A few of my favorite things

This started out as real items that I’ve bought and swear by.  But then it went a little past that, as my blog posts usually do.  Sorry it’s another list.  Bulleted items are easier this summer than analogies.  Again, another insight into a person; I encourage you to write a list for your own kids. By the way, I think a list like this is absolutely never done.  Every day I find another part of life that makes me happy, and I know you're exactly the same.

Yellow rubber gloves that fit just right.  I know how weird that sounds.  But I was cleaning the church bathroom and felt over the moon relieved that there was a substantial barrier between my skin and the residue of so many strangers.  I also love their protection especially in the winter months, when I’m home and making food more than usual, so many dishes and bouts with water.  Sore, cracked hands.  It’s a pleasure to have lotioned them and veil them in a shroud of rubber.  A bargain considering all the work I get out of them.  I buy them by the box at Costco.

Skinny rubber spatulas.  Perfect for tight jars, since you know how I hate to waste.  My favorites are the short tiny ones from Williams Sonoma.

Speaking of which, we love their winter dish soap.  Immensely.  It’s like a little walk in the forest every time we wash our dishes.

Brand new tight running socks.  Perfect for just-lotioned feet.  They feel massaged and coddled, cocooned and protected.

A first cold night with warmly dried flannel sheets.  And likewise, the freshly laundered summer variety—crisp and cool on the first hot night of the season.

The potted ivy in my kitchen window.  I’ve kept it alive for three years.  I know.

Todd dressed in his suit for church, smelling awesome.

Finally pj’d with brushed teeth, hunkered down with my Real Simple that just arrived that afternoon.

My shower towel warmed by the heating vent.

The smell of potpourri on the stove.  The kind with the orange and cloves and cinnamon simmering away on a fall afternoon.  I think I love that it not only smells fresh and homey, but also that it was essentially free and I know that it's not messing with my health, it's natural.

The satisfaction and the tired feeling of a really productive day.  They usually start early and with a plan.  Not all days need to be, but I love a great day of yard work and house work or just getting more done than I thought.

Cuddled up on the couch in late afternoon with a pillow and blanket and the breeze wafting over me and being woken by the kids coming home from school one by one.

A handwritten love note amid the bills and junk mail, not an obligatory thank you note, something just out of the blue, completely unexpected.  It rarely happens.  But it has.  And I love it so much.  It carries me for days.

Flowers on the table cut from our yard.   I love how cheerful they are.  And that they’re free.

Walking through Hobby Lobby and Michael’s and even Target’s holiday section starting at Halloween time.  I love the tiny house displays—I’d love to lift my kids to show them the moving parts.  I love the colors, the reminder of fall and winter holidays.  It’s as if all is right in the world when all we have to worry about is decorating for the next occasion.

Peanut butter and chocolate.  In just about anything.  Smoothies, candy, granola bars, ice cream.  I’m a sucker for it all.

The blue tube of $4 Cover Girl mascara that I’ve been using for years.  Holds up exceptionally well under teary conditions.  I hear.

Watching tv as a family, could be a church clip, stand up comedy, a Redbox movie or just re-runs of Little House or Brady Bunch that I’m trying to introduce to my kids.  Just a cozy, intimate time cuddled under fuzzy blankets with homemade popcorn.

New shoes.  If I was rich this is what I’d splurge on.  Good quality ones for every occasion.

My lettuce knife.  It is the color of lettuce—bright green—and plastic.  I know Pampered Chef sells them, but I got mine for $3.99.  It prevents lettuce from turning brown, it’s totally light-weight, and a gem!

The smell and feel of a brand new paperback.  Intoxicating.

Fruit salad.  If I was on a deserted island and could have only one food for the rest of my life, this would be it.  I have it breakfast, lunch, and dinner many, many days of my life.  Any combination, any size pieces.  Cool and refreshing with blasts of flavor of all kinds.  Love!!!

The swimsuit makeovers in Good Housekeeping and of course What Not to Wear.  I don’t know why.  I think because we all have flaws and I love how they can make everyone look good!

A new entry in the book Todd and I share with Bronwyn.  It goes back and forth between us each night with us writing questions and answers to each other.  I love her little messages to us!

Lunch at a park next to a river or creek or waterfall in the middle of a road trip.  Better than a nasty fast-food place for sure.  Peaceful, beautiful sounds.  I love the smell of pine trees and watching the critters around us.  I love that it’s healthier, cheaper, so very, very us.

A couple hours in the middle of the day to sit and write with no interruptions.

Seasonal paper napkins with pretty designs. Totally my mom’s daughter!!

Reading on the couch to my kids.  We’re in the middle of a chapter book, but we still do picture books.  They’re 10 and 12.  I’m holding out.  It’s probably the only thing I do as a mom than I’m 100% confident about, certain that I’m getting it right.

The Christmas issues of all my favorite magazines, a peek into dream world!

Lying on one of the kids’ beds in the middle of the day sort of resting, mostly just cuddling and talking.

