10 Things...

I've been tagged twice now - and I am grateful for it. There are a few things that I've been meaning to share, and this got me together enough to do it. Also, it's always nice to take some time out and reflect on what makes you happy - and this is something that I am bad about doing - taking the time to just be still. And to be happy for what you have. And to just be.

(So, thank you Autum and Capello!)

And so, I present in no particular order...

TEN SIMPLE PLEASURES*

1. Reading
   I honestly don't know what I'd do with myself if I did not love to read. We have more bookshelves in our house than chairs.
   
   
2. Knitting
   I am really enjoying rediscovering knitting after a hiatus of several years; and I am particularly grateful for the inspiration of Jess Hutch.
   As you can see, I am knitting an army that has taken up residence on top of the piano. Although, it's hard to be an intimidating army when most of you don't have arms and legs....
   
   
3. Building "Nests"
   The concept of the nest is a big one at our house. Particularly with me and the Little Guy, but Bubba will get in on the act now and then. We like to get all the feather pillows and blankets and surround ourselves as much as possible and settle in - to read, to watch movies, to just snuggle.
   
   
4. Lip Balm
   I suspect that I have a fetish here. I don't really wear much makeup to begin with - I'm not a earth mother, I'm just lazy. And somewhat intimidated by it all - but there's always time for lip balm!
   I've got several favorites, and they actually get called into service for different occasions, times of day, etc. For example, the Cherry Chapstick is very much a bedtime lip balm.
   Just imagine how smart I'd be if the lip balm portion of my brain were freed up for some other, more lofty use... Cancer might be cured! We might be colonizing Mars! But I can't help because I'm too preoccupied with lip balm....
   
   
5. Gummy Vitamins
   I've had the whole raging internal debate about how it is so wrong to blur the line between medicine and candy, etc. But what can I say, I love them!
   
   
6. Finding "Finds"
   You know, the unexpected serendipitous thing that just makes your heart happy?
   Like this tea towel that I found at a booth set up for our neighborhood festival's street market. The vendor had a chair sitting on top of a bureau, and to keep the top of the bureau from getting scratched up, they had old towels crumpled under the legs of the chair. This was one of the "rags".
   I thought that the embroidery was just wonderful (it's all done by hand!), so I asked if it were for sale. The vendor was amused - to him it was just a rag to protect his tabletop - but he let me have it for $2.
   I just love how one man's "trash" was this girl's treasure. I've got this hanging over the back of a chair, and everytime I look at it, it makes me smile.
   I could insert some "Flea Market Find"...$2, "Unexplainable Bursts of Happiness....priceless blather here, but I'll refrain.
   
   
7. Cupcakes
   Do I really need to elaborate?
   
   
8. When the Mail Arrives
   I don't know if this is a throwback to summer camps and college, when the mail was so pivotal to whether you had a good day or not, but I love when the mail gets here. I look forward to it far more than the occasion warrants....
   
   
9. My "Pet" Carpenter Bee
   Don't even bother to tell me how weird I am - both Bubba and Schecky have told me plenty often enough over this, trust me...
   Long story short: I discovered that a carpenter bee had bored a hole in this piece of landscaping wood that has been propped up against the porch (for far too long! It's left over from a long since forgotten landscaping project...)
   Anyway, I've become attached to the bee. I don't know why - he's not particularly endearing. In fact, if he bothers to notice me at all, he's not really happy to see me, as evidenced by the fact that I couldn't even get him to come out of his perfect little hole for the picture. But you don't have to love me back to have my devotion...
   And I know, I know - they're destructive, etc. My cranky little bee still makes me happy....
   
   
10. Bare Feet on Freshly Mopped Floors
    And if you have clean sheets on the bed, that's the ultimate - padding across a squeaky clean floor and getting into a freshly made bed... And a nice new pedicure doesn't hurt either.
    Please forgive my Fred Flintstone feet. They're not pretty, but they get me where I need to go
    
    
11. "Bowtie" Occasions
    We got this bowtie for Schecky when he was just a little PotPie. The occasion was my sister's wedding, and it was pretty swank, and we all got dolled up to the teeth. Schecky now equates his bowtie with good times, and whenever he gets invited to attend a grownup party, or wedding type of thing, he'll always ask "Is it a bowtie party???" And he gets so happy when it is, because "bowtie parties" usually have cake. And dancing. And people to make a fuss over you. In short, good times....
    

And there you have it, my list**! I'm not going to come out and tag anyone in particular, as I don't want to put anyone on the spot. Although, I must say that I really I enjoyed thinking about this, and would love to see your list, too!

So if you do choose to play along, please be sure to let me know ...

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*And I am grateful to my friend, Geeky Mom, for pointing me in the direction of how to embed this cool slideshow! Blogger was giving me fits today, and I was getting way cranky. And then I learned this trick from Geeky, which I think is pretty darn cool.....

**Oh, and of course I ended up with 11 items on my list. A little trick I learned from This Is Spinal Tap. A movie which might not deserve to be on a list entitled simple pleasures, but certainly deserves to be on the list of guilty ones!