Happy List: #282

Hi! Welcome to this week’s Happy List! I’m delighted you could join the party.

Is everyone ready for the holidays? I pretty much am. If I’ve forgotten something, I’m sure I’ll wake up from a good sleep and panic about it later.

It was a big reveal week on the blog! On Monday I shared pictures of our dining room fireplace all decorated for Christmas. I love how it turned out. On Wednesday I shared the photos of our Christmas tree all done up in pink! If you missed those posts, please go ahead and check them out.

If you like what you read here and want to give us a present for the holidays, we would not turn down a comment, a like, or a share on either the blog or our social media accounts on Instagram or Facebook. Helping new people find us is a huge help! This goes for any creator that you follow online or on social media. It doesn’t cost you a dime and your support in this way helps bloggers and creators like us to keep blogging and creating. Thank you!

Now, here’s the Happy List!

POTATO SOUP

I don’t want to shock you but I’ve never made potato soup in my whole entire life until last week. In fact, I didn’t think I liked potato soup.

Well, I remedied both of those things. I made this recipe from Sam at Sugar Spun Run and it was so good. So, so good. The best kind of comfort food on a cold day.

(image: Sugar Spun Run)

P.S. I know it’s annoying when people say they loved a recipe and then modified it. I did substitute creole seasoning for the ancho chili powder because I didn’t have ancho chili powder.

UNICORNS

Did you see the story about how a little girl asked L.A. County if she could have permission to keep a unicorn if she found one?

They said yes if she follows certain rules involving moonbeams, glitter, and rainbows. Read the “rules” here.

I love everything about this story. It will restore your faith in humanity.

(image: LA Dept of Animal Control/Facebook via Good News Network)

SENTIMENTAL JEWELRY

There is a woman in New Jersey who makes the most gorgeous custom jewelry containing breast milk.

That’s why it’s custom and sentimental. You send in milk and she uses it to make jewelry for you, not for someone else.

(image: Mamma’s Liquid Love)

Ann Marie Sharoupim used her chemistry knowledge gained from a doctorate in pharmacy to create a chemical solution that would preserve breast milk. She then covers the preserved milk in layers of resin to create the jewelry. The oldest milk she has used to create jewelry was 20 years old.

She can also make jewelry with other inclusions like ashes, placenta, and hair.

I get that this isn’t something for everyone. That’s okay. The feelings a woman has regarding nursing a child are complex and personal. I can see why someone would want to have a piece of jewelry made with breast milk. I can see why someone wouldn’t. This is something that I might have done had I known about it.

Definitely check out Mamma’s Liquid Love. What she creates is truly beautiful.

BEAUTIFUL TREE STANDS

Look carefully at the tree in this picture from My Scandinavian Home. Notice the base.

(image: via My Scandinavian Home)

Did beautiful Christmas tree stands use to be a thing? Or is this just a European thing?

I wouldn’t need a tree collar or a tree skirt if I had a beautiful tree stand.

I’LL DRINK TO THAT

This mug sums life up pretty well.

(image: Manta Makes LTD via Etsy)

If you need a gift for your introverted friends, this mug from Etsy seller Manta Makes Ltd. is under $10 now.

BLUE WHALE POO

Did you know a blue whale’s poop is red? Well, now you do.

It’s red because of all the krill they eat.

(image: H. Ryono via Aquarium of the Pacific)

What’s even more fascinating is how important whale poop is to distributing nitrogen in the ocean and encouraging the growth of plankton. Whales and their poo are REALLY important for the health of the ocean.

Read more about it in this Wired article.

MADE ME LAUGH

Did a double-take when I saw these crocheted cat butt coasters on Etsy! I wish that I needed a funny gift for a cat lover.

You can customize your order to match the color of your cat.

(image: Yeelis Little Corner via Etsy)

CARDBOARD STAR

I’d like to try and make a cardboard star. This tutorial from Collective Gen looks doable!

(image: Collective Gen)

They even put two cardboard stars together to make a box of sorts to hold a small present. What a bright idea!

RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES

Here’s my once-a-year call to make the switch to rechargeable AA and AAA batteries. It makes your life so much easier!

We haven’t noticed a difference between the different brands, so I’d just buy whatever is on sale at the time.

POETRY MOMENT

Halfway There by Kate Baer
Whatever happens,
you are free to go. Free
to peel off what’s left of this story and choose
another. It is not
too late.
It is definitely worth the trouble.

Remember the story of the lion
lost without his courage.
Too scared, full of fury,
the great wizard
standing in the emerald tower,
knowing the lion was already brave.

Thank you for reading today’s Happy List.

Be good to yourself and others this weekend.

I’ll see you back here on Monday.

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