raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens

hmmm... i don't suppose i've ever noticed roses so much. and kitten whiskers annoy the mess out of me. especially when i'm trying to sleep and puddy kitty snuggles next to me. her little whiskers tickle my face and i want to throw her across the room. (i highly doubt that anyone from PETA or any other animal rights organization is reading this, but just as a disclaimer- i don't actually throw the cat across the room. i just think about it. that's all. promise.)
anyway. those are not two of my favorite things. one of them is one of my least favorite things. and i'm no Oprah, nor do i claim to be... (however, if she were to offer me a position on her magazine staff, i think i would take it) but i have some favorite (and least favorite) things of my own. and because you are here, reading my blog, i'm convincing myself that you care. so... enjoy.

my favorite things

1. lots of last names. really. granted, i dropped the "eldridge" when i remarried, but had i thought it through a little more, i think i would have kept it. when the fictional scarlett o'hara had finally married all of her many times, her full name was katie scarlett o'hara hamilton kennedy butler. i think i will change my name to kayla shealey eldridge brooks balboa. because number 2 on my list is

2. rocky balboa. not sylvester stallone, although he is amazing. i am in love with rocky balboa. the character. *sigh* i even own "the italian stallion". check it out. but only if you're over 18. otherwise, leave it to the grown-ups. not the greatest cinematic event in stallone's career, but it'll provide a great laugh.

3. maternity pajamas. i purchased these when i was about 7 months pregnant with my last son. i wear them almost every single day. and by "day", i mean "day". in fact, i'm wearing them right now, and it's noon. these came from motherhood maternity and they're charcoal gray, but that doesn't matter. i would wear them if they were puke green. they are that comfortable. i think it's the fact that they allow so much extra room in the butt (which is perfect for a girl like me who has more than her fair share of "junk in the trunk"), and it's flowy in the tummy area, so it's not all snug and when i've eaten a little too much green bean casserole and i look about 4 months pregnant, i can blame it on the pajama top... it's maternity. it makes me look like that.

4. folger's coffee. the big, plastic "aromaseal" container. it is everything that coffee should be. with the coffee, i need:

5. coffeemate creamer. again, the big, plastic container. because i use a lot of it. probably 3 or 4 big, heaping spoonfuls in one cup of coffee. but it blends so well with my next favorite item...

6. sugar in the raw. i don't know why, but this is the absolute perfect sugar!!! it's super sweet so i don't have to use a whole lot of it in my coffee to make it taste like syrup- which i love. i was introduced to these little granules of heaven by pretty much the best ex-boyfriend ever and have been addicted ever since.

7. my yellow nikes... and guess what??? YOU'RE ALL GETTING A PAIR!!! okay, i made that up. just had to have my little Oprah moment. why is Oprah the only proper name that i'm capitalizing?? i kind of feel like i have to. you wouldn't not capitalize GOD or Jesus, would you?? not that Oprah is the equivalent, but it just feels necessary. i would capitalize Obama, and i'm not even a fan...

moving along...

8. soul miner's daughter sacred and profane. i discovered this album back in 1997 at honey creek and it has remained my all-time favorite album. it's jennifer nettles before we all knew her as "that girl in sugarland" and it is deep and soulful and everything that moves me in music. if you locate it (and believe me, it is hard to find) check out bodies and rhapsody. my two favorites.

9. deep bath tubs. they're just nice, aren't they?

10. chick fil a chicken nuggets. oh my gaaaaaahhhh... they are the most delicious things in the world. really.

11. cruise control. my car doesn't have it. i didn't even think to check for it before i signed my life away, and every time i hit I-75, i wish like hell i had. no cruise stinks.

12. playtex baby magic. it just smells like how a baby is supposed to smell.

13. boodreaux's butt paste. it smells kind of icky and is super duper sticky (nice.), but that's what makes it work. it sticks to your baby's bottom creating a barrier between the little tushy and all of the wetness in the diaper, therefor, preventing diaper rash before it starts. i love this stuff. my baby is 4 months old and has yet to have a diaper rash (knock on wood) and i'm convinced it's because of my religious use of the product.

14. target brand diapers. i think the actual brand is up & up, or something like that. and, to be honest, the reason i'm so in love with this things is purely vanity-related; they're stinkin' adorable!!! i purchased some the other day because i was working with a serious budget and 96 diapers were only 14.99. done. got them home and they were solid white with baby blue and pale green polka dots all over. soooo cute!! no cheesy characters or animals. oh yeah, and they work wonderfully. i mean, they catch all the pee and poop and stuff.

15. lysol disinfectant spray. i love the way this stuff smells. and the fact that it kills 99.9% of germs on contact is quite beneficial during cold and flu season. mama likey.

16. random "wall posts" ("holla" to all my facebook friends!!) to tell me how wonderful i am. sometimes i forget. thanks.

17. photos. another shout out to a facebook friend... Gibson Photos. they did my family portraits back in november and did the most amazing job! not only did the pictures turn out unbelievably wonderful, but they were so great at making us feel like we weren't a nuisance. and with 3 kids (8, 5 & 2 months) that can't be an easy task. but, they took it all in stride, we have beautiful portraits, and they got them to us quick, fast & in a hurry. again, mama likey. but, even aside from professional photos, i just love pictures. i take probably too many in a day, but that's easy to do when you have cute kids... or you've perfected that kissie-faced-side-glance look that i have deemed the "classic kayla". yeah, my myspace was covered in it. (remember that??? myspace??? ha. good times.)

18. big towels. bath sheets. i love those things. i'm not a "big girl" like my husband tries to make me think that i am, but i do love oversized things (back to the maternity pajamas...). i like big pajama pants, big sweatshirts, big blankets, big coffee cups, big shoulders (on my man), and bigger towels!!

19. dvr. it is the greatest invention. ever. i can watch house and cougar town back-to-back and skip through the commercials. heaven.

20. chelsea lately. it is my version of television utopia. i call it "teletopia". you have your beautiful, foul-mouthed, sarcastic chelsea (i could be her best friend. i just know it.), celebrity gossip (how much do i love celebrity gossip???), and josh wolf. *sigh* josh wolf...... probably should be #1 on my list of favorite things.... ya know what? i'll do one better... he is now Josh Wolf. yup, he's been capitalized. move over Oprah.