Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Ten Things I'm Thankful For

--Refrigeration

--Modern feminine menstrual products

--Tea bags

--The garbage collector (ok, not a thing, but ya know what I mean)

--Being appreciated

--Pull tab envelopes. I think envelope glue tastes horrible.

--Power steering, Anti-lock brakes

--Microwaves

--Airplanes

--The Gutenburg (sp?) Bible and press

Monday, November 2, 2009

Ten Things I'm Thankful For

--Constructive criticism

--Vacuum cleaners

--Lint brushes

--Washing machines

--Indoor plumbing

--ipods

--The Internet

--Fabric softener

--Mobility. I'm so glad I have to climb stairs everyday to keep my legs moving. I sit in a chair the rest of the day at work.

--Clean underwear

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

All the products shown below. I know there aren't 10 here, but I found these on www.huffingtonpost.com and couldn't resist putting them on my blog.





Thursday, October 22, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

--Spaghetti squash

--Scary Halloween moves

--GPS systems

--Spoof news articles

--Lipstick that lasts on my lips for more than five minutes

--Warm bath water

--Weddings

--Granola

--Herbal tea

--Tricks and Treats

Monday, October 19, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

--Strong women who aren't afraid to speak their minds

--The pink van hanging from a crane near downtown Nashville. it advertises a radio station.

--The home team

--Cheesecake with strawberries

--Sincere compliments

--The look on babys' faces when they pass gas

--The moment the plane touches ground when I travel

--The Weight Watchers Hungry Monster. I think he looks like the love-child of Garfield and Snuffalufagus (from Sesame Street-- I have no clue if I'm spelling that correctly) (Oh, and by the way, I don't receive any money for this blog. I'm not a paid spokeswoman or anything. There's a new law that I have to disclose such things).

--The Sunday comics

--People who drive slowly and carefully in residential areas, especially when there are children who live in the neighborhood.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

--Winning a difficult Sudoku game

--Pickup sticks

--Sidewalk chalk

--Good ideas for stories

--lazy weekends

--The smell of charcoal grilling

--Days that are good for kites

--Being able to get the cap off of a tightly closed bottle of pop/soda/pickles

--Snuggies

--High fiber cereal

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

--Animal Tracks on msnbc.com

--Looking forward to an end to the rain

--Beaver dams

--Decaf on a chilly fall night

--Everyone at work talking about what their kids will be dressed as for Halloween

--Managing not to put a run in my pantyhose

--Special conferences

--Fresh water pears

--Animal crackers

--The man's face on the moon

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

--Losing weight

--100 calorie packs of snack food. Portioning does wonders for my waist :)

--Winning a gift certificate at work from a drawing to Olive Garden

--The circus

--MLB playoffs (though the Cardinals need to turn things around with the Dodgers)

--The sandpaper feel of a cat's tongue

--Happy Joe's Pizza

--101 Dalmations

--Getting rid of hiccups

--The end to week long bouts of rain

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

--Starting Weight Watchers today. I'm visualizing myself a few pounds lighter.

--Sunny days (It's been raining and raining here. I'm looking forward to the sun one of these days.)

--Putting the last piece into the puzzle

--Finding a new author who's books are irresistible

--The feeling in the back of my throat when I gargle with mouthwash

--The scent of coffee brewing, especially in the morning

--The click of my fingernails when I type on my keyboard

--The general moment when my allergy medication kicks in for the day

--Garfield the cat

--Pom Poms

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

--Playaways from the library. They're little machines the size of an ipod with an audio book loaded onto it.

--Raisin-Cinnamon bread with lots of butter, toasted.

--The finalists on America's Got Talent this season. I can't make up my mind who I want to win.

--Advanced reading copies of books

--The holes in Swiss cheese

--Watermelon on a hot summer day

--Reading a thriller and finding out how the killer is caught

--The Nashville Predators

--Realizing why my mother never put chips in the same plastic bag with my sandwich as a kid. I thought I'd be smart and try it to save a bag, but then my chips ended up soggy (like having a slice of bread in a container of too hard brown sugar. The moisture from the bread was leeched out into the chips).

--Loaner cars when we're having work done to our car. It's so much easier than driving to opposite ends of the Nashville area for our respective jobs.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

--Finishing 3 novels during my 3 day weekend

--Pork tenderloins

--Sweet corn with lots of butter

--Mocha chip Frappichino at Starbucks today

--The moment when all the dishes are clean and no one has dirtied any new ones yet

--Fawns

--The puppy in Starbucks. I wanted to take him home with me.

--Alphasmart

--Grocery shopping when the total including tax is under 100.00

--Clearance sales & new slacks

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

--Cupcakes with filling inside

--Garfield

--Friendly waiters/waitresses

--Men in uniform (women in uniform too for that matter)

--Tie dye

--Hitting the traffic lights right

--Fudge with walnuts

--Alphabet soup

--Key lime pie

--Sincere apologies

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-- Elves

-- When my husband returns from a long trip

-- Koalas

-- Butterfinger ice cream

-- The buzz of the drier when my last load of laundry is finished for the day

-- Regency romances

-- The smell of cedar

-- Museums

-- Good reference books

-- Getting a stain out of my shirt after spilling food all over myself.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-- Bookstores

-- Volkswagon Beatles

-- Peppermint Patty

-- Peaches and cream

-- Bambi and Thumper

-- Robin eggs

-- Hopscotch

-- Miss Mary Mack

-- Political cartoons

-- The calm after the storm

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-- An agent asked to see pages from my pitch session at Killer Nashville today

-- Wild berry smoothies with whipped cream on top

-- Thinking LMNOP was one letter of the alphabet as a child

-- The Roadrunner and Wilde E. Coyote

-- J.A. Jance gave a really funny set of talks today at Killer Nashville. She's a hoot!

-- The kid in the movie The Shining when he gets to ride his big wheel around the big hotel. I wish I could have done something like that as a kid.

-- That my father-in-law doesn't have any broken bones. He fell yesterday.

