you. are. awesome.

When we were in Walt Disney world last week, I carried a stack of these in my pocket each day. When a cast member (aka someone who works for Disney) was a big help or just made me smile, I gave one to them.

It was so much fun to see their reactions. They aren't allowed to take tips, so a couple tried to hand it back to me not realizing what it was. Watching them read the words and then smile, or even look up in surprise, was pretty incredible for me.

From the cleaning woman who was calling in the power outage in a bathroom in the Animal Kingdom and was calmly and clearly explaining that she wasn't kidding and they needed to deal with it right away to the retired gentleman who works with the boats a few days a week who held the boat so Ellie could run to the bathroom (they needed to hold it anyway to avoid too many at the dock...but still, his kindness was real) to the bus driver who was simply kind to my little family when we were very very tired, so many people made our day better.

I'm going to start carrying these in my pocket every day because the truth is so many of us out in the world need to be reminded that we are seen. This is one simple way to do that.

Also thinking about making some that you "You've Got This" because I could have really used one of those on one of our boat trips at nap time when my kid was that kid that has you saying to your kids, "Thank you for not acting like that today."

You can get your own You Are Awesome stickers right here.

oh that mouse

 

We're home from Disney World and I seem to have brought along a cold in my carryon luggage. I have several things I want to share about our trip (including a couple of posts of tips) and I'm going to share more next week. For today, I just want to share this favorite favorite photo.

Ellie was all in when it came to believing in the magic and she hugged Mickey like she'd been waiting to meet him her whole life. It was awesome.

why i create realistic pinterest boards alongside the dreamy ones

So here's the thing about Pinterest (well, one of the things), we pin things we're probably never ever going to cook, bake, create, sew, upcycle, organize, buy, get rid of, read...and how the list goes on.

And that is okay.

Pinterest can be all about dreaming. It can give you clues about what you're drawn to. What you like to look at. What you're interested in. The colors and imagery and even feelings you want more of in your life.

These are good things.

But, it can also be a bit of black hole of "not enoughness."

Yes, the woman with 3.9 million followers on Pinterest just said that out loud.

Because I've been thinking a lot about this "not enoughness" that social media can invite, I'm diving into a series of posts about how I'm using Pinterest for good. About how I use it as a creative, a mama, a business owner, a kind of crafty person, a want to be cook, and as a person who is always wanting to slow down to really notice what brings me joy.

First up: Creating boards that are realistic alongside the dreamy boards.

What I mean: There's something so awesome about just pinning every single recipe that I think I could maybe one day make but really I kind of just want my mom to make the next time she visits (she's a super good cook). All those recipes go on my general "recipe goodness" board. But here's the truth: I honestly rarely look at it. I just never ever want to lose this recipe...or this one...or this one...so on the recipes board they go.

I have a few other more specific food boards like "breakfast" and "lunch and snack ideas." I love the idea of weekend brunch, so every now and then I'll pull up a recipe from the breakfast board and have some fun. I'm also always looking for new lunch and snack ideas for myself (because I work from home) and for Ellie (because hello kids are picky sometimes). There's also holiday recipes, a crock pot board, one for soup, and one for pizzas. Oh and of course one for sweet things that I might one day make but probably not but please someone show up one day soon with this.

I look at these boards every now and then, but mostly I just want to hold onto those recipes.

And then I have this one: Let's Make Dinner (for reals). This is the board where I pin actual meals I might actually have the ingredients for that my family will actually eat (even if Ellie will eat a desconstructed version of whatever it is). 

This board takes off all the pressure. I can open it on a Saturday afternoon during Ellie's nap time and plan some meals for the next week and make a grocery list and get to it. Or I can pull it up at 2:00 in the afternoon before I pick her up from school and then we can quickly stop to get the ingredients I don't have on the way home, then make dinner together.

Making things as simple as possible is the point.

I do the same thing with my two DIY boards.

