5 On Friday

5 everyday favorites

• French Market coffee. It's got chicory in it and is superb with a little cream. It's a perfect way to wake myself up on those days/weeks when my energy is a bit low. I love this coffee. But you only need 1/2 to 1/3 as much as regular coffee (also a good thing).
• Oatmeal with raisins. I make myself a big bowl of this almost every morning at work. I just use regular old-fashioned rolled oats, with some water and a little salt. I add the raisins while it's microwaving so they're all plump and soft. I add a sprinkle of brown sugar and I'm set. Instant comfort (and good for you!).
• Dr. Hauschka products. I've written about these before. They make me happy every single day.
• Ice water with lemon. Terri and I have been drinking a lot more water lately and our favorite is a big glass with a slice of lemon. For some reason I think it is so cute when she asks me to get lemons at the grocery store.
• The Tempur-pedic pillow. Seriously. I'm not a brand-name person (usually I couldn't care less what brand of pillow) but I tried an off-brand, and it's nothing like this pillow. Expensive, but it's saving my neck (literally).

4 mood-lifters

• Changing the sheets. It just makes me feel better to have clean sheets on the bed. It's like, insta-coze. I just want to crawl in with a big book and hot tea and hide.
• Dark chocolate. I've made the switch - I kind of can't stand regular milk chocolate anymore. Except a Hershey's with almonds, every once in awhile. But generally, it's dark or bust, now. My current favorite is this lovely orange-enhanced kind.
• A good book. Anytime, hands-down, this will save the day for me.
• Best of all worlds: Being in a cozy coffeeshop by the beach, with a good book, some good coffee and a chocolate something-or-other. And nothing to do for the rest of the day.

3 reasons to get out of bed

• Katie, Cleo and Tiger Lily: The plaintive meows from the other side of the door, little Katie sitting expectantly at the foot of the bed... heartbreakingly cute.
• A morning hike in the hills. Don't get me wrong, I rarely do this. But it's always worth it.
• ??: Frankly, I'm kind of a stay-in-bed sort. My ideal is to stay in bed, with tea and the paper, until at least 10 am (on the weekends). Who wants to get up, anyway?

2 people you love

• Terri: The sweetest, bestest person ever. Did I mention she's also super-smart? And kind? And funny? (Hilarious, actually) And everything good. She's the best.
• My mom: It's my mom's birthday today (happy birthday!). I love my mom so much. I get to see her next week and I'm so excited. We're the kind of mother and daughter team who go shopping together and gossip about everything worthwhile as we browse the sales. And then we get chocolate cookies. :)

1 thing you love about yourself

• Hmm. I have lots of things I like about myself, but love? Let's see. Well, I love my spirit of adventure. I'm usually up for just about anything. Certain exceptions: strange meat or seafood concoctions, underwater caves, or anything involving hiking in direct hot sun. However, generally speaking, I'm up for most any travel, adventure, food, new experience. I'm probably a big hypocrite with plenty more exceptions, but hey, it's my life, it's my blog.