22 Facts and Questions

11 Random Facts (I was tagged by Amanada. These are fun, haven't done one in awhile.)

...and I'm tagging Ali, Jenny, and Sarah. I think that's all the folks who read my blog, other than Amanda. My questions for you all are at the bottom. Basically, give me 11 random facts about yourself and answer my 11 random questions :).

1. When asked this type of question (random fact), I almost always begin by stating that I went to 13 different schools growing up. That in itself has influenced so much of who I am/my relationships/my approach to life: I don't have time for fakeness. Sometimes I am too candid, I know. :)

2. I used to always dream about/romanticize the possibility of living somewhere cold and snowy. After living in Boston for 3 years, that's no longer an issue :).

3. Marriage used to seem like such a far off thing. I never thought I'd be married until I was at least 30. I also thought I wouldn't be able to have children. Then I got married at 23 and had my first kid at 26! Don't regret a thing.

4. People usually talk about how scary it is raising a girl. Honestly, I feel more intimidated at the thought of raising a boy. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that I have met so many disappointing men throughout my life. I welcome the possibility but view it as a great responsibility. I'm honored to have it, but hope I do it right. I guess you can call this a fear. I'm married to a wise man, though. A real man, at that. I know that's definitely a good start.

5. I've written over 500 poems throughout my life. Most of them are terrible; I'd say about 97% aren't very good. I've never been able to write a long story, though.

6. Math intimidates me (a lot). That's not a big secret. I wish I was good at it, because there are so many great careers that heavily involve it. (For instance, I like planets. Wish I could be an astronomer. ;) I know I can change my feelings, but it will take time.

7. When I first started baking, I'd always leave out the salt even if a recipe called for it... One of the worst things I could've done. Things tasted so flat. I thought 1/2 tsp of salt couldn't make that much of a difference. Turns out, it can make or break the recipe! Salt is key! :)

8. On spirituality: Some people struggle to believe in God. For some reason, that has never been an issue for me. I have struggled a lot with the modern day approach to Christianity, though. This is disappointing to admit, but some of the worst people I know are "Christians". It makes me sad, but I know God is even more troubled by this fact. I try. So please, if I ever say anything/do anything on this blog that is contrary to what you think Christ would do, please point it out. I can agree with these "religious views" I once came across on a Facebook profile: "Jesus is going to come back and say, 'That's not what I meant.'"

9. On a lighter note :), my itunes playlist is very much outdated. No matter how hard I "try" to find new, good music, I only add a few songs to it every month. I don't know if my music preferences have changed all that much. I feel like music just isn't as good as it used to be.

10. I've always wanted a sister. I have a brother, and I love him dearly, but I feel like a good/healthy sister bond can't compete with even the best of friendships.

11. My husband likes chocolate more than I do. I guess you can say that's more of a random fact about him, but I prefer more "vanilla-y" desserts, like creme brulee or yellow cake with strawberries and cream.

Amanda's 11 questions for her tagged audience:

What makes you happy? Healthy family relationships, spiritually and humanly speaking.

What can you never get enough of? Family time...do you see a pattern here? ;)

What's your favorite time of the day? When my husband gets home. Also, the morning. I love stepping outside early in the morning, especially when the air feels cool and crisp.

What's your favorite time of the year? Christmas and Valentine's Day. But if we're back East, Fall and Spring.

Is there a time in your life you wish you could live over? Parts of my childhood.

Something you have seen in the last 24 hours that is beautiful: My family interact with Mirabel. So glad she is close to her grandparents.

Something you wish you did more of: Pray and sleep... and create things.

Something that you do really well: Talk LOL

Something you've made that you are proud of: Mirabel and Gluten Free Pastries. Same difference. HA :)!

You just won a free trip to anywhere in the world. Where do you go? This is really tough. I feel like I don't know enough about the beautiful, remote places of the world to answer this fairly. But I do think it would be cool to visit some of the Holy Cities. Realistically speaking, though, maybe the countryside somewhere in Italy. But I'd be sure to get Anthony Bourdain's advice about it first :).

What celebrity do you think you could be good friends with given the chance? This is also tough to answer because I don't read-up on celebrities that much to know about their personalities. So I'll answer this based on who I admire in the talent department. I think Rosie Thomas is an interesting, talented character. She is a singer/songwriter by day and comedian by night. Unique combo because her songs can be so heartfelt and serious... I usually view comedians as folks who don't take life too seriously, but I guess I'm giving into a stereotype there. She could prove me wrong, though.

