broken crayons ...

I teach preschool ... it is one of the greatest joys in my life!

There is something about spending time with 4-year-olds that is so refreshing.

They are so wide-eyed about life. The smallest things are exciting. They are quick to forgive. They aren't consumed with what everyone else thinks ...

We could all learn a few things from 4-year-olds!

One thing that those preschoolers are funny about is picking out the perfect crayon. Of course, they always want the newest looking one with the sharpest point to work on their pieces of art. Inevitably, the broken crayons get passed over. Guess what .. those broken crayons still color.

Have you ever felt like one of those broken crayons? passed over, discarded, less than perfect ...

I certainly have.

I've had to remind myself that I'm still useful even when I feel my most broken.

Don't let yourself fall into the trap of believing that just because your circumstances may have left you feeling shattered you don't have anything to offer ... you do!

Take your brokenness & color something beautiful!

what March taught me ...

{rose hill designs}

 

 

March was a doozy, y'all ...

 

We lost quite a few friends very unexpectedly & March was hard.

 

This is what March taught me ...

 

* hug your people

 

* tell your people how much they mean to you

 

* be kind ... to everyone

you never know what people are enduring.

be a bright spot in their day.

 

* love your life

 

* enjoy today ...

you might not have the privilege of tomorrow

 

* take care of yourself

 

Here's to a great April!

happy is good choice ...

A great idea for today ...

 

 

So much of our life is made up of

the choices we make.

 

Today ... choose happy!

& then tomorrow ... choose happy again!

young wisdom ...

A couple of months ago I posted THIS ... "a letter to my 18-year-old self." Just a few thoughts on some of the things I wish I had known when I was younger ... you know, maybe I wouldn't have worried so much or thought my world was over as much as I did ... you know how estrogen betrays us when we are young.

Well, over the weekend a precious 18-year-old sent me the sweetest message. Now, I have to tell you, this is not your average 18-year-old ... this girl has her mess together. & I wish I could've been 1/2 as together when I was her age.  She sent me her list of 18 things she has learned in her 18 years & it blessed my heart to read her wisdom. She gave me permission to share it all of you sweet people.

Here it is ... 


18 things I am thankful to know at 18 ... or kinda know

 1.  God likes you ... a lot.
 2.  You'll regret the mean things you say, so choose pretty words.
 3.  Always have a full heart.
 4.  You have more in common with other girls than you think.
 5.  Try new things ... dance in a musical, keep score at a baseball game, plan a school function. Do something new
 6.  Take too many pictures.
 7.  You are never too much & you are always enough.
 8.  Girl date nights are way more fun than date nights with a boy.
 9.  This is senior year - this is your last dance.
10.  Your mom was a senior once, she was 18 once, she was clueless once. She knows how you feel- as absurd as that sounds.
11. Don't drag other girls down - you know how hard life is already ... don't make it harder for her.
12.  If your best friend needs you, run to her.
13.  Don't rush love - forever isn't going anywhere.
14.  Love your sister; one day she will be the aunt to your children & she'll be a great one at that.
15.  Dress nice for school - forget the yoga pants.
16.  You're not fat.
17.  College will be fun.
18.  This is the most exciting time of your life. Seize it, capture it, remember it. One day you will look back & miss 18, so love every second of it while you still can.

oh & 19.  Just be HAPPY!



I can tell you, I most certainly am not 18 anymore & I am still trying to learn some of the things on her list {especially the one about the yoga pants}. I can only pray Priss has much more insight, maturity, & self-confidence than her Mama did when I was 18.

If you have a teenage girl in your life ...I hope you'll share this list with her.

dear 18-year-old self ...

the other day i was thinking about
all of the little things i wish i
would've known years ago ...
things that maybe would've
helped me worry less or
made just a little bit of
a difference along the way.

& because I am obviously an over-sharer...
here's my list, in no particular order...


