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Happy List: #174

annisa
cornfield in new jersey on the happy list

Hello, friends!

Is it sweltering where you live? New Jersey has been taking summer very seriously this past week. Can’t wait to get my electric bill. Not!

This week I shared two new blog posts. The first one was a well researched (sarcasm alert) feature on why you should wear a vintage watch even if it doesn’t work. The second blog post was an update on the decorating in my son’s farmhouse-style bedroom.

On Facebook and Instagram I like to keep things random. Actually, that’s just my life, so it is what is is, but I’d love to connect with you there too. This week I’ve shared some behind-the-scenes of how we actually live in our house. There was a real gem where I couldn’t get a door open. This old house may be the death of me, but what a way to go!

Here’s the Happy List!

HOW TO DRY HERBS

We are drying herbs from our garden, so I loved this article from The Fresh Exchange. The pictures are pretty too.

(image: The Fresh Exchange)

OUTDOOR MOVIES

I saw this and loved it because 1) we’ve been here and 2) I’d love to watch a movie on a boat.

When we lived in Georgia our neighborhood would host a movie night at the pool. All the kids would watch from their floaties and it was just amazing.

OMBRE WALLS

Would you do ombre walls in a room in your home?

This is wallpaper, by the way. You know I’ve taken so much of it down that I can’t bring myself to put any up. It’s TOO SOON. Ha!

(image: Jana Pearl for Joy Street Design via Lonny)

I do love the pop of pattern on the backs of those chairs, by the way.

HAPPY ART

This art installation by artist Jean Jullien in a park in Nantes, France, made me smile.

Go see the rest of the installation in this article.

(image: Jean Jullien via This is Colossal)

MILES AWAY

The piano chords that start this song get me every time. I’m not sure why. Josh Ritter wrote this song after looking at photos of the earth from space.

OPEN AIR CHAPEL

Why are all the coolest things in Australia?

I’m not sure if “open air chapel” is code for “unfinished chapel,” but I sure like it!

It makes for a beautiful wedding backdrop. More pictures can be found here.

(image: via Ruffled)

FAMILY RITUALS

A recent Cup of Jo post asked readers to share their favorite family rituals. I was sucked into all the comments. There were so many good ideas and this was one of my favorites.

DIANY SAYS…
A nice tradition I have started with my kids is giving a special book on their birthday. Instead of a greeting card, we pick a book that means something that year (a book we borrowed many times from the library, a little story about a place we travelled to, about getting a sibling, etc) and we write a note on the front page or wherever we can fit it talking about memorable things of that year and hopes for the year ahead. I plan to give my kids a book with a love note every year for as long as I live.
One of our favorite rituals or traditions is that I bake each kid a GIANT cookie for the first day of school. It’s basically the entire recipe formed into one cookie and I decorate it (poorly, ha!) with the grade they are starting.
No matter how the first day of school goes, the kids know they have a giant cookie waiting at home for them. It doesn’t matter how old they get, they look forward to this every year.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

The life U.S. Representative John Lewis lived has given me a lot to learn from. It is my utmost hope that his legacy lives on in all of us.

John Lewis wrote in his memoir the following:

“Anchor the eternity of love in your own soul and embed this planet with goodness. Lean toward the whispers of your own heart, discover the universal truth, and follow its dictates. Release the need to hate, to harbor division, and the enticement of revenge. Release all bitterness. Hold only love, only peace in your heart, knowing that the battle of good to overcome evil is already won. Choose confrontation wisely, but when it is your time don’t be afraid to stand up, speak up, and speak out against injustice. And if you follow your truth down the road to peace and the affirmation of love, if you shine like a beacon for all to see, then the poetry of all the great dreamers and philosophers is yours to manifest in a nation, a world community, and a Beloved Community that is finally at peace with itself.”

Thanks for reading the Happy List! I hope you have a fantastic weekend.

I’ll see you back here on Monday!

 

 

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