Lights, Camera, Action!...

As Mark and I were checking out from the Davenport Hotel in Spokane a week or so ago, I found myself peering up at the amazing chandeliers in the lobby of the Davenport Tower. I'm really into chandeliers right now, maybe because we have low ceilings in our new 1970's home, maybe because it's winter, maybe because I just really love them. We had just seen "The King's Speech" the night before, much to my joy. I just soaked up the movie, the story, the setting, the movie sets, Colin Firth...it was all good. Needless to say, I'm quite happy with the Oscar for my favorite movie of the year. I don't get out much to the movies, so it may be one of the few I see in a real theatre.
I didn't watch any of the other movies, well, expect for Toy Story 3 with my boys. I'm pretty sure I couldn't handle the intense drama of Black Swan, but when I was a little girl I was fascinated by ballerinas. I apparently was too shy to really take ballet (my middle sister participated on the sidelines goes the story) but I had a ballerina jewelry box (she turned and danced), a ballerina felt set, and a ballerina book that I loved (which I just discovered in one of my many boxes). So it was much to my delight that when I met my friend Christy for coffee at my not-so-local Starbucks(hey, my sister works there and I was craving a salted carmel mocha and chocolate old-fashioned donut), she gifted me with a Valentines goody bag in which were two vintage ballerina figures! Love them!!
Our Valentine's Day itself was so good, my little "Bachelor"-shirted Finn accompanied me to Starbucks, where he lounged on his favorite settee. I got to surprise Haden at his school Valentine party because my husband surprised me with a half day of work-he showed up at Liam's preschool party (what a gift for all of us, since I was running late!). And Mark and I dined at home, looking forward to our weekend at The Davenport. When we went to the vintage Davenport I took my great-grandma's vintage Samsonite; I felt so elegant. It's good to pack light every once in a while.
When we picked up our little guys at my parents home, my mom, sister Heidi and I went out to Reardan to the Rejuvinations closing sale. An awesome, stylish store in the small farming town my mom grew up in was closing, much to our dismay, but we wanted to get in on any deals that might have been left. This is where I picked up the perfect white chandelier for our dining area. I had been going to spray paint our existing gold one, but I wanted one with more lights, more space to add more crystals, so it was love at first light. My mom got it for my early mother's day present and I will enjoy it every single day, before, during and after. Thank you, mom!
I had to leave a glass lamp, but later found out it hadn't sold, so yea for my office! Target had a great set of three lamps for a super price, so I bought the set and we now have two of the black, white and glass lamps lighting up our fireplace room. Right when I was checking out at Rejuvinations, I spied the hanging paper, rectangular lamps and snapped them up. I knew exactly where they would go; one by our huge, stone fireplace and one in my office. It's so good when everything comes together. We are people in need of light. And I am so thankful for all the ways my February was lit up; with people, with gifts of love and friendship, with family, with time away, with movies and stories, and, with lights.
"This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine..."