yup.

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Couldn't have said it better myself. 

Lots going on over here in my little corner of the world, but for this weekend it is all about just enjoying each minute as it passes. 

Happy Friday, friends! Have a lovely weekend.

your mission, should you choose to accept it...

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Is there something that people have said about you that stands out in your mind? Perhaps something you can draw upon when you're having "one of those days"? Something that people have noticed...and acknowledged... that makes you who you are?

For as long as I can remember people have told me I have a way of taking a less than favorable situation and making it better. This not only touches my heart, but on those days when it might be easier to say to heck with the bright side it helps me remember how important it is to keep perspective.

Isn't it nice when people take the time to let you know little things like that? That got me thinking about how just a smile or a kind word or two can really impact another person and how important it is to me to not only live my life in this way, but to try and instill it in the students I work with as well.

 Let's try a little experiment...tomorrow try to tell at least one person something that you admire about them. Pick someone who won't expect it. That person in the office who grates on your nerves? Find something about them that you admire and let them know it. The family member who keeps doing that thing that irritates you? Tell them something kind. And be genuine...there is nothing worse than a phony compliment! You might be surprised at the effect it has not only on your recipient, but on you as well.

And keep me posted, I would love to hear how this goes if you give it a try.

what's in my bag

What a fun concept this What's in my Bag photo project is! I have found it so interesting to take a peek at what everyone has been posting about what they carry along on a daily basis that I have decided to play along. 

So there it is...

My bag containing my sunglasses, blackberry, sunscreen/moisturizer, a hair pin, my wristlet containing license, credit and debit card, MTA card, Barnes & Noble members card, health insurance card, etc...

You'll also find my camera (represented by the lens cap), some gum, some shout wipes, my mini-planner and a pen. 

The only things missing are my handkerchief and some lip butter because I am out of it!

Are you playing along? What's in YOUR purse?

the southernmost point of my heart

Hello dearest bloggers, mmb and I have returned from our much needed

trip to Key West, Florida...also known as a little slice of heaven. 

We unplugged from our computers and blackberrys and just relaxed in the sun and took in the fun of Duval St! It was 5 days of bliss :) 

We spent our days and nights under the stars at the pool...

And dined at some really fantastic restaurants...

Got to see the southernmost part of the US...

and reveled in this...

And I did my first pub crawl, led by mmb!

and saw some gorgeous flowers...

and took in the famous sunset at Mallory Square.

It was amazing. 

Not only because it was great to relax for a few days, but because I could feel my mom's spirit every where I went. Key West was her favorite place. 

With this time being scheduled for A Week in the Life, I have decided to document this vacation in this style. I am excited about this new way to capture the memories of our trip. 

For now, I am relaxing with my love on the couch, catching up on tv and snuggle time with the cats and getting ready to dive back in to house hunting and the such! 

I am off to catch up on my google reader with memories of glowing sunsets in my mind.

s'more cupcakes, anyone?

So who is playing along this weekend with Shimelle at the online crop?

 But for tonight,  I have a pretty busy weekend ahead of me so I must (sadly) say I won't be able to play along much, but well, I can bring cupcakes! ;-) 

I made these cupcakes for Easter and they were a-maz-ing! If you're like me and cannot resist a good s'mores related dessert you're going to want to give these a shot. You'll be making these often once you get a bite of the combination of buttery graham cracker crust combined with the fudgy goodness of chocolate chunks swirled into airy cake and then topped off with a light and delicious marshmallow frosting.

Yum!

Want to try? You won't regret it! 