Here are two of my favorite songs by her, again, from my college-dated playlist:

Now here are my 11 questions for you:

1. What's your favorite childhood memory?

2. How many careers do you hope to have in your life?

3. What are the top 3 books you've read in 2011?

4. What are your 3 favorite songs?

5. Who is the first person you run to when you've got good news to share?

6. When is the last time you cried and why?

7. What was the last thing that made you laugh?

8. What's the best joke you know? :)

9. Do you sing in the shower or when you're home alone (or dance, instead)?

10. What cable channel do you find yourself watching the most--if you watch tv?

11. What is your favorite classic book?

Stolen from Facebook

This brought tears to my eyes. Love it.

I'm addicted

So I kept hearing about Pinterest on various blogs. I decided to check it out, and it is cooler than the other image saving site I joined. I signed up to join it and finally got an invite email a week later (last night). I'm addicted. I love how you can create categories and follow people, plus it's always updated. You can find images of everything on here. I've already found/tabbed a few kitchen gadgets I'd like to buy down the road. If you want an invite, let me know! This is one of the folders I created called "my fav colors" :).

Sweet Story

Life has been crazy-busy lately. I don't have much time to blog at the moment but I wanted to share this with you all; my aunt shared it on FB. I love this story!

Busy, busy, busy.

Moving plans. We're making them. 2 more months, and we're outta here! We still don't have a place to live, no rental home set up yet, but we've talked to the moving company and we're talking to realtors.

Things have been a bit hectic...

We weren't around much last week because Housing decided to install a sprinkler system in the building. Not sure why they don't wait until the summer... but their strange timing makes life much more exciting :P. We basically spent the day in another apartment and walked back to our place to sleep in the evenings. We kept a few toys and snacks at our temporary hang-out spot. When it came time to "move back in", there wasn't a spot to park near the other apartment, so we just used our handy stroller and paper bags to take our goodies back to our unit. It was pretty funny. I was laughing the entire way home; I asked Jose to pose, he chose an appropriate pose and expression, I think ;).

We spent quite a bit of time at the library. I call it my second home. Mirabel's even made a few new friends!

Twins? ;)

The sun shines again

Right now I'm sitting on the floor with Mirabel and the curtains are open because...the sun is shining! We even got to see the sunset driving home the other afternoon. I don't even remember the last time I saw it before then.

Spring is almost here.

And here is Mirabel crawling (or army crawling) backwards (last night). More like dragging across the floor. She doesn't crawl. I don't know if she ever will. :P She looks like a baby seal in this picture and the expression makes me laugh...

She wasn't eating many solids until recently. She hated purees, so she didn't want anything from the jar. I tried giving her fruit, but she gagged on the pieces. A friend recommended these feeders, and they work really well. We also discovered this life-saver! She actually eats now! I mean, more than just 2 bites, this is progress!!! :D

On a totally unrelated note. You know that ol' cute saying that's recently come back that goes something like "Keep Calm and Carry On"? Well, I want to get this shirt that captures that saying in a whole new way ;).

Yes, we made it to February!

Pic from here, Cran Beach! Where we'll be this May!

If this wasn't going to be my last winter here, I'd definitely purchase a happy light.

I believe the weather is taking a toll on me. Winter isn't over and we've already had over 60 inches of snow, and the average is 41 inches for the year!!!

I'm not a fan of having to walk 3 blocks to my car in the freezing cold, hoping I don't slip on the ice while holding Mirabel, because we don't have an official parking spot since they cost around $1500/year. I'm a little exhausted from worrying about the new damages done to my car, because I may have accidentally parked in someone's spot (though these supposed spots are unmarked and are really available on a first-come-first-served basis). The fear isn't unfounded, someone keyed the entire right side of my car, and someone else hit the back right bumper of my car without leaving any sort of note.

I'm a little tired of outrageous medical procedures, ranging from root canals that are twice as much as they are everywhere else, to incompetent doctors who go on Paris vacations during Thanksgiving with the money they collect from these ridiculous dental procedures--even though they can't fill a cavity so that the filling doesn't fall out, or even fit a temporary crown properly so that it stays put. (Yep, over the past 2 months, ONE SINGLE TOOTH has been filled twice, and that's just half of it.)

