these are a few of my favorite things

It's high time for a light-hearted post, so here I go...

We all have our favorites in life. And as I've discovered, our favorites tend to change and evolve as we age. If you read this blog even semi-occasionally, you know that I adore my "staples" in life: coffee, books, massages, etc. However, I think I've neglected some of my other favorites...and hey, it's always fun to focus on the things that make us feel comforted and happy! So in no particular order...

*Antiques. I adore antiquing. In fact, after my recent weeks of sadness and silence, Adam took me antiquing on a Saturday afternoon and I can't even put into words the joy of being distracted by lovely old things!
I have Kate to thank for my new obsession with antiques...she lives just down the street from a 3-story building that's basically a warehouse of antiques. And good antiques at that (yes, there are levels of quality in antiques!). What started out as merely an outing with my dearest friend became a treasure-hunt process for myself! Now I'm crushed if we don't make it to Norma's Antiques when I'm in Michigan visiting.
So here are a few of my favorites...




















I bought this Brandenburg lace shower curtain at the Franklin Antique Mall for $19. I also bought a set of lamps (one of them shown here) for $30 together...I rewired them myself! (Home Depot really does back up the whole "you can do it, we can help" motto!)





















I love milk glass (the creamy white glass that you can't really find brand-new anymore). These candlesticks were a Christmas present from my sister Sarah...I adore them. The teacup and saucer were a birthday present from Kate...purchased at Norma's! I started this collection just a few months ago...there's just something about drinking tea in clear glass, something about it makes the experience more, I don't know, aesthetically pleasing?

Anyway, I'm suddenly out of time, but more favorites to come!

UPDATE!: I was just browsing some of my favorite blogs and I found that another blogger, BigMama, has been listing some of her favorite things as well! I swear, this was a complete coincidence, but what a funny one!

Happy Anniversary, This Girl's Life!

Or is it a "blog-o-versary?" Yep, a year ago today I started my adventure in the blog-o-sphere, and I have to admit, I've been pleasantly surprised by how delightful the whole experience has proved to be. Click here to re-visit my first postie...

And, just an FYI, I plan to return to some more "meaty" posts very soon...just haven't had the, er, emotional capacity to think deep thoughts lately...

This news item made me cry!

I don't know why, but there's something so markedly beautiful about this story to me. Maybe it's the fact that we are each so special and unique and our contribution to the world is just as special and unique, even if that contribution is saving some sick dolphins!

And now for a break from our regularly scheduled Christmas

A - available/single - Nope. Old married lady.

B--Best Friend - Kate

C--Cake or Pie - Yes, please. For cake, I'll take yellow cake with rainbow chip frosting. Who knows why that combo is so delish??? For pie, my mom's pecan!

D--Drink of Choice - Let's put it this way. The waiter at the restaurant tonight offered me decaf coffee and I told him it was a cruel joke and could I have my NON-decaf with cream?

E--Essential item you use everyday - my bathtub. Maybe that one's too obvious. My laptop, certainly. Um, my Escape (I'm sorry, but there never was a vehicle more aptly named -- it's my getaway car!).

F--Favorite color - this has evolved over the years. My standard answer used to be "deep plum" but I think I've moved on. Um, let's go with brick red or harvest yellow for decorating, French blue for wearing, lavender for just plain looking at on any object, be it wall or sweater or whatever.

G--Gummy bears or Worms - Yes, please. Actually, I'm gonna go with worms on this one. More bang for the buck?

H--Hometown - Greenwood, but I also count Franklin (up the road from Greenwood and technically the geographical location of my birth at Johnson County Memorial Hospital).

I--Indulgence - oh goodness, do I have enough space here? Do y'all have enough time to read? I kind of live my life by this method: "Becky, you need to get 'x' done." "But Becky, I don't feel like it." "Well Becky, what if I promise to get you 'y'?" "Okay, Becky, I'll do it." Seriously. Anyone who thinks I'm kidding is kidding themselves. Hmmm...Starbucks drive-thru runs. Lemon poppyseed muffins. Shoes. Tights. Handbags. Shopping the clearance racks at Von Maur and nabbing "deals" (yeah right; let's face it, it's VON MAUR). Sleep. Then more sleep. Fresh flowers. Afternoons at Borders with Adam and spoiling each other with "prizes" from the shelves. Reading in bed. Sudoku for an hour straight. (Can you tell I don't have kids?) Long phone calls with long-distance friends. Weekend trips to see Kate. I could literally go on and on. This girl ain't really into denying herself much because she's learned to cheat and save on some things (home boxes of hair dye and highlights instead of $150 at the salon!) and because she knows it just ain't living without certain indulgences (er, coffee, duh).

J--January or February - what an oddball choice. I'm going with January, my birth month!

K--Kids - Not yet. My standard answer. God has given me/us the desire and until He takes it away, I fully expect kiddos to arrive, even if the stork drops 'em off.

L--Life is incomplete without... my husband. I never feel whole without him here with me. Come home soon, honey!

M--Marriage Date - July 10, 1999

N--Number of siblings - I have 2 - Sarah (older) and Katie (younger). Yes, I can see some of you nodding your heads, going yup, I KNEW she was a middle child!!!

O--oranges or apples - oranges if they're squished up and squeezed for fresh OJ. Apples for snacking and in pies and all that!

P--Phobias/Fear - Oh good heavens. And I thought I didn't have room for the Indulgences. Sheesh. Um...blood clots and spontaneous internal bleeding. That includes deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and stroke/brain hemorrhage. (if you didn't think I was weird before now...) Also, dying in a plane crash. Living through a plane crash. Crashing in a plane in general. Even moderate turbulence has been known to send me into panic (thank God for Xanax).

Q--Favorite Quote - Well, it's a verse, if that counts. I can't remember what Psalm it's from but, "I will both lay me down in peace and sleep, for thou, O Lord, only makest me dwell in safety."

R--Reason to Smile - ooh, correspondence via snail-mail. Fresh cappuccino in a bistro mug. Snow on quiet mornings with nowhere to go. Seeing Adam after a period of absence from him. (seriously, it's only Day 3 of his mission trip. Get a grip, Becky.)

S--Season - Spring, spring, spring.

T--I tag...I dunno? Anybody want to send me their copy of this?

U--Unknown fact about myself - My life is an open blog, er, book. Hmm, let's see. I live and work in the greater Indianapolis area and have never seen the Indy 500 nor even been to the track. That's usually a shocker to most folks.

V--Vegetable you don't like - Those Southern field greens like okra. Ick.

W--Worst habit - Letting the laundry pile up.

X--x-ray - A few chest and back x-rays. (once to rule out a blood clot, which my doctor only wrote an order for to humor me and help me get past the fear...)

Y--Your favorite food - Mom's homemade bread and strawberry jam and big glass of cold milk.

Z--Zodiac - Capricorn. The ugly goat. Stupid goat. It's ugly and astrology is stupid.