Friday, April 9, 2010

{101} Happiness!

So when I started blogging in earnest, I immediately found a bloggy soul sister in Roxanne. Her blog is so cool! Which is why I am so honored to have received a Happy 101 Award from her; it's my first blog award and I'm feeling a bit giddy right now!

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So the idea behind the Happy 101 Award is that I share 10 things that make me happy and ten bloggers that I love to read, then they get to do the same thing. Groovy, eh?

So, without further ado . . .

1) My family goes without saying. So number 1 is Vintage Mixing Bowls - yes, mixing bowls. I am a little obsessed with them. My favorite kinds are Jadite, Pyrex, and Fire King, but if it catches my eye, look out. They make me giddy.

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2) Cats. The things I love about them are the things that others hate. They are independent, free-spirited. They get crazy, then sleep all day long. They pad you with their little paws little they did to mama cat when they were kittens. If they love you, they squint their eyes at you in the most blissed out way. They do nothing that you want them to do. A feather drives them insane. They curl up on little comfy balls with each other. And then they sleep on your face at night because they KNOW that you love it!

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3) My three-year-old's voice. And his laugh. And when he sings the "SpongeBob SquarePants" theme song (he knows just about every cartoon theme song - and also "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga which I'm stumped by - but SpongeBob is by far my favorite).

4) Ice Cream. I've talked about my love of ice cream on this blog a lot. A lot. So here's a tempting picture of it. Just to make we want some more.

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5) Americana. I love folk art and old lithographs of George and Martha Washington. I get silly misty at Greenfield Village and The Ohio Historical Village, not to mention the grandaddy museum-of-Americana, The Smithsonian. There is something about everything from quilts that women in Maine sewed in the 1700's to Archie Bunker's chair that makes me feel all gooshy and patriotic. I should mention that I cried watching Ken Burn's "The Civil War," so I have a thing for American History. Shoot, I could go on for hours about that. It's the art, though, the creativity, that really gets to me.

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7) Shoes. Yes, it's cliched. But I love them. I love little kitten heels and ballet flats. Pointy toes that make your feet look twice as long. Shiny red patent leather, cheetah prints, loafers, and Chucks. Chucks with silver sequins. And gold ones. And zebra stripes. Must stop now.

8) Birds. I've been a bird watcher for as long as I can remember. My mom and step-dad were active birders and we would go on nature walks and find red-headed woodpeckers and nuthatches - things you didn't see at our apartment complex in Columbus. I keep a list of all of the species I've seen, but it's not just about numbers. It's about grace and gorgeous colors and jaunty hops through the yard. It's about haunting songs and bobbing heads and fearless dives into the water. They are amazing.

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9) Cooking a Great Meal. I come from a big German-Irish family. It wasn't so much "food is love" as it was "if I love you, I will cook for you." What thrills me more is taking it a step further - making a fantastic coq au vin and seeing that "oh, my" look in the eyes of the people I'm feeding. Or making their favorite cake just because. And making it taste fantastic.

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9.5) Anti-depressants. Okay. I'm joking here, but only partially so. I've alluded to the fact that I am diagnosed with depression. Before I was on the medication regimen that I was on, I wasn't a happy girl. I'm making light, because it goes so far beyond not being happy, but, if I'm really technical about it, those anti-depressants really do make me happy.

10)The Promise - John 3:16. It changed everyone's lives. In moments when I am the most down, I think of forgiveness and I know that I have something even more amazing waiting for me later.

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It was extremely difficult to pick just ten bloggers to award with a Happy 101 Award (Roxanne helped me out by already awarding Kate, so even though I'm giving her props, she doesn't count!). A lot of these women have been my blog sisters for a long time, a few I just met, but all of their blogs are special and they have been an encouragement to me. Read them and feel happy.

