Makes Me Smile Monday

*In my defense, I DID write this on Monday - just must have forgotten to publish!*

During the hustle and bustle we call "life" 

It's no uncommon for me to lose sight of the things that once made me so happy.

Between the piles of laundry, dishes stacking up in the sink, and the seemingly endless list of things I "should be doing", I often times let my stress overpower the joy that is my life.

I'm going to try really hard to shine a spotlight on a few "little things" that have happened in the past week that have made me smile - in hopes that it will help me focus more on the positive, than that never-ending list of "shoulda's". 

Sushi night at the Quillens

I'm blessed to have a husband who both enjoys cooking, and is very good at it. That comes in handy, considering the last time I tried to make chicken, we ended up ordering take-out

  {true story: I attempted to cook frozen chicken on HIGH - resulting in the burnt outside, frozen inside of our dinner!}

Give me a recipe to bake, and I'm good to go - but cooking actual meals and I don't exactly go hand in hand {although I can make a mean salad!}

I am making a vow to try this whole cooking business, but for now it's so nice to have a lovely husband to help out and do the cooking.

During pregnancy, I really missed sushi, and I haven't been able to really feed the craving ever since.

I came home from a Dr. appointment to find a full spread of my favorite rolls - labored over by Mike! 

It was the perfect end to a Monday - cuddled up on the couch with our sushi, watching the newest episode of "How I Met Your Mother" {an obsession of sorts}

My M.A.C Makeup Splurge

"Once you go M.A.C you never go back" - I'm going to have to agree with that one! 

I never let myself spend any great amount of money on just makeup. 

...But a lot changed in just one day.

Give a girl in a post-pregnancy funk a Macy's gift card and a couple of free hours and she's bound to find a way to make her feel pretty. 

I'm gradually getting out of this "funk" starting with a new hair do - courtesy of Heather at Just.Lovely.Things {yes, this multi-talented lady does hair too!} and embarking on my newfound makeup obsession. 

Although I only started out with a small collection, I'm sure this will be a fixture in plenty of my "Make me Smile Monday" blogs to come!

Noah - My Little Ducky

Noah got this duck bathrobe from his grandparents.

He's still a little too...little for it, but how can you resist this cute little face?! 

Bath time is always such a fun time - I'm thankful he enjoys it! 

Everything this little Puff does makes me smile, but these pictures and that robe take the cake this week.

Our New Habit

My husband and I made a resolution of sorts to start a new, healthier lifestyle. 

That's not to say that we don't break down and eat an entire pizza and some cookie dough when we're having "one of those days", but all in all The Quillens are on a health kick. 

This picture is right before a night trip to the gym - don't let the smiles fool you, it's hard to pick myself up to go almost every time, but they say hard work pays off right?

Last week proved to be full of things worth smiling about.

We won't mention that I'm behind on laundry, that my bathroom is a mess, or that my car is a small disaster area. Those things will always be there - and I could drive myself nearly crazy trying to keep up. 

Instead, we'll just say...The Quillen household had a pretty good week!