this week’s highlights

Saturday / After a week of traveling, and a few days at home taking it easy (and doing my best to fight off a little cold), I was due for some fresh air. Yes, I am completely missing the brisk and very Fall scented Boston air, but my heart is also filled with gratitude. San Diego has been a wonderful place for us to call home, and it has truly brought us both so much growth and opportunity. So no, no Fall here today. But a beautiful, and reliably hot and sunny San Diego.

printed gift bag / green gift bag / blanket scarf (which will be used as a travel picnic blanket – from the Target “Dollar Stop”) / striped pajamas

Sunday / I don’t know about you, but for me, I can barely go one week without stopping into Target. And especially this time of year when they are rolling out all of the Christmas goodies, I basically have no willpower. So today was one of those days when I went in with no list and no plan. It was purely a “for fun” Target trip. And really, those are the best kinds. (Although my husband might feel slightly differently.)

Monday / Since Mondays are sort of our Saturdays over here, I decided to jazz up our normally very simple lunch routine with a pizza today. Because really, anytime is the perfect pizza time. And today in my wild imagination, we were somewhere off in Tuscany. And in Tuscany, you definitely eat pizza for lunch. And you also drink wine with lunch, but luckily for my work schedule I didn’t let my imagination run that wild.

Tuesday / For my “no open drinks sitting on the sofa” husband, this isn’t exactly a compromise. But for me, this sparks all kinds of joy! I picked up this insulated coffee cup from Tatte Bakery while we were in Boston last week, and really, it was love at first sight. “Dream Every Day.” Just looking at this mug makes me smile. And then it makes me think of Boston. And that makes me smile too. And then I think about dreaming. And that makes me smile. And it keeps my coffee hot for hours. And that also makes me smile. And I have some peppermint mocha creamer in my coffee which basically makes it taste like a hot chocolate. And you know what? That makes me smile too. So yeah, the lid is on to appease the hubby. But really, I’m just over here living my best work-from-home life.

Wednesday / We don’t officially change over the house for Christmas until after Thanksgiving, but there are two things that I always have us do early. The first is pretty obvious, and I have mentioned it a few times before: we listen to Christmas music. (But honestly, I put on Christmas music anytime year-round just because.) And the second thing gets me really excited for the Holiday season: we hang up our garlic. Yes, garlic. Growing up my little brother used to refer to garland as garlic, and it has always stuck. So the garlic is hung, and so are the lights, and everything feels so instantly cheery.

Thursday / The deed is done. The deed is finally done. After eight months of having the box sit unopened in our closet, three weeks untouched and dumped out onto our desk, a few weeks of barely making any attempts, and then a few weeks of very dedicated attention, we finished it. Yes, our 1,000 piece Christmas puzzle from last year has finally been finished. And honestly, it was pretty fun. But not so fun that I’m ready to dump out another puzzle just yet. The hubby has different ideas though. For all I know he’s already in the other room getting started on the next one.

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Friday / So I don’t have the picture to prove it (yet), but this is me now. Yep, I am officially a fanny pack kind of girl. For months now I have been eyeing other people’s fanny packs as I pass them on the street. They look so effortless, and really, it’s because they are. A fanny pack is really just a vessel to make your life easier. So I decided to get my feet wet with one, and honestly I could not be any happier. I picked this one up from L.L. Bean to use for walks, hikes, camping and the like. Its bright colors felt so retro and fun that I just couldn’t resist. So I ordered it, I got it, and I love it!