Day 11: Fresh flowers make me happy.
Things are just starting to bloom around here, but not fast enough for my liking. After what felt like a decades-long winter, I need to see some flowers blooming! That’s why I really appreciated the fresh flowers my boyfriend’s dad brought over this weekend when I hosted dinner at my house. Today I saw that a few of the buds have opened and those bursts of color made me so happy! Photo below for your viewing pleasure:
Bright and blooming flowers!
Four days of happiness comin’ atcha in three…two…ONE:
Day 7: Safe travels make me happy. My parents headed back to Kentucky on this day, so it was bittersweet for me. I was sad to see them go, but happy when I got the text from my mom telling me they made it back safely. I always worry about them when they travel–too many crazy drivers out there for my comfort–so getting the confirmation that their travels were safe put a big smile on my face.
Day 8: Staff Meeting (oddly enough) makes me happy. Most folks wouldn’t say they enjoy attending a staff meeting at work, especially when that meeting is over two hours long. But I enjoy attending the monthly staff meeting at my company. I like learning what’s new with the company and the software and hearing our CEO speak about topics related to the business we do. I also appreciate the monthly grammar tip–who doesn’t want to improve their grammar? 🙂
Day 9: Making dinner with my boyfriend makes me happy. I’ve always been able to throw a recipe together, but wasn’t really someone who enjoyed cooking. That changed after I started cooking with my boyfriend. We make dinners together a few nights a week and it is always more fun cooking with him than when I cook solo. Whether we’re trying something completely new or making an old favorite, we always have a good time. (And the food usually turns out pretty great too! Check out my Instagram for photos of some of the meals we’ve made.)
Day 10: Being appreciated makes me happy. After pinch-hitting for a coworker who was out with a sick kiddo this week, my team lead (TL) told me I was “the reason why we keep the doors open for HIM training.” Apparently this isn’t the only time someone has said that–she said she stole the phrase from another TL who supervised me while my TL was out on maternity leave! In a company of 9,000+ people, it’s easy to fly under the radar. I love helping others and I don’t need to be recognized for it, but knowing that someone notices and appreciates the ways I help out makes me very happy indeed.
Happiness abounds!
Day 4: Scandal makes me happy. Are y’all surprised I am obsessed with Scandal? If so, you shouldn’t be. Fierce Black woman solving problems and saving lives while rocking designer clothes and carrying exquisite handbags? That’s got me written all over it. Yesterday was the show’s 100th episode and to celebrate, they did a “what if” storyline outlining what might have happened if important events turned out differently. I’ve been watching Scandal avidly since the first season–I am an old school “gladiator”–so I enjoyed seeing old characters and situations revisited.
Day 5: Customer evals make me happy. These evaluations (evals) I’m referring to are submitted by customers at the end of each class. They rate the overall course, training materials, and me (the trainer). This morning my team lead called me first thing and asked if I had read my evals from Thursday’s class. I immediately got anxious that something was wrong, but they were some of the best ranks I’ve ever gotten! I appreciated the positive comments my trainees left and also the fact that my team lead noticed and called to congratulate me.
Bonus: Today when I got home from work, I was able to sit down and eat dinner with my parents. I am so happy they came up to spend Easter weekend with me!
You’re probably thinking, “Nice job, sis. You just started #100HappyDays and you’re already a day behind.”
To that I say–you’re right; I am late. But the reason I’m late is the reason I was happy yesterday, so check your lipstick before you come for me. 🙂
Day 2: Educating people makes me happy. Yesterday, I had the pleasure of teaching a class of directors, managers, and supervisors. Twelve intelligent, curious women learned how to support their staff and received the details they needed to make informed decisions about how their departments will work. They asked great questions and really seemed eager to succeed, and I was so happy to see that. I was proud to know that I helped them feel confident in their roles and this new software system they would be using. This class took most of the day, and after it ended I got so busy with other work responsibilities and spending time with my awesome boyfriend that I missed posting about it. But, even a day late, it still brings a smile to my face.
Pretty good stuff, huh? Bet you feel bad about clowning me for being a day behind. It’s okay; I forgive you. 🙂 And to show you there are no hard feelings, I’ll share today’s happy thing with you.
