What I was LOVING last week and A THANK YOU!

So, this week has not been the best. It won't go down in the history books nor will think back and remember it especially fondly any time soon. In short, hubby had the stomach virus, and I have very little voice left. Boo on both of these things. And please forgive me for taking a wee little blogging break. I'd planned on posting this Friday, and then Friday became Monday. How did that happen?!?

 However, I am still thankful. Here are five things that have made last week top notch:

1.  This Girl

That's my Casey, and she just recently completed her first half marathon. Caseybaby, you are my hero.

Conversations with my Casey can't be beat. Slumber party plans are in the works. Who's excited? That would be me.

2. This Book

I'd lent it to a student, and she's just finished it. I plan on starting it tonight, if not sooner....

3. This Surprise from the Hubby

The other day I was having a terrible, awful, no good dirty rotten day. I'm sure you know the kind. And the hubby came home with this. He knows that 80's movies and quirky surprises are my love language.

4. This Pretty Lady

Last Friday my mom celebrated a birthday. Happy birthday again to the woman who not only birthed me but has put up with me every day since. Sometimes I think that alone is worth celebrating. LOVE YOU, MOM and can't wait to celebrate with you when we go to see The Vow later this month. It will be epic; I can feel it.

And now for a thank you.

I recently participated in a gift exchange through this blog.

Basically, I was paired with another blogger, got to know her a bit, and then sent a happy her way.

Well, let's just say that I won the blog match lottery when I was paired with Lou who blogs here.

Isn't she precious?

Funny story:

So, we get paired up, we email, and I begin to browse through her blog.

The more I read, the more I was hit in the face with how alike we are!

Seriously, it's pretty cray cray how much we have in common.

The best part?

She noticed it too.

Don't believe me?

Well, check her blog out and see for yourself.

Or, check her blog out anyway. It's WONDERFUL and filled with lots of fun recipes, funny stories, laugh out loud pictures, and two super cute kiddos.

It's quickly become one of my favorites.

Anyway, I was so excited when I received this in the mail last week:

Love, love, love this, and I couldn't have hand-picked a more ME happy!

She was also so sweet to send goodies for the girls....which the have cleverly hidden so that I cannot photo them, little stinkers. But, let's just say she fed Hollyn's Minnie Mouse addiction, and Hollyn is forever grateful.

Have any of you read this devotion?

I'm so excited about it!

Want to see what I sent Lou? You can read the post she wrote about it here.

Now I must be off.... my five minutes of me time have expired, and this two are beckoning.

But, be sure to come back tomorrow....I'll be ranting about Nicholas Sparks, whom I happen to be quite grumpy with at the moment. And later this weekend, another giveaway from one of my sponsors is headed your way. Excited? That makes two of us.

This week I'm trying something new and linking here. You?