Happiness

Well, I make at least 3 people happy!! =)

Jenna @ Jenna's Jargon
Laura @ Life Happens

Nicole @ Losing the 40

Thanks, you three, for this fabulous HAPPY award! And you know what? You all make me happy too! I love Laura's pics of her adorable kids & her total honesty about life & how she feels about it. She is my online BFF. Haha. Jenna is HILARIOUS! She has an interesting blog about life on a ranch & i always love to read it. Both Laura & Jenna love taking pictures & have Canon Rebels (i hope to have one of these soon & join in their picture-taking adventures!) Nicole is a newer blog friend. She has a weight loss blog & so do i. I love reading hers, she's fun-loving & cute & i am encouraged by reading her blog! Check them out!

These award things are so fun because you pass the award on & it always makes me curious about the other bloggers that got the award. Makes me wanna check them out!

They also can be difficult because, well, honestly, Jenna, Laura & Nicole's blogs are DEFINITELY blogs that make me happy! SO i would have passed it to them. But, i suppose i can't, since they all passed it to me! Luckily I have found some pretty awesome bloggers lately. =)

As usual, i'm rambling! Maybe i should start a "happiness - part 2" blog post, so you'll keep reading?! Heehee. Nah. Here we go. I am supposed to list 10 things that make me happy & then pass this award along to 5 blogs that make me happy.

What Makes Melissa Happy!??

1. Holidays. Or should i say PAID holidays?! Nothing like spending time with family & friends and NOT with annoying callers & non-stop telephones. :) Seriously, a break from work is always welcome & a paid holiday, even better!! I am so happy that this week & next are only three-day workweeks (thanks to Christmas & New Year's!).

2. Time with hubby. I LOVE spending time with him. We're together a lot - in the same house - often me cleaning or cooking or blogging and him reading or doing his studio work or working on a new fix-it project (currently our kitchen faucet & master toilet are in need or repairs...one thing after another!). So we're together, but not really getting to focus on each other. My favorite times are spent just laughing & talking with each other or on date nights. I LOVE being with my husband!

3. BLOGGING. Do I really need to explain? I think y'all can understand this one!!

4. Curly Girl Designs. I may have blogged about her before, but i just LOVE.HER.STUFF. So cute & inventive & imaginative & charming! She has mugs, journals, calendars, prints, etc. Here are some of my favorites of hers:

I have this as a magnet on our fridge!

Another cute one!

How can those not make you happy?!!? And that's only 2 of her designs! There are about a zillion others on her website.

5. Theatre makes me happy. It's hard to explain. But once you're bit by the bug, it's incurable! I love being a part of every bit of it from casting to opening night! It's interesting & fun & it's a joy to be a part of it!

6. La Madeleine's Potato Soup. Or La Carreta's Tortilla Soup.
Either one will do.

7. Reading. I love to read! I love chic lit. But lately I'm LOVING Linda Nichols. First i read "In Search of Eden" & now i'm reading "At the Scent of Water". Soooo good. Her books make me happy.

8. A Nice Hot Bath. I love it. I always get in the tub right away if i have had a particularly terrible or stressful day. It relaxes me. I usually bring a novel with me. Usually Brad will bring me a glass of wine or a cup of hot chocolate. I dream of one day having one of these...

Ahhhhhhh!

9. Dogs! I LOVE LOVE LOVE Dogs. 3 of my favorite doggies are Fani (a Rhodesian Ridgeback, my in-law's doggie), Bali (my sister's cocker spaniel) & Molly (my mom's shih tzu). My VERY favorite dog is my adorable Shih Tzu, Fievel.

10. Children. I love kids. LOVE them. They're funny & silly & cute & honest. I used to babysit & nanny & preschool teach constantly. I kinda miss it, sometimes. The kids i watched are all growing up now! Some of my preschool kids are seniors in high school now & the kids i nannied are almost teenagers - well, one of them IS - he just turned 13! Kind of scary! But seriously... I miss working with kids! One day we'll have a few of our own. =)

Ok. Now i am to pass this blog on to 5 bloggers that make me happy!

1. Briana @ Shine from the Inside

You simply MUST check her out - for her header, if nothing else, it's SO adorable!
Briana's blog definitely makes me happy! She is so cute & cheery & i love reading about her experiences in life! She hadn't been blogging as much as usual because she was in the hardest semester of her college career- but now that's over & I am so happy she's back! =) You won't regret stopping by her page!

2. Patti @ Emersyn Grace, Our Biggest Little Blessing
I found Patti's blog through one of my other favorite blogs, My Journey in Motherhood - Tiffany & Patti are actually good friends in real life! Anyway, i love reading Patti's blog about life with her hubby & CUTE little girl Emersyn! You should go by & say hi!!

3. Lynn @ My Personal Dare
This is a new blog i have been reading & i love it. Lynn is a new blogger & she joined to journal her own experiences with The Love Dare. If you've seen the movie Fireproof, you know what I'm talking about. (If you haven't seen it, you definitely should!). Lynn was having a hard time in her marriage, & decided to do something about it. I am LOVING this blog. It is completely real & honest & it sometimes makes me cry - not with sadness though - JOY! She's on Day 7 & there has already been a change in her marriage (for the better)! Stop by her blog to catch up & give her some encouragement along the way!! =)

4. Ashlee @ Blessed Chick
She is SO funny. This might be the 2nd award I've given her. I can't help it. She totally cracks me up. She is also a newlywed & i've known her in real life. We worked together back in my preschool teaching days! I love Ashlee. She's just a doll! & her blog definitely makes me happy! Check it out!

5. GInger @ The Neff Family
I love this family. They just seem like the sweetest people! This blog is about Ginger's life with husband Christian & daughter Lillian. I love the cute pics Ginger posts & stories about things Lillian loves to do & things she says! She's too cute! You'll definitely wanna stop by her blog! It will make you happy, too!

WHEW! Finally!! =)
Hope you have a happy weekend!