Cora from Heartfelt and Homemade
Lisa of Earth Mama
Julochka's Moment's of Perfect Clarity
Samantha of Perfection is Boring
Stephanie's Handmade by God
Michelle from Give a Girl a Fig
Debbie of Strings of Purls
Kathy of A Beautiful Ramble
Manda from There Is a Time
Stacey of golden bird knits
And for added measure, a blogger I just started reading and adore
Alison from and flowers pick themselves

21 comments:

Unknown said...

i love your list of 10 things -- and may i add that that photo of the bird and its little dish of seeds is just wonderful. put a thought bubble over that bird's head and there are all kinds of possible captions. so fun!

Anonymous said...

thanks so much erin! i adore your blog as well :)

enjoy your sunday, and congrats on the award!

xo Alison

julochka said...

aw, thank you erin for including me, even tho' i've been rubbish about stopping by of late. i like very much the idea of making a list of 10 things that make me happy. :-) i'll definitely do that this week and maybe even manage to pass it along. :-)

Michelle @ Give a Girl a Fig said...

Hi Erin...thank you so much!! I will work definitely pay it forward later on today...I've got to get ready for church soon!

I don't know if you've read on my blog, but I deal with depression, too. And it is possible to be victorious over it with God on our side!

I love your list...we enjoy many of the same things. I appreciate your take on cooking good food...and that it's not "food is love"...but you are so right, if I love you, then I will cook for you! SO TRUE!! Thank you for putting into words what I've been feeling about the whole celebrate with food thing...I think as long as we keep a healthy persepctive on food then it doesn't become about weight...but about fellowship.

Have a great day..

stringsofpurls said...

Thanks so much for including me! I love your blog and the beautiful things you share. I love bowls too! That is funny actually! I wonder how many people in the world love bowls... Have a blessed Sunday!

Fairfield said...

Awh, thank you. I'm glad that my writing can be a source of inspiration :)

Cora said...

Thank you so much...I'm so honored and happy you thought of me!! I love your list and it somewhat refects me with the bowls, kittys, family, shoes, birds, cooking, Americana and of course The Promise! I love all those things too :) This will give me something to consider this week. Thanks again my friend!
Happy Week to ya!

Leigh said...

hi erin! thanks for following along on my blog! it's always a treat to meet someone new!

i agree with lucy... the photo of the little bird is darling! it made me smile...

have a wonderful rest of your weekend! talk to you again soon!

Roxanne said...

I adore your list :) I would love to walk the Smithsonian with you and eat too much ice cream!

OneCraftyFox said...

Great post! I luv stumbling upon fellow Etsians as I blog hop :)

Hullabaloo Homestead said...

So sweet of you Erin! I absolutely loved reading a little bit more about you. Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

:)Lisa

Stacy said...

Thank you for the award, Erin. It was interesting reading your list-- we have lots and lots in common. I love folk art too, especially Grandma Moses-style paintings. Cats, birds, ice cream ... I'm with ya :o)

Thanks again, it will be fun posting 10 things that make me happy.

Manda said...

What an honour to be presented as on of your 10 blogging friends... honestly, tears welled up in my ears.
This means so much.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU :)
~M

mrs mediocrity said...

Wow, I love so many of the same things...First of all, the photo of the kitten is amazing! And I, too, love knitting and birds and cats and FireKing jadeite...And I love your blog, just lovely.
And yes, I think I am at 6 cats, although the last two remain outside for now...working their way into my heart...

Katherine said...

Thank you for including me on your list of blogs that make you happy :) I love lists like these cos I find out so much about the actual person behind the blog. xx

E said...

Congratulations and great list! I need a cat and some ice cream pronto :)

Neuroknitter said...

what a wonderful list!!! That kitty pic is wonderful!!

Maiden Jane said...

That's a great list Erin! I agree with your comment on anti-depressants. I'm grateful that we live in an age where we have medicines that can help folks who suffer from brain disorders. So many people in my family have been touched by these disorders, but helped immensely with medicines. I hope that research can continue in this important health area.

Stephanie said...

Thank you so much Erin! What an honor ! My first blog award! I just popped in for a quick visit because I wanted to say thank you but I'm off on our science expedition and not really back till next Tuesday so....I'll pass on the love then. I love birds too!

Unknown said...

i love reading these lists gives such insight into a person. yours is lovely, have a beautiful week!

Maegan Beishline said...

What a wonderful list!

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