chocolat.

i was supposed to have yesterday off from work but ended up

going in to cover someone's shift.

normally, this wouldn't be a big deal except my father-in-law had texted me

the night before after our little car accident to remind me that

it was national pancake day and mr. wonderful and i should remember to celebrate.

but, since work took over my schedule, we skipped pancakes for dinner together

and the lovely wind ensemble we were planning to see at night

{mr. wonderful went and sent me pictures with his iphone}.

to make up for our missed date, we decided to watch a late night movie

when we got home at night . . . chocolat!

{did you see design*sponge's piece on this the other day? dreamy.}

it's one of my favorite romantic comedies of all time, i swear.

and since we were without our beloved pancakes,

i decided to surprise the husband with some movie-themed treats-

little bite sized chocolate pastries to share.

add in a cup of steaming tea and we were in heaven.

clockwise from the bottom:

raspberry chocolate tarte/mini death by chocolate cupcake/

mini mud pie tarte/double chocolate cheesecake bite.

rose colored glasses.

johnny and i have been practicing gratitude and optimism lately . . .

thanking our Father in Heaven for His favor and grace in our lives.

it's not always easy to be positive in the face of challenges

{i'm a pessimist by nature, i think. i always jump to the worst-case scenario. always!}

but counting the ways God has blessed us in the past has truly

helped us as we face obstacles together without fear.

here is a very recent example of how this works in our lives:

last night, johnny and i were rear-ended by someone while

we sat together in the car waiting at a red light in rush hour traffic.

we literally heard the tires screeching behind us before

the jolt forward and crash of metal on metal.

thankfully, no one was seriously hurt . . . we're sore, at the very worst of it.

thankfully, our vehicle was not too damaged to drive home for the night.

thankfully, everyone involved had car insurance.

thankfully, the person who hit us was friendly.

{belligerence would have been a kick to the throat, don't you agree?}

thankfully, the Lord helped us respond kindly to the other driver.

thankfully, our families were around to offer supportive encouragement afterwards.

thankfully, we had veggie pasta salad with feta cheese and granny smith apple slices

after as an easy but really tasty dinner to cheer our nerved-up bellies

when all was said and done.

out of that one unfortunate incident, that's certainly a lot to be thankful for . . .

so, what do you give thanks for today?

{via}

DIY: bookcase facelift . . . and the marriage of two styles.

our mission to open up our apartment with light colors

started pretty much the day we stepped into our first apartment as man and wife.

john was already living here for a few months when i

brought my things down before our wedding,

so our major furniture pieces belonged to him.

let me take this moment to mention that i'm lucky-

my husband is and always has been a clean guy and his things are

not in 'bachelor' condition. but they are pretty dark, modern and masculine.

my possessions are the polar opposite . . .

growing up, my sister referred to my white wrought iron, shabby chic covered bed

as the "cupcake bed" and i fall in love with and purchase items like my cheerful sofa of green

{that is still at home for the time being . . . we just don't have the space for it}.

so when we married, our styles and tastes married as well . . .

and for the last couple of months, we've been devising ways to satisfy

our newly found joint sense of style.

after painting the coffee table, we knew the bookcases were next . . .

they were big black holes darkening the corners of our apartment.

our inspiration came from a tutorial on the oh my deer handmades blog

and the entire project {painting, drying, glueing, drying again, retouching, drying}

took about 3 days to complete.

by the time we were finished, i was itching to get the books on the shelves.

our materials were simple:

semi-gloss paint, pretty wrapping paper and 3M spray glue.

i'm really pleased with the overall outcome of the bookcase . . .

and already looking for another project to start!

we walked through a park of really pretty walls.

sometimes the husband and i just like to go for a quick stroll

in the middle of our errand-running duties.

especially if cleaning and home-duties await us.

the other day we parked the car after making a few stops

so that we could spoil ourselves in the sunshine and warm nashville breeze.

we've walked through this park a dozen times,

but for some reason the worn walls of the park buildings and structures

appeared particularly beautiful that afternoon.

sweets, i hope you uncover something unexpectedly

lovely this weekend too.

{psst! today marks two months of marriage . . . whoot!}

OMG {oh. my. garland.}

right now, i'm completely addicted to cute paper garlands.

they make my apartment mantle so cheerful with their happy colors

and the shapes add some geometric interest to our very cookie-cutter home.

it was high time i removed the ones i made for valentine's,

but once they were down, i felt like there was something missing.

out came the construction paper, raffia spools and scotch tape

{yes, that's really all i use to make them}

but this time i used spring shades in colors that mr. wonderful wouldn't mind.

we're on a mad mission to open up our living space with light colors,

so the light blue and yellow were perfect.

now i'm scheming all the different garlands i can make for up-and-coming dates.

welcome banners for friendly visits,

and string of Easter eggs, birthday fringes . . .

we got the buzz.

i'm more of a coffee drinker than john,

but that doesn't mean he isn't game for grabbing a cup

while we're out and about or sipping from the pot i make

for us every morning at home.

i know i have yet to scratch the surface of savory spots to

enjoy a cup of brew here in nashville . . .

but so far i've garnered a few favorites that have sustained me

through these nearly-two-months here.

