Today I'm grateful for...

Life is all about appreciating the little things.

Things that make you happy.

Things that make you smile.

Things that you enjoy.

Take some time today and make your own mental list.

Be aware of what you love and then DO MORE OF THAT.

Here are a few of my favorite things.

1. Reading.

I really enjoy reading. Beyond keeping my mind sharp,

it brings me a lot of pleasure. I curl up under a  blanket, 

or sprawl out on a lawn chair (season depending!)

 and get instantly transported to a new world. 

A good book will do that for you. If you don't have money for a vacation

 and want to get away for the day- I highly recommend finding a little nook and a good book.

I'm currently reading "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" 

with  "Glass Castle - A Memoir "in line behind it.

What book are YOU reading?

2. Owls

Owls make me happy.

I don't know what it is about them, 

but I find them cute and I just can't seem to get enough

of them lately. 

Click here for some owl jewelry from Accesorize

or owl stationary here from Paper Source. 

Did you see my coffee cup today? 

I'm a little owl crazed as of late.

My coffee cup :)

3. A bubblebath

See how simple?

I l-o-v-e a hot bath - a little bath salt or bubble bath mixed in,

and I just sit there in the suds until I crinkle up like a little old lady.

I don't know if I appreciate them so much because I'm always 

so sore from working out or because

 I don't have one in my apartment 

(I have a full-sized shower with sliding glass doors

...what a WASTE of space!)

but I travel to my moms multiple times a week to use hers.

It's pure heaven.

And give me a glass of red wine in there...oh forget about it.

You'll never seen me again.

I'll send you a postcard! ;)

4. Tea

I don't discriminate. I love all types of tea.

My most recent obsession is the Green Tea Latte,

which I just found out how to make from home

using Tazo Tea Mix you can buy in stores

(a quick blog post coming on that next, 

super simple to make, and a delicious alternative to coffee)

But yes, I enjoy tea

and I just had a FIELD DAY in the U.K

because that's all they drink all day.

English Breakfast, High Afternoon Tea, etc etc.

I stopped in every famous tea house I could find...

it was glorious!

5. Fresh Flowers.

I've never been the flower sort of a girl,

but I think I underestimated the power they have over me.

Case & Point:

On my recent trip to Ireland, Scotland, and England,

fresh flowers were EVERYWHERE!

When I was going through my photos of the trip later,

I realized "Wow, you take a lot of flower photos"

and it's not just because they're beautiful to photograph.

Fresh flowers are colorful, like my world.

They make me happy.

And I have NO PROBLEM buying them for myself

just to have a fresh vase full of them on my kitchen table.

Ladies, let that be a lesson to you all.

No need to wait around - you can buy them TOO! :)

Some flower photographs from my trip

Fresh flowers at Check-in: Daffodil Hotel by the Lake

Fresh flowers curbside: Dublin, Ireland

What are YOU grateful for today?

xo,

Rach