Favorites~ Update 2014

I cannot believe I have not updated this since 2011.  I am running out of colors for the different years, nonetheless, just as I predicted!  How about teal for 2014?

Our gifts can be big and small and we all have thousands of them. I have been working on this list for a few years now and today I am updating it again, the February updates for 2011 are in Red and Purple is used today since I am updating on Thanksgiving Eve. I will probably run out of colors before I run out of things I am grateful for in my life.

I have previously updated my favorite things blog post as follows: My updates in Orange 2010. Green in 2009 and maybe some Blue too. This is such a fun list to make...I hope you have one for the days when you are feeling down, or sad, or bored with a ho-hum life, it is a great pick me up! There is so much to be thankful for and so much to enjoy in this life. You may even find things on here twice! The original one was done around Thanksgiving 2008. I thought it would be fun to add these posts in combination with my on-going list of 1000 Gifts.

Thanksgiving *

I know we are all thinking about Thanksgiving and the things we should be grateful for each day. I also know that for many of us, every day is Thanksgiving Day as we bow our heads and thank the Lord for his abundant blessings in our lives. 

Finding Joy in the Big and Little Things of life

Families, I am grateful for Friends that give a hoot about my favorite things in the first place, my Philanthropist husband Jim, being mom to three and then six, being the Gramma to 10 fabulous kids, Baby Hazel's much improved health, Hazie's first year of riding the bus to school and how much she loves going to school, beautiful interiors, answers to prayers, nicknames, black licorice, Will Smith, flower gardens, Netflix, memories of good days gone by, Hazie's New Scooter, computers (iMac in particular), Lowell, the iMac guru, red, uplifting and fun movies, Marie's good news, great books, San Francisco, Carol my precious friend-Carol, days alone with Jim-Bob, rings, funny things the kids say, an eternal companion that is just plain wonderful in every way, the best friends, Just A Little Lowder came on the scene, linen spray, Laura's big hair obsession, North and South the mini-series, temple times, tinyurl.com, my iPod and the sweet brother that gave it to me, Camillia Tea Room in Benicia, blogs and bloggers, scrapbooks of old, chemo that actually worked on my beloved brother, thinking about our kids and how much we love them and their families, green; Family Search, the way God makes it, Hazie's wheelchair all purple and sparkly, dimples, Europe, 7 cents a minute international calls, the families of our children's spouses, Diane Keaton, Il Postino ♥ it, having fancy dinner parties, girl time, Hilary Swank, Miss Vanessa's Fab Blog, bracelets, quiet restaurants, thinking about retirement and the freedoms of it, Farmer's Market, Amazon.com, Billy Joel,Blogging, blogging and more blogging, ethnic foods, Tom and Jean memories, photography, a great sense of humor, fabulous books, truffles, (the chocolate and the mushrooms) education, Education Week, art, home accessories, Family Tree, movie tickets, fabulous jewelry, revisiting places with nostalgic past memories, Pinterest.com~ oh yeah, WC III Ward, Meryl Streep (Mamma Mia), seeing friends from the past, Sky Room Memories of lunches with family and good friends, Palm Springs in January, Scottish accents, Opera revisited and refreshing renewed love for it, Jeffery Holland, God's mercy, love and grace, Thrift Store finds, memories of Mississippi before Katrina, no more math classes, salt and vinegar chips, normal body temperatures~no fevers for Hazel in two months now, Washington D.C., eucalyptus trees, pansies, fish; alive and in the pan, digital photos, Curiel lotion, Ann Voskamp's blog, the guys in the white hats, E-anything especially E-hats, Hazie in the pots and pans, creme soda, fried scallops and calamari, birds singing in the morning, frogs croaking at night, Facebook reunions, crickets chirping or whatever they do WHILE they are totally out of sight because they scare me, Room with A Past, Room With A Past with Maureen especially, shade, phone calls just to say hi, passionate causes, voting, laughing 'til tears roll down your face, a good cry, a gift for no particular reason~just because, Richard Gere, smiling when its hard 'til your heart believes it, waxing lyrical (per Jen's request), gifts that are priceless and cannot be purchased, hilarious comedians,Blogging Friends, Johnny Mathias, Uncle Buffalo, K.D. Lang, Nora Jones, Diana Krall, Thai Food. Studying the history of WW2.

