Happy Little Pleasures - Summer Edition

Another feel-good post to remind myself of some of the happy things in my life...

Bare feet
But only pretty ones...You know you've seen some nasty ones out there! I love when it's sandal season. Socks suck, so I'm into flats and sandals as soon as possible and I'm the last one in the fall to go back to boots. At work, I take off my shoes and walk around barefoot just because I can.

The refresh option on the dryer
This is an amazing invention. When I met Hubby, he got me into ironing. He ironed everything! I never really touched an iron unless I needed it badly. So the more he got me into it, the more I felt I needed it. I air-dry most of my clothes so they're extra wrinkled once they dry. I used to spend hours watching tv while I ironed my clothes...until we got our new washer/dryer with this convenient function! I pop all my wrinkled clothes in for about 10 minutes and they come out almost wrinkle-free! A few things might still need a quick iron, but it's way less time-consuming than before.
This adorable smiling face
No explanation needed. You know why.

A good doughnut
When you're having a bad day at work, nothing can cheer you up like a freebie doughnut someone brought in. Yum.

Birds singing
I absolutely love that sound in the morning. Hearing it makes me think of summers growing up. I live in the same neighborhood I grew up in so it's that exact same sound I used to hear as a kid. I felt so strange in college when I didn't hear that noise in the morning!

What are you happy little pleasures for summer?

Happy Little Pleasures - Summer Style

It's been too long since I've done one of these! In case you've never read them before, I originally started this blog to remind myself of the little things that make me happy and I wanted to share them with others. Here's my current list of things that help make me happy or make my life easier...

Red Velvet Ice Cream
We saw a commercial on tv and then we couldn't stop thinking about it until I finally brought some home one night after work. SO good and there's little cake chunks in it!
No socks
The summer is the best for this reason. I love going barefoot or wearing sandals! And who wouldn't want to show off their cute summer sandals, wedges or flats? (image from here)

Starbucks Refreshers
I try not to have too much caffeine, but sometimes I need a little jolt. Somehow, because this has juice in it, it seems healthier, so I don't feel so bad. I love the strawberry lemonade flavor!
Pacifier Clips
If you have a kid who thinks his pacifier is his BFF, I don't know how you could live without on (or three) of these. We have one that lives with the carseat so it's with him wherever he goes. The one time we didn't have it, I had a really hard time! This thing is a great lifesaver! BTW, Alicia Keys' son has the same one - I was happy to see the photo in People Magazine. Looks like some celebrities are just like us!
Oxy Clean
I had quite a mess when we spilled amoxicillin on our beige carpet in our bedroom. When we used some carpet cleaner on it, it stained the carpet pink! I freaked out and tried everything I could to lighten that stain. It took 3 attempts with the Oxy, but it finally came out! Now I love this stuff! I started using it in the dirty baby laundry and it's helped so much to get out those fun spit-up and diaper blow-out stains.

What are your current Happy Little Pleasures?

Happy Little Pleasures

I think everyone needs to remember to take some time to focus on the Happy Little Pleasures in life. I'm guilty of hardly ever doing this, so I decided it was time for another HLP post. Here's what made me happy recently...

Pesto Sauce
I recently re-discovered pesto when we had some left after a recipe. I used to eat this stuff all the time in high school and I kinda forgot about it. In the last week, I finished off the jar and now I'm onto the next one! I love it mixed with some fresh cold pasta and a little parmesan cheese. Not the healthiest, but it's SO good!

Spring Crafts
Winter sucks. We just had a major blizzard and I'm over the snow and the cold. For the past few weeks, I've been inspired to start working on spring crafts to get ready for next season. Get excited because there's some cute & springy crafts on their way! For right now, I'll just daydream about the garden flag I made last year and hope I can put it out soon!

