— 1 —

I redesigned my blog again. I know, shocker. I love the new look (until I get antsy again). If anyone is curious, I used the free WordPress theme Comet and chose the teal color scheme. I adjusted the background color to #7a756a, then made a header for free at Cooltext.com. I used Instant Eyedropper to find out the exact shade of teal the menu bar uses so that my header text would match. Done and done.

 — 2 —

I’m feeling really proud of my garage sale shopping luck today. Check out our haul, all for $18:

Mary is pretty much set for clothes this summer! I just searched Craigslist for garage sales with baby clothes, and presto, two reasonably-priced sales nearby for us to peruse. Score.

— 3 —

Slowly, very slowly, Feedly is filling the Google Reader-sized hole in my heart. Blasphemously, I might even prefer Feedly’s Android app to Google Reader’s because it opens links in-app, making it easier to navigate from blog entry to link back to blog entry. Now if someone could just make it easier to comment on blogs from a smartphone, we’d be set.

— 4 —

You know you’re a bad bridesmaid if …

• You forget to send in the RSVP card on time and the bride has to email you to find out if you want lamb or sole at dinner. 
• You don’t attend any showers or bachelorette parties, offering the lame excuse that they’re halfway across the country. You don’t even remember to send a card to let her know you’re thinking of her while she’s partying it up.
• You forget to respond to the bride’s email asking for your belated RSVP and she emails you again “just to check in.”

Not that I know any of this from personal experience, or anything… all hypothetical… (Sorry Viv!!)

— 5 —

I spotted this curiosity earlier today:

That’s a Nissan Leaf with a “family” of guns pasted on the back, from rifles down to pistols. I find this car simultaneously hilarious and perplexing. The best I can guess is that the car owner believes in freedom from Big Oil and Big Government, but it’s not every day you find a gun-loving environmentalist.

— 6 —

Matt took a personal day from work yesterday and we knocked a bunch of stuff of our to-do list, including dental appointments for both of us (no cavities!), a twelve month checkup for le bebe, and purchasing plane tickets for a trip this summer, among other things. It felt pretty lame to spend one of Matt’s precious days off doing such boring responsible-adult things, so we squeezed in lunch out and a walk at our local nature trail. Mary loved having Matt home with us. She thinks he hung the moon.

— 7 —

Lest you think all is sunshine and roses here, I am currently listening to the dulcet tones of a baby skipping her afternoon nap and our house is nothing short of a wreck. But hey, TGIF. We are hoping to spend some time outdoors this weekend walking at a nearby state park. What about you? Any fantastic weekend plans?

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

— 1 —

I’m typing this at the tail end of a long week full of stressful days. Our Christmas tree is still up, as are our outdoor lights, and I’m starting to wonder if the neighbors are going to stage an intervention to persuade us to move our decor choices into the New Year. I have three loads of laundry piled next to me on the couch. Two nights’ worth of dishes sit in the sink. You know what? I don’t care. We’ll get to it all. Self-care first. In the form of posting disorganized thoughts on cyberspace.

 — 2 —

It’s North American International Auto Show season here in Detroit. I attended last year, but I think Mary and I will sit it out this year and try going when she’s a little older. The crowds are pretty intense for a baby. That doesn’t stop me from ogling all the concept cars online, though. I’m especially loving Ford’s new Atlas concept and the new Corvette.

— 3 —

Lance Armstrong’s interview with Oprah is playing on the TV as I write this. As frustrating as Lance is, and as sad as the whole story of his doping is, what really bothers me about this interview is Oprah’s interviewing style. We are about an hour into the interview and at this point Matt and I are pretty much just making fun of Oprah’s questions. Favorite quote from Oprah so far: “Third law of motion- what you put out is going to come back.” Although maybe that’s only hilarious to nerds like us? Hm.

— 4 —

I’ve subscribed to some awesome blogs this week, in case anyone is looking for more good stuff in their Google Reader inbox:

• Amalah
• Camp Patton
• Tripping Over Joy
• Overflowing Brain

— 5 —

Mothering has been a hard, hard job since Mary started her new daycare. Sleeping is really tough for her when there’s stimulation about. That means evenings with her = overtired, crashing baby. Occasionally, though, after all the fussing and nursing, adorable things happen:

She’s sleeping on both of our shoulders, snuggled into the crevice between our bodies

— 6 —

Can we just take a moment to agree that Instagram is the best social media platform ever? I love it so much. No rampant ads like Twitter. No farms or vampires or whathaveyou like Facebook. Just straight-up beautiful slice-of-life moments served with a side of witty captions. Genius. You can follow me @spotofrain. I hope you do- I’d love to follow you too!

— 7 —

Matt and I are working our way through Elementary, the new Sherlock Holmes TV series on CBS. We’re really enjoying it! It’s gripping without being too dark, fast-paced while still devoting time to character development, and faithful to the Doyle’s legacy while still inventive (Watson is female, for example). I recommend it. I’m also watching Downton Abbey on my Wednesdays off with Mary- a guilty pleasure, for sure. What about you? What are your TV favorites right now?

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!