My Favorite Things

My noise maker alarm clock.  It makes thunder storms noises, rain forests, ocean waves, white noise...this way I don't hear every sneeze, burp, cough, toilet flush, door open, bed squeak, dog toenails clacking, dust mite fart, you get the idea.  I heart this machine and I do mean it.  I would take this to a desert island.  Where I suppose I wouldn't need the ocean setting.


My programmable coffee maker.  Like most everyone else, we enjoy taking advantage of Gevalia and their practically free coffee maker and then canceling our membership so we don't have to purchase their crazy expensive coffee every month.  I set it to magically brew itself before I mosey out of bed and that way, I am a happier mommy and much less scary to talk to before 8 am.


My library cards.  I live outside a town of 4,000 and still manage to have three library cards.  It's free entertainment when you HAVE to get out of the house and it holds my favorite invention: the book.  Plus, with this new fangled world wide web doohickey, I can decide what I want ahead of time on Goodreads.com and then put it on hold at the library of my choice and voila! it's waiting for me to pick up at my leisure.  Just finished:  The Help by Kathryn Stockett.  Highly recommended.  In the middle of:  The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan, where I learned that because of the ridiculously high amount of corn we Americans consume, would someone take DNA analysis of us we would basically be 'corn chips with legs.'  Also highly recommended, especially if the thought/imagery of walking Fritos tickles you the way it does me.


The smell of Gain.


Buying produce at the farmer's market from the 79 year old Mennonite lady who grows it herself.


The fact that Haagen Dazs has reissued their Bananas Foster flavor.  It was that or get a restraining order against me.


Gianni singing the I Love My Mommy song, especially the high note at the end.


The fact that I will be moving into my own house in 10 days after eight months of not having one.


Seeing lightening bugs for the first time.  It took 32 years, 6 months, but the little critters were worth the wait.


Getting chickens soon.


A good hair day.  Not that I've had one since 1995.


A phone call from a friend.


A letter from a friend.  Not that I've had one since 1995.


A comment from a friend.


Laughing til your jaw aches.


Country Living and Food Network magazines.


Good music when I'm cooking.


When I see the girls next to teenagers and see how small they are.  I still have time with them before they, gasp, leave me to go get tattoos and join a biker gang.  Or go live in a college dorms - not sure which is worse.


Swinging spider style on the swings with my babies.


For dinner: medium rare steak, green salad with blue cheese crumbles, sauteed spinach and mushrooms.  For dessert: ice cream shared with my groom on the couch.


Going barefoot.  Mike calls me a hillbilly and now we have hillbilly offspring.  If you ask Moose to put on shoes, he'll say 'It's ok, I'm going in my feet.'  Shoes are dumb.  Except for girly shoes, those are fun, but only for about an hour.


Going wine tasting in Idaho with my sis and mom and best friends.


Seeing the state of my son at the end of a long summer's day.  He's the first to tell you he smells like an old goat.


Holiday preparations.  Even better than the real thing, baby.


Internet when I'm so far away from the ones I wuv.