Happiness, in a (rather large) nutshell.

Before I even begin today, I'm going to give you a little warning. Sometimes I am a Gummi Bear, a squishy Gummi Bear that's been left in a warm pocket, a squishy Gummi Bear wrapped in a marshmallow coat. Do you get my drift ? I think you do and now that we have established the tone for today, I am happy to continue.

I have been tagged by the witty, lovely Kerri from Life And Other Crises with a 'Happiness Thingy'. The aim is to list six things that make me happy, then six blogs that I enjoy. So lets see how we go (you may want to keep a little bucket handy in case I go Gummi Bear overload).

1. Petal's cheeks. Oh how I love them, they're warm and mooshy with a lingering chubbiness of the toddler she once was. When she sleeps they take on a rosy glow. I adore kissing them, and luckily, she is more than happy to snuggle in and indulge me. I will miss them but for now, I shall kiss and kiss and kiss.

2. Le Artiste when he blooms with pride. My son and I have a complex relationship. I think it stems from the fact that in many ways we are very much alike. We like our own space. We strive for perfection and are often frustrated when our goals are not met. But sometimes, something works. For Le Artiste, his pride swells when his artistic endeavours are met with "oohs and aahs." I love watching his body language transform, the way his eyes light up as he struggles to contain a huge grin and the way he blooms. Yes he does, and I must say, I bloom a little with him.

3. A Pause. I don't know if you're familiar with A Pause, but for me, it's a moment when something gorgeous just makes you stop. Stop everything. It's a second where you think, wow, right here, right now, I am glad to be alive. (Are you reaching for the bucket yet ?) I wish I had more Pauses but they're frightfully unpredictable (somewhat like the weather faeries) so when the next one comes along, I might even try and make it a double.

4. Dark Chocolate. Lindt 70% cocoa works quite well for me. No further explanation required.

5. A great film or book. I love a journey. I'll happily go into space, back in time, into the derelict house with my torch battery running low, wherever. Just take me with you for a little while because my imagination knows no boundaries.

6. Cooking. We are a family who love to cook. Petal is the official carrot peeler. Le Artiste is the stirrer (in more ways than one). The Coach is the inventor and I am the recipe follower. We enjoy growing food, harvesting (you know, grabbing a handful of herbs or a couple of tomatoes) it, cooking it and eating it. I think we would've made excellent Italians.

Phew, aren't you thankful I had to stop at six ?

Now, six blogs I enjoy. I'm still rather a novice at all this blogging business but I have certainly smiled (and sometimes laughed, right out loud) with :

Life And Other Crises

Loobylu

You Might Want to Sit Down For This....

Dancing With Frogs

Pottymouthmama

House-n-Baby

Now go and have a lovely day and if you come across A Pause, smile and enjoy.