Trader Joe's Ravioli
I could do an entire post just on the amazing food at Trader Joe's, but I'll start with this one fabulous meal. These seem so simple and ordinary. I don't know what it is, but they are awesome! I dream about these things! They're good hot or cold, plain or with sauce, and fresh or leftover. I have to refrain from eating these every day!
Blue Bloods
I haven't been very impressed with a lot of the new tv shows this year, but this one got my attention. You may not have heard of this great tv show, so I wanted to share a little about it. Dramatic, great acting, good storylines, etc.

Here's some info from CBS: BLUE BLOODS is a drama about a multi-generational family of cops dedicated to New York City law enforcement. Frank Reagan is the New York City Police Commissioner and heads both the police force and the Reagan brood. A source of pride and concern for Frank is his eldest son Danny, a seasoned detective, family man, and Iraqi War vet who on occasion uses dubious tactics to solve cases. The sole Reagan woman in the family, Erin, is a N.Y. Assistant D.A. and newly single parent, who also serves as the legal compass for her siblings and father. Jamie is the youngest Reagan, fresh out of Harvard Law and the family's "golden boy;" however, unable to deny the family tradition, Jamie decided to give up a lucrative future in law and is now a newly minted cop.

What are your Happy Little Pleasures this week?

What I Love Right Now...

Another feel good post to make myself remember the happy little pleasures in life when I had a really difficult week at work. On a good note, I'm off work today to relax and do whatever I want!

Accomplishments
Back in January, I was trying to run at the gym and I struggled BAD. I could hardly go more than a few minutes without stopping. On Valentine's Day, I ate a huge breakfast and then headed over to the gym. I was SHOCKED that I ran an 11 minute mile without stopping. From then on, it just kept progressing and my times kept getting better. Through the ups and downs of the spring and summer, I kept pushing myself. I recently completed my first 5k and that was a huge accomplishment for me!

Fashionable Cleaning
Who actually likes cleaning? NO ONE. But we all have to do it. So why not make it more fun? I always get a little extra joy out of cleaning with my cute gloves on...and my skin doesn't get so dry either. See the tutorial here.

Image from http://blog.timesunion.com

Peanut Butter
Peanut butter and I have a weird relationship. Let's just say I had a traumatizing experience with PB& J as a kid (long story, but I'll tell you all if you want later) so I avoided it at all costs. The only time I would eat it is in cookies, cakes, or mixed with chocolate. A few weeks ago, I was cooking with it (to mix with chocolate of course) and I licked the knife when I was done. Wait, it's not so bad...so I spread some on a slice of bread and ate it. Wow, it was good! I've been missing out! So now I'm on a PB kick and eating it all the time to make up for 28 years of hiding from it!

Purring Kitty
I could listen to that all day long. So calming and restful...

Makeup that actually covers
Fertility treatments and hormone craziness has taken a toll on my face. BADLY. I was embarrassed that I had new zits popping up all day at work and I looked like I was 16 again. No makeup would cover them and stay put all day. If it did stay put, it made me break out. Then one day at the mall, my mom suggested I try something new. I usually would have said no right away because it was so expensive, but I gave it a try. What a difference! And I use so little that it won't end up costing me any more than my old stuff!

Image from http://blog.bevello.com

Reality TV
Maybe I am just crazy reality tv junkie, but who cares? I'm not afraid to admit that I am obsessed with these shows. From MTV to Bravo to E! to A&E, I can spend hours watching my favorite shows.

So share your happy pleasures with me. What is making you happy today?

Happy Little Pleasures

I admit that I often let the frustrations and stress overtake my life and I don't enjoy myself enough. This is something I've tried to work on, but it's really hard to change.

So I started making a list of little things that make me happy. I thought it would be hard to come up with anything, but I spend my whole drive home one day making a list at red lights.

I'd like to share some of my Happy Little Pleasures with you and hope that you'll share yours with me.

Baby animals

Working on crafts

Being goofy

Licking the bowl

Pulling warm laundry out of the dryer
Watching Kitty sleep

I'd like to compile a list, so please share your Happy Little Pleasures with me!