In After Years When You Recall.....

February is a busy month....

It has Valentine's Day .....

Our Anniversary.....

My Mother's Birthday....

and is a time to look forward to Spring and Chocolate....

So today we spent preparing and celebrating February....

We decorated.......

We baked Heart Cakes....

We decorated them with OOOOODLEs of cinnamon hearts....conversation hearts and of course M&M's

We enjoyed an unexpected day at home together.....

Think of Me

In after years when you recall;

The days of pleasure past;

And think of joyous hours;

and all have flown away so fast;

When some forgotten air you hear;

brings back past scenes to thee;

And gently claims your listening ear;

Keep one kind thought for me.

 Valentine Poem circa 1910

Sunshine after Rain

Last night it rained....

not just a nice umbrella ...rain drops are falling on my head type rain...

Hard driving rain, with wind, thunder, lightning...a house creaking

batten down the hatches type rain.....

I curled up in my room by the fire with my new book and enjoyed the sounds

I relish in weather....when I can listen to it from the comforts of hearth and home..

and last night the weather had matched by mood...

dark, cloudy, stormy...

This morning schools were delayed, creeks and rivers overflowed and the destruction of the storm was evident everywhere you looked......

BUT the sun was glorious, the air was fresh and crisp

and the earth begins anew.....

as have I

IRISH BLESSING

'May you always have walls for the winds,

a roof for the rain,

tea beside the fire,

laughter to cheer you,

those you love near you

and all your heart might desire'

A Few of My Favorite Things

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens

Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens

Brown paper packages tied up with strings

These are a few of my favorite things

AHHH...favorite things....just thought I would share some of MY favorite things this year.....I am not talking about the non tangibles.....cuddly puppies, time with family, newborn babies and raindrops on roses....I will leave that for another post....right now I am just talking about things that I thought were pretty cool.....

-My first favorite thing this year was my new Tobi Steamer....no more ironing for me...saved me a ton on dry cleaning and I LOVE to steam....when I watch TV...so easy to do and everything comes out beautifully...probably comes from a retail job I had in high school where we had to steam everything with a commercial steamer as we received shipments...this steamer is inexpensive and FABULOUS....http://www.tobisteamer.com/ I got mine at Costco....

-Speaking of Costco I can not have a list of favorite things without listing Costco...I love everything about that store....I love their croissants, their $100 chickens, tires, gas.....if Costco doesn't sell it ...you don't need it!!http://www.costco.com/

Check out this blog devoted to the love of Costco...I thought it was fabulous and will be following http://addictedtocostco.com/2008/09/12/raise-your-hand-or-blog-if-you-love-costco/ She has a picture of a Sherpa throw that I bought at Costco and LOVE...of course went back to get another one...and OUT...one thing about Costco you gotta jump on it when you see it!!

-Another of my favorite things....Taste of Home Cookbooks...the one and only cookbook you would ever need...I have every year now going back to 1999....incredible recipes...easy and delicious http://www.tasteofhome.com/

-See's candy....oh I miss them so.....thankfully received a box from some family in California...if you are out west I strongly recommend stopping in for a sample!!! http://www.sees.com/ (Chocolates and Variety are my favorite...wink wink nudge nudge ;) )

-Auto start on my new car....never had it before..never missed it.....however, in this cold snap it has become one of my MOST favorite things!!!

- The Singing Machine Karaoke....we have had such fun with this http://shop.singingmachine.com/IW_Products.m4p.pvx?;ITEM?company=SMC&ItemCode=ISM1010

-Hounds tooth...for the second year in a row....I am loving me some hounds tooth.....gloves, scarves, jackets....

- Charlotte Half Off....for those in the Charlotte area...this is a must DO...some great 1/2 restaurants, spas, beauty....in this economy this is WONDERFUL !!http://charlottehalfoff.mediawebconnect.com/

- Rocky River Coffee....my FAVORITE coffee shop.....(when I am not in Canada and can't have my Timmie's) http://www.rockyrivercoffee.com/ Sorry folks....I just can't stomach Starbucks...and I like this guy's motto....Friends Don't Let Friends Drink Corporate Coffee.....also he has REAL NY bagels ......he has the dough shipped in frozen and thaws and bakes them on the premises.....SOOOO good....owner is a genuine nice guy as well ....

- Loaded Questions...got this board game for the kids for Christmas and I haven't laughed so hard in a LONG time...great for kids or adults...just a FUN game....http://www.loadedquestions.com/loadedquestions.html

_ Charms Blow Pops....cause first it is candy...then it is gum.....it is the PERFECT treat!! :) http://www.tootsie.com/products.php?pid=119

So remember...

When the dog bites

When the bee stings

When I'm feeling sad

I simply remember my favorite things

And then I don't feel so bad ;)