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Monday, 24 March 2008
Estee's Take: My Happy List
I love this time of year. Spring has arrived and my yard is responding with excitement. The Bradford pear trees are in full bloom and it makes me happy. There are so many things to be happy about this time of year, and some times I need to be reminded that I have so very much to be thankful for. So, here’s my list. My happy list.
I love Bradford pear trees. I was first introduced to these trees by my grandfather who lined his driveway with them because he loved the white blossoms in the early spring. I spent many spring afternoons walking up and down my grandparent’s driveway with Nan and Breuklyn. Breuklyn would dance under the falling blooms and Nan and I would talk. Really, anything having to do with memories of Nan makes me happy.
My kids make me happy. We spent a wonderful weekend decorating Easter eggs, baking, doing spring art projects and having Easter egg hunts. It is so fun to have little projects to share with them. Friday afternoon it was in the 70s, so we set up our Easter egg decorating dyes and stickers outside on the picnic table. We started with 18 eggs and I am sad to report that only 11 survived. Maddux seems to have slippery little fingers. He loved “painting” his eggs and his goal was to make them all brown. He kept mixing and mixing the colors until he would come up with the most perfect shade of brown. Once they were all finished, I set them on the table in the kitchen where Paizlee slipped away and managed to throw two of them onto my freshly mopped kitchen floor. No project is complete until something is smashed or broken, but that is part of the adventure.
I love getting the mail. I know, it’s kind of weird. I love to walk down to the mailbox and imagine all of the fun things that could be in there. My mom sends lots of cards, which are always fun to get. If I am really lucky, there will be a scrapbooking magazine in there. After the kids are asleep I love to make myself some tea and sit down to read the latest scrapbooking magazine. Totally selfish Estee time. What could be better than that?
Flowers of any kind make me ridiculously happy. Every happy or sad moment in my life can be represented by flowers. Big bouquets of flowers that arrived to celebrate the birth of my three children. Tulips that Brad would send on Valentine’s Day when we were dating. Memorial Day trips with my mom to Schwarze’s to buy all of our annuals to plant in the flowerbeds. Tulips that Elizabeth and I would buy at the Muenstermarkt on sunny afternoons. Vases of flowers that would appear on my birthday. Wildflower bouquets that Nan and I would pick on our walks to Greeter Falls. Huge sprays of flowers at Pa’s funeral. Corsages for high school dances. I have a white pitcher that was given to me by Nan a few years ago. It sits on my kitchen table and it is always filled with fresh flowers. It is a constant reminder of happy days.
There are so many things that make me happy, it would take me all day to list them all. That’s my take. What’s yours? What makes you happy? Leave me a comment here about what makes you happy (and why!) and I will choose one winner who will win a $20.00 gift certificate to the Scrapbook.com Superstore! Scrapbook supplies make everyone happy. Have a great week everyone, I can’t wait to hear what you have to say!
24-Mar-2008 @ 1:18:59pm
what makes me happy is a warm summer days wash drying i like the smell and i love my lavendar bush! however the annoying neighbor malled them when he tore down his garage il love eating tomatos off the vine of coarse washed . i love the sound of traffic in the earlier morning i know strange !i love reading out on the front porch when ever i get something good in the mail usually bills tho! i love the smell of honeysuckle but not the bees that usuall hang around it . love finding ladybugs in the garden love the sound of my pond .love drippy ice cones the 10 napkin kind a big mess! love planning and packing for weekend getways and i love watching all the characters in the neighborhood they can be outrageous lol i just love life i suppose
karen
24-Mar-2008 @ 1:27:21pm
As I was reading your blog entry, I couldn't help but relate. I just got back from a weekend with my family who live hundreds of miles away. I've 7 months pregnant and not enjoying it at all, and being with them made me feel rejuvinated and that's what sparked me wanting to comment on your blog entry. The things that make me happy are....
Sonic Drive-In runs with my little sister. We tend to go late at night and car dance to bubble gum pop from our pre- teen years, getting strange looks from all those who pass by, but I love it anyway!
