You Fill My Heart With Gladness

I was extremely excited today to hear the doorbell ring and see my amazon.com box waiting on my tiny front porch with two of these inside:


So excited was I that I promptly (and by promptly I mean after washing them, then feeding myself and precious one lunch and then putting said child down for a nap so I could get to serious business without interruption) tore the recipe off the packaging, whipped out my Pampered Chef mixing bowls and got busy making my very own mini donuts which required no frying in bad-for-me oil (we're focusing on the lack of frying rather than the presence of delicious chocolate goodness topped with glaze). Let's just say the sight of 24 tiny donuts emerging from the oven filled my heart with happiness. So I popped two sugar-coated delights in my mouth and headed happily off to the dentist (seriously).

PS These pans which currently fill me with such joy actually came to me completely free of charge thanks to my amazon gift cards earned through swagbucks.com - so there is further reason to smile!

Party Like a Feline

I discovered something very sad today. I live in a world where products such as a "party mix" for cats actually exists. Because you know, those frisky felines get a little feisty when the chips and punch run out - it's always good to have a little extra party mix on hand. And don't be fenced in by the generic "party", either. Feel free to branch out and party at the beach, at a picnic, by the grill or, yes, even in the wild west. Because we all know that's where the cool cats are.

It honestly makes me sad that the feline world is obviously so much more social than I that they require their own multiple varieties of party food.

The Best Job in the World

I love being a mom. Yes, it is challenging, but I fall more in love with my daughter every day, and just as many before me have stated, it feels like each stage of my baby growing up is even better than the last (no matter how much I wish she could stay this little forever).
These are my favorite things about having a toddler - specifically MY precious toddler - in random order:
- I can tell her to go get her shoes or go to the car and I get a "soos" or "ka" in response as she toddles off in the right direction. Oh the freedom of no longer being permanently attached in order to get her anywhere. Also, hearing her repeat the commands is just darn cute.
- All it takes is a game of peek-a-boo to go from a grumpy, fingers-in-the-mouth glare to an all-out giggle.
- I can ask for a kiss and, if she's feeling generous, I will get a wonderfully wet lip smack.
- Witnessing her random displays of newly gleaned abilities never ceases to amaze me - like when she points to a picture of an ear, says, "Eee" and grabs her own, without any prompting. Simply incredible.
- The requirements of entertaining a toddler are remarkably similar to the skills of doing the same for a puppy. Ball + repeated throwing = endless enjoyment for all.
- There's actually help for picking up her toys at the end of the day - and for doing other household tasks, such as putting away laundry. And this help is so much more eager than that of any adult, albeit a little OVEReager at times.
- Being greeted with a ginormous grin, excited squeal and dash for a hug when picking her up from anywhere - church nursery, baby-sitter, etc. - never gets old.

There are many more things I love about my amazing little girl, but I don't want to bore you. Suffice it to say, unlike much of America right now, I have a lot of job satisfaction.