On Brave & Beautiful

I am almost 40 years old. 
I have grey hair. 
I need a haircut.
I have stretch marks & saggy skin. 
I am overweight.
I still get zits.
Damn squinty eye.
I have perpetual black bags under my eyes. 

All these things have been a source of discontent or frustration at one time or another. Or in the case of today, I woke up feeling acutely aware of all of them. 

I posted a picture to celebrate National Coffee Day today on Instagram & scrolled down my feed while I was there. That's where I found the #iambraveandbeautiful hashtag (Is it redundant to put the # thing, then spell out 'hashtag'?). Inspired by Colbie Caillat's song, "Try", the hashtag is meant to be a vehicle for women everywhere to strip themselves of make-up, fancy hair, accessories, etc., & just be. Embrace our brave, beautiful, natural selves. 

So I did. 

I am brave because I am almost 40 years old & have lived to tell the tale.
I am beautiful because my glass is always half full. 
I am brave because life happened to me & I kicked it in the ass.
I am beautiful because my body is soft & curvy.
I am brave because I just said that.
I am beautiful because I choose to find beauty everywhere.
I am brave because I am an introvert & happy to be one.
I am beautiful because I am a mama.
I am brave because I am a mama.
I am beautiful because the black bags under my eyes are the same as my Papa Donnie's.

What makes you brave? What makes you beautiful?
I invite you to embrace you brave beautifulness.

Eat Drink Stitch with Hey Paul Studios

Last week I had the opportunity to attend my first Eat Drink Stitch event, hosted by Kristen of Hey Paul Studios. 

After an eventful, hour long trek in rush hour, accident prone traffic(in a perfect world it would have only taken 25 minutes)in my teeny tiny rental car I finally made it to The Big Rip Brewing Company. 

What a great place! Big Rip's beer selection is awesome & they have a patio that's perfect for stitching with friends or just hanging out. Helen's On Wheels was in the parking lot with food truck greatness like gyros, tacos, & burgers.

Kristen was such a gracious hostess, having many items available for novice to advanced stitchers. She had beginner sticher's bags available for purchase with everything one would need to get started on a project, a fantastic selection of hand drawn craft beer inspired embroidery designs, & a complimentary thread bar so we could personalize our projects.

Aren't these the cutest stinkin' pin cushion rings?! 

See that glass? That's a hand crafted root beer with vanilla vodka. Ridiculous. And I'm a little mad I only had one.  

Thanks so much for another great event, Kristen! I met some amazing KC makers & bloggers ---- Can't wait for the next one!

* I apologize for the craptastic phone pictures. Apparently, dropping your phone in water isn't good for it. 

** OK, OK, a toilet. Dropping your phone in a toilet isn't good for it.

Hey Paul's Stitch Picnic

"Mom, I wanna learn how tah stitch!"

"Mama, can I stitch with you? I want to have my own hoop."

Two phrases I hear a lot. I had been planning to get a few plastic needles for the girls & teaching them a simple stitch or two. So when Kristen of Hey Paul Studios announced a Stitch Picnic at Loose Park, I was really excited to take the girls & share this with them. 

Several of us got together near the Rose Garden to work on projects & simply enjoy each other's company. The day was beautiful & we had a great time.

What a fun day to spend with others learning new things & seeing what others create. Throw in a near mauling by a squirrel, & you've got yourself a fantastic afternoon! The girls loved sitting in a really awesome tree & just stitching. They even asked to "knit" on the way home in the car. 

Thanks, Kristen, for a great day! Be sure to follow Hey Paul Studios for info on fun stitching events in KC. And check out Handmade in KC for a great group of local makers.