-- Biting into mystery food and realizing I'm eating candied apples and not beets

-- Qwerkle

-- Trivia

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-- Remembering that rejection can be a positive thing. I had a manuscript rejected today, but even though it was a form letter, I'm pretty sure I know why it was rejected. It'll eventually make my writing better so that I don't make the same mistakes over and over again.

-- Killer Nashville starts tomorrow and I have the day off so I can go! Yippie! www.killernashville.com. J.A. Jance is the guest of honor, and Lee Loftland will also be there.

-- Four day work weeks

-- Easy days at work

-- My husband found a job! Double yippie!

-- Eating spicy food and clearing out my sinuses

-- The end of caffeine withdrawal headaches

-- Steak

-- Rubber duckies

-- Weeping willow trees

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-- The Kiebler Elf

-- The zombies from Thriller (can you imagine being a hiring manager and seeing that on somebody's resume if s/he left dancing?)

-- The yellow submarine

-- What can get lost in translation. I once had a friend tell a guy she was dating she wanted to help him pick the chicken breast off his sweater. She had mixed up the words pechuga and peluza in Spanish.

-- Fawns

-- Meteorites

-- Flintstone vitamins

-- Cottage cheese and potato chips

-- Pushing my spoon into a grapefruit and squirting the person on the other side of the table

-- Cheap airline tickets

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-- Lemon drops

-- Respite from my week-long headache

-- Author chats online

-- Challenging Suduko puzzles

-- Sticky cinnamon rolls

-- Tax Free weekend for shopping on clothes, shoes. Tennessee sales tax is 9.25%

-- Marmaduke

-- Birthstones

-- Cliffhangers

-- Captain Crunch

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

- Lazy weekends

- The public library and inter-library loans

- Doves

- Mullets

- Just the right amount of perfume

- That J.A. Jance is the guest of honor for this year's Killer Nashville conference. www.killernashville.com

- Cake and ice cream

- The calm after the storm

- Frosties at Wendy's

- Playing pool and not knocking the 8 ball into the pocket before I'm supposed to do so.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

A Picture's Worth 1000 Words

I went to www.barnesandnoble.com today and selected, "books." Just for kicks and giggles, I searched the word, "bluekissed," to see what would be the first hit.

I laughed until I my eyes watered.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?WRD=bluekissed&box=bluekisse&pos=-1

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Seeing friends and coworkers the day after they've gotten a new haircut. It's amazing how much someone's hair changes his/her overall appearance!

-Steamy showers that open my sinuses

-The Wizard of Oz

-Audio books during my commute to work

-Watching very young kids try to touch their birthday cake on their birthday. (A 1 year old for example).

-Comfortable T-shirts

-Cookie Crisp cereal

-Shiny fingernail polish

-French silk pie

-The Beanie Baby craze of the 90s

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Killer Nashville 2009

I'll be attending the Killer Nashville writer's conference this year from August 14-16th. For more information on Killer Nashville, visit www.killernashville.com. The keynote speaker this year is J.A. Jance.

Those of you who read this blog know that I wrote about Killer Nashville last year. I had a blast last year, I learned a lot, and I'd recommend this conference to anyone interested in writing fiction. Although the conference is geared toward the mystery/crime/thriller field, there are enough topics presented to be a wonderful conference overall for both beginning writers and seasoned writers. Even for people who write in completely different genres, there are useful panels and presentations on things like firearms, poisons, police procedure, forensic anthropology, strengthening writing skills, and pitch sessions available with an editor and an agent.

I also met a few people last year with whom I'm still in contact within the world of writing. Conferences are a great way to network.

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Hot Apple Cider

-Looking for funny birthday cards to send to friends and family

-Carmel

-Shrek

-Kazoos

-The movie starring Michael J. Fox, Doc Hollywood

-The cricket in the Disney movie, Pinocchio

-Resetting the clocks after the power goes out

-Remembering all the name of the reindeer and the seven dwarfs without having to say them in order

-Chocolate covered cashews

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Three day weekends

-Fruit so juicy that I have to eat it over the sink

-Mini subcompact cars

-Cheesecake

-Ice cream sandwiches

-Gummy bears

-The sweet relief of Ibuprophen (taken in the recommended dosage. I don't want to fry my organs.)

-Red Lobster

-Riverfront Park in Nashville

-Getting to leave work early today because I worked late yesterday.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Vanilla yogurt

-Chocolate pudding and Boston Creme Pie

-Relaxing after running errands on a 100+ heat index day

-Egg Beaters over buttered toast

-Mary Poppins

-Farrah Faucet's hair from the 70's

-Milk mustaches

-Handle bar mustaches

-Looking forward to a night out with friends

-Corn Bread

-Mammoth Cave in Kentucky

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-America's Got Talent

-My 3 year wedding anniversary

-The cold rush of air when walking into the house from the heat

-Diversity

-Comfy shoes

-Taking a vacation day

-Trying on clothes and having everything fit properly

-Movies that draw me into the story

-Mongolian Grill

-Silk ties

Friday, June 19, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Chocolate dipped/covered doughnuts
-Happy it's not supposed to rain tomorrow
-The baby tigers at the Nashville zoo
-Looking forward to my wedding anniversary next week and having that day off at work
-Good hair days
-Badly dressed mannequins
-Getting sucked into a book or movie and NEEDING to know what will happen next
-Blue corn tortilla chips
-Pumpkin bread
-Lemon and poppy seed muffins

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Ginger snaps

-String cheese

-Alligator teeth

-Recitals

-Painted toenails

-Baby seals

-Salvation Army bell ringers

-Watching a dog chase its tail

-The cool rush of air-conditioning on a hot summer day

-Fresh lemonade

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Oreos

-Watching kids play with drum sets

-The sprinkler in the summer, especially when it's humid outside

-Mary Poppins

-Moments of inspiration

-The public library. I recently discovered downloadable ebooks through a service the Nashville Public Library uses. :) Yippy!

