nine things that make me smile

No, this isn't a post about the "fake, fleeting, instant -gratification" type of feeling that some get from the accumulation of things that our society has been so obsessed with and calls "happiness."  Nope. This is about a few of the little things I've really been noticing lately that puts a little bounce in my step and makes my mood a little brighter (in no particular order).
1) creating something from scratch.  Theres something so amazing about failing a few times at making something (past examples for me: baking bread that doesn't rise, planting herbs that sprout and then proceed to die) and then finally succeeding.  This past week I've noticed my pretty little herb "patch" pushing out more and more happy sprouts every day and after weeks of trying, I finally baked a perfect loaf of bread from scratch (it's all in the yeast baby).  Success!!

(the herb "garden" when the first sprouts peeked out from the soil)

(The herb "garden" now - note: the marigold I planted as a seedling after the fact.  It's not a mutant that grows really fast or anything .)

(after 4 failed attempts, my home made bread has perfectly risen and baked.  And its tasty!)

2) a little wag of the tail.  You forget how much you actually looked forward to seeing that little greeting of unconditional love until it takes a temporary leave of absence.  We finally were able to visit our Bear-rito (my latest term of endearment for our little fur-covered piranha) this past weekend at retriever school.  He is HUGE and is such a ball of energy - I couldn't even snap a decent picture of him.  But just seeing his happy little tail wagging and his perky "too big for his head" ears reminded me of just how wonderful it is to be loved by a little furball.  He comes home tomorrow and we are really excited to have our buddy back.

(our handsome boy at 14 weeks the day we dropped him off at bootcamp - he's so much bigger now...)

3) The silly grin on my hubby's face.  Case in point: him grilling on our new grill.  LOVE

4) Sunny, 70 degree weather with a slight breeze.  It's heaven.  I think I need to take a mental snapshot of how lovely this time of the year is before it becomes painfully hot and humid in a few months.

5) The company of wonderful, easy-going and non-drama oriented friends.  For some people, you get to a point in your life when you're done with impressing other people and are just able to live your life the way that is right for you and your family.  The people that you find yourself most grateful to be associated with are those that accept you for who you are and truly enjoy your company.  There's no "Keeping up with the Jones's" or competiton for the biggest house or the nicest "stuff."  Its just about being together and loving each other's company.  That pool of friends becomes narrower as you get older, yet you find that those who remain are the most tried, true and loving.  There's so many stressful things to worry about in this crazy world to begin with that the older you get, the less you find yourself wanting to be around people who create additional drama, stress and competition - you want to be surrounded by people who love and accept.  Being able to sit down at a dinner table with wonderful, loving friends and talk about "nothing" and "everything" is truly a glorious thing.

6) The Spring Blooms - The Camellias and the Japanese Magnolias are out in full force in these parts and it really is breathtaking.

(photo court. of http://www.nola.com/)

7) that first morning cup of coffee.  Inexplicable (it's especially wonderful when your hubby brings it to you, unsolicited, while you're still in bed).  Note: if you haven't tried French Market Coffee, then you're missing out.

(photo court of http://www.frenchmarketcoffee.com/)

8) a clean house.  My mom always says "A messy bed equals a messy head."  I believe that mantra doesn't just apply to the bedroom, but to the entire house.  Its creates a sense of calm that I can't explain and just love. Its even more true when you work at home.  Kate from elefantitas alegres captured the honest side of the whole aspect of "home as your office" perfectly and how order is incredibly important to some of us for a stress-free environment.

9) our resident wildlife.  Yes, we live by the zoo, so when the wind blows and we have our windows open you can hear the giraffes, the howler monkeys, etc.  However, we also have some non-zoo residents as our next door neighbors.  In the palm tree next door live a whole family of little wild parakeets that just sing and chirp all day long.  It's especially adorable when they line up in pairs perched on the powerline infront of our house.

So I challenge you, with all of the sour, depressing news that we hear every day, try to find something super small and usually unnoticable to make you smile.  It's truly is worth it and makes all of your worries seem a tad bit more insignificant for a portion of your day