Shopping with my Dad. My dad is one of the few men who I know, that likes to shop. He always asks me if things are "stylish" or "hip" He isn't trying to look younger than his age, but he does want to be in style. I love that he always asks me for fashion advice, before anyone else.
A husband that calls to say he can't call. My husband travels around our area during the day for his job. Being 7 months pregnant, if I call him and he doesn't answer, I tend to over react. But this morning he called to tell me he would be in an area without service and would not be able to call my until lunch time. He knows me that well...I love that he called to say, he couldn't call.
Giving gifts. I love to surprise my family and friends with unexpected, no occasion, gifts or trinkets. When I flew out to see everyone, I had brought a gift for each person. Some home made, some store bought, but I LOVE the look on their faces when I tell them, "I have presents!"
My Grandparents. They are 82 and were high school sweet hearts. I love the example of love they are to me and my husband. They still hold hands when we go out to eat. They still dance together. They still tease each other. They still kiss. They still make silly faces at each other. In a world that is constantly torn apart by bad relationships, they restore my faith in good ones.
I have several other things that make me happy, a few of them were on your list. But this is my list for today.
24-Mar-2008 @ 1:45:08pm
Sometimes we need a friendly reminder of what makes us happy, don't we? I took this list right from my bio on my page here: Reading (especially HP); Sims 2; cheesy PC and/or PS2 games; biking; walking; salty snacks; wine; driving fast; holding hands with Curtis; living on the edge; cursing when nobody's around to hear me; veggie mei fun and fresh veggie spring rolls; my tattoos; comfy clothes; being on or near the water; my kitchen, even though I don't cook; sunsets; thunder storms; and leaving work knowing I finished everything I set out to do for the day.
24-Mar-2008 @ 1:47:21pm
What makes me happy...
A fresh cup of coffee on a cool and sunny morning.
A big goofy belly laugh from Brandon.
When Jordan comes up to me and for no reason tells me "I wub you Momma.
When all 3 kids take a nap at the same time. (Ok so that's never happened but it would REALLY make me happy.)
Spending time with my grandparents who mean the world to me, and make me feel so comfortable being me.
Waking up to another day of life! With another day to just be...
Great blog Estee! You always make me smile.
24-Mar-2008 @ 2:16:46pm
hhmm things that make me happy just being able to go outside and going to work i know sometimes i hate my work but you know we take things for granted.. i can get up and walk around and go driving to the park for my walks and seeing the squrrels playing while i am walking or the ducks swimming in 4 pole creek or just going for a drive in the country with the windows rolled down and smelling that fresh clean air.. or after i cut grass smelling fresh cut grass i know that sounds strange.. and freash cut grass playis like crazy on my allerigies but i`m ok with it lol.. but i do like to smell roses and i love to watch flowers grow..
24-Mar-2008 @ 2:36:29pm
I love having dinner with my entire family - parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, in-laws. The best meal in the world is one surrounded by all the people I love most. Whether it's a picnic, Christmas, a restaurant, whatever. It's always big and loud and fun. Even though we've grown so that we barely fit at grandma's table, we still manage to squeeze everybody in. Somehow, that just makes it even more fun. We are so lucky that all of our family members are still with us, and every meal together is even more special because you never know what the future brings. Time with my whole family, that makes me happier than anything.
24-Mar-2008 @ 5:37:57pm
Looking into the chubby-cheeked face of my 4-month-old grandson, who is the spitting image of his daddy who is in Iraq right now, makes me happy. It helps to heal the feeling of loss that keeps popping up as I worry so about my son. Sipping coffee on my front porch on a crisp, sunny morning makes me happy. Hearing my 2 1/2-year-old granddaughter singing her ABC's at the top of her lungs as she dances through the house makes me happy. Seeing all three of my sons huddled in front of the television or under the hood of a car or in the back yard playing football makes me happy, as it shows me they are all grown up but still close...I am close to none of my eight brothers and sisters, and I didn't want my sons to drift apart like we all did. Having a husband who understands that, with Dale in Iraq, sometimes the fear is overwhelming and I just need to cry, makes me happy. He doesn't act surprised that the tears are back, he doesn't try to tell me it'll be ok, he just holds me and lets me cry till there's nothing left...which is what I need to do at that moment...so I can pick up and move on. And spring makes me happy. I see no sign of it here as of yet, but I know I will soon. I look forward to the chatter of bluejays in the tree in my front yard. I look forward to hanging my freshly laundered sheets and blankets on the clothesline. I look forward to my maple trees sprouting leaves, and the fresh, clean way the air smells on a spring morning. These, to me, all signify a new beginning. To me, it's like it's God's way of reminding us that, no matter how cold and dreary our lives can seem from time to time, there is a clean, sunny, fresh new beginning ahead, we just have to wait for it.
