30 - A Rose By Any Other Name

Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
Give me some Roses
If you know what's good for You

Hahaha - just kidding. But, I DO love roses. Especially red ones and white ones, but I'm fairly certain I would like black ones and I do like purple ones and yellow and I love this crystal one from Prague.

Roses are The Flower of all Flowers.

#30 on my list of Favorite Things is ROSES.

(Do you like how its 11/30 and this is the 30th Favorite Thing?)

31 - As Handy as a Pocket on a Shirt

About ten years ago, there was a week at work where the computers were down - for the whole week. I organized my hard copy files and dusted my desk about 300 times and I had to use a typewriter. (Joe doesn't even know what a typewriter is - too busy not being born, cuz using a typewriter was back before dirt.)

It was a grim week, and that was before I had an iPod and a cell phone. I am so dependent on technology now, I can't imagine how I could run my life without it. I use my laptop and the internet to do 90%+ of my work all day long. The other 10% is actually talking to people face to face. hahaha

There are two sites I simply couldn't function without. Google and iMDB. If I want to know pretty much anything, I google it. And, since I can't really speak without quoting a movie, I spend a lot of time on iMDB looking up various movie trivia. They are both so handy and so much a part of my constant learning process that I feel very disadvantaged if I am somewhere without my phone or laptop.

#31 on my list of Favorite Things is TECHNOLOGY.

32 - Candy is Dandy

Listen, is there really any debate? Pink are the best. Hands down. I know these things. Afterall, I've spent the last 14 years in the Non-Chocolate-Candy-Domain.

In the words of Henry Higgins (sort of)..... PINK, PINK, PINK.

#32 on my list of Favorite Things is PINK STARBURST

33 - I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

I am one of those people who LOVES Thanksgiving and feels that, while Christmas is the best time of the year, we should relish every moment of Thanksgiving before rushing on.

I don't believe in having Christmas stuff in stores before Halloween (which they always do - they get earlier every year); I don't put my tree up until AFTER Thanksgiving; and, most importantly I do not play my Christmas music until Thanksgiving has been good and celebrated.

When my Christmas music does come out I listen to nothing else the whole month of December. I have Christmas playlists on my iPods and a lovely little collection of Christmas CDs I play at home and in my car. And, aside from, Hello, There Mr. Kringle, and Boyz II Men, my Christmas music is truly wonderful.

There are three albums that must be played first every year. They are:

Celine Dion's These Are Special Times:

Kenny G's Miracles: The Holiday Album:

...and, Jon Schmidt's Jon Schmidt Christmas:

There are many, many more that I enjoy, but these are the ones I can't be without. I love the spirit of Christmas that accompanies these songs. It doesn't get much better than O Holy Night. Simply glorious.

#33 on my list of Favorite Things is CHRISTMAS MUSIC

34 - Black Friday

There's a scene in Young Catherine, a movie about Catherine the Great, starring Julia Ormond, where the empress has died and the Grand Duke Peter, Catherine's husband, has broken with protocol and ordered the court to discontinue wearing the traditional black mourning garb.

When a black clad Catherine, enters the scene where Peter's court is dining, Peter demands to know why she has disobedied him, and she says, "I am told that black becomes me." Then she sits at the table and defies him again by saying, "And, I mourn. I mourn for a woman who loved Russia, and for the Russia she loved." Other than Count Gregory Orlov, the "black becomes me" scene is one of the best in the movie.

The thing is, who DOESN'T look better in black? I LOVE wearing it, and have been increasing the black portion of my wardrobe over the last four or five years. I have black everything - purses, coats, luggage, shoes, furniture, wallets, jewelry, clothes...I love black. See:#34 on my list of Favorite Things is BLACK.

35 - The Gratitude Key

Ever since I read, years ago, in The Hiding Place about expressing thanks for all things, including fleas, I have studied gratitude and seen the power of having a thankful heart. I have come to feel it is, perhaps, a bigger deal than we might think at first blush.

President Monson said, "If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues. Someone has said that 'gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.' "

I have been blessed by this virtue on countless occasions...in fact, daily. There is ALWAYS something for which to be grateful. I believe that when combined with a dose of service to others, gratitude is an extraordinary antidote for sadness.

President Monson continued, "Sincerely giving thanks not only helps us recognize our blessings, but it also unlocks the doors of heaven and helps us feel God’s love. We can lift ourselves and others as well when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude."

