hi

Yep, I'm back. I knew I'd probably do it. I'd probably return to blogging. Not that I have anything too interesting to say, but I've just really found that I miss it. I miss sharing my thoughts and having a little outlet. I miss talking to my peoples on the internet too!

If you know me in 'real life' you probably know that I have a terrible time making up my mind. I just ordered our Christmas cards tonight and it took me for freaking ever. I usually design my own, but this year I wanted to go with Tiny Prints. Their cards are amazingly gorgeous and they freakin' know it too. But, they are having a sale until tomorrow, so luckily, I was able to get my cards for 20% off. I still spent more than I wanted to, but spent about what I normally do every year. This year though, I'm cutting my card list down a bit. I'm tired of spending a bunch on cards and postage and decided to weed it down. And, I'm going to hand deliver a bunch of them as well. I'd really like to bake more this year, and may be able to with working a seasonal job, so cookies and cards will be nice! Gabe loves helping me bake, so this will be a great activity for us.

If you know me in 'real life' you probably don't know that I am in love with anything Pennsylvania Dutch. I know. Weird. Here's an example:

It started with a trivet that was given to me that originally belonged to my Grandma Smith. I've always loved it and have admired the vintage style. More recently though, I've been really browsing the web looking at other P.D. art and I'm falling for it! I think I should have been born in a totally different decade. Seriously.

Speaking of favorites, I had the opportunity to go to this little store called Anthropologie this weekend. Sigh... I could've spent our savings in that place. I really could decorate my entire home with products from there. But, to save my marriage, I walked away with these lovely measuring cups.
Man. I really sound materialistic in this post, don't I? Well, I'm not really. I like to buy pretty, special things every now and again. It's not often that I get to go to a giant mall, find a new store and spend nearly $30 on a set of measuring cups. Gulp. And, it's not often that I can shop in a store without hearing "MOM! I want to go look at toys!!!" It was so nice to just leisurely walk around and not worry about time. I could shop all day just because of the time it takes me to decide.

I learned this from a friend that recently purged many of her possessions and moved into a smaller home to do some mission work. Only buy new items that you think you will love in a year. I have really tried to apply this rule to all my purchases... It certainly helped me when I was at the giant mall this past weekend.

Thanks for welcoming me back, blogging friends! I've missed you!