24-Mar-2008 @ 7:23:25pm
I just loved reading through your list of things that make you happy, and I could also relate to several things you mentioned. As for me.... what makes me happy?? Lots of things, but I'll try not to get too carried away! LOL
1. I LOVE LOVE LOVE to hear little babies laugh & coo! I don't know what it is about those 2 sounds, but to just see those sweet little faces light up, and have them look you in the eye... just making that "connection" with you like you are the only 2 people in the world... It's just pure heaven to me!
2. Beautiful skies... whether it's a sunrise or a sunset. I'm always watching the skies for the clouds and colors. Being here in TX, the sky just seems so BIG... and when you get those perfect sunsets with strokes of pinks, blues & purples, it's like a huge painted canvas! And no 2 are ever alike! :)
3. This one is actually something from my childhood... But I still think about it, especially in the spring & summer times. I'm originally from NC, and anyone from the south knows what Kudzu is. It's a wild type of ivy, but it grows so fast, and competely covers anything & everything in its path. You'll see it all over trees and mountainsides... And it has this very specific scent, almost sweet like a honeysuckle. Couple that with the sounds of locusts in the heat of summer... The peacefulness of quiet, southern living... sitting on the porch swing, with nothing but the hot summer breeze in your hair, the smell of the kudzu & the locusts singing in the hot summer air... All of this brings back memories of home!
4. Snuggling up on the couch in my jammies, with a warm fuzzy blanket around me, a cup of hot chai tea [or cocoa!] to sip on, and watching my favorite movies!
5. Just being with my family. We don't have to be doing anything special... just being together, even if we're all doing different things. Or long comfortable silences while riding in the truck with my husband, especially when he reaches over and just holds my hand. Even after 20 years together, that small, single act still makes my heart skip a beat! :)
25-Mar-2008 @ 6:45:14am
My Happy List: my family, babies, The Office, Starbucks, Spring/Fall, The Kooks, my girlfriends, when I hear a laugh that makes me laugh, chocolate and peanut butter, the beach, when my boys are getting along :), clean laundry, tulips, bike riding, a walk through the woods, a clean house, a good workout, a fresh haircut/color, mani/pedicure, DisneyWorld, butterflies, new shoes, my backyard, cookouts, and of course scrapbooking and Scrapbook.com!!! I could probably go on and on but I don't want to bore anyone. Hope everyone has a Happy Week!!
25-Mar-2008 @ 7:03:22am
Things that make me happy..........hummmmmmm let me think..........WARMTH, I mean the nice cozy feeling of the sun reflecting off your skin and reaching the conckles of my insides. The smell off fresh cut grass, the NEW green of every tree as leaves unfurl and take shape. Crocus and lilys and cannas and daisys, tulips and roses and daffodils, thier scent freshening the air, robins bob bob bobbin around the yard searching for their meal. To lift up the window sashes and bring down the screens. Let fresh springtime breezes inside the house to refresh my now dormant winter cave. To know everything is renewed for yet another year.
My Family makes me happy in many different ways, many of which they are totally oblivious to. The way all our children are so close to one another. The way new additions seem to fit right in. Like when Hannah was born into the family, Bill's daughters and my sons and daughter all had a new sister. Which somehow made us all as one. My son's girlfriend Jill and new Grandson Aidan are already so intertwined.
Family gatherings are great. It amazes me how much there is to talk about when we're with each other everyday. Plenty of food to pick over, plenty of victims to pick on. lovingly of course. Playful laughter filling the house, screetches of joy as the youngest is chased by her big brothers. Aidan's faces of trying new foods for the first time. The ability for every baby I know to go backwards in thier walkers first before they get the concept to go forward.