Then the pain IN THAT SAME TOOTH became unbearable and I discovered (or an entirely different endodontist discovered) that I actually need a root canal and crown on that tooth. (Even though the first incompetent dentist said I needed an antibiotic for the pain, for an infection that wasn't there. Remember, I need a root canal not an antibiotic.) The endodontist was disturbed by this too. This new endodontist did the root canal, and the old incompetent doc gave me a temporary crown (with a 15% discount, since she messed up earlier), which falls out 2 DAYS after she put it in, much like the filling that was never actually needed on that same tooth earlier on!!!!!!!!!! The irony of it all? The dental hygienist put on the second temporary crown and it fits better AND STAYS ON longer than the one the dentist initially put on. WOW. All that cost us $2500, and we found out it wouldn't have been much less if we had dental insurance (which is also too expensive).

Sigh. This blog is becoming a place for complaints, and I don't like that. But I feel like I'm about to pop because I haven't seen the sun in months. My poor husband is so consumed with school and work (school projects) this semester that I only talk to him about 30 minutes a day, with the exception of Sundays, so I need a place to vent.

BUT it's February, thank God!!!! We only have about 3.5 months left before we leave this place FOREVER. I also have a smilie baby, when she isn't sleepy or cranky because I need a nursing break (because those pesky new teeth are breaking my skin :|). Right now she's sleeping peacefully in my right arm while I type with my left hand (gonna go put her down now :). Phew, free hands now!

She is growing up so fast. Thankfully she's starting to like the sipper cup, since she never cared much for bottles, and she's used it a few times now! We're still trying to introduce solids, she doesn't like those much either, but she ate a few spoonfuls of turkey dinner and loves solid fruits and roasted veggies served in strips!

We are also planning a few mini-vacations, which we'll take in May when our family comes up for Jose's graduation. One of the places we'll be visiting is the beach. Check out the beautiful photo at the top of the entry; I found it on flickr, it's the beach we'll be visiting! Can't wait! :) I hope you all are staying warm! I hope spring comes quickly for us all!

The good thing about the weather? With all the staying indoors, nap times become craft times when I plan ahead and don't have other obligations, this means blog make-overs and Valentine-card making! They are a little cheesy, but I wanted to send some cards out to the grandparents that included her handprint. So I traced her hand and incorporated it into the card, so they can see how much she's grown since they haven't seen her since August!

Now that I have a little girl...

I've been a fan of the Sanrio crew since I was a kiddo. Growing up in Southern California (I spent the first 9 years of my life there), I was surrounded by Hello Kitty and her pals (I'm very thankful to my young group of friends for introducing me to them).

Between the ages of 5 and 7, I lived two blocks away from a shopping center that included a Japanese bakery called Mikawaya, a grocery store formerly called Meiji Market, and a Sanrio Surprise (oh yes, and I was also about a mile away from the King's Hawaiian Bread headquarters!). My grandma and I used to go there all the time for fresh fish; my mom and I used to bike ride there on sunny Saturday afternoons. We'd be sure to stop by the Sanrio store so I could pick up a grab bag, or some over priced (but seriously cute) My Melody or Little Twin Stars mechanical pencils, for my matching plastic and probably pink pencil case (with an equally cute Sanrio character featured on the lid).

So many positive associations with these fun characters which is why I can't seem to let them go, even though I'm pushing 27.

But I don't have an excuse for Calico Critters.

And I didn't discover these Sugar Bunnies until high school/college (part of the Sanrio crew, possibly San-X). Doesn't this video have an Amelie twist to it? :)

Now that I have a little girl, I can use her as my reason for purchasing over-the-top girlie/kiddish items like these that I (yep, that would be me) just can't seem to outgrow ;).

Are there any cartoons or collectible items from your childhood that you don't want to outgrow either?

The best part about Christmas

My cousin posted this link on her FB feed and I really enjoyed reading it. Wanted to share with you all. Can't help but feel proud to be a human being after reading that :).

He's probably right...

We decorated the house (or our apartment, we moved back in yesterday) for Christmas. I, of course, felt that the blog should reflect the holiday. :D Jose believes I have a record for the amount of times a blogger can change their layout...he's probably right. Please bear with me :P. Thanks!!!