Thinking about parents and grandparents, my great brothers and their families, plans to move nearer the kids or not depending on the economy and many other things but staying close regardless, New Orleans (pre-Katrina) in the winter, new friends, leather furniture, deer in the yard if they are not eating our plants, Jim on his Bobcat~cutest thing ever, electronic technology, the smell of steak on the barbie, Gordon B. Hinckley, tax deductions, summer evenings when it cools off, Chanel #5, cyber friends, Blissfully Domestic, summer mornings, Pavarotti, Queen Latifah (she is so funny!), fire in the fireplace, fire on the TV on Fireplace The Movie, Letters To Juliet, Autumn/Fall?, teaching, the holidays, oddly enough...flying, Max Raabe, our DVD collection, Lee, Barb, my Monday morning group of inspiring friends..past and present, courteous and friendly strangers, watching all the grandkids grow older and mature and develop their characters, pictures of Cohen Romney, Robert hugs, designer paint, Pablo, white picket fences, beautiful kitchens and bathrooms, good health, magazines, letters from my favorite people, family history, Google, so many fun days with Jim, shopping with my favorite females, snuggling with the babies, fabulous memories of all European travel, Val Wilcox memories,Connor's concertos, thinking about and planning actively for our mission for the church, laughing a lot, Mother's Day, cherry pie, Pad Thai, Tom Hanks, North and South, appreciation, my rockin' great time with Barbara on our road trip this summer~never to be forgotten, Louis Armstrong, garlic; on everything that doesn't have sugar, Perkins Cove~ Maine, memories of Chris and Laura in Pops Concerts, Lea Solanga, Old Glory, rainbows, houses, waterfalls, GPS, cracked crab, Jen's new paper flowers, great singers, Steve, New Hampshire foliage, Laura and Robert's new house and Jen and Lowell's new house, Kevin James dancing in Hitch (Q-tips), porch swings, Norma Bowerbank's pizazz, The fun we had at the General Conference Women's Broadcast this year leading to thoughts of Barbara, Beth, Ilse and how they made me laugh for days afterwards. (My lips are sealed!)  Grandkids, games and plays and awards and their successes all year long. 

