"Making Me Happy" Monday

Welcome to the third installment of "Making Me Happy" Monday! I can't believe this is the third week in a row I'm doing it - I think it's here to stay!

Today's happy list includes:

1. I got to see When Elmo Grows Up (Elmo Live) last night with a good friend and her daughter - not only did we go for free, we had great seats and there is nothing more fun that watching a show like that through your child's eyes. MH boogied for the entire show!

2. Baileys Irish Cream - better for my back pain than muscle relaxants!

3. It doesn't look like I've done any major damage to my back after last week's fall on the ice - I'm very sore, but functioning fairly normally.

4. It is 3:17PM, and I'm still in my jammies, not feeling one bit guilty. The Mad Hatter and I have had a wonderful low-key day relaxing, dining, and getting crafty. And rockin' out to the CD we got at the Elmo show last night.

5. Speaking of getting crafty, this Mommy really cut loose and we did finger painting - SO. MUCH. FUN. Even though it was a major mess. Then we cleaned up and moved on to something else. Remember Fashion Plates from the 80's? Uncle D got MH something similar and I think I might be enjoying it more than she is! Oh, the combinations! Oh, the coloring! There is something so therapeutic about coloring!

6. My kitchen is clean, the dishwasher is running, and I know exactly what I'm making for dinner.

7. My special new Twitter friends Cynthiaa (Yummy Mummy) and Melissa (Spoiled Mommy) - I have been loving our chats! And I love all the great new tweeps I've been continuing to meet (except for the scary stalker ones who just start following you for no apparent reason - for those tweeps, the block option has become my good friend).

8. Tweetdeck! This might have been on last week's happy list, but I am seriously in love! I have found specific things I'm looking for, it's easy, neat, and organized, which is one of my major goals for 2009 - organization!

9. DH and I are so committed to our goal of 2009 being the year of US and our "Best Life" (thanks, Oprah!)! We are eating healthy, trying to get in exercise (well, me as much as possible at PT), planning out meals for the week, and really being such an amazing support system for each other. I feel so connected to him right now, and really proud of him too - all of this change started with HIM (and let me tell you, he is making major changes)!

10. I have been replacing almost all beverage consumption with water, and it feels fabulous (of course I still need my cup or two of java in the AM)! I'm down to one caffeine free Diet Coke a day (with dinner), but lately I've even been known to turn that down in exchange for a nice tall glass of water with lemon. Big change!!!

11. My grandmother just had her second cataract surgery done this morning, and according to my mom (who is down there in Florida taking care of her), all went very well and she's doing great! Even nicer is that my dad is taking a much-deserved few days off himself and heading down there tomorrow to spend some time with them. And we get the dog, who the MH refers to as "the best" and "my best friend". Having the dog here will make MH very happy, which in turn will of course make me very happy!

12. A very dear family friend and his wife are going to become first-time parents tomorrow! She is actually due on February 8th, which is the MH's birthday, but is being induced tomorrow. I cannot wait for the phone call letting me know that mom and baby are healthy and doing well, and I can't wait to find out the baby's sex!

13. Speaking of babies, a dear friend of mine had her second child just a few days ago, a little girl I cannot WAIT to go meet! Both Mom and Baby M are doing wonderfully, and new babies of course, always make me happy!

As always, there are many more things to be happy about!

Join in the "Making Me Happy" Monday fun and leave a comment for me so I can be sure to stop by your blog!