Happy Things
Written by limecello - October 14, 2008 at 10:01 am
There's enough sadness out there, and work and not work and things we all have to but don't want to do... such is life. So, I'm going to ignore that. And talk about things that are nice. 
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Sparkling lemonade. That's right. I splurged on "junk" and bought, along with two cakes (that I ate in two days*) Rième sparkling lemonade. You'll notice that in the picture is Efferve - sorry - Amazon is out of Rième. I've tried the pomegranate sparkling limonade thus far, and will go to a bottle of "original" limonade next. The local store where I bought them sells at $2.58 a bottle, which I'm beginning to think is a steal. I tried looking it up, and bloggers seems to agree that Rième and Efferve are interchangeable. So - keep an eye out. If you want to treat yourself, but don't want or can't have something alcoholic - this is more fun than G.U.S. |
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Speaking of all things sparkling, I'm a huge fan of sparkling wine, and have been since even before I could legally drink. It probably has something to do with champagne being a part of weddings and other celebrations - New Years, fun things, etc. Anyway, I'm not a big drinker - wine or otherwise - but I'll love it if it's sparkling. Something I really enjoy and can find at reasonable prices and quality is prosecco. Especially from Trader Joe's. I'm pretty sure you can get them across the country at less than $10 a bottle. Chilled, it's quite good. (I know I have a sparkling obsession. Sometimes I mix club soda or seltzer with juice, if I want something fizzy but not too sweet. And yes, I've considered getting a water carbonator before.) |  |
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| Good Chocolate. I'm not the biggest chocolate person - and I actually wasn't a huge fan growing up, but I was introduced to good chocolate in high school or college. I'm a believer. A friend told me I have a sensitive palate last week, and I guess it's true. I can also be something of a food snob. Right after I discovered Valrhona, Scharffen Berger, and a few others, I wouldn't eat Hershey's chocolate. It's just... not the same. Honest. It's like real chocolate and... chocolate flavored crayons. (Ok, so not that bad, but there's a marked difference.) That's not to say that now, a number of years later I'll turn my nose up at Ghiradelli. Or a Twix. Because honestly. Chocolate, caramel and cookies all in one bar? It doesn't get much better. (Has anyone else caught on yet on the fact that I have a major sweet tooth? Thank God my tooth genes or whatever are excellent.) |  |
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Oops - got distracted. Back to the sparkly. I love all things sparkly. And gemstones. Ok so I don't have any and definitely can't afford any (especially with our uhh... flourishing? economy) - but they're still nice. Colorful and bright. Other than you know, like blood diamonds and other stones that fund gun running and civil war. Those are bad gems. So maybe I like gems in theory? Or man made ones. Ok, so you didn't dig them up out of rock. They're "fake" because they're flawless. (I fail to understand how that's a bad thing.) Of course I've also had an intense conversation on the fact that pearls are oyster vomit, and diamonds are dinosaur poop. (No really, everyone at the table had an advance degree.) |
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| Autumn. I love living in a place with all four seasons. Even though I wish the seasons were better balanced. Or at least it wasn't winter six months of the year. Still. There's something to love about each one - especially the deciduous trees for fall. That and pumpkins, Thanksgiving - all sorts of fun things. It's so nice to walk outside and see the gorgeous colors all over the place. Less fun to rake them, but hey - win some, lose some. I definitely remember raking giant piles of leaves and jumping into them. And as a kid, it's worth it to do all the work over again. And again. And maybe, one last time. |  |
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I've talked about this before. But I'll say it again. I love college football. A lot. I like how you never know how the season will pan out. How the underdog can win a game and it'll be their biggest sports news for another forty years. The biggest game that comes to mind is USC's loss to Oregon State. Go Beavers! I know a lot of you don't like sports, and I can understand that. Fathers, brothers, boyfriends, husbands - whoever turn into giant lumps on game day. Or even during the season. (Anyone remember the commercial where the woman promises to watch football 4 days a week next to her super excited husband?) BUT one of the biggest things I love about college football is the school spirit. You can walk down the street and everyone's a friend. At the bar or restaurant, high fiving the strangers next to you after a big play is normal if not encouraged. There's something special about it. Don't knock it til you've tried it. |
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See? I can be girly too! Ok, so I'm not really, but I finally caved and bought myself a zeno. (I got the zeno MD, but there isn't much of a difference.) What is the zeno? It's a zit zapper! By all accounts, it's a magic tool. I haven't used it much, but personal experience has left me very very happy. Obviously this isn't the end all be all of skin treatment, but I think it's super fun, and every time I've used it it's worked within 1-2 days. I mean, that's really good. So do I recommend this? Yes, a hundred times, yes. Now if only I could figure out something to use on my hair that works... (and what to do with it)  |
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Books. Good books. There are a number of them coming out, or recently released. All of us have that one book (or ok those 20 books) that we've been looking forward to for nearly a year. And it's time. Or soon. Or upcoming. Not only do I want to talk about book generalities, I want to do a quick plug for anthologies. There are a few good ones coming out, and I have to say, I'm a big fan of the anthology. Of course sometimes they're a flop. But my experience has been good overall. I'm someone who hates putting a book down unless I've finished it. I also generally begin reading at 2 AM. Novellas prevent me from killing myself due to sleep deprivation. One author anthologies also give definite parameter for the "trilogies" and make it so the author doesn't write a 500 book series. I'm a big fan of that. A few off the top of my head that I'm looking forward to reading are To All A Good Night, The Magical Christmas Cat, and A Red Hot Valentine's Day. (Yes, some of those are out now. I don't have them yet so I'm excited.) |
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So enough about me - what are you excited or happy about? Anything new or sensational? Something you love and got to reconnect with? A TV show? Book? Craft? Food? Activity? Kids being back in school? Chocolate Skittles? Movies? Halloween? BINGEADUCKIA? Anything? Share!  |
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*Disclaimer: I feel that I should add the cakes were $1.50 each, and about 7 oz. But still. They came in individual containers and it sounds much more WOW to say two cakes. And I ate them. Yum.
