Some of My Favorite Things

After being sick and having sick kids for over a week, being back to normal has never felt so good. I've really been enjoying normal this week. In fact, I haven't been stressing about exercise, eating, cleaning, cooking dinner or being dressed before noon very much at all this week. I know, highly unusual for me! I'm just enjoying me and my family being healthy. And so far, I haven't missed the stress all that much, go figure!
On that positive note, I wanted to go a step further and share with you things that make me happy. And yes, I will be giving them to you in list form :)

1. My friend Carrie's blog: Carrie and Company Carrie and I first met each other about 5 years ago when we both lived in Salinas, CA. We became fast friends and now that I don't get to see her any more (she lives in Vegas, me in Utah), I follow her through her blog. To me, her blog has the perfect mix of craft projects, menu ideas, and life stories. I love how she writes and her blog is really what I wish mine was more like Anyways, Carrie is one amazing and funny gal. As sweet as could be, she's the kind of girl you wished lived across the street from you cause she'd babysit your kids in a heartbeat, redecorate your bathroom creatively and cheaply if you asked her to, and wouldn't hesitate to let you borrow a cup of sugar or two. Carrie and her blog make me happy :)

2. Masterpiece Theatre adaptations of classic novels. Don't get me wrong, Masterpiece Theatre isn't perfect, they've had their share of mistakes, but when they get it right, they get it right. I love their recent remakes of Jane Eyre, Little Dorritt, Emma and Sense and Sensibility to name a few. There is nothing better after a long day than to pop one of those DVDs in and lose myself in some 19th century literary fantasticness.

3. My husband's cooking. And it's just not the fact that it's not me cooking, Steve really makes awesome food. Who else thinks to sprinkle cocoa on peppermint ice cream or figures out how to make the perfect grilled cheese in a cast iron skillet? He's a food genius!

4. In & Out Burgers, Chick-Fil-A, Zupas Soup and Salad and Cafe Rio Pork Salad. I think I could eat at one of these 4 places every day and be very happy. Yum (not eating for a week makes you think of your favorite foods :)

5. Talking on the phone with friends. I know, when you have small children at home, the person calling you never knows what they are going to get. But when the fates align and I can get a good half hour in chatting with a friend, it's like heaven on earth. Not only do I get adult contact, I get to catch up with some of my favorite people. I just love talking on the phone!

6. Another thing that makes me happy, that I had forgot made me happy, but was able to rediscover how happy it makes me is when Steve helps with the housework. Let me just say, my only qualifications I really had when looking for a husband was one, he could deal with me and my craziness and still love me (he had to get me, ya know?), and that he could cook and clean. I did not worry about anything else (really). Steve met these qualifications, but sometimes I forget that he's a cleaner, I let him get by with just folding some laundry now and again. But when we were all sick Steve shouldered the household tasks beautifully and it was such a relief! I really need to remind him not to hide that talent under a bushel anymore :)

Ok, that's all for now. Sorry my list wasn't more materialistic, I mean, maybe you were expecting me to name my favorite vegetable peeler or something like that. Plus, I'm not Oprah, so after reading this list you aren't going to get a copy of every Masterpiece Theatre movie on DVD or anything. But thanks for reading anyways. What are some of your favorite things? Or just things that make you happy?