I have great friends! In addition to all of your sweet comments, I also got an e-mail with the recipe for a relaxing bubble bath (and yes, candles instead of electricity really is so much better!), several kind phone calls, and an e-flower from an old friend in Washington who I haven't heard from forever. You are all wonderful and I love you!
Chris has been ultra-supportive and sweet this week. We handle stress very differently-- I am very good with the day-to-day stuff, swapping schedules, arranging child care, managing the house, etc, and Chris is really great about staying calm when a bigger trial comes along. It's funny, but sometimes it takes a storm to make you realize how strong your house is. ♥
We got some cool stuff in the mail:
I ordered a small gift for someone from Eddie Bauer-- jewelry, in fact-- and the little jewelry box came in another box as big as Gordon. We got a huge kick out of it-- check it out-- Tom is holding the actual gift box, and, well, you can see the big box... too bad I can't get my kids to smile...
My snow boots came. We got a couple of days off from snow, but I hear it's coming back. This time, I'll be ready.
I have the best mother-in-law. One of my favorite things about her is that she is a great keeper of fun traditions. For as long as I can remember, we've received a fun Valentine's package from her. This year, it was an extra special treat-- the dry ingredients for yummy sugar cookies, a vintage-looking cookie cutter, Valentine's sprinkles (the boys' fave) and, my fave, Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla! YUMMY!! She is so thoughtful and the fun little package really made my day.
I received the BEST acknowledgement this week-- you might notice a new little "blinkie" in my "Creativity" section over on the side bar. Well, Andrea Burns is a designer that I absolutely love-- her style is just right up my alley (she is the one who designed the stuff my background/header is made of). Anyway, this week she e-mailed me specifically to invite me to be on her creative team! This is a huge honor, especially because usually you have to wait for a designer to put out a call, then you have to apply to be on the creative team. For her to invite me, well, let's just say that it was such a great compliment!!
And finally, at book club on Thursday, we reviewed Feel the Fear, and Do It Anyway, a self-help type book. We had a great discussion and I came away with a lot of really good ideas. I'm a fiction girl, as I have mentioned, but this week, it was kind of fun to read something that offered specific advice on living a better life.
So, all in all, I should stop complaining and just move forward-- and thanks to all of you for helping me regain perspective! ♥