Things I Love Thursday // 10.17.13

• Having Grandma Lulu visit for her birthday weekend
• How different it felt celebrating Lulu's birthday this year (post-chemo and in remission) versus where we were at this time last year (just diagnosed and pre-treatment)
• This "Leaf Kabob" that G put together on a walk with Grandma 
  
• Fall creeping into the trees and the breeze and the chilly mornings
• Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Almond Toffee (in the little red bags) ~ Conveniently located at the checkout counter in individual serving-sizes 
• Grandma's Sewing Circle 
  
• These cute and cozy sweatshirts with attention to stylish detailing (length of cuffs, zippered shoulder, stitched accent at the back of neck) at Target ~ Which color must you have?
• Watching paint dry ~ Well, only because it's drying in my updated pantry closet ;)
• Well Read Women: Portraits of Fiction's Most Beloved Heroines by Samantha Hahn ~ Not only do I love the illustrations and the quotes which give each character a voice as well as a presence, I love the book as a reference for the novels, plays, and poetry I have yet to consume. As Samantha Hahn writes, "I invite you into this book... to meet these heroines, befriend them, and in the process perhaps, learn about yourself... I hope you enjoy gazing into the eyes of all of the powerful, damaged, beautiful, and incandescent women in my book. I hope you follow them back to their original stores and come to see them in your own way too."
• The idea of using your children's art work as cake toppers (That's Lulu's "Birthday Breakfast Zucchini Bread) ~ Martha Stewart Living (October, 2013) 
  
• Oven Roasted Tomato Jam with Garlic and Herbs from Copper Pot Traditions, located in Asheville, NC but available to YOU on Etsy
• That my kids think my singing voice is "wonderful" and they enjoy singing with me in the car ~ This is seriously a phenomenon of the beautifully filtered way we are seen (and heard) through the eyes and hearts of our children.
• When, on a random Sunday afternoon, you can wander around my house and find this happening 
  
• These funky and fun Brass State Rings from Larissa Loden
• This fun Colorblocking Twist Knitting Sweater that I haven't pulled the trigger on yet... but that's a really good price, y'all!
• My silly peeps