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!

Super Comments!

Princess Casey at 

If the Crown Fits

royally bestowed upon me the

Super Comments Award

which I am extremely honored to receive. 

Princess Casey, I kiss your ring!

She has asked me to answer 10 questions ...

1. Why do you blog?

I started blogging in July 2009 at the urging of my Youngest Daughter to track my knitting projects. While I keep a paper knitting journal with photos, I thought it would be fun to have an online record. Then, since I always have so much to say, it just kind of blossomed from there.

2. If you could have a do over what would it be?

I would have focused on a career in some kind of creative art like cooking or knitting or crafting.

3. Warm weather or Cold weather?

Definitely warm weather ... that's why we live in Phoenix. And, yes, it really is a dry heat!

4. What is your ideal date night?

Wandering around a festival or antique district with my Hubby and dinner out.

5. What is your favorite TV show?

Can't pick just one ... Parenthood, Martha Stewart, Brothers & Sisters, Chopped, Top Chef Masters ... see, I can't pick just one.

6. If you were one of the Desperate Housewives or one of the Real Housewives from Bravo which one would you be?

A combination of Bree and Lynnette on Desperate Housewives. While I'm not as fanatical as Bree, I love cooking and making things pretty. Like Lynnette, when my kids were growing up, I was a career woman working outside the home.

7. What is your biggest fear?

Going blind. Can't even think about it.

8. What is your favorite vacation spot?

One of the most fun vacations Hubby and I have taken was a week in New England. We're planning to go to Cape Cod again soon.

9. Do you tell on your blog or are there things you refuse to blog about?

My blog is somewhat anonymous at the request of the family - no real names, no current photos with faces.

10. Have you read about Monkey on Momma's Pixie Dreams, if so are you praying for her or helping her in some way?

I cannot even imagine the fear that goes through parents when confronted with a situation like Monkey's. I am sending lots of prayers and positive vibes their way!!!


Name 7 bloggers to pass it on to who have left Super Comments on my blog ...


http://www.katiesdailies.com/  Katie's Dailies


http://dazeedreams.blogspot.com/  Crazy Daze & Nite Dreams


http://caitesdayatthebeach.blogspot.com/  A Lovely Shore Breeze

http://noelleplatt.blogspot.com/  Because Nice Matters

http://livinginhighcotten.blogspot.com/  Welcome to Our World

http://onecrazycookie.blogspot.com/  One Crazy Cookie

http://myheartwithpleasurefills.blogspot.com/  My Heart With Pleasure Fills

And come up with my own 10 questions to ask of these 7 bloggers ...

1. What is your favorite color?

2. What is your favorite flower?

3. When you go out to eat, what is your favorite restaurant and/or meal?

4. Have you been to any of your high school reunions? If so, did you have fun?

5. If you had a couple of free hours to go play hooky on a weekday, what would you do by yourself?

6. If you could have a $1,000 shopping spree anywhere, in which store would you spend it?

7. What is your favorite piece of clothing in your closet right now and why?

8. Pearls or diamonds?

9. What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

10. What is your favorite holiday and why?


I hope you'll accept this award and have time to play ... I look forward to reading your answers!

Versatile Blogger!

I have been very blessed recently to receive the Versatile Blogger Award

from two lovely and very entertaining bloggers ...





http://inthemilitaryandonthemove.blogspot.com/
and


http://veterankindergartenteacher.blogspot.com/
If you have not visited their blogs, you are so missing out on a good time - please stop by soon!


With this award comes some duties ... first, I must thank the blogger(s) who honored me. Thanks so much to  In the Military and On the Move and Veteran Kindergarden Teacher. I am thrilled to be recognized and promise not to disappoint.


Second, I must tell you 7 things about me ...

