Adventures Await in August
SOOooooooo I wrote this over a month ago and then never posted it because… I forgot. But you can read it now. 🙂 August is a big month around here. This month holds not only my birthday, but also my husband’s birthday, and our anniversary. As one would expect, these celebrations tend to merge into a single big event, rather than multiple, smaller events, but I like to think of the entire month as one long party. August has always been a time of excitement for me — preparations for a new school year, a new season, a new age… It may be the eighth month of the year, but August is almost like my own personal “New Year”! It signifies a season of new…
Flying High in July
Well, I FINALLY managed to pull myself together enough to create a desktop wallpaper for the month of July…even though it’s almost over! So I just left off the calendar part for the rest of this month, and you can use the wallpaper whenever you want. 🙂 Guess I’d better get a head start on August! This desktop calendar project is probably the most consistent thing about my blog this year… the only thing that’s gotten me to post at least once a month. And that was part of the goal. So, mission accomplished so far! This month has been busy, busy, busy: starting with a wonderful trip to see family in Georgia/South Carolina. Returning to the office after a week away is always so…
Pasta Al Fumo
When I was a junior in college, I spent a semester studying Art in Cortona, Italy. It was magical — the food, the wine, the culture… it was inspiring! I painted or took classes during the week, traveled on the weekends, and spent most evenings enjoying the nightlife of a small Tuscan town. I have such fond memories of my time in Italy and would love to return someday. Until then, it’s always fun to relive the memories by looking at pictures and, sometimes, trying to recreate the extended, casual dinners we enjoyed on those beautiful Italian nights. As part of the program I attended with UGA, we dined most evenings as a large group at a local restaurant called Tonino’s. The food was always…
Hello, June!
June is here, spring is in full swing (except for the 55 degrees yesterday…we’ll ignore that) and it is glorious! It is these kinds of days that I find myself longing for in the dead of winter. Yet, somehow, once spring and summer arrive, it feels so easy to take for granted the beautiful colors of the flowers, the green leaves, the blue sky, and the balmy temperatures. It becomes a given that we will wake up to the sun shining, the breeze blowing and a new day full of possibility. But instead of taking it for granted, this is something for which we must constantly be grateful, reminded every single moment of the beautiful life we’ve been given by grace. Gratitude is a never-ending…
Spring Cleaning Challenge
Photo by PopSugar Spring is officially upon us! Which means that Spring Cleaning shall commence… ish. It takes a lot these days for me to gear up for a heavy-duty deep cleaning. Since our living quarters expanded from a 2-bedroom apartment to a 4-bedroom/3-bath house last year, I find myself approaching cleaning from a much more piecemeal perspective. One bathroom at a time is good. One clean bathroom plus vacuuming one level is great. And that’s about where I run out of time. With a clamoring 1-year-old and a never-ending list of work projects (not complaining on either fronts, just prioritizing), cleaning usually gets shoved to the end of the line. And I’m really OK with that. I want my home to be clean(ish) and…