Day 3: WKOW makes me happy. I know this sounds weird, but the local ABC station in Madison helps me start my morning with a smile. The Wake Up Wisconsin morning show has the best anchors; I love the camaraderie between them (the weatherman is pretty good too). I appreciate the local news segments they do, and I love that they feature an animal from the Dane County Humane Society each week to help find it a forever home. Also, today’s trivia question was about a Beyoncé song, which made me very happy indeed.
Hello again, friends!
Lately, I’ve been struggling with appreciation. There are a lot of stressful things going on in my life right now (personal, professional, even legal) that can make seeing the beautiful things in life very hard to do. Therefore, for the next 100 days, I will post something that makes me happy and tag it with #100HappyDays to make myself reflect on the positive aspects of my life. These posts will include people, places, things, whatever–anything that makes me happy is eligible for the 100HappyDays hashtag. 🙂
Day 1: This blog makes me happy! Even though I don’t update every day (or even every month) I enjoy having this space to voice my opinions. There are some things I want to share with the entire world; this blog gives me the opportunity to get those thoughts and ideas out to a wide audience. There are some times when I’m sad, lonely, scared, angry, or just need to vent–this blog is the safe space I need to get those feelings out.
(PS: I got this idea from my friend/coworker Nicole. Check out her awesome blog here!)
On March 30, I posted about making my own laundry detergent. I’m happy to report that I just finished using up my batch–almost THREE MONTHS later! My clothes are super clean and smell great–plus I’m saving coin!
Every now and again, I like to get my craft on!
No, not like this. Though this was the first DVD I ever owned. #throwback
I am especially interested in crafts that will save me money. I’ve been considering making my own laundry detergent for awhile, mostly due to its cost effectiveness. I am also sensitive to some commercial detergents, so being able to control what ingredients were in the stuff that goes on my clothes piqued my interest too. While perusing recipes for homemade laundry detergent I found a tutorial for wool dryer balls that promised to cut drying time and save money too. What the heck, I thought–let’s make both!
I started with a recipe for homemade laundry detergent I found online. The steps were pretty simple: grate one bar of soap and mix with one cup each of washing soda and borax.
It smelled really fresh and only took about 10 minutes to make. The most time consuming part was grating the Fels-Naptha soap. I pulsed mine in an old smoothie blender to make it super fine (like me!) and easier to dissolve in cold water(…not like me).
I made a double batch (which should last me quite some time) that breaks down to about $0.05 per load! Wayyyyyy cheaper than the overly-perfumed store bought stuff! Check out the original recipe here for more information.
I was feeling pretty accomplished at that point, but my crafternoon wasn’t over just yet. On the same site I found the homemade detergent recipe, I also found instructions for making “felted” wool dryer balls. These dryer balls are supposed to cut down drying time, eliminate static, and soften clothes (without the residue and hefty price tag that comes with store bought fabric softener).
I gathered my supplies: 100% wool yard, a crochet hook, knee-highs, and scissors. Then I started shaping balls! <~That sounds really inappropriate, but I promise this was a family-friendly activity.
I ended up with five baseball-sized balls from 585 yards of yard. Once the balls are made, pop them into the knee-highs and throw them on the washer on the longest, hottest cycle. Then put them in the dryer (also on the longest, hottest cycle). You may have to do this a few times–I ended up putting mine through the washer and the dryer twice–but at the end of it you’ll have a “felted” wool dryer ball! Peep the original website for detailed instructions on the process.
Once you get the hang of winding them, the task goes quickly. You can use these things for YEARS, which will totally save money on fabric softener. Not to mention they are chemical free and won’t coat my clothes with yucky residue!
Overall, my laundry-inspired crafternoon was extremely successful. Not only am I saving money, I’m actually looking forward to washing clothes and seeing the fruits (of the Loom–hahaha) of my labor!
I can’t believe it has almost been a full year since we purchased our home! Last year we missed out on decorating for the holidays, but this year we swore we would do something to the house (especially since the boys are with us). Our first step–a Halloween door cover!