The peace and serenity at night when everyone is in bed but me. The quite of the night is so surreal. I grab a good book, have a cup of tea and if the weather is good I'll read on the porch and soak in the air, the story of the book and sip away my tea. It's the ability to unwind at your own pace, in your own way, a cool down before you call it a day. Once in bed with eyes closed, I let my mind drift, let my ears hear the sounds of outside. A car going by, the train whistling through town from far away, a small plane sputtering by... and the sound of the wind blowing through the trees ever so gently.....
The point is, it's the simple life for me.... Much makes me happy, almost anything. If you look real hard you will find life very comical!! Live life to the fullest, count your blessings everyday... and smile smile smile !!!!
EsteeLynn I'm so happy to hear you and your family had a great Easter. Enjoy your Bradford Pear trees !!! God Bless.... Jojo
Jokerby Jojo NoonsScrapbook.com
Journaling reads, make life fun and have a ball! You'll enjoy it that much more!!
25-Mar-2008 @ 8:53:46am
Love your blogs Estee as usual you can bring a smile to my face!
Things that make me happy--laughter it truly is the best medicine and when kids laugh there is that total abandon they're not worried about what other's will think they just laugh heartily--cuddling, spooning, hugging, holding hands, kisses--flowers all kinds--being in, on or near water--reading--cooking and baking--having friends over or being at a friends house and just chatting or scrapping away--Spring's newness and color and Fall's harvest and color, snow when it hasn't been disturbed in any way--Tim reading to me--Music--Being outdoors--being creative. Ok so there are many many more but here are some of the little things that make me happy.
25-Mar-2008 @ 10:51:57am
there are a lot of things that give me joy, like fresh daisies on my table, cooking with my daughter, scrapping, receiving an unexpected gift...but the biggest thing right now that makes me HAPPY with CAPITAL LETTERS is the fact that my son is learning to talk...for a mom of a deaf 3 Year old child with developmental delays, this is HUGE for me..it show me that all of the therapists(5~ YUP 5- 3 speech, Occupational and physical) that touch this child and all the running back & forth to weekly hospital visits are not in vain! Each day brings another baby step forward in the right direction!
25-Mar-2008 @ 12:08:12pm
Every day when I come home from work my dog is waiting for me with his little snout mushed into the space under the door. When I open the back door there he is with his tail wagging so hard that it looks like his entire back end is wiggling from side to side. This is accompanied by hopping up and down, barking and running in circles around me. He is always so happy I'm home. Its a great way to be welcomed home.
26-Mar-2008 @ 7:24:23am
Spring is a good time to reflect on what makes a person happy because we are coming out of the winter slump and everyone is more chipper and cheerful! Some of the things that make me happy are:
1. My husband, of course! He is the most wonderful man!
2. My family. All of them special and very supportive.
3. Scrapping! I enjoy this hobby so much!
4. Flowers. So many shapes and colors and all beautiful.
5. Reading. I can lost in a story for hours. It's like my own little movie rolling through my head.
There's more I'm sure, but this is a good list. Hope you have a wonderful spring, full of happy days!
26-Mar-2008 @ 7:38:01am
Sometimes I love quiet, but mostly I LOVE my grandchildren’s laughter and chatter.
Sometimes I love the cold so I can snuggle under a blanket, but mostly I LOVE the sunshine and warmth of a day at the beach..
Sometimes I love that I can turn my cell phone off so no one can bother m,e but mostly I LOVE that I can call my husband on his cell phone anytime & he’s there for me.
Sometimes I love Black & White, but mostly I LOVE lots of colors that dazzle.
Sometimes I love to curl up with a book, but mostly I LOVE to run around in the park with my grandchildren.
Sometimes I love to have dinner delivered, but mostly I LOVE to make a big mess in the kitchen with Joey & Ryann.
Sometimes I love having a day off work, but mostly I LOVE earning a paycheck I can spend on scrapbooking supplies.
I guess really, if I look at the world with my heart wide open…there’s something to love about almost everything!!
(And there you have it – the world through the eyes of an incurable optimist!)
