I'm back (well, kind of).

I'm back from our 9 day vacation to sunny, warm Arizona. It was an amazing time, and I felt instantly transported to my favorite season: summer. I'm right back at it today, but just 24 hours ago I was here:

If I were really hard-core about April Fool's day, I'd try and convince you that this was really a shot of my new backyard pool!

Please bare with me while my brain re-adjusts to normal life, and a 40 degree temperature shift. In the meantime, as projects loom and lists compile I'm going to be thinking about how my daily life can feel more vacation-like. Because I just don't want to lose that feeling.

Vacation, all I ever wanted

The Go-gos Vacation
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Hi readers. Just popping in to say "howdy". I've taken myself on a little vacation, and will be posting on a less than regular basis until next week. I still might pop in, but I just wanted to let you know I'm taking a little blog-break. Until next time, I leave you with this incredibly corny video from my teen years. This song plays in my head pretty much every time I go on any sort of vacation. Thank you, 80s.

Favorite Things Friday!

It's Friday again (how did that happen so fast?) Here are a few things that I enjoyed this week:
1. Butterfly chairs - I want to put some of these on my deck this spring. 2. Dipping into my kiddo's whole milk - I couldn't get enough of it this week for some reason. This could become a seriously bad habit. 3. Black licorice - the most recent addition to my stash came from Iceland! 4. This Gnome figure from the Tic Toc Apocalypse to series by artist Amanda Visell. Holy moley he is cute - I found him while researching gnomes this week. 5. My new foot soaking bucket I got at the H Mart. I love this thing, and anticipate using it to cool my swollen tootsies this summer. 6. Daffodils, which are everywhere these days, but I think they are so cheerful.

Say Yes!

Hey, guess what? This is my 36th post this year! This means I have blogged more in the past three months than I have any any other year total, and it feels pretty good. I actually miss it when I am not posting.

Here's another exciting thing, a few days ago I was emailed out of the blue and asked to be part of an art sale and show in my town. What is crazy is I have been saying, for about a year now "Oh, I want to have a show in a cafe this year..blah, blah, blah." I've really done nothing more about it than talk and say that it is something I want to do - and then I get this totally random email, from a woman who owns a cafe, asking me to be part of a show and sale. The universe works in mysterious ways, my friends.

Of course I hemmed and hawed for a few hours trying to decide if I should say OK, I'll do it. But I really think when you get handed these opportunities you just have to say YES!

What are you saying YES to these days?

March Giveaway: Eat 5 a Day!

Oh my goodness! It is already March 16, and I forgot to announce this month's giveaway item - the Eat 5 a Day print!

I'll draw a winner at the end of this week - March 19th - just to give you a bit more time to sign up for my mailing list (you can do so here).

For those of you on the list - a little "e-pology" for my lack of newsletter-ing in the past two months. I have been blogging here so much that I am feeling a little unsure what to report in my newsletter. I'm working on it though, and pretty soon you will see a pretty newsletter in your inbox.

Thrifty & Nifty

Last week was a long one. A lot of our 'regularly scheduled programming' was canceled due to illnesses and the like. Luckily my kiddo was up for tagging along with me on a bunch of errands to break up the days.

One of my favorite things to do - ever - is to go junk shopping or antiquing. I don't even need to buy anything. I just love looking at old stuff, the colors, the shapes, the design, the weirdness; it totally inspires me. So I decided to combine two of my loves - time with my kiddo + junk shopping. It was a huge success.

I came home with two fun items, this "Big Top" soda bottle will make a nice vase for spring flowers. I couldn't pass up this postcard book celebrating the Ohio Turnpike - I love the layout of the postcards, the horrible photography, and the little tiny photos of the postcard images "for your memory book". Because who wouldn't want to remember the glorious "FUEL & FOOD" signs of the "World's Most Modern Superhighway" ?

Favorite Things Friday

I love that my pal Librarian Girl sometimes does a week-end review of the items she consumed and enjoyed in her week. I thought I'd do a collage type one of the things that made my week a little brighter.

1. Researching vintage fruit crate labels for an upcoming project. 2. My PITT drawing pens 3. Coffee (with lots of cream and sugar). 4. A Bauer Alladin Teapot I scored for a ridiculously cheep price at a local consignment shop. 5. The packaging of Late July crackers and setting the box in front of my kiddo as she eats them - hoping she'll adsorb the design goodness. 6. This pink Eraser Ring 7. The promise of wearing new sandals even though it snowed this week.

Oh yeah, and also this. My kid is OBSESSED with this 70s rendition of Raindrops Keep Fallin on My Head. I love the cheesy dancing and set in this video. Happy Friday!