My Birthday Books

On Thursday, May 3, I celebrated my 31st birthday.  It was a strange morning.  My sweet husband was out of town on business, and while I'd been thinking that it wasn't a big deal, it was very strange not having him wake me up with a kiss and wish me a happy birthday. It threw my day off just a bit.

The kids were trying to plan a way to make me breakfast in bed, (the oldest is eight, honestly, the thought of my kids making breakfast for me alone terrifies me) but they decided instead that I should make them breakfast.  Whole wheat blender pancakes for them, a green smoothie for me.

Matt had ordered something from Amazon for me, and it was still in it's box under his desk when he left.  After breakfast, He face-timed us, and told the kids to "Go get that box and give it to mom."  I opened up the  box and there was the first book of my birthday: The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food From my Frontier.  I love Pioneer Woman. I have her first book and her cinnamon roll recipe is my favorite, and I love, love, love her flat apple pie.  This second book has been on my wish list, but not for too long because I believe that it was published in March or April of this year.  But I am so excited to add it to my collection.

My second book came from my sister-in-law Stacey.  It's called Wreck This Journal.  It's a strange book. Each page has instructions on it on how to deface and basically wreck the journal.  I started reading through the bizarre pages and really wanted to cry.  I couldn't do those things to a book, but that's what its for.  So I am letting go of the perfectionist inside and I'm going to wreck the Journal, then go buy every book Keri Smith had ever thought up and follow whatever instructions she gives me. It's liberating.

My fourth book came on Saturday and was from my dear friends Rocky and Meagan.  It's called Colored Pencil Portraits by Ann Kullberg.  I really thought Matt was going to give this to me for my birthday because he'd asked about it. But I couldn't very well complain about Pioneer Woman and just resigned to getting the colored pencil book myself, eventually.  So when they gave me the book, I was very surprised.  And I can't wait to put some of Ann's techniques into my drawings.

My fourth book isn't technically a book, but it's a pad of colored Strathmore paper for my drawings that my parents gave me. I am excited to begin using it.