Now and Then

As I'm writing this post, I'm listening to baby M (she'll be referred to as that from now on ;) babble in her crib, in the room next door. I guess saying "room next door" makes it sound like we live in a place with multiple bedrooms. Don't be deceived by the lingo, our place is a little bigger than a walk-in closet. Still, I'm content with where I'm at. Also as I write this, I really really need to use the restroom, but I realize that my free time only exists when baby M is either asleep or in a good mood. But, again, don't let yourselves be deceived by that last statement; it's not meant to be received as a complaint, I am more than ok with not having much free time.

So what is this post all about? A few days ago I got a random email from blogger letting me know that my old blog received a spam comment. Funny thing is, I completely forgot about that blog. But part of the reason why I love blogging so much is that you can document your life in stages. That blog contains posts that document one of the toughest stages in my life yet. It was my pre-celiac-diagnosis blog. Gosh, there are some really sad posts in there. Not sad in the sense that I was balling my eyes out while writing the posts, but sad because I can't forget how I was physically feeling when I wrote most of those posts. I started that blog right before Jose and I got married, and stopped writing posts shortly after we got married. I was so sick that I was having a hard time working. I also had my gallbladder removed around that time, and the thought of having a child seemed like an impossible one. I knew about the PCOS, but I was more afraid of not being able to even carry a child if I somehow miraculously conceived, because I was so ill.

So here is the blog, it's called Woven With Words. I was just starting to post recipes online before ending that blog, and, as you can see, they are not gluten-free. Yep, changing my diet really did change my life for the better. I'm not spending more time in the bathroom than in other places, for one; definitely a major improvement.

Anyhow, there are other things I noticed when re-visiting that blog. At that point, we weren't sure where we were going to end up (we hadn't received all of Jose's law school acceptance letters), and we were so strapped for cash because I was only working part-time. AND, as I already mentioned, even keeping the part-time jobs was tough. We also had a lemon for a car; never buy a VW Passat. Ours had an engine that constantly had issues because it would fill with sludge; we eventually learned that that particular model had issues.

Reading the posts on that blog really, really brought to light how blessed we are these days. We have a cute, squishy little girl who greets us with a smile (and 5 pound dirty diaper :P) every morning. We've been married for almost 3 years now, and we're celebrating 5 years of togetherness this coming November. I, thankfully, have a secure job with flexible hours that allows me to work from home (total blessing at this point in my life). And I AM NOT IN PAIN ALL THE TIME! I cannot tell you how depressing it is to be in chronic pain. It's like you just can't see any glimmer of hope, because doctors don't have the answers. Thankfully, I finally came across a doctor that did have some answers.

If anyone struggling here today randomly happened to stumble upon this blog and this particular post, I'm going to tell you something: It does get better! No, sometimes not the way you want it to, or in the timing you would like, but gradually. Hanging onto hope and getting by a few prayers at a time are the way to make it. Thankfully, my diagnosis wasn't that bad--celiac disease is treatable, but even if you're struggling with something that doesn't have a quick fix or easy diagnosis...miracles do happen. I know it sounds cheesy, but the little girl I was referring to at the beginning of this post is my biggest miracle yet. Hang in there and know that you are not alone!

Farm Living is the Life for Me ;)...

image from here

When Mirabel was having some digestive issues awhile ago, I started drinking goat milk, eating goat cheese and baking with goat butter. I didn't notice a difference at all, then I started noticing things got worse when I ate nuts. So I started drinking cow's milk again and things didn't change at all, until I just stopped eating nuts. I've been nut free for over a month and she is better! Who would've thought?!

It was tough being cow's-milk free, but there was one nice thing about it. I discovered that I looove chevre! It is so delicious. It's kind of like cream cheese but more yogurt like in flavor, or more cream cheesy in taste. I also like goat milk, in general. Goat yogurt is pretty tasty too. At first, the thought of drinking goat milk kind of weirded me out, but then I thought about it. That's when it occurred to me, "hey, goats are cuter than cows!". I know, not a very enlightening thought. But goat milk is awesome because it's easier to digest than cow's milk, and it is actually pretty close to human milk.

So that got me thinking. Jose and I have talked about (on an off/on basis) having a farm. Living a bit outside of the city and raising a few animals. Not a large farm. Jose really likes this idea. In fact, I once asked him what his dream job would be and he said that he'd love to be a farmer. We are both pretty ignorant to farm life, but he really enjoyed working on his garden in high school. Me? Well, I just enjoy eating the stuff that comes out of the ground ;). So I'd be happy to cook whatever he grew. And I'd love to have a goat farm and produce goat milk and goat cheese! Wouldn't that be so cool?! I know, it's late, it's been a looong week, and I haven't had much sleep these last few nights, but it's a fun thought! Had some friends over this evening and one of them grew up in a family that owned a goat farm, that's what got me thinking about it...so I'm not totally crazy ;).