-The CMA Music Festival and downtown Nashville

-Irish jigs

-Bumper cars

-Cotton candy

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Shiny nail polish

-Marigolds

-Cartoons

-Elephants

-That radio is still free

-Neighborhood wide garage sales

-Buried treasure

-Digging for diamonds in Murfreesboro, Arkansas

-Daisies

-Watching kids splash in puddles

Friday, May 29, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Blueberries
-Fridays
-Duct tape
-Drumsticks (both chicken and ice cream)
-The music the ice cream truck plays when it drives through the neighborhood
-Orchids
-Watching a bride throw her bouquet
-Blue Jays
-Velcro suits
-Pay day

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Little Caesar's Pizza

-My new treadmill

-Scary movies (not the ones that are overly bloody, but psychological type stuff)

-Sunflowers

-Painted toenails

-The farmer's market

-Strawberry patches

-The Great Pumpkin

-Daisies

-Looking forward to my wedding anniversary

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Seeing friends from out of town

-The image on TV right now of Conan O'Brien running on the beach in a suit

-Fuzzy socks

-Opening the mailbox and having no bills along

-Getting a personal snail nail letter from a loved one

-Cartoons

-The moment the morning caffeine kicks in

-Looking forward to the holiday weekend

-The fresh from the dentist feeling after a teeth cleaning

-Warm biscuits

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Rubber Duckies
-Velcro
-The sound of the coffee pot as it perks
-Interesting tattoos
-Podcasts
-Holiday weekends
-Boston cream pie
-The feeling of cotton balls between my toes when I paint my toe nails
-Fire breathing dragons
-Finding a tooth pick when I really need one

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Corona

-Pasta

-Estopa (They're a Spanish Band)

-That even with a wire chain holding the bird feeder, the squirrels have managed to wreck another bird feeder. I think if you put a human and a squirrel on the evolutionary food chain for survival in the wilderness, the squirrel will win.

-Almost being finished with a couple of my stories

-Good hair days

-Losing weight

-80s music

-Recumbent exercise bikes

-When all the laundry for the week is finished

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Ten Reasons I Still Call This My Writing Blog

-When I'm being positive, I tend to write more

-When I'm aware of my negativity and the real reasons for why I'm angry, cranky, tired, etc. I can channel that energy into an evil/angry/tired character rather than just bitching about being angry.

-Ever since starting this blog, I've spent a lot more time writing. I think that looking at the little things of life helps keep things in perspective. Letting go sometimes helps to then dig into a plot and forget about real life for awhile.

-Sometimes characters need all those little things that cause them to stop and smile too.

-The ten things that make me smile exercise itself makes me smile :)

-Living in the present helps to get bigger projects done. Maybe I can't finish an entire novel in a short amount of time, but I can focus on what I can do for the project today.

-I have more of a Q & A type writing blog at jenbluekissedwritingqanda.blogspot.com as well. I'm going to keep this one about the 10 things that make me smile, a little poetry, and some discussion on writing conferences. I do hope to attend Killer Nashville again this year.

-Lists help me to write. Organization of my thoughts is a wonderful thing.

-This world needs more positivity. I usually write these posts while I'm watching the news on TV.

-It's my blog, and I can do what I want with it! :)

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Team Spirit

-People who lose gracefully

-Hot dogs at major league ball parks

-Grand slams

-Sunflower seeds

-People who use correct grammar

-Altoids, especially the mini ones

-Comb-overs

-Old wedding pics, especially the bridesmaid's dresses

-Jazz bands

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-The Biggest Loser TV show

-Weight Watchers Lasagna

-Putting in 40 hours per week at work

-Overtime when it's available while my husband is out of work

-Evening gowns

-Teddy bears

-Sprinkles

-Suitcases on wheels. What an invention!

-Gummy worms

-Soap opera endings

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-The 24 mph sign outside of the Opry Mills Mall in Nashville, TN

-The 21 mph sign I saw yesterday in Hendersonville, TN

-That the bird feeder is finally squirrel proof (we think so anyway).

-French vanilla coffee creamer

-Mother's Day

-Fresh strawberries

-Sleeping in, even if it's just a little bit later than usual

-Warm weather

-New lipstick

-The snail I saw on our driveway yesterday when I came home from getting groceries

Friday, May 8, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Working a later shift. Traffic is horrible early this morning from thunderstorms, so I'm glad I'm not driving in it yet.

-My husband fixed the bird feeder. It now has metal rather than rope from which to hang. The squirrels still got into it.

-Activia

-Blueberries

-Honey Puffed Wheat

-Quiet time

-Daisies

-Taking life one day at a time

-Sherbert

-Granola

Monday, May 4, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Living on high enough ground not to have to worry about flooding
-The California gold rush
-Salamanders
-When my first cup of coffee for the day kicks in
-Warm laundry fresh out of the dryer
-Getting two paychecks last week, one from my past employer, one from my new employer
-Being on biweekly pay; getting 3 paychecks in May
-Milky Way
-Horses
-Sugar snap pea pods

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Watching the squirrel chew through the rope holding our bird feeder. The feeder fell onto the deck and seed spilled everywhere. No wonder I've gone through 3 feeders in a month! Smart little critter!
-Having enough money in the checking account to pay bills
-Writing cohesively during my rough draft
-Fresh strawberries
-DQ Blizzards
-Exercising
-Vanilla yogurt
-A toothpick right when I need one
-Sweet corn
-Being employed full time. Yay!

