speaking of . . .

Those of you who know me, know I laugh. A lot. Those of you who REALLY know me, know I cry a lot as well. But just because there are tears for circumstances beyond my control doesn't mean I don't know how blessed I am. So today I am recounting some of my current favorite things. I am calling this my "Sweet Sunday Sixteen".


Number One is children. And not just any children, but this week it is specifically Mayah & Cohen. My daughter's daughter. My best friends' son. They make the people I love happy, and that makes ME happy.

SPEAKING OF happy . . . Number Three is Happy Hour at Sonic, baby. I'm currently on a Peach tea kick. "Hi. My name is Stephanie. I'm an addict. I have a $5 a week habit. I need help."

SPEAKING OF berry . . . Number Four is White Rain Pearberry Hairspray. Dear Pink Bottle, as long as you are in production and I am not bald, we will be partners. Every single day somebody tells me how good I smell, and I usually respond with "Thanks! I try hard NOT to stink." But the truth is, it's all about the hairspray. I love it even more now that I can buy it at the Dollar Tree instead of having to order it online.

SPEAKING OF online . . . Number Five is "building blog headers" as my new creative outlet hobby. I am SO over scrapbooking. I cannot believe the money I spent on paper and stickers and scalloped scissors and rubber stamps when I could have been doing creative projects on my computer with NO mess! Besides, cool blog headers make reading blogs more fun. Hey, it's not ALL about the words!

SPEAKING OF words . . . Number Six is "Words with Friends" on my iPod. It's Scrabble with a different name. I keep 8 or 10 games going at all times . . . mostly with friends like Jessica and MaryKate and Elizabeth, though sometimes with random opponents. Did you know that "jalapeno" with the J and the L played on triple letter squares and the word played over a triple word square WITH the 40 point bonus for playing all your letters at once gets you 178 points???

SPEAKING OF 178 . . . Number Seven is my 365 project. I have effectively cleared 178 items out of my house since January 1. (Okay, really it's 176, but it WILL be 178 by Monday, so the whole "speaking of" segue still works.) The whole project is very en"lighten"ing and makes me feel less burdened. I may keep it up until it's just me, my jeans and a toothbrush. :)

SPEAKING OF jeans . . . Number Eight is just that. Until recently, I haven't worn jeans in . . . well, I don't remember ever wearing jeans very much. They never fit me right. To fit in the hips, the waist was always WAY too big, and then the uber low-rise jeans came in and, uh, well, I don't think so. But now jeans actually sit at your hips and they fit and I'm so never wearing anything else. Seriously. (Note to daughter-face: Bury me in the boot-cut pair with my turquoise cardigan and those cute dangly earrings you brought me from Saba, and my black clogs - WITHOUT socks. I mean it. Don't think you can bury me with socks on as a joke. I will NOT Rest In Peace. I will hunt you down and make you cry. Thanks.)

SPEAKING OF shoes and socks . . . Number Nine is the road I walk . . . literally. The metaphorical road I am walking these days is pretty sucky, but the physical road is quickly becoming a favorite place for me. I go almost every day now. I rarely see anyone else, not even passing cars, but I almost always see deer or turkey or critters of some sort. It's my prayer time, my alone time, my outdoor time all rolled together.

SPEAKING OF all rolled together . . . Number Ten is Girl Scout Thin Mints. Oh my goodness. I know mint chocolate is not to everybody's liking, but if I'm crying and you give me a frozen thin mint it will make it all better. Give me a whole roll of frozen Thin Mints and I may not cry all week.

SPEAKING OF crying . . . Number Eleven is Loreal Collagen mascara. When the Thin Mints eventually run out, and the tears return, I want my waterproof friend to know she is not taken for granted. That's why she made the list.

SPEAKING OF the list . . . Number Twelve is my prayer list. I'm doing something I've never done before. I have "A Prayer List" that I have been praying every single day for months now. God and I are getting some much-needed talk time. I think I'll do a whole blog about this sometime soon.

SPEAKING OF much-needed talk time . . . Number Thirteen is the infamous, life-changing pedicure which was part of a "Christmas Girl's Day" with Sara and resulted in ten very purple toenails. Actually 20, as Sara opted for a shade of purple as well. My toenails are starting to grow out, so I may not have the purple much longer, but I love them!

SPEAKING OF growing out . . . Number Fourteen is my hair. I've NEVER liked my hair, which is pretty ridiculous, because I have good hair. At least people TELL me I have good hair. But one of my favorite things right now is having it longer. I don't think my hair has been this long since the 3rd grade . . . and that's been, oh, aWHILE. Like 1971. And since I'm getting, well, not younger, I want to enjoy it before it goes gray and I start to look like the Wicked Witch of the West.

SPEAKING OF green ogre-like things . . . Number Fifteen is the fact that Fiona (the green Taurus) has been passed on to Kevin and I have the pleasure of driving Eddie van Honda. Now, if you know me AT ALL, you know I couldn't give a flip about what I drive and I don't really love that it took $60 to fill with gas this week, still . . . the trade-off to be able to travel "in community" has been really nice. The girls all went with me to Indy back in the fall . . . several of us filled it up and drove together to Madisonville for a funeral . . . this week I will have the privilege of driving a new family home from the Nashville airport. I like being able to spend time in it with the people I love the most.

SPEAKING OF the van . . . Number Sixteen is parking in the garage. We have lived in this house for 16 years and I have been able to park in the garage exactly 2% of that time. Greg sold a tractor in December and Eddie has been allowed to move into the empty space until a replacement tractor is acquired. Oh, I didn't know how much I would love getting into a warm car on a cold morning!

SPEAKING OF cold mornings . . . Number Seventeen is this amazingly wonderful almost-spring weather when I don't need to park in the garage; when I can go to my favorite place to walk; and when I can free my toes and enjoy my purple pedicure!!!


Hope your Sunday is just as blessed.