March was fun, but I have to admit that I’m excited for it to be over so we can finally head into spring! Granted, I’ve already been pretending the weather is warmer than it actually is with bare legs and sleeveless tops (this machine-washable merino shell is perfect for work).

In addition to this month’s mini moments below, we’ve been gearing up for our London trip. It’s wheels up next Friday and I can’t wait! Dave splurged to upgrade our seats to United’s Economy Plus, so I’m sure I’ll feel extra fancy next week. (He went with the subscription option for Economy Plus where you and another passenger can be upgraded on every flight for a year. We’re going to Austin at the end of May and we’d like to book something else for later in the year to make sure we get our money’s worth. We’ve been daydreaming about Europe for Christmas markets this December if we somehow find ourselves with extra cash, but that seems unlikely with our house projects!)

Mini Moments (top to bottom, left to right):

• A new brewery opened in Madison. The couple of beers we tried were really good and well balanced, and they have a rotating menu from one of the best chefs in town. We’ll likely be frequenting the place this spring and summer since it’s right off the bike path. Part of the reason we moved to the neighborhood we did was for the walkability and bikeability to bars and restaurants, and we’ve certainly been taking advantage of it! A couple of weeks ago, we ventured off for a Sunday Funday with a few of our neighborhood friends and had a blast visiting dive bars and playing shuffleboard.
• I finally hung up artwork in our bedroom! I’ve had that print (c/o Minted) for a couple of years now and it’s never actually been on a wall. I’ve only had it propped up against the wall in our apartment because I couldn’t find just the right spot for it despite adoring it as much as I do. The colors work so well with our accent wall and that new Target throw blanket. (It does look a little small in that photo, but it should be okay once we get curtains installed.)
• Admittedly, I’m not always the best at breaking down cardboard boxes and recycling them right away. I finally got around to it and, of course, Bacon picks the Gucci box to play in. What a fancy cat!
• We stopped by a local greenhouse last weekend to purchase a snake plant for this planter. Thanks to the perfect rows of spring plants, I left inspired to work on our deck and yard when we get back from our trip. We’ve even picked out our deck paint already!
• We’re starting to replace our light fixtures around the house. Some will be replacing ceiling fans, so we’ve opted to buy medallions to cover up any damage from the brackets rather than patching it. I love the added architectural detail to our 1920s home. The polka dot trim on this ceiling medallion makes it my favorite one yet.
• I’m just going to go ahead and pack this entire outfit for London.
• A bathroom renovation is a long way off, but I can’t help daydreaming about the tile we’ll eventually get! I love this floor, and I’ve had this tile and this one bookmarked, but a vintage-inspired hexagon pattern is just as tempting.
• Last Sunday was a pretty perfect spring day in Madison, so we went for a long walk up and around the Capitol.
• This gorgeous alabaster lamp (c/o Cottage & Bungalow) was all the motivation I needed to restyle our bar cabinet. I love the mid-century modern shape and the natural element the stone brings to the space. I’ll have more photos and a discount code for you next week!

More Mini Moments: January, February

–
Let’s keep in touch!  Instagram / Facebook / Pinterest / Bloglovin’

Last month, I mentioned that I wanted to bring back a roundup of “Mini Moments” from the month prior and share some of my goals for the month ahead. I dropped the ball on getting this up closer to the first of the month, but hey, there were still a few things worth reminiscing about and sharing with you! I’ll have this week’s “Weekend Links” post up tomorrow.

Mini Moments (top to bottom, left to right):

• I finally bought the Gucci bag I’ve been saving for! It’s ridiculously indulgent, but goodness, I’m so happy with it! (If it’s on your wish list, you can see what fits inside here.)
• Dave and I went out for date night drinks at Robin Room in Madison. Their cocktails are amazing and you know I’m smitten with the pineapple neon sign in the window.
• I finally got around to painting the door frame of my closet. I’m sure it comes as no surprise that I was anxious to cover up that tan color with crisp white paint! Also, I can’t stand it when hardware is painted over. (Apparently you can boil the hardware in water to loosen the paint. Latex paint should peel right off and lead-based paint should crumble off. That’ll be a project for an upcoming weekend.) A quick tip for removing stubborn screws that have been painted over: position your screwdriver in the groove and hit the base with a hammer. The extra force should shake some of that paint loose. I also used a razor to remove the paint at the edges of the screws.
• I participated as a judge for the Madison Reading Project’s READ(y) to Wear fashion show. It was basically a Project Runway unconventional challenge with paper.
• An outtake from this post cracks me up.
• I played hooky last Tuesday when the temperature crept close to 60 degrees. I treated myself to sushi for lunch, picked up tulips, and wandered around our neighborhood on a 2.5 mile walk. (You can snag the trench coat here and similar loafers here.)
• I’m all kind of obsessed with this gingham cutie for $28.
• I had been using dollar store salt and pepper shakers for the last 10 years. We finally upgraded to these marble and brass beauties.
• We checked out Forequarter for their happy hour menu of sliders and tacos. It was delicious, but the cocktails were too expensive for what they were (as far as Madison pricing goes). I’d rather stop here again for happy hour snacks and get drinks somewhere else.