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Pulled pork sandwiches
-Cold ice water
-Warm, sunny days
-Internet access
-Sterling silver jewelry
-Bandaids with fun pics/cartoon characters on them
-Comic books
-Fuji and Gala apples
-Looking forward to pay day
-Hula hoops

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Finding out my release date for an anthology
-Chocolate chip cookies straight out of the oven
-Cheesecake
-Laughing at my first draft, wondering what I was thinking
-Tortilla española
-Being dealt blackjack
-Sharpies
-Spending time with my hubby after he was gone for a week
-Banana cream pie
-Elephants

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Watching mama birds feed baby birds
-Warm Spring days
-Signing my contracts
-That my husband returned from a trip.
-Stroking his beard. I haven't seen him in one in a few years.
-Plums
-Wikipedia
-Scented candles
-When people do nice things for me out of the blue
-Magic beans (think Jack and the Beanstalk)

Friday, April 24, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Bumble bees
-M&Ms
-Hawkeyes
-Olive Garden's biscuits
-Heated seats in my car
-That I haven't had a splinter stuck under my skin in a really long time
-Dairy Queen Blizzards
-Quiet moments for reflection
-People in costume, like Mascots
-Waffles

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Cough syrup
-Not being on COBRA as of May 1
-The Purple People Eater
-The Monster Mash
-Men in uniform
-Pinstripes (both on nice suits and on baseball uniforms)
-Pujols and his RBIs
-Historic buildings
-Castles, especially in Spain
-Gothic Cathedrals

Monday, April 20, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-The pillow I just bought. Now my next doesn't hurt anymore when I awaken in the morning.
-Sugar snap pea pods
-Carnival rides
-Butterflies
-The first robins of spring
-Silly pictures
-Doritos
-Parchment paper
-Blowing the seeds into the air from a dead dandelion
-Oreo pie

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-That I made it home safely after my 11 hour drive today
-Homemade chocolate chip cookies
-Garage sales. I got a leather jacket in pristine condition for $4.00
-My health
-Peter Pan
-The Tooth Fairy
-Licking my fingers after eating fried chicken
-Finally being a direct hire tomorrow rather than a temp
-My new pillow
-Lemonade at the county fair

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Knowing I have a new job waiting for me on Monday.
-The end of tax season nearing, being glad mine are done!
-Cold, Diet Dr. Pepper
-Chocolate covered doughnuts
-Zamboni
-Being under a tornado warning but not having one form
-Cars with good gas mileage
-Italian style green beans
-Pretty nail polish
-Blueberry pancakes from Ihop

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Knowing I get to eat jelly beans tomorrow
-Cold drinking water
-Buttery popcorn
-Envelopes with pull away strips: the kind I don't have to lick
-Grapefruit juice
-Bluebirds
-That tax time is almost over
-Make believe
-Museums
-Beef jerky

Friday, April 10, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Cheese pizza on Good Friday
-The quiet hum of my laptop
-Looking forward to starting my new job pretty soon
-Looking forward to a trip back to Iowa in the near future
-Audio books on my trip back
-A well placed comma
-Parchment paper
-That the tornado didn't hit where I work or where I live... Murfreesboro, TN was hit though :(
-Green beans
-Brownies

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Chocolate Pudding Cake w/ Vanilla ice cream after going to the gym!
-Ending Cobra and having real insurance again soon!
-That tax season is almost over!
-My father's improving health
-Robins! Spring is here!
-People who can whistle in tune
-Altoids
-Gizmo from the movie Gremlins
-Waffles
-Daisies

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Songbirds
-Being safe through a tornado threat
-The approach of Easter
-Raspberry jelly
-The BBC
-Velvet
-Dill pickles
-Sunflower seeds
-Confetti (when I don't have to clean it up)
-Rock formations

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-A slow day at work
-That I don't have any pistachio nuts at home w/ the current recall
-Going to bed early
-Berkley Pear Trees
-Austin Powers
-The smell inside bakeries
-Sweet corn
-Pea pods
-Leftovers that reheat well
-Dried apples

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Being invited to the Predators game
-Berkley pear trees
-Raining petals on my driveway
-Seeing country singers perform for free in Nashville
-Having a T-shirt day before the end of March
-Whistling
-Holding hands
-Zamboni
-Almost being done with the 2008 taxes
-Cupcakes

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Slow phone days
-A charged cell phone battery
-Cold Diet Dr. Pepper
-Tissues with lotion in them
-Clowns
-The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
-St. Louis Cardinals baseball
-Vanilla bean ice cream with chocolate pudding cake
-Spring days
-Dried fruit

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-That someone waved me down at a stop sign today to tell me that I have a flat tire
-That I'm working right now
-Monday's advance check
-The tire shop couldn't find the leak in my tire and didn't charge me
-My husband did the dishes :)
-Acceptance into an anthology
-All the flowering trees... that the little petals (as my husband pointed out) that are on our driveway look like God took a paper puncher to a giant sheet of white paper and dumped them all in front of our house
-The neighbors a block over who painted a toilet black, laid roses on it, and place a sign next to it saying how happy their lives are since the invention of the toilet
-That said sign is not next to my house!
-Krispy Creme doughnuts

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Sleeping through the night. (This cold has me all stuffed up).
-Cough drops
-Indian food. It opened my sinuses up for some temporary relief.
-Mini doughnuts
-Advance checks
-Vitamin C
-Any respite from the coughing spells, albeit brief
-Renaissance fairs
-Spring is finally here!
-That the rumbling I'm hearing is only in my ears and not thunder.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Hoping that I'm somewhat over my cold
-Nice people on the phone
-Buying a vendor table to a large event
-Cough dropos
-Bagels
-Nectarines
-Mixing up the words actuary, actuator, and alternator
-Peanut butter cookies
-Moose tracks ice cream
-Musicals

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Almost being finished with having our taxes prepared
-The sound of a trombone as a note has a glissando
-Waffles
-Daisies
-Honeycombs
-The first watermelon of summer
-Have rain checks fulfilled
-Nectarines
-The Easter basket my parents used to hide when I was a child
-Clipping my fingernails after breaking a nail-the relief that the uneven surface won't catch on my sweater/pantyhose/etc. anymore

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Being offered a job in this economy
-Getting feedback from readers
-The dogwood tree that is blooming in my front yard. Talk about pretty!
-Special K bars that I'm about to make
-Knowing that people care about me and aren't afraid to show it
-Snuggling
-The holes in Swiss cheese
-Birthdays
-Not having a migraine today. I ran out of medication that I take as a preventative and couldn't take it last night. Picked up the new pills today. I thought for sure I'd wake up with one, but I didn't.
-Goals

