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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
