#100

This is my 100th post - wow! (I think these are totally dull and boring and I'm sure no one will read it, but I'm doing it anyway.) Here are 100 things that make me happy:

1. A.J.'s belly laugh
2. Planting Flowers
3. A date with Craig
4. Making lists and then crossing them off
5. A beautifully wrapped gift

6. The smell of rain
7. Sleeping in fresh sheets
8. Target

9. Driving with the windows down
10. New make-up
11. Waking up early and not feeling tired
12. Grocery shopping
13. Movies that make me cry

14. Fresh berries
15. Singing when I'm alone in the car
16. Reading a great book
17. Snow cones

18. The smell of new tires
19. Playing the piano
20. Anthropologie
21. Capturing a "perfect" picture
22. Fireflies
23. Reading to A.J.
24. Going out to breakfast
25. Eating a hot dog at a baseball game

26. Being sweat-soaked after a hard workout
27. Finding an old favorite CD and realizing you still love it
28. Late nights with girlfriends
29. Clearance sales
30. Fancy aprons
31. Shaving with a new razor

32. Looking through my scrapbooks
33. The smell of A.J.'s hair when she wakes up
34. Trying a new recipe
35. Relief Society
36. A great haircut
37. Hotel rooms where they have the air-conditioner on high when you open your room
38. Barnes and Noble

39. Massages
40. Having the kitchen windows open
41. My favorite jeans
42. A cool breeze when it's hot out
43. Libraries
44. Disneyland

45. Random hugs from A.J.
46. Fresh flower arrangements
47. A clean house
48. The smell of fresh-cut grass mixed with gasoline
49. Live music at restaurants
50. Bubble baths

51. Chapstick
52. Book club
53. LOUD music
54. Finishing a project
55. Eating healthy

56. Packing for a vacation
57. When Craig comes home from work
58. When I finish painting a room
59. Fancy perfume

60. Being able to pay the bills on time
61. Birds chirping in the morning
62. Shopping for Christmas gifts
63. "Alone time" with snacks and good TV
64. Campfires
65. Pajamas
66. Eating outside
67. Laying out at the pool with a good book

68. Holiday-weekend movies
69. Busy days
70. Stationary
71. When the dentist says "No cavities"

72. Organizing the pantry
73. Reminiscing with friends
74. Mani/Pedis
75. Being a stay-at-home mom
76. Fancy bookmarks
77. Talking over dinner
78. Vacuum marks
79. Baking bread
80. Scrapbook stores
81. Pink lemonade

82. Crisp, fall air
83. Beautiful mugs
84. A real tan
85. Porch swings

86. Ice water when you are SO thirsty
87. Fabulous shoes
88. Seeing butterflies
89. Starbucks
90. Buying a new candle
91. Fireworks

92. Watching Craig and A.J. play together
93. Wanting to buy something and making it instead
94. Surprising someone
95. Solving a puzzle

96. Good hair days
97. Yardwork
98. Home Decor
99. Reading a good magazine
100. Finishing this list

Happy Tunesday: Supercalifragisexy

I'm totally enjoying me some "Sex and the City" movie soundtrack. I'm especially diggin' India.arie's remake of "Heart of the Matter" which got me thinking - remakes. Here is my playlist of some of the best remakes (at least as good or better than the original):

Heart of the Matter by India.Arie (Original by Don Henley)
Come Together by Aerosmith (Original by The Beatles)
Reason To Believe by Rod Stewart (Original by Time Hardin)
Knockin' On Heaven's Door by Guns N' Roses (Original by Bob Dylan)
Red Red Wine by UB40 (Original by Neil Diamond)
First Cut Is The Deepest by Sheryl Crow (Original by Cat Stevens)
I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston (Original by Dolly Parton)
Life Is A Highway by Rascal Flatts (Original by Tom Cochrane)
You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling by Hall and Oats (Original by The Righteous Brothers)
Smooth Criminal by Alien Ant Farm (Original by Michael Jackson)
I Ran by Bowling For Soup (Original by Flock of Seagulls)
I'm A Believer by Smashmouth (Original by the Monkees)
Drift Away by Uncle Kracker (Original by Dobie Gray)
Umbrella by Mandy Moore (Original by Rihanna)

Obviously, this list could go on and on. What is your favorite remake?

F-U-N-N-Y

Alas, it's my favorite time of year again. The National Spelling Bee Finals on ESPN. (What, you didn't know spelling was a sport?) These kids are RARE specimens. And I can make all the fun I want because I too was a spelling bee nerd. But not on this level. Seriously the funniest hour on TV and each year, there is always "the moment". At least one kid does something funny, or stupid, or both. Here are some of my favs:

This year's "moment" - Numnut:


Anyone who likes Napoleon Dynamite will appreciate this:


This poor kid can't stop laughing:


Can't tell if she's spelling or, umm...never mind. I would also like to note that she was the first "home schooler" to win. Hmmm, interesting:


And my favorite - this kids faints, then pops back up and IMMEDIATELY starts spelling the word, correctly no less.