Jim's new Work Shop, Sunrise, sunset the events and the movies, Michael Ball, Stevie Wonder, Kindle App, Kenny Rankin, Kenny Rogers, Kenny G, Michael Buble, Savannah on a rainy Sunday, The National Science Foundation, Ron and James Tanner, Lisa Louise, The Ancestry Insider and Judy Russell, Big Band music and other oldies from my parents' era, our cousins, Silpada Jewelry, Bob and Beth, Scott's Restaurant's fried calamari, Christmas in Italy, memories of our good friends gone before us, Chinese Food, Elder Holland, Baby Evelyn Abbott, Presidents Uchtdorf and Eyring, Rossie's billion kisses, Angel wings and Miracles up close and personal, our cottage, clean sheets, Golden Girls Christmas Luncheon, disappearing into the matinée alone and not telling anyone where I am for a couple of hours, deep gratitude for our son, Robert, serving to guard us all against the terror of our enemies, bleu cheese, car trips with Jim, babies' tiny toes, online shopping, driving right past the place I use to work, that four of our grandkids have blogs, The Gilmore Girls (miss), enjoying the wonders of nature and the beautiful world we live in, shopping in Italy, a full moon in October, Jim's cooking, James Franco movies, hot chocolate on a winter's morn, having a heart full of love for life as it is that is growing daily, Jeff Adams' knowledge of the Gospel, iPhone, ice, texting, Steve Martin, photo editing, photos of your grandkids, air-conditioning,Real Simple, the excitement of falling in love and staying in love, cooking with James,  Date Night, reliable cars, Maureen and Dave's new lease on life, Josh Groberg Groban music,nmad money, copper, texting, iPad, cell phones, e-mail, abc.go.com, the heartfelt "I love yous" from the little ones, pancakes at Cracker Barrel, Ensign, Olympics, Denzel Washington, Kris Munk's amazing Christmas Tree 2013, the hopeful wisdom that come with maturity, the crow of a rooster in the early morning, The Kindle, Sausalito, gift cards to the movies, Itty Bitty Soap Company, my mercury glass obsession, the smell of pine trees and baking bread and the sea, our first and new waffle iron, Good Ole Days, Billy Crystal, so many British movies, baby's skin, inspiring friends, My new wonderful and very handsome (he looks like my Dad) new cousin William, popcorn popping in the pan and on the apricot trees, no shower curtain or door, being alone, being together, a friend who understands and loves me anyway, Italian marble, Cabot Cheese, a bright and promising future of service to the Lord. The movies, Les Mis with the incomparable Hugh Jackman (Holy Moses!)  and The Book Thief.
Tea party we had, aroma of turkey baking, a clean house, Family Reunions, Matt Damon, anything Christmas, the forest, maple trees and leaves, our newly remodeled and spruced up house, driving through canopied streets, patio umbrellas, homemade ice cream, music, music, music, Quinn, my Daddy's gentle ways, Patrick Swayze, being happier than I have ever been in my life...everyday, good haircuts, Newport, Rhode Island, manicure and pedicures and a great massage, New England beauty, family photos, Gary's escape of serious damage when he had a stroke, long time friends, giving gifts and service to my favorite people, Stefano, Judi Dench, our never failing Kim, mom's potato salad, finding Gina the genealogist, Mom's apple pie and her nut bread, iPhone, getting to know Caroline and Faye so much better, Missy's great cooking,Moonlight and Roses, my Dad's garden and his ability to win every game he ever played, Oprah, Paris, Larkrise to Candleford (British TV series) and that I am getting it for Christmas and that sometimes you just have to buy yourself a present and let your hubby give it to you! Win/Win for both. He doesn't have to shop and I get what I want!) memories of my brothers in our childhood, Brighton, Steve, when Alesha and Raul got married and of Sebastian watching them dance and knowing he belonged to them, War and Remembrance the mini-series, The 2011 Family History and Genealogy Conference, Pinterest more every year, sleeping with our granddaughter Julia Mae, our still new bathroom, concert memories, Evernote, Muir Woods, black current and licorice sweet treats from Scotland, prayers answered on behalf of people I love, Concord II Ward, James Taylor, Jen's cupcake obsession, drive-in movies, Newport mansions, being retired and rewired and re-focused, one on one with our kids, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawk, Connor's piano playing, Google Translate, Lowell's Lost and his Mr. Bass Man, Nick and Mara's wedding plans, the way Tony Damiano teaches Sunday School, Yosemite, the sound of a push mower, Pier 1 Imports, the smell of freshly cut grass, Creme Brulee, faux grass, discovering I am related to people I work with, real grass, Restoration Hardware, Rick Steves, The Nut Cracker Ballet in SF, my Mom's unconditional love for me, days with nothing pressing to do, girl time with Jen and Laura, Marie and her Kitchen, chocolate, Val Wilcox gone but never forgotten, hyperlinks, Silpada, Brenden Frazier, Judi and Joel reunions, Friendship~Trust~Love, a good storm, bedazzlement, a fullness of joy, fun collections, flash drives, theater, Ed Week with the Wads and Piper, concerts, Yale University campus, musicals, Christmas tree lights, Piper; our Scottish princess, Christmas in Scotland, croutons, The Cloud, cheese fondue, Rouclette, Dropbox, our sons, our daughters, the grandies. Grandkids in high school?

