my favorite advice given

My all time favorite advice ever given to me was from Alex's Aunt Joanne years ago, and at a time when I was just starting out in my professional career swamped with student loans, bills and living paycheck to paycheck.  Mind you this woman is the most stylish woman I've ever met and here's why - she told me: "Every paycheck, I've always treated myself to one thing no matter how many bills I have; whether it be a new necklace, shirt or (in her adorable accented voice) a handbag I couldn't refuse; hell, I worked hard for that paycheck." 

At first, I thought of course I want to buy myself things but I just can't!  It's not possible with the little money I have left (if any, after all the gas I was spending driving to work everyday) and not feel bad about it - shouldn't I try to save it?!?!  But then I slowly started buying myself something small here and there and ya know what?!?!  It really made a difference for me because when I used whatever I bought myself, I would remember "hell, I worked hard for that paycheck" and it validated me spending a little something on myself!  I understand things get a lot different if you have kids and your priorities change, but if that is you, this post IS for you!  Go buy yourself something b/c you deserve it!

dum, da-dum, dum, duuuuuuuum!!

The day came...the dreaded day when Madison would experience her first known pet loss, her Hermit Crab, also known as Ariel (insert tear here).  When Madi asked for her hermit crabs, I told her if Uncle Alex says yes, then she could (certainly expecting him to say no way!), but to my dismay, he said yes - even to two!  Since she has had them, she has been quite a hermit mommy, I tell ya.  She is protective, made them a little gym out of lego's to exercise on (since the instructions said they need their exercise) and even made them a pool.  So, it was disappointing when Alex told me I should go check on the hermit crabs b/c they weren't moving (luckily, Madison was not home and she gave me very good instructions on how to take care of them).  I was dreading when she would come home for me to have the big 'your first pet has died' talk, especially since she did such a great job taking care of it.

The talk went something like this: 
Me: "Madi, you have done such a great job taking care of Ariel and Sebastian, but I think Ariel died."
Madison: "how do you know?"
Me: "she isn't moving..."
Madison goes to get her, comes back and says: " i thought I saw her move but I don't think she did.  I think she is dead.  what should I do with her?"
Me: "well, you could throw it in the trash or find a nice spot in the yard and bury it"
Madison: "I think I'll wait for Uncle Alex and bury it in the yard b/c I don't want it to get crushed in the trash truck"
Me: "great idea!"

Fast forward to when Alex gets home.  Madison gives Ariel a last bath, lays her on a paper towel and waits for Alex to go outside to bury Ariel...when they are finally ready to go out, they go to grab Ariel and....SHE'S GONE!!!!!!!!!!!!  Poor Ariel, she was going to be buried alive. 

time to "clean"!!!

It's a running joke in our household that my version of "cleaning" is rearranging the picture frames and changing which pictures actually go in the frames!!  If you ask Alex, that is what he will tell you my definition of cleaning is and I have to say - I'm guilty as charged!!  That's the glory of picture frames, you can change the pictures as often as you wish! 
BUT, I just got in a shipment of pictures and am now faced with a real challenge: which picture do I choose for my big family canvas print for my picture wall???  This cannot be changed at any given time and since I was blessed with several to choose from, I'm having such a hard time!!  Please note:  I will be picking one of these as my very big canvas for my open wall and one of these for an actual picture frame, so they will be used. 
Here are my options:

HELP! :-)

back by popular demand...only a little different :-)

So, I have had numerous people ask me why I stopped this "project" I started a couple years ago and to be honest, I just didn't have the time to constantly be updating this thing at that time (planning a wedding, building a house, going to grad school, full time job and the oh so needed cocktail hours).

since I started elle*michelle, I tried creating a new blog (but found facebook as a much better tool for people to see my work); BUT, this blog always shows up on my sign-in, so I took a look through it again and felt so happy remembering those little moments I forgot about...which, as I wrote about in the beginning of this blog, was the whole reason I created this!!! essentially, my little moments in time journal.

although I have decided to change it up from a 'one a day' picture project, feel free to join me as i share my little moments, my big moments, my inspirations and anything else I have up my sleeve.
:-)

to re-kick it off, I felt a prior posting was perfect:

To follow your dreams, you have to know what those dreams are and sometimes that isn't always easy. But I believe, if you don't know what your dream is, you can create it and make it happen. Just because someone says you aren't qualified or you aren't this or that, go get qualified and live the dream because you are the only one who can determine what that dream is! I read an article today of a man who was "qualified" in the business world but wanted to become a medicial scientist and do research to create medicine that will cure diseases. He had no background in science but he started from the bottom and now is in his dream position working to find cures. That goes to prove that anyone, and I truly believe anyone, can achieve their dreams if they go after them. Nothing is out of reach.