Gimme an "O"

I love memes. They are my salvation on days like today. Or most days really. Because I always struggle to find a blog topic. I am not like my daughter. Who can be inspired by anything. Including a walk to the mailbox.

And then last week, I found a great one over at Aubrey's blog. She made a list of ten of her favorite things. But there was a twist. She was assigned the letter "I" for her list. And I was so impressed that she came up with 10 "I" words. But my favorite - ice from Sonic. Oh how I love my Sonic pellet ice. Why can't my Frigidaire make pellet ice?

Anyway...I told Audrey to sign me up. And send me a letter. So, what did she send me? The letter "O."

1. Uh-oh. What does it mean when my first thoughts are firmly entrenched in the gutter. Because there is the BIG O! and ORGAN and ORAL and OBSCENE. And if we are here. Why not add ORGY to the list. Do you think that Julie Andrews will sing a song about my favorite "O" things?

Well, once one's mind is there. It's hard to progress. Because I cannot think of other O words. That could possibly be construed as favorites. I brainstormed. And came up with nothing. Unless you want to count: Outer Mongolia. As opposed to Inner Mongolia. Opium. Opiates. Operation. Opossum. Oprah. Followed quickly by Offensive. Oh...this is not going well.

There is old. Oysters. Ointment. Oil. Obituary. Ogre. Owls. Well. Those might be one of my favorites. Since they eat the evil squirrels in my yard. But the owls have flown away. And I am overrun with squirrels. So. No owls on my favorites list.

What about ogres? Oatmeal. Obscure. Oars. Onions. Obtuse. Ostentatious. Octopus. Octogon.

Okay...I think I have uncluttered my mind. And I might be able to get on track now.

2. ORVILLE Redenbaker microwave popcorn. Yum. Such a good snack. Especially for me. With my love of salt. And crunch. What would we do without Orville. Or the microwave.

3. And now that we have had our snack of popcorn. We really need to balance out that salt with some sugar. And OREOS are just the ticket. One of the simplest of cookies. But oh, so delish. And then at Christmas time. You can find the chocolate covered variety in the stores. And I am still kicking myself for not getting the OREOS of doom at the county fair.

4. How about something healthy? I love ORANGES. Especially clementines. I love ORANGE hard candy. ORANGE life savers. ORANGE starburst. ORANGE and citrus scents. But ORANGE circus peanuts. No thanks. I'll be sure to pass all of those along to Jennifer P. Who thinks that they are a great breakfast food item.

5. And speaking of food. I love to cook. And to use my OVEN. What I'd really love. Is a double oven. Or having Clive OWEN help me in the kitchen. Yeah. That would work, too.

6. Oh. And there is the OCEAN. I love the clear water of the Caribbean. Snorkeling. Swimming. Or the OCEAN at St. George Island. The crash of the waves. The scent of salt in the air. And the sand between my toes. It makes me feel all peaceful. Calm. And happy inside.

7. And while we are at the beach. We could read some books. And one of my favorite series is OUTLANDER by Diana Gabaldon. It was recommended to me by someone in my book club. And it was my first foray into the kingdom of smutty books.

8. And after we have had enough sun. And we venture inside. Let's put in one of my very favorite movies. "O Brother, Where art Thou?" This is a brilliant Coen brothers comedy. And I love homage to Homer's "Odyssey." Love the sepia tones of it. The names. The actors. And then really. What's not to love about George Clooney?

9. And this list would not be complete without mentioning my OFFSPRING. My whirly-girlies. Who make me laugh. Make me proud. And make me want to pull all my hair out.

10. And then. There is you. All of my ONLINE friends. Who I have loved meeting in "real" life. And I can't wait to meet more of you. Ya'll are my sanity. And my OUTLET.

So...what about you? Are you a fan of pellet ice? What are your favorite things that start with "O?" Do you wanna play too? If so, just let me know, and I'll give you a letter!

Have you entered the weekly winners contest yet? You can win a favicon and some Mommy "bidness" cards.

Theme song: Finger Eleven - ONE thing. And if you hang out for a while. You can also hear REM's ORANGE crush; U2's ONE; Bare Naked Ladies' ONE Week; and some songs from the O Brother soundtrack.

