These are a Few of My Favorite Things

So...long time, no blog.  Again!  ¡Qué horror! (That exclamation is dedicated to our good friends that just moved to Tegucigalpa, Honduras.  Follow their adventure at ¿Teguci What?)

I have started doing some social media consulting for a friend, and you know what they say, "Plumbers have leaky pipes," or something like that...

To get back into the swing of things, I wanted to share some of my (most recent) favorite things!  (Disclaimer: All links below are because I love these things and wanted to share.  I receive no compensation of any kind.)

• My Nook.  I recently received the Barnes and Noble Nook as a gift.  What a generous gift, huh?  I am one lucky girl.  I have always loved being surrounded by books.  Going into a Barnes and Noble is one of my favorite things to do.  Books AND Starbucks?  Does it get any better?  But, I digress.  So far, I love my new e-reader.  I had always wanted one, but didn't like the idea of paying for everything I read.  I am an avid library patron (the first thing I do when I move is locate the nearest library - no joke!), so I don't usually pay for  "free reading" books.  No pun intended.  One of my favorite things about the Nook is that Barnes and Noble offers lots of books classic books free and also offers a free book every Friday.  What a great way to build my eLibrary and discover new (or just new to me) authors.  Now I can finally get around to reading all those books I was "supposed" to read when I was in grade school.  AND I only have to pack my Nook and my charger when I travel, instead of carrying around a bag filled with 7 books, just in case!

Source: Barnes and Noble

My Nook cover.  It is a fabulous faux green leather cover that keeps my new Nook safe and sound.  It is embossed with a quote from Martin Tupper, "A good book is the best of friends, the same today and forever."  How perfect!  I love books, I love friends, so it is the perfect analog for me.  It even has a pocket on the inside where I keep a little shammy to keep the screen smudge free.

Source: Barnes and Noble

• Reading.  Thanks to my new toy, I have been doing lots and lots of reading.  I had fallen out of the habit in recent years and I have really enjoyed falling in love with reading again.  I used to watch TV before bed, but now I am cuddling up with my Nook instead.  I just finished The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and am now reading The Girl Who Played with Fire.  The only trouble I have is that it is hard to put down and go to sleep at a decent time!  I figure, if that is my biggest problem, I am in pretty good shape.
  

• Glee.  Where have I been?  Hiding under a rock?  I finally started watching Glee.  Watching it just makes me happy.  I tried watching the premiere, but I didn't love it.  Who knows what kind of mood I was in that night?  I decided to give it another chance when Neil Patrick Harris guest starred.  What a fun show!  I love singing, dancing and show tunes.  What is not to like?  Thankfully, they have started rerunning the series, so I can catch up and make up for lots time. 
  

• Success stories.  I love looking at successful fitness transformations.  My gym awards a $1000 winner after every 10 week session and I am always so impressed!  I find them so inspiring and motivating.  I like to tell myself, "If they can do it, so can I!"  Now, if I could only stay away from giant chocolate chip cookies! 
  

• Oatmeal.  I used to eat Target's Market Pantry Lower Sugar Fruit and Cream oatmeal every weekday morning.  All of a sudden, I couldn't find it anywhere!  I couldn't find the Quaker branded one either.  The regular kinds are all over the place, but the lower sugar versions are no where to be found.  Thankfully, my mother-in-law had recently bought Better Oats and she shared them with me the last time we were visiting.  I was happy and relieved to find a new morning stable, which came in the form of Oat Heads, Berry Blast.  I also appreciate the fact that I can pronounce all the ingredients:  whole grain rolled oats, sugar, milled flaxseed, salt, dehydrated strawberries, natural and artificial flavor, dehydrated wild blueberries, guar gum, citric acid.  I know that "artificial flavor" is a little suspect, but I am stilling putting this one in the "Win" column. 

What are your new favorite forms of entertainment or toys?  Have you read any good books lately?