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Choices, sometimes even difficult ones
-New dollar bills and new pennies
-When I have a chocolate craving, insert the single into the vending machine, have it spit back out at me numerous times, and then finally accept my money.
-When my headaches go away
-The weatherman on the local news. He's funny. Today when he described the weather he said it would be, "crashin' and flashin'" to describe thunderstorms.
-Trees that blossom
-Learning the names of birds, trees, and other plants after moving to a new place
-Forever stamps
-The new portrait of Shakespeare that was released that is supposedly authentic
-Moon Pie

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Looking forward to going to a movie
-Toaster waffles
-Drooling over my friend's Iphone
-Saturday Night Live last night. It seems the sketches are getting a little funnier lately.
-More hours of daylight
-Carmel apples
-Looking forward to jelly beans at Easter
-Finishing a first draft and knowing more or less what needs to be fixed for the second draft
-Weddings, especially when they take place during nice weather
-Poppy seed muffins

Friday, March 6, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-McFlurries
-Wild mushroom soup
-IHop chocolate chip pancakes
-Looking forward to the weekend
-Nearing completion of draft one on a novella
-Avoiding a cold... hopefully for awhile. Everyone at work is sick right now
-The three bears
-That the tree in my front yard has buds on it
-Laurel and Hardy
-Fireplaces

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-A light call volume day
-Being in the high 50s (weather)
-Good management
-Togas
-The way rabbits wiggle their noses
-When cut roses open
-People who are willing to help, especially when they lend an ear when I want to vent
-Watching gymnasts
-That baseball season is almost here
-Hearing a familiar song that I haven't listened to in a long time

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Remembering when chocolate bunnies for Easter weren't hollow
-That with as many people who don't like Rod Blago from Ill, he still got a six figure book deal. Figures.
-Betting that Nadia Suleman will get a book deal too if she ever hires a ghost writer. I don't imagine she'll have enough time herself to write a book any time soon.
-Hazelnut coffee
-Aspertame in my hot tea
-Finding clothes in my closest that are new but that I forgot I had (and still fit me)
-Horses
-Pandas
-Stone Cathedrals
-Fairy Dust

Monday, March 2, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Nearing page fifty of my novella
-Nearing page 180 on my novel
-The realization a moment ago that I actually have fans. I have shivers when I think about that :)
-Getting an advance check in the mail today
-Greatful that tax time doesn't last all year. I'm currently working in a very limited tax role in a call center at the moment.
-Caffeine. I was having withdrawal symptoms, but now I'm fine again
-Manilla (the color. I've never been to the place). I can't seem to separate manilla from any object other than an envelope
-Yogurt
-The Beanie Baby Craze of the 90s
-Fondue

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Infomercials and the bad acting on them
-Pinatas
-Chocolate silk pie
-The Lord of the Rings
-Public Libraries
-Used book stores
-Wallace and Gromit
-1 and 2 year old birthday parties, when the kid can't wait to put his/her hands into the cake
-Cupcakes
-Vanilla bean ice cream

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Untitled

the grey squirrel, his
little mouth as he
chews a heel
the loaf of bread.

rain.

Friday, February 27, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Glad that the rain has let up
-That my husband did the dishes this morning. He's such a sweetie :)
-Jeans Fridays
-Chubby legs on toddlers
-Laptops and charged batteries
-That gas is still under 2.00 where I am.
-Our power went out last night from the storm. My husband was smart enough to set the alarm on our cell phones, so we actually woke up at the right time. I was really confused at first to the different sound that woke me up, but it worked.
-Beaded jewelry
-Blue Jays. They're so pretty!
-Sea horses

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Moderate call volumes in the call center. Too slow or too heavy make for a long day.
-Fried shrimp
-Hoping for a tax refund
-Short lines for the cash register or cafeteria
-Walking into a public restroom that is clean and well stocked
-Ghengis Grill
-Toy stores
-Thrift shops. At the Goodwill where I live, they sort clothes both by size and type, but also color. It's SO much easier to find what I want!
-Sweaters
-Being able to fix the broken cord on my bird feeder

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-The message of hope
-Having work to do
-Trying new types of chips. Today I had rice chips.
-Marti gras
-Weddings
-Flower girls/ring bearers
-Potlucks
-Finishing reading a non-fiction book
-Being told by a co-worker that when she lived in Wisconsin, that the mayor of her town plowed out her driveway in the winter when she was stuck.
-The scent of freshly laundered clothing

Monday, February 23, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
-Online learning
-Being in the home stretch of finishing one of the books I'm reading
-Pea Pods
-Forrest Gump
-Microwaving something without a lid and not having it boil over
-Pop Rocks
-Remembering what it was like to grade papers and remembering that I don't have to do that anymore.
-Vanilla yogurt
-Wondering what the plural of abacus is. I'm looking at two of them at the moment that my husband has on his desk. Abaci? Abacuses?

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

-That the geek squad was able to recover my files and also scrub the virus off of my laptop
-That the ibook I found at home has a wireless card (though certain features in Safari show up differently. I have no bullet button within blogger using Safari).
-Lazy Sunday afternoons.
-That I have enough gas in my tank to get to work tomorrow before I have to fill up again. Gas in my town is more expensive than the town where I work.
-Decaf
-The water bottle that I bought. It doesn't make the water taste or smell like plastic. I've been searching for such a thing for years.
-Figuring out different features of this ibook. I'm now addicted to Bejeweled. It was already downloaded onto the ibook.
-Animal Planet
-The fan that is now on my lap between my legs and the laptop. My legs are no longer on fire after using the computer for any length of time.
-New toothbrushes.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • That the Geek Squad says my computer is finished. I've felt like a caged animal without it all week. Now I'm just hoping that they were able to recover all of my files... If not, I've lost around 30,000 words worth of work spread out on various projects that I was just about the back up from two weeks worth of work when it became possessed.
  • The above counts for # 1-8 if they were able to get all my files back.
  • Internet access on other computers beside the one that went bye bye.
  • The Idaho Candy Company. My in-laws sent us come candy in the mail recently. Mmm

