Cathy: 100 Happies

I have been seeing or participating in a lot of these 16 random things about, 25 random things about, or 48 questions about me lists that are rattling around on Facebook. Well, now that it’s officially February and the start of the Finish-a-thon, I am foregoing participation in another of those lists. But it got me thinking again about Elizabeth Beck’s list of 100 things that make her happy. I thought it was about time I started my own. Granted, I’m sure I could make it a thousand easy, and that that list can change minute by minute, because that’s just the varietal kind of person I am, but here it goes:

1. my husband acting goofy whenever I take his picture.
2. the way my son s can make me laugh like no one else in the world.
3. baby c’s deliberate pursuit of whatever she’s doing.
4. writing poetry
5. writing a good chunk in a longer project
6. my son k’s smarts and good looks, both of which I lay claim as the genetic source
7. taking photos of the kids when they don’t know the camera is on them
8. chocolate, wait that’s too easy
9. daaaaark chocolate
10. creamy things with nuts
11. wait that sounds gross, creamy sweet goodness with walnuts or pecans or crème brulee
12. ice cream, and then,
13. potato chips
14. and then making dinner while full on ice cream and potato chips
15. coffee in the morning as I pour it into the cup and the aroma wafts up while it makes that particular pouring sound, and then adding a bit of milk so its all swirly, and then
16. the first sip of the morning.
17. a hot shower.
18. lavender soap.
19. a tall glass of water on a hot day
20. a big mug of herbal tea on a cold day
21. or cocoa, my version, no packets in my house!  with four big marshmallows floating in it
22. baking cookies
23. baking cake
24. cookie dough and cake batter
25. pasta with red sauce.  I could eat this everyday for the rest of my life and never tire of it.
26. apparently food
27. fresh veggies from my garden
28. growing fresh veggies
29. gardening
30. even flowers and trees
31. yardwork
32. the beach
33. anything about the beach
34. except maybe jellyfish stings
35. jellyfish in the water is so pretty though
36. walking
37. yoga
38. sunshine
39. rain
40. the moon
41. sky gazing
42. stars
43. sunsets
44. sunrises
45. the smell of my kid’s heads when they are sleeping.
46. baby c’s wild curls
47. babies
48. dogs
49. cats
50. horses
51. the smell of hay in a barn
52. the smell of the sea
53. the smell of hay when the sun is shining on it.
54. wet grass
55. dancing in the rain
56. snow
57. snowball fights with the kids
58. building something out of snow
59. crisp air with snow
60. snow, snow, snow, snow, snow.
61. swimming
62. making snow angels
63. watching my kids make snow angels
64. getting up out of making a snow angel and not leaving footprints in it
65. lying on my back on the sand, on the grass, in the snow, on a boat, on a rock, and watching the sky.
66. rock climbing
67. listening to friend’s woes, and realizing hey, they’re just like me!
68. listening to someone’s tale of woe and feeling blessed that it’s not me.
69. helping a friend find a way past woe
70. saying Whoa!
71. when my dog looks at me with the look of love
72. when my cat looks at me to say something besides feed me which amounts to, yeah, you’re alright, lady.
73. when she purrs.
74. bread
75. making bread
76. sledding
77. driving
78. adventures
79. knowing that life is an adventure
80. and all you have to do is liiiiive it
81. reading
82. when my husband pinches my butt just because we’re in the vicinity
83. when I pinch his for the same reason
84. a really good laugh
85. jumping in my husband’s arms, even though it’s not so easy to do anymore, but we’re both in the kitchen, and it’s kitchen affection
86. bubbles, on the stove or in the air
87. a good movie cry
88. a good book cry
89. Christmas trees
90. Halloween
91. knowing that how much I love my family only ever gets bigger and better
92. when I can think of a new way of approaching a bad situation that makes it better.
93. caramel
94. snowcones, preferably at the beach
95. French fries
96. morning quiet, so rare these days
97. love
98. friends
99. family
100. random tap dancing

That was fun and kind of cleared my head before I launch into the February Finish-a-thon. I recommend both highly: making a list of what makes you happy and joining us in the February Finish-a-thon! Good luck!