Who doesn't need to be lifted? And - who doesn't need to have the doors of heaven unlocked? We all do.

And, so - today, on this day of Thanksgiving, I am thankful for thanks-giving.

#35 on my list of Favorite Things is GRATITUDE.

36 - Favorite food to eat on Thanksgiving

One year, when my brother was in a little league football tournament in Las Vegas over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, we all traveled down to Las Vegas with him and, hence, were not home for the holiday.

Our Thanksgiving dinner was eaten at the Circus Circus buffet. Not a stellar meal, but memorable for two things: the cardboard stuffing they served, and the waitress spilling a whole tray of water glasses on my dad.

Now, maybe some people don't mind mediocre stuffing, but our family does because my mom's father's stuffing was the best stuffing in the wide world. He was a great chef, but the stuffing was his masterpiece.

Thankfully, he taught my mom how to make it, and so the tradition carries on. Tomorrow, I shall be enjoying a big plate of stuffing and...some other stuff.

# 36 on my list of Favorite Things is GRANDPA's STUFFING

37 - Like the wind, honey

Some movies or people or situations are such a big deal that everyone immediately recognizes the acronym….like, LOTR…or POTUS…or LOL. :)

Well, see if you recognize the acronym for a favorite Thanksgiving film – HFTH. If you don’t know what that is, too bad, but I will tell you that there is just nothing better than Aunt Gladdie and her fruit loop necklace “singing” We Gather Together in multiple ranges. Classic!

# 37 on my list of Favorite Things is HFTH.

(Just in case - Lord of The Rings, President of The United States, Laughing out Loud)

38 - Pumpkin Patch

It's ALL about the pumpkin on Thanksgiving, isn't it?... just ask my cute niece... ...and because of that, I have fulfilled my traditional dessert making assignment for Thanksgiving dinner each year with pumpkin pies - traditional pumpkin pie and pumpkin cheesecake.

Typically, the pumpkin cheesecakes have been the best and a favorite. Four or five years ago though, they were kind of yuck, and basically, I ruined Thanksgiving. I went over and over in my head what I could have left out, but never could figure out where I went wrong. Since then, I've made sure I have several options in case the old standby doesn't stand by...pistachio, butterscotch, banana cream, apple, etc.. Last year, I added a pumpkin cake to the mix and loved it.

This year, I am making pistachio, butterscotch, pumpkin, pumpkin cheesecake and the pumpkin cake. My two favorites are the pumpkin cake and the pumpkin cheesecake (if it doesn't fail me). So - in case someone besides Kurt and my dad are reading this and you are looking for a fun dessert to take to Thanksgiving dinner, here are the recipes for the two favorites:

Pumpkin Layer Cheesecake
Two 8 oz pkgs cream cheese
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 C Pumpkin
1/2 C Honey
2 Eggs
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Dash Cloves & nutmeg
Pie Crust (pastry, shortbread or graham cracker are all yum)

Mix cream cheese, honey & vanilla with mixer until well blended. Add eggs. Mix. Stir pumpkin and spices into 1 cup of the batter. Pour remaining plain better into crust. Top with pumpkin batter and swirl lightly (if desired).

Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes - until center is set. Cool.

Referigerate overnight (@ least 3 hrs). Top with whipped cream or a mixture of sour cream, a bit of whipped cream, honey and powdered sugar (I never measure this, so good luck.)

Pumpkin Cake
1 yellow cake mix, divided
1 cube & 3 TBS butter, divided
5 eggs, divided
1 large can of pumpkin
2 C sugar, divided
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
4 tsp pumpkin pie spide, divided
1 TBS vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.

Crust
Set aside one cup of yellow cake mix for dessert topping. Pour rest of cake mix in bowl with 1 cube of softened butter and 1 egg. Mix well and spread on the bottom of greased 9x13 pan.

Filling
In a bowl, pour in can of pumpkin, 1 1/2 C sugar, 4 eggs, can of sweetened condensed milk, 3 tsp of pumpkin pie spice and 1 TBS of vanilla. Mix well and pour over crust in the pan.

Topping
Mix remaining cup of cake mix, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice and 3 TBS of melted butter. Mix until nice and crumbly. Spread crumble topping over entire filling mixture. (I like to double the topping, so I buy two cake mixes and save the rest of the 2nd cake mix for the next time I bake.)

Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until the whole cake is nicely browned and firm.

