A Few of My Favorite Things

i'm going to try to make this a recurring segment: my favorite things.

basically just keeping a list of what makes me smile. what makes me happy. what shakes me out of a funk after a bad day. what makes me not throttle my co-workers in a bloody showdown....

simple joys and small treasures.

like, the color orange. especially in flowers. a friend of mine gave me these tulips out of her garden. they made me smile for a solid week. it's a happy color. these are happy flowers.

and cupcakes. everybody gets their own cake. nobody has to feel bad that their slice is smaller than someone else's. they're all equal. and delicious. and so fun to decorate. i decorated these ones to look like little ewoks. (and they're filled with a whiskey ganache....which just ups the happy exponentially)

roald dahl. just cause. i like saying "vermicious k'nid"

these guys: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uuvaos1WHTk
seriously. i want to go to australia just to see them.

the way trees look after ice storms. like everything is straight out of a fairy tale where the characters live in a world made of crystal.

sequins. i'm pretty sure i get this one from my grandmother. she lives a life covered in sparkle. which makes her very easy to spot in a crowd. and there is absolutely nothing wrong with this. i think sequins should be appropriate for more than just new year's eve. we should get to wear them on arbor day. and flag day. and wednesday.

the banjo. a truly underrated instrument with a bad reputation associated with red necks and white trash. i am by no means a country music lover. but old fashioned blue grass? that i have a soft spot for. i love the sound of a well played banjo. i mean c'mon. kermit. rainbow connection. need i say more?

blankets. i wish it were socially acceptable as an adult to be swaddled like i was as a baby. i love being wrapped in a good blanket. a handmade quilt or knit afghan being among the favorites.  and no, snuggies do NOT count.  it just isn't the same. just like the little bats....i want to be a burrito.

christmas lights. i have often picked a restaurant to eat at based entirely on their use of christmas lights in the decor. extra points if its in the summer. the soft and gentle glow of the little ivory lights might be the most flattering light there is. everyone is attractive under christmas lights.

peaches. fresh peaches. it's such a small window that they're in season. but when they are? they are fantastic. and i'm not scared to eat them with the skin still on. i embrace the fuzz.

so there they are, 10 things that make me smile. i'll try to think of more and add later. hopefully they will inspire someone else somewhere to smile too....