Life Blessons

... I took about 1/2 my closet and handed it over to the good people of Goodwill and am learning to love my favoritest of clothes that I kept instead. It is funny how much more I wear the clothes I like the best when all the others are no longer an option.

... I have started experimenting with the different places I can walk to from our new apartment (although, unfortunately, no grocery stores are quite close enough anymore).

... I got two emails in a single day offering me some odd-job work, including a freelance writing assignment and some babysitting. Isn't it funny how that happens?

... I got my library card and enjoyed exploring my new library, which has an extensive religion section, including a full set of commentaries that my husband is especially excited about, and I picked one up to complement my recent reading of the book of Ruth in my daily Bible reading plan.

... I'm trying to find a tasty-but-simple pasta sauce recipe. My favorite store-bought kinds are the 3-cheese or vodka-sauce varieties, but I haven't found anything that compares quite yet.

... I got a hold of about a dozen empty buckets that I plan to put to use for my impending container garden, which I hope to kickstart within the next week, hopefully finally bringing my garden daydreams to fruition!

... Decorating-wise, I still don't have much on my walls here but am brainstorming new visual ideas to test out on these naked walls of ours. It seems that art is always what eludes me most when it comes to decorating!

... My husband surprised me with a little getaway! He told me to make sure I packed some good walking shoes and something nice for dinner. We hit the road once he got home from work, and ended up an hour north at Barnsley Gardens!

It's a lovely historic and outdoorsy resort that made me feel like we'd wandered into the Secret Garden. Here's some of what it was like: