How adorable is this?

I found it in my mailbox this afternoon - what a spirit lifter!

As readers of The Karianna Spectrum - my main blog - know, last week was pretty much a dud thanks to my son, the rogue butt-swatter. Thankfully, he's now back to his charming self, but those on-edge feelings of "Is he going to disobey again?" and "Did he really understand why we were so angry last week?" are still in my mind. I've been keeping up my visits with Jillian and Bob, although I've taken a couple days off (but not in a row) - it is exactly the stress and time-crunch of things like teacher's emails and principal's calls that typically get in the way of my exercising.

Mondays are usually not-so-fun, and today was no exception - until I went to the mailbox. First thing I saw was a note from the postman about how he couldn't deliver our mail on Saturday because the mailbox was blocked. This infuriates me. It has happened before, plus he's even put stickers on our mailbox saying not to block it.

But we're not the ones blocking it. There are several cars who insensitively block our driveway, and with it, the mailbox. I don't like being punished for others' sins, that's for sure. I would have really appreciated getting Saturday's mail on Saturday.

But then a small package caught my eye. It was the above pictured little bird pendant. This was an unexpected gift from the brick kiln, a fabulous etsy shop that sells personalized pottery. This mother-daughter team also blogs about their specials and fun finds.

Thank you so much for making me smile!

In fact, both my boys gave a collective "aaawwww!" at the cuteness of this little bird. The brick kiln was part of Cool Mom Pick's Mother's Day Gift Guide (which is how I learned of them) but their products can be used well beyond Mother's Day - such as for an end-of-the-year teacher's gift, a wedding present, or a new-baby gift.

I love etsy. Not too long ago, I got some amazing cashmere mittens from Pepperberry Knits, a vendor that doesn't seem to have products right now, but I thought I'd give a shout out anyway!

I love that I can find custom handmade products that probably end up being far better quality than what one finds in mass merchandise. The personal attention means a lot - just like I love going to The Squirrel's Nest for Feingold-safe candy made from a mom whose late son found success on the Feingold Diet.

At any rate, thank you brick kiln for brightening my day! I love my little birdie pendant!