Happiness is ...

... receiving the Happy 101 award

from my wild and crazy blogger friend at

A Little Too Crazy to be Cool ...

Hmmmm...what can I say about A Little Too Crazy to be Cool? She's very funny and definitely irreverent (two of my favorite things) and if you don't believe me, her blog states emphatically, "It's not my job to blow sunshine up your ass." I really like that about her! So if you're looking to kick back and just be yourself without anyone judging you and making you feel like the last kid to get picked for dodge ball, mosey on over to visit with A Little Too Crazy to be Cool. It's completely refreshing!!!

Of course, there are rules to be followed ... puhleeze, there are always rules ...

1. Copy and paste the darling Happy 101 award into your blog.

2. Tell everyone about the awesome blogger who passed this award on to you (see above, check) and include a link to her blog (check, check).

3. List ten things that make you happy.

4. Pass the award on to other bloggers and visit their blogs to let them know about the award.

Ten Things That Make Me Happy (in no specific order of importance):

1. Chocolate cake. Did you see yesterday's post? It is totally a cheater cake made from a Duncan Hines Devil's Food Cake Mix with store-bought chocolate fudge frosting. And it was made in my favorite cake pan, which brings me to number two ...

2. My bundt cake pan. This thing has been used (as in rode hard and put up wet) for over 30 years and always with great success. My one absolute rule in baking, though, which applies here as well is always underbake. Just a little, but underbake. And I always display my cakes on a Milk Glass cake stand - see number three.

3. My Milk Glass collection. Over the last 18 years, I have collected over 50 pieces of Milk Glass. I think I started with a bud vase or something simple, then went through a period of trolling the antique shops like my life depended on it, picking up a piece here, a piece there. And it has to be a good deal; I will not spend a lot on anything. I've also received some beautiful pieces as gifts, thank you very much. While they're all wonderful, I probably use my cake stands more than anything.

4. A pedicure. This is the most revitalizing thing I can do for myself and I mean a pedicure by a professional, not me doing it myself, all contorted and getting polish everywhere it's not supposed to be. It just makes me feel so darn pretty!

5. Here's a two-fer: Crawling back into bed in the morning with a book and a cup of coffee. This always feels so deliciously decadent to me, especially after being up for hours. Reading is the ultimate getaway when you can't get away!

6. My favorite lotion and fragrance this year is Ulta Body Lotion in Citrus Cream. I am actually allergic to a lot of perfumes and lotions, so when I find something that doesn't send me into a sinus headache or migraine, I am so happy. Another benefit of this lotion is that Hubby loves it. He tells me daily how good I smell as I waft by him ... and I am very good at wafting.

7. Here's another two-fer: Hanging out with the family watching DVDs and making microwave popcorn. Especially if the DVD includes Marky Mark, aka Mark Wahlberg. So this is now a three-fer.

8. Sunshine ... and we live in Phoenix, Arizona, which is sunshine central. The skies are blue and the sun shines here more than 300 days a year! Once when my in-laws were visiting from Colorado for a few weeks, my FIL looked out the window into the back yard and said, "Is it always this damn nice here?" I just smiled sweetly and said nothing because that's how I roll.

9. Night swimming. Living in Phoenix, we do have a pool in our back yard. It is not heated and the water is surprisingly cold. We usually swim from the end of May into October. During the hottest months, say when it's 115 degrees in August, the pool water heats up to about 95 degrees -- that's bath water temperature. And that is when I can enjoy night swimming. It's great to float on your back in the warm water and look up at the stars.

10. And, of course, I have to say knitting. I've been knitting steadily for the last three years. I always have a couple of projects going at once so I don't get bored. I love to make handmade knitted items as gifts for family and friends. In 2007, I knitted 8 scarves, 2 shrugs and a hat for Christmas gifts. I even ordered little custom labels to sew into my gifts, which made me very happy. Click on the tab under my masthead that says Completed Knitting Projects to see my online knitting journal.

So that's enough about me, what about you? I am passing this Happy 101 award on to ...

http://tightwadmomsfrugalforum.blogspot.com/  Tightwad Mom's Frugal Forum

http://www.laundryhurtsmyfeelings.blogspot.com/  Laundry Hurts My Feelings

http://time2eatyall.blogspot.com/  Time 2 Eat Yall

http://elizabeth-southerncomfort.blogspot.com/  Southern Comfort

I hope you have time to play -- I'm looking forward to hearing what 10 things make you happy!