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • The candy jar
  • Umbrellas when it's raining
  • Altoids and other breath mints
  • Working at a place that gives me use of a fridge and microwave.
  • And a cafeteria!
  • That my hubby scraped my windows for me yesterday. He's a sweetie :)
  • A good reception at my new job
  • Wiggling toes
  • My in-laws sent us a blanket with Obama's picture on it. They're not democrats, so I got a kick out of it.
  • Telling my husband that if we put the blanket on top of the comforter that I could sleep with Obama. He smiled, but didn't like that.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • Starting a new contract job today! :)
  • That the traffic jam from the car that's flipped over isn't going to impede my route to work
  • Raspberry jelly
  • Looking forward to getting my laptop back. (Virus possessed it... the Geek Squad have it now-- we have other computers at home, which is how I'm online).
  • Peanut butter pie (with non-tainted pb)
  • Getting a good night's sleep
  • Getting mail. It seems like yesterday wasn't REALLY a holiday
  • Warm hugs in winter
  • Not having to get gas quite yet
  • Penguins

Monday, February 16, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • That I have the day off today to call the interstate unemployment because everything's goofed up.
  • That I will also have the time to take my laptop to the Geek Squad at Best Buy. It's currently possessed. (I'm on my husband's machine now).
  • Onion rings
  • Starting a temp job tomorrow :)
  • The vibrations cats make when they purr
  • Progresso soup
  • Comfy pants
  • Breakfast potatoes
  • My ipod
  • Chocolate with almonds inside or carmel inside

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • Valentine's day cards
  • BBQ pork
  • The sayings on the inside of Dove chocolate
  • Fortune cookies
  • New clothes
  • Hugs and kisses being abbreviated by xoxo
  • Tic Tac Toe
  • Mouthwash and breath mints
  • Wite Out
  • Forever stamps

Friday, February 13, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • Getting good reports back on blood work
  • Seeing brain waves on an EEG
  • Validated parking
  • Finally being home after a long, tiring day
  • Light traffic downtown at 5:00 pm
  • No copay for my physical
  • Large coffee mugs (larger than the normal size)
  • Chaos (the game)
  • Double ply toilet paper
  • Waffles

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • Watercolors
  • Baby powder
  • Mulberries
  • Gorillas
  • WD40 and duct tape
  • Venture capitalism
  • Scavenger hunts
  • Vanilla extract
  • Climbing the stairs and not getting winded
  • Turtle cheesecake

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • 1-800-GOOG-411 Do a google search on this and you'll see why it makes me smile :)
  • Tap dancers
  • The Biggest Loser
  • Hour long lunches
  • New pennies
  • Hash browns
  • Robins
  • Seeing parents who act appropriately when their children have temper tantrums in public
  • Candle lit dinners
  • On the Today show, the segment on people who are over 100 years old

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • The Gingerbread Man
  • Homemade chicken noodle soup
  • Shopping for groceries during business hours... so much more pleasant than on Saturdays or Sundays
  • Ham and cheese omelets
  • The combination of coffee and aspirin when I have a headache
  • Easy online forms to apply for jobs. Some companies make more hoops through which to jump in the application process than others.
  • Songbirds outside my window when I'm sad
  • Correct grammar
  • Soft tissues
  • Possums

Monday, February 9, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • The moment my allergy meds kick in (for the record, TN is much worse than IA for allergies. It's February and I feel like it's May right now.)
  • Vanilla bean ice cream with chocolate pudding cake
  • That I have short stories that release this week
  • The Red Cross
  • The Geneva Convention
  • The right to vote
  • That I know I'm going to be starting another temporary job in a little over a week
  • Runts (The candy)
  • Charlotte's web
  • That my imaginary friend as a child had the first name Charlotte

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • Knowing I helped someone out
  • Fixing typos and realizing how unreadable my first drafts are
  • Oatmeal raisin cookies
  • Cowboys (not the team)
  • Qwerkle
  • The smell of hamburger, onions, and potatoes as they fry
  • The texture of angel food cake
  • Remembering difficult times, looking forward
  • Used book stores
  • How much cheaper roses are when the date isn't near Valentine's day

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • When somebody offers to do something nice for me like open a door or make toast for me(usually my hubby) :)
  • That I've never been in a car accident
  • Cashing in pop cans for the deposit when I have a lot of them and will get a good chunk of money
  • Hot, steamy showers
  • Cupcakes
  • The moment when I realize that I'm waking up from a dream in which I had to grade a lot of papers. (I used to be a teacher).
  • Learning new grammar rules
  • Nearing the end of a project
  • Seeing old pictures in which everybody was wearing huge eye glasses
  • Magnolia trees

Friday, February 6, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • Getting my first advance check in the mail
  • Dove chocolate
  • The Office tv show
  • Superbowl commercials
  • Mannequins with no hands
  • The fridge guy fixed my fridge in under 20 minutes. Simple fix. Yay!
  • Being in my 20s
  • Being worn out enough to fall asleep right away when I hit the sheets
  • Filling my bird feeders
  • Cutting up old tee shirts for rags

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • A new set of ear buds. I lost my last pair.
  • That the water in Nashville isn't as hard as Waterloo, Iowa. Even after running vinegar through the machine, we went through coffee pots every 6 months in Waterloo. (We didn't have room for a water softener in that condo).
  • Women who are brave enough to wear next to little makeup. Yes, we are beautiful without adding artificial stuff to our faces!
  • That it's going to be in the sixties all weekend.
  • That I signed on for another contract position to start in two weeks.
  • Cadbury eggs
  • Fresh juice, not from concentrate.
  • Spicy food, always good to open my sinuses.
  • When paper cuts heal.
  • Honey roasted peanuts.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • Whenever the price of food or gas goes down
  • Opening the mailbox and not having any bills inside
  • Puppies
  • When ibuprophen takes my headache go away
  • Blueberries in my cereal
  • Looking forward to spring
  • Milkshakes
  • lulu.com
  • pandora.com
  • auctions

