I've been having thoughts lately…lots of thoughts…and one of those thoughts is that I need to step back a bit and recognize and appreciate the beauty in things. And by beauty I'm not referring to makeup and skincare LOL!! Part of it is that I feel I've done a lot of panic buying this year.

What's panic buying??? For me it's that panic-y obsessed feeling I get when there's a sale, GWP, limited editions or items that are hard to find/acquire. I don't want to miss out (even if that means my gut feeling says I won't like) and that's pretty much all I think about until said items are purchased. 

In an effort to 'get better' and refocus some of that panic-y energy, every so often I'd like to have a non-product, non-beauty related post. Welcome to Things That Make Me Smile!!!

1. I had a layover in Orange County, California the other day. On a walk through a grove of trees I found all these HUGE leaves…they were bigger than my size 8 feet!!! It made me laugh ha ha!

2. Bacon sandwiches. Yep…bacon sandwiches!!! The past few weeks, Mr. Gummy and I have been having these tasty treats at least a couple times a week. We bake the bacon with lots of freshly ground pepper in the oven. When the baking is done we make the sandwiches with the pippin' hot, peppery bacon and Miracle Whip. As a general rule I don't like Miracle Whip, but there's something about that tangy zip that really pairs well with the non-replaceable bacon flavor!! 

Oh, you think that's it??? Nope. Next, both sides of the sandwich are buttered and lightly toasted in a pan. This sandwich isn't for sissy's. It'll grow hair in places you never knew existed. And it tastes amaaaaaaazing!!!!

3. No alarm clock. All too often I have to wake up at 3 or 4am for work, so I really REALLY love the days when I don't need to set an alarm!! 

4. @extragrumpycat tweets. I pretty much smile and laugh everyday with tweets sent from this account. This specific one sent me into hysterics, and I've looked at the screenshot picture many times since then because it's so funny and well, I don't drink and I'd love to say this to everyone that has ever asked LOL!! Like…why didn't I think of that?!!! :-)

5. Making time for tea. I have a small drawer in the kitchen filled with nothing but tea - what can I say I love tea and there are so many intriguing flavors. Mr. Gummy doesn't drink tea and I very rarely drink it at home, but I do at work. I think at work I feel I need the caffeine, but at home I just forget. I've been trying to enjoy my tea drawer more, because if I don't drink it no one will ha ha! There's something about just taking a moment. Which I say a lot, but it's so true!

What is making you smile lately?