life in general

let's go on a date: february link-up

As Christmas wrapped up and we rolled into the New Year I began receiving comments and e-mails from women who had taken my idea and put together a Year of Dates gift for their spouses.  Love!!  This is just so awesome!  I've loved clicking over to their blogs to see their own spin & take on the idea.  But more so, to see what date ideas they came up with!

Our Year of Dates (2011) has ended, and it was fantastic, but our need for regular dates has not come to an end.  It was actually quite funny (and pitiful) when we went on our first date this year that was not pre-planned.  He asked me, "What do you want to do?"  and I replied, "I don't know, what do you want to do?"  And there we sat, totally and utterly stumped.  Ack!!  :)

So I had an idea.  

On the first of the month I'd like to host a link-up party for date ideas!  A place for you to share your ideas & creativity.  A way to gather ideas for future date nights.  But most of all, I'm seeing this as a great opportunity to create accountability . . . . I need to make sure our dates actually happen and don't get forgotten!

You can read about our January date here.  We spent it in Vegas and had a fabulous sushi dinner with an amazing view of the Bellagio fountains.  Then we finished the evening with at stop at Serendipity 3 for their famous Frrrozen Hot Chocolate.

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Here's how it goes:

1.  Go on a date with your husband.  Easy, right?  And post a wrap-up on your blog.  This is for anyone . . . whether you put together a Year of Dates gift or not.

2.  On the first of the month, come here and submit a link to your blog post.  Not your blog

3.  If you'd like, link back to my blog with a text link or grab my button below (although, it has been having some technical difficulties.  Extra points for you if you can get it to work!).

4.  Lastly, have fun and visit each other! 

<br /> <a href=”http://shannonbrown.typepad.com/” target=”_blank”><img src="http://i39.tinypic.com/20u5wyo.jpg"/></a><br />

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We'll see how this goes!  A little nervous because this is my first attempt at a linky party.  I hope someone shows up!  :)  If things go well we'll do it again next month!

 

january photo a day

One of my favorite features of my beloved iphone is instagram.  Sharing snippets of your day via photos . . . love it!  I came across a list of photo a day prompts for january and decided to play along.  It's easy, quick, and with the help of instagram my everyday snapshots look artsy & pretty.

1 - you
2 - breakfast
3 - something you adore -- the sunrise during my morning drive to the kids' school
4 - letterbox -- I think that means mailbox?  (This list is compiled by an Aussie)
5 - something you wore -- just finished a Just Dance Sweat session - fun workout!
6 - makes you smile -- small town main street.  Will miss this.
7 - favourite -- DQ Blizzards, Reese's today
8 - your sky -- took this one late in the day, foggy sky & christmas lights
9 - daily routine
10 - childhood -- my Strawberry Shortcake pail filled with crayons from my childhood
11 - where you sleep -- with my honey in his college bedding
12 - close-up -- sushi
13 - in your bag
14 - something you're reading -- trying to finish up those Wolf requirements
15 - happiness -- happy 13 years to us!  And some more happiness with my kids
16 - morning -- the K'nex roller coaster is finally complete
17 - water -- today, in the form of snow
18 - something you bought -- 4 songs from last night's episode of Glee
19 - sweet
20 - someone you love -- two photos to feature all my kids
21 - reflection
22 - your shoes
23 - something old -- love these squirrel bookends I found at an antique shop for $6
24 - guilty pleasure
25 - something you made
26 - colour -- pink and yellow sprinkles
27 - lunch -- french dip sandwich
28 - light -- oops!  missed this one!
29 - inside your fridge
30 - nature -- look what nature and science created, Broccoflower 
31 - you, again 

I love it!  And I'm ready to do it again!  February's list is already up.  Day 1 - your view today.

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UPDATE:  I had a few people ask me how I put together the collage of photos.  I've never given a photoshop tutorial, but here are the basic steps I used.  Sorry, if any details slip through the cracks.

• In PSE, create a blank file (File>New>Blank File) that is sized 10in x 14in at 300dpi
• Crop/resize every instagram photo to 2x2 inches, 300 dpi
• Using the Move tool, drap and drop each photo onto your canvas in a grid pattern (I turn on the gridlines to help with this.  View>Grid)
• Flatten all your layers.  Done.

There's probably an easier way out there to do this, but this is what I know and what works for me!

