10 on the 13th

I am so very late for Meredith's 10 on the 10.

I noticed several other who were late, so I thought, better late than never!

Here are 10 things (in pictures) that are making me smile this week.

10. Giving gifts.

For example:

This gift that I had promised Lauren when she won a La Vida Dulce contest in July.

9. Giving more gifts.

CPQ's Faithful Reader Adrienne was also due to receive a consolation prize ( she didn't get any answers right, but her answers were very fun!) I am sure that nothing makes losing a contest feel better than not receiving your consolation prize. I had something else picked out (a pretty notepad), but for some reason I kept putting off mailing the items.  Now I know why....they weren't meant for her. This was meant for her:

8. Warm moments in the middle of cooler days.

That beast just loves to sleep in the morning sunbeam of our classroom. She's learning all about adjectives too.

7. Parties, and talented people who enjoy parties....even if they cannot be there.
6. (goes with 7) Surprises. I found this surprise in my email box yesterday. Sweet Tanya made us a button for our NC Blogger Party! So, if you would like to post this button on your blog, you have permission to swipe it from here.

5. Fall Foliage:

4. Fall Decorating:

3. Receiving gifts I never (in a million years!) expected to receive!  This arrived in the mail yesterday:

*Mom and Dad, (raising my coffee cup) thank you...for enabling my coffee consumption and ridiculously spoiling me. To say I love my present cannot say enough....Oh! and thanks for letting me open it early!

~~~~These last two are sort of random, but I've been saving these pictures for some time now.

2. Love going to NC lakes and seeing things like this:

I can't decide if he is a lonely Islander, hoping for a wave. Or if he is the epitome of a relaxed southerner; just chillin' while paddling his surf board.

1. In October I start thinking about the Christmas card picture. Last year, we almost had another little boy in our photo:

This sweet boy would not get out of our picture space. He wanted to be in out pictures, and he was a natural, just look at the GQ pose. He followed us from place to place. I seriously considered sending this picture out last year. He was so cute I couldn't bear to tell him that he couldn't be in our photo...I ended up using a family photo we had taken at Dollywood on our trek to NC.

So those are the things that are making me smile this week!