This morning I woke up around 6:00 a.m. (without an alarm clock, I tend to sleep really late like that....ha, ha!  If you'd have told me ten years ago that 6:00 a.m. was late, I'd have cocked a "you're insane" eyebrow at you).  For the first time in a few weeks, I didn't feel completely stressed.  I've been feeling a bit, for lack of a better word, claustrophobic, for a while, but yesterday Steve & I talked about some ways that I can add a bit of organization and order to my life that I think are really going to help.  And on top of that, yesterday was just a thouroughly delightful day.  The girls had a playdate with a friend; honestly, though, it was more of a playdate for me because, this friend has the added bonus of having a mother that I consider a dear friend.  It was a wonderful morning!  I always consider it a good day when I get to use words like "eclectic" and "quirky" in conversation!  And this friend always inspires me.  Her house is absolutely gorgeous...every time I leave there, I am full to the brim with decorating ideas and plans for cool things to do to the house...  And then, my grandparents came down for dinner last night and we just had a wonderful time talking and catching up...and dinner turned out particularly yummy!  I made Crock-pot ribs, Paula Deen's Tomato Pie, some homemade bread, and a Southern Living Lemon Blueberry Cream pie (with some of the blueberries that I picked on Tuesday).

And, as I smiled to myself this morning with the early morning sun streaming through the bedroom window, I thought about how fun today was going to be, too!  The girls & I were all set to meet Steve's sister Sarah and our nephew Matthew at the infamous water-squirty park.  This is always a fun outing for me.  I love the open-air mall where the dancing water fountain (that's the official name for the water-squirty park) is.  I love the slightly European feel and well, it's just fun!  And I was extra-excited today for purely selfish reasons .  First, I was going to get a burrito from Moe's  for lunch.  It's a special treat because they're fairly expensive (for lunch anyway) and the girls don't like going there, but since Sarah was going to be there too, I thought I'd splurge and grab one.  And, when I was at the open-air mall earlier this week, I went in Bath & Body Works and smelled the new Coconut, Lime Verbena stuff and instantly fell in love.  I'm trying to do better about not making spur-of-the-moment puchases and not to be so self-induldging (I know that sounds ridiculous after I just said I was going to splurge on a burrito, but it's about little steps, right?), so I didn't get any, even though they were having a great sale .  But, yesterday, when we got home, there was a box from my sister filled up with the stuff that the girls and I left when we were up there.  And, more than a few suprises for all of us - some hairbows for the girls, extra sunscreen, and a gorgoues coral eyelet dress for me which I totally love...it's the perfect summer dress.  And on the top of all those wonderful goodies was a sweet card, handmade by my sister (with the help of my new all-time favorite crafting tool...the Cuttlebug) and tucked inside was a gift card to Bath and Body works.  Since I'm not one to hold on to gift cards for long (partly because I'm very into instant gratification and partly because Abigail manages to find and hide any gift card that I keep longer than two days), I decided I was going to pick up some Cocount, Lime, Verbena body lotion today.  And, on top of those two delights of taste and scent, I was also going to run to JCPenny and pick up my very-early anniversary present.

One thing that I struggle with on an almost-daily basis is Abigail getting into my jewelry and strewing it all over the place.  I have a wonderful little jewelry box that Steve & Gracie gave me for Christmas several years ago, but the girls broke the hinges on the lid and it doesn't hold everything.  I've also got an earring holder that my mom gave me when I was still in college sitting on the bathroom counter.  I love it, but it leaves everything out in the open, easy for little hands to get to.  Yesterday, at my friend's house, she showed me a beautiful photo collage that she has hanging in her bedroom.  (I was really tickled to see the photos since they were all taken by me at their family photo session at the beach last November...there's no greater compliment to me than seeing my work displayed lovingly in people's homes...that just rocks!).  Anyway, when I commented on how beautiful it was, she said, "Check this out!" and opened up the frame to show.....are your ready for this.....a JEWELRY BOX...with room for tons of earrings and necklaces and even some bracelets.  I was so excited and when I showed Steve the one I found online, he agreed that it would be perfect and told me I could go ahead and get my anniversary present early.  Yippeee!!!

So, I was thinking about all these exciting things this morning when I heard Steve, who was standing in the living room, ask me, "Is it raining?"  Which isn't as odd of a question as it sounds...He asks this quite frequently when he calls me from work because if it's rained, that means he doesn't have to water the grass, a task which I think is fast losing its fun!  I looked out the window and said  "Nope, not raining!"  And then realized that while the question wasn't peculiar, the timing was.  Why in the world was he asking that at 6:00 a.m.?  And why didn't he just look out the picture window in the living room?  I knew something was up.  So, I went out into the living room and found him looking up at the ceiling where a large wet spot was every-so-slowly growing and as I looked up, too, I saw a slow drip forming in the center of the spot.  Ummmm, great.... and even greater was the wet spot on the floor where the drip had evidently been drip, drip, dripping all night long.  We cleaned it up and put a bucket underneath. 

Here's why I love my husband.  If it were still me living here by myself,  I would have completely panicked and had no idea what to do.  I'd have called my grandparents and my grandfather would have come down and checked it out.  Steve grabbed his ladder, a flashlight, and his old tennis shoes and climbed up into the attic crawlspace where he discovered a leak.  He taped it up, climbed back down, and asked me to find the plumber's phone number. 

So, instead of stuffing my face with a burrito, smelling delicious lime and coconut, watching the girls and their cousin play in the fountain, and loading up jewelry and pictures into my anniversary present, the girls and I stayed home to wait for the plumber.  In the for what it's worth department, this is the third time the plumbers have come out in a month.  The same man came out this time and this time the girls recognized him.  Steve said I should have offered him coffee and doughnuts since he's such a regular visitor!    Luckily, it wasn't a major repair and I think we saved a bunch of money since Steve had already identified where the leak was.  Sarah is on her way over with Matthew now so we'll still be able to see the kids playing.  It will just be in the pool instead of the fountain.  And Moe's and Bath & Body Works and JCPenny will all be there another day.  So, really, I have very little, if anything, to complain about!

Here's Gracie when she realized that "the plumbing guy" was in the ceiling!





While we were waiting, I finished up this week's Project 365 layout.  Here are the last three week's worth of layouts (as always, you can click them to see them bigger and read the journaling)