Comforts . . .

Now that our "Indian Summer" days are faded and fall is officially upon us, I tend to think of the comforts that make me happy -- the little things in life. In no particular order, I love the following comforts . . .

Long, hot baths in the morning -- mainly because when I get out of bed, it's cold, and if I lie in the tub, I don't have to fully awaken before beginning my work day . . .

My mom's homemade meals -- need I say more? Hot dishes are something that we like to make up here in the Midwest and they are the epitome of "homemade yumminess". I was an odd child who wouldn't eat bread from ages 4 - 18 -- and even now, I cannot eat a slice of bread plain, or God forbid, a bun (gag! Long story behind that but we won't get into it now). My mom would make a point to make my favorite meal for my birthday, porcupine meatballs (which is hamburger and rice made up into big meatballs and then you can have either mashed potatoes or dumplings -- the sauce over all of this is tomato sauce mixed with rice. It's a variation of stuffed green peppers, also delicious)!

That feeling when it's Friday afternoon and I know the whole weekend is ahead of me . . . which takes me to my next bullet . . .

Sleeping in on the weekends!

Warm pajamas (and yes, socks to bed -- there's no other way to do it)!

Watching a good romantic comedy (like the best movie ever, my favorite, Love Actually) and letting the troubles of the real world melt away for 2 hours and 15 minutes . . .

Driving in my car and singing along to all my favorite songs . . .

When my house is all the way clean (it gives me such a peace of mind) . . .

The holidays with my family, especially the 2-3 weeks leading up to Christmas -- we have so many awesome traditions, including blasting Manheim Steamroller while we decorate the tree, making light conversation and bringing up memories . . .

Warm fall days where I can still wear long sleeves, but the sun is shining so it warms me just enough so I'm not cold . . .

When both of my kids are by me on the couch so I can give them both kisses without moving much (that makes me sound really lazy, but it's really just nice to have both kids nearby) . . .

To counter that last one, when both kids are sleeping so I can have some "me" time before I go to bed . . .

And finally, big hugs. I love to hug and be hugged! :)