I ordered this here necklace from acts of kindness (which I found via this blog, but turns out is made by the woman behind this blog, which is an offshoot of this one that Leyre recently introduced me to….the blogosphere is a small, small world!), and it came today. I knew exactly what it was when the mail woman came to my desk at work, and I had the envelope opened before she had turned around. Not only is the necklace everything I hoped it would be, but the packaging had me grinning and reaching for my camera to record it…and then gasping once I opened the box and saw the bag with my necklace in it lying in it’s bed of feathers. And I’m not even a feather person, but I just thought it was a really sweet touch. I put the necklace on as soon as I took these photos and put my camera away, and I have to admit I’m a little sad to take it off before bed tonight!

I’ve had really great luck with purchases from Etsy, and I have to say that it’s the little surprises with the packaging and the hand written notes from the sellers that always make whatever I’ve bought that much more awesome and lovable. I like having that connection (even if it’s a small one) with the person that made whatever it is I’m buying.

And that, my friends, is what I’m thankful for this Thursday – a place to buy things that are created with as much love as I have for them when I get my greedy little hands on them!

I am posting late, but it’s still Thankful Thursday! I’m grateful for the sun lately – so nice to stand at the trolley stop in the morning in the sun (and perhaps a little more in the parking lot than at the trolley stop). I’m sure my fellow commuters think I’m nuts when they see me standing there, facing away from the tracks in the middle of all the sand left from the melted snow piles, with my eyes closed and my face lifted to the sun….but I think it’s a pretty great way to start the day.

I took this picture on the way to work – it’s my favorite part of the trolley ride, just before it turns up through the cemetery when you have a view across the marsh. Love all those golden weedy things, love the sun rising over it all, love seeing the stinky Neponset (or maybe it’s the marsh that’s stinky?).