i learned about a lot of things i need to work on as a friend, family member & human.
i learned a lot of my strengths & weaknesses when it comes to being genuine.
knowledge is power! i can celebrate the good inside of me & change what i am not proud of.
i also re-visited something i already know about myself: my deepest heartaches and conflicts stem from falling into old patterns.
so, step 3 is about working on that. it'll be more than letting go. it'll be about restoring things that were lost.
i'm taking soul restoration 2 @ bravegirlsclub.com for the next 6 weeks. and i can already tell it is going to absolutely change my life. i've already begun my self-work & it's going to be so enlightening & empowering.
i'm going to try something i've never really done before: i'm going to keep my goals & processes for the next little while totally private. i'm not going to blog about it. {i'll blog about other fun things instead!}
i'm going to spend several weeks working on solving the issues that seem to be causing me to feel weak, less-than & not enough.
it'll all be between myself & my god. *the way it should be.
thanks to all you lovely souls who read my blog & support me in my wonderful, happy, challenging, struggling, beautiful, crazy life. i can feel it, and i love you. ♥
my spring zinnias died a long time ago. i tore them out and we endured a long summer of boring dirt/weeds in the flowerbed.
but across our little doorstep, in the gravel, a tiny seed sprouted ...and a beautiful zinnia grew & bloomed among the rocks. it steadily grew & grew, in the wicked arizona heat, without water.
and i believe god made it a pink one, just for me.
such a little thing-but it inspires me. i love walking outside to the bus stop every morning with the girls and observing it's growth & progress.
...and taking with me throughout the day, it's reminder, that we can all bloom where we are planted.
there is beauty, even when our circumstances are difficult. there are opportunities for growth, even when things seem destitute & rough. there is potential to be reached and goals to be achieved, no matter what the odds.
pre-bed festivities at our house are sort of hilarious & involve a lot of musical pleasure provided by yours truly.
it's a little ridiculous, but it's kind of fun and my kids think i'm amazing even though i didn't make "teen tones" in junior high. {wink}
after we are done with baths, i comb the girls hair whilst belting this song, very obnoxiously {like mother gothel} to make them laugh hysterically & encourage less whining:
chloe usually reads us several stories. we drink sippies of milk.
while i'm brushing their teeth, i sing 2 enthusiastic rounds of this song:
before jumpin in bed, we pray for safety and "to dream of unicorns and rainbows and kittens" [direct quote from chloe tonight.]
and as they relax, cozied up under their covers, the favorite musical number is:
i'm lucky if the last one stays in my head all night, but unfortunately it's usually barney. :)
we could not get enough of the rain that we got the other day... we jumped for joy, played ring around the rosie to our hearts' content, & got soaking wet- loving every minute of it.
cooler temps/blissful arizona fall/winter is around the corner! there's hope! who knew?
late last night i was feeling a little melancholy.
just feeling like certain blessings that [i feel] like i have been really patient waiting & working for aren't coming.
things that i feel are righteous desires seem to be out of reach for me.
my initial reaction to this, is to think: am doing something wrong? am i not having enough faith? am i not being [good] enough to deserve it?
but after really thinking about it and feeling those feelings & think those thoughts, i still find hope.
i know that the lord will work it all out. he'll send me what i need, when i need it. because he loves me. and knows what i need more than i know what i need.
i think we all have things we wonder about these days. politics are crazy. the world is unsafe. things are uncertain.
but i know that daring to dream, having hope for a better time, doing all that i can.... being realistic-but not cynical, and just being grateful for what i have in THIS moment, is what will make me truly happy.
oh my precious liv. i feel like i never blog about her because i take most of my photos while she's sleeping.
if i take photos while she's awake, my house is covered in the contents of: some kind of liquid soap, powdered food, wet wipes, or cracked eggs.
yes, she's two. she's intense.
but boy, is she an angel. those big blue happy eyes of hers- they speak to my soul. she came to our family at just the right season. her spirit is a comfort to me...reminds me that all good things happen in the lord's timing.
as she was coloring a few moments ago, she shouted, "i did it!" with every marker she opened. [it was the cutest thing ever...] and then she came up to me, where i was eating my eggs, and commanded, "in my mouf!" i finally surrendered my plate of eggs to her, for her to finish. and then she went and filled a pitcher of water & used that for her drink to go with her meal. and now, she's as happy as a clam, eating her second breakfast [my breakfast], drinking from the biggest water cup in the house.
i love my demanding, beautiful, amazing, sweet, sweet baby. so blessed to call her mine. ♥
so, here's the scoop on one of my new classes @ scrapbooks-etc: baby's first year.
it's a 4-part class & if you sign up for all 4 installments, you will complete an entire album for baby's first year.
each class is $22, and you receive 3 single-spread 12x12 layouts for that cost.
*with the option of copying & purchasing the supplies for a matching double spread at class, including a darling information/stat sheet for you to fill out about baby each month.
you get to pick girl [top row] or boy [bottom row] kits.
here are the class dates:
september 9th, {next friday} 10:30am-12:30pm
[layouts for month 1, month 2 & month 3]
*pictured above
october 14th, 10:30am-12:30pm
[layouts for month 4, month 5 & month 6]
november 11th, 10:30am-12:30pm
[layouts for month 7, month 8 & month 9]
december 1st, 10:30am-12:30pm
[layouts for month 10, month 11, & month 12]
if you sign up for all 4 classes, you will receive 20% off a WeR 3-ring album of your choice, at the end of the series of classes. :)
great deal, super fun layouts, and some seriously productive scrapbooking!
you can sign up online here & receive 10% off.
or, call scrapbooks etc. & they'd be glad to assist you: 480-854-2303.
*you must pre-register, so i can plan to make you a kit.
and remember! if you can't make it the day of the class, i can hold the kit for you & you can do it @ home! ♥