26-Mar-2008 @ 8:23:33pm
Great blog, Estee.
What makes me happy...spending the day with my mom or my sis. Even better with my mom AND my sis:) Watching my kids be nice to each other (doesn't happen too often). Driving in the car with the windows rolled down, the radio on and singing along... Talking to Mikey on the phone (except when he hangs up on me:)...Happy Scrappy Mail:)...a clean and clean smelling house...
26-Mar-2008 @ 11:18:17pm
What makes me happy is when I spend time with my family laughing and reminiscing, when my husband does something sweet or tells me he loves me, getting mail that's not bills or credit card applications, when I get to sleep in, when I get to spend an hour or so on sb.com, when dh surprises me by making dinner, when my students say something sweet or go through a whole day without getting in trouble, and when my hubby takes me somewhere special.
27-Mar-2008 @ 1:34:59pm
What makes me happy now are my new babies. They way they laugh, the way they smell, how big they're getting already. Even though they're not my biological babies, I couldn't imagine loving two little people more.
Joe makes me happy. Even when we're fighting and angry, he still makes me happy. A hug, a smile, a random card or flowers. He is the perfect husband and we mesh so well and I am so lucky to be married to him.
Daisies make me happy. I love flowers, but I love daisies the most. When we were in Africa, I got lots of beautiful pictures of wild African daisies - aside from getting the babies, this was the highlight of my trip.
Rain makes me happy. We don't see it alot in Phoenix, but when it's here, it's absolutely beautiful to me. The smell in the air, the way the rain hits different spots on the ground, the way it tastes when you stick your tongue out to catch a few drops. :)
Scrapping makes me happy. It's my creative outlet, I get to try new things and be arty. :)
28-Mar-2008 @ 6:23:32pm
My husband makes me happy. I won't say that I can't be happy without him, but every moment I get to actually spend with him (and those moments are rare) I'm happy. Right now I work while going to school finishing up my senior year, he works full-time and we have different days off. So I don't get to spend much time with him, but when we're together I'm happy. He makes me happy when he comes in and talks to me while I'm scrapbooking and gives me ideas that are way better than I could have come up with.
Quick story about why he makes me so happy... I'm stressed out a lot because of the heavy requirements of my last semester of college and my job, and sometimes I get upset and when I'm upset he'll say to me: "Smile, now frown, now smile..." and by the third or fourth time I can hardly keep from smiling... So... my husband makes me happy.
30-Mar-2008 @ 6:07:25am
We are having one heck of a stresssssful weekend, so remembering what makes me happy is an awesome idea.
My happy list:
Seeing the sun come through the picture window in the morning.
Sleeping with the window open and hearing the peepers all night.
A clean house (oh gosh - this hardly ever happens).
Watching my boys play baseball.
A package at my doorstep.
Happy teenagers make me ecstatic.
Flower nurseries in spring.
ahhhh - thanks for letting me visualize that . . . now, back to the stress - acccccckkkk!
30-Mar-2008 @ 1:31:31pm
I always love reading your stories. You are such a wonderful mother. ((hugs))
31-Mar-2008 @ 2:06:00am
Yay!! I thoroughly enjoyed reading all of your comments this week. Every time I logged in, it brought an instant smile to my face. It was so nice to see all of the happy comments!! Our winner for this week is Holly Humbert! Congratulations! PM me with your email address and I will get the gift certificate to you!! My new blog is up for this week and I am giving away some yummy Basic Grey rub-ons. Come check it out! :)
31-Mar-2008 @ 7:09:32am
My happy list:
Spring flowers; pansies,roses/rosebuds, snapdragons, hydrangeas, sweet peas... many more
photography
reading
walking
swimming
relaxing with friends
sweet, playful puppies and dogs
drooling over new houses being built... I know...weird
sitting by a mountain stream
barbequing
seafood
cheesecake
parents & God... shouldn't I have put that first???
movies: comedy, action, drama, romance of course
candles
great cologne :oD
conversation with a sweet man, calling a man sweet... hope that's okay... isn't that like calling a man "pretty"?
scrapbooking with the gals
being creative
laughter, I sometimes have a warped sense of humor
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