Favorite Things and Swap Update

I saw this yesterday on Heather's blog - and thought it just goes so nicely with my swap update! So, here are 11 of my favorite things:

1. Clothes shop: For me - Avenue. For everyone else - Target

2. Furniture shop: Haverty's

3. Sweets: yes, please. Peanut m&ms

4. City: all the ones I have never been to. I have a huge travel bug.

5. Drink: Coke Zero. I love that you can get this at fast food places now. I much prefer my soda from a fountain than from the can. And it needs to be over a huge amount of ice. Pellet ice if I can find it.

6. Music: I don't think I can pick just one group. And it must change on a daily basis. But, today, I think it's Coldplay

7. TV series: LOST (118 days and counting...) and Weeds

8. Film: Thank you for Smoking. Have ya'll seen this yet? Put it in your netflix queue.

9. Workout: Water aerobics with the seniors three times a week. They are all so good. I straggle. And get lapped. Repeatedly

10. Pastries: Cinnamon rolls. Yum.

11. Coffee: Yuck. I'll take my caffeine drip in the form of Coke Zero. Or tea. Love the smell of coffee. But drink it? No thanks.

Last month I hosted my first swap - a My favorite things Swap. Where you gave your own favorite things to your partner. I had 43 people participate. And I micromanaged them down to the last detail! Packages were sent out this week - and I was lucky enough to my package last Friday. Jill from Scary Mommy sent me her favorite things:I think they are also my kitty Ella's favorite things. Look at how pretty everything looks in the box! And then...I got to unwrap...which is one of my favorite things to do...and look at what Jill sent me -- a cool book that I cannot wait to read. And one that will make me crave cupcakes.Embroidered kitchen towels --

or wait...is it a kitty bed? Nothing is sacred when you have a cat. Or two. A pretty silver spoon.And if you are doing Jill's contest - I think I already won! Thanks so much Jill. Your favorite things are now my favorite things. And Ella's favorite things.

I got my package all ready to send to my own swap partner - Brandy. One of the things Brandy said she did NOT want to recieve was a live animal. That's too bad. Because I had a volunteer. Or two.Here is a sneak peek

And then today, I got a surprise in the mail! One of the reasons why I hosted (and micromanaged) was because I signed up for a swap in May. And got stiffed. It was a pink, girly swap. And I sent out a package. But got nothing in return. Rhea decided to be my fairy blog mother and get me some pink.

I love the pink kitchen tools! Well...I love it all! Thanks so much for all my goodies. And for all who participated in the swap. I hope you had fun. And I already have the next one in mind!

So...what about you? What are some of your favorite things?

Theme song - a Coldplay collection. Because it's my favorite. Today.

Swap time: My favorite things

One of my favorite things is to give things away. I have had so much fun with the contests that I have done. And who doesn't love to get things in the mail? Well...beside bills and junk. I think it's time to combine those two things (no, not the bills and the junk - the giving things away and getting things in the mail) and invite you all to share in the joy with my first ever swap!

What is a swap? All it means is that you are signing up to exchange themed goodies with a partner. Sort of like secret pals. Here are the guidelines:

1. Sign up here in the comment section by September 23. When you sign up, I will send you a set of questions to help out your partner. Names will be exchanged and you will receive your partner's info by September 26. Go shopping. Make something. Whatever. And ship out by October 6.

2. The theme of our swap is "Favorite Things." Meaning, you will be sending your favorite things to your partner. BUT one of the questions on the questionnaire will be about things you would not like to receive. If one your favorite thing is scented candles, and your partner is allergic - move onto another item. This should be FUN - and what a great way to learn about someone else - or possibly find your new favorite thing.

3. Feel free to take the badge above or even to post about the swap on your blog.

4. Please spend a minimum of $25 on your partner and if you want to do more, feel free. This cost does not include shipping.

5. Please let me know if you would be willing to ship internationally.

6. Email me when you mail your package and receive your partner’s package. No flaking out!

7. HAVE FUN!!!!

And many thanks to Rhea for the theme suggestion.

theme song: Julie Andrews - My favorite things

My favorite things: Brighton

I have never been much of a jewelry person. Most of the time I would forget to wear anything except a watch. Because without a watch, I am nekkid. But the jewelry that I used to wear was gold. Gold watch. Gold earrings. Gold necklace. Gold band for my wedding ring. When I remembered to put these things on.

