a few of my favorite things

one of z's many cute faces. i love my blue-eyed girl...& my brown-eyed boy...who is trying to press my fingers down as i type. urg.

This is a strange & random list of a few things that I am really into lately. Since I can't sleep, my throat is killing me, & I want to do something to make me feel happy rather than focus on feeling crappy (ha, that rhymed!), here goes.
in no particular order...
1. Scrapbooking. I recently got a lot "in the book." It isn't "cute" yet, but it'll get there. Doing 2 instead of just 1, esp. with 2 kids needing me all the time, has been tough.
2. Tea tree oil: to clean, to use on zits, fever blisters, & lots more. yea, essential oils!
3. Not having strep. I've had it 3 times in about 13 months. Yuck.
4. Tiny snowflakes. Because they are pretty & they aren't sticking...yet.
5. Hulu & Netflix. We don't have a t.v., so I get my fix this way. ;)
6. House, M.D. (What was up the House & Cuddy kiss?!)
7. The Office (Question: How awesome is Dwight? Answer: He's great, but I have a crush on Jim.)
8. Heroes (my x-files meets a soap opera fix). I am addicted to all three of these shows. At least I only waste an hour & 40-something minutes a week on them.
9. Method & Seven Gen cleaning products. I clean a lot, so it's important to carry on a love affair with these non-toxic dudes I spend hours a week with.
10. Mountain Dew. Yes, I'm doing the caff again. I usually have one can per afternoon. Tsk, tsk, Sonya.
11. Real coffee. Again, tsk, tsk. Only one cup per a.m., but it totally gets me going.
12. Pilates. Ahhh. I'm taking a class at the Y right now, but I still miss my Yoga-lates power class from Ames. It was such a cool combo. High impact. Kicked my butt. ;)
13. Yoga. I like the intense kind. I can tell a difference in the way I feel & sleep when I am really into pilates & yoga.
14. Larenim makeup. Bare Escentuals makeup. I feel prettier & more "finished" when I use a little makeup...esp. under my eyes, where I always look like I've been in a boxing ring. And all hail mascara to "open" one's eyes. Granted, I don't "pretty up" daily.
15. Downy fabric softener. I had been using a seventh gen type, but nothing softens like Downy free.
16. Bum Genius (cloth) diapers. I'm saving $ & not filling the earth with diapers. Check out Cotton Babies webpage for some good savings on this brand. I also [heart] Fuzzy Buns.
17. Lavender oil. Spray or diffuse to calm thyself for sleeping.
18. Peppermint oil. Great for muscle soreness or to promote clear thinking. Also yummy to diffuse in a stinky room.
19. Baking soda + water to soak stainless steel cookware in. Even stuck-on scrambled eggs will come out easier after soaking for a while. (Please tell me you don't use teflon anymore, right?!)
20. Klean Kanteen stainless steel water bottles & sippies. Come on, at least get one. They'll last for the rest of your life. You can will them to your children.this is the only pic of just me that i have...not a great one, but there i am!

21. Consignment kiddie stores. Since Zora-bean is growing like a weed, I trade up stuff all the time. It reminds me of the days of barter. I haven't spent cash there in a long time. :)
22. Hand-me-downs. I'm all about free, gently used stuff. Bring it on. I also like to hand down to others. It's awesome to keep the cycle going. I think I read somewhere that some folks had "all things in common" & it worked out well. :)
23. Time with my hubby. Lately we've managed to slide in some good conversations & time together, even if Baby Einstein is sitting the kids. It's been nice. I know it'll get easier as they get older.
24. Losing some of that Zora weight. I lost 3 or 4 lbs. this past month & I can really tell a difference. I know that doesn't sound like much, but when you're only 5'4"...it is.
25. Pescatarianism. We are eating only fish & other non-meat proteins right now. It's working out well, except when we travel. We've decided to be committed when we're at home & less so when we're not.
26. Going "home" for Christmas. I love it & then it stresses me out. Mostly I try to concentrate on the things I love about it, though: family, Alabama accents, fried fish, Killen, Florence, Moulton, church family, all my kids I used to babysit, friends, eating our special Key family fancy dinner, Christmas games & songs, seeing L. enjoy all of the above. This year seeing Z. enjoy most of the above will be special, too.
27. Hosting events. I like to do the organizing people thing. :) I recently had the University Women's Scrapbooking group over in the a.m., then B's grad class came over for a short class & supper later that night. We didn't mean to plan it all for the same day, but it worked out well...and reminded me that I enjoy doing those things.
28. Class reunions. At least I hope I'll enjoy ours. I'm attempting to gather info for everyone now so that we might have one! Happy ten years, y'all!
29. My accent. Barclay teases me a little & calls me "Brenda" or "Brendalee" (from The Closer). He says I sound just like her when I say, "Thank Ewwww." :) I love my twang. As long as my grammar is correct, I don't care to bring the twang.
here's a pic of L with his "bathtub crayons"...the recipe is in a previous post. all you need is a bar of ivory, some food coloring, a grater, warm water & an ice cube tray.