My Top 5: Things I Love

Today I caught up with a great friend of mine, and as us moms do, we got talking about how little time we had. She mentioned that she wanted to blog, purely as an outlet for her creativity, but never found the time to sit down at her PC for long enough.

The conversation reminded me how much I like writing my blog, and how bad I am at finding 10 minutes here and there to write it. And like Claire, I blog because it gives me an outlet:- and outlet to vent and an outlet for creativity, or what little creativity I have.

Hence, I’m sitting down and blogging now. I’ve made myself fine the time. It’s Sunday night, kids are asleep, dinner is eaten and cleaned up, the ironing is done, bottles (Billy’s) and lunch (mine) is ready for tomorrow. And to put the icing on the cake, I had an idea of what to blog about. In fact I had two. 1: Things that bug me 2: Things that I love

Perhaps luckily for me and my (very few, if any) readers, but most definitely foolishly for me (if only because I’ll regret it in the MONDAY morning) I’ve had three (yes three glasses of wine).  Let’s just say I’m feeling more positive instead of negative.

So I’m blogging about things I love.  Friends, family and chocolate aside, here’s what’s at the top of my list today.

1) Shoes.  My most favorite pair ever is the ones I bought for my wedding. A pair of diamante sandles from Gina. By far and away the most expensive pair of shoes I’ve ever bought, but by far and away the most comfortable. They were last worn at by baby shower before Billy was born. I don’t get to wear them enough because they really are very sparkly. My promise to myself is to wear them on our next date night.  Also, I’ve been eyeing a pair of patent leather beige Ivanka Trump pumps (to my UK readers, think 3 inch heals rather than trainers). At less than $100 from Nordstrom I think I’ll be purchasing them soon.

2) Lipstick. But I don’t wear enough of it.  One of my New Year’s Resolution was to wear more lipstick. In the last 2+ months, I think I can count the times I’ve applied lipstick on one hand.  I don’t lead by example.  But lipstick can give you a whole new outlook on life, and make you appear polished when in reality you’ve simply pulled on little more glamorous than a pair of sweats, or tracky bums as we like to call them in the UK

3) Wine. No surprise here to anyone that knows me well. But my current favorite tipple is Alexandra Nicole’s Voigner. It’s a local Washington wine - which makes it even nicer. I’m about to invest in a case, or rather half a case as I’m hoping a friend is going to go halves with me (you know who you are if you’re reading this!).

4) Oatmeal & raisin cookies. Girl Scout Thin Mints aside, since moving to the US I’ve decided that this is really the only cookie worth the calories. Chocolate chip is too sweet. And what else is even worth considering.  But rather tragically, a bad oatmeal and raisin cookie can disappoint on so many levels. It’s a very fine line between nice and chewy and totally overcooked. Sadly, a line that when I bake them myself I always seem to cross. A good baker I am not.

5) Matching underwear.   Once I started earning my own money following university, and all the way through college and beyond, matching underwear, alongside shoes, was my thing.  Every day I’d ensure that my lacy bra co-ordinated with some delightfully frilly knickers. No matter how busy I was, or how behind on my laundry, my smalls were guaranteed to match.  And I’m not talking plain and simply white cotton undies here. I’m referring to colorful, lacy bras and thongs.  In fact at one time, they were so small and lacy I remember being mortified that my now father in-law, but then father of my new boyf, was in fact hanging them on the washing line.  Fast forward to two children later and quite frankly it’s a miracle I’m far enough ahead of the washing to ensure I have clean undies, let alone anything that falls the right side of the ‘uncomfortable but so worth it’ line.  I’ve sadly traded sexy g-strings for comfy boy pants. My promise to myself now I’m earning again: to go and buy at least 2 new sets of matching, gorgeous, perhaps slightly less than comfortable when crouching on the floor changing a diaper, sets of unmentionables.

 

I dedicate this post to Claire Forster. Without the conversation I had with her today, I wouldn’t be here writing this now.

The top five things that bug me will follow in due course. Thank you and good night.