my sister heidiintroduced me to this awesome book: the gifts of imperfection {by} brene' brown.
and since then, i've heard several peeps i know of, lovin' her stuff too.
i ordered it on sunday night.
it came monday evening. [i♥amazon!]
started it at 10pm; finished this morning.
such a thought provoking, life changing read.
so applicable to very specific struggles i deal with.
dr. brown is a charming & well educated researcher who studies topics such as shame & vulnerability.
her studies indicate that courage, compassion & connection are the key to, what she calls, "living a wholehearted life."
i marked up the entire book in the most lovely shade of teal colored pencil. ♥
i was nodding an "amen, sister" to everything she had to say.
"most of us are trying to live an authentic life. deep down, we want to take off our game face and be real and imperfect. there is a line from leonard cohen's song "anthem" that serves as a reminder to me when i get into that place where i'm trying to control everything and make it perfect. the line is- "there is a crack in everything. that's how the light gets in." so may of us run around spackling all of the cracks, trying to make everything look just right. this line helps me remember the beauty of the cracks [and the messy house and the imperfect manuscript and the too-tight jeans]. it reminds me that our imperfections are not inadequacies; they are reminders that we're all in this together. imperfectly, but together." -brene' brown
this week i've started tackling lots of unfinished projects in the craft department. i'm overwhelmed by them!
i'm tryin' to implement gretchin rubin's rule of "spending out"... this summer is going to be all about spending out what i have & using my resources to help my family.
so, i've decided to start selling some of my class samples that i will {most likely} never use.
they are all finished pages, ready to slap on pictures. however, please note: they have all been taped on a bulletin board & transported, so they have a tiny bit of wear & tear, and this is why i am selling them at a discounted rate...[much] cheaper than the original kits were priced. :) *still in great shape though. promise. :)
we'll see if there's an interest...if there is, i'll keep posting. if not, i'll find a way to use them. ♥
the first installment of layouts, is a girlie baby's first year album. 12 single-spread pages, what ya see, is what ya get. a page for each month of baby's first year. ready for you to slap a picture{s} on & journal.
all 12 single-spread layouts for $36. the first person to comment, text or email me at angieinpink@gmail.com, gets the layouts. i don't mind shipping, but it will be an additional $5 charge. ♥
the goal is to be caught up on all the laundry by bedtime. sorting, folding, soaking, scrubbing and ironing... is just what i [love] doing on my only full day off. ;)
oh! just heard the dryer buzzer........go/fight/win. ♥
“I've got two daughters who will have to make their way in this skinny-obsessed world, and it worries me, because I don't want them to be empty-headed, self-obsessed, emaciated clones; I'd rather they were independent, interesting, idealistic, kind, opinionated, original, funny – a thousand things, before 'thin'. And frankly, I'd rather they didn't give a gust of stinking chihuahua flatulence whether the woman standing next to them has fleshier knees than they do. Let my girls be Hermiones, rather than Pansy Parkinsons. Let them never be Stupid Girls.” ----- J.K. Rowling
chloe's favorite animal has always been the panda bear. so we threw her a panda party for her sixth birthday!
a few days before the big day, i was delighted to discover that michael's had panda hats + other panda paraphernalia in their dollar spot! {seriously meant to be!}
the girls decorated panda cupcakes, played lots of funny panda-inspired games, ate fortune cookies/read each other our fortunes, & even watched a live panda cam, streaming on the big screen via the san diego zoo! :)
chloe is lucky enough to have a wonderful group of cute little girlfriends that spoiled her silly & made her feel so special.
hopefully one day she will get to live her dream of visiting china, but in the meantime, it was fun to party it up, panda style.♥
"There’s something deeper going on in family life than can ever be expressed on a social network. Whatever it is we feel we are lacking, can we collectively decide–as deliberate mothers–that we are not going to sit around feeling discouraged about all the things we’re not?
Can we remind each other that it is our uniqueness and love that our children long for? It is our voices. Our smiles. Our jiggly tummies. Of course we want to learn, improve, exercise, cook better, make our homes lovelier, and provide beautiful experiences for our children, but at the end of the day, our children don’t want a discouraged, stressed-out mom who is wishing she were someone else."
i still lovethat song, but it was depressing nonetheless. *i was in an emo, discouraged mood & nothing seemed to satisfy my need for security.
it's been about a week since then & thankfully things are now looking much brighter & stronger.
i haven't been able to get a poem that my friend shared in her lesson on sunday out of my head.
last week i was feeling very tender.... "nothing more than the palest puff", but luckily, i know of & took refuge in, the greatest source of strength there is.
and even though, like the song says, my heart has a tendency to fall apart, i know who can pick up the pieces. ♥ coming out some hatchings hurt…
girlfriend chloe had a wonderful sixth birthday! all the important-to-her things happened:
*she heard the principal say her name on the announcements *she got a special birthday crown at school *mom & liv came and ate lunch with her *she passed out mini sprinkled cupcakes to her class *she was line leader {almost} the whole day *she opened a new bike & a sweet unicorn helmet from mom & dad *she was spoiled with special calls, visits, texts, presents, cards and videos from generous family & friends *she spent the afternoon passing out invites to all her little girlfriends for a panda party on saturday! *we ended the day with a special family night at "rockin' robin" {red robin} to celebrate her sweet little self
i'm happy she had a happy day; you only turn six once. :)
good times this weekend! pink bunny noses & egg-shaped krispy kreme for all. ♥
someone special made his appearance a day early, on saturday. *and by the looks of their baskets, i think the easter bunny might really be a jackrabbit...go mhs! ;)
the girls were delighted to discover he brought a baby pool for the backyard too!
saturday morning we attended granny & gramps' annual grandkid easter egg hunt, located in the garden of eden, otherwise known as my mom's backyard. all of the kids were darling & happy + made a haul of prizes, coins & treats.
sunday was spent celebrating the reason for the season, our savior jesus christ. the girls wore special dresses, that granny & i have been sewing all week. it made me happy.
chloe's nama threw her a special party last night to kickoff an exciting week of celebrating her SIXTH birthday. can you believe she's that grown up? i sure can't.
