of my money got stolen today...

but tonight, i feel at peace that everything is gonna get done & be okay.

all is calm, all is bright.

pie in the sky photography

huge props goes to amanda & her mad skills
for {once again} being amazing!

thank you so much, girl!
i am *beyond* in love.

a blog about blogging

{my screen saver, compliments of the amazing pieintheskyphotography.}

today i was chatting with some of my favorite girlfriends about blogging & facebook.

and i think we all agreed...there are some pros & a lot of definite cons to the whole social media world.

as a regular writer @ blogspot.com & recently returned visitor to facebook.com,
here is the conclusion i have come to {for me}:

facebook can be a tool of uplift, connection & convenience.
it can also be a huge waste of time, annoying & encourage hermit-like behavior.

blogging can be an amazing source of therapy, creativity, friendship making & record keeping.
it can also be a huge waste of time, overwhelming & encourage less-than constructive thoughts.

[for me at least]

i guess it's up to each of us to decide what kinda balance to strike with it all.
'cause if it's not a positive force in our lives, why participate, right?

i'm continually re-analyzing that balance- making sure it's still enriching & worthwhile.
'cause once it becomes a negative thing, it's time to say goodbye.

for now,
i'm trying to just enjoy my friends & family on facebook, especially those that i rarely get to see in real life-without caring too much about the opinions & random discussions that go on. take the good & leave the bad, style.

and i blog because i love to blog. i love sharing my stories & recording my days. i certainly don't ever expect people to read or comment, but i'm grateful for friends i know, and friends i don't know- who stop by. i have had a handful of really special experiences & met many amazing friends because of this little blogging hobby/outlet. i just do it because it is where i meet my muse. i feel like it's good for my soul to sort out my thoughts & express myself in such an unrestricted manner.

so ya,
in case you wanted to hear my over-analyzed opinion on the matter:
there it is.

in conclusion,
it's not for everyone.

but it's for me, i guess.
for now.
:)

not on my A game

i made it to the post office today,
to drop off some christmas cheer for some out-of-town family & friends.

besides that, i can't really think of [one] productive thing i did.

unless you count:

*losing my keys in walgreens.
*accidentally spilling 1,000,000+ buttons & breaking the glass jars that contained them.
*mistaking the red mountain 202 for the santan 202, aka, wild goose chase of america.
*burning lunch.
*thinking i'm having a gall bladder attack, visiting web md, and then leaving the site 100% positive-i'm dying.

hmmm.....anything else?

nope, i think that pretty much covers it.

life is good-
just not on my A game today.

and we dwelt in a tent

yesterday myron watched the girls for an hour or so while i ran an errand.

i came home to a giant tent in my living room.

of course i did, because he's adorable & fun like that.

so, me & chlo' camped out last night

...and this morning we ate our breakfast while watching sesame together {on the tv that is 5 inches in front of the tent}.

it was so fun & happy.

*i think we'll keep it up for the weekend.

sunny with a chance of amazing

she dusted the ceiling fans...
while he mowed the lawn full of leaves.

so goes winter in arizona:
feels like summer, looks like fall.

....can't get enough of this gorgeous weather!

a little reward

remember when i set a goal to paint my fingernails & toenails weekly?

haha, that's hilarious.
no really-i crack myself up with such high hopes & dreams.

as it turns out,
i'm truly okay & comfortable with naked fingernails and/{or} a chipped paint job for a couple weeks.

and a bi-monthly/monthly homemade pedicure will suffice, right?

that being said:
homegirl could use some pampering.

after the ceiling fans are dusted tomorrow [fer reals, tomorrow],
i'm treating myself to some conair foot-bath/pumice treatment/opi goodness
while/after i scrapbook for my sweet clients.

*it's the little things in life, right?

MHD

yesterday was sort of a lame day-a series of unfortunate events, really.
so {today} i took what i like to call, "a mental health day."

mental health days [MHDs] are the best.
[i'd highly recommend them!]
because they're just code for chill & relax & do whatever.

i ran a few errands this morning & then told myron to take my car to work,
so that i'd be forced to stay home.

i played with my girls & we watched entirely too much tv.
i took a cat-nap {amidst the leaves} on the back lawn [in this delectable 80 degree weather.]
we had leftovers for dinner & i paid no attention to lists or chores. {*and it's obvious.}

it was kind of amazing.
i feel super refreshed.

i had enough time to just be still & focus.

i also had enough time to notice that i can not live another day with my ceiling fans being as disgustingly dusty as they are.

but that'll have to wait until tomorrow.

the golden rule

so, i have this norman rockwell print framed above my couch in my home.

i first laid eyes on it's original mosaic beauty when i visited the united nations with my family ten-ish years ago.

i instantly fell in love. i {needed} it!
it is {so} beautiful to me. *speaks to my soul-style.

