Dear Vacation...A Love Letter!

I bought these cute graphics from From the Pond!

For Valentine's Day my owlets made free hugs! They had to
estimate how many hearts it takes to make a hug. I
traced around their arms. They cut and placed the hearts
from fingertip to fingertip. 

Dear Vacation,
I have missed you so much. I love the way you let me sleep in late and let me play dumb  games like Candy Crush Saga without feeling even a tiny bit guilty. You give me lots of time to catch up on laundry, dusting and school work. I get nice long chunks of time to read awesome books like Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott that make me think, laugh and grow.  I love you, vacation, even though I know you'll leave me again. Thanks for coming at just the right time. You are helping me recover from Valentine's Day, 100's Day, a 14 year old's birthday bash and a weekend long church retreat. I can't wait to see your sister, Spring in a little over a month.
Love,
Jenny the Tired

Are you on Mid-Winter Vacation? I needed this extra two days to recover from last weekend and to rest up from all the excitement that has already taken place this month. It may be the shortest month, but I think it is the biggest month for special learning opportunities!

A long time ago I was lucky enough to receive an awesome package from my dear friend, Kimberly. The blueberry jam is long gone, but the other goodies are a reminder of her friendship. I am finally ready to Pay it Forward with 3 packages of my own. Here is a picture of the gifts that I'm paying forward to three lucky recipients. Keep your eyes open, Barbara, Maria, and Dinah and  don't look at the pictures if you want to be completely surprised. I love the handmade candlemats a friend made for me and the Michigan ornaments I found in a delightful Etsy shop that is just down the lake from me. The Paper Marriage is a great shop for custom wood and paper products! If you like owls, you must go to the shop just to see the awesome owl they have up for sale! You can help Ashley grow her business HERE!

Now I'm off to take a nap...After one more level of Candy Crush Saga and a visit to your blog, of course!