Hanging this decoration has really ramped up the excitement regarding Halloween. The boys can’t wait to get dressed up; one of them wants to be a vampire Superman (points for creativity). JB wants to get some pumpkins for carving. This is the first year in my entire life that I’ve lived in an area populated enough to get trick-or-treaters so I can’t wait to hand out candy and see all the costumes.
I know this decoration isn’t much–it was $2 at Walgreens and only needed some clear tape and JB’s long arms to put it up. But it has made preparing for our first holiday as a family of five even more fun!
In case y’all didn’t know, my fiance is the father of three of the most hilarious boys I’ve ever met in my life. Even though they try me sometimes, these kids truly bring joy to my life; I always look forward to hearing their crazy stories and watching them laugh and play. Since they don’t stay with us full-time, I have been searching for ways to get them more involved in the daily routine at our house. A couple of weeks ago I mentioned the idea of getting paid to do work around the house and they were really excited about it, so I did what I always do in situations like these–logged into Pinterest to search for inspiration. This is where I got the idea of creating chore sticks. Not only was this craft super easy, it was also pretty cheap–I got all of the supplies for under $10!
Finished product!
Here are the supplies you’ll need for this project:
I started by applying tape to the end of each stick so that each boy would know which chores were his to complete. I thought this would be easier than writing their names on the sticks. Also, it makes the sticks more colorful and fun!
Washi tape makes doing chores cool.
Once I had all the sticks taped–I ended up with 20 per kid–I started on the hardest part of the project, which was determining which chores to put on the sticks. I researched age-appropriate chores for an 8, 7, and 4-year old and wrote one chore on the front of each stick. I decided to write out the chores and not use pictures for a number of reasons: (1) it was easier for me; (2) it gave the older two boys a chance to practice their reading; and (3) it gave the youngest boy a chance to start recognizing letters and words, even though he can’t read yet.
Some of the chores were simple, like clearing the table. Others were more complicated or time-consuming, like vacuuming the stairs or sweeping the garage and driveway. Each chore was priced at either $1, $3, or $5; I wrote the price on the back of each stick. Once they completed a chore, they were allowed to flip the stick over and see how much money they earned. You can easily add new chores by purchasing more sticks and “swap” sticks by changing the tape. If the middle boy outgrows a chore, all I have to do is change the tape and it becomes a chore for the youngest.
“A dolla makes me holla, honey boo boo!”
After I made the sticks, I sat the boys down and explained how the process would work. Each day they were at our house, they would receive a chore stick (sometimes multiple chore sticks). It was their responsibility to complete the chores before they left to go back to their mom’s house. In order to be compensated for their chore, it had to pass inspection–either JB or I had to check their work to make sure it was good. If not, they would not get their money. Additionally, they could lose money if they misbehaved throughout the week–not listening, being disrespectful, fighting, etc. might cause them to lose a dollar. Once they completed all their chores for the day, I would pay them their money. Each boy has two baggies–one labeled “spend” and the other “save.” They could decide how much money they wanted to save (for a big item like a video game or a tablet) and how much to put aside to spend at the end of the week.
Yesterday was our first time using the sticks and…it was a huge success! The boys were very excited to see what their chores were for the day and couldn’t wait to get started on them. I also chose chores that would require them to work together (for example, the middle boy was responsible for gathering all the dirty clothes and putting them in the hamper and the oldest was in charge of taking the dirty clothes downstairs and sorting them) so that they could see how each person doing a small job made the entire house run more smoothly. Obviously they needed a bit of coaching–making sure the laundry was sorted correctly and whatnot–but overall they did a good job with their chores. Probably their favorite part was when I gave them their dollars and they were able to put them in their “save” or “spend” bags. They each got $3 and all three of them decided to save every single dollar! I’m sure this will change as they earn more money, but I was really proud to hear them talk about “saving lots and lots of dollars” to buy something they really wanted. 🙂
Not only did I get to flex my underused craft muscle, I also got a bunch of help around the house for wayyyyyyyy less than the cost of a housekeeper. It may have taken a bit longer to get things done, but the boys need to learn how to take care of a household so I consider taking the extra time in the short-term as a long-term investment in them–as they continue to complete the chores they will only get better at them. Also, having the boys complete smaller tasks freed me up to complete some of the larger ones, so everyone wins!
