Current Blessings



**Cozy nights in. This last weekend we had very few plans, which allowed us to just relax. Sunday was wonderful...rainy, cold and perfect for watching White Collar & Subway take out. Complete with gooey chocolate chip cookies.

**Finding a Joshua Bell CD at one of my favorite used book stores. I love his music-soothing, elegant and reflective.

**Iced Toffee Nut Coffee, Warm Blueberry Muffins and long talks about our future together.

**Playing words with friends, scrabble and hanging with friends. Word games are my favorite!

**Photography assignments, finishing up editing projects, posting pictures and framing them around our home for enjoyment.

**New recipe ideas, starting the C25k program, Pilates, Old Books, reading through the most recent Victoria magazine and playing with Mr. Darcy (the rotten little four legged that he is! ;-) )

and  then, she {snapped}Sweet Shot Day

From Lavish Gatherings To Wodehouse


This month, I've been reading through the story of Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. I love the Austen period of lavish dances and gatherings, not to mention the factors of what it means to be a lady. My favorite storyline has been Pride and Prejudice for a long time. So, I thought it was high time for me to read along with the other characters, to see their view on the world. After that, I have a heap of classics to dive into...Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse, The Child From the Sea by Elizabeth Goudge and I would really love to sink my teeth into a Tolkein novel. I've never read the Lord of the Rings! *gasp* Most of my book loving friends find that hard to believe. Then, I'm always up for a good mystery or suspense novel and my favorite Lemony Snicket books (I'm finally nearing the end of the series!).

And since I've been a little under the weather, I'm certain that today will be filled with hot tea, old books and maybe some I Love Lucy Reruns. And Josh even bought me a bag of chocolate covered pretzels...he's so good to me!

My only other "bookish" goal for the year would be to find a quaint little book club that focus on hard back classic novels to delve into together.

What have you been reading? Or better yet, what's on your 'to read' list?


Reading Challenge 2012

Choosing To Savor


The past few weeks have been glorious. Amidst the Christmas and New Year's blur, I was able to soak it up and enjoy the moments. My work was cut back during those weeks and since most of my "shopping" was done ahead of time, I was able to focus on other more important aspects of the season. Even this past week has been one of extra sleep, easy schedules and very few items on my to do list. Yet, I know it's time to whip out the planner and get back into the swing of things. Perhaps with a "to do" list for the year or rather, list of goals.

I kept thinking I would write one of those "ode to 2011" posts, but really, there isn't much to say. It was a difficult year. It was an amazing year. In every single situation that Josh and I faced, we found God answering our prayers and providing for us in ways I couldn't have dreamed up if I tried. We grew as a couple-- we've changed, we laughed, we lost, we cried. That's how life works. The best part is knowing that our Father is in control. My word for 2011 was simplify, and boy howdy did I ever learn the art of that. Two yard sales and cleaning freak sessions, left me with a much more simplified life. Yet, I find myself falling back into old habits. But, it's a new year for new things and new changes.

And this year? I think I'll hang on to the word "Savor". I want to savor precious time with my Savior. Soak in his word and savor the truth between each passage. I want to savor precious time with my husband because life is short and I want to make as many memories as possible. I want to savor my life because it's fleeting, here for a moment...

LORD, what is man, that You take knowledge of him?
Or the son of man, that You are mindful of him?
Man is like a breath;
His days are like a passing shadow.
--Psalm 144:3-4


Blue For You...


He's so good to me. So very, very good to me. He blessed me with a new camera this Christmas season! So I've been clicking away like a mad woman, reacquainting myself with settings. Few things bring me more joy than taking pictures of my handsome love.


Oh, and that gorgeous blue that's he's wearing? Picked out by Moi on a shopping excursion. A man in plaid is a fine thing to behold, in my humble opinion. ;-)

And the long break from blogging was wonderful. Spent 7 days vacationing...three in Missouri and four in Texas! Lots of pictures coming soon!

and then, she {snapped}Sweet Shot Day


Book Review: The 60 Minute Money Workout



When I chose to review The 60-Minute Money Workout by Ellie Kay, I was hoping for an out of the box approach. However, what I found was a fairly typical series of tips for getting your finances in order. One advantage of this book, was the format and layout of the information provides to help you out. If you need simple guidance or a change of heart in the direction of your finances, then this is great option for you. You can read more about the book or even sign up to review similar books by participating in Blogging For Books, from whom I received my copy. Happy reading!