My Favorite Things

As a child growing up, I want to say that "Sound of Music" came out on the eve of Easter.  It also could have been the eve of Mother's Day, but Easter is tomorrow and I'm mulling over my favorite things lately.

Here's a few:

• our oldest mastering a two wheeled bike and seeming to enjoy himself.  It's been difficult to get him to ride as his balance hasn't been the greatest.  If you read yesterday's post, you'll know how we got him there this past week.  Today we also found a bike he likes, at a price we're willing to pay!
• playing in the dirt!  The older I've gotten, that phrase has taken on new meaning.  Now it most likely refers to gardening and taking care of the yard.  Today, I spread four bags of mulch in a couple flower beds and filled three hanging baskets with red petunias.  YEAH!  The pretty part of Spring (bad side is the greenish cast to everything as the pollen settles).
• a quiet house.  The boys are up at church with their father.  This means I've gardened, read, cleaned, cooked, showered, played with the dog, blogged, and more without any distractions.  I do love my husband and boys, but there are times when quiet is greatly appreciated.  It makes the noise of life that much better.
• the smell of things cooking!  Been "stewing", for lack of a better phrase apples and cinnamon to freshen the air in the house.  Just a bit a ago I began fixing bar-b-que chicken for dinner, so now that smell is wafting throughout the house.  In a bit, the rolls will go in the oven.  Yummy ~ think I could gain weight just from the smells alone.
• knitting ~ lest I forget one of my favorite, portable, activities.  Right now, I've set aside the wristlets I've been working on and am making a baby blanket for a friend who is due in June.  So excited for them, they're having a boy after two girls.
• the contented feeling after a good dinner, devotions, and a few chores completed
• my husband making ice cream
• boys playing nicely in their room
• a hyped up dog after a bath
• days getting longer
• silliness that happens around the dinner table
• living in a country where we're allowed to be Christian
• a child who says he's not hungry for dinner polishing off an apple and a banana, plus some chips and saying he wasn't full yet
• time to read with the boys
• watching my dog burn off energy racing up and down the deck steps and through our back yard
• watching a now exhausted dog trying to keep her head up while she's falling asleep
• phlox blooming in our front yard
• three leafed clovers that fold their leaves up, after sunset, and "go to sleep"; neat thing to watch ~ okay, I don't sit there and actually watch it happen, second by second.  The plant leaves will be wide open during the day and reaching for sun, just after the sun goes behind the trees, they close up until the next day.
• a place to live where we have a pretty good library system to check out all sorts of books and put them on hold too!
• boys that are willing to listen to "The Hardy Boys" out of sequence (a bit out of sequence, if the next book isn't available, we'll put it on hold and get the next one)
• hot tea on a chilly evening ~ "tea, Earl Grey, hot" to quote Capt. Picard
• trips to Dunkin Donuts ~ got to take our oldest along for the ride this morning.  Usually it is Kevin and Thing One, who go pick up donuts, but today it was the two of us.  Was quite enjoyable to be able to hand him my phone and let him pick out the music to be played. 
• Wide variety of music to choose from in our house hold.  VERY wide variety.