Favorites for the Week

I fell in love the moment I saw this picture. The bright colors are cheerful as can be. This is a really small space, yet there is so much going on in it, and it is incredibly multi-functional. Somehow, at the same time, the designer manages not to make the area look overly-cluttered, or too busy. There is extra seating, a great eating or writing surface, and awesome lighting, via the window (which is adorably curtained), and the lamp, which takes up virtually no space in the room at all.



Here is my source, as well as one of my favorite blogs!



This picture, from here, reminds me of Goldilocks and the Three Bears: Mama Bear's chair, Papa Bear's chair, and Baby Bear's chair! But what really caught my eye were the colorful tiles around the fireplace! Those little pops of color make all the difference. If you are curious to see what the rest of this house looks like, simply click here!


Without explanation, this picture seems random, I know. So, allow me to explain.
My dad has an odd affinity for Saltine crackers. I am not exactly sure why, but he generally likes to have a box on hand. My fiance (to whom I will be married in eight days) is obsessed with his pocket knife. He looks for any excuse to pull it out of his pocket (since he never goes anywhere without having it there) and show it off. Yes, I realize the knives in the picture are more butter knife-ish, and less pocket knife-ish, but, in my book, a knife is a knife. Finally, my mom and I have been collecting glass bottles for months, to be used in the wedding (Did I mention, by the way, that it is a mere ten days away now?) For these reasons, this picture struck a cord on my heartstrings this week.

Summer

Today was an exceptionally busy day. Between doctor's appointments, pharmacy visits, and client phone calls, a single word popped into my mind... A word that carries with it a whole host of emotions. The word?

Summer.

The word itself is loaded with nostalgia, ideals, expectations, hopes.

When I think of summer, I literally get giddy inside. I remember how I longed for summer as a little girl: family vacations, cookouts, pool (or lake) parties, evening boat rides, berry picking, riding in the bed of my dad's truck.

Summer possesses its own kind of sweetness, as do each of the other seasons. Fall is a time of excitement and preparation; of celebration and thanks. Winter is a time of hustle and bustle, of anticipation, of going and doing. Spring brings with it the sweetness of renewal after a long, cold winter season.

But summer's sweetness is extra special. It holds the promise of rest, of warmth, of sunshine. It is a sweet reminder of days gone by, of simpler times.

Of course, now that I am learning to be a grown up, and working full time, other than the weather and my morale, nothing much changes in the summer.

In fact, this summer has been exceptionally busy: graduating from college, starting a new job, moving into a new apartment, planning a wedding, and preparing for married life.

But the ideals of summer still remain.

And something about summertime is still exceptionally sweet.

Coupon Clipping Continues

As some of you may know, I have gone a little coupon crazy lately.

And the mania continues.

McDonald's has, of course, any size drink for one dollar. Andrew and I go there on days when we eat lunch together. We have actually developed a pretty neat little system. We pack our own lunches. We park in the McDonald's parking lot. He runs in and buys two large drinks (although, if you wanted to be really thrifty, you could buy one drink and share it between two people. But therein lies this problem: Andrew loves sweet tea; it makes me want to throw up.) We sit in our car, in the parking lot, and eat our packed lunches. Then, when we have finished our lunch, and before we leave the parking lot, Andrew goes back into McDonald's and gets refills for each of us. Cheating the system? Possibly. Slightly.

I say all of that to say this: This week, if you purchase a drink from McDonald's, there is a sticker attached to the cup. The sticker is good for either a free 12 oz fruit smoothie, or a free 12 oz frappe. Andrew and I each got a drink; thus, we received two coupons.

The deals do not stop there. I discovered a wonderful blog that offers free printable coupons. The author posts anywhere from two to ten or more coupons each day. I have discovered something about these coupons though. If you print and use coupons ONLY for things you would need to purchase anyway, with or without a coupon, then the coupons truly do save you money. But if you tend to purchase items simply because you have a coupon for those items, then this blog might be a deathtrap for you.

So, before clicking here, consider yourself warned.

Speaking of discovering new blogs, here are some photos from a blog that is new to me! I stumbled upon it recently, and love Kate's taste. She provides inspiration, tutorials on DIY projects, step- by- step pictures, and before and after shots!




Enjoy your Wednesday.

Have a smoothie.

A Thought to End the Day

"Love is extravagant in the price it is willing to pay, the time it is willing to give, the hardship it is willing to endure, and the strength it is willing to spend. Love never thinks in terms of "how little", but always in terms of "how much." Love gives, love knows, and love lasts." - Joni Eareckson Tada

Quick Recap

After having taken such a hiatus from blogging, this blank screen, just waiting to be typed on, is quite intimidating. There is a lot in my head that I would love to share, but I am struggling to articulate all of those thoughts into actual words.


I think I will start with a list.

Short.
Sweet.
To the point.


Here are some things I have done since my last post, in no particular order:


Begun moving into a new apartment.




Watched fireworks with three of my favorite people.




Baked some cakes.





Baked lots of cupcakes.



Ruined even more cupcakes.... It's a long story.

Attempted grilling.

And failed.

Pretty miserably. Not a long story, but a sad one. No pictures.

Decorated cookies.



Did not fail.

Caught up with friends.

Mostly via bridal showers.




Played the travel version of Connect 4 (which I was given at one of the afore mentioned bridal showers), while not actually traveling.

Rescued blackberries from the dark depths of the forest.

And put them into cobbler... A feat that ended up being much more difficult than it sounds, or that it should have been.

Gotten in sync with nature.

That happened while I was in the dark depths of the forest picking blackberries.

Or, more accurately, while I was standing on a path, near the edge of the forest, picking blackberries.

But close enough.

Unfortunately, there is no photographic evidence of this endeavor, as I was much to busy fighting off forest beasts (aka: bugs) to care anything about taking pictures.

There was, at one point, other evidence that blackberries were actually picked; however, said evidence got eaten.

But back to the list.

Finished pre-marital counseling. Thank God.

Started going to a new church, with my soon-to-be-new husband.

Paid more bills than I have ever had to pay before.

And to this, I also say, "Thank you, God," because that means we had money with which to pay bills.

Opened a new savings account.

Been happier than I ever remember being.

Ever.

And that is saying something, because I am generally a pretty darn happy girl.



Since my job is fairly new, several people have been interested in knowing what I make.



So here goes another list; a list of what I have made so far.



I have made lots of mistakes.

I have made time.

I have made contacts.

I have made friends.

I have made phone calls. Lots of them. Many of which go unanswered and unreturned.

Lots of referrals.

Lots of home visits.

A few hospital visits.



Now, what do I hope to make?

As cliche as it sounds, I hope to make a difference. I hope to make a small, positive impact on the people with whom I come in contact each day. I hope to make their lives a little bit easier, a little bit sweeter.

This is a hope I carry with me, not only in regards to work, but in regards to everyday life... and in regards toevery person that I meet, or live life with, whether I walk past them in the parking lot for a moment, stand behind them in the check out line for three minutes, or come home to them at the end of each day.

I want to make people feel significant.

Because they are.

Have a happy weekend.