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linking up @ the House of Smiths

movie monday

So, it looks like I spent Sunday evening playing around with iMovie.  Yep.  The house is quiet and my photos are entertaining me.

movie #1 - Last week's Pack Meeting.  Payton received his Wolf badge (yay!) and I handed the camera over to Conner when I was called up to receive the mother's pin.  You'll see that he was a little shutter-happy and captured every. single. moment.

Did you catch my masterful music/photo editing match-up of the lyrics "I throw my hands up in the air sometimes" . . . if not, watch it again.  Pretty proud of that one.  ;)

movie #2 - Driving to the aiport to pick up Scott and once again, Conner is operating the video camera.  And please excuse my filthy windows.  We don't notice those things until the sun starts to shine through them!  We made sure to take a trip through the car wash on the way home.

And no, this is not "one of our last looks at Portland before we move" as Conner says.  There is no moving date as of yet.

movie #3 - So Anna isn't left out, here's a short one featuring her ninja/spy moves.  

currents

blogging prompts from: lifelovepaper.com

date: friday, january 27th

location: my heavenly bed

weather:  clear and frosty outside

reading:  Mormon chapter 8 in our family scripture reading this morning.  Verse 35 was my favorite.

eating:  special K with berries

drinking: nothing so far, but need to start chugging down my 64 oz. of water

enjoying: the quiet mixed with the occasional sound of k'nex pieces clinking in a baking pan as Conner sifts through them to build his "Into The Mouth of the Cracken" roller coaster. (an original design)

thinking:  about the dinner menu.  Maybe we'll try something new -- crockpot sesame chicken.

loving:  that the kids have no school.  Feels like saturday.

wondering:  if Scott will make it onto the earlier flight.  Crossing my fingers because it will mean 8 extra hours with him this weekend. 

needing:  to take a shower and get going with my day so this (below) can be me

Source: marykatemcdevitt.com via Shannon on Pinterest

project life 2012 // week 3

Someone recently asked me, "what is project life?"  In case others are wondering the same thing, here is an answer.

Project Life is a scrapbooking kit/system that was developed by the Becky Higgins a few years ago.  I bought that first kit in 2009.  And again in 2010.  Back then it was called Project 365.  The idea was to take a photo a day and using the P365 kit you could simply and quickly scrapbook an entire year of your family's life.

Then and now the bones of the project are:  album + divided sheet protectors + journaling cards

Slide your photos in, jot down a bit of journaling, and wah-lah! you've just scrapbooked.  Easy and adhesive-free.

What I love about the evolution of this into "Project Life" is the freedom to use it however it works for you.  Photo a day.  Week-at-a-glance layouts.  Or even simpler with a month in review.  Highlight the big events.  It could be a child's scrapbook that covers several years.  Or simply use it as a photo album and get your photos out in the open (you know, all those photos that are sitting in boxes or on your hard-drive.  Guilty!).  I have a box full of photos from Scott's childhood.  Someday I would love to use a Project Life album to organize all of that.  And maybe he could add the journaling.

I hope that answers some questions.  Becky offers more answers on her website here.  And you can buy the kit on Amazon.

This year, I'm not approaching this with a set plan.  The first 2 weeks I did week-at-a-glance layouts, with various photos from nearly every day in the week.  For week 3 I did a full spread about our two snow days.  It was a big deal and I took a lot of photos so I wanted to focus solely on that event.  I've had some fun "dressing-up" the kit with other supplies.  But I am sure there will be weeks I stick to the bare bones basics.  Which still looks pretty awesome.

So here is my Week 3 spread:

turn the insert page and you can see the rest:

left page is all about Tuesday . . . 

For the title card I used See & Stamp transparent stamps.  They have been on my amazon wish list for a long time so I finally bought them.  For only $10 I don't know why I waited so long!  I love the kraft scalloped trim and I'm thinking I need to get some more.

I wanted to include a few more pictures so I added a page flip to the bottom left.

The right page is all about Wednesday . . . 

I love the wood veneer asterisks which double as snowflakes here.

I had a few more non-snow photos from the week that I wanted to include so I trimmed a page protector that is made for three 4x6 photos, down to just two.

Isn't that photo of Anna so totally awesome?  The 4x6 card was a free download from Design Editor.  Thanks!

On the back of the insert . . . Conner's fried egg from Sunday.  And some Cub Scouting with Payton on Saturday.