Eat and enjoy!

#38 on my list of Favorite Things is MAKING PUMPKIN DESSERT FOR THANKSGIVING.

39 - They weren't kidding about that Golden Rule thing

Have you ever thought about what a difference good customer service makes? I have. A lot. A good customer service experience has me writing blogs of praise and secures me as a loyal & faithful customer for life, while a negative one has me writing letters of "feedback" and boycotting for life. I will return over and over to a store that is more expensive, further away, and less convenient when I am treated well. Wouldn't all stores like that to happen?

Somehow, some of the sales associates at some stores haven't quite gotten the message yet and still treat you as if you are there for them or your presence in their establishment is a colossal inconvenience. What a missed opportunity.

And - it's not just about customer service. It is really more about civility. Think what a great place the world would be if everywhere you went you were treated like I was at ...

- The Ritz Carlton whose staff greeted me by name, turned on the lights in my room and had music playing as I walked in...

OR

- McDonalds whose 20-something year old cashier called me a beautiful YOUNG lady last week...

OR

- Nordstroms who lets me return anything - no questions asked...

OR

- Costco whose exit guy (also much younger than me) said, "Hey, Baby!" to me on the way out today...

OR

- The Tutoring Toy that employs toy experts who research toys for me and call me when they find just the right thing...

OR

-The Red Hanger manager who remembers me after months of absence - no matter which car I am in, and who my dad is and probably even my phone number, and gave me my own dry cleaning bag, and even sends me coupons.

What a great world this could be if we were all kind and thoughtful to each other.

#39 on my list of Favorite Things is GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE and CIVILITY.

40 - Here Comes the Sun

Wednesday morning, I walked outside after exercising, and found a glorious blue sky and the sun shining. I love sunny days. I can even endure the snow if there is a blue sky sunny day going on at the same time.

I have been known to lie out in the sun on occasion (as much as possible every spring, summer, and fall for nearly...well, who cares for how many years); and, if I have a summer that is somehow too busy for some pool time, I feel I missed a vital part of existence that year. I love the sun, and today, as the winter storms set in, I wish for you a sunshiney day. John Denver said it best:

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy
Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry
Sunshine on the water looks so lovely
Sunshine almost always makes me high

If I had a day that I could giveyou
I'd give to you the day just like today
If I had a song that I could sing for you
I'd sing a song to make you feel this way

If I had a tale that I could tell you
I'd tell a tale sure to make you smile
If I had a wish that I could wish for you
I'd make a wish for sunshine for all the while

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy
Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry
Sunshine on the water looks so lovely
Sunshine almost all the time makes me high

#40 on my list of Favorite Things is SUNSHINE.

41 - King of Kings

The best part of my high school experience was choir. We sang all over the place - in rest homes, malls, the capitol rotunda, Epcott Center, high school auditoriums, churches and cathedrals, and in what was then Symphony Hall (now Abravanel Hall). We had some amazing experiences. It is a joy to sing - and especially with the great singers and gifted choir director we were blessed to have. Our madrigals group was pretty impressive, if I do say so myself, and we won awards. Being in choir was a life-changing experience for me (and many others).

The most memorable experience we had as a choir was singing the Hallelujah Chorus with the symphony in Symphony Hall. I will never forget how I felt when the entire hall stood as we began that glorious tribute to our Savior. It brought and still brings tears to my eyes.

I love the gift music is and especially singing. There is something of heaven in it...perhaps reminiscent of the angels who heralded the Savior's birth.

A group of choir members in Philadelphia gave a gift of singing to their neighbors in a mall. Check this out:



Pretty great!

#41 on my list of Favorite Things is SINGING.

42 - Ms. Piano Girl

One of life’s great and universal regrets is: “I should have continued taking piano lessons.” I’ve never heard anyone say, looking back, that they were glad they stopped.

I’m one of those who regrets quitting. I took lessons from about age 6 or 7 into the early teenage years and then was tired of practicing and tired of my “meanie teacher,” who was, actually quite brilliant. I took more lessons in college and more again after the mission. So, thankfully, I did eventually see the light, but it would have been much wiser to stick with it earlier on.

While I didn’t want to play the piano when I was little (I wanted to stay in my ballet class – and, even told my teacher when I had to quit to take piano, that I was going to earn my own money and come back); it is, now, one of the great blessings in my life. Thanks, Mom & Dad! I suppose this almost makes up for the Lake Tahoe tragedy.

