It’s official…

It’s Spring!!! I had quite a bit of fun taking all of these pictures today.

Enjoy!

-Christina 😉

I am about to let all of you in on my dirty little secret…I love watching iCarly. OMG, I can’t believe I just said that out loud. YES – I AM A 34 YEAR OLD WOMAN WHO LOVES WATCHING ICARLY!!!  I am just going to be proud of my slight oddity (well, at least this one)! This show is cute, filled with fun clothes, and makes me feel young, because I TOTALLY could see myself and my best friends doing our own blog like that when we were teens!!! Well, ok, if there were such things as blogs waaaaay back then!!! 😉  Besides that, I find that I can’t stop myself from laughing out loud, even if I happen to be watching it home alone!!

Ok, now that I’ve bared my soul – I am feeling rather raw and exposed! LOL!! It must be time to go!!!

-Christina 😉

Caddy got the box and set it on the floor and opened it. It was full of stars. When I was still, they were still. When I moved, they glinted and sparkled. I hushed. The jewels glint and gleam with reflected and refracted light.

– The Sound and the Fury, William Faulkner.

Ok, so in February I watched a show that was called “10 Things I Hate About Myself”. The premise of the show was to list 10 things you hate about yourself and the show would provide you with expert assistance to tackle each item one by one, until all 10 items have been resolved. The show itself wasn’t exactly, what you might call, deep, but it did inspire me to create a list of 10 things myself that I have been actually actively working on.

Here is my list:

1. I hate that I am not fit and healthy!!! – this is an ongoing process and I I have lost 20 pounds so far!
2. I hate that my Christmas decorations are still out at the end of February!!! – DONE!
3. I hate that I don’t have a comfy couch in my living room!!! – DONE! I have a new over-sized red couch in my living room.
4. I hate that I don’t have an outlet for my creativity!!! – DONE! I have started painting, and I AM IN LOVE with it!!
5. I hate that I am not a photographer!!! – My sis is giving me her professional camera, so it is a start
6. I hate that my bedroom is a cluttered mess!!! – I have made it a habit to put at least one thing away every day, and I have one corner to finish, and this item will be done!!
7. I hate that I am not brave enough to wear every item from my closet!!! – I actively working on doing this, getting braver every day!!
8. I hate that my condo does not represent my true personality!!! – I am working on treating myself like my own interior design client, and I am making BIG steps to create a home that represents me!!
9. I hate that I have never traveled to Paris!!!
10. I hate that my marriage is not in a healthy, happy place!!! – my husband and I are doing great, it has given me hope that we really are going to be alright, it is just going to take more time, communication, and support, but we just started marriage counseling and our counselor is great at helping us each see the others point of view!

I had a blissful moment this past weekend, and even though it is Monday afternoon I am still pining for those few stolen minutes in the early morning hours of peace and quite at the book store/coffee shop. See? Life really can be perfect!!!

I am sooo thankful that it is the weekend, and in honor of it being a non-work day, I took some time throughout my day today to come up with a list of 100 good things that really make me happy – My Bliss List! I hope this inspires you to get out there and possibly make your own Bliss List, or at least just get out there and try a couple of these things and see if they make you happy too!

