Weekend Favorites, February 14

When I was a kid, my sister and I used to clamor for a heart-shaped pizza from Milano's pizza on Valentine's Day. We got such a kick out of that. As I grew up, I learned how to make heart-shaped pizzas for my loved ones myself. This week, I made the cookies for my son's Valentine's Day party and I used a recipe for chocolate cut-out cookies I have had for years. I chose an 80s mix on Spotify and danced and baked happily for a few hours, lost in the memories. 

I hope that whatever your status - married, dating, divorced, or happily single - that today was sweet for you. 

First of all, I want to tell you about a new series on Lexi's blog, Scribbes and Crumbs, called On Coming Alive. Lexi lost her little boy to congenital heart failure not even two years ago, and her bravery and heart in telling her story is humbling. I was honored to be asked to have the first guest post on her blog about overcoming hard times, and I hope that my story, called "The Scars that Remind Me I'm Still Alive" was worthy of her site.

I'm going to highlight this on my Two Cannoli Facebook page this week, but in the meantime I'll give you a sneak peek: my writing was featured at Cosmopolitan! It's a thrill to have a byline on the Cosmo site. It's a story that I only recently pieced together, about the secrets we keep inside that could be hurting us. It is still very scary to me to be this vulnerable and honest, but I believe that it if helps one person, it's worth it. 

My new company is launched and the site is live! The company is called Firewheel Communications (named after my favorite Texas wildflower) and I am now accepting requests for marketing content, press releases, social media consulting, technical writing, articles, web copy, you name it. 

And finally, Metro reporter Amanda Perez asked me for advice for other freelancers or corporate employees working from home. I have been out of the office environment since November 2008 and I haven't missed it at all. 

And now, onto some of the other work on the internet that I have loved this week. First, this graphic from Lindsey Mead:

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This essay at Brain, Child wormed its way into my head and is stuck there. It was a timely and appreciated reminder to slow down and make room for joy.

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I haven't made my way through all of these essays yet, but what a list! One site called these the "best longreads of 2015, all written by women."

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Christine is a breast cancer survivor, and these words about her relationship with her husband were simply gorgeous.

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Ready for a dose of pure beauty? This video of Misty Copeland took my breath away/

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Katrina Kenison is one of those writers who does a stunning job of telling the truth and revealing snippets of her life in a way that is compelling and thought-provoking. This is just one sample.

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I have told you about Amanda Magee before, and her work never fails to lift my spirits. Her vocabulary alone slays me.

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My Listen To Your Mother Austin co-producer Leigh Ann Torres and I have read all of the submissions for this year's show and we start auditions in two weeks. I can hardly wait to meet these women and men! It is an honor to read every story. Now I need to work on my reading for this year's show. 

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Things I love:

Need a gift idea? Check out WeMontage. I can't tell you how happy we have been with our collage in my son's room.

I have a new client, Smith Wealth Advisors - I write a feature on a family's financial challenges and triumphs every month. Check them out here.

Love, Kristin