pretty swell — Page 3

Happiness is: homegrown lettuce

April 11, 2012

Isn’t this lettuce beautiful? Laura and our dad are growing a garden again this year, and I’m so lucky to get to share in the harvest. Marc and I made salads with our dinner last night using Laura’s lettuce, and they were delicious. You can really taste a difference. Three cheers for local foods!

Read the full article →

Easter egg-venture

April 10, 2012

Dyeing Easter eggs with a four-year-old is nothing short of an adventure. The night before our little project, Lily tore into the kit and decided to taste the green tablet. Then somehow, all of the other tablets got wet too. Thank goodness she didn’t eat enough to get sick, but the green dye stuck around [...]

Read the full article →

Happiness is: forever tries

April 10, 2012

After a particularly low parenting moment recently, I took to Twitter as I often do when I need to vent. Its vastness is comforting. My little tweet is like a tiny rock tossed into the ocean. Swallowed up before I can even blink. I love that I can put something out into the universe and [...]

Read the full article →

11 months old

April 7, 2012

Sophie is one busy little lady. What with all these new tricks, a girl’s gotta keep practicing, right? My new favorite Sophie thing is the standing. She’ll get herself all the way up onto her feet without holding onto anything, smack in the middle of the room, and then look around like “how did I [...]

Read the full article →

And then I cracked

April 5, 2012

I had such good intentions. Happiness 365 was supposed to be a daily exercise in gratitude. The fulfillment of a New Year’s resolution to be more mindful. Little doses of happiness, from my kids’ sweet faces to a video that gave me goosebumps, made me smile each time I posted them. But I just couldn’t [...]

Read the full article →

Anatomy of the Cooper River Bridge Run (newbie style)

April 4, 2012

5:45 a.m. — Alarm rings; I press snooze twice. 6:15 a.m. — Eat breakfast, lovingly packed for me by The Deputy (mini bagel, peanut butter, half a banana, water). 6:30 a.m. — Suit up! It takes me four attempts to pin my bib straight. I’m a Virgo after all. 6:45 a.m. — Meet my crew [...]

Read the full article →

Eating healthy: chicken quesadillas

April 4, 2012

I can’t get enough Mexican food. So when we changed our lifestyle, I thought for sure I’d have to bid a teary farewell to my beloved burritos. I was wrong! Thank goodness. There are plenty of healthy options out there, and cooking at home is the easiest way to avoid high-calorie temptations (hello basket of [...]

Read the full article →

Still alive!

April 3, 2012

I finished the Cooper River Bridge Run. I burst into tears crossing the finish line. One of my fellow runners was wearing leopard-print skivvies and not much more. I will never run again. One of these things is not true. I am totally hooked! And already making plans for next year. I’ll be back in [...]

Read the full article →

Happiness is: Polaroid postcards

March 29, 2012

How cool is this? Turn your Polaroids into postcards, just like that. If only I had a Polaroid camera. Hmmm. I’ll put it on my list for Santa, as Lily would say. Oh, and there are a ton of other nifty things at Photojojo. Lenses for my iPhone? Yes, please. Camera nerds rejoice!

Read the full article →

Two days and counting

March 29, 2012

Twenty-four hours from now, I’ll be in the car on my way to Charleston for the Cooper River Bridge Run. I’m so excited I think I might pee my pants. The notion of me running any further than the distance between the couch and the fridge used to be unthinkable. I am not a runner. [...]

Read the full article →

Happiness is: breakfast for dinner

March 28, 2012

Any excuse to eat bacon, I’ll take it. I’ve even figured out how to incorporate it into our healthy diet. I just couldn’t say goodbye. I’ll put one strip on a sandwich, or crumble a strip onto a salad. Or, my new favorite is pictured above. Three strips of pre-cooked bacon only has 80 calories. [...]

Read the full article →

Happiness is: being home

March 27, 2012

I’ve been away for a couple of days at a conference that I helped organize. I’m exhausted. My belly isn’t happy. And I really (really) missed my family. I don’t have an adorable photo of the girls to post here because I was too busy squeezing them all evening. And not many clever words are [...]