"santa" gifted me the framed print for christmas shortly thereafter & it has happily been displayed in a prominent place in every home i've lived in.

to me, it tells a story:

*of a loving father in heaven that knows & cares for all his children no matter who they are, what choices they have made, or where they come from.
*and we as children of god are all on this earth together...learning how to relate & unify & just get along-learning to personally progress & understand each other at the same time.
*but it's super hard sometimes to do that....because we all have weaknesses & differences.
*so we need to get to know {him} & learn of {his} love.......to [truly] love ourselves.
*and once we value our ourselves, we are able to find beauty in, and show that real, honest christlike love to others.

i'm still working through & learning that whole process.
i think we all are, in our own way, at our own pace.

sometimes i feel guilty that it's continually {so hard} for me to just [let go] sometimes. of pride. jealousies. bad feelings. -that my mind/soul feels this natural need to make unjust situations feel fair somehow.

so often, in my little angie-life, i forget the following simple truth:

"In the grand division of all of God's creations, there are things to act and things to be acted upon. As sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, we have been blessed with the gift of moral agency, the capacity for independent action and choice. Endowed with agency, you and I are agents, and we primarily are to act and not just be acted upon. To believe that someone or something can make us feel offended, angry, hurt, or bitter diminishes our moral agency and transforms us into objects to be acted upon. As agents, however, you and I have the power to act and to choose how we will respond to an offensive or hurtful situation." -David Bednar

i'm so happy to know that through the atonement of my savior, tomorrow is a new day.

another day to practice the golden rule.

a second chance for me & the opportunity to give a second chance to someone else.

the {not so} terrible twos

liv is at that frustrating/awesome pre-2 stage where
she knows {exactly} what you're saying,
& wants {with all her little adorable heart} to communicate...
but is [still] slowly learnin' to talk.

so instead of saying,
"please can i have turn," or "mom, i'm hungry"
she body slams/head butts you into submission...
and/or eye jabs, pulls on your earrings-
or [her favorite] throws things at your face/head/expensive items.

this kind of behavior is, well, annoying at best.

but, really....
can you stay annoyed @ that face?
it's basically impossible.

she's too lovable.
and super hilarious/entertaining.
and the sweetest sweet...just like heaven-style.

oh, i love her so much.

terrible twos?...nah.
i'll savor these days because i know they are numbered.

lost cause

*apparently "smile & say cheese" was too much to ask.

{a happy reminder}

i'm mega busy
{getting ready for photo frenzy in a few hours}
but i just wanted to pop in & remind you about:
"holly's headgear" boutique tonight!

my sis has created the. cutest. stuff.
seriously: she's so creative!

totally afforable...great christmas gift idea!!!

stop by, come & go style:
6-9pm

text/call/email me [angieinpink@gmail.com] if you need directions!!!

i know holly would love to see you!

scrips

a few of you asked in comments & emails
for the scriptures that were included in the advent my mom gifted me.

*welp, merry christmas, here they are:

Day 1:

Read John 3:16

Why did Jesus come to earth?

Day 2:

Read Luke 1:26-33

Who told Mary that she would have a baby?

Day 3:

Read Isaiah 7:14 & Matt. 1:23

How did Isaiah know what would happen?

Why is it important that he did?

Day 4:

Read Matthew 1:18-21

Why did Mary and Joseph name the baby Jesus?

Day 5:

Read Luke 1:36

How were Mary and Elizabeth related? Who is older, John the Baptist, or Jesus?

Day 6:

Read Luke 2:1, 3-6

Why did Mary and Joseph go to Bethlehem?

(Include coins in the advent box)

Day 7:

Read Micah 5:2

What does this scripture foretell about Bethlehem?

Sing "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem"

Day 8:

Read Luke 2:7

Why did Mary lay baby Jesus in a manger?

(Include manger ornament craft kit.)

Day 9:

Read Luke 2:8-11

Candy canes remind us of the shepherd's crook and the Savior, who is "The Good Shepherd."

(Include mini candy canes.)

Day 10:

Read Luke 2:13-14

Who joined the angel in praising God? Join with the angels and sing "Joy to the World."

Day 11:

Read Luke 2:15-17

Where did the shepherds go after the angels left?

Day 12:

Read Matthew 2:1-2

How did the wise men know that Jesus had been born?

(Include star stickers)

Day 13:

Read Matthew 2:7-10

Where did Herod send the wise men?

Day 14:

Read Matthew 2:11

How did the wise men show that they knew the young child was the Savior?

(Include present shaped chocolates or other tiny gift.)

Day 15:

Read Matt. 2:11 and Matt. 25:40.

Why do we give each other gifts at Christmas?

Here is a small present for you! (Include a small gift like lip balm.)

Day 16:

Read Matt. 2:13-15

Why did Joseph take Mary and Jesus to Egypt?

Day 17:

Read John 1:1-5

Why do you think we decorate with Christmas lights at Christmas?

Day 18:

Read John 8:12

Christ is the light of the world. Christmas candles and lights remind us of His light.

(Include small candles.)

Day 19:

Read Isaiah 9:6

What are some of the names of Christ?

Day 20:

Read Psalms 66:1-2

Christmas bells are rung to make a "joyful noise."

Sing "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day."

(Include bell shaped candy or small bells.)

Day 21:

Read Isaiah 61:1-3

Bows "bind up the broken hearted" and remind us that we are all connected through Jesus Christ. How can we serve someone this Christmas?

(Include little bows.)

Day 22:

Read Isaiah 1:18 & Revelations 3:5.

What does snow have to do with the real meaning of Christmas.

Make a snowflake.

Day 23:

Read Psalms 95:6-7

How do we worship Christ?

Sing "O Come All Ye Faithful"

Day 24:

Read (and act out) Luke 2.

Christmas is almost here. Here is a small gift.

(Include nativity trinket.)

Day 25: Read Job 19:25

Enjoy this special day!

countdown

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas!

my adorable mom made this cute advent for the girls.
each day/pocket has a scripture for us to read about the baby jesus & his christmas story.

i'm loving this season already. makes me so happy.



do you know what else makes me happy?

*my hilarious children.



but you knew that already. ;)