One of my favorite things to do on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon is sit at my piano, with the sun streaming through the windows, and play my piano. It is therapeutic, inspiring, and uplifting. I love having music in my home and I especially love piano music. And – I love the piano itself. It is beautiful. I planned my whole living room around my piano. I carpeted and painted to blend with the piano. I bought artwork, rugs, chairs, vases, candles and even my couch to compliment this beautiful instrument. My Christmas decorations – down to the type of material in the tree skirt match it. My tile, countertops and decorations above the cabinets in the nearby kitchen echo the piano color. I’d like to say my home is all about me…and it is, in part…but really – it’s all about the piano. And I love it. #42 on my list of Favorite Things is MY PIANO.

43 – The Great William Shakespeare

One of the best Christmas presents I ever got was a miniature card game called Authors. The deck includes greats like Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Louisa May Alcott, Edgar Allen Poe, Sir Walter Scott, James Fenimore Cooper, Robert Louis Stevenson, and of course, William Shakespeare. The game is played like Go Fish…where a match/set consists of four of the author’s books or works…the person with the most sets at the end of the game wins.

My brothers and I grew up playing this game. Whenever I ended with the most sets, I never considered it a complete win unless I had the Shakespeare set. It was (and still is) my personal challenge to get that set, and I have employed all sorts of trickery to get it (except cheating, of course).

In high school, I was always more excited to memorize Shakespeare lines than any others. In college, when I had to write a compare and contrast paper in film class, I chose two of the versions of Henry V (the ones by Sir Lawrence Olivier and by Kenneth Branagh – who, by the way, does Shakespeare brilliantly). And I continue to notice quotes from Shakespeare more than others – in various facets of life and our culture. I’m not sure what besides the Bible is quoted more than Shakespeare.

I am, by no stretch of the imagination, a Shakespeare expert. Not remotely. I do think, though, within the works of Shakespeare exists something of brilliance and inspiration. Here are some of my favorites:

Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.

Sonnet 116
Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;

But men are men; the best sometimes forget.

Hamlet
To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?
To die: to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd.

As soon go kindle fire with snow, as seek to quench the fire of love with words.

JULIUS CAESAR
Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
The evil that men do lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones;
So let it be with Caesar.

And this, our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything.

HENRY V
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember'd;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in Englad now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.

ROMEO & JULIET
O, here
Will I set up my everlasting rest,
And shake the yoke of inauspicious stars
From this world-wearied flesh.
Eyes, look your last!
Arms, take your last embrace! and, lips, O you
The doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss
A dateless bargain to engrossing death!

But O, how bitter a thing it is to look into happiness through another man's eyes.

Truly great!!!

#43 on my list of Favorite Things is SHAKESPEARE.

44 - The Sleepy Blue Ocean

When I was a little girl, we traveled to Lake Tahoe for a family reunion. We stayed in some condos with a fantastic swimming pool. One day, I spent a significant amount of time (I say 5-6 hours, my parents say 10-12 hours) in the pool and when everyone went down to the lake in the afternoon, I was not allowed to get in because I had been in the water too long...or some other silly reason - I'm not sure - all I know is I wasn't allowed to swim in Lake Tahoe. I'm still bitter.

I have always loved the water - swimming pools, rivers, lakes, and most especially, the ocean. I love the sound the waves make. I love boating and skiing. I love the view of the sun setting or rising on the water's edge. I love swimming in water and I love drinking an ice cold glass of water. I love sitting on the edge of water and listening. I even subscribed to Coastal Living for a few years - just to look at the pictures of homes near water. I love the water.

My happiest memories are associated with water - fishing with my Dad and brothers, laying in the sun on a floating dock, swimming for the high school swim team coach when I was 12, laying in a lounge chair on the deck of a cruise ship, walking in the ocean along the Oregon coast, riding the waves of the lake on a tube in a storm, watching orca jump while working out, swimming parties at my place with my nieces and nephews, snorkeling in Hanama Bay, boating in Sitka, driving along The Great Ocean Road in Australia, and most significantly, coming up out of the waters of baptism.

I am grateful for the water that sustains the life of my physical body and for the Living Water that sustains my spirit. Water is one of the greatest gifts in my life.

#44 on my list of Favorite Things is WATER.

45 - Got Milk?

