Things I like - June

1) My knee length workout pants

similar to this but not exactly

Last year, on her wedding day, my sister gave me an early birthday present - knee length workout pants (which I had asked for).  I immediately started to wear them a lot.  So much that when my actual birthday came a month later Matt bought me a second pair.  I wore them a lot last summer and pretty much daily this summer (stay at home mom!).  Honestly, I like them because they are cool, comfortable, and hides my thighs.  I've never worked out in them; I just wear them all the rest of the time.  Plus I'm supposed to wear tennis shoes as much as possible (bad foot & knee) and these work with those.  I pretend sometimes I just came from/to a workout when I run errands in these...but really, I don't care.  I've got more important things to do all day (take care of my baby) than figure out cute outfits to wear.  Plus, I hate clothes shopping and this makes it easy. I will continue to wear these constantly until they wear out.

2. Zac Brown Band

The Zac Brown Band has the perfect summer music.  It all started with Toes and then Knee Deep.  I tend to listen to both of those, on repeat, at the lake, a lot.  So much that hearing either any other place immediately takes me back to hot summer days and those happy memories.  Pretty much all of their songs are light, and happy, and country.  And perfect for summer.  Every one of my summer playlists for the last 5 years have had some ZBB.  I pull up those cds on my phone when I clean the cottage, on the rare mornings we are there alone (usually while Matt mows).  They just sound like summer.  (And I saw them in concert 3 years ago, in the middle of a very busy 2 weeks of doing remodel work at the lake.)

3. My KitchenAid Mixer

The day I got my mixer at one of my bridal showers.  Look at the pre-painted kitchen and bottles of Bats in the Silo!

I've always really likes my KitchenAid mixer.  I don't think I fully appreciated it though until I started making all our bread.  On a slow week I use it only twice, much more on busy weeks.  I don't have any of the fancy attachments, just the paddle, dough hook, and wisk thing it came with but that's still enough that is used frequently.  I knead all my bread, besides baguettes, with it which has saved my arms a lot of work.  It's wonderful because you can throw everything in and just let it do it's thing.  I've already told Matt that when this one dies it will need replaced with a new one.

4. Feedly

 

I found out about this one from one of you that used it to get to this blog (I can see top traffic sources...the others are Facebook and Yahoo mail gibberish).  I checked it out and now I use it daily.  I put in the blogs I follow and it gathers all the new posts so I only have to check Feedly and not every blog.  This is especially helpful for blogs that aren't updated regularly (like this one...). 

5. The OC

 

I don't watch as much tv as these lists may suggest.  In the summer I hardly turn the tv on at all except for my morning workouts when I have to watch something to save myself from boredom.  And right now it's The OC.  Matt won't ever admit it but he's the one who got me to start watching it in college.  Back then, in the first season, everyone watched The OC.  I remember being in my accounting information systems class (just as thrilling as it sounds) and every Thursday this show is what everyone was talking about.  It's a teen drama that you probably only appreciate when you are a teenager.  I might be getting closer to 30 than I'd like but I still love this show; it's one of those comfort things.  Even the songs take me back to that time in my life.  When we were in Southern California 3 years ago we (me) found some of the filming sites.  I was pretty excited about it.  And you can bet I was singing "California, here we come..." pretty much the whole trip (Matt loved it).  I don't expect anyone to run out and pick this up based on this but...I still thoroughly enjoy it.