BEAUTY & THE BEARD: BIRTHENTINES (less gross than it sounds)

Well crap it's been a long time, hasn't it?

I decided that turning 26 warranted a full week of being lazy and not blogging- sorry!

I'm back, I'm back- and this week I promise a new recipe, a favorite new shop, and more fun & games & such.

Let's rewind a second, shall we?

Here's what's been good lately:

1. I'd pretend I'm surprised that it's still sweater weather- but who am I kidding? It'll still be sweater weather in Wisconsin until APRIL. This ridiculously cheap white waffle sweater gets worn more often than I care to admit lately. Perfectly cozy in 20 degree weather.

2. My birthday at work was fabulous. I came in on Friday the 14th to an early b-day celebration...or rather... a Birthentine's celebration. Clever, those coworkers of mine. So much food. So. Much. Food.

3. There was one day last week that got up to 40 degrees and people around here were FREAKING out. Anyone who lives in the Midwest gets what I'm saying. I figured this is as summery as it's going to get for a few months, so I went nautical. Hey- no judging- it's whatever gets you through the winter around here. (shirt from Old Navy, anchors from F21, clear & cobalt from 9th &Elm)

4. Saturday morning was so calm. Michael was at work, which meant time for tea, clementines, and Pablo. I'm not a huge poetry person, but when I lived in Peru I did a loooooooong paper on some of these poems, and I feel like I can recite them in my sleep. This edition is in Spanish and English...so if you're looking for some bilingual sweetness, you can grab it here.

5. I can't believe I've been doing these #dottyoptimisms for 20 weeks now. Last week's was one of my favorite to date, and one I needed to remind myself of sometimes. It's sooo easy to get caught up in worrying about being the best over others, when we should be focusing on being the best version of ourselves. AmIRight? (for more dotty optimisms, go here!)