Today’s post is a series of four pictures. So what makes me happy today?

This:

This is an Ottlite. It’s energy efficient full spectrum lighting. It’s fantastic for all kind of tasks, but if you’re a crafter who works with beads, needlework, polymer clay and more, this little light is a must have. They’re expensive, but they can be found at discount stores for 50% off or more. I was wanting one for a long time and one day I went to Tuesday Morning and saw this little baby sitting all alone on the shelf. I couldn’t believe the price. It was incredible!

So what’s the fuss? The first picture is my work area in “natural light.”

And this picture is with the Ottlite turned on:

This little baby has revolutionized my ability to work on my jewelry.I don’t have to stop when the sun goes down. My previous overhead lighting just didn’t have enough oomph for me to see at night. Now? I can work on a project whenever I want to.

They have a bunch of different styles and sizes, but for my needs, this is just perfect.

For the record, I bought this light myself. I’m not sponsored by Ottlite, I’m not being compensated for writing about this little light. I bought it, use it, and love it. If you’re in the market for a great desk lamp or even a floor lamp, check these out.

I’ll admit it. When I was a young girl I had the maddest crush on Michael Jackson. The release of the Thriller video was an EVENT at my home.

To this day I still really like Michael Jackson’s music and his dance moves amaze me. Yes, I was a fan of his music.

BUT! I had NEVER seen Captain EO. U have no idea why. It’s exactly the kind of thing I would have loved, but for some reason, I never saw the show.

Since Disneyland brought it back as a tribute, I finally got a chance to see it. Wow. It was incredible. The music and dancing were classic. By the end of the show, I was completely thrilled with it. Just fantastic.

So for today, Captain EO is one thing that makes me smile.

I’ve decided to take this month and once again, post every day for the next 31 days. I’ll be sharing one thing per day that makes my heart smile. Each post will usually be a picture, but I’m not going to limit myself by saying it has to be a picture.

All pictures will be taken with my trusty iPhone so the quality won’t be the best ever.

And now, I present Day 1:

My Kalanchoe with white flowers. I only have 3 plants and this is the prettiest of them all. Please excuse the dead leaves. I suppose I need to go out and pick those off. If you’re looking for a VERY low maintenance plant, this is the one for you. It’s nearly impossible to kill, can be started from shoving a cutting into the dirt and saying a little prayer. And the flowers are just beautiful.

See you tomorrow!

I have a love hate relationship with Southern California. There are many good things about where we live. The weather for much of the year is fantastic. Our neighborhood is pretty great too. Disneyland, the beach, the mountains… The main problem I have with SoCal is the cost of living. It’s darned expensive to live here. I just don’t see how we’ll ever be able to afford buying a home here. Unless a long lost extremely rich family member passes and we get a large inheritance, it just doesn’t seem feasible.

I’m also not enamored with SoCal weather. It’s the reason a lot of people live here. We have mild temps much of the year. Well, mild to the rest of the country anyway. And then there are the summers with the scorching heat. Hot like AZ? Yes and no. Kind of, because during the peak of summer, it’s 100+ often. No because it’s not scorching for as long here as it is there. And then there’s “fire season.” That has to be one of the most horrible things about SoCal. Where I’m specifically located, there isn’t much threat of a wildfire wiping us out. But we’re not too far from locations that regularly burn. That means ash and smoke. Lots of it.

Anyhow, I found the website Find Your Spot. Just answer questions about the weather you like, what activities you enjoy, how much you want to pay for rent, how much you’d be willing to spend on buying a home and so on. It return 25 locations you might be interested in. I really wasn’t all the surprised by the results. And none of the results were in SoCal, or California at all. However, I can see myself in San Francisco. I think the dollar figure I used was too low for SF though. The site also gives you a ton of information about each location.

My top 25 locations:

• Eugene, Oregon
• Corvallis, Oregon
• Olympia, Washington
• Tacoma, Washington
• Providence, Rhode Island
• Anchorage, Alaska (which surprised me a little)
• Salem, Oregon
• Portland, Oregon
• Kent, Washington
• Bellingham, Washington
• Norfolk, Virginia
• Chesapeake – Virginia Beach, Virginia
• Medford, Oregon
• Seattle, Washington
• Bend, Oregon
• Baltimore, Maryland
• Little Rock, Arkansas
• New Haven Connecticut
• Charlotte, North Carolina
• Hampton, Virginia
• Spokane, Washington
• Greenville, South Carolina
• Fayetteville, Arkansas
• Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Some of those places have more snow than I’d be willing to deal with (I’m looking at you Spokane) and several are way too humid. But I can see myself living in the majority of those locations. It would be really interesting to see Jason’s results.

By the way, I’m in no way affiliated with Find Your Spot. I just ran across the site and thought it was interesting. Give it a try!

Wishing you a Joyous Christmas

And no, we didn’t install Christmas lights onto Caitlin’s forehead.