35 Things I am loving in August...

1. Paul Simon's Greatest Hits album... that we have been listening to again and again.

2. "The Greatest American Dog" show on CBS... Mom, Samantha and I all love Bill and Star.

3. Macaroni Salad... The Amish kind from Wal Mart... I'm sure the Amish don't really make it but it sure is tasty.

4. School Supplies... I love this time of year when they put out the school supplies... Not only do I buy Samantha's but some for myself as well.

5. Beijing, China... there have been several shows on about Beijing this month with the Olympics being there... It looks like a really beautiful place and I'd love to go there... and climb the Great Wall of China too...

6. The 2008 Summer Olympics... The pole vaulting fascinates me.

7. CNN Headline News... I love Nancy Grace and am really interested in what happened to Caylee Anthony.

8. Horses... I used to be really into horses when I was growing up... I had riding lessons and horse back riding birthday parties and Mom rented me a horse to take care of one summer... One of Samantha's friends (Ann) is really into horses and it reminds me of when I was her age.

9. "The Lucifer Effect" by Philip Zimbardo... This book was amazing and really opened my mind... I highly recommend it.

10. Coffee... anytime there is a list of good things coffee will always be on it... I was doing the driving directions for one of the tech rep's trips at work and saw that there is a Coffee St. in Burlington, VT... how cool is that!

11. Lavender... Samantha and I have a lavender scented pillow in the car and whenever we are beginning to disagree on something or beginning to feel cranky we inhale the relaxing aroma of our lavender pillow and we feel like ourselves again... or one of us starts laughing at how funny the other one looks sniffing the pillow and we laugh all the way home.

12. Basil... that we have growing in pots on our deck... I made bruchetta the other night with it and with the tomatoes we grew... It was so satisfying to eat something that we had grown!

13. "Jon and Kate Plus Eight" on TLC... We all love that show and gather each week to watch it as a family... And, we love to say we are John and Kate plus one.

14. "Misty Of Chincoteague" by Margurite Henry... The Gosselin's took a family vacation to the beach to see the wild horses which reminded me of one of my childhood favorites that I got out and re-read and then gave to Samantha to read.

15. Kate Gosselin's haircut... I love my hair but think it's time for a change. I've had my hair this way now for about 3 years and am craving something new so I think I'll let it grow out a bit and style it like hers.

16. "The Creative Family" by Amanda Blake Soule... I read her blog and finally got her book. I don't know what I was waiting for, it's fabulous. Samantha and I are going to make our own gratitude alphabet as well as many more of her neat suggestions.

17. Green Beans... I'm not a big vegetable girl but this summer I have had a hankering for green beans almost with every meal.

18. The smell of the rain... the other evening it stormed and I opened the patio door and stood there smelling the rain and really enjoying it.

19. The Clouds... So often this summer I have tilted my head back to savor the moment and take in the fresh air and when I open my eyes am awe struck by how beautiful the clouds have been lately... Almost every evening after dinner when we sit out on the deck and enjoy the outside I am amazed at how perfect the sky is... like a painting... so beautiful.

20. Nectarines... They are in season in August and are mighty tasty!

21. Hydrangeas... Our hydrangea bush has been just gorgeous this summer... It's blooms have been huge and just the most beautiful shade of blue... I have had one in a bud vase in our bathroom almost the entire summer and the blooms seem to last forever.

22. Jack Johnson... I recently pulled out his CD to listen to in the car and had forgotten how cool he is.

23. Toast... Toast with just butter... toast with butter and jam and toast with butter and cinnamon sugar.

24. Frogs... We have seen quite a few frogs this summer when normally we see toads. It's a nice switch. Frogs are neat... even when your husband throws them in your face they are still quite cool.

25. Gnomes... Back in the 1980s when I went to Camp Blue Heron up in Canada we would sit by the huge stone fireplace in the lodge on a rainy night an study Wil Huygen's Gnome Book... I have to find that book again... it was so awesome how it showed every aspect of gnome life.

26. Crocheting... Ellen, Kim and I just got done crocheting a friendship blanket for Lynn who's mother recently passed away... We each crocheted a portion of the blanket in our own chosen colors and then Ellen boardered it and finished it with a flower in one corner... Lynn loved it and it was so great to work on it with people who mean so much to me.

27. Pandas... Pandas are like coffee...they go on every list of good things...

28. "Get Fuzzy"... My favorite comic strip that I look forward to reading each and every single morning... that Bucky and Satchel really make my day!

29. Airborne... That stuff really works at shortening the length of a cold or bug... I swear by the stuff.

30. The Farmer's Market... Every Saturday Samantha and I have made a routine of taking our coffee to go and strolling together through town... As much as I love the changing seasons I am going to miss the market.

31. Geocaching... We have really enjoyed looking for caches as a family this summer and are thankful to have been able to discover new places that, while right in our back yard, we never knew existed.

32. Yogurt... I've always liked yogurt but lately I've been craving it...Yum!

33. Karma... Good karma and the conversations Jenn and I have had about what goes around comes around... I am really thankful for Jenn's unique insight!

34. Peanut butter and honey crackers... Yummy!

35. "The Closer" on TNT... another show John and I have been enjoying this summer...especially the episode where Provenza's car gets stolen. Kyra Sedgewick is awesome.