you have HOW many kids?

I think my favorite gift this Christmas is this beautiful necklace. Mark thought of it on his own, with no prompting from me whatsoever. That makes me love it even more.

He called our friend, Kara, who had designed another necklace for me, and gave her artistic license to incorporate all of our children onto one necklace. She is talented. And Mark is thoughtful. I couldn't be happier with it.

good mail

I really love mail. Not junk mail or bills, obviously. But mail addressed to me in someone's own handwriting. Yesterday was a good mail day. I received a small package from my talented friend, Kara. I have known Kara for less than a year. We met through our husbands. But I have gotten to know her well from an initial night out to dinner and then following her fun blog. She is easy-going and ambitious. Darling and smart. Kara recently hosted a giveaway - just because. And I was the lucky winner of one of her custom jewelry pieces! This girl's got skills. Look what she made just for me.

And then she threw this beauty in, as a bonus. Just because.

Thanks Kara! I love both necklaces - they are stunning.

And here's something another friend gave me yesterday: short blunt bangs. I don't know how to do short bangs. (When I've done this before, I end up growing them out into a more side-swept bang.) I'm hoping they will relax {read: lay flat} after a few days of training. And grow just a titch. And I look 12-ish. Other than that, I like them a lot. Thank you Leisel!

And Leisel, you are a magician with my grays.