red barn in the snow. there is a door on the end of the door with a glass window.
happy list

Happy List: #422

Hello! Welcome to this week’s Happy List. I’m glad you’ve joined this party.

This week on the blog, I shared the leaf trinket dish I made out of oven-bake clay. It has a heart detail that’s perfect for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, or any time you want to spread some love.

I also launched a new series chronicling the makeover of our Basement Workshop. We’re starting where most of our projects lately start – with fixing up the stone walls. How long will this series be? I wish I knew.

Thank you for choosing to spend a few minutes of your day here. I hope you have fun, learn something new today, and leave feeling inspired.

It truly makes my day to connect with you. I work alone. It’s fun to talk to people. If you want to reach out, please comment on this blog post or email me here. You can also direct message me on Instagram or Facebook.

Here’s the Happy List!


DINING IN

I occasionally think about building a banquette around our dining room table. The dining room in this 1906 Tudor has a legit banquette. Look at the curve on the base trim.

See more photos of this warm and richly decorated home at Desire to Inspire.

dining room in a 1906 tudor home featuring a built in banquette on two walls with a narrow dining table in front of it. There are 4 windows above the banquette with burgundy curtains. Midcentury style turquoise globe pendants hang above the table. The entire room is rich yet inviting. Design by Reath Design and photo by Laure Joliet. Featured on Desire to Inspire.

(image: Laure Joliet, design: Reath Design, via: Desire to Inspire)


PERSPECTIVE

venn diagram from our world in data showing overlap between "the world is terrible," "the world is much better," and "the world can be much better."

(image: Our World In Data)


DIY ANNIVERSARY LOCK

Loved this idea from Lovely Indeed to make an anniversary lock with the initials of you and your partner. You do need a metal stamping kit.

Get the directions here.

photo of a hand holding diy anniversary lock with the initials of the couple and their wedding anniversary date stamped on it with a metal stamping kit. Idea from Lovely Indeed.

(image: Lovely Indeed)


DO YOU WANT TO BUILD A SNOW SCULPTURE?

The International Snow Sculpture Championships just took place. Teams spent 94 straight hours carving 12-foot-tall, 25-ton blocks of snow into intricate sculptures. No power tools or internal support structures were allowed.

You have to check out this YouTube video showing the teams in action. It is fascinating.

The winner of this year’s championship was Team South Korea. You can see pictures of the other entrants at Nice News. The entries from Italy, Mongolia, and Ukraine were among my top picks.

winning snow sculpture by south korea at the international snow sculpture championships 2026 in breckenridge via breckenridge tourism office

(image: Breckenridge Tourism via Nice News)


PUMP IT UP

We carry a portable tire inflator in our car, similar to this one, and it gives us a little extra peace of mind during bad weather or while on road trips. This one is rechargeable and cordless, so we can use it on our bike and wheelbarrow tires, too. Other ones plug into a cigarette lighter, so choose one that works best for your situation.

Ours isn’t sold any longer, but it looks very similar to this one has 25,000 reviews. Tuck this idea away for Mother’s or Father’s Day, kids going to college, etc.

picture of airmoto cordless rechargeable tire pump for cars, suvs, bikes, and balls. Sold through amazon and featured here on the happy list.

(image: Amazon)


DID YOU KNOW

Did you know coyotes can swim? A coyote in San Francisco successfully made the 1.5-mile swim to Alcatraz. That’s the famous and now closed prison.

You can read all about it at The San Francisco Standard.

coyote standing on alcatraz island. The bay is the background. There are trees and brush with a rock wall, and the coyote is standing in the center of a clearing. taken by aidan moore and reported by the San Francisco standard.

(image: Aidan Moore via The San Francisco Standard)


COOKIE CUTTER SUB-REDDIT

If you want to kill some time and maybe help a person out, there is a cookie-cutter subreddit that helps people identify cookie cutters.

The wrong answers, sometimes cleverly drawn in, are the funniest.

cookie cutter shape not identified on the cookie cutter subreddit where people give wrong and sometimes funny answers to identify the shape

(image: via Reddit)


SWEDISH CARDAMOM ROLLS

I’ve been to Sweden. Heck, I’m a quarter Swedish. I’ve never had Swedish Cardamom Rolls. Seems like it’s time to rectify that oversight.

I think this recipe by Gimme Some Oven is easier than it looks.

kardemummabullar or Swedish Cardamom Rolls sitting on a baking sheet. The rolls are golden brown with a twisted dough look, and have a sprinkle of cardamom on top. Recipe by Gimme Some Oven and shown here on the happy list.

(image: Gimme Some Oven)


FOOD FOR THOUGHT

“The fact that there are so many men still alive in the world shows that it is based not on the force of arms but on the force of truth or love. Little quarrels of millions of families in their daily lives disappear before the exercise of this force. Hundreds of nations live in peace. History does not and cannot take note of this fact. History is really a record of the interruption of the even working of the force of love or the soul.” – Mahatma Gandhi (via)


Thank you for reading this week’s Happy List.

Be good to yourself and others this weekend.

I’ll see you back here on Monday.

 

 

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