The Little Things Part III

Dear Stevie,
It's time once again to make an attempt at appreciating the good things in my life. Here goes nothing!


1. Decorating. I've mentioned this before, but we really haven't done much decorating in this place since we moved in at the end of April. You died less than three weeks after we moved here, and shockingly, I wasn't in much of a home decorating kind of mood after that. But over the last couple months, slowly but surely this house is looking more and more like a home.

 We found these super cheap shelf-y things and cool little candle holders at Ikea (yes, I conquered my fear of going back to Ikea!) Now that we know the shelves work alright, we're so going back to get more for around the bedroom. 

 They make for awesome watching scary movies in bed lighting!

 Not a very good picture, but this is the cutest necklace/jewelry holder ever. 

 At the top there are a bunch of little birds hanging out, adorable! And now all my necklaces are not in a tangled mess on my dresser! We'll see how long that lasts...

We went searching all over Minneapolis for some local art, and found this. I LOVE it, and it totally reminds me of our two dogs :) Oh and yes, I did crack the brand new frame we bought for it.

 Another print we found from a local Minneapolis artist. It's way cooler up close and in-person.

 I found this awesome tree candle holder at Patina and couldn't resist. It goes awesome in our tree-themed living room (and looks great next to your Names in the Sand picture!)

Another little Patina find. I've always loved this quote.

2.  Date nights/days. Dad and I have been going on lots of really fun date nights/days lately. Like walking to the theater by our house to see The Town and Jackass 3d (which was surprisingly awesome!), going out to eat at lots of great restaurants, and driving into Wisconsin for a tour of a vineyard/winery (below). As much as I wish you were here too, we are able to have a nice time, just the two of us.

3. Cooking. Okay, I must be honest, it's not actually the cooking I enjoy, but the results of your dad's cooking. He's the cook in this family! And man is he good! We just picked up two awesome cookbooks (thanks to a Barns and Noble giftcard I got for my birthday!): Jamie Oliver's Jamie's America, and Tacos by Mark Miller. Dad made us chicken, goat cheese, and apple tacos the other night and they were amazing!

4. Sweatshirt weather. It's been getting nice and chilly at night, perfect for walking the dogs with a mug of hot apple cider. :)

5. Moroccan Oil Curl Control Creme. I got my hair cut the other night and was talked into buying this stuff, and you know what? It might be the best $26.50 I've ever spent! Seeing as I go to work with my hair soaking wet like 90% of the time, I have been greatly in need of something to help it look somewhat decent as it dries. I'm in love. No frizz, no crunchiness, and it smells like heaven.

6. Lazy rainy days. The last couple days have been rainy; perfect for cuddling up on the couch with the dogs, sending Dad off to buy candy at the gas station, and watching movies. There are lots of days when I feel like being lazy and laying on the couch all day. And crappy weather makes me feel like it's more acceptable to do it!

I miss you, baby. Wish you were here for all the boring, day-to-day joys in life.

Love,
Mom