Indulging in a movie just for me.  Doesn’t have to satisfy anyone else.  It can be cheesy, romantic, motivational, a documentary, it can scream my name and no one will judge me.

A new email in my in-box that isn’t about scheduling something or giving me an assignment.  An email where a friend or sister or kid shares what’s going on inside.  I love a conversation that goes back and forth throughout the day as we analyze life from a variety of angles.

Being invited to someone’s house.  For any reason.  Any occasion.  I love taking a night off.  I love not having to clean my own house.  I love the company.  Mostly I love that someone thought of us.  Even if we can’t go.  I love that someone made the effort.

Movie theater popcorn.  And everything about the whole movie theater experience.  It’s like $100 for our family to go, so it hardly ever happens.  But I LOVE it.

Watching romantic Christmas movies with the girls and knowing they’re crying too.

Falling asleep listening to Todd and the kids playing their game.  Especially on a holiday when it goes extra late.

Getting my hair cut.  All the parts.  From the smell of the shampoo and massage as it’s being washed to the finishing spritz of the fancy hairspray and the extra smooth way it feels as I leave.

Putting on jeans on a late summer evening when you sense a touch of fall in the air.  I love the warm caress that hugs me tight.

Randomly going for ice cream in the next town over on a summer evening.  On a weekday.

Camping with everyone in the same tent and falling asleep all cuddled together.

Sandals and painted toes.

When someone totally understands.  A conversation when I felt completely heard and validated.  That’s all I really ever want, just to connect.

Cozy talk with one or two other couples around our fireplace on a late weekend night.

Saving a bundle because of good timing and coupons that worked out.  With free shipping to boot.

The perfect lipstick.  You have no idea how hard it is to find.

Short filed nails with clear polish.

The smell of Mary Kay and Ponds.  Even after more than twenty years of using them.

Freshly mowed lawn on a late Saturday afternoon, ready for the night’s company.  I don’t even care that the tiny blades litter our kitchen floor.  It just feels so fresh and tidy!

My annual hour-long massage in that dark cozy room with the pretty music and candles.  I love the heated table, the smelly lotion, and her soft warm blankets.  Heavenly.

Tahitian Renewal body wash.  I’ve tried a million others and I always go back. 

A freshly vacuumed vehicle.  Sort of embarrassing how good something so little can make me feel.

This great invention, Cover Gray.  It comes in a tube like lipstick but is about the consistency of shoe polish.  Whatever, it stretches the time between coloring if you’re dark-headed like me but have just enough grays to not be able to pull it off.

Two-packet hot chocolate made with milk.

The smell coming out of dryer vents when we’re on our neighborhood walks.

Lemonade/strawberry slushies I make in our blender (just lemon juice, sugar, frozen strawberries and water).  I was desperate for a treat this summer and we had no cookies.

You’ll laugh, but I love buying my kids new socks and underwear.  I feel so motherly, so in-tune with even the small details of their lives, and so grateful to be able to provide the basics.  I guess I just think of all the moms in the world who can’t, and so it just makes me so happy.

The perfume Todd and I fought over two Mother’s Days ago because it’s so expensive.  But I love it.  Dolci & Gabbana.

Driving to the airport to pick up Aunt Cheri or nana.  I think this about tops the kids’ lists.

Getting to my doctor appointments early and having a stack of Good Housekeepings nearby.  I don’t care how behind the doctor is—I’m in my happy place.

A clear desk, all the bills and papers filed away.  Or, to be honest, a desk with papers and junk just waiting for me to organize.

Fruit-smelling shaving cream made just for girls.  I always use soap because it’s cheaper.  But it is so indulgent to use the can of cream.

My huge white tablecloth that fits our table even with the extensions and white cloth napkins.  I love how black and white embellishments make a sophisticated tablescape, Christmas is magical, and even pastel Easter candies and napkins and flowers look sweet and lovely.

A song on the radio that makes you think back to being a teenager, summoning up a whole collection of memories in just a few seconds.  I can’t help but smile remembering back to being young.  I’m a sucker for the old slow country songs of the early 90s because they were my backdrop to falling in love with Todd.  Even now when we’re driving or I’m just working alone at home, those same feelings come to life and I’m a young college freshman falling in love all over again.

Fleece-lined tights.  My sister bought me a pair a few years back and they are revolutionary.  Slide right under even slimmer jeans.  I like the ones with feet and then I add thick socks.  For a wimp like me, it’s just what the doctor ordered.

Nights when the house is clean and smells good and friends are coming over and all the window sills have three twinkling candle votives with more on the table.  It feels so cozy and romantic.

Chocolate chip skillet cookies with hot fudge and vanilla ice cream.  Hands down one of my very favorite parts of life.

Topped only by having my family all home for the night, connecting after a busy day, knowing we’re not getting even most of it right, but feeling that we’re tight as a family.  That, if nothing else, we really do have a good relationship with each other and with each of the kids.  I could skip the whole list and be content if all I had was this.