I’m finally starting to fill my sketchbook with good things, little doodles & big ideas, again, after almost a year of rest. It feels—dare I say it?—good.

• Celebrating one year of marriage. I’ve been so amazed and touched by all the people who have remembered the day and wished us well. • A visit with Ethan, finally. It had been too long. • A clean bill of health. • Watching The Lady and The Tramp over a big plate of pasta. […]

• Discovering Cadbury mini eggs (how did I not know how good they are?) • A satisfying walk • The Boots cosmetics aisle at Target • Hearing a happy client’s voice • Year of the Dog • Baking chocolate chip cookies with Siddo • Tiny packets of collage ephemera • Kyle’s cousin Kyle • Lunchtime […]

* Watching TV after 40 days of (practically) none. * Stranger Than Fiction on DVD (thank you, Easter Bunny). * Making Easter brunch with Mom. A tall pile of blueberry pancakes. Bacon dipped in maple syrup. * The new issue of Optic Nerve is out—and I can’t wait to read it. * Auntie Em’s mini […]

* Thick slices of La Brea Bakery multigrain bread and scrambled eggs by the window. * The first cup of coffee in days. * Fresh daffodils waiting for the perfect moment to reveal their faces. * Wearing Christmas gifts that make me feel lovely. * Seeing old friends at church. * Singing my heart out. […]

Martha Stewart may have popularized the term “good thing,” but I made it my own. I started keeping Good Things lists in my journal two years ago, during a dreary time in my life. I had gotten so used to seeing the bad stuff — too used to it — that I was losing sight […]

once a week, i make a list of good things. this task usually falls around sunday, and it’s often scribbled on a scrap piece of paper and then written, more nicely, in my notebook. sometimes i come up with 20 things. others, i can barely think of 5. but it’s important, i think. i complain […]