10 things I would tell my 18-year-old self:

1* don't take yourself so seriously ...

 no one else does, so cut yourself some slack.

2* your first born will weigh 11 lbs. 8 oz. ...

start using stretch mark cream NOW!!!

3* a store will open ... its name is target...

your life will never be the same!

4* no, you do not look fat

in those jeans, bathing suits, socks, or anything else!!!

get a grip & see #1.

5* don't worry ... the perfect mister finds you &
you will get engaged after 8 dates ...

people will think you are crazy

 {it works out beautifully!}

6* "when in doubt, choose the kids ...

there will be plenty of time later to choose work."

(anna quidlen)

i don't know who anna quidlen is ... but

she gives good advice!

7* when you're not "OK" ... it's ok to admit it.

8* never underestimate
the power of a good nap ...
sleep is your friend!

9* always choose joy, happiness, & kindness.
others may not, but you don't have to answer
for their actions ... only yours!

10* you will become your mama...
don't fight it!

so ... what about you?!?!?!
what would you tell your 18-year-old self???

what this blog is not ....

blogs are a dime a dozen ....

& i could spend hours

reading through some of

my faves!

there are blogs about organizing...

blogs about cooking ...

blogs about shopping ...

blogs about decorating ...

entire blogs about target ...

{which i don't think is ridiculous, at all!}

blogs about blogs...

so i thought i would just let you know what

from my little pink couch

is not a blog about ... 

you will never read a post written by me about haircare!

like NEVER!

only if i get struck by lightening &

by some freak occurrence i am gifted with hair talent.

this is my idea of good hair ...

me in a baseball cap.

if you scroll through my facebook photos,

you will see this hat in about 89% of my pictures.

because i have zero hair styling capability & i embrace it.

there will be VERY few cooking posts.

i've mentioned before that i'm really good at like 5 dishes

& they are on a constant rotation at our house...

{my mister is a connoisseur of cereal,

so that suits him just fine}

a few weeks ago i posted a great tip 

i found on pinterest about

cutting baked potatoes in half before you cook them.

well, there was a picture of the baked potatoes in the post

& no lie, my bestie called me & said these words...

"when i saw the potato picture
i figured you were doing some sort

of potato craft! imagine my surprise
that it was cooking advice!" 

 

there will be no make-up tutorials &/or advice ....

me & the 12-year-olds wear the

same brand/type of make-up...

whatever's the cheapest thing at target.

as a matter of fact, i found this line at target, e.l.f.,

& everything is under $5.

i'm sure it is extremely high quality ...
& that is my make-up of choice until
i find something cheaper.


& i am so sorry to announce
there will be absolutely no fashion advice ...
i am of the opinion that
yoga pants & a sweatshirt are completely acceptable to wear in public ...
much to mama's disappointment.
what can i say ... mama tried!

so ... that's just a few things you'll most likely never see here.

just so ya know!

i am who i am, y'all!



southern ladies love a monogram .... yes, we do!

if there is one thing i know

about being from the south ...

it is that anything can & should be monogrammed!

i have friends, who i am sure,
 if their husbands stood still long enough...

they'd put a monogram right in the middle of his forehead.

southern ladies love a monogram

more than peter loved Jesus.

you know the song beyonce' sings ..."all the single ladies" ???

well, there is a line that goes

"if you like it, then you shoulda put a ring on it."

i think carrie underwood needs to

 record a song called "all the southern ladies"

& change that line to,

"if you like it then put a monogram on it."

that's a country music hit if i've ever heard it!

so, in true southern style...

i got our pillowcases monogrammed.

& i LOVE them!!!

me & my mister don't actually sleep on them....

they are just to sit there & be pretty.

i'm sure he thinks that's silly ....

but not half as silly as he would look

with a monogrammed forehead!

i stand autocorrected ...

i had a blackberry

{actually 2}

& i loved them...

like an unnatural love for a phone kinda love.

it died, suddenly & unexpectedly,

a few months ago.

i seriously considered

burying it in the backyard

with a proper ceremony, and all.

well, after the tragic ending of my blackberry's life,

i was forced to get a touchscreen phone...

with autocorrect.

