The 5 Things I Love

My friend (who shall remain nameless per her blog request but can be found at http://housefullofchaos.blogspot.com/ ) honored me with a blog award and now I get to share 5 things I love. My first loves are my husband, my kids, the gospel of Jesus Christ, my temple covenants, and the blessing of having time to ponder.

After that come a long list of other things that make me happy, but these are just a few that I especially enjoy.

1. Fresh Flowers. Growing up my mom always had dozens of different kind of flowers growing in our yard. I can recall many nights before dinner her going out to cut some roses to have on the table, or waking up to a vase full of flowers at breakfast. I used to love picking them and bringing her little bouquets to decorate the house with. She always made me feel loved when she would get a little glass vase out of the china cabinet to put them in. She soon would have a whole row of them lined up by the kitchen window. Even today she will get out little cups to put the flowers the kids pick for her in when she is here visiting.

I don't think I was blessed with as much of a green thumb as her, so most my flowers end up coming from the store not my yard, but they still make me smile everytime I see them. Tulips are my favorite, but I also love gerber daisies.


2. Photography. I have a Nikon D80 with a 50mm 1.4 lens on it. Love that lens!!! I have always loved taking pictures, but about 4years ago I decided to venture away from my point and shoot and aquired a film SLR camera. I checked out stack after stack of books from the library to read. Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson is my favorite. Highly recommend it! I read everything I could get my hands on online, took an online class, and practiced. Last spring I finally got a Digital SLR, and I can't put it down. I love the progress that I have made, and though I still have a long way to go, I am happy where I am. It makes me feel good to know I accomplished something that can also bless my family and leave special memories along the way. I am currently trying to learn Photoshop Elements 6 better, so more books and more reading.

3. Soft White towels and new clean sheets. My favorite towels are these from the Thomas O' Brien collection at Target. They are SO soft. It makes my old ones feel like sand paper! I love white, easy to throw in the wash with a bit of bleach and they're good as new. I also love having my bed made with clean new sheets. I love a good made bed. My husband gives me a hard time about not being able to crawl in bed unless the sheets and blankets are all perfect and straight. I love a good made bed! (Did I say that already?)

4. I enjoy reading instruction/owners manuals. I think I am definately in the minority here, but I would much rather read the instructions than have someone show me how to do it. There's my independence coming out. I'll couple another one with this one, I love doing my taxes. It's a little game to crunch the numbers and see who comes out on top-me or the IRS. I am happy to report we have been winning for years. I am sure when my children are grown and I can't claim them as dependents anymore my love for doing taxes may wane a bit.


5. I love to Create. I went to college with plans of being an art teacher. I changed majors a hundred times bouncing from Home Economics to Interior Design and back again with a few dozen in between. My Home Economics teacher had a great job at one time setting up food displays for commercials or magazine photoshoots. I thought that would be such a fun job. Though I haven't sketched any amazing pictures in years, my most favorite "creating" now is scrapbooking. It combines my love of designing and photography, and I love seeing my kids look at their books. It brings us both a lot of joy.


So, there you have it, some things you may not have known about me. I now pass this coveted award onto my friends Lisa, Nancy, Pei-Wen, Carri, Karen, and Kim. Enjoy ladies!