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • That my husband figured out one of the reasons our fridge was making noise
  • Opening the package to a new toothbrush
  • Heated seats in my car
  • Heated outside mirrors on my car
  • The rumble of the furnace when I'm chilly
  • Going to Walmart, only buying what's on my list
  • The end to my belly ache
  • Diet pop and glass bottles
  • The great plays during this year's Superbowl
  • Superbowl commercials

Monday, February 2, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • The thought of someday, maybe getting unemployment benefits
  • The repair guy is going to fix my fridge
  • I walked around yesterday with a sweater and no coat on the first day of February!
  • Shiny objects that catch my eye such as finding a quarter on the ground while I'm walking
  • Honest people. Someone once found my wallet and personally returned it to my apartment with everything still intact.
  • The cookies my mother-in-law sent in the mail that we received yesterday
  • Air freshener
  • A good, sharp set of fingernail clippers
  • Pencil sharpeners that work correctly
  • Hamster wheels

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • Curly hair
  • Laurel and Hardy movies
  • Lucky Charms
  • Endless shrimp at Red Lobster, though it's not offered this time of year
  • Mac & Cheese
  • Grasshoppers (both the bug and the drink)
  • I have socks with a ladybug pattern on them. I told my husband this morning that we need to call the exterminator. Hehehe. The look on his face was funny.
  • Armadillos
  • Pop Rocks
  • Cutting off a hangnail that has been bothering me for hours

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • Living in the modern age
  • New sweatshirts, sweatpants (the fuzz inside is much softer than old clothes!)
  • Chocolate muffins
  • When my husband cleans the kitchen
  • Samples at the grocery store, in the mail, anywhere
  • Mini subcompact cars
  • Playing a DVD, CD, or MP3 for the first time after opening it (downloading it)
  • Beating my husband at any game. He's better than I am at most of them. We played tanegrams for the first time the other day and he's much better than I am at that one!
  • The way the rain glistens off of the stone in Santiago de Compostela, Spain
  • That some of the trees here in Nashville already are forming buds

Friday, January 30, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • Looking forward to the superbowl
  • That my leaking refrigerator is going to be fixed soon
  • The self weigh meter/station at the post office that is available 24/7
  • Canada geese
  • Ipods
  • The Grinch
  • Letters from my niece
  • Mr. Potato Head
  • Looking forward to Easter
  • Knee high socks

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • Green tea
  • That the head cold I have hasn't migrated to my chest yet :)
  • My husband's orange shirt that makes me call him Pumpkin
  • That baseball season isn't very far off
  • Salt trucks
  • That I don't have any of the recalled peanut butter products in my kitchen
  • Bumble bees
  • Biscuits
  • Dinosaurs
  • Pictures of other people's kitties

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • A dusting of snow
  • Finally, Finally hearing positive news out of the interstate unemployment office
  • Having enough ideas for a story that I can't sleep at night until I write them down
  • Raspberry tea
  • When I have a head cold, taking a hot, steamy bath to open my sinuses
  • Approaching St. Valentine's Day
  • Tax refunds
  • Chex Mix
  • Freshly baked bread
  • Commercials for denture paste

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • Herbal tea, most recently peach
  • The sound of raindrops hitting the roof
  • Free magazines/newspapers
  • The classifieds
  • Having a ring stuck on my finger (I've gained weight), and finally getting it off after lots of prying, twisting, lotion, soap, etc. without ripping the finger off too!
  • Resetting a digital clock after the storm. 12:00 flashing gets old quickly!
  • Heart pattern socks
  • Hot fudge brownie sundaes
  • When someone else does the dishes
  • Old pictures, laughing at the clothes, glasses, and shoes in them

Monday, January 26, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • The downtown area in small towns, especially thriving down towns
  • Buttery potatoes
  • Sharing common interests with friends
  • Looking at antiques
  • Velvet
  • Diet Coke, the feeling of carbonation when it slides down my throat
  • Sending in my third writing contract :)
  • Being offered a temp job
  • Finding out my friend's daughter is okay. She was really sick earlier.
  • Buildings with character

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • Getting to sing in other languages in choir, most notably Latin
  • Knowing the etymology of a word in English
  • Novels written for adults that still have pictures in them from time to time
  • Baby powder
  • Cupcakes with sprinkles in the frosting
  • Not having seen any mice in the house I live in (I've been here for 6 months)
  • Banana bread
  • Songbirds
  • Train whistles
  • Snoopy

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • After cutting my finger (cutting veggies with a knife), wearing a Band-Aid for while, and then being able to take the Band-Aid off. There's never a comfy way to have one on a finger, is there?
  • January days in the sixties Fahrenheit
  • Jelly shoes from the 80s
  • Elves
  • Strawberries
  • Decent tasting mouthwash
  • Nursery Rhymes
  • The microwave. Every once in awhile I cook something on the stove/oven that can more easily be done in the microwave just to appreciate its invention
  • Indoor plumbing
  • Chocolate dipped waffle cones

Friday, January 23, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • Weight Watchers ice cream
  • ebooks
  • Wineries
  • Poppy seed muffins
  • The democratic process. I voted yesterday on a local issue
  • That I don't have to lick stamps much anymore. The already sticky backing is nice.
  • Fresh strawberries
  • Hot air balloons
  • Musicals
  • Raisin bread

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Haiku

driving north, I see
the black speckled sky
swarming south bound
the birds

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • Watching the inauguration activities on TV yesterday (and weep a little too. I was choked up all morning!)
  • Buying groceries and having the bill come out to less than 100.00
  • The silver shops in Mexico City
  • Weight Watcher's frozen, three cheese lasagna
  • Looking forward to watching the Superbowl
  • The movie Grease
  • Men in Uniform
  • The Easter Bunny
  • Jelly beans
  • Avoiding the cookie aisle at the grocery story successfully

Monday, January 19, 2009

Graveyard

leafless trees
the stone fence
nearly hides the
tombstones
adjacent to my
bedroom window

