A picture is worth a thousand words...

I couldn't have said it better myself! This is my life....

This cartoon is by artist Dave Walker. He's got a real knack for finding the humor in the everyday. Find more of his cartoons at We Blog Cartoons.

We Are Family...

You saved me once, and what is given is always returned.

We are in this world to help each other.

The Adventures of Pinocchio, C. Collodi, 1883

Almost four and half years ago I suffered from a serious bout of postpartum depression after Bonus Baby was born. My wonderful sister helped me navigate those treacherous waters with her care, nurturing and unending optimism and friendship. I am eternally grateful for her help during that dark time which is why I didn't even think twice when she really needed my support over the last week and a half as she faced some difficult times of her own. She's doing great now, and I am finally getting back to some of the stuff that I had put on the back burner - like my blog. I must admit my perspective on life has changed a bit over the past couple of weeks, and one thing I know for sure is that nothing is more important than family and the gift of unconditional love.

Container Store Cuteness

I had a few minutes before preschool pickup today so I ran into the Container Store for a quick look around. Several adorable items caught my eye...
This cute pink and green striped acrylic tray for only $9.99


How cute is this pink & green acrylic basket? It was $14.99.

I also spotted these market totes. I found the exact same ones in Marshall's & TJ Maxx for $9.99 compared to the $34.99 at the Container Store. I love to give these as gifts filled with fun surprises from my gift closet. I've found some in red, lime green & blue. I came across some other totes like these at Hobby Lobby, but instead of the aluminum frame they were white plastic. With a 40% coupon, you could get them there for around $6. Not too bad.

The Simple Pleasures

Today, I am grateful for some of those little things that can really make a big difference...

• Today was Bonus Baby's Valentine's Pizza Party at preschool so I didn't have to make her lunch. That extra 7 minutes this morning was so nice.


• My full tank of gas that Mr. Madras so kindly filled up last night.


• A dear friend who offered to do carpool pick up today
  
• SUNSHINE!! We've had a couple of dreary days so the sun is such a treat.

I'm about to try and be a bit domestic in the kitchen & make these yummy sounding "chocolate pretzel buttons". I found the complete recipe and instructions at Enamor via one of my favorite crafty blogs, Craftzine. My 13-year-old thought these looked like a great Valentine's Day gift for her buddies. We'll see....

It's all in the bag...

When Tickled Pink & Green posted about her daughter's adorable preppy tennis racquet cover, it got me thinking that it was about time for me to be getting a new tennis tote. Why it had been at least a few months since my last racquet cover purchase, so I was due for a new one, right??? See, I've got a little addiction issue when it comes to cute tennis stuff. By the looks of my tennis bag and racquet cover collection, you'd think I was really good when the fact is I am still (and will probably always be) a struggling novice. I figure that what skills I may lack on the court I can make up for with my fun tennis accessories. Here are a few items from my collection...

I love my Vera Bradley bag. It's on sale right now ($36.56) along with all Capri Melon items since this pattern is being retired. There's a matching visor and water bottle holder that are adorable. Check it out here .

Here are two more of my racquet covers. Both of these are from Toss Designs and Marshall's.

While browsing for a new bag, I stumbled onto Henry Brown bags which I think just might take the prize for adorable, preppy, fun racquet covers & totes. (not to mention great purses and handbags, too) Here are just a few that caught my eye...

The best part is you can monogram all of these. They've got great choices for monogram styles and motifs. Check them out here . I'll let you know which one (or two or three) I decide on. Oh, and here's a site kStyle that seemed to have pretty good deals on Henry Brown bags.

Now, I'm off to attempt to conquer "Mt. Washmore." I've procrastinated long enough and the mountain appears to be ready for an avalanche at any moment. Wish me luck...

Fruity Fun

How fun do these look??? I found this idea while visiting one of my favorite blogs, How About Orange. Jessica always has neat ideas & projects with a funky flair. While I'm not much of a cook, I think these look very doable even for me. Some oranges and jello and I'm all "set". Here are the step by step instructions courtesy of Not Martha. For a fun twist, here's a recipe with vodka from The Food Network. For a little pink & green preppy flair, maybe some pink grapefruit and honeydew melon???

Pinkalicious

We're all about books here at the Madras house. Every holiday is celebrated with at least one book gift. This year, for Valentine's Day, Bonus Baby will be getting Pinkalicious, an adorable children's book about a little girl who loves the color pink, especially pink cupcakes. One day, she eats one too many, and (you guessed it) she turns pink. From the darling illustrations of all things pink to the sweet message in the story, I know this will become a favorite bedtime book at our house. I particularly enjoy all of the fun wordplay with phrases like "Pinkerella" and "Pinkabelle" along with "pink-a-boo" and "Pinkititis." I can't wait until the 14th so BB and I can curl up together to read this "pinkerrific" tale.