Another week, done!

a fried egg and growing up

Every morning, and I do mean every morning, Conner makes scrambled eggs for breakfast.  He's been doing this for almost a year, I believe.  He loves it and he's pretty proud of himself and his cooking abilities (he also makes a pretty mean grilled cheese sandwich).  Quite often Payton or Anna will ask him for eggs and he's always happy to make a bigger batch and share.  

On Sunday he attempted a fried egg (the photo above) and he nailed it.  For the first time ever.  He was stoked.

Lately, I look at him in his skinny 11 year old body and listen to the things he says and I watch the way he acts and I realize how much he is growing up.  And on the verge of growing up even more.  I feel like any day I'm going to wake up or blink and he'll be a young man with a thicker body, defined facial features, and a deeper voice.  So every once in a while I find myself looking at him very intently, measuring, inspecting . . . making sure those child-like features haven't faded before I could take notice.  

Just craziness.

But it's all good.  I am really enjoying watching him grow up and experiencing the new levels of interaction and communication that maturity bring.  

A few "he's growing up" moments this week:

- Hearing him recite "The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - a poem that he memorized for school.

- In the car today . . . the kids were excited about report cards coming out soon and each of them were buzzing about the awesome grades they know they are going to receive.  I asked them "So kids, why do you think you are all so smart?"  Conner responded, "Well, because . . . we were born from smart parents."  Good answer.

- He figured out how to do the leg-behind-your-head-trick which his dad perfected in his jr. high or high school days (inside family thing -- too hard to explain here).  Conner was thrilled when he realized he could do it.  Like, running down the stairs, "this is amazing!", kind of excited.  We took a picture on the spot and texted it to Scott.

- He wants me to teach him how to cook more things so he can baby-sit for longer periods of time, like over dinner time.  Not quite yet, but all in good time.

on this sunday

. . . smiling at my luck of being asked to guest post over at Design Editor for her Quote-A-Rama Series!!  This is my first ever guest post/share.  Eeek!  I've been enjoying Catherine's blog for a while now (love me some pretty fonts and clean, graphic design).  She introduced me to the Bebas font (use it all the time), I used her free downloads for my week in the life album from last summer, and I'm loving all her Project Life layouts.  Anyways, I was pretty darn excited when she e-mailed and asked me to share a quote with her readers.  Go take a look!

 . . . thinking I may need to purchase this gold pen.  We had to run through the church parking lot in the rain and Payton's hymn book fell victim to a few drops.  The gold-leaf pages are now tainted with white splotchiness.  This is the boy who is infatuated with all things shiny, so I think we need to find a way to fix this.

. . . tearing up in Relief Society, so thankful for these women and love the feeling of being connected to these ladies for so many years.  Knowing their stories, their personalities, . . . all the little pieces.

. . . needing to lengthen the hem in Payton's suit pants.  I know it rains a lot here, but that's not an excuse for high-waters.

. . . picking up the remnants from our snowman that the kids left on the back porch (scarf, hats) which are now soaking wet and . . . so gross . . . housing a slug or two.  Blegh!

. . . planning to do some project life pages tonight.

. . . hoping knowing that this is going to be a good week.

snow day 2012

We love snow days around here.  Although the kids were already scheduled to have no school today (a professional development day), it felt like a surprise bonus day off.

a little sad because everyone had finished playing in the snow (after 4 hours) and she wanted another snowball fight

Other snow day activities included:

• baking cookies
• serving hot chocolate
• piano lessons
• laundry
• watching Phineas and Ferb

13 things about my trip to las vegas

1.  While Scott worked for a few hours each morning he set me up in an empty corner office where I was able to blog, attend to facebook and google reader, browse pinterest to my heart's delight, and enjoy my Wee Brie (isn't that the cutest?) and crackers.  What a thoughtful guy . . . he picked up some snacks for me before my arrival.  The free time and quiet was wonderful.

2.  Lunch at the Cheesecake Factory to meet the homeowners.  We learned a little more about the area from these long-time Las Vegas residents (all positive).

 

3.  I got to see the house for the first time ever!  A little nervous because we've invested so much time in this process already, but it was great.  The space is great, just needs some cosmetic TLC (we are making a prioritized list of projects).  The location is wonderful.  The schools are top-rated.  It's in the ward we wanted.  An easy commute for Scott.  Altogether it's a pretty amazing package.

4.  Late aftenoon view from Scott's office.

5.  We decided to take advantage of the dining options in Vegas and celebrate our 13th anniversary a few days early.  Dinner reservations at Yellowtail Japanese Restaurant in the Bellagio.  

