These are a few of my favorite things ...

Taking a note from my dear friend Jessi's book, I am naming today "Friday Favorites" ... These are things I cannot live without.  No, even more, they are things I WILL not live without.  As in, it's not an option.

Where to start ... there seem to be quite a few things (aside from the obvious .. Emi, Mike, Dexy, Pixie, Sera .. my friends, my family ...) these things are material.  And in most cases, immaterial to actual daily survival - for most.  Not for me.

The first being - my camera.  Though I have been without it for a few weeks now, for no other reason than rushing in the morning, I have a fantastic camera.  It's a Kodak Digital Camera.  But it's not one of those sleek, fit in your pocket, miniature type - easy to use digital cameras - this one is relatively beefy.  Which is just one of the things I love about it.  I also, I'm so old fashioned, have a Pentax 35 mm camera.  Yep ... the film taking kind ... I love it.  I carry that with me on our weekend jaunts. (that we've been too busy to take as of late, though that's going to change - we will be taking one soon.)

Next - a book - any book, whatever I'm reading at the moment, or haven't yet read.  I always always always have a book with me.  Usually, it's a different book, just about every day - given the speed at which I devour books.

Moving on - I have a small, tiny actually, bottle of "Cool Citrus Basil" Bath and Body Works body lotion.  It's one of my favorites.  It's a clean, light smell, that doesn't make my skin itch, or burn, or turn bright red like most scented lotions are known to do.  I believe, actually this scent has been discontinued - thus the reason I always have it on me.

Then we have Softlips.  MmmHmmm, you know the stuff - mostly I stick to the "Strawberry" kind, which is increasingly hard to find now a days - I have found them only at Target - in two packs, and will happily shell out the nearly 4 dollars for my addiction.  There is really no other term for it, I am addicted, hopelessly addicted to this "lip protectant" (as they call it) ... if I cannot find strawberry, I will sink to the "cherry" level.  I know, It's an illness.  One that I am not ready to either face, or cure - as the case may be.

Also, my cell phone - which now, thank you Mom and Dad - has access to the internet (hooray!) ... it also doubles as a camera, though the pictures aren't the greatest, it takes video too! 

There are also "normal" necessities - Advil, Tylenol, benedryl, pens, checkbooks, nail file, wallet, "girlie products", band aides, neosporin, Tide to Go Pen ... I also have necessities for Emily - motrin, Tylenol, benedryl - poor girl is allergic to bug bites, they swell up and give her fevers -- mosquitoes, black flies, spiders, doesn't matter - all of em.  Which, as some of you know, living in New England is a year round issue.  Makes life a lot of fun!  Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, I know I am blessed, and I know am among the lucky.  

All these things are normal, in a sense - but I also have the "abnormal" ... I have a word search book, a highlighter, straws (lots of places don't have kids cups), as well as post it notes, a sharpie (or three, in varying colors), white out ... as well as a few other odds and ends.  

Without these - essential things - at any given time (apparently, however my camera doesn't count this month) - I am liable to feel, naked - vulnerable - and as though a part of me is missing.  It's weird, isn't it?  For a person who, up until last year, never once carried a purse - and still frequently leaves without one - to need all of this ... STUFF ... weird, and yet, comforting.

I'm normal, I'm a woman, I am a mom, I need STUFF.

What do you need?