Years ago, some co-workers were talking about milk and claimed that it didn't matter which brand you drank, "...they all taste the same..." What foolishness. I very matter-of-factly stated that I could pick the Winder Dairy Milk from any other milk because it is orders of magnitude better than the others.

One of them arranged a taste test to prove me wrong. He went to several stores and obtained five different brands - Winder, Kirkland, Viva, Albertons, and some other one - can't remember - all 2%.

He kept the milk very cold (which masks the after taste most milks leave) and he carefully labeled the five cups. It was easy to weed out the bottom three and narrow it to the top two cups. A few more sips and I pegged the Winder and the Kirkland respectively.

It took about 60 seconds total. And, not only did I pick the WINDER (get it, Dad? ...the WINNER...I might be a Bradshaw afterall), but three other participants did as well.

OBVIOUSLY, it matters which milk you drink. Incidentally, Kirkland has a nice flavor, and I enjoy drinking it. Winder is just a bit creamier. That's how you tell - great taste and creamy.

#45 on my list of Favorite Things is WINDER DAIRY MILK.

46 - We're Not Normal, We're Harmons

WARNING: Budget Master - don't read this one...

At 7:00 am Saturday morning, I ran over to the Harmons near my home to grab some laundry detergent. There were two reasons for this early morning visit:

1. I was out of detergent. :)
2. They open at 7 and I wanted to get in and out of the store quickly before the crowds came charging in. It's a popular store.

When I walked in, I smelled the bakery and decided maybe I'd buy a loaf of bread and have a slice for breakfast...then I saw the Thanksgiving stuff and decided I needed to get some little gifts for the dinner attendees...I got some tights...some granola...and, yes - the detergent.

Could this crazy shopping behavior have all happened at some other grocery store? Yep - probably.

Could the baker have given me a thick slice of multi-grain bread for free just to be nice...at some other store? Don't think so.

Would the checker have been friendly and automatically given me change in fives, tens and twenties rather than just twenties? Nah.

Would another checker have come up and asked if everything was ok with my Dad who hadn't been in to the store for three weeks? No way.

Would that same checker have sent our family a card of condolence when Grandma died. Not a chance.

This is a great store. They have a drive-up window for Rx - which is open until 10 - or you can order it online. They have an awesome kitchen section and delicious salad bar. They have clothes, etc., for various events like Breast Cancer Awareness Month. They have great produce, an awesome selection of seasonal items, and frequently have stuffed toy lions. Oh, yeah - that was the other thing I bought Saturday morning. Ooops.

#46 on my list of Favorite Things is HARMONS! They aren't the normal grocery store.

47 - Word Games

I remember a conversation a while back with a guy I met online who said he liked a girl who was straight forward and spoke her mind, because he was too old to play games. Those words were just that - words. Words to form a trite little dating phrase rather than an actual mantra or principle by which to live. They were in reality part of a game. A game I didn't want to play.

Now, I like playing online word games, just not the kind he was referring to. One of my favorite online games is Yahoo's TextTwist where in one version, you find all the words six specific letters can possibily form, and if you find the six-letter word(s), you advance to the next round. I don't play this as often as I once did - in meetings when I got bored, while watching movies or the news, while wasting time, etc., etc.,...but every once in a while I do like to hop online for a few minutes and play a game with words.

#47 on my list of Favorite Things is TEXTTWIST.

48 - Being prepared

A friend sent me a funny comic strip a few months ago - it speaks for itself:

# 48 on my list of Favorite Things is this COMIC.

49 - I love to laugh

Hahahaha!
Loud and long and clear
I love to laugh
It's getting worse ev'ry year
The more I laugh
The more I fill with glee
And the more the glee
The more I'm a merrier me

Good old Uncle Albert (and the Sherman Brothers) from Mary Poppins had it about right. And, I really do love to laugh. I love people who make me laugh and I like it when I am funny (or I think I am) and people laugh with me. I especially love to hear my nieces and nephews laugh. There isn't much that is a nicer sound than that.

Good sense of humor is even on my list of must have's in a spouse.

I found this quote from President Uchtdorf and thought he said it much better than I could:

Listen for the voice of the Father in the bounties and beauties of nature, in the gentle whisperings of the Spirit. In your daily interactions with others, in the words of a hymn, in the laughter of a child, listen for His voice. If you listen for the voice of the Father, He will lead you on a course that will allow you to experience the pure love of Christ.

#49 on my list of Favorite Things is LAUGHTER.

