You guys had such sweet things about Miss Thea Turbo McFatty and her love affair with our heater that I thought I'd share a few more pictures from the coldest morning we've had so far. We generally only light this bad boy up at night, but it was so cold one morning last week, that we had to take the chill off the coldest room in our house. As soon as Fatty (Thea) heard the clank of the handle, she came running. It shakes the house.

Sweet Thea. She's such a funny bunny. More Eeyore than Pooh Bear. She's a lone ranger. Puts herself to bed at night and would prefer to be alone than hang out with her people. She looks, as you can see, worried all the time. Honestly, she barely tolerates us, I think.

When Violet died this past summer, Lucy-the-Beagle went into a decline. She's a little co-dependent. Ahem. Thea was Violet's biological mother, and they shared a crate and sometimes a food dish. They were rescued off the street together, moved in here together and were always together. We worried. Lucy lost two pounds and developed degenerative bone disease. Thea stretched out in her crate, enjoying the extra leg room. Lucy looked around for her friend. Thea thought: one down, four to go. She counts us in the number of creatures in her path towards world domination.

We worried about how the dynamics between our dogs would change when we lost Violet. Lucy and Thea don't get along. Fights ensue. Tensions arise and don't dissipate. And things did shift. Only for the better. What? Lucy, who was always jealous of Violet, relaxed. Thea, who bore the brunt of Lucy's antagonism, settled in. Neel started calling Violet a home wrecker. He might be right. These days, Thea hangs out with us! She doesn't go to her room early! They're sleeping on the same bed right now!

I know she's more relaxed because Lucy's more relaxed, but it's also simply Thea's favorite time of year: heater season. Our family room, where these photos were taken, is cold. Housing our kitchen, TV and computer, the room is sunken lower than the rest of the house with floor to ceiling French doors all along the back wall. I love them, but there's no denying that it's cold. I can handle it in the daytime (sort of), but at night, when the homework and the dishes are done, we all love nothing more than to pile on the sofa under the blankets and put the heater on. Thea, no matter where she is in the house, suddenly shows up. She sits as close to the heater as possible and falls asleep with her head resting against it. I'll be the first to admit, I was skeptical of the heater when we inherited it from Neel's parents several years ago, but he told me, trust, as he lit it that first time. And he was right. Since then my love for it has grown to match Thea's. Almost.

If she had to pick between us and the heater, well. We all know where her loyalties lie.

You almost hate to see winter end. But that's okay. It only means that her second favorite time of year, grilling season, is right around the corner.

Sometimes the internet is such a cool place. And I know, sometimes it's creepy and overwhelming and addicting, but I've been trying to concentrate on gratitude lately, so let's stick with cool, shall we?

Remember that photo walk I took with my Lensbaby awhile back? We took that walk as a group of women who'd never met before (when are we doing it again, by the way?!), and instantly felt connected by our shared love of our cameras. We connected on Facebook and Instagram, and I feel so lucky to have their pictures continue to pop up in my feeds. So one of those women mentioned recently that she'd been tagged in a "My Everyday" challenge. Shoot your everyday for five days and post the photos to Facebook. She asked me to join along, and it was just the thing I needed!

Shooting my everyday moments are why I got the Fuji in the first place, and this challenge was just the thing I needed to slow down and pay attention. Face it, my days are pretty boring. I work alone, at home, with nothing but the dogs to keep me company until time to grab Cal from school. But this challenge made me stop and pay attention. It's the details that matter, right? A lunch. The way the dogs stare me down even after my food is gone. Homework time. A walk to my river. And that picture of Cal at the end of the hall? How many times have I seen just that view? Cal, digging in the closet for baseballs before he and Neel go out to throw. Without this challenge to focus my eye, I'm not sure I'd have ever thought to capture a moment that is so infused with what makes up our life right now.

Have you tried it? An everyday challenge? Some people shoot "A Day in the Life," and my friend Michele (who originally challenged me) is picking a theme each day (Her most recent was a series of photos of her son getting a haircut, and it was amazing!). Go on! You can do it! Stop and look around. Slow down. It's the details, the tiny insignificant moments that matter.

If you do decide to do an everyday challenge, please let me know. I'd love to know what you're up to, everyday.

heat-seeking missile {life}

these days {life}