stomach bugs, car keys and aprons

Since last weekend, our house has been an interesting mix of birthday, holiday, snow days and stomach bugs. Last night I started a post detailing some of the more humorous moments (in hindsight, of course) of the week, but realized it was getting long and wordy, and probably isn't all that funny to anyone else. So, scratch that.

Though, you may get a chuckle from hearing about our adventures yesterday afternoon when I piled all the kids up to make a 'quick trip' to the library, assuring myself that my stomach could handle just a 45 minute round-trip jaunt, only to lock my keys, wallet and cell phone in the van after arriving mere minutes before the library closed, being stranded on the streets of Boyertown for a while (well, just while I made phone calls to arrange our rescue), and then killing time in a teeny, little hometown pharmacy that remains just the way it was when I went there in 5th grade. (I'm pretty sure some of the inventory was still there from that year as well. I haven't seen shoe horns in years!!) All four kids and I hung out, they bought 'penny candy' (which, by the way is now 5 cents a piece) and we read the greeting cards to each other and laughed out loud, passing the time til Todd arrived to unlock the van. (After we bought the candy, I did tell the clerk that I had locked my keys in the van outside and we were waiting for someone to come unlock it, just so he didn't wonder why we made such a measly purchase and continued to hang out for another half hour. Not that we are a particularly sinister looking bunch or anything, but still.)

Anyhoo... what I really wanted to post about was simply what made me smile this week, through all the craziness. It's a completely minor and unimportant (to anyone else) thing, but it just made me feel cozy each time I looked at it. It's the new apron my mama got me for Christmas. I had always sort of scoffed at aprons in my younger years, but with all the cooking I do these days (and all the shirts I've had to pre-spot time and again because of grease splatters) I now see the great value of aprons...AND they make such adorable ones now!! These aren't your grandma's smock-style frocks now!! (Though, I have to say, I have very fond memories of my grandma, mom and aunts decked out in aprons and good smells wafting from the kitchen...and I would love for my kiddos to have such fond memories as well.) So when I got my apron, I wasn't sure where to keep it that it would be easily accessible, but not just tossed somewhere. Then I saw the perfect place...the hook on the bottom of my hanging votive holder. It was just begging to have something hanging from it, and the apron was the perfect thing. And it even matches the red wall behind it and the while hutch beside it. Yep, it's cozy. And it makes me smile. It's the simple things...