good responsible people, Traci Hartman, a walk in Golden Gate Park, Pacific Ocean, Mt. Timp, Mt Tam, thinking about the blessing of having a husband that can do anything, Downton Abbey, answered prayers, old things, Piper in heels, Chipotle and Uncle Yu's wiht Csrol and John, new things, Linda Ann, glitter, Il Postino, Connor's vocabulary, double paned vinyl windows, memories of travel to Italy, being a genealogy teacher and speaker, working with Laura on houses, also Jim, Maureen and Emily, Scotland, my brother Steve's Airport Taxi Service, candle light, Charleston, South Carolina, Orchard Nursery, Agent Baigent, Zach's charging hugs when we visit, clean windows, good jazz, memories of our 2011 family reunion in Sundance, Utah...the best ever time, the gift of Chloe Jane and her spiciness, The Beach Chalet, Paris, BYU Genealogy and Family History Conferences, Venice, Orvieto, Florence, birthdays, the delete button, my new Rebecca Stewart, buying new clothes, Julia as a teenager, Disneyland, New England in the fall, getting paid for what I love, When Mandy's Cohen age 3 asked her how babies come out of mommies' tummies and she wasn't answering him plainly enough, he told her too look it up on the 'puter, Robert Mitchum, salads, Hazie is in kindergarten and happy and doing well, urns, pots and outdoor statuary, road trips with the family, my Loyal friend- Susie Q, Muir Woods redwoods, Plymouth MA, Cape Cod, the way Spencer could tell you all about the water systems of a city at 2 years old, grandboys holding the Aaronic Priesthood (what?), salsa, Sue Capson's amazing gospel doctrine classes, Mrs. Palfrey at The Claremont,  all things feminine, possibilities, getting a real bargain, Kenny Rankin's music, Google Reader, gel nails, Pavarotti's Caruso~so beautiful, Max Raabe, Aynlsee's beautiful stripped golden and apricot hair and sweet smile, The Monday Group, Microfilm readers that work for old newspapers,hydrangeas, Nellie, Sister Susie, Maggie Smith, Day Trips with Jim, grandkids loving their cousins, vests for layering, Wrinkle Releaser for fabrics, Shaun, Root Beer Floats, Julia Roberts, Penfield School, going on Brokers' Tour to see houses others have staged, Tiberon harbor benches, punctuality, Filoli Gardens, writing, Manhatten, watermelon,Rootstech2014, the way Jen helped Laura after Katrina, Laura and Brandon's Life, Gelato, the way Laura re-decorated the faculty lounge at Spencer's elementary school over a three day weekend to surprise the teachers, belly laughing until it hurts, focusing on our health and seeing results, Lady Mary's propriety and circumspection, Verona, artichokes, everything genealogy, sunshine on my shoulders, Judy and Kurt, Owen's sweetness, maple trees, our still new bathroom, garden tomato sandwiches, monochromatic white vintage decor, pandora.com, clean cars, Stephen going back to Italy to do more research and he'll find it this time, Chris' career accomplishments, hearing Laura and Ross speak Italian, adding to this list as things pop into my head, Retirement, Jeffery Dean Morgan, Tasso, HomeGoods, box seats at an opera you have studied and understand before you go, Deanna's Christmas Blog and Old Radio Shows, reflexology, eTools, Christmas stockings, Presepes, garage sales, Pearl and Barbara, the love and lessons of Hazel, the Rockies, Cowgirl Creamery, knowing when enough is enough...well, almost knowing it anyway....! Ah, on second thought, maybe not! Mayflower Ancestors, real Christmas trees.

Way more than anyone really wanted to know but great notes for my obit!

I have noticed that the more I concentrate on gratitude the more I see. I could have kept going on the purple all day long. Funny how when God asks us to do something like be grateful for His gifts, obedience to that commandment reflects back on us even more blessings. I just had the thought that whenever He offers us a blessing and we step forth to receive it by our actions, it becomes like a covenant...a two way promise of His love.