And then one day, it all changed. I won a prize. When I was a Creative Memories consultant…I sold a bazillion dollars worth of supplies…and earned this Brighton necklace.

Isn’t it pretty? But what was I supposed to do? I don’t have a watch to match that. Or earrings. Not a thing to match. So…I went shopping.

My first buy was some simple silver hoops. No big deal. But then, I needed a watch. It would look strange to have this pretty silver necklace, silver hoops, and then a gold watch. So…I thought maybe I’d go and check out the Brighton jewelry to see if there was a piece that might go with my new necklace. And this is what I got:

And because I’ve already confessed that I don’t do things by halves…here are some of my other finds…and favorites:

And not only is the jewelry cute, but so are the sunglasses, wallets, and key chains. Don't let your children wear your sunglasses. Someone children feel compelled to drag the lenses across the cement floor of the playground pavillion. Just some. Not all. Maybe it's just the ones that live at my house. Please ignore the crumbs on my tablecloth. And the bursting at the seams wallet. If only that was filled with cash instead of receipts. I need to remember to destroy that evidence.

And then…I branched out into purses:

I’ve become like a magpie with this stuff. It’s shiny. And it makes me happy. However, my husband is still trying to understand how one free necklace can cost this much.

My Favorite things: Crocs

Crocs. You either love ‘em or hate ‘em. One thing you cannot do is ignore them. They stick out like a sore thumb. They have been voted the “ugliest shoes.” They are called a fashion don’t. And some even suggest that you are not actually supposed to wear them in public.

But, they are the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn. I have challenging feet. Finding shoes that fit is somewhat impossible. I have a wide foot. A very high arch. And narrow heels. Impossible. But then, a few years ago, I found crocs. The ugliest shoes on the planet. But they actually fit my Fred Flintstone feet. AND they were comfortable. So comfortable that they make the pain from my heel spurs bearable to non-existent. There is no way that I could have walked for 10 days around Disney World without my ugly crocs.

I actually do wear them in public. Because they are pretty much all I wear. All year. I wear them on errands. To the pool. Exercising. On vacations. And even to church. My kids wear them all the time. To school. In the creek. And they even wear “dressy” black Croc Mary Janes to church.
I love that they don’t smell. I love that if they get dirty, I can just throw them in the dishwasher. I love that they are so comfortable. So comfortable that I don’t care if I am the poster child for this fashion don’t.

But at least, I don’t wear mine with socks.

My favorite things: Bath and Body Works soaps

Raindrops on whiskers…petals on kittens…kettles filled with mittens are just a few of Julie Andrew’s favorite things. Or something like that. Whatever. And then, of course, Oprah has her favorite things. That seem to change each year. Depending on who is willing to give them to her. I suppose if people sent me lots of packages (tied up with string), the contents might be my favorite thing, too.

With no promises from the company to pad my bank account…or even a thank you gift card in the mail…let me tell you about one of my favorite things: Bath and Body works hand soap. Now, I must preface with a disclaimer. I am very sensitive to smells. Perfumes make me ill. I can’t even walk by the entrance to the Yankee Candle store at the mall. So…I never ventured into Bath and Body works. Until I was at a friends house and used this soap:
It’s what started it all. Their soaps smell so good. But they aren’t perfumey. Hey…I made up a new word. They have great, non chemical smells like: vanilla, lime, peach, fig, and this one is my favorites: grapefruit Aren’t they pretty?

Naturally the girls are big fans. And they think that getting soap is a fabulous Christmas gift. Bath and Body Works even makes “seasonal” soaps. We have gotten their “Frosting forever” – makes you smell like a cake – “Iced Tea” – that is one of my favorites – and another favorite is “Chocolate Mint” which I managed to track down a huge supply of after Christmas.

These soaps compel my children to be extra clean. They are always looking for an excuse to wash their hands. I had a friend tell me that the she wanted to eat the soaps with a spoon. They smell that good. But don’t.