One is called The File Drawer and it is filled with DIYs (and some crafty or sewing tips) that I might do one day. Or they inspire me to think about things I might want to make. I think of it like a place to hold the things I see that I don't want to forget. Like a true inspiration board.

The other is called Things I Want to Make, and it's filled with projects I would like to try for real. Meaning they fit one of these criteria for me:

• I have the supplies on hand
• I could finish them in an afternoon
• They would be perfect for retreat decorations or for making at a retreat
• They would make a fun Pinned it. Did it. post
• Ellie would love it
• I just really want to try it

I also have a board called Creative Fun with EJ, which is full of actual projects we could do together (as opposed to projects I might never feel confident doing...more on this in another post), and another called For Retreating that includes DIYs and inspiration for the retreats I host.

One more example is the way I pin clothes. 

I have a board called layers and ruffles and other good things full of images that just make me happy. I love wearing my clothes layered, so these images give me ideas or they simply make me swoon. I just created an Outfit Inspiration board too for clothes that don't necessarily have this ruffly look but have the look I'm drawn to.

I also have a board for spring wardrobe inspiration and one for fall/winter wardrobe inspiration. I'm a curvy girl, so this means that a lot of the clothes I see pinned on Pinterest don't come in my size, but I'm still inspired by the look, so I pin these here. Or when I'm curating looks I just like and want to share with my audience, I put them here too.

The board unimaginatively called "For My Closet" is full of clothes that come in my size. This means I really could buy them one day and wear them. It feels important to have a board that reflects clothes that would actually fit me. 

And then I have my "in my curvy closet" board full of clothes and accessories I love, wear, and recommend.

How do you organize your boards? Think about creating a few "realistic" boards and notice how it affects the way you feel on Pinterest. It has freed me to let go of the "not enoughness" and focus more on the beauty. 

If you have questions or topics you'd like to see me cover in this category of "using Pinterest for good," please send me an email and let me know.

society6 current favorites

don't let the muggles get your down print by Raeuberstochter

If you follow me over on Pinterest, you know I love sharing my favorites from Society6. It gives artists an easy to use platform to get their work out in the world on a variety of products and into the hands of their customers within days.

And one of the best things about Society6 is that you can often get a print/piece of art you like on everything from a mug to a clock to a duvet cover to a rug. For real. Here's a glimpse at my favorites this month.

And note that the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission when you purchase something through my links. I'm a big fan of the site, the quality of their items, and how quickly they ship things out, so being an affiliate is an easy choice.

Oh this mug. I just want to drink tea, create stuff, and sleep. Yes. Yes. Yes. There's also a coffee version. Of course.

A YODAling clock. Brilliant.

This black cat just makes me smile. Love it as a tote bag and phone case.

All you need is love (and a panda). This pillow is adorbs.

And a gold glitter phone case...because glitter makes everything better, especially when you don't have to clean it up.

And I love the "Don't let the muggles get your down" print above as a card set. Because you probably have someone in your life who so needs that. (The mug is on my wish list because I think it would make me nod in a "thank you so much for getting me" sort of way some mornings.)

I actually have a small little Society6 shop too. I've been thinking about adding the "you are awesome" and the  "hello beautiful soul" and the "love wins" sticker images to it (or something similar). Kind of want one of those on a mug or even a phone case. Or heck, wouldn't a "you are awesome" shower curtain be the bee's knees?

Do you have a Society6 shop? If you do or you have a favorite shop/artist over there, please share in the comments. I'm always looking for new favorites.

Note Society6 did not sponsor this post, but as mentioned above, links are affiliate.

i'm riding my bike...

A video posted by liz lamoreux (@lizelayne) on Jan 16, 2015 at 4:39pm PST

Ellie is singing, "I'm riding my bike. I'm riding my bike. As fast as I can!"

25 minutes earlier she was trying to throw her bike across the sidewalk because she was so frustrated.

I love watching her grow and stick with something even when it is hard. I also love watching me figure out how to stick with it too when her frustration gets intense.