{home cups.}

{dose, just voted one of america's best coffee bars by

food and wine. their ginger soy latte is one of my faves

but their hot cider is also pretty delightful.}

{the honey-ish local latte at fido has got to be one of the tastiest

treats i've sipped in a while . . .

it's more a dessert than a coffee, but oh how i do love dessert.}

{we literally hung out at this place for about 3 hours. no joke.

it's the place to go if you want to learn about what you're drinking.

we were invited by a friend who is a member.

that's right- memberships are required . . . i think, anyway.

it's a rare spot where you can chat with interesting folks and jam away if you're a musician.

certainly not for you if all you want to do is gaze into your mac

and slurp a triple swirl vanilla espresso sugar freeze, but we love it.}

{oh my crema. this is probably my favorite place to enjoy

an extra hot soy latte . . .

such a chill atmosphere and yes, the coffee is delish.

chai lattes are also yum-o, according to the husband.}

~~~

we have a loose rule that we only go out for coffee once a week,

as sort of a date for the two of us.

we've been brewing at home more frequently as of late,

but i'm sure there are other great discoveries in this town that we've yet to uncover.

any suggestions?

said best.

today was sort of busy,

so this is all i'll be leaving you with this afternoon.

thought provoking quote, don't you agree?

for one whose life is in the middle of huge transition as of late

{who knew my blog would be so appropriately titled, huh?},

this is an excellent thought to ruminate over today.

{via}

laid-back valentine's days.

mr. wonderful's special heart-shaped pancakes for dinner.

new boots for mr. wonderful's feet.

and the next morning, fido's local latte in hillsboro village, nashville.

we took our coffees to go and walked hand-in-hand around the streets and shops.

just a couple things that made our {two} low maintenance valentine's days

ultra sweet and romantic.

happy weekend with a cherry on top.

we're working a lot this weekend.

combine that with our regular home cleaning, grocery shopping

and johnny's playing schedule at church

and it doesn't leave much time for fun and games during the weekend.

it's okay though . . . monday will come and there's plenty

of time for it then.

happy weekend, sweets!

macarons!! macarons!! macarons!!

my man made me so happy this valentine's day.

we got too excited about our gifts for one another to wait

until the 14th, so we opened presents together a couple days before.

yup, just like two giggly kids.

in addition to a few most lovely presents,

mr. wonderful gifted me a fine box of these delicious little macarons.

{if you stop by here at all frequently, you probably know i'm mildly obsessed.}

he purchased them a whole day before my valentine's shopping list posted too,

which made him twice the hero he already is.

my aunt playfully called me "spoiled," but i prefer to think

of it as "cherished and adored."

DIY: organization as artwork.

when we first got nashville as a married couple,

johnny and i had to figure out how to share a bathroom for the first time.

i was used to having my own bathroom in a house full of women,

so throwing my makeup all over the sink and cabinetry was

{and is} sort of second nature to me.

johnny, on the other hand, was used to the exact opposite.

at first, i tried to keep my everyday products in a pretty lucite tray

and the rest of my supplies in the drawer, closet

or dusty caboodle i'd literally owned since high school.

we soon discovered two problems . . .

1/ we couldn't decide what to do with the huge wall in the bathroom and

2/ not having easy access to all of my products was more of a

bother than i anticipated.

our solution: shelving for my makeup.

the goal was to arrange everything in a palette complimentary

to what we already had established in the room

in a way that offered some visual interest . . . i wanted to keep things

light and pretty without being overly girly.

we purchased a set of mountable shelves and two glass containers

from the home supplies department . . . all at target.

we found a pretty bowl at world market for my larger compacts

and used an extra vintage drinking glass from an odd set i'd owned for years.

since i don't possess too many products, we only needed a couple of items,

and the entire project cost less than $25.

i think the results is rather lovely and absolutely functional.

paper hearts.

construction paper is really the most amazing crafting supply.

i always have stacks of it in my craft boxes

even though most people equate it with kindergarten projects.

the other morning i raided my stash and decorated a couple of

rooms in the apartment while mr. wonderful

was out playing disc golf with his boys.

the results is cheerful and cute . . .

just in time for today.

happy valentine's day, sweets.

don't forget to hug someone you love.

psssst! boys, this one is for you.

first of all, i know that appearances have been switching around

all over the place lately . . . i think i've settled

for a while, but who can tell?

that said, if you're still stumped over what to get your lady for tomorrow

{yes, valentine's day . . . just a reminder.}

i have a few ideas for you of some sweet things that will warm her heart

and make you feel like a genius.

. . . and girls, if you think your man may need a little help this year,

just subtly send this link along to him and keep mum.

~~~

so here you have it; 2012 v-day gift guide

bunches of delicate flowers: my personal favorites pale pink roses // peonies

artful inspiration from paris vs new york: book via amazon // print via society 6

pierce her heart with cupid's arrow: spool and sparrow shop // layered with love

macarons are both romantic and cutely parisian:

provence bakery //almond tree bakery {in my hometown}

married folks: anything from bhldn, especially delicates: one // two

and since it's a little late to order something online

for tomorrow, here are some other ideas:

1/ cook her dinner and 2/ clean up the dishes too.

3/ craft her a card and write a kind note from your heart.

4/ kiss her and tell her you love her.

{via pinterest unless credited.}