Friday Snapshots

Happy Friday to one and all! Just a few quick snapshots for you today.

1. Don’t forget that Monday (11/24) is our first Dare to DIY linkup! Katja (Shift Ctrl Art) will be hosting, so get busy on a project that fits the Dare to be Thankful theme, and be ready to share it on Monday. Visit these previous posts if you need some inspiration. Here’s a sneak peek of what I made.

2. Speaking of projects, my mom and I tackled an exciting one this week. Our family room (or living room? is there an actual difference or can the names be used interchangeably?) has a huge, dark, ugly orange stone fireplace, and it has been the bane of my existence for these past 2.5 years in our house. It’s nearly impossible to decorate, I’ve never been able to make it look like it fits in the room, and I’ve certainly never liked it, but also have never had any ideas of how to change it. My mom said it ought to go white. And when my mom tells me to do something in my house, I have learned to shut up and do it, because as I’ve mentioned before, she is always right. I can’t wait to get some better pictures of it all finished up—it came out amazing.

3. I don’t really know what’s going on here lately, but Forrest is being so nice to Darcy. For the longest time, he more or less ignored her. He was never mean to her, but he wasn’t really nice, either—he’d just kind of pretend she wasn’t there, and only acknowledged her existence if she was bothering him in some way. He seems to have just started realizing, though, that she might actually be playmate potential. He loves making her laugh, plays endless games of peekaboo with her, constantly brings her toys to play with (maybe this hand-and-foot servitude is part of the reason she is still barely crawling--why learn to move when you have a faithful servant at your beck and call, bringing you toys whenever you show even the tiniest amount of boredom?).

In the bath last night, they were both facing away from me (and I don’t think they realized I was watching) when Forrest reached out, put his arm around Darcy, and pulled her over to him. They just sat there, snuggling quietly in the tub with their heads together, for a minute or two before she scooted away to grab a toy and splash. It was one of the sweetest, most precious moments I’ve ever seen them share. Totally makes up for her furious bellowing earlier in the day when she was determined to steal his toy and he couldn’t distract her quickly enough.

4. And, related to point 3, I think I have a tub photo addiction. At what age am I no longer allowed to take naked bath pictures of my kids?

5. I’ve been wading through a sad little book slump this week. I’ve started 3 separate books, all of which were okay enough for me to spend an evening with, but not great enough for me to want to pick them up again the next day. Book slumps are my nemesis. Are you reading anything great lately you’d like to recommend? I’m all ears.