just a quick note to say: Read books, it feeds your soul... it may do zilch for your syntax, but hey, I'm sick)... I joined the Slow Readers Book Club, begun by the lovely Diana, (like the camera!) of ourcitylights.org, and I urge you all to pick up a copy of Jeannette Walls' Half-Broke Horses and git readin, pony!

We have a winner for theLostEarring's blog giveaway -- a $15 Gift Certificate to bibbysrocket --- and it's Lindsay of PaintMeAPicture on etsy. Lindsay makes personalized paintings and decor for children and nurseries -- her designs are whimsical, with a knockout sense of color and composition. Honestly, I can see these paintings working well in many spaces, the rest of the home, in a cozy shop, many a space can benefit from these enlivening pictorial notes.

Sometimes when things are looking bleak (whether they are in reality or whether it's just your point of view that needs 'adjustin'), clothing can make you happy. Yes, folks, they're material possessions, but they're also forms of expression!