Good things

1.       Pinterest (I have a button in my sidebar if you want to follow my Pins.)

2.       Days on the lake with the boys

3.       Blue Bell Peppermint ice cream

4.       Blog comments (Thanks so much to those of you who leave them!)
5.    So You Think You Can Dance (I can't believe the finale is already here!)

Good things

1. Weekend scrapbooking retreats with friends
2. Reading a book that I just cannot put down
3. Discovering that my e-mail inbox has more personal messages in it than junk mail
4. Cheerfully using my CallerID to screen calls from telemarketers
5. Passing a truck hauling this on the interstate while I'm driving to work

THAT, my friends, is a great way to start your day. I'M STILL GRINNING.

Good things: last Friday night edition

1. A birthday brownie a la mode.

2. A friend who really enjoys the nerdy office supplies you give her for her birthday, including felt-tip pens and paperclips shaped like high-heeled shoes.

3. Becoming friends over the years with women who are friends of a friend ... whom you wouldn't otherwise have met but whom you now love with all your heart!

4. Laughing so hard while playing Catchphrase with said friends that you pee in your pants. (The laughing part is good ... the wet pants, not so much.)

5. Meeting a friend's new baby.

6. Watching people try to keep a straight face while someone is cracking them up.

7. Watching them try harder, and still fail.

8. Laughing because they finally get their act together, but apparently only by taking the stance of a family about to compete in sudden death on Family Feud.

Good things

A Pottery Barn gift card that arrived in the mail totally unexpectedly from someone who loves me and knows that "Pottery Barn is LOVE."

Sitting in the car with Nathaniel during some downtime, looking back to see him reading.

Finding Martha in the mailbox.

Three new pairs of water shoes for the boys to wear at the pool and Alabama Adventure this summer.

Big wins. Sorry. I couldn't resist.

Good things

1. Vacuum cleaner tracks on my carpet

2. MarioKart

3. Jake's kisses on my mouth

4. Peanut butter, banana and honey sandwiches

5. MacBook Pros

6. Weekend scrapbooking retreats

7. New pages for my planner (a fresh start!)

8. Finding a great new blog to read

9. The boys' anticipation of Disney World

10. Breakfast for supper

Good things: public restroom edition

Can there even BE enough good things about a public restroom to comprise a post? Yes, Chandler Bing, yes there can.

In honor of our drive up to and down from Memphis for Labor Day, I present to you my list, in order of appearance:


1. A non-smell. I don't need April-fresh. I'll take no odor at all.

2. A toilet seat that doesn't shift two inches to the left when you sit down, which prompts undesired contact with the underseat

3. A full, properly working softsoap dispenser

4. Plentiful paper towels instead of one of those dadblasted air-dry things

5. A door that pushes outward to exit so that you don't have to grab a paper towel or your shirt tail to be able to leave hygienically

Good things

1. Remembering to take your umbrella
2. A freshly washed car
3. Finding a swimsuit that fits just right
4. Catching someone (even a stranger) singing their heart out and grooving to the beat in their car
5. Intermittent windshield wipers

Good things

1. Driving on fresh blacktop
2. The scent of babies' freshly shampooed heads
3. Clinique Free Bonuses
4. Compliments, given and received
5. Coming back into range of your hometown radio presets when you've been out of town

Good things

1. Turning the TV to the "Seasonal Favorites" channel around 7:30 each night, winding down before bedtime with the boys, listening to old Christmas standards while talking about their day
2. Alison Krauss
3. Big Daddy Weave
4. Acoustic strumming. No embellishment. How come nobody just does THAT anymore?
5. A cappella done well, with lots of syncopation
6. David Archuleta's Crush. SO. CATCHY.
7. The way the boys beg me to turn it to "Channel 3" on the radio (Magic 96) every time we get in the car, so they can listen to Christmas music the whole month
8. Carrie Underwood
9. Duets by musicians you already love, who end up sounding great together
10. Faith Hill's Where Are You, Christmas? I've loved it since I first heard it.

Good things

1. Brothers & Sisters (Matthew Rhys, in particular)
2. Downloading Weeds on iTunes
3. Top Design
4. Kelly and Brenda are back!
5. Jon & Kate Plus 8
6. Jim and Pam
7. Downloading movies to TiVo
8. Lost
9. Ellen DeGeneres
10. Friday Night Lights

Good things

1. The first Pringle out of the canister
2. Buttered popcorn mixed with M&Ms at the movies
3. The last whole Ruffle in the bag, just before you get to the ones that "settled in shipping," which is Spanish for "were blown to smithereens"
4. A Chick-fil-A sandwich with no mealy bites
5. An ice-cold can of Coca-Cola Classic, when you're used to Coke Zero
6. Sneaking eleven two bites of raw chocolate chip cookie dough while you're "baking"
7. The first carb after a protein diet
8. Sour cream biscuits. O.M.G.
9. Bite-size Butterfingers
10. Realizing at 11:00 at night that you still have two Weight Watchers points to burn. SCORE!

Good things

1. TiVo
2. The Office
3. 10:30 to midnight ... that finally-quiet time when I can watch TiVo'd shows in complete peace.
4. Craig Ferguson
5. Eli Stone
6. Katie, Matt, Al and Ann (sorry, Meredith!)
7. Tim Gunn
8. Gossip Girl ... I KNOW I'm 35. Get over it.
9. Top Chef
10. Wheel of Fortune (I refuse to defend myself)