What makes me happy part 6

Activities like the primary children's Christmas event last night. We dropped off four of our kids for a 2 1/2 hour event of cleaning gently used toys to give to a children's shelter and decorating cookies and playing with balls. And then we took our Lap Baby and went out to eat! Green curry, without anyone whining and saying it was yucky and why are we having rice AGAIN? (this from the person who never eats any of the toppings). Then we wandered around the mall, which is, admittedly, a mall, but where else in America can you walk around near lots of people when it's cold outside and there are no sidewalks? We had ice cream and overheard all kinds of conversations, like those among Latino family members with all their kids along, or teenagers (I miss them!). Since we had only one kid, and got ice cream, it was like, the second date in less than a month. Woohoo!

What makes me happy part 7

Last one, folks. (And I hope all this what makes me happy equates to the single what makes me smile meme I was tagged for...)

What I'm happy about today is the gift of life I got 38 years ago today. Thanks, Mom!

Random recommendations

Aldi, a German grocery store chain spreading in the US. They are significantly cheaper than regular grocery stores, carry German chocolate significantly better than any American store (and now are carrying their Moser-Roth brand, which I always liked in Germany), and their milk is a dollar cheaper per gallon than Walmart's. AND it is now hormone-free. Hie ye to an Aldi's today!

Mr. Clean wall erasers. I'm a totally generic kind of shopper, but these really work to take crayon off the walls. (Although nowadays there great generics that do the job, too, so I may be switching brands...)

Pets & Kids cleaning liquid--the only thing that works on getting rid of er..."accident" odors.

Simon James' Baby Brains books. It's not just the text, it's also the pictures--yes, it's fantasy, but there's something very recognizeable about the little baby body as he does his rocket science or whatever.

Pistachio almond raisin couscous.