1. I cannot iron. It's not that I mind ironing, but I am really bad at it. Early in our marriage, I pressed one of Hubby's dress shirts and *gasp* *oh no* *horrors* double-creased a sleeve. You'd have thought I went after him with an ice pick or something. Ever since then, I am not allowed to iron anything of his and, most of the time, when I am pressing something of my own to wear, he will take the iron away from me and do it properly so that I don't embarrass anyone, meaning him. Which, when you really think about it, is not such a bad thing!
2. All my life, I have eaten cold cereal for breakfast. My day just doesn't get started without a bowl of cereal ... Honey Nut Cheerios, Cranberry Almond Crunch, Quaker Oatmeal Squares and Frosted Mini-Wheats are my current favorites.
3. Although I have been camping, and enjoyed it, I am really not a sleep on the ground in a tent kind of woman. Hubby learned long ago that when he says the word vacation, I am not picturing a campground, but a real bed with high thread count sheets, sitting by the water with a book, and some lovely chef in a restaurant preparing my meals.
4. But speaking of campgrounds, when we sit around a fire and toast marshmallows, I like to catch mine on fire, let it burn for a second, then blow it out. This makes the outside all crispy and caramelized and the inside is runny and, well, marshmallowy.
5. I just love going out to the movies. Although we have pretty much kept Redbox in business lately, when we go out to the theater, there is that one moment when the lights are going down and the movie is starting that I get a little thrill just being there. Being entertained with a good movie is so much fun!
6. Even though I absolutely love Christmas, my favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. Food, family, friends and fun make it perfect. I love cooking Thanksgiving dinner. I always go for the big honkin' turkey because it's just as much work to cook a 10-pounder as it is to do a 25-pounder. And there are such wonderful things you can do with the leftovers!
7. I am extremely mechanically challenged. If I know what I'm doing on the computer or driving the car, all is good. But the minute anything quits working or freezes up, the sirens go off and I lose my mind. It is not pretty and Hubby usually has to talk me down with something alcoholic.

Third, I am to pass the Versatile Blogger award on to 15 blogs I have recently discovered and who I think are fantastic ...

http://whisperingwriter.blogspot.com/  Airing My Dirty Laundry, One Sock at a Time

http://nursieinpink.blogspot.com/  Nursie in Pink

http://oursuburbancottage.blogspot.com/  Our Suburban Cottage, chic on a shoestring

http://wishing4one.blogspot.com/  Wishing4One

http://snowcatcher.blogspot.com/  Snowcatcher

http://www.thethingaboutdaisies.com/  The Thing About Daisies

http://www.recapturedcharm.com/  Recaptured Charm

http://alittletoocrazytobecool.blogspot.com/  A Little Too Crazy to be Cool

http://lemontreecreations.blogspot.com/  Lemon Tree Creations

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

http://inspiredgiftsblog.blogspot.com/  Inspired Gifts Blog

http://savvystitcher.blogspot.com/  Savvy Stitcher

http://lisaschaos.com/  Lisa's Chaos

http://simplysingleserving.blogspot.com/  Simply Single Serving

http://lifesolovely.com/  A Life So Lovely

Fourth and last, I must contact each of these amazing bloggers to let them know they are a Versatile Blogger! This I will be working on ...

Honest Scrap Award and 10 Facts About Me

I received a lovely blog award from See Foxes?, the Honest Scrap award. Thanks, Foxes, I appreciate the honor! Here are the rules for this one ... I must share ten honest facts about myself and then pass it on to five other deserving bloggers. Here goes ...

1. I love festivals, craft fairs and factory tours.
2. I keep chunks of Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate in the freezer for my chocolate fix. When I really need a lift, I dip them right into the peanut butter jar.
3. I love to bake and have a small collection of baker/bakery figurines.
4. The best new thing I've done in the last year is join a book club.
5. I have a reading addiction - there are books in every room in the house (and I mean every room), I have subscriptions to at least 8 magazines, I own over 200 cookbooks plus knitting and craft books.
6. I love Christmas! The Granddaughter and I watch Christmas movies year 'round - drives Hubby nuts!
7. I adore Yorkies - Miles and Louie are my 4th and 5th Yorkies over the past 31 years. They don't shed, they're fierce, don't know they're little, make great companions and watch dogs, eat very little and have tiny poop.
8. I cannot stand lying and liars. When my kids were small and even thought about lying to me, it would send me right off the deep end.
9. My passion for the last 3 or 4 years has been knitting, although anything creative stirs the juices - scrapbooking, beading, writing, photography, cooking.
10. I am so fortunate to be married to the man of my dreams - 25 years in July! I believe the key to a good marriage is daily laughter and being best friends with your spouse.

I am happy to pass this award on to ...

Domestically Challenged

The Little Round Table
One Love Mama
Texas Monkey
Heaven is a Bookstore

and look forward to reading your ten facts!