A few of my favorite things…
October 24, 2011 | My Jottings
The love of Jesus, made real in my everyday life. My husband’s love and faithfulness. My three beautiful daughters. My seven stellar grandchildren. Peanut butter and chocolate ice cream by Baskin-Robbins. Hydrangeas. Studying the Bible with friends. Miniature German Schnauzers. Slightly undercooked, very cheesy pepperoni pizza. Scarlet maple trees in the fall. Deep conversations with transparent women. Learning new useless trivia. Old, majestic hymns. Reading in a comfortable chair. The Gunflint Trail. Cobb salads. Making lists. Hearing about other peoples’ lists. Michael’s kind eyes. C.S. Lewis books. 
The Sound of Music. Original Nancy Drew books with the words “roadster,” “titian” and “chums.” Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Miniatures. Hammond B-3 organ music. Scotland, especially the Highlands. The movie One True Thing. Sharon’s humor. Van Morrison music. Deep greens and blues. Toile. British television series. Peanuts eaten right from the shell. Carolyn’s voice. The Alpine Slide in Lutsen. A timely raised eyebrow. What Not To Wear. Sara’s massages. Road trips. Calligraphy. Swimming. Hand-fed cockatiels. Chris’s daddying. Anne of Green Gables – books, movies, soundtrack. Alaskan cruises. Community Bible Study. The Hawk and the Dove by Penelope Wilcock. Crackling fires in stone fireplaces. Tim Hawkins. Homemade Spicy Molasses Cookies at Christmas. Finding God’s purposes in hard times. Hope. Shopping online and staying completely out of stores. Jeremy’s daddying. The memory of my parents’ love for me. All Creatures Great and Small. Clean sheets. My home-concocted Cappuccino Coolers. Cardinals, real and other. Children’s books. Long-lasting friendships. An uncluttered desk. A hand-written letter. Forgiveness. Birkenstocks. Driving a stick-shift. Walks in the woods or near the water. Swiss Muesli. Estee Lauder’s “Beautiful.” Morro Bay fog. Simple jewelry. The Mitford Series. SmartWool socks. Clara’s love. The SAGs. Old hubcaps. Virginia’s Peanut Butter and Chocolate Frosting. Blue and white cups and mugs. In-n-Out cheeseburgers. Fast roller coasters. Candlelight. Bob Bennett music. New friends. Planning trips. Hot baths. Remaking songs into goofy ones. Sleeping past 7:00 a.m. A good, smooth pen. Cullen’s laugh. Mercy. Honeycrisp apples. Making words from license plate letters. Canoeing. Watching Carolyn in a play. Fridays. Medium rare steak. Home births. Innocence. Happy tears. Elijah’s trusting gaze. Labrador Retrievers. Thankfulness. The Lord of the Rings. Smooth flights and safe landings. Scrapbooks. Being home during a snowstorm. Long-enough jeans. Eleanor’s luminescence. Scrabble. Giving. Sharon’s yarn. Words. Organized drawers. Church. Divine Design with Candice Olson. Reconciling and balancing to the penny. Bavaria. The Timber Twister. Mexican food. Vivienne’s vivaciousness. Healing. Michael’s soothing touch. Finding something previously lost. Libraries. Fidelity, no matter what the cost. I Love Lucy. Spectator pumps. The Christmas carol “O Holy Night.” Eustace Scrubb’s undragoning. Margaret’s walk. The prayers of a friend. Memories of being proud of Dad’s coaching and Mom’s organ playing. Soup simmering on a cold day. The faith of a child. Sara’s floral creations. Kindness. Audrey’s grin. Picking out new postage stamps. A friend’s confidence. E-mail. Book club discussions. Playing Words With Friends with friends. Delft. Orange-ginger hand soap. Salvation.
What are a few of your favorite things? (reprinted from the archives, with previous comments and new ones…..)
