My Raisons (and Raisin) d'Etre

As noted by the fact that my last post was on March 15, it almost goes without saying that the past couple of weeks have been craziness and, at times, craptacular. And I'm ok with that, because that's how things go sometimes, I suppose. But these past two weeks have made me realize that I have a lot of things in my life for which I'm enormously grateful. These things bring my joy:

1. The Lord. That's right, I'm doing this all "Oscar" style and thanking the Big Man first for the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart (Where?!) that He brings.

2. My husband and baby girl. I mean, they're wonderfully ridiculous, and I can't believe I get to spend every day laughing with (and at) them.

3. The rest of my family. You know who you are. And some other people also know who you are, and I like you so much that I'll even admit, "Yes, you are correct, other people. Those people are my family."

4. My friends. May as well be family. They truly do spectacular things, and they make me laugh--and sometimes cry when they're not looking--and laugh again.

5. Crafts! I firmly believe that cotton, like the commercial suggests, is the fabric of our lives. And, thankfully, I get to experience the joy of making things (sometimes quite shoddily) with my own two hands. I love it when a plan comes together, and sometimes, as life has reminded me lately, that only happens in Craft World.

6. Ok, this doesn't hold a candle to the Lord...or my family...or my friends, but let me just say this about of one of my greatest joys: Raisin Bran Crunch is a cereal far superior to other cereals in its ability to lift me from a funk. It's crunchy, sweet deliciousness is like the nectar of the breakfast gods (if nectar could be crunchy, which admittedly would be kind of weird...but whatever). Actually, I just go for the Winn Dixie version, because it's two bucks cheaper. It's called "Crunchy Granola Raisin Bran," and I actually think I love it more than the Kellogg's stuff. I really have a soft spot for store brands, because they bypass a catchy product name for the obvious. You really know what you're getting. Like, instead of "Cheerios" you get "Toasted Oat Cereal" or instead of "Kraft Macaroni and Cheese" you get "Tube-Shaped Noodles with Cheese Powder Add Milk Sauce." Anyway, I just love it. Love it all. I'm going to have some cereal right now.

So I'll be posting more soon. I'm working on a super cute (at least in the pattern pictures) doll for A.'s Easter basket, and I can't wait to see how it turns out. It really could go either way--super cute or really freaky. Such is the nature of dolls. I'll post pictures and we can take a poll. Get excited. !!!

Love, joy, and crunch-crunch!