Good Things

Put on a happy face! 

The last blog post was a bit heavy so I thought it was time for some happy stuff to happen here. Would you like to hear some of the things that have made me smile lately? Yes? Here goes:

I made two trips to the grocery store in the past week to buy my Luigi's Mango flavored Italian Ice and they were completely out both times. Yesterday I left money with Austin and he not only dug through the stock in the freezer at the store to find me some... he got the frozen foods people to order an extra box each week so that they don't run out! Pays to have kids in high places - or at Ingles, whichever works.

Pumpkin Spice Latte. I know everyone is burned out on it and I know they're too expensive and I know those red cups are SO controversial but to me it's warm happiness in a cup. I limit myself to one a week but... they're still really awesome.

Also, how did I get this far in life without knowing about Chick-fil-a sauce? I always get polynesian sauce to pour on my chick-fil-a sandwich and dip my fries in. Yesterday I took my nieces to Chick-fil-a and the girls asked for Chick-fil-a sauce. I sheepishly asked the girl in the drive-thru for some (I wasn't sure it was a real thing) and when we got home I gave it a try. I can't even describe exactly what it tastes like... it's slightly sweet but not like polynesian... it's a very mild flavor almost like a thousand island dressing but not as twangy and works great on a sandwich or for a fry dip. How did my nieces, two of the least adventurous eaters I know, know about this amazing sauce before me?

I finished the embroidery project I have been working on for 3 - almost 4 months - and my mom went ahead and made it into a pillow today. I've posted a picture on Instagram and Facebook and am too lazy to post it here but I will next time, maybe. It's the first project I've made without having a specific person in mind for it so right now it's sitting on my bed.

I've been doing a lot of Christmas shopping over the past month for my gifts for the family, and in the past week helping my parents with their Christmas shopping (because I really enjoy online shopping). The gift I bought for them to give to my niece Jamie arrived today and it is so amazing and incredibly perfect that I can't wait for her to get it! I hope I remember to come back here after Christmas and tell you about it! I bought it off Amazon and *thought* it was similar to something I had seen in a store before that was priced much, much higher. IT WAS the exact thing I hoped it was. It was over $100 when I first saw it and we only paid a fraction of it this time.

About five or six years ago my friend Cyndi gave me these raw pumpkin chip things that I absolutely loved. I ordered them for myself once afterwards and then I was no longer working and had no disposable income so I didn't order them again for a long time. Then I got my disability settlement and I couldn't remember what they were called. Today, quite by accident, I stumbled across them and ordered a few bags of them. Happiness in a box, headed my way!

Today a friend of mine who has been going through the disability process since three months before I started it... finally had her day in court and her case was approved! I know there are many, many people collecting disability who have no legitimate cause but this lady has really, really struggled and she is definitely one that I'm sure you would all agree deserves it. It makes me feel like there is justice in this world. At least a little bit.

I was really disappointed today to hear that Ollie's doctor thinks it's still a bad idea to expose to him to our cats due to possible animal allergies. Based on my last blog entry you may understand why time feels so short to me right now... and I am sad. I would never want Ollie to suffer and if he is allergic, he won't be able to take benadryl until he's at least six months old so he could potentially suffer. (Yes, that means it's not likely they'll spend Christmas here either). So yes, this makes me sad but there is way too much happy, good, wonderful stuff that has happened in the past year for me to let this one thing bring me down or keep me from being thankful on Thanksgiving. Just know that the reason I'm posting lots of Cosette pictures on Thanksgiving and not any of Ollie, is because he's not with us, not because I'm picking favorites. Maybe next year we can all be together. They're going to try to come up on Saturday and meet us somewhere away from the house and I'll be sure to catch some photos to share then.

More happy... you know those cheap popcorn tins that you get for maybe $5 for those "I forgot to get you a gift" gifts? I bought myself a tin. This afternoon I ate caramel popcorn and plain popcorn for a snack while working on Ancestry.com. It made me happy. Yes, a lot of my happiness is tied up with food. I don't smoke, drink or gamble... what else is there? I also bought a Whitman's Sampler for the same reason.

Also... more happy food news... we got take out tonight from a local "meat and three" place that we all enjoy. I had meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, squash casserole and a roll. I also got banana pudding but I'm saving that for my late evening sugar cravings.

I started watching Once Upon A Time (the tv series) last week and am watching a couple of episodes a day. I'm using not a fiction fan - mostly documentaries, reality tv, news, sports or cspan for me - but I am really enjoying this escape from reality here lately. It's about the fairy tale characters (like Snow White and Little Red Riding Hood) who have ended up in a little town in Maine because of a curse the Evil Queen put on them. In the beginning of the show they don't know their "real" (fairy tale) identities and it takes Snow White and Prince Charming's daughter to break the curse. Each episode deals with a behind the scenes/back story for a different character, very much like Wicked is the back story for the Wizard Of Oz. Like I said, it's been a great escape.

Tomorrow Cosette and Tasha are going to hang out with me while I make pasta salad and deviled eggs for Thanksgiving. Mom is having her biopsy around 9am, I think. She's scrubbed the house from top to bottom and can rest when she gets home tomorrow afternoon without worrying about getting ready for Thanksgiving.

And... I guess that's enough happy for balance the scales, right? Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, safe travels and good food. Love and hugs, y'all!