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • Seeing the cover to an anthology in which my work will appear
  • Chex Mix bars
  • Turtle cheesecake
  • Stephen King books/movies
  • Rainbows
  • Leprechauns
  • Auctions
  • Opryland
  • Christmas villages
  • Elvis impersonators

Friday, January 16, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • Inspiring the creation of a new blog by someone else. Check out The Way I C It in my "links I frequent" section.
  • Looking forward to the weekend and going out to eat
  • My microwave. Life would be so much more difficult without having microwaves, wouldn't it?
  • Wireless technology
  • Finding Nemo
  • Showers after working out at the gym
  • Slug bugs
  • String cheese
  • Overalls
  • When someone on my car breaks, having it happen BEFORE the warranty has expired

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • Eating lunch with my husband on a work day
  • Hour long work day lunches at all! In Iowa, I always had a 25 minute or 30 minute lunch
  • Interviews
  • Knee high nylons over full leg ones
  • French braids
  • Old fashioned oatmeal. I didn't realize how good it was over instant until my mother in law served it to me. Wow! What a difference!
  • Forever stamps
  • Recumbent exercise bikes.
  • Velvet
  • Fresh coffee

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • Being able to communicate with friends and family through email, snail mail, and my cell phone
  • Having health insurance (at least for now)
  • Indoor plumbing
  • The Biggest Loser show on TV
  • Kites
  • Werewolves
  • Antiques
  • Blue lipstick
  • Cowboy hats
  • Cartoons (I'm thinking of Garfield at the moment)
  • Ripley's Believe It Or Not

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • Remembering that no matter how bad things get with jobs, the economy etc., that I have people who love me.
  • Having my health
  • Realizing that the people working in the unemployment offices really do want to help me, even though I'm ready to rip every inch of hair from my head in frustration with my interstate claim
  • That unemployment insurance even exists... I'm not completely thrown to the dogs yet
  • Burning off stress at the gym, imagining that my exercise pants aren't uncomfortably snug
  • That I don't have to scrape ice from my car windows
  • My garbage can now has a lid after 6 months of being lidless (the city finally replaced it)
  • Wizards
  • pandora.com
  • That the first four stories I've submitted for publication have all been accepted :)

Monday, January 12, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • Having a roof over my head
  • Remembering the beanie baby crazy
  • Thumb drives
  • Finding a set of markers I bought years ago that I had forgotten and never used and that hadn't dried up yet
  • Potlucks
  • Anniversaries
  • Bambi
  • Fairy tales
  • Warm afghans on a January day
  • Cinnamon oatmeal

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • Midday naps when I don't have anything in particular done on a Saturday
  • Pandas
  • The scent of baby powder
  • Marble Slab Creamery and Cold Stone Creamery
  • Waffles for breakfast
  • Dates with my husband :)
  • Remembering that the dishes in the dishwasher are clean
  • Fondue
  • Looking forward to Valentine's day
  • The color of the Ocean

Friday, January 9, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • A fully charged cell phone or laptop battery
  • People interested in hiring me
  • A sunny, winter day
  • Dragons
  • Not getting any junk mail or spam
  • Violets
  • Constellations
  • Tortilla española
  • Flower girls
  • Lemonade stands at yard sales

Thursday, January 8, 2009

New Blog

I have begun a new blog written under the name of an alter ego, Jen RedKissed called RedKissed Reviews. http://redkissedreviews.blogspot.com/ is the address. Check it out of you're interested. The first book I have reviewed is The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • A productive interview
  • The opportunity to translate between Spanish and English
  • The magic credit that appeared on a gift card that I thought I had exhausted the last time I went out to eat
  • Another interview tomorrow
  • A fresh pot of decaf at the restaurant
  • The movie room at the gym
  • Finishing a really good book last night
  • Apple slices with peanut butter
  • Going to bed early tonight
  • Homemade cooking

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • When I remember my password to a site I haven't used in ages
  • Having another story accepted for an anthology
  • The sound of raindrops on the roof
  • Lipstick that doesn't taste bad
  • Frozen grapes
  • The energy that little kids have
  • Finishing the 6 loads of laundry that awaited me after vacation
  • Bubbles
  • My Ethernet cord
  • The feeling in the back of my throat when I gargle

Monday, January 5, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • New underwear
  • A quiet house
  • My reading chair
  • Juicy juice
  • Bananas
  • Clearance priced books
  • Mondays when I don't have to work
  • Iowa's unemployment max amount is more than Tennessee's max unemployment amount
  • Gummy bears
  • Bathrooms with fans

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • Lazy afternoons
  • Knowing all the words to any song I hear on the radio
  • Watching me with power tools
  • A tidy room
  • Vanilla bean ice cream, then adding chocolate sauce and peanuts
  • Apples cut up in salad
  • Cars with a comfy passenger side seat
  • My reading chair
  • Weddings
  • Cutting my nails because they're too long, not be cause I broke/chipped one.

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • Well written prose
  • Finally being home after three weeks of traveling
  • Being in my own bed
  • That my husband no longer has the flu
  • Being thankful that I don't snore (at least I don't think that I snore)
  • Free dessert
  • Gift cards
  • The fantasy known as the Powerball
  • Safe holidays
  • Cream puffs

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

  • Gatorade
  • Bathtubs in motels that don't lose water when I have the plug in drain
  • Remember to write the correct year on my checks when it is around the first of the new year
  • Washing and drying my jeans. Putting them on straight out of the dryer and not having them feel tight
  • Foot rubs
  • Slippers, especially fun ones that have animals or characters on them
  • Being back in the south where there is no snow on the ground. (it was -10 in Minneapolis before wind chill when we flew through there and it was 51 in Atlanta when we got here!)
  • When mosquito bites finally stop itching in the summer
  • Peanut butter sandwiches in our carry on bags when we took the 5:30 am flight and didn't have a chance to stop in the airport for lunch between connections
  • Being back home after three weeks of traveling!