ELM STREET LIFE

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Hey guys,

As I'm transitioning to some new Spring items in the shop in the coming weeks, I wanted to offer a Brighter Day SALE starting today and ending Monday, February 10.

25% off all Ready to Ship items using the code READYTOSHIP

15% off all other items (including patterns!) using the code SPRINGSALE

Happy Shopping!

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

{Completed this week}

The Help by Kathryn Stockett
I'm sure many of you have seen the movie, so it may have moved off your radar (or perhaps you didn't know it was first a book?). I really appreciated the movie adaptation, though Shawn reminds me that when we first saw it, I told him, "I never want to watch that again." It made me sweat and squirm, watching the inexcusable treatment of so many African Americans in our very recent history. I picked up the book after several recommendations, and while it's a bit of a commitment (450 pages), it reads quickly and feels like an instant classic. When I read the final pages through tears at 1am, I didn't want it to end. What Kathryn Stockett attempted in writing this book was gutsy: writing in the voices of one white woman and two black women. As one who lived with "colored help" and grew up in Jackson, Mississippi where the story is set, she handles the subject with grace and honesty. This was her first novel, and I surely hope it isn't her last.

Comforts from the Cross: Celebrating the Gospel One Day at a Time by Elyse Fitzpatrick
I've already written briefly about this book here and it was every bit as wonderful as I expected. Highly recommend.

{Want to read}
Hands Free Mama: A Guide to Putting Down the Phone, Burning the To-Do List, and Letting Go of Perfection to Grasp What Really Matters! by Rachel Macy Stafford
Love Story: The Hand that holds us from the garden to the gates by Nichole Nordeman
Carry On, Warrior: Thoughts on Life Unarmed by Glennon Doyle Melton

Also, I've just re-added the "reading" tab at the top of your screen. I need to do some editing to update with recent titles, but if you're looking for some of my favorite all-time books, please visit! And, if you're willing, leave some of your favorites in the comments.

Monday.

Monday, February 3, 2014

Monday mornings are invigorating. At the whisper of a new week, I sip my black tea and tackle my to-do list with gusto. And then, after hours of rushing around, Monday night inevitably arrives cloaked in disappointment. I haven't crossed off nearly as many items as I'd hoped, and it's kind of a let down.

But as I was bathing Liam tonight and feeling overwhelmed by all that this week holds, Shawn read me this incredibly timely quote and everything changed.

Yes. Yes. It's where so many Mondays and Tuesdays and Fridays find me. Trying, in vain, in vanity, to please everyone. It's ridiculous.

So tonight, I'm going to let the many emails sit unanswered in my inbox. I'm going to put down my paint brush and turn off my sewing machine. I'm going to be content with only the simplest tasks like eating and resting and loving on my guys. Oh, and I might watch this again. And again and again.

PS - I totally failed to announce the winner of last week's giveaway here on the blog: it's Charrise Newkirk! Yay Charrise! Your items are on their way.

My new birth-year resolution.

Thursday, January 30, 2014

I have a birthday coming up, so for the past couple weeks, Shawn has been pestering me about what's on my wish list.

But I have everything I need, Sweetie. Seriously.

I really do feel that way, but that answer doesn't appease him. So when I finally thought about it, I want to learn calligraphy. Modern calligraphy. (There is a definite difference.) I adore some of the gorgeous hand lettering I've been seeing for years now, and I love the style that looks like someone's handwriting... just better. It's a far cry from the more traditional, Old English style calligraphy I learned from a kit back in middle school.

I've asked for this book to help me get started: