It's the Little Things: Together Again

I'm soaking up so many 'little' things this week. 

Hitting zero on the countdown

Two toothbrushes on the sink

boy clothes strewn on the floor

sharing meals with my best friend again

twice the amount of dirty dishes and twice the laundry

Beach days in the sunshine and tonight-- the state fair. 

Yeah, it's been a good week. 

How was your week, friend?

lindsay

It's the Little Things: Beach Days & Homecoming Prep (And a Vlog!)

So many good "little" things this week. But really, they are big things.

The week started off pretty awesome with a day at the beach with my girl friends and their baby girls. Sunshine, good conversation and sandy baby toes -- um, pretty awesome.

I've been working on Chris' homecoming banner ( and other fun homecoming projects) all week. Not only am I high on the sharpie fumes, but I'm a little high on the "Chris is coming home, woot-woot!" fumes. Er, vibes, er whatever. 

I made homemade fries the other day. So freakin' good. And homemade dipping sauce too ( or as I accidently tweeted the other day "funny dipping sauce... not sure what that is.) 

I think I've been coerced by my twitter buddies to share the recipe-- so do you want it? I'll post it soon if you're interested, but I'll warn you, it's anything but healthy. 

There's nothing like writing a grocery list for TWO after months of shopping for one. I can't even explain how excited I am to start cooking fun recipes with Chris again. He's so fun to cook with and I sure have missed eating "real" meals! 

I just wanted to say thank you for all of the prayers, support and encouragement over the past few months. So I recorded a little vlog. 

Do I sound like you thought I would? I kind of love seeing videos of my favorite bloggers-- it's funny to see if they sound the way they sound in my head. 

Anyway, if you can't watch the video, it's just me saying..... you guys rock. I'm so thankful for this blogging community and the great support you've been to me while Chris has been gone. I really have felt so loved and supported by you-- so thanks for reading, thanks for commenting, tweeting me, emailing, etcetera. 

Hope you have an awesome weekend! I'll be busy smooching my husband the next few weeks, but never fear, I have some really fun posts lined up. ;)

lindsay

It's the Little Things: Rainbow Phones, Gecko Friends & Pizza Rolls

 Every now and then, I like to share some of the little things that are really big things during my week. We all know that supportive friends, awesome family and a loving God help get us through times of loneliness, busy-ness or whatever. But sometimes it's those seemingly small joys that really pack the punch.

These are my favorite posts to write, I think.

While cleaning my studio on Wednesday, I randomly found an earring I'd been missing for almost a year. Know where I found it? In my pencil pouch. Why it was in there, I have no idea, but now I have a clean pencil pouch and a complete set of earrings. Woot.

Some weeks are better than others in regards to the food I put in my belly. This week... um, not so much. I bought a bag of Tostino's pizza rolls and finished them off over the week. Don't judge.

If you haven't gotten on the Pinterest train yet, you better hop on board. While browsing (er, read: wasting time) on there last week, I came upon this cell phone skin from Gelaskins and ordered it within about 20 seconds. It arrived this week and again, I had it on my phone within about 20 seconds. 

So, my phone has been making me smile all week.  

And look! It coordinates with my studio too! BONUS!

Oh, and don't tell Chris, but I have a new roommate. Meet Gilbert the gecko. 

(Ilene, don't freak out. He won't jump through the screen at you.)

So I've gotta know...

What were your 'little things' this week? 

PS. Thank you for your supportive comments on my post yesterday! Megan and Tay, I'd love to respond to your comments so shoot me an email or leave your email address in the comments, puh-leeease! :) 

It's the Little Things: Dating Myself, Rain Storms & Berry Smoothies

Yes, I'm doing a "Little Things" post at the beginning of the week! Last week was a rough one, so we're starting out this week with some random happiness. I love looking back at my week to see the seemingly small ways God has carried me through.

I took myself on a date last week. It started off with a scrumptious dinner at Moe's ( I had two steak tacos and some yummy chips and queso!). It was a bit awkward to sit at a booth by myself with happy families and couples all around me, but I honestly think it's a great thing for everyone to do. Being alone doesn't always have to be a bad thing.

I headed to Borders after dinner and browsed the interior design books before grabbing a caramel macchiato and settling into an armchair with the second book in the "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" series. I love digging into a good book to test drive it before purchasing. (er, and sometimes I just *happen* to read the whole thing in the store....)

Have you ever dated yourself?

I looove rain storms. And this week we've had a lot of great ones, including thunder and lightning, which we very rarely get here! I was in heaven with my windows open listening to the pouring rain and booming thunder on Friday. 

Pretty colors on my palette. Ohhh yeah. 

I went out to run some errands with a friend the other day and we stopped for some smoothies at a new cafe. I loved the combo of the blue wall, my colorful outfit and purple smoothie. Oh, and my smoothie was delicious, just in case you were wondering. 

*EDIT* Yes, my hair is grungy. Let's focus on the delicious smoothie, shall we? 

Oh, and another b-i-g happy thing! I booked our hotel last night for my trip to see Chris and it is gooorgeous! And I've been researching some fun things to see and do, including cooking classes, zipline tours and floating markets! Pretty much squealing with excitement every time I think about my trip. Can't wait to smooch that boy! 

I'd be remiss to not mention the latest news last night about the death of Osama Bin Laden. Let's continue to pray for the troops as they face increased risk and danger, and remember those that have died as a result of and since the attacks on September 11. 

It's the Little Things: Doodling, Calls from Chris & Ocean Views

I kind of love writing my "Little Things" posts. It's pretty amazing to look back over the week and see how God has carried me through by providing small things that have made me smile or brought me joy. 

And this week, despite feeling swamped by emails and having lots to tackle on my to-do lists, I had a hard time narrowing down my "little things" for the week. 

Last week, I got to relax on the beach with my girl friend, Krynn and her sweet baby, Audrey. I'm not sure how you can not feel content with this view. 

I got to hear Chris' voice for the first time in about 3 weeks! When I say that I melted when I picked up that phone ringing with a strange international number, I'm not really exaggerating. I'm so in love with that man and I miss him so much. 

 Doodling on the colorful paint covered drop cloth draped over my studio sawhorse table makes me smile. 

Painting. I still love it. After being close to burning out on it a few weeks ago, I forced myself to start sticking to a schedule and take more down time. With Chris being gone, I was finding myself working far too much and not taking any time just for myself. But once I started sticking to a schedule, I began coming up with new ideas and found a renewed love and passion for painting. Good for me, good for you. 

If you are very observant, you may have noticed that I changed the signature on the side of my painting a few weeks ago. I used to sign with capital "LW" but was feeling like that wasn't quite "me".

So I played around with a few different options and ended up switching to a simple lowercase version. LOVE it. What do you think?

I'm looking forward to celebrating Easter with my Hawaii ohana this weekend. Worship, brunch and beach-- sounds pretty sweet to me! 

What's made you smile this week? 

It's the Little Things: Birthday Mail, Sparkles & Peanut Sauce

It's time for another edition of It's the Little Things! Things that have made me smile this week, all documented from my phone pictures.

A mailbox full of goodies just for meee! :) I've gotten some adorable packages and cards this week for my birthday (which is on Saturday, did I tell you that already??). Feeling extra loved and all the fun mail makes being away from Chris a liiittle easier.

 The shams I ordered from UO also came in the mail and they look amazing on our crisp white duvet. Can't wait to show you how the room is coming together!

Sending out lots of Etsy orders made me super happy. I love sending bright sunshiny happiness out in the mail!

I had lunch with a girl friend at California Pizza Kitchen yesterday. I get the same thing every.time. The Thai Spring rolls with their heavenly peanut sauce. So many beautiful flavors in one bite. 

Yay for birthday outfits!! After our CPK lunch, we did a little birthday shopping and I got a super cute outfit. My girl friends are taking me out on the town on Saturday and I can't wait to rock this coral and purple duo! 

Nothing can make me a whole lot happier than a fresh, full tube of paint. Oh the possibilities.

What's making you smile this week?? 

PS. I know this post is 12 hours later than normal and I promised a Fresh Paint post. Hoping to get that post to you tomorrow! Thanks for bearing with me!

It's the Little Things: A Good Book, A Blank Canvas, A Silly Straw

Deployments are hard. 

Like yesterday when I had big plans to get orders out to the post office and fill my kitchen with food, and I went out to my car to find the battery dead. And then after jump starting it with my neighbor, (picture two girls reading the instruction manuals on the jumper cable box and cringing when we attached the cables to the batteries!), I walked out to the car an hour later with a huge pile of boxes (picture Gus-Gus the mouse from the movie Cinderella) and it wouldn't start. 

So it was a fun afternoon trying to get new battery and asking a friend from church to come over and install it for me. Days like that make me miss Chris even more and are just another reminder that he's no here. 

 It's the little things that get me through the week with a smile. Here are some phone photos of some of those little things this week.

Reading a good book on the beach makes me happy. This day was cloudy and chilly so I was bundled up in a sweatshirt with my toes in the sand and it felt sooo good. I'm reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It's pretty good though I'm not sure it really lives up to the hype it's received. 

A roomful of blank canvases is one of the cheeriest sights I could see. My notebooks and my mind are overflowing with ideas for new paintings and I am itching to fill those canvases with happy colors. 

Sometimes, ya just gotta drink your water with a crazy straw.

This is slightly embarrassing. A little before and after for you. It's nice to be able to walk around in my own bedroom without tripping all over the place. 

Are you reading any good books right now? Can you commiserate with me about that awfully messy bedroom? What are some little things getting you through the week?