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100 Things That Make Me Happy

I've been setting goals this morning. One of them was to write down 100 things that make me happy. I thought it would be good to share. Hopefully it will give you ideas about what makes you happy too.

1. reading a good book

2. being listened to

3. playing piano

4. a clean house

5. a good meal (preferrably cooked by someone else)

6. crisp morning air

7. country love songs

8. accomplishing a goal

9. head rubs

10. back rubs

11. swimming

12. running

13. chasing/hiding with James

14. seeing friends at the temple

15. the smell of a clean baby after a bath

16. snuggling on the couch with family

17. homemade popcorn and a good show

18. Good Eats (the show)

19. talking with my sisters

20. going to the temple

21. having a clear conscience

22. a soak in the tub

23. pretty music

24. genuine compliments

25. when James listens/obeys

26. my Mama

27. good literature

28. hymns

29. James sharing food with me

30. the baby kicking

31. a new hair cut

32. pedicure

33. home applied facial (preferrably with help of friends or at a sleepover)

34. new sprouts/green leaves in sunlight

35. being recognized for something I'm proud of

36. sleeping in peacefully

37. cool crisp sheets

38. learning something new/interesting

39. stimulating conversation

40. swinging on a swingset

41. playing in the ocean

42. naptime

43. big pretzel sticks

44. a happy baby

45. throwing things away

46. quilting

47. crochet

48. foot rubs

49. Olive Garden (soup and salad) lunch

50. Chinese takeout

51. boxes from Mama

52. reading books aloud with others

53. my wedding ring

54. primary songs

55. typing

56. singing

57. Christmas music

58. traveling/sightseeing with family

59. clean hair

60. clean teeth

61. serving others

62. hugs

63. setting goals

64. making charts/graphs/progress reports

65. a baby heartbeat

66. James talking/singing to himself

67. dancing with James

68. a checked off to-do list

69. learning a word a day

70. sharing knowledge with others

71. getting emails (not junk mail)

72. driving in a car by myself

73. walks

74. hiding in the couch cushions

75. daydreaming

76. reading updated blogs

77. creating spreadsheets

78. being within budget

79. paying tithing

80. missionary work

81. a clean floor

82. vegetable sushi with pickled ginger, wasabi, and soy sauce

83. a good salad

84. uncluttered surfaces

85. bike riding

86. a camp fire (w/ marshmallows and hotdogs)

87. candlelight

88. thrift store window shopping

89. pretty food

90. a good steak

91. rafting/canoeing

92. hiking

93. floating in water

94. having food storage

95. living near a temple

96. indoor plumbing

97. air conditioning/central air

98. beading

99. a full fridge/freezer

100. Life cereal

Memorial Day Trips

Daniel:This last week we traveled down to Virginia and Maryland for my niece Margaret's blessing. The Chau's, The Chin's, and Several Howell's all converged on Baltimore for the very nice occasion.
Margaret is adorable.
Even with all the excitement, Moomers finds time to get her beauty sleep.

During the week, I was able to help my parents with a few chores. I helped re-route an exhaust pipe in the attic, placed a seal around some fixtures on the roof, and helped plant a new peach tree for my mom.

James "helped" too. He loved walking around barefoot in the grass. When we came in, grandma was quick to ask if James had washed his feet. I remember hearing that question a thousand times when I was younger.

As a side note, grandpa would occasionally call out "NO!" to James as he was about to get into something. It was the same pitch and tone that struck fear in me many many years ago. Even though he was talking to James, I found myself looking around to see if I were the one in trouble. I know that "NO!" from before.

Charity then departed on a business trip to Kansas City. I got to keep the camera as James and I went back to Baltimore to my brother Ben's house. He took Angela, Jon, James, and me to Famous Dave's. Margaret was at the head of the table looking rather stately:


Jon and Angela

Ben and JosieMyself and James, who is brandishing a knife.


Afterward, Josie, Jon, and Angela watched James while Ben took me to see Star Trek. (Dinner and a movie, like a date, except not.) There are some holes in the plot, but it was pretty good. Apparently, James had a huge diaper while we were gone. Sorry about that Josie and Angela!


