Cute or Ugly?

I need your honest opinion. Am I crazy for giving these a second look?

Salt Water

I'm not usually a quotes person, but one has been rattling around in my head for the past few days. I suppose I'm looking for comfort or perspective. I dunno.

"The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea." – The Deluge at Norderney, Seven Gothic Tales, 1934 

Isak Dinesen

Around the Internets

So I've been hanging out on Pinterest for the past few weeks. It seems to be a lady-thing and I'm not totally sure why. I think it could be a useful way to store info for later. Recipes I'd like to try, craft projects for someday, decorating ideas or your more manly interests. Mustache grooming techniques? It is fun to see what your friends are into. It is also pretty interesting to see what is popular over all pinners. I was expecting the clothes, cats, foods and babies. There are a few trends that have surprised me.

• Hair styles. Not haircuts, but types of braids and buns.
• Inspirational/funny/sassy quotes.
• Photos of skinny ''hot" ladies as motivation to get in shape.
• Funky ways to paint your nails.  

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Unrelated to pinnings, I've also come across some new-to-me things to follow. A pretty blog. A blog idea I wish I had thought of.  And a stellar tumbler that I've been following for a while. APR speaks to a specific corner of myself that I had almost forgotten about. Hard to beat that! 

Overheard From the Next Room...

"Mommy. Baby. Hey, hey, hey!"

The Out-of-Doors

Here we are, right in the middle of another northwest winter. In spite of the soggy-grayness I've been compelled to venture in outdoors. Two weeks ago we had a very snowy week here in Seattle. You may have heard, NPR was all abuzz. I love snow. Snow is one of the few things that I miss about my home state. When I was a kid my mother would occasionally wake me with, "There is a surprise for you outside." This "surprise" was always the same thing. It was always snow. I've never had to heart to tell her that it was no longer a surprise. It only occurs to me now that this was a little bit of a joke. When we got our snow I couldn't resist, I greeted G with "There is a surprise for you outside!" Keeping the tradition alive.

Here she is contemplating the snow. I just love the vibrant colors of her outfit against the blanket of white.

Last weekend we ventured out again. We were invited to spend the weekend at our friend's lovely home on Hood Canal. It is gorgeous out there! We had such a great time. It was pretty idyllic: walks on the beach, wind rustling the pines, crackling fire, exceptional home-cooked meals, catching up with friends. G had fun too. She especially loved  hanging out with their dog, Coco the Chow Chow.

Happy Christmas to Me

SV and I didn't exchange gifts this year. We decided to save our Christmas pennies for a fabulous trip to Hawaii. Yes, we will be visiting The Aloha State very soon. It would be impossible to exaggerate how excited I am about this trip. Impossible.

I did receive several lovely gifts. I also treated myself to some niceties. I happened to see an ad for an artist who does hand-cut silhouettes. She was setting up at a local shop and taking walk-ins. We decided to walk in. She was amazing! She was able to capture G's likeness in just a few minutes. I couldn't be happier with the results.

Remember the sweater vases from a few posts back? I discovered them, post-holiday, at a deeply discounted price. Maybe I'm the only one who likes them. I have to say that I find them cozy in a way that only cable-knit ceramics can be. Now my mantel had a fresh look for the new year.

Moments

Baby G is learning to walk. She can totally do it, but she is being cautious (as is her way). As soon as she realizes that she is walking on her own she freezes and decides to crawl. Yesterday our family had a moment that reminded me of a Van Gough painting. Aside from the sunshine, idyllic countryside and impressionist glow it was exactly like this...