Welcome to Penny & Spree!

When I was growing up, I used to love playing on the living room couch. It was big and comfy and funny looking; the perfect place for a little tyke to hang out. “The big couch,” as I affectionately referred to it, was a permanent fixture in my innocent, adolescent world.

Years later, when my husband and I moved into our first house, the big couch ended up coming with us. Despite its outdated floral pattern and “interesting” reddish-orange hue, we needed some furniture and my parents were anxious to give it a new home.

At one point during the move, the big couch had to be turned upside down in order for it to fit down the stairs…and at this moment, something magical happened. Bits and pieces of my childhood, preserved like fossils inside the creases of an old couch, sprinkled out onto the stairwell. A purple Hello Kitty pen {I was slightly obsessed with Hello Kitty, for obvious reasons}, a tiny pair of Barbie sunglasses, a yellow Spree wrapper from a Halloween past, and my absolute favorite...a penny that my dad and I had fastened to the train tracks back in Tennessee; smooth, flat and perfect.

This blog has been a long time coming. Sort of like those precious tidbits making their way back into my life, reminding me to slow down and appreciate the "little things”…whether it be a phone call from a friend, a berry bush covered in snow, or an old, flattened penny that brings one of your most cherished childhood memories back to life.

It is my hope that this blog, which will consist of one photo a day and sentiments written by yours truly, will become a place that encourages and inspires all of us to take a moment, or several, every day to re-discover the simple beauty in our surroundings. It will be a tough challenge, both personally and artistically {one photo a day?! I can’t even bring myself to make my bed every day!}, and I hope you’ll join me for what promises to be—for better or worse!—a rather interesting ride.