Mozart, “Old Yeller”, fields of flowers, moss, climbing trees, swimming on my back on a calm warm day, Pepperita truffles at Hepzibah’s, The Psalms, antique rings, ahi tuna prepared just right, memories of my childhood, Myrtle Mae and any Black Lab doggy, rainy days, the first snowfall, making snowmen and snow angels, building a sandcastle, making something quite ordinary extraordinary, terra cotta pots, the smell of dirt, Chanel CoCo Mademoiselle, French music, European architecture, stucco, the sound of water, ginger, hot tea on a cold day, hot baths, immaculate houses, color coordinated closets, properly folded towels, attention to detail, being right, Cat Stevens, Disney soundtracks, being silly, dancing by myself, wearing sweat pants and no makeup, gardens, topiaries, cedar, my nieces and nephews, mom’s listening ear and sound advice, dad’s strong hands and gentleness, Sharon’s ability to teach and be patient, Carolyn’s humor and wit, Buffy and Daphne’s openness and genuine kindness, Grandma Sooter’s voice, the way Grandpa Doc said “warsh the clothes”, Grandma Dorothy, Grandma Bernie’s people skills, memories of Grandpa George napping on the couch and me giving him a number of kisses wearing Grandma’s lipstick, water, rocks, blue skies, harmonicas, laughing hysterically, true friends, hope, “Life is Beautiful”, Italian leather shoes, Spanish, super spicy enchiladas, “A Walk In the Woods”, “The Color of Water” and so much more!.
You made me cry, Sara. I love your favorites.
This mental exercise was a real challenge, but it allowed me to spend an entire day just pondering over some of my favorite life experiences… big and little things that have simply taken my breath away!
A little spotted puppy that followed me home from grade school. Green leopard frogs hiding in the grass at our cabin. Rowing the dinghy around the lake all by myself. Gramma Rose’s yellow cookie tin. Picking wild raspberries and blueberries. Finding something that I thought was lost. Discovering the love of Christ. Songs containing words and a melody that make me cry like a baby. Ice skating hand-in-hand with my husband. Holding my new baby for the first time and loving her so much that it hurt. The look on my husband’s face when I told him, “you’ve got a son”. Waking up to the smell of cooking bacon while on a canoe trip in the BWCA. The gentle tap, tap, tap, of a walleye nibbling on my bait. Traveling with my family and discovering some of God’s wonderful creations together…ocean tide pools teaming with sealife that we could see and touch—orange & purple sea stars, urchins, limpets and tiny crabs. Standing on a beach with snowcapped mountains to my right and left and the ocean at my feet. Brambles filled with thousands of ripe blackberries the size of my thumb! Canning blackberry jam at our campsite. Riding the ferry across the Puget Sound. Wool socks and Birkenstocks (together!) Fly-fishing on Montana rivers in August. Teaching my kids to read and seeing the light in their eyes when they finally “get it”. Watching my girls faces shine as they were water baptized. Digging my hands into the dark, loamy dirt in my garden. The first Spring flowers—crocus, scilla and grape hyacinth—blooming through the snow. The heady scent of Stargazer lilies in full bloom. Chickadees and nuthatches that faithfully come to my window feeder all winter. Making and(and eating) chocolate truffles. The smell of Christmas cookies baking in the oven. Giving away care packages filled with these same cookies and truffles! Cooking and baking for my family and friends. The smell of the woods in September and October. The sudden flush of a rooster pheasant. Studying the Word of God with much loved friends. Pre-20th century romance movies, especially British ones! A good book that I can’t put down. Peace in my soul and on and on…
Baby smell, baby head fuzz, baby snufflies, really good impersonations, deadpan, clever humor, cookies, imported Italian espresso lattes, authentic gelato, high tea, a student who says, “this is my favorite class,” first words, David Sedaris, new knitting books, yarn, Frank McCourt, people who don’t take themselves too seriously.
Ah… I knew you were a kindred spirit – from one Birkenstock girl to another…
I’m going to give this some thought now…so many things, where to start?
I couldn’t live without my Birkenstocks, Helen! What are your favorites? Mine are Floridas. Can’t wait to read some of your favorite things….
Your list and mine have many similar items, I think I already knew that would be true. So it made me smile and brought a tear to my eye all at the same time. 😉
Why does that not surprise me, Patty? 🙂 Thank you for visiting here and commenting. You are a blessing to our family!
As your family is to me!
🙂
I shall now add:
— Four year olds who think preschool is the best thing in the whole wide universe
— Seven year olds who practice gymnastics all the time
— Nine year olds who think every face you make is funny
Those are my favorites too!!
Love this post.
Just two of mine.
An old one:
http://www.tunnocks.co.uk/teacake.htm
A new one:
http://www.amazon.com/His-Majestys-Dragon-Temeraire-Book/dp/0345481283/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319612580&sr=1-1
I think I need to acquaint myself with both of the items you linked to, Ember. 🙂 Thank you!
Did you know that there is a new trilogy coming out by Penelope Wilcock – a continuation of The Hawk and the Dove! I love love love that story. My daughter and I have read that every summer for years. We can always tell when the other gets to book three……. red eyes.
Welcome Marci! Yes, I did know about the new books! So very exciting. Pen Wilcock is an amazing author. Thanks for visiting and commenting!