I’ll keep y’all updated on our progress as we continue to use these. You can also find my original inspiration for this craft (as well as the list of age-appropriate chores I drew from) on my Pinterest page. Happy crafting!
You wake up thinking it’s just an ordinary Tuesday, and then you end up getting engaged. Who knew? I surely didn’t. But yesterday the love of my life asked me to marry him.
Sorry to ruin the surprise, everyone.
The story begins awhile back. JB and I started dating about two years ago have always known that this relationship would go somewhere (at least I did anyway). We had a few instances of wedding talk–even browsed engagement rings online so he’d have an idea of what I liked–but nothing super serious happened until a few weeks ago. JB mentioned casually that we should go look at some engagement rings at a store so I could try them on. We went to Kesslers, a local jewelry chain, and ended up purchasing a ring that day. We also took note of which wedding bands we wanted to purchase and tried those on as well. Side note: If anyone reading this is in Wisconsin and is looking for diamond jewelry, I highly recommend Kesslers. The staff was amazing, the price was reasonable, and the jewelry is beautiful!
My engagement ring wouldn’t be ready for a week, so we patiently waited seven days to pick it up. Once JB picked up the ring, I started living in a constant state of anxiety. I wasn’t having panic attacks or anything, but I did constantly wonder when “it” would happen. I also painted my nails just in case I needed to take ring pictures–a girl can never be too prepared. (Side note: My home manicure was long gone by the time he actually proposed–this is why gel manicures are so wonderful.) I accidentally found the ring in his sock drawer when I was putting away laundry one day, and I guess he figured that out because the next time I went to put away his socks, the ring was mysteriously absent. Word of wisdom to all you men out there: Don’t hide surprises for your lady near clothes if she’s the one doing the laundry.
Fast forward to yesterday. I had to work and JB was off, so I asked him if he wanted to have lunch with me. He said he’d let me know and I went on to work. During breaks I checked Facebook on occasion and noticed that JB had tagged me in a few things: two music videos (both super romantic songs) and an album of pictures of the ring! Once he picked me up for lunch, I thought he was acting a bit strangely but brushed it off. We had a quick lunch, then he dropped me back off at work. We checked in a few more times after lunch, then I left work to head home. JB wasn’t there when I arrived–he had to pick up the boys from school–so I got to work making a marinade for some pork chops (Side note: We are actually having these pork chops tonight–I’ll let y’all know if they turn out okay.)
A few minutes later, JB and the boys trooped in. He got them settled at the table with some food from McDonalds, then grabbed me and said he had an announcement. He said that I was a very special woman…very beautiful…and that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. (Side note: This is when I broke out into the type of sweat most often experienced when an extremely high fever breaks). He dropped to one knee right there next to the kitchen table, in front of the three people most important to him, and asked me to be his wife. 🙂 I cried and said yes and we hugged and kissed. The boys continued to eat their McNuggets–apparently nothing, even a marriage proposal, can get a kid’s attention if McNuggets are present.
Perhaps the boys would have been more interested in a proposal like this?
Once I got control of my emotions, I told the boys that this meant we would have a wedding and they could be in it. They got a bit more excited at that point…probably because most of the McNuggets were gone. I called my mom in Kentucky to tell her the good news, and we celebrated with a cocktail and an evening with the boys. (Side note: I had to take a shower because I was so sweaty after he proposed. I also spent a significant portion of the evening randomly bursting into tears–happiness overload.)
So there you have it–the story of our engagement! We’re planning to get married in a year, maybe a year and a half, and have already started talking about location and all those other fun wedding things. We appreciate every single phone call, text, Facebook post, and positive thought we’ve received; we can’t wait to spend the rest of our lives together, especially with our great families and awesome friends!
I finally showed JB my secret wedding Pinterest board!
Men's Lifestyle Blog
Writing the stories I want to read
Best place to interpret people, actions and events.
deepcurvesahead 