Challenge #2 from the 10 Day You Challenge.

 

My 9 Loves…

 

1. FAMILY and FRIENDS

Of course! I am very family centric and I love my crazy family the most.  My whole world is my husband, 2 children, parents, sisters, nieces and nephews, and friends.  I put in friends because for me most of my friends ARE family!  I can’t imagine family gatherings without them, and I look forward to catching up with them all year round.  🙂

(Also, I cannot believe how many photos of us -friends-that I do not have that are truly current, or are not of all of us together!..Fourth of July is friend photo making day! BE WARNED!)

 

2. ESPRESSO

Espresso is a big love of my life.  The smell while it’s brewing. The taste. The temperature in a cup. The appearance.  With milk it is the most delicious drink on this gorgeous planet, and I love it!  About 6 months ago I stopped using raw sugar in my coffee, and that made it even better!  I used to trek to my Italian coffee spots in the North End or locally in Medford every day to grab a capp or latte, but then I moved too far to do that.  To a place without International influence or good coffee shops, but found that Starbucks’ espresso is delicious and a good alternative, and have been hooked for over 10 years.

Also, now it is everywhere I go, so it’s a perfect match for this caffeine craving girl that totes around a coffee alllll day long.

 

3. ESSIE NAIL POLISH

Splashes of color on nails is another big love of mine.  And for someone like myself, who changes nail polish as often as the minutes tick by on a clock, Essie ROCKS!  The colors are rich, coverage is opaque, and it dries so fast.  Their rainbow of colors change every season, and I just love love love them! I never have chipping issues either.  I can remember the first time I bought a bottle of their polish, it was about 10 years ago from a salon I used to frequent and it was a stylin’ fifties red and a great alternative to an OPI color they didn’t have. The packaging was so different then, but I loved that polish so much and I knew I was hooked.  Nowadays you can buy Essie everywhere, even at TARGET!  That makes me happiest of all!

Today I am wearing their Watermelon, which is awesome for Summer days like today.
 <–combining two loves right here. 🙂

 

 

 

4. POTATOES!!!

As I mentioned in my first challenge, I love potatoes!  There is just something so amazing about them and I will never tire of them.

5.  GORDON RAMSEY, my cat

About five years ago, my first fur baby, Bruno, a gorgeous black Bombay cat, got mauled by a wild animal, like a fox or coyote. We had Bruno for about 5 years, we rescued him locally and he was my first ‘baby’ of sorts. His death devastated me (he died in my arms ..ugh worst night ever, and no vet could save him cause of the puncture wounds.). I still hate to think about it.  My husband felt so bad for me that he kept trying to cheer me up with adoption links to new cats and talking to me about getting a new kitten..but I didn’t feel up to adopting a new cat at that time.  Then 6 months later, my husband took me away to NYC for a special Valentine’s weekend alone..I love NYC and as usual, we had a ball.  But, he surprised me on the way home stopping in CT.  We pulled up to some person’s house, and out of the trunk he grabbed our cat carrier…which I didn’t even notice!  I was confused, but figured it out quickly.  He took me to a breeder of British Shorthair cats, and I was there to meet a little kitten silver tabby that he was planning to buy for me.  Within seconds I fell in love with this little ghostly guy.  He was the cutest thing I had ever seen, and his markings were phenomenally beautiful that he had to become mine.

He has been, by far, the best surprise present I have ever received!  EVER.  Look at his face!

 

6. FILMS BY TIM BURTON- Director or producer

I have to say MOST of his films I love.. not a huge fan of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  I had wanted that to be so much more, but then again he created some amazing movies like Big Fish and Edward Scissorhands, which may be my favorite movie.  If there is one person in Hollywood that can portray beauty in an odd way, in a way I love, it is Mr. Burton.

I still cannot get over that Edward Scissorhands is 24 years old.  I remember watching that movie at the theaters in absolute awe. Mouth gaped open and in love with Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder, and reeling over how grown up Anthony Michael Hall became!

 

 

7. NUTELLA

YUM! My mom always would pester me as a kid to make sandwiches with Nutella rather than spoon it into my mouth..which is the best way to eat it! BUUTt my favorite way to eat it is one spoon of Nutella, one scoop Teddybear peanut butter and one spoon of Fluff on top!.. yeah…it’s an art, and man ooh man, too good!

And I grew up eating Nutella..uhm way before it became trendy!

 

 

8. VINO

Some things complete your day like a good jog, a hard workout or a long bike ride..mine is wine.  Nothing sets my dinner right or makes hanging out with my family and friends absolute like a good wine.

No Chardonnay though, I draw the line there..  never met a chardonnay that I liked.

 

 

9. The BONEY BUNCH!

Halloween has to be my most favorite holiday to decorate around my entire house.  I decorate every room, every spot that I can, and not in a scary fashion either..just that touch of morbid that makes me smile.  🙂

I became obsessed with these cute skeletons from Yankee Candle back in 2007, when my sister and I bought one each during an after Halloween sale.  I got an Aunt Hilda and she got the Aunt Hilda with baby carriage (one I really really want now!).  Since then I rush out every August to buy new ones for my personal collection to place around the house. They keep coming out with funnier characters that I JUST have to have.

 

 

This was tough to just list nine!   I wonder if they’ll keep getting tougher!?
xoxox

Till next Tuesday!!