Little things

Fellow Ottawan Andrea at QuietFish tagged me on this. She was talking about how we all have those little somethings in our houses that we love - things that give you a little ping of joy when you look at them.

Although we have a really lame little mantle in our living room (oh, how I drool over the Home Depot Wish Book) it does provide a good central shelf where my most sentimental treasures can be admired but not swallowed, squashed or otherwise boyhandled. There's a paper frame with a photo of the boys with Thomas the Tank Engine, a chunky frame with a cut-out of our wedding invitation, a photo of my parents, a few other odds and ends, and these:

The figure of the mother with two children was from my wonderful Mom this past Christmas. A three-hanky gift if there ever was one. I love it! The giraffe and elephant are also Christmas gifts from my mother, I think from separate years. (She has a knack for finding the best gifts.) And the photo makes me smile partly because it's an adorable picture of a barely-walking Tristan admiring his own shadow as it falls on a dandylion, and partly because it's housed in a frame from my dear friend Nancy - a woman who shares my addiction to treats from Pier One Imports.

I can sit and admire this little collection endlessly. It's a tangible little happy place. Thanks, Andrea, for making me think of this.

What do you have in your house that reminds you to be blissful?