Girls Night Out

Great night last night. Some girlfriends took me out for dessert as part of my belated celebration since I was in Utah for my birthday. We dined on sweets at Macaroni Grill and entertained ourselves with the "shaky-face game." Here are some of our rad outcomes: (ya - I still use the word rad)









After dessert, Laurie and I went to the Midnight screening of the new Sex and the City Movie.

I am a total Sex and the City junkie - have been for years. I don't want to say too much and spoil it for anyone who still wants to see it. I liked it, but it didn't quite live up to my expectations. I give 7.5 out of 10, right now. The more I go over it in my head, the more I like it. Maybe I will give it a higher score tomorrow. My take: it is a movie about forgivness. Plus all the great fashion. And food (apparently). Usually all I can think about is how much I want the shoes. Last night, all I wanted was Samantha's guacamole. Don't know what THAT means.

**UPDATE** I have raised the score to 8.5.

Uh...

Last night we went to Target to pick up some BBQ goods. We were discussing what we want to eat. So far we'd named the usuals like chips, beans, etc. This conversation ensues as we are walking through the parking lot:

Me: AJ, what do you want?

AJ: I guess I want a brother or something.

Me: ????????

Me: Um, I don't think they are on sale today. How about some hot dogs instead?

AJ: Can I have a sister then?

Me: Well, they don't have those either.

AJ: OK, we can get some hot dogs.

And chocolate for mom. Mom's going to need lots and lots of chocolate after that one.

Happy Memorial Day

I am so grateful to live in the greatest country in the world. I'm thankful that I can worship as I please and that I can raise my daughter with so many freedoms and privileges. I am thankful to be a woman in this country, where I am seen as an equal to my husband and can live the way I choose. Thank you to ALL the armed forces, past, present and future, who risk their lives for our freedom. Thank you to the families who give up your precious family members for our safety. And especially this day, I extend a huge debt of gratitude to those who gave their lives for this country, for my family, for me. Thank you.

Flying Kites and Fireflies

Night before last, we went to the park to fly a kite. When I was growing up, flying a kite was NEVER worth the effort. It took 20 minutes to put it together, it was a miracle if you got it to the park before you tore the plastic wing on something, and it was always too windy or not windy enough to keep it in the air for more than 20 seconds. Or maybe I was just a lazy kid. At any rate, Craig was a little more enthused than I about buying AJ her first kite. But after we got out there, I was pleasantly surprised. It snapped together in nothing flat, the breeze was perfect and AJ had so much fun.


We left just as it was getting dark and the fireflies were out in full force.

This may look like a lame picture, but if you notice in the bottom right corner, I caught one. If you all knew the tiny, ghetto-fab digital camera I use, you would know what a miracle that is. I know I've talked about this before, but I oh-so-love those magical little bugs.

Hereditary Disease

As I might have mentioned before, I SOOOO love Anthropologie. So yesterday, I hauled my buns out of bed bright and early (around 7:00am - anyone who knows me knows how truly bright and early that is), met my friend Rochelle and off we went to the Anthro cardholder's early bird sale.

Did I dream about it the night before? Twice. Did we have butterflies when we pulled up to the store? I'll never tell. Are we totally lame? Jury's still out. Have we passed our disease onto our kids? Uhhh.....




At least we've obviously passed our coolness onto them. Those girls don't know how lucky they are!

Wow - What a whirlwind!

The past few weeks have been crazy. I'm not sure whether to try to update, or just start over now. I did enjoy my time with Candace in Utah. It wasn't just all depressingness. We even had a big girls-night-out to lift our spirits.





Heck ya! - I did just post that pic of you! Don't complain - I still have your "before" picture tucked away for a rainy day.

And I'm sorry Stephanie - I don't even know if you read my blog, but this picture is too rad not to put on the internet somewhere...


I came home to these birthday/mother's day gifts from my hubby:



Can't wait to grind my own flour to make the best bread in the world (more to come later)

Book club at Katri's on Saturday was so wonderful. Click here to see more...

My friends gave me some great b-day gifts:

This beautiful temple pic with our names and wedding date on it,


This gorgeous apron, which totally reminds of the ones at Anthropologie that I always drool over but am too cheap to buy,


This book,


A hilarious Shutterfly book , wrapped in a "Cinco de Mayo" gift basket, complete with maracas! (I'm ticked I didn't take a picture of it.)
Plus a cute shirt, a gift card and a bag filled with my favorite candies. I've said it before and I'll say it again- MY FRIENDS ROCK!

Saturday night Craig and I and my parents went to the Rangers game.

We were given tickets by some random stranger at dinner Friday night - turns out he had box seats and free parking.

Gorgeous weather, a ball park hot dog and a few home runs to win the game rounded out a pretty perfect evening.