casual celebrating

Have you ever noticed how when something becomes expected of you it suddenly becomes a ton less fun? Like you're killing yourself at the office to get a big, grueling project done by Friday and then you realize your boss is expecting it done by then, if not before - so much less motivating. Or you spend hours trying to find the absolute perfect present for your friend and then realize that she had been planning on receiving it all along - totally kills it. It's amazing how far just a little appreciation can go in making life's day-to-day tasks so much more enjoyable.

I've realized the same is true for the things I expect of myself.  And I happen to expect a lot.  I've noticed how when I take my everyday efforts for granted - all things that could technically be considered "expected": going to the gym, getting to work on time, finishing that assignment zero-defect style, washing the dishes, doing the laundry - they become taxing.

But somehow when I recognize the effort - no matter how small - and celebrate the act - in just some tiny type of way - the chore becomes celebration-worthy.

So in an effort to "enjoy the journey" (to quote my dad's latest very wise mantra) and take more time to appreciate all those little things I do in life (because let's be honest, there are a whole lot more little than big things), I've decided to take time to celebrate something each and every day in February. It IS the month of love after all.

So last night, as I began to ponder how to celebrate, bubbly immediately popped to mind.

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But the problem with bubbly is that I can't do a full bottle all on my own on any old Wednesday.  And after being opened, the stuff doesn't keep its charm like a bottle of red might, so it's not like I can spread a bottle over the course of a week.  And even if I could, I didn't want to use champagne as my celebration every night; I had other ideas in my repertoire (an hour of reading some good, sheer-pleasure fiction, a $5 bouquet of beautiful blooms, a $10 mani, a personal dance party to Ace of Base, an on demand chick flick).

I could get myself some splits...

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...but those also packed a tad more punch than one of my weeknights could handle.

Then while shopping for some essentials at Mollie Stone's last night, I stumbled across this tantalizing Valentine's Day display:

Which had these little beauties hidden within:

A four pack of - you guessed it - sparkling! (And we're talking GOOD sparkling here: Sophia Blanc de Blanc is one my favs.). Each adorable little can comes complete with a straw for your sipping pleasure. The perfect size for a mid-week party. And at $5 a POP, they're a pretty affordable party at that.

Tonight I'll be celebrating my finding of these little treasures.
What will you be celebrating?

xoxo
KK