Growing up together is awesome.

gifts to give your kindreds for Valentine's Day

If you're like me and sometimes feel a bit "meh" about Valentine's Day, turn the meaning of the holiday on its head and get something special for the kindred spirits in your life. Whether you have a Valentine, want a Valentine, or hope your Valentine does something other than spend $100 on flowers again, you can always celebrate your BFFs.

Here are some ideas for fun gifts you could give them (clockwise from top left):

The sugar lip treatment is the best. It comes in tinted and untinted. Such a sweet little gift. 

The Best Friend Ever necklace is adorable. And so are all the other necklaces by this brand at Nordstrom.

I know that chocolate is totally a Valentine's Day cliche, but if my kindred showed up with a box of these dark chocolate Frangos or one appeared in my mailbox, I would text her a photo of me smiling with tears in my eyes saying, "you get me, you really really get me."

Heart of Gold bangle from Kate Spade. Because for sure your BFF is golden. Yes.

Over the last year or so, when I've shared a room at a retreat or when friends have visited and they've seen how I organize my make-up and other things when I travel, they inevitably pull out a ziploc bag and say, "This is how I do it." Now a ziploc bag is totally okay honey. Always. Easy to see what's in there. But if you have a friend who is longing for a cute makeup bag but won't treat herself, this Orla Kiely train case at Target is awesome. It has a special zippered area on top for brushes or other things, which is unique for this style. Love. Might have found its way into my cart last week. Maybe.

The kindred necklace set from my shop. This is my take on the Best Friends necklaces from my middle school years. They're at a special price (more than 25% off) so you can get one for your friend and keep one for you (and if you want to get several or an odd number, just send me a note).

I couldn't stop there, so here are six more ideas (clockwise starting at top left):

Love love love this card from Emily McDowell. It says everything I wish someone would have said to me when I was about 21. Also love this one over on Moorea Seal.

chasers of the light: poems from the typewriter series by Tyler Knott Gregson looks so lovely. I see his poetry on Pinterest all the time and it is just gorgeous. And giving someone poetry on Valentine's Day is a very very very good thing.

You probably already know I love BlueQ pouches. They are so lightweight and easy to clean and come in great sizes. This one is a pencil case size and perfect for travel art supplies or receipts. I have the tin box in this same style and love it.

This print from Lori Portka really says it all. Beautiful.

A mug that greets you each morning and reminds you that you are enough is pretty much perfection.

I was going to save this notebook for a post I'm doing on about my current studio "stationery" tools, but then I thought that you might just need to give this to the list maker kindred in your life. It is lined and perfect for making list after list after list. Or writing poetry. The best size and so light. I love it. 

Other ideas: Vivienne's Be Your Own Beloved Class (take it together!), a massage at your favorite spa, my Water Your Mama Soul class, sending something simple that you love in the mail (a dear friend just sent me her favorite hot cocoa and it made me feel so loved), or even showing up with Starbucks would be the best. And don't forget, you could even make your own sweet Valentine's and send them off to your friends because real mail is always a good idea.

Please note: Some links in this post are affiliate, which means I receive a small commission when you purchase something through the link.

the file drawer {5}

As I continue to brainstorm and dream about future retreats and online offerings, I'm holding this quote close. Yes. I love Madeleine L'Engle.

When I was doing a little research about this self-care article, I found this Mayo Clinic piece about how laughing is good for your health. So bring on some more lip synch offs and clips from Graham Norton.

Hindsight. Are you watching it? Just watched the two episodes this week and I can't wait to see the others. I kept saying to Jon that this was such a well-played nostalgia move by VH1. (And that moment when she says, "oh my green razor!"....so I still have mine. Since high school. I love that thing.) 

So this is the part where I admit I finally watched Gone Girl. I've been meaning to read the book forever. But didn't. And then I somehow missed every possible spoiler that crossed my path. Thank goodness because OMG I really did not see that coming. I mean I saw somethin' but not like that. Oh and this is where I also tell you that one way to know the age difference between Bonnie and me is that when we were working in the studio and I told her I finally saw it, she said something about almost not watching it because Ben Affleck was in it. Sigh. She doesn't know Ben like we do. Next up on the studio must-watch list: Good Will Hunting.