S'mores Cupcakes

Graham cracker crust:

1.5 cups graham cracker crumbs

3 tbsp butter

Cake:

shhhh...I cheated and used Betty Crocker Devil's Food mix! (and yes, I have come to the conclusion that once in awhile it is okay to do this)

1/2 bag Hershey's chocolate chunks

Frosting:

16 oz powdered sugar 

1/2 cup butter, softened

3 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup marshmallow topping

Topping:

2 Hershey Chocolate Bar

2 Graham Cracker sheets

Directions:

1. Melt butter and mix with graham cracker crumbs, press about 1/4 inch of mixture into bottom of cupcake liners

2. Prepare cake mix according to package directions, add chocolate chunk, mix well and then add 1/4 on top of graham cracker crust in cupcake liners

3. Bake according to cake directions

4. Prepare icing by mixing all ingredients with an electric beater until light and fluffy

5. When cakes have cooled completely, ice with frosting

6. Top each iced cupcake with 1 Hershey rectangle and crumbled graham cracker 

7. ENJOY! 

8. Have s'more later (hehe...couldn't resist ;-) )

planning for week in the life

Whew, has it been a whirlwind of activity around here!

School weekends, homework, house hunting, and all of the miscellaneous other stuff is keeping me on my toes. I am SO looking forward to next week and documenting my week! 

At first I wasn't sure if I would play along with Week in the Life because it is not going to be a typical week for me as it is April vacation week, but upon further thought I decided that participating in this project will be a fun and fresh way to scrapbook our vacation. Providing all goes well with this, I will pick another "normal week" to document.

So on to the goods...

PAPERS:

FONT:

ALBUM:

I can't wait to have my toes in the sand and watch beautiful sunsets and be able to document it all with this great project!

an invitation to mmb

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spring is here

Where flowers bloom so does hope.
Lady Bird Johnson

busy

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reciprocation

I'm tutoring tomorrow which means two things...

#1-I get to help a couple of great girls with their homework

and

#2- I will have my weekly violin lesson

 I teach the younger of the two her writing and math and she teaches me violin (something I have always wanted to learn!)

What is something new you have tried recently?

something from almost nothing- prompt 5

Although it a an absolutely gorgeous day weather wise and hard to think about rain on a day like this, please indulge me for a moment...

The layout I made using page protectors for this prompt is about my new rainboots...because well, part of celebrating life is celebrating the little things that make us happy, right? I can honestly say that I have never used page protectors to do anything other than protect my pages. I ended up just cutting one up to make journaling strip holders which I then sewed on. The journaling is hidden behind the picture.

But for the record, as much as I adore my lovely new boots, I would like to not have to pull them out for a while on account of more gorgeous weather like this!

One a side note, it has been a very exciting day around here. This morning we finalized our pre-approval process and met with our realtor to see a couple of houses! After hearing the news we celebrated with mimosas because we just happened to have oj and champagne hanging around ;-) 

don't mind the bed head, we had just gotten up!

I knew I make do a before/after scrapbook of our future new home, but think I am also going to keep all of these pictures and other home related bits in a folder together. I think it will be a great way to preserve this very exciting time in our lives! Have any of you done this?

Tonight is date night at the ice cream shop and then reviewing our packet from our realtor and making food for tomorrow's Easter celebration. 

Hope your weekend is lovely and full of things that bring joy to your heart and a smile to your face!

a blast from the past

While looking through some of my old scrapbooks today I found one of my favorite layouts. 

A few years ago when I was first starting out with this crafty endeavor of ours, I saw an article about layouts inspired by surveys. I picked and chose questions from a couple of the suggested quizzes and sent it off to mmb to fill out. I filled mine out as well and didn't read his until I was done. It was very fun!  I loved reading what his answers were and seeing if our answers matched up.

(sorry about the horrendous lighting)

Although all of the answers were great to read, I was particularly interested in how to describe each other in 7 words

she said...

smart, funny, loving, thoughtful, outgoing, supportive, wonderful

(turns out I was right ;-) ...)

he said...

It gave me butterflies all over again.

If you want to play along and make your own he said/she said layout, here are the questions I used in the survey:

How did the two of you meet?

What first attracted you to him/her?

Was it love at first sight or a friendship that blossomed?

How do you settle your differences?

Tell about one of his/her quirks

What is something you really agree on?

What is the kindest thing he/she has ever done for you?

What is the most interesting thing about him/her?

How did you first know you loved him/her?

Describe him/her in 7 words

I think it might be time to revisit this survey and see how the answers compare three years later! 

Have you ever made a layout based on a survey or interview?