These Are a Few of My Favorite Things -- minus the whiskers on kittens

I had a rather difficult day at work today...nothing major, just some hard moments to swallow. So, in honor to one of my most favorite movies, The Sound of Music, I have been trying to think about some of "My Favorite Things..." (although I'm not scared, just blah).

Here are a few:

1. Waking up early to do my quiet time, completely sleepy eyed and fumbly fingers, only to come away refreshed and awake after just a few moments with the Word.
2. The way that Kirk always says, "You're my favorite." (Insert "Ahhhhhhh...." here).
3. The note that Keaton wrote me (totally unprompted) telling me how much he is thankful that God allowed me to be his mom.
4. Sawyer's sweet crooked smile and the way he always wants to give me extra hugs and kisses...he is not embarrassed to be seen huggin' on his mama!
5. Tate's precious face. I could stare at him forever.
6. Mocha Caramel Cappuccinos
7. Watching my kids play baseball (I would be a crazy fan mom even if my kids were playing badminton or shuffleboard, but baseball is my favorite!).
8. My mom's mashed potatoes (no one can make them like her...believe me, we've tried).
9. The morning news
10. The color periwinkle ( I always just say "blue" when asked, because otherwise I sound like I'm making Blues Clues references)
11. Almond Joy candy bars (I hate almonds....odd that my favorite candy bar has them coated in chocolate...huh.)
12. Crisp Fall weather when I can finally bust out my favorite denim jacket and my "hooker" boots (as my bro-in-law, Kev, so lovingly refers to them)
13. Friends (I was one of the few that was happy when Ross and Rachel got back together...I always knew they would!) -- and, yes, I can make anything into a Friends reference.
14. My blankie -- that's right, I have a blankie -- only mine is soft,white, and fuzzy, not emblazoned with a white bunny or a Precious Moments character
15. Camping...never thought I would say that, but after our trip this summer, I am officially an "outdoorsey" girl...now all I need is one of those cool The North Face jacket vests.
16. Football (watching, not playing) -- Whoo Pig Sooie, Go Razorbacks! *I also have a huge crush (a fully disclosed one to my husband) on Peyton Manning, so, Go Colts!
17. Reality TV -- Big Brother is on this summer, and I'm completely absorbed with that. I'm not sure why I like it, because it is like a train wreck...so completely horrible, but I just can't keep from watching. I'm very excited about the upcoming season of Survivor though!
18. Having the time to curl up and read a great book...I can't stand not having the time to thoroughly enjoy the book...I'd rather not read it at all.
19. Baking. I hate cooking, but love baking. If it involves sugar, I'm in.
20. Blogging and FaceBooking -- I had no idea what I was missing before I was sucked into this whole CyberWorld of Connectivity. I'm all about "networking" now (I don't even know what that means, but assume it applies to me)!
21. Old Navy tee-shirts...I don't think there is anything better.
22. The lake...I seriously could stay on the lake for every second of the rest of my life and not complain. I love everything about it.
23. Eating at The Olive Garden...can you hear my stomach growling from where you're sitting?
24. The smell of rain
25. Daisies and Sunflowers
26. The Old Testament...the stories of the Moses and Joshua leading the Israelites are my favorite (I like to know that there is hope for me to make it to the Promised Land, even with all my wandering in the desert and feeling like all I do is ram my head into cacti! -- seriously!)
27. Eating pancakes at about 10:30 a.m. -- they don't taste as good early in the morning!
28. A fresh box of crayons -- I really enjoy the box that has the sharpener in the back!
29. Doing laundry...but only if my house is clean.
30. Sharing butterfly kisses with my fellas...especially Tate (he thinks you have to bat your eyelashes directly in the eye of the other person...it isn't a pleasant feeling, but he is just so darn cute when he does it!)

I could keep this list going and going and going, but I'll stop at 30. As I glance back over the list, I have so much to be thankful for...

I'm truly blessed. I'm already feeling better...thanks, Fraulein Maria. Now I guess all I need is a dress made out of curtains and I will be on Cloud Nine!