Things I Love Thursday

• Finally getting my "Etsy Shop" up and running! Yea for me for figuring it out. Lookie -------->
• Volume. As soon as I drop the girls off at school I TURN UP my music! I know all you people out there who regularly have the car all to yourself (Been takin' it for granted, haven't you?) are probably wondering: Huh?... But yea, ask a SAHM (stay-at-home-mom) in your life how often she gets to really rock out... I'm guessing: not often. However, for me now... 3 mornings a week! Yippy!
• The CW's new show The Vampire Diaries. I should probably be embarrassed about this, but I'm not. Really, now that my "Cougar-ness" has been established, there's no denying that these boys are pretty easy to look at for an hour once-a-week. Also, the show is legitimately scary and so far very entertaining.

• The reaction I got from my husband when I regrettably had to inform him of my second speeding ticket in 6 weeks: "Dude. I'm sorry. That must have made for a terrible way to start your day." (Admittedly, this is only a small snippet of a larger discussion... However, what a guy!) {Negative comments regarding my driving will be deleted.}
• The wine tasting trip we had on Sunday with our neighborhood friends. The weather was perfection, the company was fun, and the wine was really good. Honest. While typically, I don't like the horse-blankety taste of Pinot Noir, I thought several of the wines we tried were way better than "drinkable" (not horsey at all). Those of you who know me, know that I will drink just about anything that was once crushed by feet--but in this case, I very much enjoyed my gulps--I mean, sips. {hiccup}

(Amy, Michele, Me, Gretchen)

• Fall. It's finally arriving here in Oregon and I love it. I love sweaters, boots, that electrical/ozone smell that fills the house after I turn the heater on for the first time (well, I don't really love that so much... but I do love the thought of using the heater... that is, until the bill arrives) chilly mornings, rain boots on little people (my kids--not dwarfs) red wine by the fire after the kids have gone to bed {bow chicka bow wow}... Anyhoo, I very much love having seasons here in Oregon!
• The fact that the iPhone application thing has not lost it's luster around here:

• When Geneva recently told me, "You're a really good chef mom." The girl is a big fan of The Food Network too--so she knows what she's talking about! Pay no mind to the fact that I feed her only corndogs and frozen waffles.
• Rolling off the previous point, I do love the new way I've been putting our home-grown tomatoes to use: Caprese salad. So simple; so delicious.

• Mary Doria Russell's Children of God, the sequel to The Sparrow, which I mentioned last time (do read it!). I'm about halfway through and it's taking real discipline to get anything else done around here {You're welcome-very-much for this blog post!}.
• To hear Piper say, "m'lady." As in, "Here's your tea, m'lady" while gesturing that she is handing me an (invisible) cup of hot steeped beverage. I have no idea where she picked this up, but I think it's kind of awesome.
• Playing "Hairdo" with the girls. (Now that I can get them to just brush straight down.) I've always loved having my hair brushed; now I'm thinking of having a few more kids so that I can run them in "brushing loops" around the clock without worry of carpal tunnel.

• Kickboxing--Japanese style! As some of you know, kickboxing has become my new fitness addiction (I am aware how truly NOT TAMMY that last phrase might sound to many of you). Anyhoo, the kickboxing that I do is by "Body Training Systems." My gym purchases these workouts and they're fantastic {really}. BTS has recently brought both Kick and Power (a group weightlifting class) to Japan. Well, Japan has embraced group kick. There are groups of people who take the class in the traditional format and then do it "club style" in nightclubs for fun. I think it's hysterical... but maybe it's one of those "had to be there" situations? You decide. I especially love the girl wearing the French Maid's outfit in the front row! Click here.
• Spontaneous visits from Uncle Rusty. Always a party!