6.  Big smiles when the hostess led us to our booth.  Our view . . . 

A front row seat to the fountains at the Bellagio.  We had no idea that we were in for this!  What a great surprise!  

7.  I tried sushi for the first time ever.  We ordered Cucumber Salad, a California roll, a Popping Spicy Crab roll, and tuna.  You know what?  I liked it all!  

8.  drumroll please . . . I ate the entire meal with chopsticks!!  This was also a first for me - no fingers, no asking the waiter for a fork.  From plate to my belly, allll chopsticks.  I was so proud of myself!  As was Scott.

9.  Oh, and those lovely fountains.  Almost everytime they went off, we got up from our seats and stepped out on the veranda to watch.  Absolutely mesmerizing!

We kept looking at each other, in awe of what a fantastic dining experience this was turning out to be.  Great food, great view.

10. Ordering a frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity 3 in New York City has always been on my bucket list.  When we happened upon a Serendipity 3 outside Caesar's Palace I was thrilled!  And on our anniversary date, what luck!  What . . . . serendipity.  :)

And oh my.  The frrrozen hot chocolate did not disappoint.

I ordered the original.  Scott ordered Orrreo.

11. Flying home together was a special treat.  I'm so used to dropping off and picking up at the airport . . . it was so nice to come home together.  And when I dozed off on the plane and maybe snored just a little, I didn't have to be embarrassed that the passenger next to me had witnessed this.  ;)

12. We landed in Portland, sat down for dinner at a Thai restaurant, changed our clothes in the bathroom, and headed to the temple for a really wonderful, peaceful, meaningful evening.  It was the perfect way to end the week.

13.  Seeing my husband in action at work & all he has to manage, knowing his excitement over my arrival, the way he prepared for my visit (cleaning, stocking up on my favorites), the way he spoiled me, never having to open my own door (ever), feeling so connected, knowing he understands and supports my desires/needs . . . . I've determined that I am one amazingly blessed woman.  

In my book, 13 is a lucky number.

p.s.  special thanks to my mom for holding down the fort and loving the kids while I was away.

snowy sunday

Last night we received our first snow of the season.  It's only a dusting, but we get pretty excited about this kind of stuff.

This morning it was a beautiful, white wonderland.  All 1/4 inches of it.  :)

This snow has all since melted.  The weatherman tells us we'll see more snow showers, but I doubt there will be any more accumulation.  

Today, on this snowy Sunday, Scott and I also celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary!  

I always like to watch this for a trip down memory lane.

While we weren't able to fit in any celebrating today, luckily I was able to spend a few days with him in Vegas this week where we did fit in a wonderful date.  Details on that later.

13 years and it just keeps getting better!

photo: instax
custome "nurture" magnet: lisa leonard designs 

one little word 2012: january

I counted back and I've been doing this one little word thing for about 6 years

Past words have included:  nurture (2011), joy (2010), organize (2008), play (2007), simplify (2006)

For 2012 I had a general feeling for what I wanted my word encompass.  I began making a list in December.

begin
welcome
discover
bloom
open

They were each right on the cusp, but not quite there.

So I began reading the list of "words" that Ali Edwards posted on her blog last year.  

And I found it.  I know that I've found my word when the little hairs on the back of my neck get tingly, my heart jumps, and my eyes tear up.

Why such a reaction over a simple word?  Well,

that one little word is something I will carry in my heart over the course of the year

that one little word will whisper to me "do better, try harder"

that one little word will remind me to live intentionally

that one little word is a stepping stone to get me closer to the person I want to be

My one little word for 2012 is . . . . Embrace

To make sure I stay accountable to this word throughout the year, I signed up for Ali Edwards' One Little Word Class.  Each month there is a prompt or assignment to help you refocus on your word.

