Things I Love Lately // 2.2.14

I missed posting my Thursday list earlier this week and I will miss again this week--so I thought I'd hit you with a little "Things I Love Lately" to hold you over. ;)

• Celebrating a great friend, among great friends over the last weekend in sunny southern California (and Catalina!)
  
• The first 2/3 of Gone with the Wind (As far as I've gotten so far...) ~ So many passages stand out as exceptional examples of capturing and expressing each character--especially Scarlett O'Hara. Most recently, I was taken with the following: "Religion had always been a bargaining process with Scarlett." 
• This silly little snowman that the girls made this week in our tiny snowstorm (that managed to shut school down for 2 days) 
  
• The vulnerable openness of those that are able to sleep on airplanes
• These sweet cheese knives I received as a birthday surprise upon my return from SoCal ~ They're everything I love: Cute critters, ivory, gold accents, and related to CHEESE! 
  
• Welcoming my dad and mom from Oregon this week ~ They are here to love and care for the monkeygirls while we are away.
• The anticipation of seeing friends and catching up with them over cocktails in the sunshine ~ For the majority, this is the one time all year to see one another. Traveling from all the corners of the country, we converge in one resort on this amazingly indulgent vacation to celebrate professional achievements.  
• Simply sweet surprises ~ Like when your neighbor just pops over with some cocoa for the monkeys after the snowfall. 
  
• Cheese Straws ~ This is a Southern Delight that I've grown to love and appreciate wholeheartedly. They are little cracker/cookies that are light, crisp, crunchy, and delicious. I haven't even had any homemade yet--the "store bought" are amazing enough. I'm sure a homemade version would blow my mind. 
• My fancy nail art ~ This is an idea I saw in a magazine last week. I'm trying another version of it this week for my sunny vacation. 
  
• Anna Kendrick ~ Especially so after seeing her Newcastle Superbowl commercial.
• This gum (Thank you, Amy!) 
  
• How my girls light up when they're with their grandpa and grandma
• The first 3/4 of The Goldfinch (As far as I've gotten so far… --I am also reading another hefty novel; Remember?) and finding another goldfinch on the wall in our hotel room over the weekend ~ It really is the little things, people.