I feel much brighter today, hey that’s just exactly what I did with myself in photoshop and I’m brighter because of it.

As much as I’m feeling bright, the day is very dark and gloomy. I took this photo at 2:30 this afternoon and it was already dark enough for this little light to be on.

I headed over to my favorite grocery store to pick up a few things. As I shopped, I found a few things that brightened my day.

I thought these little cupcake boxes were too cute.

Here’s how they function

The bright flowers were so cheery as if they were passing out free hugs to anyone who admired them. I received lots of hugs.

This row of dishes seems to echo “spring is just around the corner”. I just need to remind myself of that even though the snow is falling.

And last but not least, these bright M&M’s truly made me smile – I’m in love with all those colors.

These are just a few things that made me smile. I trust your day is bright on the inside even if it’s gloomy on the outside.

Photo taken today after I had yet another cut. I wanted a little more stack in the back. It’s hard to see in the pic but I’m happy with it.

Photo Taken Yesterday

Anyone who knows me knows that when the urge comes for a change, I don’t wait long. When my hairdresser couldn’t squeeze me in this week, I called someone that could take me at a moments notice and this is what we came up with.

It’s very similar to the old bob that I used to wear with just a little stack this time. It’s so much lighter and I won’t be searching for pony tails to get that stuff out of my way. I just wish I had taken my camera to have a picture of all the hair I left behind. I highly doubt I’ll ever see a pile like that of my own ever again. Then again, time will tell.

I just had my hair cut a couple weeks ago but something was just not right. I have been letting all my layers grow for the last 2 years and finally it was all one length again. I think the all one length is the part that’s not right. So, a couple days ago I grabbed the scissors on a whim and gave myself layers.

Reasons/Excueses For Cutting My Own Hair

1. To get the “feel” of it before I officially commit

2. I “think” I know what I want but toy with it before I exhaust my stylist

3. I’m a visual kinda gal wanting to “see” what it looks like before hand

4. To completely “SHOCK” my stylist when I go in with long hair in the back and on one side but the other side completely chopped off. I’ve been known to do that on more than one occasion…

5. It’s fun and I think anyone who hasn’t tried it – Well what are you waiting for, give it a try sometime…

6. Saved my biggest reason for last – I’ve secretively wanted to work in a salon since my high school days. I think cutting hair would be a total blast but my biggest worry is that I would do something wrong and upset my clients. That would devastate me, so I’ll continue to play “salon” happily ever after in the comforts of my own home.

Ever wonder what you would have looked like back when? Well me neither until today. Hah, I saw someone’s blog where they did the Yearbook Yourself and couldn’t help myself. I dug for a photo when I wasn’t wearing glasses and had fun seeing what I would have looked like. You can laugh with me and then do it yourself if ya like. My 1964 is hubby’s favorite.

Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend.

I had a nice 3 hour lunch with my girlfriend yesterday. We went to a quaint little place and our time spent together was so wonderful and relaxing.

This establishment has been here 11 years and the food is amazing! They’ve turned this old house into a restaurant and the upstairs is an antique shop. Unfortunately the little shop was closed yesterday, all the more reason we need to go back for another visit. I love the old tables and décor and it’s truly the perfect place for girls to visit.

This is the table where we spent our time visiting.

Other special areas in the restaurant.

I had the homemade Autumn Bisque Soup in the bread bowl and split the sautéed spinach sandwich with my girlfriend. There were no leftovers today! I get that same bowl of soup almost every time I go there.

I’m also working on that art give-away and having a total blast with the sketch so far.

Any votes as to whether you would like to see the work in progress, or would you rather wait until it’s all finished.

I have a lot of favorite blogs I like to read other than the ones most of my readers know about. So today I want to share with you just a few of my favorite places. So come along and nestle in for some great reads and beautiful pictures.

I love this one below; she is such a talented woman that shares some wonderful little nuggets. She recently posted her newest line of fabric which totally blows me away (It’s positively bright and charming – if fabric could sing, hers would) and then her next post is an adorable dress made from a pillowcase. You can’t miss this my friends! – http://annamariahorner.blogspot.com/

I never miss a beat with this amazing woman. My friend Jennifer got me hooked on her cooking site but I’m more in love with her, her family and her amazing photography! I feel like I know this woman and she tells her love story in novel form “Black Heals To Tractor Wheels”. She is such a hoot and she makes me laugh ALL the time. She came from the big city with big city dreams and moved out to the ranch to marry the man she couldn’t live one day without. (Her post the other day is what inspired me to think about my dreams and thus my post yesterday) She’s amazing and I know all of you would LOVE her too. This link is to her daily blog where she posts some of the most amazing photos of farm life, her husband, Pesky Tim (her brother-in-law) and her most adorable children – http://thepioneerwoman.com/confessions/

The link below – Black Heals To Tractor Wheels, it’s like a novel of her love story from the top – I’ve read it cover to cover and I’m waiting on the next chapter – http://thepioneerwoman.com/2007/09/black_heels_to_tractor_wheels_a_love_storythe_complete_saga_to_date.html

