sometimes. life shoots arrows that pierce blindly the released air sounds like sighs of sadness or hiccups of laughter or maybe gasps of wonder* *I am having a week in which the highs and lows are engaged in a major tug-of-war. So for today, this is all. ... Read more
A Debt-Free Life Finale + Custom Illustration Giveaway! [CLOSED]
Evicting the roommates was a swift affair once I called in the big guns. You'll remember from last time that they had stopped paying rent and the situation was dire. M flew in from Seattle to "negotiate" (a punched hole in the wall was involved as I recall - the Czech girl's boyfriend was the temperamental sort). I was cowering somewhere out of sight and didn't witness the event. The couple left with a string of muttered Czech words trailing behind, cursing my name, I'm sure. Freed from thongs ... Read more
Happy Thanksgiving: Free Printable
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and despite my best efforts to ignore it, it seems that the holiday season is in full swing. I'm thankful for so many things, and you, my friends, are on the short list. As a small token of my appreciation, I have a holiday printable for you: Dala horses! I've always loved this Swedish holiday motif, and I doodled some up and thought they would make sweet tags/cards. Here's what the whole sheet looks like, printable on 8.5 x 11" paper: I still haven't mastered ... Read more
Happy Friday + Randomness
Happy Friday! A truly random bit of info: almost every Sunday, M has what we call "DDT" or Daddy Daughter Time. He started this tradition when K was about a year old, and takes her out on a date each week. Their time together ranges in activity: bike riding or a scoop of ice cream or just lounging around. It's a win-win all around because while they bond, I get to sneak in some extra work (or fun) time. And almost every Sunday, I go to the same coffee shop and every once in a while, there is a ... Read more
To be Shiny
Last week, when I shared the Hudson pants, I was surprised by the number of people who commented on how harsh I was being about my (let's face it), um, strong calves and other body parts. Of course, I appreciated how kind and encouraging the commenters were being, so I've done some thinking about that since then, prompted also by a conversation I had with K a few days ago. Here's how the conversation went: K: Mama, when you were a kid, did you have certain characteristics that you thought you ... Read more