Happy 101

Meredith over at La Maison Charmante nominated me for this blog award.  While I appreciate and think all awards given to me are special, this one is very special because Meredith is my daughter-in-law.  Given the stereotyping of the mother-in-law, I think it’s pretty sweet to be given this award.  Thank you, Merdi!

I have a link to Meredith’s blog over to the right (and, as you can see, a few links within this post).  If you’re interested in design, fashion, and weddings (especially weddings!), visit Meredith at La Maison Charmante.  It is a charming and delightful blog to visit.  Meredith has excellent taste.  Not that I’m biased or anything.

There are, as with most blog awards, a few strings attached.  In order to accept this award, I have to list ten things that I like and pass the award along to ten other blogs.

So, without further ado and in no particular order, ten things that I like.  I’ve left out people because, well, I babble enough when it comes to listing ten things.  Imagine what I’d do if I started writing about the wonderful people in my life.

1. Paczki!

I like all kinds of food but right now paczki are high on the list.  That’s because I don’t often eat fried dough and sugar.  But paczki’s are my once-a-year exception to my no-donuts lifestyle.  Regular visitors might remember that paczki show up here on my blog once a year on or around Fat Tuesday which is the only time of the year you can buy these marvelous confections.  (You can read last year’s Paczki post here.)  My Nana (father’s mother) was Polish and paczki are one of several traditionally Polish foods that I like (but don’t often indulge in).

M came home with our yearly dose of paczki last night.  I had a lemon paczki last night and a raspberry paczki after lunch today.  The raspberry are by far my favorite.  Perhaps I’ll try the apricot next year.

The other reason paczki are front and center at the moment is because I’ve been a good girl, eating healthy and exercising, mostly refraining from junk food, fatty foods, processed foods, sweets, and alcohol (the word “mostly” being included because it’s good for a body to indulge moderately once in a while and I have allowed myself that much).  I have lost 15 lbs. since I started this new quest at the end January.  Food is not my usual reward (in fact, I’ll be having my real reward on Friday — a pedicure).

(See what I mean about babbling?  And I’m only at #1!)

2. The Four Seasons

No, not the band, the hotel, the restaurant, or Vivaldi’s composition (although all are nice).  Spring, summer, fall, and winter.

One of the things I like about living in northeast Ohio is that we experience four distinct seasons.  We have the extremes of winter (ice, snow, cold) and summer (heat, humidity, insects) along with some moderateness in the spring and fall.  Spring and fall have their extremes, too, in color and sometimes in weather when ushering in or out the season before or after it.

3. Finishing a project

It’s often easy to start something but not always so easy to finish (unless you’re left with little choice but to finish or live with the mess you created when you started).  Some things, though, are fun to both start and finish.

4. Photography

You probably saw that one coming.  I’ve enjoyed photography as a hobby for a long time.  For a little while I thought I’d try my hand at it as a business but have come to realize that there is more enjoyment in it for me as a hobby.  As a hobby, I do it for myself; sometimes for others but mostly for myself.

5. Travel

And adventure, of course!  But maybe not too much in the way of adventure.  As with most things, moderation is good.

I have a jambalaya to make (this being Fat Tuesday and all) so I’ll to finish this up tomorrow.  It’s off to the kitchen with me where I get to do something else I like:  Cook.

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