A lesson in graciousness

Today I ran into my neighbor's car.

Let me paint the picture for you: screaming baby in the back, groceries in the rear, and two interviews to get to ASAP. As I tried to park in front of my house, like I always do, I cut the corner too close and ... screech.

My heart rate climbed to an obscene level, and I got out to survey the damage (did I mention my neighbor drives a BMW? Yeah, not really a car you want to mess with). I wasn't sure if I had just scratched the bumper, or if I had been responsible for the other damage on the fender.

Dear Lord.

With my heart in my hands, and my baby in my arms, I went to his house to repent--and I expected anything but what I received. "Don't worry about it," he said. After taking a look at the car, he insisted that the fender damage was already there, and that the scratch on the bumper was no big deal.

I wanted to cry--not because I was happy that I wouldn't have to fork over hundreds for repair bills (I would have done so in a heartbeat), but because of how kind he was to me. Before he even saw the damage, he'd brushed it off and forgiven me. I chatted with he and his wife for a while on the sidewalk, and I kept thinking, there is a lesson here, Sarah--a lesson in forgiveness, and graciousness.

How many times have I made someone feel bad for something silly? How many times have I refused to forgive and held a grudge?

You never expect that hitting a BMW will be a wake-up call, but today, it was mine. Any life lessons in your fender benders?

Green decor--I want this bedroom!

Today, I want to share a treasure with you. While working on an article for Weather.com, I came across a fabulous blog run by a mom in Athens, Georgia: Jennae Peterson. The blog, GreenYourDecor.com, is filled with gorgeous design ideas, practical tips, and best of all, budget-friendly ideas to style your home green!

Like Jennae, every few months I get the urge to redo my bedroom. (Yeah, my husband usually puts the kybosh on that.) My new passion is organic bedding, and I'm currently salivating over this cheerful organic bedding, featured on GreenYourDecor recently. Wouldn't you want to wake up in this room?

Why organic bedding? Jennae had this explanation:

"It is grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers and therefore provides the softest, smoothest comfort this side of your baby’s bottom. This particular organic bedding has the added benefit of featuring a print that is nature inspired, so you’ll remember why you wanted organic in the first place."

I don't know about you, but that's all the convincing I needed!

On surviving the photo shoot

Hi everyone!

Isn't this gorgeous? This luscious-looking piece of heaven was made by my friend Kristine -- the dessert-maker extraordinaire. She brought it over the other night for a dinner we had here. And believe me, we enjoyed every last bite. 

Sorry for the hiatus. I've been busy these days with new projects and other exciting stuff. I will write more soon, but I wanted to let you know that I survived the Hallmark magazine photo shoot. Remember the dinner party feature that was being shot at my home? It was not only a ton of fun, but we didn't want it to end! From the stylists and hair and makeup folks, to the photographers and fabulous producers, we had a blast and just loved the experience. (You should have seen my husband getting his makeup done -- classic!). 

I'll let you know when the story will run (I'm working on it now), when I hear from my editor. For now, I have several other Hallmark features in the works, one of them has me cooking up some delicious things in my kitchen. I'll share more soon. 

What's on your plate?