One of the earliest things I found on Pinterest  was this fun little makeup display:

I’ve been obsessed with it since then, because I think it would address some of my problems with my makeup (namely, that it either gets buried in my one little drawer to the point that I only every use the two things that are right up front or that it either spreads out all over my limited counter space driving my husband crazy and running the risk of being grabbed by two year old hands).

So, I put it on my 2012 To Do List and went merrily along my way, hoping I’d find some time to get to it during the year, despite my less than crafty tendencies.

THEN.

Last week, N.C. called me downstairs. It was the night before we were going to celebrate his birthday and he asked me if I could come help him with something. I sort of assumed he wanted my input on what he was going to wear, or a restaurant he had found that he wanted me to look at. Instead, as I came into the room, this is what I saw:

Sorry for the offcenter image, it was either that or lay down across my entire counter to get it straight on. I love y’all, but not that much.

That’s right. For HIS birthday, N.C. had made ME a gift. The thing I’ve been wanting for-evah. I was SO touched, and so excited to get it filled (this isn’t quite everything. He did an admirable job of picking out my makeup and applying magnets to them, but he missed a few. It’s fuller now).

I’ve been using it a little over a week now, and I LOVE it. It’s so easy to have all my makeup right there–it’s away from prying toddler hands, but out of the black hole of a drawer. I’m not scrounging for my brushes, or digging digging digging for that one little tiny eyeliner, because BOOM, they’re right there. And, as a bonus, because I can SEE all my makeup, I’m actually using more of my makeup–I’m pulling out the colors I forgot I had, or trying the sparkly stuff I never could find. It’s awesome.

So, yay to checking off a 2012 To-Do item, courtesy of an amazingly thoughtful husband. And even bigger yay to a husband who decided that for his birthday, he wanted to do something nice for me—you can’t win much more than that!

P.S. Logistics: it’s been varnished to try and help with any humidity, but we also have our sink/counter area separate from our shower area. I’m not sure if the paper would hold up great in a humid bathroom over the long term, but the varnish will probably help anything we might face.

It’s Friday, and here in San Diego the sun is shining, the sky is a brilliant blue, and the trees are blooming.

I’m reminded how lucky I am to have landed in this little corner of the world, a place where my daily quota for sunshine is almost always met, where I see the ocean every day on my commute, and where, if I’m honest, it pains me to think of ever leaving. We may someday–the cost may be too high, the distances from family too great, the opportunities too limited–but for now, I look up into the blue and am glad to be home.

The problem with getting sick two weeks before Christmas is that the to-do list still stares you down even as you’re hacking up a lung.

So everything becomes a choice:

Sleep or get the Christmas tree (if not, it’ll have to wait another week)? Rest or decorate the Christmas tree? Keep your germ addled self home or finish the last of the Christmas shopping for the gifts that HAVE to ship this week? (sorry other shoppers. I tried to not breath on anything or touch what I wasn’t buying). Wrap said gifts or nap? Finish Christmas cards or lay on the couch coughing so hard you won’t need an ab workout all week?

I mean, all things being equal, I’d rather be sick two weeks before Christmas than ON Christmas (we’ve done that before. It’s miserable). And it does serve to really focus your attention on the things that NEED to get done in the holiday craziness. But sadly, that NEED list does exist, and there’s a timeline on everything on them, so you figure out what can wait until you feel more human, and what can’t. Christmas cards? Can wait. Gifts that have to ship this week? Can’t.

What was I saying about being a grownup again?

This weekend, while the Northeast was getting hit with a snowstorm, we were doing this:

(don’t hate us too much!)

We took Jackson and Sasha to a dog beach on Sunday evening. It was meant to be an hour or so of letting them run around and hopefully burn off some energy during the witching hours, a chance to enjoy the nice weather while changing up the scenery for mom and dad. Neither N.C. or I expected either of them to get in the water, even though the weather was nice. I mean…it was almost November!

And then they both found this little pool of water on the beach.

Next thing we know, they’re both tromping through it, and surprisingly, it’s deeper than we thought. In fact, it was perfect toddler and dog depth, just deep enough to frolick and play and get soaking wet. I’d say it was probably about 1.5 feet deep at the deepest point, perfectly still, and, admittedly, very inviting.

Jackson spent the next 30 minutes playing in this little pool of water. He had a blast, splashing about, running from one side of the pool to the other, rolling around in the shallow parts. Sasha would join him occasionally, and N.C. and I did our fair share of chasing him from one end of the pool to the other, but even without the rest of us he was in a state of constant motion. He ended up soaking wet, coated in sand, and smiling from ear to ear.

It was a perfect evening, one that left us all happy and smiling, with that kind of tired where you sleep great from having been in the elements laughing and running. It was the kind of evening that made me thankful, yet again, that we live here. Because my evening on October 30th included a soaking wet little boy, contemplating the joys of the beach.

1. I am more likely to clean if someone is coming over who might judge me. On a related note, it’s AMAZING how much you can get cleaned in an hour if you have to.
2. My child REALLY needs at least two massive sessions of physical activity a day to not be a total pill. Oh, he’ll still be a pill, but less so.
3. Changing a habit is really hard. Changing more than 5 at once is a recipe for crazy making. But once you realize that you need to change something, and you actually take it to heart, it’s impossible to not try.
4. My kid is awesome, but he is not a sit quietly kind of kid. Maybe someday he’ll be able to do things like hay rides and story times, but for now, it’s better for us all if we don’t try to make him be what he’s not.
5. Having someone watch your kid for free is SO MUCH better than paying a babysitter. I really need that babysitter’s collective I’ve been dreaming of.
6. Being a parent comes with certain physical dangers. If anyone has any hints on how to stop being a toddler punching bag, I’m open to suggestions over at Noodle Knobs.
7. A full weekend, while exhausting, makes it that much easier to really leave work at work. Making memories (both good and bad) is a great use of a weekend.