Happy List: #375
Hello, welcome to the 375th edition of the Happy List! Whether this is your first or your 375th Happy List, I’m tickled to have you here.
This week on the blog I shared the reveal of our refrigerator that we built in with cabinetry. That was a bigger job than we anticipated (they always are), but completely worth it.
I also rounded up some of my favorite heart crafts made out of wood! I have a fondness for February because that’s when we got married.
Of all the ways you could spend your time, I am so thankful you chose to spend a few minutes here. I enjoy sharing what creatively inspires me and I love connecting with you. This week I’ve answered emails, responded to comments, and a few of you even sent me pictures of what you’re creating. I love hearing from you. If you want to reach out, you can always comment on this blog post or email me here. You can also reach out on Instagram or Facebook.
Here’s the Happy List!
LET IT BE SPRING
This one photo is jam-packed with inspiration. The overflowing gardens, the metal doors, the patio, the stone exterior…I could move right in.
I rolled a dice to pick a photo from this home featured on Unique Home Stays. See them all here.
(image: Unique Home Stays)
CARVED
Intellectually, I understand how tiny carvings are made, but I still can’t quite wrap my head around making something so tiny. 3/16 of an inch is a rounding error to me, not a work of art. Cindy Chinn’s work proves me wrong. I’m blown away by this carving of a train and train trestle in a carpenter’s pencil.
See more photos and read about her work at This Is Colossal.
(image: Cindy Chinn via This Is Colossal)
LIFE CHANGING
I really need to get a couple of us tested for allergies to see what exactly we are allergic to, but using this air purifier at night has been life-changing. Knock on wood, we have not had a trip to the doctor this winter for a persistent cough and we have not had sore throat issues from post-nasal drip.
It doesn’t mean we’ve been able to stop our allergy medication, but our quality of life is much better when we run this air purifier. I’m sure any air purifier will help, but this is the one we have. It has over 36,000 reviews and is under $40 right now on Amazon.
P.S. It’s only 10 inches tall. It is sitting on the floor in this picture because there’s only one outlet in this specific location. Old house problems. Ha!
SOUP DROPS
Speaking of being sick, I thought this was an early April Fool’s joke, but it seems true.
Progresso is selling soup drops. It is “soup you can suck on.” I couldn’t even type that with a straight face.
It’s a promotion for National Soup Month. They are releasing a limited number of soup drops every Thursday for $2.49. In addition to 20 soup drops, you get a can of soup for that price plus 99 cents for shipping. That’s a pretty good deal.
You can bet I’m going to try and get my hands on some because this is the ridiculous type of fun we need now.
(image: Progresso)
TRIMMED OUT
I have never seen window trim like this before and it absolutely charmed me. It has a storybook feel. See more from this house over at Town and Country Living.
(image: Inside Stories via Town and Country Living)
COLOR
I was checking out at Target last week and the woman behind me had a cart with two different, colorful sheet sets. I commented on how bright and colorful they were and she said, “I know! I got them for my girls’ rooms.” I was a little jealous of her girls.
Target’s Jungalow for Opalhouse sheets might be the ticket if you need an extra dose of color in your life right now. If flower sheets aren’t your thing, there are other print options too.
(image: Target)
HEART TOPIARY
The Ponds Farmhouse created a heart topiary from Dollar Store items! I thought it turned out so well. You know I love a subtle nod to a holiday.
Get the directions here.
(image: Ponds Farmhouse)
HOMEMADE MUSTARD
How much do you enjoy condiments? We are big fans. Handy Husband, in particular, is a fan of Coleman’s Mustard. Have you had it? It’s an English mustard and once you’ve tasted it, it’s hard to go back to regular old mustard.
Anyway, they only sell it here in tiny 4-ounce bottles, so I decided to buy the Coleman’s dried mustard powder and make my own. I’m not sure why it never occurred to me to make prepared mustard before, but it’s so good! I used this recipe from Chili Pepper Madness. It took 10 minutes. It’s basically mustard powder, vinegar, and water. You can add garlic, turmeric (for color), or cayenne if you want.
(image: Chili Pepper Madness)
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
The official videographer for Kamala Harris wrote an interesting article for Slate on what it was like to hold that job. Here’s one quote from the piece that stuck with me.
“One time, I needed the vice president to redo a line for a video, and I started out by apologizing, saying, “Ma’am, I’m so sorry, just one more time” before she interrupted me, “Don’t apologize for doing your job well.” From then on, whenever my instinct was to minimize myself, I would consider what my boss had told—and showed—me.” – Azza Cohen
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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