Charity:

My trip to Kansas City went well. We have a clinical study going on with two of our centers there. The people were really nice, I learned a lot, and we accomplished everything we set out to do. Plus, the food was great. If you are ever in the area I would recommend visiting the Hereford House. Expensive but worth every bite of succulent steak. I had the Blackened Flat Iron Steak (with garlic and cajun seasonings) and I chose to have cooked squash and zuchini on the side. It's the best steak I've ever eaten. No kidding. I salivate as I write this.

I would also recommend Stroud's. It is a restaurant that is set on an old country farm. Rustic and homey, it makes a nice setting for a good home-cooked style meal. Except I never cook that much food for one meal. Wow.
Baby and I also visited a modern art museum (free) while we were there. I wasn't sure what to make of it. Some of it I liked and some was garish and disturbing, to me at least. I imagine the inside of the womb might resemble some of the pieces there (the nice comforting ones) and so I know Baby is getting culture already. If he's like his daddy he will be able to put this creative opportunity to good use.... Or maybe that's what he's been doing already when he's squirming around in there.
Needless to say, the baby and I enjoyed our trip very much. Baby had a huge growth spurt during my trip, which I think is directly related to all the good food. We were only sad that Daniel and James couldn't have been there. It's nice to be home.

Spelunking in the kitchen

We've moved our pots and pans to higher ground to save our downstairs neighbors from the percussion section. James discovered the evacuated 'caves' in the kitchen and now loves to climb in, shut the door, and explore. I wish I could fit too, that looks like fun.

Our Anniversary

Two years ago, on May 11th, we got married for time and all eternity in the Washington D.C Temple. It feels like yesterday. We both can't believe how quickly the time has passed. The past two years have been full years and we are happy to have even more ahead of us.

We celebrated by going to dinner with our friend, Alana. James decided he wanted the attention of every customer and he got it. When we left, the people at the next table thanked us for the entertainment. Funny, I wasn't that entertained. Nevertheless, we celebrated and now have this memory to add to our collection.

Family Portraits Circa 2008

We had some computer troubles that caused our pictures to be inaccessible from the hard drive. Five months ago. We just resolved the problem and backed-up our pictures.

Melissa, our talented sister-in-law, had taken family portraits of us which we promised to post. So here they are finally.

23-24 Weeks

So far, this baby has treated me extremely well. I only threw up a handful of time during the first trimester and have been able to do a lot more than I could when James was incubating. I've had the usual fatigue but overall have felt pretty good. This little guy kicks and squirms, but not so much that I am uncomfortable. At least, not yet anyway. He just nudges his confines and reminds me he's there. I love that.
Judging by how I've been feeling, this little guy seems to have an easy-going personality. I'm looking forward to meeting him and hope James learns quickly the 'baby rules'. Things like: 'Don't poke your brother's eyes' or 'Don't drop toys on your brother' or 'Let the baby sleep'. Fun will be had by all.

82nd Annual Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival or Daniel's 30th Birthday Parade

My home town has a parade everytime I have a birthday. I am not lying. See:

But, being the modest person I am, I rarely tell anyone that it is my birthday. In fact, I do such a good job, I would be surprised if anyone at the parade would even know they were celebrating my birthday.

We packed up the family to go downtown to see the parade. Grandpa helped James to see over the crowd, but James seemed to be more interested in a Thomas the Tank Engine balloon over in the Midway.

I told Charity how I always wanted a funnel cake, but never got one. This year was no exception. Maybe I should learn to make it at home...

We all had a real nice time. I love family.

Baby Maggie definitely had the best seat. Drums and Trumpets didn't phase her. She is so Cute!

Catching Up

I've been very slowly working on a quilt. James has been helping me. Hence, the slowly part.:)
After a day of running around Grandma's house James decided to eat something to gain his strength back. He went back to exploring cupboards and drawers soon after but we were all happy he had finally eaten. He was so busy that he didn't eat much when we were there.

We had a lot of fun at Grandma's house. I read a western and relaxed. This was made possible by Grandma and the Howell contingent who kept James from unloading all the cabinets. I also got to think a good deal about the next Howell baby as he kept kicking my book. Thanks for giving me a real vacation and a break, Grandma Howell! I only hope the weekend wasn't too tiring for you and Josie.

Little Margaret melted our hearts. I got to hold her on Sunday. I felt her sweet spirit and her newness of life and couldn't help getting teary eyed. What a beautiful little girl.

