Have you been hit by a winter bug yet? We had one run its course through our house this weekend, and I'm officially saying Bon Voyage right now, so it better be on its way out. So sorry I missed you yesterday. Monday was just not as much fun without you.

Never despair, I have some Itty Bitty Lovelies to delight you.

1. Become a PMS expert

No, no, no, not that kind. Pantone Matching System, silly!! You've seen the term thrown around in all sorts of posts and pins. And who can forget that emerald is the Pantone spring hue? Well, the lovely Leonora over at Yellow Heart Art has broken down the vocab to make the whole system approachable. Check out her super informative Pantone post.

2. Rock a great handwritten font

On my life list? Create my own font(s). Have you tried the Ifontmaker app yet? Until I get around to it, I've downloaded Anna's tip top handwriting fonts. She made four different styles, and they're all free. And, if my handwriting looked like hers, I would already have a font for sure! These alphabets will look great on photos and on their own. You may even see them around these pages. Thanks, Miss Anna of Dear Friend.

3. Make lots and lots of minis

Usually I'm admiring Jillian's bravery and adventurous spirit. But now she's amazing me with this easy, beautiful craft that kids and parents will love. Jillian in Italy shows us fabrics that charm, wraps them around circular cork boards and pops them on the end of a bookcase. Check out the fabulous result that I totally want to imitate. What a cute gift for your favorite tween or a teen headed off to college.

My Itty Bitty Lovely for the week is this: you don't have to leave it all behind. I was a full-time teacher for two years. I've taught a handful of classes here and there. My career path has taken me in a different direction, but part of me still yearns to be in the classroom. This weekend my husband (also a former teacher) and I had a chance to teach together, and it felt really good to be back in the saddle.

It reminded me that even when we chose something different from where we've been, we can still carry on the goodness that remains and come back to it again and again.

What are you bringing to this week? I'm excited to dig in.

xoxo, MJ

I'm the mom of 3. For the sake of their privacy I'll refer to my children by their initials (I'm a big fan of those, too). M, my oldest daughter, is 7. She now shares a room (more on that later) with her younger sister, C, who is 4. And last, but far from least, is little L, and he's 2.

You'll be hearing a lot more about them in the upcoming weeks, but for now, I want to share a little inspire that I created with my ladies in mind. 

M and C are 2.5 years apart, but C is the same size as M and expects herself to dance, read, draw, and exist just as a 7-year old would. 

Comparison is tough on us. I find that I'm as guilty of it as anyone, and to see comparison struggles frustrate the wonder of a 4-year old, well, it breaks your heart open.

I'm inspired by powerful words from great people. Thanks to gifts like Pinterest I can collect words and images combined beautifully through graphic design.

Fifth & Hazel has some gorgeous work -- free and downloadable -- that I totally appreciate and admire, like this one. If you have not visited her blog, read this entire post (pretty, please) and then go over and check out all her stunning designs at Fifth & Hazel.

Inspired by her gifting, I created this print from the words of St. Therese of Lisieux for my little girls. M and C aren't quite old enough to fully understand the strength of the message, but they understand the preciousness of a violet and the presence of a rose. And I'm hoping they grow to understand the amazing, unique personalities they both are.

Pass this along to anyone you know who might want a little inspire today!