And isn't that little goat so cute??

My favorite animal

...well, one of my favorites :).

I recently started using one of those baby ring slings, and have to say that a simple piece of fabric has saved my life! Or just my arms ;). Mirabel likes it because it's not as constraining as other carriers, and she out grew her other carrier. I tried the beco butterfly and was thinking of getting an ergo but she can't stand being that tied up. The ring sling allows her to be more free...and I sometimes think she looks like a baby koala when I carry her around in it...

Putting together a summer outfit

This dress

These shoes

These earrings

The waiting game

37 weeks today. Nope, no sign of Mirabel yet. But the good news is that we're all set up!

We're not in the cottage yet (that'll be when we're in Austin), we're staying in a cozy condo here in Houston for the first 6-week internship. We can take a big breather, knowing that we're finally settled down and pretty much ready for her to come! She's got a doctor, a new car (well, it's more ours than hers :P), a little bed and bouncer, clean clothes, a hospital (where she'll be delivered) and Wednesday I meet with the midwives. (I decided to go with a midwife because we haven't had any complications and I think the support during the labor/delivery will be nice. :) This weekend, we've got a family baby shower :)! Then one more in a couple of weeks, but I wonder if that one will be a baby welcoming party instead ;)?!

Here are a couple of pics of the place, and one final pregnancy photo!

love this video more now

Before I started watching House, yes I was happy this was the show's theme song :), I heard this awesome song by Massive Attack. I've liked it since college and, though I wish I'd heard it sooner, it's still a hit on my playlist. I like it even more after seeing the video, though. A little strange, but so cool!

It's a...

It's a... Mirabelle ;). Well, that's HER name. We found out the good news on Friday, along with an update on how she's growing. All her organs are functioning as they should be and she's right on target. This is a shy little girl. Mirabelle had her legs crossed almost the entire time... I think she wanted to keep us guessing because seconds before she uncrossed her legs, and literally minutes before the doctor finished up the ultrasound, it looked like she opened her mouth a little and smiled. Take a look...

She liked keeping us guessing :), but now we know pretty much for sure and we couldn't be happier. Saturday we bought a couple of cute outfits. Baby clothes have gotten cuter over the years! I found some Hello Kitty baby socks along with some very fun looking shoes. Of course, the shoes won't fit her for awhile but they were definitely affordable and so so so cute! Can't wait to see the little feet that will fill these shoes.

Not only is this exciting for us because it's our first baby, but we're really trying to savor every moment of the pregnancy/ultrasounds/etc. because we aren't quite sure how many more kiddos we'll be able to have. Of course, we're already talking about baby #2 :), we'd love to have around 4 of our own, but I'm not sure what God has in store for us. Being pregnant has been such a fun experience so far. Thankfully, it's been a fairly smooth ride. But I'm starting to get to the point where I feel like I'm going to pop midway into my meals because my stomach is being scrunched up :D.

So how did we come up with the name Mirabelle? Well, we didn't come up with it :). Jose and I are both pretty picky about names. I'd had a handful that I liked, and he never really gave baby names much thought before. He wasn't a fan of most of the names I picked out when I was, hmm... how long have I been thinking of baby names ;)? Anyway, I noticed that we both really liked French names. We liked Isabelle, but that name is pretty popular right now and I wanted our baby to have a slightly uncommon name. Mirabelle means "of incredible beauty". The meaning isn't as important to me as the other things the name suggests/reminds me of. My mom pointed out that Mira sounds short for Miracle, which she definitely is. Also, according to a baby calendar my mom kept for me while I was growing up, my first word was "mira," which actually means "look" in Spanish. Her middle name is Sofia, Jose chose the name, I chose the spelling. It took me awhile to get used to the idea, but I thought it flowed well (the other option was Olivia).

More of a post later, but I just wanted to share the good news :).

An Exciting Life!

3 month ultrasound

I purposely titled this entry An Exciting Life because life is actually quite slow for me right now. Well, maybe life itself isn't necessarily slow, but I feel like I'm moving in sloooow motion. To be honest, I'm pretty lucky that I didn't suffer from much morning sickness the first trimester; there were those few revolting smells that made my stomach churn, and a bit of heartburn, but that only lasted a few weeks. My biggest symptom was/has been exhaustion.