50 - Picasso

So - my Dad and I have had a running debate for years now about the brilliant artist, Picasso. The debate is, in fact, about whether he was brilliant or slightly overrated (without much talent).

In an effort to "encourage" my point of view, one year I gave my Dad a big Picasso print for his birthday. The subject is one I knew he loved, so I thought perhaps it might sway him over to my camp. It hasn't, but the print still hangs in his office - so that's something, right?

Art and beauty, though, are in the eye of the beholder. So he and you can have his/your own opinion. I am in the brilliant camp.

Here is one of my most favorite Picasso's. It hangs in my closet hallway where I do ironing. He captured the task completely, wouldn't you say?!
#50 on my list of Favorite Things is this Picasso of WOMAN IRONING

51 - The Dodo

I think my favorite restaurant in Salt Lake right now is

I love this place. The food is amazingly delicious.


I love going there for breakfast/brunch - their muffins, potatoes, omelettes, orange juice, diet coke...yummy!

I love going there for lunch - their Spinach Mushroom Feta Quiche, House Salad, salsa, diet coke...yummy!

I love going there for dinner - their Stuffed Pork, Smoked Turkey Sandwich, Chicken Enchilada, Cilantro Rice, diet coke...yummy!

Get the desserts - you won't regret it. And the appetizers!!! Try the Artichoke Pie. Oh, my!

#51 on my list of Favorite Things is THE DODO.

(Note: this post was composed on Fast Sunday. Big mistake. Big.)

52 - The Mission

Have you seen the film, The Mission, with Robert DeNiro and Jeremy Irons? It is the story of 18th century Spanish Jesuits trying to protect a remote South American Indian tribe in danger of falling under the rule of pro-slavery Portugal. But it is about so much more.

One of the themes in the film is the power of music, and the score, written by Ennio Morricone, to accompany this message is stunning. I love this music. Give yourself a gift and go listen to it sometime - specifically, Gabriel's Oboe. So beautiful.

#52 on my list of Favorite Things is the SOUNDTRACK from The Mission.

53 - Legolas

One of the best Valentine's gifts I ever got was this at my door:

Need I say more?

Yes - one more thing. Legolas is WAY better than Aragorn. You don't see Aragorn gliding down castle stairs on his shield while shooting enemies with arrows do you? No. Nor do you see him scaling a massive elephant thing while shooting enemies with arrows.....I could go on and on.

#53 on my list of Favorite Things is my cardboard life-size LEGOLAS.

54 - The Food Network & Chili

Here is one of my new favorite recipes. I found it on the Food Network site last year when I was searching for a good recipe for a dinner party at my place. I made it again this year for a family Halloween party we had last night. If you have a hard time with beef, but love chili, this is a great option.

Warning - it's got some kick. Note - I didn't use the beer and I thought it was delicious without it. Additional Note - The Food Network is really fun to watch if you're a budding chef. One More Note - Don't you just LOVE crock pots?!!!!!

Slow Cooker Chicken Chili
From Food Network Kitchens
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 6 hr 0 min
Serves: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients
2 pounds ground chicken, coarsely ground preferred
3 tablespoons chili powder, plus 2 teaspoons
1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15-ounce) can white beans, drained and rinsed
2 (28-ounce) cans diced fire roasted tomatoes
1 medium sweet potato (about 10 ounces), peeled and shredded
1 (15-ounce) can low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup instant tapioca (recommended: Minute tapioca)
1 to 2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce with seeds, chopped
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 teaspoons granulated garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch ground cloves
1/2 to 3/4 cup lager-style beer, optional
Toppings: Sour cream, shredded Cheddar or Jack cheese, chopped scallions, and chopped pickled jalapenos

Directions
Put the chicken in the slow cooker. Add 3 tablespoons of the chili powder and all the rest of the ingredients, except the beer. Stir everything together, cover, and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.
Just before serving, stir in the remaining 2 teaspoons of chili powder, the beer, if using, and season with more salt and pepper, to taste, if desired. Divide the chili among warm bowls. Serve with the topping of your choice.
Know-How: Stirring in chili powder right before serving brightens the flavor of the chili.
Copyright (c) 2007 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved.

#54 on my list of Favorite Things is this CHILI recipe.

