Things I Love Thursday

• Hearing that my friends are expecting babies! One "cat" is out of the bag... if you've been paying attention you would know that Dave and Amy Pearson are expecting. Well, guess what? Take a close look at the photo below... Yep. It's twins!!! I love it! Another great friend of mine is also expecting... but that cat hasn't escaped yet--so that's all I'll say! 

• Geneva's blossoming enjoyment of cuddling and snuggling (or snoogling, as we call it in the Jones Household).
• The Oregonian's (our local newspaper) FOODday section that comes out once a week on Tuesdays. The link is to the online version (obviously) which is not nearly as good as the printed--but you'll catch the drift. I typically cutout at least 1-2 recipes per issue and I make at least 1-2 recipes per month.
• This valentine that Geneva made me. She said, "I want to make you a valentine Mom. What do you love?" I said, "My family." While my ears are a little big, I feel good about how thin I look (I hope your giggling at that comment!).

• Having coffee with my neighbors on Monday mornings.
• Mums--the only flower I should ever buy because they stay looking good so long. I am famous for leaving dead flowers in vases around my house.

• I took this picture of a picture of Greg and I that was taken circa 1999 (that's a convoluted sentence for you). Here's what I love about it: 1) the way I'm looking at him--like I know he's the one; 2) the memories attached of the beautiful place we spent the weekend; 3) his sense of humor and the fact that he's wearing a safety vest; 4) that after all this time has passed it's not the safety vest that's so funny--it's the fact that I am wearing overalls.

• How much Avery loves being tickled--it's a hands over her head, huge smile, giggling "Again! Again!" then back arching, hysterical bursts of laughter, kind of love.
• Throwing a few rinsed and dried chicken breasts (boneless, skinless--touch of salt and pepper) in the crock pot and letting it cook 8-10 hours on low setting. Then shredding the chicken for a few dinners during the week: chicken tacos, chicken salad, lemon-chicken pasta, quesadillas. Seriously easy. I've made lots of things in my crock pot, but until my neighbor Miffy suggested this, it had never occurred to me to just do plain chicken to "dress-up" later.
• Reading Geneva's valentines:

• Having a touch of sunshine this week. Oh, and Avery shouting "The SUN!" when she sees it bright outside.
• Our zoo. More specifically, the fact that Geneva loves her zoo key and making the machines "talk to her" whenever she passes one. I remember loving this aspect of the zoo myself when my Dad used to take us to the San Francisco zoo nearly every-other weekend.

• Hearing Geneva shout, "Mt. Hood is out today!" when the sky is clear enough for her to see it. Or having her declare, "I don't see our mountain today" when the weather is hiding it from us.

• Taking the girls to the West Linn Public Library to check out books (and music). I didn't have my camera with me--but next time I will! Here's a picture of the outside I found online. I could not believe it took us this long to really explore it; I was definitely impressed. It's such an elegant space--like art gallery elegant. Very modern, but cozy too. The entire backside is made up of windows that look onto a small wooded area with outdoor patio space. The children's section is on the lower level and it's comfortable and relaxing with books, toys, stuffed animals, and lot's of small furniture for little bodies. We all loved it!