Treasures

I came across this photo and it has become a little treasure of mine. It is a photo of my beautiful grandmother in 1953 with her first brand new baby - my mother.

I like to imagine my dear grandmother as a new mother and a fairly new wife. In this photo she is in a similar point in life I am in now, yet dealing with such different things. My grandfather was in the military, stationed in Alabama and worried that he would be sent to war. She was alone the first little bit of my mother's life.

This photo reminds me of the process of life and the paths that we each travel. I think of the years in between this photo and today. I think of the experiences she has had that have shaped her into such an amazing woman.  There is a lot of meaning behind this one little photo. It gives me hope of the woman I can someday become.

What are your little treasures?

Random Obsessions

Loving lately...

Martha Stewart's Housekeeping Handbook - I have not invested in this massive book yet, but it is on my list. I have already renewed it twice from the library. This book/bible has everything there is to know about taking care of a home. I am a clean-freak so learning how to organize silverware or clean grout is so exciting! Now I'm tempted to get all of her other books. Yes I am a dork--and I will be supporting her through her dishonest, illegal habits.HeadOn - I have never been a big pill popper. I rarely use it as an absolute last resort. My mom suffers from migraines and told me about this a few years ago. I ALWAYS have it on hand for those pesky headaches that won't go away. With my pregnancies come frequent, intense headaches... I have been toting this little tube around everywhere with me lately. It looks like a big chapstick tube and you just rub it on your forehead (sometimes I put it on the back of my neck and temples too). It makes your skin all tingly feeling and works within minutes.

Lather Lip Balm - I found this amazing product in a travel kit on my flight to Europe. It is heavenly and now I want to try everything they make! Like this or this.

Watkins Lemon All-Purpose Cleaner - I have a slight obsession with cleaning products. I love to shop for new cleaners and I love the clean smell. Lately, I have wanted to make a foray into natural cleaners and use less chemicals in our home. But I have been worried that it wouldn't clean as well and it would smell like water.

This is AMAZING! It smells so wonderful that I went around the house looking for things to spray down. Plus it does a very impressive job cleaning. It also cleans everything from countertops to walls to wood. I LOVE IT! I want to try all their other products now.

Wacom Tablet - I use this constantly for editing photos and drawing (as much as my talent allows) for digi-scrapping. A MUST-HAVE for photoshop users! Now I just need to find more ways to use it.

L-O-V-E

Happy Valentine's Day to you! I know this holiday is cheesy and completely fabricated, but I still love it. I enjoy focusing on the people I love the most and spending time spoiling my hubby!

Oh and I love that everything is RED!

Jared gave me the most wonderful gift last night--4 hours alone with him! The whole thing was a complete surprise every step of the way. He makes it so much fun. The night began with yummy Italian at Carmines... then he took me to see LOVE presented by the Ballet Nouveau.

The show was incredible. It is essentially classical ballet with a modern twist--set to poetry and music. The three things combined created such powerful emotions. I am still going over it in my mind today.

Have a happy LOVE day!

Playing Around

When we took my maternity pictures last week, we thought it would be fun to play around a bit... Grey is our little rock star! He will make a stick out of legos and "play" the guitar or flute on it. He loves to pound on the piano and drum on anything he can find. SO CUTE!

The dogs got jealous... so I let them have their moment to shine too.