I can sleep 8 to 10 hours and still feel like I need a nap, come 3PM; the rest of the day I'm just dragging. This is pretty funny, since I used to be the type of person that could sleep less than 6 hours and still have energy. Now, just the thought of preparing dinner makes me yawn ;). But... if sleepiness is all I'm dealing with, then I am still very, very lucky!

On top of that, I haven't been baking very much because I don't have a desire to eat sweets (biggest surprise)! My biggest craving? Salty, spicy and sour foods... and cold fruit. Sausage, cheese, ribs, cheetos, sour cream with pretty much anything, salsa and salty chips, french fries... almost any dried fruit like mango, cold pears and grapes... oh yeah, and mexican food, but no desserts.

There is a reason why the word "Exciting" is in this post, though. Every day, something new happens! It isn't necessarily something visibly new, but I wake up every morning knowing that someone is growing in there the way they should be. I love sneaking a peak during the ultrasounds. It always feels like getting to unwrap a Christmas present! There's something slightly different at each appointment, so it's like opening a different gift each time :). And in December, the week of or before Christmas, we'll get to find out if we're having a girl or a boy; that's my kind of present!

Slowing down gives me the chance to think about all of this more. The thought of being a mom is very exciting. Getting to share this experience with Jose is such a blessing. As cheesy as it sounds, sometimes when he's busy with school during the week, I get a warm feeling inside (literally haha!) knowing that a mini-Jose is in my belly.

Before I got pregnant, I used to ask God if I could please, please just have one biological baby. I knew I'd be happy adopting, and I'd still like to, but I really wanted a little piece of my best friend. I know life doesn't last forever, and with my pessimistic/creative mind, I have ways of imagining scenarios where I become a widow (silly, I know). I just feel like it would be easier (if easy is even the word) to endure the loss of your best friend/spouse if there's a child there to remind you of them.

Now that I'm in the second trimester, I feel like I can relax a little more and really enjoy this time. Though I'm not on my feet so much, I'm finding that activities like crocheting and working with clay are ideal pass times. I'm not the world's best crochet-er (?), but thankfully the blanket I'm crocheting isn't crooked :) (it's taken me awhile to get to this point! Ha!). As for working with clay, nothing fancy... Christmas (my favorite holiday) is right around the corner! My mom appreciates homemade gifts, so I made her some kitschy festive figurines (I also made a little sign that says grandma and grandpa to go along with the Santa/Mrs. Santa figurines :P; the uncle JD is for my little brother). I feel like a little kid doing this, but it's really fun and keeps my hands busy!
Right after Christmas is our wedding anniversary! So another trip is in our future. Hopefully it won't take me that long to write another blog post, though! :O)

Love without talking

A facebook friend of mine just commented on this, had to watch it. So cute :).

Love without talking from http://lerwanderer.vox.com/

Fun Finds: Places to shop in Houston, TX and cute sites to visit online

If you ever find yourself in Houston, Texas, be sure to visit Texas Junk Co. You'll find an assortment of random and original treasures, from cowboy boots to frames and embroidered tea towels. I stopped by yesterday and found all of these photographed items. Texas Junk Company is the place to go if you love experiencing the joy of finding a good deal after really searching for it, as in literally getting your hands dirty. Think grandma's garage -- dust, rust and all :).

For those who prefer a cleaner environment (one that's nicely air conditioned, not dusty and big like Texas -- it is the biggest antique mall in the Lone Star State, after all) visit Market Place Antiques. You're basically paying for them to do the dusting, cleaning and hand-picking. They know what they're selling, so it isn't as easy to find a good deal. What's fun is coming across a sale! The market place is sectioned off into booths, each one operated by a different seller, which means you'll find anything and everything here. Need a 100 year old hand-carved bread box from France? They've got that. Looking for an old Charles Dickens book? They've got you covered there, too. They even have their own little diner, so the whole place smells like a dreamy meatloaf sandwich (dreamy if you like meatloaf sandwiches, that is :).

What if you want eye candy without having to leave the comfort of your own home? What if Texas is just too hot to visit? (It is! :P) Then stay home and check out these lovely sites!:

Lolalina

Pugley Feet - Blog

Gathering Spriggs

Nest Decorating (My favorite jewelry designer!)