My Favorite Things
- Chocolate. I really do love chocolate. So much so, I've discovered, that's it's one of the main things people remember about me. Which, if you think about it, is really pathetic. But I'm okay with it. As I've aged :-) my chocolate sensibilities have refined - I now prefer high quality DARK chocolate. A fabulous friend and I taste tested 60% and 70% chocolate of affordable yet decent (ie: can be found at Target) quality. I know, the things I'll do for science. The results? Lindt all the way. Dove generally came second, Ghirardelli last, with some random brands (Green and Black, can't remember what else) scattered throughout. Dove was always the smoothest but not the chocolatiest. And Ghirardelli, when compared with others, always had a strange "note". Yes, we tasted notes. And were totally vindicated later when we read this article. Wine tasters? Pshaw. I'm a Chocolate Taster.
- And on that note, I LOVE my Dad's Chocolate Creme Brulee, minus the Brulee, because I don't have a kitchen torch. Made with 70% Lindt. Oh my. Heaven.
- I. love. my. Mac.
- Bread, and by extension, my bread maker. I LOVE my breadmaker. It is a Zojirushi. It is awesome. I use it everyday. I've even worn out the kneading blade because I used it so much. (And a replacement blade cost only $6! Thrilling!) I read an article about how useless breadmakers were and how you could buy better tasting bread at the store. Poor, stupid people. I make delicious bread. My french bread is so much yummier than anything I've bought. My children will balk at "healthy" store bought bread, but will devour almost any bread I make, regardless of how much wheat, or oats, or quinoa, or barley, or graham flour, or whathaveyou I put in it.
- I really do like math. And now that I finally have a 7th grader, I've re-remembered how much I love algebra. I really do. Call me strange. Geometry can go hang itself. But algebra ...
- My husband's sense of humor. My favorite thing of all time. He can make me collapse with giggles.
- The other thing I am most remembered for seems to be my love of books. I really do love them, in all shapes and sizes and genres. I just love to read. My dream job? Repairing old books. If there was a Repairing Old Books School I would go to it. If I knew a Book Repairer I would apprentice myself. It would be such a fun craft to learn. I love devouring new books, savoring old favorites, finding new authors, sharing books I love with people I love.
- And in that vein, I adore libraries. And bookstores. But in libraries I can TAKE HOME any book I covet, whereas bookstores I try to exercise some restraint. I could browse either for hours. If I was alone. Which doesn't usually (ever) happen. So let's just say I can browse until Meltdown is imminent.
- When my two year old says "Okay". He says it all the time and in the cutest way.
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- Panera. Target. Trader Joes. I am so sad I am currently not living by a Trader Joes! Ack! Where will I get my supply of Dark Chocolate Covered Peppermint Joe Joe's (think fabulous mint oreos smothered in luscious chocolate sprinkled with peppermint)? And my Dark Chocolate Covered Pretzel Thins? Hmm, I'm sensing a theme. But even non-chocolate edibles are yummy. Thankfully I have a fabulous sister-in-law who WORKS at this fabulous place. And also thankfully, when she visits she brings yummy things with her.
- And speaking of Trader Joes, but deserving it's own category, is Sipping Chocolate. I would call it liquid gold, but liquid gold would certainly not taste as good as this stuff. You have to make it the "Sipping Chocolate" way, which doesn't require very much milk. Which is why it is so good. I also love Hot Chocolate. But Sipping Chocolate is a step above.
- Thumb Promises, which are reserved for when Pinkie Promises are just not convincing enough. At least according to my 5 year old.
- My shoes. I have one pair of summer shoes (mine are NOT bronze) and one pair of winter shoes that I tend to wear every single day. They are SO comfortable. I have other shoes, but they just get to hang out with each other in my closet. I love my favorite shoes.
- I love the color Brown. I know! What a drab color! But it's really not. It's rich and warm and yummy. I also love deep reds and deep blues and deep greens. But brown is probably my favorite color to wear. I have worn the color brown on my birthday since high school, which I realize is weird and random. But it's okay to be weird and random.
- I love that my two oldest boys love to read. What joy to talk books with my boys! And to see them devouring some of my favorites!
- I love new recipes. I just realized I follow over 7 recipe blogs/sites and love them all. OurBestBites is probably my favorite, but I also love BrownEyedBaker (the name! I love the name!) I also love my friends' recipe blogs and have even started a recipe blog with my family. New recipes keep the every day "what's for dinner" question at least sometimes exciting.
- Being girly with my daughter. Painting fingernails, doing hair, planning outfits - she is just precious.
- Yosemite is one of my favorite places on earth.
- I also love Maine - the coasts, the woods, the people, NOT the lobster. Because seafood is not one of my Favorite Things. I loved living in Maine.
- Even though I don't like living there, I love Boston. What a FUN city to visit! Fun places to shop, walk, learn about ... eating Italian food in the North End, followed by dessert at Mike's Pastry, is definitely one of my Favorite Things.
- My brothers are among my Favorite Things. I am so lucky I am friends with all of my brothers. I love that they are all a part of my life even though I don't live very close to most of them. I love their wives, their children, their parents :-), their interests - everything about them. I also love that I am friends with my parents. I love my family!
- My friends are also definitely one of my Favorite Things, which gets me sappier than I meant to get. But I have great friends. When my husband was away for months at a time, I had a Friend who would leave her family of many children to hang out at my house twice a week, sometimes leaving in the wee hours of the morning. We played Super Mario Brothers Wii (and conquered it, thank you very much.) And watched movies. And Gilmore Girls. And ate vast amounts of delicious chocolate. She also spent her Mother's Day morning making me breakfast. How many people would do that? Not many. I have amazing people in my life.
So there you go. Some of my favorite things. I have a good life.