Upcoming Goals:

• Start painting the upstairs hallway.
• Replace the light fixture in my closet. This was actually on my goal list last month, but the fixture I ordered from West Elm arrived damaged with a scuff in the brass base and two chips in the globe. (It also arrived in two boxes and after three weeks of continuously asking for a second mailing label with a different tracking number, they finally had to send someone from UPS to pick up both boxes. It was such a frustrating mess. I’m not exactly pleased with West Elm’s customer service when a problem crops up as we’ve had a few additional annoyances, but that’s a story for another day.) The new one just shipped out, and I hope it’s actually a new one and not just the old one coming back to me because I do really like the shape of it.
• Finalize my packing list, shopping, and itinerary for London! I’m doing my best to not over-pack this time and bring extra pieces just for outfit photos. I’ll likely do an outfit roundup when I get back to show you how I remixed pieces during the 10-day trip. I hope it comes off as inspiring rather than boring!
• Get a quote on laying additional concrete by our garage for a parking pad. We have a long driveway between our house and our neighbor’s house and a one-car garage. I can park to the side of the garage door to let Dave in and out, but it’s easier for me to turn around before driving out rather than backing out the length of the driveway. I was able to do so on our lawn with the ground frozen, but that’s not going to be doable much longer!
• Have someone come in to discuss replacing the window shades in our dining room (they’re a dingy beige color) and adding them to our upstairs bedrooms. We’re going to add roller shades now and look at drapes later.

–
Let’s keep in touch!  Instagram / Facebook / Pinterest / Bloglovin’

If you’ve been following my blog for awhile, you may remember that I used to post monthly recaps with a few of my favorite snapshots and mini moments from the previous four weeks. I’m not quite sure why I stopped, but I found myself missing it when I reflected back on the year in December. So I figured it was time to bring it back and share some of the little things I loved recently and talk about some of my goals for the month ahead.

Mini Moments (top to bottom, left to right):

• I spent the day working off-site to help at a photo shoot. The afternoon views of Lake Mendota were stunning.
• I love the shape of Monstera plants and have been considering one for our house, although I’m not sure I want to dedicate that kind of space to one plant!
• Dave and I warmed up over lattes during our recent weekend in Milwaukee.
• A peek into our current living room situation. Replacing the sconces is next up next on the to-do list. I’m going to buy these in brass to pair with these shades. I’ve been putting it off since that’ll come to just over $700.
• I can’t help myself around a fabulous sunburst mirror.
• While we’re on the topic of light fixtures, I’d like to replace the one in my closet this month. It’s just a bare bulb right now. I saw this mini Sputnik fixture at West Elm last weekend and thought it was fun, but I worry that a pendant light will get in the way of the shelf. Alternatively, this shape of this one is fun, this is fairly basic and wouldn’t compete with other decor, this one has a prettier shape than either of those two (but pricier), and this is neat even if it’ll require a decorative bulb. I don’t want to spend a lot since this will be in my closet where no one other than me will appreciate it.
• I gave Dave tickets for Christmas to see his favorite performer, Destroyer. The concert was mid-January and a lot of fun, even if the late night made me wonder how I ever managed to stay out past midnight in my 20s!
• I gave my Paravel backpack a test drive and now I’m even more excited to bring it with me to London. It fits more than I need during the day, making it perfect for toting around treasures we pick up on vacation. This has only intensified my desire for the crossbody capsule bag.
• Target does it again with its latest home collection. The quality of this vase makes it seem more expensive than just $13.

Upcoming Goals:

• Filing my taxes is always at the top of my must-do list for February, and I already got them squared away on Sunday. I had made extra money for a freelance project at the beginning of 2017, so my return was paltry, but hey, it’ll pay for one of those sconce and shade combinations!
• Paint the door trim in my closet. I tackled the door frame for the office and bedroom, and then took a few weeks off. I need to get back into the home-improvement groove.
• Repair any cracks and gouges in the upstairs hallway so we can paint that next month.
• Install a light fixture in my closet.
• Exercise two times a week. I’ve been counting my calories and have already lost four pounds, but I need to add movement into my routine.
• Finally drop off the piles of donations we have bagged up and ready to go.

–
Let’s keep in touch!  Instagram / Facebook / Pinterest / Bloglovin’

I had originally planned on an outfit post today, following yesterday’s Instagram teaser. However, a spell of insomnia last night left me wide awake until sometime between 3:30 and 4:00 a.m. and much too tired to work on a post before work. I’m finding sleepless nights more frequent as I get older. Usually taking melatonin or reading for an hour will make me sleepy enough to forget whatever it is I’m worried about, but no such luck last night. I’ve picked up Zzzquil for the next sleepless night. Has anyone tried it?

Exhaustion aside, February was a pretty fun month — and what better day to celebrate it than on Leap Year’s bonus day?! Without doing any actual research, I’d go out on a limb to say that this must have been one of the most temperate Februarys on record with warm, springlike weekends. (Mother Nature was much more seasonably cold during the work week.) I even went without tights on three separate weekends!

February’s Mini Moments:

• Enjoyed sunny days in my favorite sunglasses.
• Made mini heart-shaped cherry pies for breakfast. I used this press, but found that cutting out heart shapes and pressing them together with my fingers or a fork was more efficient. A double pie crust recipe made enough for four mini pies. I used a half can of cherries to make a filling.
• Obsessed over this red dress, worn here.
• Celebrated Valentine’s Day with a heart-print dress.
• Went for a long walk on a sunny day, but wasn’t brave enough to stroll across the ice like some were!
• Consumed copious amounts of coffee. While the above photo wasn’t a cup brewed at home, I’ve been obsessing over my new French press. I had been missing out for years!
• Purchased the best striped long-sleeve top. I’ve worn it at least once a week since purchasing it. I also added a pair of oversized earrings to my collection.
• Preferred pineapples to snow. Obviously.
• Treated myself to a fluffy bouquet of hydrangeas. The Tory Burch pitcher is the perfect size for them.