The Time for Change: Things I Like (or, what I would like to buy if I could go on a shopping spree from Etsy)

Things that are making my life so very much better right now:

1) Mocha from our local coffee shop. I spend a lot of time debating what flavor shot to put in my mochca. My favorites right now are coconut and caramel. Not super creative, but delicious!!

2) These fluffy balls that are my kitten's favorite toy du jour. She carries them around in her mouth around the apartment like prey, throws them up in the air and jumps to catch them, and she'll play goalkeeper with my husband if he kicks them toward her. Hours of endless entertainment for the kitten. She actually prefers these to the laser pointer right now. I bought mine at Target - if you have an eight-month old kitten, I'm sure she'll love these toys.

3) My Guardian crutches. I cannot even tell you how liberated these crutches make me feel. I went to Target yesterday and we even walked around browsing (!) for awhile. When I told people that I was switching from a walker to crutches, EVERY person told me, "oh, it will hurt your armpits." No. Only if you're using your crutches incorrectly. Your hands and wrists should absorb most of the impact. Plus, my awesome crutches have a pad on top that absorbs some impact. Plus, it's winter! I'm wearing lots of layers of clothing.

I am faster on crutches. I can stand erect and not be hunched over. Bonus! It's possible these crutches may be the greatest thing for my recovery.

4) Choxie dark chocolate espresso beans are the entire reason I forced myself to go to Target yesterday in the first place. They are delicious and I've been craving them for weeks. I'm pretty sure the boy would never have been able to track them down if I'd told him what I wanted, so I had to go get them myself. The 4.3 ounce package claims that it has two and a half servings in it, but I can only eat about five or six of these at a time. They are rich and, ummm, espresso beans - too many and you'll be a jittery Jill!

Things I would love to have if I could go on a shopping spree:

1) This print from birdAve's Etsy shop. I miss Minneapolis more than you will ever know.

2) This recycled sweater skirt from Uncommon Goods. But it's such a crapshoot. I could get a gorgeous skirt like this one OR I could get one that is as hideous as the other skirt that is shown on the UncommonGoods web page. I'll never bite the bullet and get one, but I'll always kind of want one.