This recipe was repinned more than 2000 times on my YES board in just a few hours, so I'm thinking you might want to pin it too. (Crazy. I mean it looks good, but I did not expect that response. So fun! Totally want to make it, which is why I pinned it of course, but now I know chocolate covered bananas + peanut butter are loved by all!)

This article completely captures why I'm a Swiftie too. Big. Time. (And I might have started following TS on Instagram. Yes, I am that mom.)

I read Ellie the The Velveteen Rabbit for the first time recently. Oh my gosh I love that story. And I love that we're able to read it from my copy from when I was a kid.

We also watched Swiss Family Robinson while Ellie was home sick this week and I remembered as a kid realizing, "Oh I'm supposed to have a crush on the older brother even though the younger one is cuter." Like a Disney version of the "ahhh Han Solo is the hot one...I get it now" moment. But now that I'm almost 40, I'll take the dad please. He adores the mom in the cutest most earnest yet wee bit sexy way.

And now for something really good: Ellie and I head to Disney World tomorrow. We're meeting up with my dad and stepmom. We're staying at the Wilderness Lodge. And Ellie is about to overflow with excitement. She's been wanting to go for so long and now that day is almost here. (And if you've been reading for a while, you might know that I'm kind of a really big fan too [yes i did just link to that incredibly cheesy early blog post]. I haven't been in seven years and I'm really excited too!)

I've scheduled some blog posts for next week while we're gone. For months, I've felt like I want to get more posts up on the site and it feels good to just get the ideas out of my "blog post idea" notebook and onto the blank white space here. Hope you enjoy them! And when I get back, I think there will be several posts about Disney World and traveling that far on a plane with a little one and so many other good things. Including how the heck my feet make it with my plantar fasciitis. And be sure to follow along on Instagram for some peeks of our trip!

crazy good nutella rolls

So this isn't going to be the prettiest post you've ever seen here, but it might be the tastiest. 

Earlier this month, my kid and I were in the mood to bake, and I realized I had two tubes of crescent rolls + a new jar of Nutella. I did a quick Pinterest search for monkey bread from crescent rolls. I've never made monkey bread but I've heard friends swoon about using crescent rolls to make it. So after reading a couple of recipes, I decided we would dive in and just do our own thing inspired by the recipes.

First, we rolled the dough into one big rectangle (I just pinched the perforations together). She LOVED this part, especially sprinkling the flour all over the place.

Second, we spread some Nutella. This was as difficult as it looks in this photo. Super sticky. Next time I would put the Nutella in the fridge overnight to keep it good and cold, which would have made it so much easier to spread. But this was also her first time having Nutella. Licking the spatula off did not disappoint. 

Third, I used a pizza cutter to slice thin strips of the dough. About one inch or so worked best (I'm not much of an even cutter or slicer so they widely varied, which didn't matter at all).

Fourth, we rolled them into little pinwheels. So cute! And put them close together in a round cake pan. (You could use any pan, but you really want one that isn't too big. We were using two cans of crescent rolls, so I used an 8" cake pan. If you were using one can, you'll probably want something smaller.)

Fifth, I brushed about two tablespoons of melted butter over the top because based on the the recipes I read, this would help them brown. And, well, BUTTER! And then because I'm a wee bit wacky, I also sprinkled on some cinnamon and sugar. 

It. did. not. look. pretty.

Sixth, we baked them at 350 for about 18-22 minutes. I started checking at 12 and used the toothpick test to determine doneness and stopped keeping track of the amount of time. About one episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

When they came out of the oven, they were all smooshed together and still not that pretty.

But the taste? Oh my goodness. The best. And a perfect way to use up those crescent rolls.

And to put it mildly, my kid is a bit delighted to have Nutella in the snack rotation.

(You might also like our yummy yum yum yums. Clearly I get a bit excited about baking in January.)