My Happy List #5

I'm linking up today for Dandelion Wishes' Happy List party.  It's been awhile!

1.  Roll Tide!

Congratulations to the Alabama Crimson Tide for winning the BCS National Championship (late) last night.  An unbelievable 21-0 win over LSU.  An SEC win always makes me happy!

2.  Downton Abbey, Season 2

I love this show!  Are you watching it?  The first season ended almost a year ago, so it's been a long wait for the British period drama to return to the U.S. for Season 2.  PBS Masterpiece Classics has it on Sunday nights.  If you aren't watching it, check it out.  I read an article yesterday about Tom Hanks and Harrison Ford both saying it's their favorite show - so come on, it's not even a Chick Flick!  (But you might want to check out Season 1 first.)

3.  Beautiful Weather

We would normally be shoveling snow and watching out for black ice this time of year in Indiana.  Instead, we're enjoying beautiful sunny days that reach into the 50s.  I'm sure we'll be paying for it in, say, April, but for now, I'm loving it!

4.  Spring Cleaning

A funny thing to say I know, but I'm in the middle of it and it's not going nearly as gruelingly as it has in years past.  It's because I stay on top of it better throughout the year so I just spend a little time each day on my room-of-the-day.  I vow to stay on top of it from now on too, so that it's not such an arduous task each year.

5.  Our New Vacuum

Since we moved back to the States 7.5 years ago, we've been through 2 vacuums.  When it was time to replace the last one last month we decided to go ahead and get one that will hopefully do a better job and will LAST more than 3 or 4 years.  Enter - the Dyson.  I absolutely love it.  It's lighter, does a much better job, goes from carpet to tile to hardwood without having to do anything but push a button, and it doesn't clog up.  Love, love, love it.

Please join us at Mamarazzi's Happy List Tuesday on Dandelion Wishes.

My Happy List #4

Join me as I link up with Mamarazzi for her weekend Happy List party!

Here are some of the things making me happy this weekend.

#1 - Skype!

We finally took the time to get it all set up last weekend and talk to my dad in Saudi Arabia.

It is awesome!  We do video chats for free.  It's so great to catch up LIVE!

Can't wait to get Grandma Carolyn and maybe other long distance family members set up.

I realize I am late to this party - do you Skype?

#2 - Addictive Book Series

Speaking of being late to the party, I know I am very, very late to the Twilight party.  Incredulous friends quickly loaned me the books when I said I finally was ready to read them. 

Honestly though, I like coming in a little late so I don't have to wait for the next one in the series to come out.  It's awesome to have all 4 books next to my bed waiting for me.

I did the same with Harry Potter.  I finished #6 about 3 days before the 7th book came out.  I don't know how people do it, getting to a cliffhanger and then having to wait MONTHS until the next book is published.  I'm enjoying Twilight.  So far, I'm Team Edward all the way.

(And don't forget about our "What We're Reading" Linky Party here on September 20th!)

#3 - Really Good Friends

Thomas has the nicest group of friends.  I'm seeing that 6th graders are split into two camps.  Those with older siblings are way savvier than those who are the oldest.  Thomas hangs with a group of smarty kids who are naive and sweet and would much rather play with Legos than think about girls.  I love that.  I'm thrilled to have them hold onto that innocence for as long as they want to. 

#4 - Really Good Teachers

I can't say enough about our 2 teachers this year. 

They are not only really good people, but they are great educators. 

They challenge the kids to the point where the boys think they can't possibly learn it all and then they do. 

They are tough and hold the kids accountable, but are also understanding and encouraging. 

Thomas has a confidence in 6th grade that he hasn't always had.  He seems to really be on top of everything and that is awesome to see. 

Brennan is in a very challenging class and he's amazing me. 

I give credit to the boys, but I give a huge amount of thanks to their teachers because they're enabling the kids to reach higher and are proud of them when they get there.

#5 - Chick Flick Movie Club

I organize a group of friends (men too) to see the latest chick flick when it comes out.

It's so much fun to see movies with friends. 

We usually have 6 or so at any given movie.  At The Help we had 20! 

I've seen some dud movies this year with the Chick Flick Club, but have seen some good ones too.

