small pleasures

this week kicked my butt. seriously. I even have a bruise to prove it. but there are some highlights I would like to share that have helped me through the tough weather:

I bought my 1st pair of these. why didn't I do this a whole lot earlier?

I found this darling website for free toys. (think paper dolls & stuff)

thank you to this site I now pay 99 cents for a full disc of music (or a gloriously low 10 cents a song). hence, a little bit of garth brooks, taylor swift, owl city, and feist have made their way {cheaply} onto my mp3 player.

bug & I had a {much needed} date night out, although he offered to use the time to order in a pizza so I could keep up on my huge list of projects. instead we went here, here and here.

and lastly, thank you to a friend for lending me this treasure for my ultimate viewing pleasure. elizabeth gaskell: why haven't I discovered you until now?

cheers to a shorter to-do list this week.

working under pressure

this week and last week have been c.r.a.z.y. lots going on for us. i told bug that it feels like the days when i was in college and had a million balls in the air. lots of deadlines ahead, but i know i'll make it. all i can say: i owe it all to my "shot" of dr. pepper every afternoon. and who are we kidding? i am happier when i am crazy busy anyway.

a brief highlight (of all my fun projects):
preparing for baby showers, rs activities, yw stuff (never-ending), mister b's blessing (yep, he still isn't blessed yet), my mom's b-day, reading my book-club book, squeezing in olympic time, caring for my 3 and 1/2 month old, chasing my 2 year old, rummaging through my favorite clothing store's warehouse sale, putting a recipe project together, making sure miss a has ample cousin time, a few meetings here and there, helping my sis move, giving miss a's hair a trim, another tee-shirt refashion i have been dying to try...and then there's the not fun list we all do every week.

i do have to share the best of the best from last week. a friend of ours took pictures of miss a and mister b with their great grandma. here is a sneak peak of some of my favs. jen is so talented, and i am loving these priceless gems. she has my 100% stamp of approval/satisfaction. find her & her talents here and here.
love it. miss a is actually named after this sweet and most loving grandma. i wanted pictures of the 2 of them together so that miss a can try to live up to the amazing person & legacy her great-grandma is.

okay. time to mail out the thank you cards miss a just scribbled her drawings all over before our mailman comes.

head above water

deep sigh. I made it through the weekend. thanks to everyone for all the thoughtfulness & support. Death isn't ever easy, and it's never welcomed. Here's a great picture of my sweet grandma and grandpa. back together again...

goodbye grandma. I remember you pouring me a very large glass of milk. which I loathe more than anything. but I didn't want to hurt your feelings. so I drank it. all of it. that was well over 2 decades ago, and the last time that yucky stuff passed by my lips (excluding in my cereal, of course.) I will miss you: the way you smelled, the way you laughed, your quirks, and love for adventure.

and as for the rest of you, yes we too tried to celebrate valentines day. it wasn't a priority with funerals and viewings and church meetings, but still turned out nicely.

thanks to my love I made it through the weekend. he put up with sudden tears, long distance destinations, humoring me with my favorite fry sauce, and too many other thoughtful acts to mention here.

for his valentines day present this year, I went the super cheesy mile and did a little something every day for 14 days.

for my valentines, he got the hint and bought me a new favorite piece of jewelry. (most of you may remember I blogged about it, linking him to exactly where he needed to go for everything.)

Other moments that helped me keep my head above water this weekend:

president's day sales

shopping with my cousins, sisters & mom

eating the best fish tacos ever

trying out our new treadmill

reconnecting with aunts, uncles, & cousins galore

masterpiece classics Sunday's at 8: I still don't love Northanger Abbey, but the movie was good. what do the rest of you think?

my sister tending miss A

miss A coming down the stairs in this get-up

another highlight: notice the little brown rectangle in between the outlet and light switch. That tiny little button has now been wired to open our garage door. Bug is quite the handy man.

I love Restoration Hardware's selection of doorbells, and we had to think of a purpose for this one...just hope miss A never figures out what it does.

okay, okay. back to cleaning the kitchen.

couldn't pick just one

thanks for sharing your happy places with me...it actually couldn't have been more timely as I may need to steal some of your suggestions in the next little bit. some sad news: my grandma passed away late Tuesday evening. I may process through that later with you, but on to happy news for those who left a comment:

I couldn't single just one of you out, so you will each be getting a little surprise in the mail.

and now I'm off to hunt down a dr. pepper, climb in the car, and take a drive on "my" freeway...

my happy place

Lately, I have found myself feeling pretty content. And when the feeling is gushing over me, I like to take a step back and take in my surroundings (what is triggering this? where am I?) I guess that's the therapist in me.

Do you know what I have found? Every time the 'contentedness' pours over me I am driving on the freeway (usually in the same spot) I am listening to some new favorite music, and it's good weather (meaning the sun is making an appearance).

Now I have come to anticipate good feelings when I am zipping along during my drive.

switching gears: I promised a giveaway, and doggone we deserve it. Don't we? Thanks for riding along with me and making the change from public to private to public. Here's what I am offering:


just a small sample of my cleverness. These earrings may help contribute to your own feelings of random happiness. At least that's my hope. If you want 'em, leave me a comment of where your own particular happy spot is.

making the plunge

Welcome.

Here I am once more in a more public format. I hated going private. Well, I actually hated the creepers that made me feel it was inevitable. So, here's to a new start here.

Things may be a bit different than before. Dear kind readers, thanks for going on this wild ride with me. Maybe I'll think of a clever little giveaway soon to reward you for staying with me.

And, here's to hoping that soon this new place will feel like home...