55 – Ascot

One of the best scenes in the movie My Fair Lady, with Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison, is the trip to Ascot for the horse races; where, the lady who isn’t quite yet fair yells, amidst all the silent snobs, “Come on Dover! Move your bloomin’ a_ _!” This embarrassing blunder is accentuated by the stunning and very pristine clothes they are in.

My Dad loves this movie, and one year his annual Easter bonnet gifts to my Mom and me were Ascott-worthy (albeit slightly more conservative than Eliza Doolittle's). I love that I get an Easter bonnet every year, and I love this particular bonnet so much it sits on my piano to this day.
#55 on my list of Favorite Things is this EASTER BONNET.

56 – Move over bacon/Pantene...

Did you ever see the Connie Sellecca commercial for Pantene Pro-V Shampoo? (Yes, Joe – too busy…)

Well, I must confess, I coveted that “hair so healthy it shines” of her’s and thought that if Pantene was the ticket, then by golly, I was going to buy it too. So I did - for years.

I’ve since realized that having hair so healthy it shines is more to do with good genes and taking care of your hair than it is about expensive hair products. (Did I just say that? I almost believe it.)

There are some products that truly are worth the extra couple of nickles and dimes+. Moroccan Oil is one of those products. It is just the best product for healthy, shiny hair. (Sorry, Connie & Pantene.)

Try it…your hair will love it.

#56 on my list of Favorite Things is MOROCCAN OIL.

57 – Lions, and Tigers, and Lions – Oh, my!

I collect toy stuffed lions. I do. So, sue me. (It’s from a movie – sort of.)

I have been participating in said collecting for several years now and have thus amassed a rather large collection. People who know me well give them to me for birthdays, Valentines, Christmas, etc., etc.. I buy them whenever I am out shopping and find one that is cute, I buy them when I am traveling, and I give them to my nieces and nephews for various events. I have several sets of twins, a couple of big pillow lions, a blanket, a wall-covering, one with a steel frame the kids can sit on, a corduroy one, a key chain, etc., etc., etc…. Why do I need them? Because it is fun collecting them, that’s why. Plus, the kids like to play with them when they come over. Good enough for me.

Here are just a few of them… Aren’t they cute?!

#57 on my list of Favorite Things is TOY LIONS.

58 - Calm as a Summer's Morning

“I am going like a lamb to the slaughter; But I am calm as a summer's morning; I have a conscience void of offense towards God, and towards all men. I shall die innocent, and it shall yet be said of me — he was murdered in cold blood."

The prophet, Joseph Smith, uttered these words on June 24, 1844, during what would be his final horse ride from his beloved Nauvoo. He was dead three days later.

As the prophet and his brother rode from Nauvoo to Carthage they paused to look back over the people and the beautiful city of Nauvoo they had labored for years to build. And, still - they rode on.

#58 on my list of favorite things is this poignant STATUE located just west of the Nauvoo Temple.

59 - The Consent of the Governed

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. (The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776)

The consent of the governed.

While I was in Australia, they had their national elections. I went with my friends first thing in the morning so they could vote and enjoyed hearing their thoughts on the candidates and issues during the day. That evening, while watching the election results on TV, I sat next to a woman, Jane, I’ll call her, who said to me, “I hate having to vote.”

I wanted to hit Jane. Or suggest she give up her citizenship in a free country to someone who does not have a voice, so they can express theirs instead. Or ask why she wanted to spit upon the graves of those who gave their lives to keep her free. As it was, I nearly made my tongue bleed biting it until I could calm down. (I know – I’m a drama queen.)

George Washington once said, "If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter."

Jane – hating that you get to vote is dumb and silent!

While Freedom means having the right to not vote if you so choose, it also demands recognizing that it came and comes at a price – those who sacrificed everything protecting this right, and our active participation to ensure that government continues “to effect [our] Safety and Happiness.”

#59 on my list of Favorite Things is VOTING.

Favorite Things Count-down

Raindrops on roses and big diamond toys
Bright malls and shopping bags full of little joys
Tiffany packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things

Cream colored chocolate - just sixty days away
Parties and fun, don’t forget to mark the day
Daily blog posts full of silly musings
These are a few of my favorite things

Ok – so, I’m not a genius at rhyming. Here’s the thing – I’m going to try and do a 60-day count-down to chocolate by blogging daily about my favorite things.

Hopefully, this will be more about recognizing blessings and happy little gifts in my life than getting ready for a big chocolate party, but either way, here’s your chance to join in the fun and COMMENT!