Three things

...that make me happy! Inexpensive late-winter luxuries that bring a smile to my face.

The yellow in these sandals is a total pick-me-up! I wore them around the house for hours yesterday because once I tried them on I couldn't bear to take them off! I know the black and white would have been more timeless and practical, but I am pretty much powerless against yellow right now.

I'm loving this roasted green tea. 

The smell is delicious, and it's so soothing to a scratchy throat.

And this lip gloss. It's moisturizing enough for end-of-winter lips, 

but bright enough for my springy state of mind. (Nutri berry is the perfect bright pink!)

What's making you smile today? Anything good to share?

Have a great day, friends! xoxo

Scenes from the weekend

Happy Monday, friends! 

I hope you're feeling refreshed from the weekend. I didn't accomplish as much as I had planned (cleaning and organizing the whole house - a tad delusional on my part). Instead I did a sane amount of cleaning and organizing, we cooked, we played, we rested and we spent time with some good friends. Looking back that seems like the better choice. I feel rejuvenated and ready to tackle my growing to-do list! Here are a few snapshots from the last few days. 

Michael has been having a blast with this box and packing paper. He crawls in and out, in and out, and plays peek-a-boo when he feels he has a worthy audience. After a week he's still excited every time he sees it across the room! 

We're eating waffles all the time since we discovered this.

They're surprisingly good!

'This is Paris' avec ma bebe.

I parted with my little greenhouse yesterday - we'll be moving around and won't have a place to plant our sprouts until later this summer. I was sad to let them go. Luckily, they went to a good home where they can lead a full, happy life. ;)

Have a great week! - xoxo

A riddle

What's got nine legs and is moving to Texas?

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Our family!!!

(That's Tim, me, Michael, and our three-legged dog.

What can I say - we do a lot of counting and naming body parts these days.)

Tim has accepted a new job! We'll spend most of the spring and early summer in Boston with him while he works on a project there, then we will all settle down in Houston. We are so thrilled to be going home. My heart just bursts when I think about Michael being close enough to really know his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. 

We are so, so thankful for this answered prayer!

Needless to say, there is a lot to do. 

So, I may not be here as often as I'd like, but I will check in with photos 

and updates as much as I can. 

xoxo

Rooms I love

If this isn't cool, I don't know what is.

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(Also, I can't look at a beautiful room anymore without immediately picturing my son destroying it. I look at this and I'm thinking, "First we need to clean off the coffee table, move the print to a higher spot before he tears it, then move the terrarium before he eats all of the dirt and plants in it. Can he reach the guitar? Can he tip over that potted palm tree? Is zebra stain resistant?...")

Did you happen to read this post by Kelle at enjoying the small things? So many of the things she writes about strike a chord with me. This post - about celebrating with friends as they welcome new life - has me smiling through tears. (Again! That happens a lot when I read her blog!) 

My family is expectantly awaiting some new additions. My brother and his wife are due to have a daughter in June. It's a joyful time. We just can't wait to cover that little girl in kisses! But there is pain too. We are still grieving the loss of their first daughter, Maggie, last May and a miscarriage in July. My sister and her husband are expecting too. They are completing the process of becoming foster parents, with the intention of adopting the children who come into their home. More cause for excitement and happiness, but it is bittersweet too. I believe that God has a plan to bring just the right children into their family, but we know that these little ones will likely come from a past filled with pain and brokenness. 

There will be heartache along with happiness.

There will be many more tears along the way for my brother and his wife, for my sister and her husband, and for all of us, as we support them on their journeys. Kelle's post reminded me of how important it is to be there. To be the village that helps raise a child and support the parents. Her post reminded me, above all, to celebrate. Because, although it is never easy, every little one is so very precious. She writes:

"Having a baby is a life-changing, soul-stretching, glorious occassion, and if there's one opportunity to deepen a friendship, it's rallying to celebrate the miracle of birth, the triumph of adoption, the undeniable fact that having your heart stretched with love for a new child is a very, very big deal.

Someday, several years from now, my friends and I will gather for coffee, and we'll talk about our kids' college applications. How much car insurance costs for teenagers. How we love our daughter's boyfriend (Oh God, I hope). But we'll remember that the depth of our cherished friendships began when we showed up long ago. When we held out our arms to hold eachothers' babies for the very first time. When we made mothering an infant seem a little less isolating because we stopped by, we brought meals, we rocked and kissed those newborns and we celebrated.

Because it takes a village."

Stephen, Joy, Vanessa, Grant - we love you and we already love your children, too.

xoxo

Signs of spring

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Every year around this time I get a pretty serious case of spring fever. 

It manifests in a variety of ways: 

Obsessively scouring the ground for the first crocuses. 

(I know they're not going to show up until the middle of March. Still, I look.) 

Filling the house with flowers and green living things - this year that includes our own greenhouse. 

(Cilantro, basil, rosemary, and tomato sprouts.)

Also, Easter candy. Lots and lots of Easter candy.

And trying on all my favorite summer sandals. 

Just to remember what it feels like to bare my toes.

In the meantime, even if we have to bundle up I will wear bright pink lipstick.

(Michael's pointing to a picture of a cow here. 

Seem's he is also anxious to get outside and get closer to nature.)

We will play in the sun, even if it's indoor sun...

...and we'll pour our energies into the important things. 

Like learning to wink.

Hope your week is off to a fantastic start!

xoxo

Rooms I love

I want to put on my best pair of sweatpants, take a hot cup of coffee and spend a sunny afternoon daydreaming in this room.
It is just perfect.

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