1. Rolling down a grassy hill
2. Funky statement glasses
3. Finding money you didn’t even know you lost
4. The smell of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies
5. Being covered in a fuzzy blanket, fresh out of the dryer
6. Making children laugh with you
7. Playing Bananagrams with a group of friends (http://www.bananagrams-intl.com/instructions.asp)
8. Swinging on a swing set at a public park
9. Snuggly lap dogs
10. 400 thread count sheets, freshly washed
11. Drippy, sweet barbecue ribs eaten with abandon accompanied by a stack of wet-naps
12. An authentic looking Santa Claus
13. A fragrant bouquet of fresh flowers on your desk at work
14. Saturday afternoon naps
15. Naked Sundays
16. Living with someone who doesn’t mind killing spiders
17. Sitting on the Oregon coast on a warm sunny day
18. A long foot massage
19. Friday afternoons, right after you’ve left the office.
20. Getting the primo seats in the movie theatre for a popular movie on opening night
21. Anything sparkly
22. Using Rock-Paper-Scissors to determine the outcome of an argument
23. Twirling in a heavy rain
24. Snuggling with your sweetie during a showing of a classic movie
25. Having your hair washed at a high-end beauty salon
26. The smell of Oregon after a heavy rain
27. Finishing the thing that you thought you would never be able to do
28. Being secretly barefoot, feet hidden under your desk, at work
29. A home-y dinner cooked by a loved one
30. A tall glass of sweet iced tea on a hot Summer’s day
31. Hunkered down in a bed on the couch, watching Sesame Street, while you are home sick from work
32. Snow Days
33. Hitting every green light on the way home from a busy day at work
34. Girls’ nights out!
35. Scenic train rides with someone you love
36. A steamy romance novel with a intriguing plot
37. Getting served a surprise breakfast in bed
38. Getting handwritten notes from loved ones via snail mail
39. Singing at the top of your lungs in the car when you are all alone
40. Skinny dipping at night with your girl friends
41. Roasting the perfect marshmallow
42. At home on a Friday night, after a home cooked meal, watching a comedy while looking through fashion magazines
43. Adventuring through town to find architectural photo opportunities
44. Sitting in the local coffee shop, people watching
45. Perfectly sautéed bell peppers and onions
46. Comfortable ballet flats in either a zebra, cheetah, sparkly, polka dots, or other funky, eye catching pattern
47. Glittery costume jewelry
48. Being a girly-girl
49. Being married to a really, really tall man 😉
50. A really good, and long-needed, refreshing cry
51. Having a friend to cry have a really good, and long-needed, refreshing cry with
52. Warm freshly popped kettle corn
53. Lying in the hammock in the cool shade of a tree, with a good book (see #35) , and a glass of sweet tea (see #29) on a mid-Summer’s afternoon
54. Old folks who sit on their front porch and wave at you when you walk by
55. That moment when you realize all of your chores are done for the weekend
56. Popping bubble wrap
57. Finding that special treasure while out shopping
58. Finding out that that special treasure is on sale
59. A good piece of decadent dark chocolate
60. The neat lines from a professionally cut lawn of grass
61. After a really bad day, going up to go to bed and realizing that your sweetie made the bed so that you can end your day in comfort
62. When the dentist says you still have no cavities
63. Fountain pens
64. A new journal
65. Jumping in bed in your birthday suit with that special someone
66. Driving to the farmers market early on a Saturday morning, taking the scenic route, with all the windows down in the car, and classical music playing on the radio
67. A really well prepared barbecued steak
68. Putting Doritos in my sandwich
69. That extra hour you get when your roll the clocks back
70. Chivalry
71. Waking up before your alarm clock and realizing you’ve got lots of sleeping time left
72. A fabulously cute umbrella on a rainy day
73. Jumping in a bouncy house with a bunch of little kids
74. Laughing so hard that you cry
75. Placing the last piece of a puzzle
76. Skipping commercials with the miracle that is DVR
77. Time to take a loooooooooooong hot shower
78. A long hug when you really needed it
79. Remembering how to play Für Elise perfectly on the piano
80. Getting so involved in a movie that you actually scream at the characters as if they can hear you
81. Meeting someone’s needs
82. When you suddenly remember you have a long weekend
83. My birthday dinner with friends and family
84. When a cute guy flirts with you just because he likes what he sees
85. Pealing dried Elmer’s glue off of your fingers
86. Toddlers in Halloween costumes
87. Reconnecting with long lost friends, and picking up exactly where you left off
88. The song Don’t Rain On My Parade sung by Barbra
89. When your niece and nephew scream your name and run at you for a hug when you first come over
90. Letting the waves bury your feet with sand at the beach
91. Your most flattering pair of jeans
92. Staying in pjs all day
93. Turning your backyard into the neighborhood drive-in using a video projector
94. Discovering that the annoying co-worker is not going to be in today
95. A well placed, often complimented fashion accessory
96. Listening to good music with an AWESOME pair of earphones
97. Diving into a warm swimming pool
98. Bubble baths in a HUGE whirlpool tub
99. Staying at a high-end hotel, with room service and all of the amenities
100. Discovering something new that would be perfect to add to my Bliss List!!!

Let me introduce myself, I am Queen Christina of ChristinaVille; the Patron Saint of all things Sparkly. My royal court is attended by my lovable Prince Consort, and two mini ladies in waiting, Faye and Sophie. Join me in my daily adventures in living, loving, and having a blast while creating the life of my dreams!