Category Archives: Life

100 Things That Make Me Happy (or that I love!)

Happiness is...

It’s been awhile since I’ve done a list post like this. I find them oddly interesting when I see these lists on other blogs. Especially if it’s from a blogger who I have been following for a long time. There is always something more to know about them, and for this reason, I am sharing this list with you.  I first saw this on Mari’s blog and thought, why not?

Plus, it’s Friday and a little happiness can’t hurt.

  1. Clean, crisp sheets
  2. Coffee with cinnamon and nutmeg (names of Murakami characters too, BTW)
  3. A hug from my kids
  4. Snuggles from the Otter Pup (Chloe, a Yorkie mix)
  5. A well-organized bookshelf
  6. The smell of star jasmine wafting through the window
  7. Breakfast
  8. A fresh bar of soap
  9. Concerts in the Park
  10. Movie Night at Home (with homemade popcorn)
  11. Haruki Murakami (he could use a personal assistant, no?)
  12. Spotify
  13. The smell of freshly cut grass
  14. Bookmarks (I collect them)
  15. The sounds of summer (splashing, birds chirping, the AC kicking on and off, ice tinkling in a glass)
  16. Thanksgiving with all the trimmings
  17. Opening a notebook for the first time
  18. Pencils (Ticonderoga #2)
  19. Gathering around the fire pit
  20. Green, leafy trees
  21. Laughter
  22. Cold, ripe watermelon
  23. Toasted marshmallows
  24. Swedish Fish (a more chewable version of my fave Jujyfruits)
  25. “Doing” Lunch
  26. Alone time
  27. A clean house
  28. Pinot Grigio
  29. Beach towns
  30. Museums
  31. Vacation
  32. Grilling
  33. Lake or ocean views
  34. The 80’s
  35. Tacos
  36. Reading (Duh! How can I not list it?)
  37. Lobster, cooked correctly and dipped in garlic butter (The Girl used to call them “bugs”)
  38. Anthony Bourdain (rugged, smart, worldly, a professional smart ass)
  39. Keeping in touch with friends
  40. Roasted corn
  41. The smell of Hawaiian Tropic (which smells like the classic Coppertone smell from the 70’s)
  42. Old TV shows (Adam 12, Emergency!, Leave it to Beaver, Mary Tyler Moore, Newhart)
  43. Nostalgia
  44. The pitter-patter of rain on the roof (a rarity in So Cal)
  45. Wimbledon and The Masters
  46. Watching my kids perform (sing, dance, etc.)
  47. Coffee creamer or straight cream (too much but soooo good)
  48. Stir fry (any kind!)
  49. Listening to my iPod
  50. The convenience of my Kindle
  51. Fresh smelling perfumes
  52. Movies featuring the Brat Pack (16 Candles, Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club)
  53. 007 (lately, the Daniel Craig version)
  54. Netflix
  55. Wi-Fi
  56. Watching high school football, under a warm, snugly blanket
  57. Picnics
  58. My numerous face and hand creams
  59. Family time
  60. Community Theater
  61. Lemon (the color, the scent, the fruit)
  62. Andrea Bocelli (mouth opens, sounds come out, I swoon)
  63. Movie themes (JAWS, Star Wars, Legends of the Fall)
  64. Adirondack chairs
  65. Funny, happy people
  66. The arts and crafts my kids have made me over the years
  67. Orange blossoms
  68. Readalongs
  69. Gap Essential Tees
  70. New calendars (full of promise, if you ask me)
  71. Dining by water (dockside, poolside, marina, etc.)
  72. Blue skies
  73. Ginger Ale
  74. Candles (beachy, woody or green like bamboo)
  75. The time between sunset and dusk
  76. The way my dog greets me every time I come through the door
  77. Seeing my kids be successful
  78. Magnolia blossoms
  79. Christmas lights
  80. Mint Juleps
  81. Main Street at Disneyland
  82. Lavender
  83. Staying in
  84. Road Trips
  85. Herbs (basil, rosemary, dill, mint)
  86. Cooking
  87. Long weekends
  88. Changing into my PJ’s the moment I get home from work.
  89. Suburbia in photography (see Bill Owens)
  90. Grilled cheese with tomato soup
  91. PBS (Public Broadcasting Service)
  92. Alfred Hitchcock and Woody Allen movies
  93. Seinfeld (I can quote many episodes word for word)
  94. Being still (usually only happens when I am sick)
  95. Iced coffee in the summer
  96. Spicy food
  97. Burger stands (especially by the beach!)
  98. Reserved seating at the movies
  99. Exploring a new town
  100. Visiting Palm Springs

What makes you happy?

The Sunday Salon: Winding Down (not really!)

Sunday Salon

In one sense, it has begun to slow down a bit in our house.

The Girl's Award

The Girl’s award ceremony is over. She received THREE awards and one of them was for writing! That made me very happy. She has one more week of school and then she is out for the summer.

Festival of the Arts 2013

The Girl’s honors chorus performance  (Festival of the Arts 2013) is over and done! She did great! They sang three songs and only had five days of practice. Whew!

Cal Science Center - Endeavour

We went to the California Science Center and finally saw Endeavour in all its glory. It’s a little smaller than I imagined and the temporary hangar is not very deep so really good photos were difficult to get with just my point and shoot.

Endeavour

I was especially awed by this view. This part of it seemed massive to me.

Bike Boy

The Boy also got to ride this bike. This is an alarming three stories high and he insisted on tipping it back and forth.

This week was nuts but it’s over and done with. Next week, I have to attend a meeting for summer school and it’s the week before production week so there will be a lot of prepping for that. The week I dread is production week itself. It’s very, very hard to keep it all straight as the schedules are different nearly every day, but I really do look forward to seeing the kids in the show. I do. I also look forward to working back stage again. It’s just a long, long week.

What am I reading?

I am reading Big Brother by Lionel Shriver, Life Itself by Roger Ebert, and I feel the need to pick-up something else. Not sure what.

What am I cooking?

I will be making Chicken Curry tonight with rice. Simple and yummy. Good leftovers too.

What am I watching?

We watched a lot of movies yesterday, The Lorax (VERY colorful and a little sad), You’ve Got Mail (The Girl loved it), and The Andromeda Strain. We are planning to watch Overboard later (silly Goldie Hawn movie but fun). I REALLY want to watch Jaws but we don’t own it.

That’s my weekend! What are you up to?