Have a happy weekend!

My Happy List #3

Thanks again to Mamarazzi for hosting the Happy List party this weekend.

It's always fun to share the random things that have made me happy recently!

Vacation Bible School

What a fun experience it was to direct VBS this year.

I had outstanding volunteers and had a really good time with all the little ones.

But boy was I worn out on Friday :)

Opportunities to Serve

And speaking of church, Thomas and friends left yesterday morning for a 7 day mission trip in the Appalachian region of Kentucky. 

Nineteen 6th-12th graders (and a few wonderful adults) are serving a church and school for the week.

  They are doing a number of service projects during the day and leading VBS for a lot of little ones in that community in the evenings. 

We're so proud of Thomas for happily being a part of this (his first) mission trip. 

My gosh, he's growing up (kneeling in the yellow shirt below).

Girlfriends!

These are some of the sweetest people you'd ever meet

Monta, Jackie, Sarah, Me, Beth

Beth and family moved to England 18 months ago and she was back in town for 1 day so we all got together at our house this afternoon.  It was so much fun catching up and hearing about Beth's family's life in England.  We miss her!

A New Toy

Technically this should be on David's "Happy List" but because I blog for our crew, I get to add it here.  David bought a new toy and we picked it up yesterday.  It's a sweet little car and we're all enjoying it a lot.  Strangely, he has not handed over the second key to me yet.  Hmmm.   I'm sure we'll enjoy our new addition for years to come!  And it gives David a new hobby :)

2004 Audi S4

It's been a happy week!

My Happy List #2

It's been a busy, busy week and it's been a ton of fun.

Besides spending so much time with the boys and their friends and taxiing all over town to countless camps, lessons, and events, here are a few other things that made me happy this week.

The Dramatic Gopher

Thomas introduced us to him. 

At only 5 seconds long, we've watched it over and over and still crack up.

Stealing time to swim

We've found time here and there to jump in.

The boys come up with the funniest "quick, get a photo!" opportunities. 

iPhone photo

 

Creative Bloggers

I find a lot of inspiration from bloggers of course.

I especially appreciate these great works of art that bloggers create and upload for me to downloadfor free.

I print them out as 8x10s and frame them for the season.

This first one isn't hanging but the boys circled their "must do summer activities" on it.

You can find this one at this link

Father's Day subway art

You can find this one here

4th of July art

And this one can be found here

Jennifer Anniston's new bob cut.

If I had less hair (mine's very thick), I would ask for this style.

 Thomas's Band Spirit

Thomas had a blast at Band Camp the past two weeks.  This week was Spirit Week.
He got to go dressed for the 80s, Hawaiian Day, in a crazy costume (he was a banana), and for "mis-matched and crazy hat" day.  He had a ball.  Oh, and learned to play a little trumpet too.

So, what are you happy about this weekend?
Link up with Mamarazzi for the happiest linky party of the weekend!

My Happy List #1

This week I'm linking up for the first time with Mamarazzi's Happy List linky party!  I follow plenty of other bloggers who link it and it's always fun to see what's making them happy that week.

Brennan

This little boy makes me happy.  He works hard at everything he does and is always in a pleasant mood.  He has an insatiable curiosity (right now it's all about math, economics, and 1960s tv comedies).  He's a joy to have around.

The Litwits

My almost-one-year-old new book club is a ton of fun.  I'm hosting in June and we're reading this book about the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and the first mass-murdered in the U.S.  Great non-fiction read.

Summer

Summer to me is about sun, water, lots of friend time, eating outside, staying light until after 9:00 p.m., less of a schedule for the kids, more time to focus on extra-curriculars (swimming, tennis, trumpet, piano, etc.), seeing family, exercising outside, and beautiful flower colors.  I'm a summer person.

Iced Tea

Sweet or unsweet.  I'm not drinking soft drinks anymore, so water and tea are my main drinks of choice these days.  A cold glass of iced tea with lemon really hits the spot!

Friends Who Send Great Emails

A well-timed email is always great!

So, what are you happy about this weekend?

And don't forget about another Linky Party - the "What We're Reading" party, hosted this month by Ricki Jill at Art@Home.  Hope you can join us by linking up your most recent reads!