For those of you who love cooking, you do not want to miss this link and mind you, she is still hilarious over here at the cooking page. – http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/

The next little goody is from such a wonderful crafty lady, enjoy – http://gahangirls.blogspot.com/

Her blog title is Just Beachy and she’s all about decorating so if that’s up your alley come along and enjoy another favorite find at http://chriskauffman.blogspot.com/

This little cutie pie had me at hello, she lost her college weight gain of around 23 pounds and is a cute little newlywed. She posts pictures of all three meals every single day! Man she’s good and she’s currently working on a cookbook. She refers to her husband as “the husband” so cute. And then whenever he comes in to post something he always starts with – The Husband here so come have a little look if this interests you – http://www.katheats.com/

Be still oh my soul – I just LOVE Mabel’s House! Actually she found me and I can’t begin to thank her enough for commenting on my site as her little place is my “Happy Place” She is a wonderful writer and she’s trying to get her book published at the moment. So her posts reflect her wonderful writing abilities and her decorating is AMAZING! I think you’ll love her too! – http://mabelshouse.blogspot.com/

If you’re into decorating, you can’t pass this up as this is another one of my favorite little finds – http://restyledhome.blogspot.com/

She has such a way of making me smile when I enter, she’s such a crafty little thing and I just adore her – http://splendid-things.blogspot.com/

I just love this special young newlywed couple and would not want to miss a beat over at This Young House. They have done an amazing job on their home, they provide decorating advice, wedding advice complete with really cool mood boards and even if you’re not getting married I think you’ll want to check out that little corner too. – http://www.thisyounghouse.com/

What are your favorite finds?

I always had the dream (way back when I was a child) that I would get married by the age of 21 and have 4 – 6 kids. And no matter what, I would be married before either of my brothers and have my children first. Oh how I loved children and wanted to have that big family. That dream faded as my older brother married at 19 and my younger brother got married when he was 22. There was no way I would ever get married before them as they beat me to it.

As I grew older I still thought I would perhaps get married but my list of qualifications grew and grew. And my mom (one of my very best friends) thought I was getting too picky as I got older saying “you don’t give anyone a chance”. Bottom line, I wanted what I wanted and if he was not out there, I was perfectly content living alone the rest of my life period, end of conversation.

I also had a “BIG” dream of having my very own art gallery one day. I dreamed of my paintings covering the walls and the more galleries and museums I visited the more I dreamed. But that dream seemed to be a little far fetched and I never knew just how I would get there.

By the time I reached my mid to late 20’s I decided that my perfect mate didn’t exist. Many times I would go out on just one date and my tummy would turn sour over just one little tiny thing my date did. And that was it with them as they blew it. And mom thought I was being down right silly.

I started to dream about my life and how I planned to continue on by myself. And by the time I reached my late 20’s I completely scratched having children off my list. I told my mother “mom, if I were to get married tomorrow, I don’t plan on having children” I decided that if I were to ever get married that I wanted to at least have 5 years of honeymooning in before children. So in my mind I was already too old.

I had a savings and was preparing to purchase a condo and begin life alone. I was planning a trip to the Smokies for just me, myself and I and I was also planning a cruise too. I was happy with me and never minded doing things alone so I was quite content.

I was 28 when I met my husband. He seemed “perfect” in every way for me, he had the most wonderful smile and his beautiful blue eyes held my attention. He was gentle and was not into himself which was a total turn on for me. We slowly became friends, danced and I felt myself falling for him which totally frustrated me. I did not want to fall, I wanted to be more mature and make sure he was my perfect match before my heart was stolen.

Bobby became my dream, he filled my thoughts and I would try to push him away. One night while slow dancing my dreamboat asked me out on a date and I promptly turned him down. I still remember my answer “I can’t” (Bottom line, I was scared out of my wits) and I still remember that perplexed look on his face. We had known each other more than a year and everything was starting to feel right. His gentle smile melted my heart that night but I still said no.

I remember going to work the next day telling my girlfriend all about it saying “I just turned down the man of my dreams” Man I liked that guy a lot!

Bobby started filling my thoughts and dreams and that’s when I realized I had to give this perfect guy a chance. But it took several months for me to come around and finally when I came around he was willing to give me another chance. (My heart is going pitter pat, he still does that to me)

Dreams, dreams, dreams I had dreams and as Bobby and I began to date in I began to share with him my latest dreams. My latest dreams were to do something in art. I wanted to become a graphic design artist and as I began to spill my heart and soul he listened and told me that I could be anything I wanted to be. And the next thing I knew, I was in college taking night courses to fulfill my dream. And he was always right there to provide help when needed and to do whatever he could to make sure my dreams would come true. (My heart continued to melt)

