La Petite Chic

Grace Neuf

I GOT THE JOB!!!

 

 

Grace Huit

I fully realize that I talk about the weather an awful lot, but it really is something I quite care about.  Especially when the weekend forecast looks like this:

 

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also worth noting is that we're having another Open House this weekend.  I would say that's pretty ideal house hunting weather, wouldn't you?

P.S.  Thank you to everyone who has e-mailed and tweeted to check in on the status of our counter-offer.  We haven't heard a thing yet, which leads me to believe it's a no-go.  Jon and I are understandably annoyed that they didn't have the courtesy to give us any response, especially since we gave them a very prompt one.  Le sigh. 

Grace Sept

My department at work has monthly two-hour team meetings that all of us dread.  They're usually boring, redundant and loathfully dry.  Today's meeting was much different, however.  We spent most of our time decorating shoeboxes for children living in a local homeless shelter.  They'll serve as keepsake boxes for the children to keep their special treasures and as a space to claim as all theirs during their time at the shelter.  Now this was time well spent! 

I decorated my box with animals, of course!

Grace Six

I was not pleased to see a half foot of snow on the ground when I woke up this morning.  It did give me a chance to wear my adorable wellies to work though.  They're not snow boots, but they at least kept my feet and pants dry all while looking cute!

Grace Cinq

It's really hard to live in a home that's on the real estate market.  It needs to be in a constant state of spotlessness and you have to be ready to vacate the premises if you get a call from a realtor who wants to bring his clients over in an hour.  Jon and I are generally neat people but I have a tendency to make piles.  Piles of mail on the kitchen counter, piles of laundry that I've yet to put away, piles of coupons that need to be filed...you get the idea.

Having our condo on the market has forced us to become neat freaks to the extreme and I have to admit, it's really nice to come home to a clean house every day.  There are no crumbs on the counter, the floors are swept, the bookshelves could pass a white glove test and most importantly, the stress I feel when my home is messy just isn't there anymore.  I really hope that what is now a necessary habit evolves into a good habit because I quite like it!

Grace Quatre

For those of you who follow my Twitters, you may have noticed that we got an offer on our condo last night!!  Though it is $27,000 less than our asking price, it is an offer nonetheless and we are very encouraged and willing to work with the potential buyer to make a deal.  We quickly submitted a counter-offer and are waiting to hear back from our realtor.  Fingers and toes crossed, please!!! 

Grace Trois

It's no secret that I hate winter.  I'm a warm weather girl through and through.  But if weren't for the bitterly cold days of winter that chap my skin and chill my bones, would I be as excited about the daffodil buds that I saw sprouting out of the dirt this morning while on my way to work?  Maybe, maybe not, but I do know that it thrilled me to no end to see this first sign of spring in Virginia! 

Here's a photo I took of them last year, March 26th to be exact.  It seems I have just a few more weeks until they're in full bloom!

 

Grace in 40 Days

Yesterday was the first day of Lent and rather than give up something in the physical sense like sweets, I've decided to go the more spiritual route this year.  I ever so briefly considered giving up alcohol, but this no birth control life I'm living means that I could become pregnant at any time requiring a whole nine months of seriously, no cheating abstaining from alcohol. I'm going to enjoy my wine while I can!

So instead, for the next 40 days, I'm going to do my best to live my life without worry.  Because really?  Worrying and being anxious is probably the worst habit I have.  I'm going to trust in God that everything happens for a reason and that everything will be okay in the end. 

Living without worry also means that I'll stop spending so much time dwelling on what I don't have and be grateful and joyful for what I do.  So every day, for the next 39 days (I'll do two today since I missed yesterday), I'll post what I'm happy about, grateful for or a positive take on something that would usually cause me anxiety.  Sort of akin to the Grace in Small Things phenomenon that has swept across the blogosphere, hence the title of this post.

Grace Une:

We have several squirrels that live in the trees outside of our balcony.  I've been feeding them for a few months now and they seriously bring me more joy than I would like to admit!  When they see me on the balcony, they'll usually venture down and perch on the tree to see if I've brought them any food.  They are adorable and they make me smile.

Grace Deux:

I've been applying for jobs in Baltimore for many months now.  Ironically, a full-time position opened up at my current organization (remember, I'm a contractor) here in Virginia and I was encouraged to apply.  I did and I've been interviewed and all signs point to a positive outcome.  It's been keeping me awake at night, but I'm not going to worry about it any more.  If I don't get it, fine.  If I do get it, I'll figure out the minor details (like the commute once we move) later.  For now, I'll be grateful that I even have this opportunity.