For January . . .

definition:  

to take or receive gladly or eagerly; accept willingly
to take in with the eye or the mind
to take or clasp in the arms; hug 

 

thesaurus:  

welcome
accept
seize
grasp
adopt
embody
take in arms

I chose this word because: 

With the move to las vegas this year there are so many changes in the horizon (ward, friends, school, bigger city, and not to mention the weather!).  I feel like I need this word to help me embrace all the new experiences and be ready for new opportunities.

quotation:  

"It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new . . . There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power."  -Alan Cohen

{what this quote means to me:  I don't take this from the perspective that I'm releasing familiar & secure relationships (those I will always cling to and hold dear).  I like this quote more from the thinking that it takes courage to embrace the new.  Courage is admirable quality and it's one I want to have.  Life is always changing/moving/evolving and I like how this quote reminds me that a full life (adventure, exciting posibilities) can be found in movement.  I don't want to be moving all the time (I like being settled), but I need to remember that this can be an exciting, exhilirating adventure and to appreciate it for the memories, bonding, and growth that it will bring to our family.  Finally, "in change there is power."  This change allows me the power to decide who I want to be going forward and how I'm going to present myself in this new life.  I also have the power to choose my attitude.}

with this word I invite:  

new beginnings
adventure
growth
possibilities
openness
discovery
love & connection

I'm looking forward to spending 2012 with this one little word.

project life 2012

I'm jumping into Project Life again.

Never-mind the fact that I have two unfinished project life albums (2009 and 2010) sitting in my scrapbook room.  I just couldn't resist!  For two reasons:

1. The Clementine kit is adorable.  Love the colors and designs and sentiments.  Just couldn't resist.
2. There are going to be a lot of changes for our family in 2012 and I want an easy, straightforward way to document it all.

I gave myself permission to give it another go only because I've let go of my previous "photo-a-day" style.  I'm going to approach this project with a great amount of flexibility.  Some layouts might feature a photo a day, some layouts might feature a single event.  And I may skip some weeks altogether.

Monday night I put together my first layout.  And you know what?  I really really love it.  :)

Here's a closer look at the left hand page . . . . 

There is an insert in the middle with a Happy New Year picture that Anna drew, and Payton's patent for the Scooter Basket.

And a closer look at the right side . . . 

I'm trying to set myself up for success this year by doing a few things

• allow some flexibility (as I discussed above)
• use my iphone to capture some everyday or random moments - don't worry about lugging the camera everywhere
• pre-fill the whole album with journaling cards and title/date cards.  All the basics are in the album already.  I just have to add photos and journaling.
• set up a basket for my supplies
• keep the album out in the open

This is my "out in the open" spot.  

Out in the open so I can remember to do it.  And out in the open so the family can enjoy it.  Lately, Payton & Anna have spent more and more time pulling the scrapbooks off the shelves and flipping through them.  They love seeing pictures of themselves and reading/hearing the stories of funny things they said or did.  I think they are really going to love flipping through this album as well.

 So my little supply basket . . . 

Isn't it so cute?  I love it.  Anna and I spent a morning at the Container Store last week and found some good items to pull this together.  Basket + letter sorter + file folders.

My basic supplies . . . 

Mini Stapler, post-its, pen (Pilot G2), moleskine notebook (for jotting little notes each day), folders (for holding daily ephemera), clear pouch (for patterned paper scraps), adhesive, scissors.

My creative supplies . . . 

I bought a few more supplies to supplement the kit when I'm feel extra crafty.  I was excited to find some things that go with the clementine kit, but not too matchy matchy, that give a subtle vintage-y vibe.  I discovered Studio Calico and love them!

Studio Calico butterfly stickers, cloud rub-ons, 6x6 Autumn Press Paper Pack, fabric rips, border stickers, and wood veneer pieces - houses and asterisks.

Also 7 Gypsies mini label stickers and a few patterend papers.

Wish me luck!  I don't plan to share my layouts on a regular basic (again, trying to let go of pressure / self-imposed expectations).  But you might see one pop up from time to time.

I'm excited to document our lives this year.  All of it . . . the everyday, the random, the big, the small, the happy, the hard, the messy, the silly.  Our real life.

invention convention

For the longest time if you ever asked Payton what he wants to be when he grows up his response has been:  Inventor.  He is always coming up with wild ideas for contraptions, sketching them on paper, and rigging his toys to do things they weren't originally intended to do.

So when his teacher announced that their class was going to have an invention convention he was 110% on board.

He came up with his idea over a month ago and it was surprisingly simple, but very useful.  And he was gun-ho about making it a reality.

I present . . . . the Scooter Basket

Because . . . "when you ride a scooter you have to use both hands, so you don't have any hands to carry your stuff."

He plans to sell it for $5.  It will come in different colors and future models will feature a lid.

His biggest selling point . . . "it's big enough to fit a chicken."

Because you know how annoying that is when you want to ride down the street and you have nowhere to put your chicken.