I pursued my education but my dreams turned to becoming the wife of the man that made my heart throb – the man I knew I could not live without. And I’m ever so thankful I was too picky and so glad I waited for the very best and I truly know God made Bobby just for me. On Christmas morning 1998 that dream came true when he surprised me with a ring and asked “Will you be my wife”? And I said “Yes”! (Tear ~ joyful tears)

We planned a little wedding as that is all I ever wanted and what I remember most about our wedding day is how truly happy I was. That has to be the most exciting day of my life. I’m so happy he picked me (and I thank him on a regular basis for picking me to be his wife)

My dreams of become a graphic design artist died after moving to Korea but my dreams of being an artist never faded. A couple years after moving back to the states, I saw a show on HGTV that featured pottery. And I still remember telling hubby at the end of the day “I know what I want to be when I grow up”. That very day my dreams turned to pottery and he once again supported me in every way and I was taking pottery classes in Fort Worth the very next week. And just a month later my dearest purchased the Cadillac of pottery wheels for me and constructed a pottery studio for me in our spare bedroom and allowed me to have my very own huge kiln reside in his garage. (He’s amazing, and my heart continues to be one huge puddle as it has completely melted)

My dream from the time I married my husband to this very day is to be the wife of my husband, to care for him in every way, dote over him constantly, that’s just me and love it and I’m so happy he loves my attention! My dream is to kiss him every morning and bid him good bye, tell him how much I love him before he goes to work, race to the door every evening when he gets home to be ruptured in his arms for another hug and kiss, have dinner together, sit with him on the loveseat and visit. And this dream comes true every day, and my sappiness continues to ooze the older I get. And my heart feels full and running over with love for my most wonderful amazing husband that I didn’t think existed. I’m so blessed and thankful that God has blessed me with a man that is perfect for me in every way. He’s my perfect compliment and there is no one I would rather spend the rest of my days with than him. I’m so happy he picked me and he has made me the happiest woman in the whole wide world.

I’ve learned that at the ripe old age of 40 that dreams do come true and sometimes we’re given even more than we could ever ask or dream. And I thank God for these blessings.

There’s nothing like my favorite mug to pour fresh coffee into each day. I love this mug, yup, everything about this mug I love. It has the perfect comfy handle such that all of my fingers can wrap comfortably around the whole handle. I like the fact that the handle doesn’t leave my little pinky finger out. My pinky tends to feel all left out when it doesn’t fit into the whole handle thingy. So now that we have all my fingers happily situated around the handle, I also like the magnitude of coffee that fits in here. It’s roomy enough such that a full 16 oz of coffee + plus cream pour into there comfortably without being brim full. And lastly I really think it’s such a pretty little thing too. So it all boils down to the fact that I’m thrilled to overflowing that function and beauty blends so well and I’ll continue to enjoy my cup of jo happily ever after.

A ray of hope dawned early this morning when I received via e-mail the drawn up floor plan from the architect. There are so many extra touches he added to what we wanted and I feel like I’m finally starting to see the light. I do see a few changes that need to be addressed but overall I’m SO HAPPY!

I’ve got the little washers and dryers busy at the moment and will be changing sheets soon. And hopefully I’ll have all my indoor cleaning and laundry done up by noon so that I can get out and tackle some errands this afternoon.

We don’t have anything pressing this weekend but Bobby has asked me to join him for a dinner date and movies tomorrow. And I said YES!

And if you are in question of how my picture is coming along? Well it’s coming ever so slowly at the moment. I had too many distractions this week that I finally put it away until I can really devote 100% of my attention to it. So right now it doesn’t look like I’ll be back at it until next week.

HAPPY WEEKEND EVERYONE!

Yesterday was the ‘Big Day’ for me to splurge on my 40th birthday spa treatment from my Dearest Bobby.

My appointment started at 9:30 a.m. where I was taken to the ladies locker room to change into a nice cozy robe and slippers.

The ladies room

After changing I made my way to the relaxation room ‘til I was called for my massage. The pic above was taken in that room where there was a nice pitcher of lemon water and trail mix. It was a calm and peaceful room with very low lighting. And the very soft sounds of birds, rippling water and music was overpowering and deep such that I felt contact with my inner self. The atmosphere set the stage for a day of complete relaxation.

I started off with a massage that took me into another world. It was amazing, don’t know how else to say it! Right after my massage I went in for my facial and that was another total out of this world experience!

After my massage and facial I moved along to the sauna/shower! I set the temp for a steamy 108 degrees and enjoyed every min!

Then I moved along for my pedicure and picked pink this time.

After all my pampering, I had a very late lunch and I sat at that middle table as seen in the picture above.

The picture above and below represent the beautiful view from where I was sitting.

I had the homemade vegetable soup to start

And the Filet of Sole with veggies for my entrée which I might add was quite good!

The view as I drove away

What a perfect ending for this day. After leaving lunch at 2:30 p.m., I’ll say I had the most wonderful relaxing 5 hours. Thank you My Love for this wonderful gift but most importantly, I’m so thankful for you making each day special.