1. Painkillers. Don’t worry, I’m just small-time. One day a month, really. But on that certain day, I’m grateful!
2. Water. To counteract the gallons of coffee I consume, to flush the toxins out of my body, to keep my lips from chapping all to pieces, for being the most healthy thing in the world!
3. Fiction. Story. I would be lost without it… a piece of me missing, seriously!!
1. Having a motivation to clean house. Last night, after a fruitless craft show (7 vendors total, and we packed up an hour and a half early ’cause there were no shoppers. I sold ONE card!), and then some “me” time with Chinese and a movie (M:I 3), I found out that my aunt, uncle, and 2 cousins were coming after all and they might be staying with us! So at 9:00 I set out on a frenetic cleaning spree, which included 2 loads of laundry, 2 bathrooms, a front entry, kitchen floor, tidying in the living room, vacuuming the upstairs hallway and stairs, and making my sister’s recently vacated bedroom “guest-able” (vaccuming thoroughly; washing windows, doors, desk; Febreeze-ing mattresses; setting up a “bed”; and the most time-consuming of all: ripping down all of the pictures, posters, curling ribbon (yup), and other random mementos that had been stuck to the wall for years upon years, some for as many as 8 or 9 I guess, since the room was mine!).
The guests finally arrived at midnight, as I was shutting off the vaccum cleaner. I went on to tidy up the kitchen before collapsing exhausted. How very nice to wake up this morning to clean bathrooms and a tidy house!
2. Culberts, our local bakery. I haven’t tried even a fraction of their wares, but their cream puffs are worth a long trip for or worth getting up early for. Their carrot muffins are a regular breakfast staple for me, and they’re as good 2 days old as they are fresh. Mmmm. It’s also convenient that they’re only a few doors down from the bookstore where I work!
3. Scottish accents. I just sold a card and a bookmark to a woman with a Scottish accent. That burr is so rich, I love it!
1. Getting lots accomplished, whether at home or at work. If I don’t get at least one or a few significant tasks accomplished in a day, I feel as if it is wasted. Significant tasks include: dishes, laundry, emails, phone calls, visits with friends.
2. Reading, reading, reading. If the world were a library, I’d live on the fiction shelf, gobbling up everything in sight. I’d occasionally meander over to the non-fiction section, but only for things that have cool covers, come highly recommended, or are by authors that you can’t go wrong with, such as C.S. Lewis.
3. Coffee. Latté, mocha, cappuccino, café au lait, espresso, breve, cortado, decaf (yes, decaf!), STARBUCKS, Tim Hortons, travel mugs, fresh-brewed, hot, iced, frappé, creamy, strong, caffeine fix. Coffee.
1. Watching my Mom and her siblings let go of their father peacefully, knowing what lies ahead for him is infinitely better than what he leaves behind.
2. Friends who know your heart’s pain from across thousands of miles and call you to tell you you’re amazing when you least expect it!
3. Movies! I love them!!
1. Being creative - a friend and I did a card-making marathon last night and then again this morning. Hopefully I’ll be able to sell them tomorrow at a big craft show. I might be sick of Christmas cards by the time December rolls around and might even end up buying my own, but I sure am being creative now!
2. Anticipating Christmas… everytime I look at my cards, I start singing a Christmas song - I just can’t help it! I love the anticipation of the food, the gifts, the surprises, the decorations, the music, the busyness even!
3. My laptop. Plain and simple. My white Mac G4 still serves me very well and I fall more in love with it as the days go by.
1. Preparing for the Christmas season (we took out the Christmas cards today at the store I work at, and these great sheep that you get for $4.97 with 3 cards, etc.).
2. The sky at sunset… here in southwestern Ontario, the colours in the sky last a long time and they’re gorgeous - orange and pink and purple and red.
3. Homemade baked macaroni and cheese, with bread crumbs on top… mmmm!!