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Tags: Limecello, Pondering
I love fizzy drinks too! I keep a case of La Croix lemon-flavored sparkling water on hand at all times. Sometimes I drink it plain, sometimes with extra lemon or lime, sometimes with sweet fruit juice, and sometimes with unsweetened cranberry juice.
I love fall. I love pumpkin pie, cool weather, the smell of fallen leaves, and the smell of chimney smoke on the coolest nights.
My family is going on vacation to Missouri next week, and it's gorgeous. I can't wait. Sleeping late, eating real food for breakfast, spending time with my husband and my family, and enjoying the view.
Thanks for this great post. I'm already having a better day.
JenB, yay yay yay!!!
I'm so glad. And the vacation to Missouri sounds wonderful! Is there room for me in your suitcase? 
Hehe...not in my suitcase, but maybe in the trunk of the car. You can sleep on the couch in the cabin.
Jen, I'll take it!!!
I love fizzy drinks, too! Sparkling lemonade! Champagne! And a coke is a must with pizza or a burger.
Right now, I'm into kettle popcorn and pumpkin ice cream. Not together, of course.
But all that still doesn't beat a vacation! Have fun, Jen!
Ooooo! Champagne! LOVE me some champagne. Drink it all the time. There's some good sparklers out of California now that don't cost an arm and a leg.
Popcorn. Not so much on the kettle, but good slightly salty popcorn made with just a little bit of butter. Yumm.
BBQ - of any sort. How can a good things list be complete without BBQ on it.
Little girl's hugs. Is there anything better than a hug from a little girl or a little girl's laughter. I suppose little boys count too, but I'm biased to my little redhead.
The Internet. 'Nuff said.
Sybil. She's the wind beneath our book-reading wings. (urp - sorry - that was the enchiladas I had for dinner revisiting me) Sorry for the sap, Sybs. But we loves ya!
Christine, I love all those things too! ESPECIALLY pumpkin ice cream. I have a hard time finding it though.
Gwen - I love popcorn. I've eaten a bag of microwave popcorn for lunch/dinner before. I like kid hugs as long as they're clean :X
And - I gave Sybs a shout out of sorts in my previous pondering :). Yay Sybil.
Gwen :: My girlfriend makes great homemade kettle popcorn. Not too sweet. Trader Joe's just came out with their own and its not too bad. All natural ingredients.
I second your love of BBQ. Mmm! And I'm partial to little girl stuff, too.
Lime :: Make your own! Don't you have the cuisinart ice cream maker? I think I have the same one. Trader Joe's sells Double Rainbow brand pumpkin ice cream. Soooo delicious and soooo fattening.
Can you tell where I do a lot of my shopping?
Christine, (and Gwen) - I LOVE BBQ too. And brisket. Grillmasters are different from Pitmasters, and I miss it.
As for the ice cream - I need a good recipe! Mine... I dunno. There seems to be off whenever I try. Haha, and I love TJ's - you should try some of their prosecco
My hubby is on a "stay home and do projects" vacation this week and I love spending all the extra time with him! We might even get to have a DATE sometime this week if both my kids go visit grandma as planned.
My first grader made ice cream at school a couple weeks ago if anybody wants that recipe...it involves throwing a ziplock baggie full of ingredients and ice at one another for quite some time, which is a lot of the reason the kids enjoyed it.
I have such a guilt complex, I see my name and assume I pissed someone off.
This blog would be the dead with you all!
I don't think I have ever had pumpkin ice cream....
And I had the blood orange Rième today. also delicious. everyone should go buy some.