Life has been pretty stressful in our household lately - for a variety of reasons - and I've had a couple of long,dark tea-time of the soul kind of moments. I must admit, generally speaking, I love a good wallow - give me my bed, comfy PJs, something bad to eat and a good book, and I will hibernate for hours - days, even. However,there are times when wallowing is just self destructive.

So I was avoiding wallowing the other day by doing a bit of housework (yes, desperation breeds desperate measures), and as I changed the linen on our bed I started thinking about how much I love getting into clean sheets on that first night the bed has been changed. I even went absolutely nuts and ironed the pillow cases (!!) so that we'd have extra crispness to enjoy. That got me started thinking about my other favourite things, and before I knew it I was feeling all warm and snuggly and full of positive energy.

Happiness is about small things, really, isn't it, not big, splashy things, so I thought it might be fun to spread the joy a little this week and ask you guys what your favourite things are. I'd love to hear what makes you smile, or your chest ache (in a isn't-life-grand kind of way, not in a cardiac infarction kind of way), or just what makes you feel damned content. In the spirit of sharing, here is some of my list, in no particular order:

Spooning with my man on a weekend morning, knowing we have nowhere we have to be.
Getting into a freshly-made-up bed after a shower. (Ironed pillow cases earn extra points here.)
Enjoying a home-cooked meal with close friends.
Holding a baby - any baby, but a niece or nephew defintely tops the list.
Good soap and body lotion,and things that smell nice in general. A tiny everyday luxury that I really enjoy.
Shopping for gifts for a loved one.
Looking at green, living things - trees, flowers, grass.
The smell of freshly cut grass.
A cold beer on a hot day.
A good hug.
A good belly laugh when I'm not expecting one.

Okay, enough already - I could go on for a while but I'm already enjoying a nice contact high. Remember, you have to be a Registered User to qualify for contests, which means your name should be red and be verified when your post appears. This week's prize is a copy of my not-yet-released new Blaze, Take On Me, which is the first book in my Secret Lives of Daytime Divas trilogy, as well as some yummy things from Down Under to add to your reading decadence. I'll also throw in one of my backlist books. The winner will be randomly chosen from the list of folk contributing to the discussion.I look forward to hearing about your favourite things.
Sarah