{sandwiched between two of his best (girl)friends}

On Friday the classroom was open for parents and a few other classes to come by and visit.  The desks were lined up around the perimeter of the room and the kids stood behind their desks to present their inventions and answer any questions.

Here is Payton contemplating his answer to a parents' question/comment:

It was a really fun event.  And I was very impressed by the creativity of these kids.  

This model was just plain awesome

When you have a sore throat you text what you want to say on your phone, which then relays the message to a speaker you wear on your head.  It's the Talkity Talk.  I see an infomercial in her future.

And I will definitely be first in line when this comes out

Extra Arms!  Sign me up!

The whole event was so stinking cute and fun.  All the kids were just beaming with pride over their inventions.  Loved, loved, loved it.

Later, Payton told me that he was sooo happy we were still here for the invention convention.  That's 1 point for not moving!

sharing a piece of christmas

I know everyone has taken down the tree, packed up the decorations, and said goodbye to another Christmas season . . . but wait!  I have one more thing I want to share before I forget.

Several months ago we discussed plans for my in-laws to join us for Christmas after the move.  But the move never happened ;) so we've post-poned our Christmas gathering for a year.  In lieu of being together for Christmas I decided that I would share a piece of our Christmas with them each day.

It begins with 25 cards and 25 envelopes

At the end of each day in December I printed a photo, wrote a little note (or recruited one of the kids to write a note) about something that happened that day, and mailed it off.  Simple and, I think, very meaningful.  

I know they looked forward to checking the mailbox each day for a new card.  Maybe even competing to be the first one to find it?  ;)

I also put together this gift of letters for my parents 2 years ago . . . the first year that they were empty-nesters (4 kids married and one on a mission).  I know that Christmas is extra magical when there are small children involved.  By sharing pieces of our Christmas all month long (sitting on santa's lap, christmas piano recitals, cub scout service projects, etc.) I hope that they got a taste of that kind of magic as well.

(I promise there were 25 envelopes to begin with . . . I just took this picture 10 days into the project.)

To do the project . . . . 

• Gather 25 envelopes and 25 note-cards
• Stamp the numbers 1-25 on the note-card AND the outside of the envelope.  This is important because sometimes a few cards might show up in the mail at once (after a weekend) so they need to know which card to open first.

I stamped my numbers with red paint and while it was still wet I sprinkled glitter over the top.  This is definitely an assembly line kind of project.  And it is so helpful to just take an hour and prep the cards ahead of time so they are ready to grab when you need them.  Once my cards were done I placed them in a picture frame stand and set it on my kitchen counter.  It was good to have them sitting out as a visual reminder each day.

I always enjoy this project -- it is something meaningful, thoughtful, and from the heart.  Plus, who doesn't love receiving something in the mail?

I can see myself doing it again in the future.  The same idea would work for a missionary, cousins, long-distance friend, college student, etc . . . . whoever you are missing at Christmastime and might appreciate some extra holiday cheer. 

best friends

My kids are amazing little gift-givers.  Scott takes them Christmas shopping for me and I always love hearing the stories behind the presents, the stories of the hunt, and their adventures in the mall (taking turns in the Hurricane chamber).  A lot of the time they know exactly what they want to get me before they head out to the stores.  And the gifts usually fall into one of 3 categories:  1) something perfect  2) something thoughtful  3) something As Seen on TV.

A few examples from past years . . . 

something perfect:  a thermos for my hot chocolate (I love my hot chocolate)

something thoughtful:  a treasure chest full of love notes (Payton originally wanted to fill it with jewels, but that wasn't quite in the budget)

something As Seen on TV: Aqua Globes (because they were sure that I needed them)

This year Anna's gift falls into category 1 and 2.

When I opened her gift I was dumb-struck . . . how did she know?

It's an interlocking heart necklace (one for her, one for me) that reads I love you.  As I sat there surprised and smiling she said, "we both wear a necklace and then when I sit on your lap we can put our hearts together and it says 'I love you.'"

So sweet.

When I was in 5th and 6th grade there were a slew of girls who began donning similar necklaces with the words "best friends".  It always made me a bit sad because I didn't have a friend to share a shiny silver necklace with.  Then to see them show up on the last day of school before Christmas break with gifts in hand to exchange with their besties . . . I wished that I had someone to share that special BFF connection with.  But, that's just part of growing up that I'm sure everyone has experienced.  The good news:  things get better.

And the best news:  I have a sweet, beautiful daughter who loves me and will be my friend forever.