{do you have any idea how much

trouble autocorrect can get someone

like me into?!?!?!}

well, let me just tell you ...

someone texted me a few days before

priss's birthday & asked what she wanted for her big day.

well, did you know the autocorrect for

"corndogs" is "condoms"

?!?!?!?!?!?!

well, it is on my phone!!!!

can you imagine the horror after i pressed send?!?!

& can you imagine the backpedaling

i had to do to explain that my

8-year-old daughter did NOT, in fact,

want condoms for her birthday,

but wanted corndogs?!?!?!

you know that old carpenter's rule:

measure twice, cut once???

well....

read twice, send once!!!!

live & learn! 



the good fight ...

i have inherited the

"sorry, you are going to gray early" gene

from my mama.

i am pretty sure she started going gray

as soon as she exited the womb.

don't get me wrong,

her hair is beautiful...

the perfect shade of gray.

she loves her gray hair & she should

because it is stunning & because she is 70.

i, however, am not ready to embrace the gray, as of yet.

i am just 37-years-old &

am fighting the good fight.

to me, it is like the war on terror.

remember the different color terror threat levels

the government came up with after 9/11?

well, about week 6 after getting my roots done

the gray hair terror threat slips up to about a level orange.

i've tried to talk my bestie into

learning how to color my roots

so i could go over to her house & she could foil me

& we could just have so much fun

watching dvr'ed episodes of the real housewives.

but she reminded me of her severe ADD &

we both agreed that wasn't one

of my better ideas.

so, to get the threat level back down to green,

me & mama go to the salon together every 8 weeks ...

just like sally field & julia roberts in steel magnolias

{except mama's never won an Oscar

& i've never been voted one of people magazine's most beautiful people ...

probably because of my premature graying}.

 

 

& every eight weeks mama

tries to pep talk me about the gray

& how the Bible says it is a crowning glory.

i appreciate her encouraging words, but
that's one crown i'm just not ready to accept quite yet.

the solution ...

in case you haven't yet noticed ...

i am not the adventurous type.

bungee jumping .... no, thank you!

roller coasters... i'll pass!

nic willenda walking a tight rope across the grand canyon....

almost vomited while i watched!

new fashion trend ... if it's still around in 18 months i'll hop on board!

well, last week i finally ventured out

on the fashion trend edge & bought

my first pairs of TOMS

(30% off, mind you... mama didn't raise no fool).

let me explain a bit of my hesitation ...

you see, i do the afternoon pick-up at middle school

for big brother, 2 of my nieces, & an occasional friend.

apparently TOMS are a big hit with the middle school gals.

& y'all... they stink stank!

when that crowd gets into my jeep at 3:00

the TOMS stank engulfs me like a wave.

so, i'm sure you can understand my TOMS hesitation.

who wants to be walking around in stank?!?!

well, as soon as i made my purchase

i texted my friend, laura beth {a TOMS enthusiast

who i am almost sure has left word with her husband

that she be buried in a pair of her TOMS}

to find out the solution to the TOMS stank.

i'm not quite sure what i was expecting her to say...

maybe because she is a faithful TOMS customer

& has owned at least 3 or 4 pair

maybe the nice folks at the TOMS factory

had given her access to some sort

of top secret TOMS de-stank-ifying formula?!?!

you just never know.

because there is one thing i know about laura beth ...

she is one of the sweetest, most precious people i know

& i can promise you... she is not carrying around all

that sweetness around in stanky TOMS!

so she unveiled her magic solution ....

machine wash & air dry

what? really?!?!

that's it?!?!?

well, now i'm a bit bummed

that it took me so long to

hop on the TOMS train

because these are some comfy shoes.

live & learn .... live & learn!