Daniel had his birthday this weekend. Grandma Howell made him a delicious chocolate cake with a peanut butter topping. It was great. Daniel felt loved. He got cake, beans and chips, and then the next day stuffed shells....plus his regular presents. Heaven.

Ahhhhh....... She is so cute!

In other news, Daniel has perfected the art of bagel making. James loves them because he's teething and they are better for chewing than bread. We love them because they make less crumbs for us to clean up.

James continues happy and healthy. We sure love him.

Car Inspection

I have been worrying about getting my car inspected since the beginning of the year. I even calendared in to take it to a mechanic in March because I was sure that it would take at least a month to get the car up to snuff for the April inspection. What with life happening, the car checkup did not happen and the month of April is almost over.

Daniel, knowing of my worry, for the car and for the budget, decided to try his hand at fixing the car. I've had the indicator light on for my backup lights for some time. He did some research and after getting past a couple of layers of grime, was able to find the connector that needed to be checked. No luck with the indicator light, but the connector is now cleaner.

He then checked the wiring through my trunk and discovered that I needed new lights for my license plate. The indicator light was still on but only came on with a change in gears.

So, having determined that all my lights are in working order he did some further investigation to see why my indicator wasn't off. Apparently, any voltage change of the back lights causes it to go off if there is resistance in the wires. Hence, he had to do some re-wiring.

Daniel took my car to get it inspected today. It passed. Yippeee!

I am SO grateful to have a husband that can fix my car. I love that! I admit I was skeptical in the beginning when he said he would try to fix it, since earlier last year my dad tried unsuccessfully. Imagine my amazement and hero-worship that Daniel was able to fix it, especially when Daddy is one of the best mechanics I know. In addition to fixing it, Daniel did it all for under six dollars. Wow! Go Daniel!

Spring has arrived

It was much too nice of a day to stay indoors. James and I took a walk. It was hot and there was a nice steady breeze. James was happy to be out and so was I.
He wasn't too sure about the feel of grass on his feet and decided to survey the land from the comfort of my lap. This was fine by me. We relaxed, watched the wind blow the water, saw some birds, and explored the area around us in the shade. We even had some yummy apple sauce.
It was a idyllic.

Happy 1st Birthday, James!

We celebrated James first birthday today. I am so happy we have him. Here are some pictures from his special day.

I showed James two cake mixes and he picked the Devil's Food Cake. Nice choice. I baked it and cut out a stencil to dust the top with cocoa powder.

We tried to pose for a family picture, but James was eying the cake the whole time. In this picture James is checking for done-ness. "Ok," I said, "we know that is your side of the cake now."
James's birthday dinner was one of his favorites, mac and cheese. He has recently started to use the spoon, but not necessarily for transporting food from the bowl to his mouth. Rather he bludgeons his dinner to make sure it is nice and tender (or dead) before he has to chew it.

Wearing a new shirt with a little less mac and cheese on it, James investigates his presents. We got a surprise package from Grandma and Grandpa Howell in the mail. Josie and Ben and Grandma Chapin also sent packages. James even got a gift from our Sister Missionaries. James sure knows how to work the crowds!

James is teaching Mama out of his book he got from Aunt Josie and Uncle Ben.

Wow! These toys are so cool!


We sang to James and gave him his cake. At first James sampled the frosting to make sure it was of the highest quality. He then began beating the cake with his palms (which we interpret as acceptance of our offering).

What is cake without milk? James showed us his approval by beating the cake with his milk bottle too.
After he caked his clothes with cake, James got a birthday suit bath. He is our little angel and we love him so much!

Happy Birthday James. I have to go clean the cake off the floor now.

The Easter Bunny Delivers

The Easter Bunny sent us a box this year. It contained goodies like chocolate, fabric, and books. We got it in the mail a few days early because I'm sure the Easter Bunny didn't want to forget and miss our house.

James loved his chocolate bunny. He shared most of it with Daddy. Mama didn't share hers. Except with the baby, of course.

We have a tradition to rise and watch the sunrise on Easter morning, to remember the Savior, and to contemplate. This year we woke just in time to step on the balcony and see the rays of the sun touch the flag that stands outside our complex.

What a beautiful morning and a wonderful opportunity to remember the Savior. We are grateful to be a family and to know that death has been overcome in Christ's resurrection. We hope that each of you also enjoyed your Easter; chocolate, family, and the sweet remembrance of the goodness of the Lord.