My Week In Review (otherwise known as WIR) posts are just that: a review of my past week.  I post an update here every Monday sharing some tidbits of my previous week as well as an accompanying photo recap with selections from my Instagram.  Here’s the buzz from my week:

Huzzah! Spring has sprung, at last, quite literally.  What a gorgeous week we were so lucky to enjoy!  The rising temperatures coupled with lots of sunshine and a little rain encouraged Mother Nature to finally start movin’!  I couldn’t believe it wasn’t until early last week that I spotted the first crocuses in our neighborhood.  They are blooming about a month later than usual, but better late than never, right?  I love the dainty, colorful blossoms popping up everywhere.  Our daffodils are about to pop open at any minute!  I’m still enjoying lots of fresh blooms inside, including flowers from my sweetheart.  I love keep fresh flowers on my desk in addition to the usual spot on the kitchen counter so I can enjoy them while I’m working on my computer.  I came across these two duckie paper clips and had a little fun doodling with them, something I don’t often do since I clearly lack any artistic talent.  I forget how much fun it is to just draw for the heck of it every once in awhile.

It wouldn’t be a proper WIR post without showing you some of the amazing food my husband made for us last week.  We’ve been enjoying switching up our weekly dinner rotation to include some more springtime fare.  The meal with the garlic shrimp and steamed artichokes really felt springy to me!  It was also warm enough to grill a bit.  We recently discovered how much we like grilled pineapple and decided to try it at home.  It’s so easy!  Don just threw some slices on the grill as is and they turned out delicious!  Of course, in addition to our generally healthy fare, I love to squeeze in a little not-so-healthy treat here and there.  It just isn’t spring to me without the special yellow-tinted Oreos.  I know they just use the same filling dyed for effect, but to me they taste better in yellow!  A couple of these enjoyed with a nice springtime blend of tea is the perfect treat for me.

Last Wednesday turned out to be a very special “just because” kind of day.  I was feeling a bit blue earlier in the week.  After reading the daily passage in Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort & Joy (particularly the quote in the photo above), I felt my spirits lift as I decided to treat that day as a special occasion.  I enjoyed my morning walk with Winnie even more so than usual, taking the time to notice the sun in the sky, the buds on the trees, my girl prancing about, and the birds chirping happily.  I realize this sounds hugely corny, but I really did feel uplifted thinking about the day as a special “just because” gift.  It’s funny how the universe works, isn’t it?  As soon as I decided the day would be a special one, things started happening that made it feel like an actual holiday!  I came home from my walk to a surprise gift of a Cath Kidston mug from my husband along with a sweet note to cheer me up.  I have never actually mentioned this brand to him, only recently learning about it myself from a reader.  When I asked him what inspired him to purchase the gift, he directed me to a comment that same reader made on my blog!  It was such a thoughtful gesture and further brightened up my day.  Then, later that evening I returned home from an appointment to see an even larger package waiting for me.  Talk about surprises!  I was not prepared for the gorgeous and generous gift that was neatly tucked inside the beautifully wrapped package (and yes, Don is an excellent gift wrapper).  I immediately fell head over heels in love with my new bag, which I’ve dubbed Beauty, because that so accurately describes it.  My favorite part of the gift, however, was the beautifully written note that accompanied it.  While my day would still have been extremely special without these gifts, the loving gestures turned a very good day into an especially special kind of day.

The rest of my week was quite a happy one between the gorgeous weather and my much improved mood.  I’m having fun playing with my new spring beauty products which I hauled last week.  I’ve been hearing a lot of buzz in the online beauty community about It Cosmetics products lately and am happy to report that they are just as great as everyone says they are (at least in my opinion)!  I love the It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream.  It offers medium coverage with a lightweight finish.  As you can see, I am dealing with adult acne flareups right now, which is annoying, but not the end of the world, really.  So far my skin likes the new CC Cream.  I’m also in love with the It Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Vol 1 Matte Luxe eye shadow palette.  The colors are gorgeous, extremely pigmented, and super blendable!  I’m usually pretty out of the loop with beauty trends aside from what I pick up from watching my favorite YouTube beauty gurus.  I’m so happy I jumped on the It Cosmetics bandwagon!  I’m pretty sure I am fashion-challenged, but I definitely do have a style all my own that I love to wear.  Date nites out with Don give me a chance to break out my favorite spring dresses, including this lace beauty from Free People.  Getting dressed up to go out without having to worry about winter boots, tights, and cumbersome coats for a change is so refreshing!

I had a very lovely, relaxing weekend.  I don’t usually take baths during the day, but decided on a long soak Saturday morning while I read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.  What an amazing book!  Warning, it is sad and will probably make you cry (I basically sobbed through half of it), but it is such a beautiful story and so worth any tears shed.  Plus, a good cry can be really therapeutic sometimes, you know?  Saturday night Don and I went downtown to one of our favorite Chicago restaurants called Allium.  We enjoyed sharing a bunch of small plates for a romantic and fun dining experience.  On Sunday we were invited to a Palm Sunday supper at my in-laws house and I offered to bake dessert for the occasion.  I reached for the Martha Stewart’s Cakes cookbook, which I only recently purchased, and settled on the Tender Lemon Cake with lemon curd filling and buttercream frosting.  It’s not a challenging recipe, just a bit time consuming with many steps.  The cake turned out beautifully!  I’m always afraid my desserts won’t taste as good as they look, but this one definitely was scrumptious!  We enjoyed a lovely afternoon and evening with the family eating good food and having fun dyeing Easter eggs.

Although my week had a rocky start, it ended up being truly wonderful.  I hope you all had a wonderful week, as well.  While getting surprise presents is nice, it doesn’t take a literal gift to turn a moment into a special one.  The gift of being able to choose happiness in this life is more precious to me than all of the Louis Vuitton bags in the world.  I choose happiness today.  I hope you do, too.  Take care! 🙂

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