Life has been busy and I was going to skip Happy Things Friday this week, but the thought made me sad. I really do love pulling this post together each week. Then, Ally from The Spectacled Bean gave the series a shout-out, and I figured that was the sign I needed to go ahead and write one for today.
So, I rearranged a few blog posts, and here we are. All is right with the world. (Well…not really. Not even close. But it does feel good to keep this part of my routine!)
Since I hadn’t planned to write an HTF post, I didn’t keep track of bloggy links this week. So this round is just my own happy things.
BIRCHE CAME TO VISIT
You can read all about it here and here.
It was such a wonderful visit with truly spectacular weather.
BIRCHIE IS COMING BACK
After a little detour to Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick, Birchie is coming back for two more nights with us. More adventures await before she leaves Nova Scotia soil.
ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL
But sometimes, it takes a bit of stress to get there.
At the end of August, I wrote to the manager of the soccer club Indy plays with to get some clarity on the upcoming Fall/Winter schedule. Once I had the details, I completed the multi-step registration process.
So far, so good.
Then last week, we received an email with the dates and times for the team formation sessions (essentially tryouts) for the different tier levels. On the appointed night/time John and Indy headed out, and about 20 minutes later, I got a call from John: Indy’s name wasn’t on the list.
My heart felt like it literally sank.
Because of a no-cut policy at his age level, they cap the number of kids who can try out — all the spots were already full, and Indy was now at the bottom of a waitlist.
We’d already passed on basketball so he could focus on soccer, and now his chance to play might be toast.
I emailed the soccer director, explaining that I completely respected the policy but had submitted Indy’s registration long before the waitlist came into effect. I asked (very politely) if there was any way to resolve the mix-up. He wrote back to say he was surprised Indy wasn’t on the list, and confirmed that Indy would be added to the team roster. WHAT. A. RELIEF.
(The team manager also reached out to specifically express appreciation for how calmly we handled the situation. It took me by surprise. Like, did she think we were going to start yelling at her? John pointed out that very well might happen in some situations. Ugh.)
NO WORK EMAIL + PRODUCTIVITY
It feels downright bizarre to be down two email accounts. And it feels great. There were a few moments of, “Wait, what now?” before it hit me: the university gig is no longer part of my day-to-day.
How liberating!
At the same time I was getting behind on work for our small business and spent most of one day getting my proverbial ducks in a row. Emails to our accountant, setting up a new account for an online system, getting bookwork up-to-date, mileage and home office expenses needed to be tabulated. Nothing was particularly challenging, but it was starting to add up and feel overwhelming. Crossing so much off my list felt great!
HAPPY FRUGAL THINGS FROM THE WEEK
- John and Indy found LeBron 16 Nike shoes at a thrift store… for $11.99! Perfect for cross-country.
They retail for about $400!
- When John comes home from trips, he almost always brings me the tea bags from his hotel room! They’re free.
- Birchie and I walked to the local coffee shop. No driving required.
- We visited free places like Medford Beach and Peggy’s Cove.
- We packed a picnic on Sunday, much cheaper than eating out.
- We found postcards at Peggy’s Cove that worked out to $0.20 USD/postcard. Hard to beat that deal.
- When Belle and I went for a tour of her new high school, look what I spotted pinned to a bulletin board?!
BONUS HAPPY THINGS
- Having neighbours who I can text about “borrowing” a can of chickpeas.
- Opening up the mailbox to find a postcard. This week, it was from Diane (Life Off Headset) writing me from South Africa!!!
- Salads for lunch.
- A short (but satisfying) run with John. I am a fall-only runner. The rest of the year is too hot or too cold. This was just right.
- Getting caught up on laundry.
- Being in the house ALONE.
- The kids now have chore charts on the fridge and we jot down things we need them to do throughout the day. Check out this exchange between Belle and John. “We literally don’t even have goats.” I laughed so hard. Indy’s list included “Paint all the pillowcases.” but he erased his list to do Math problems…for fun.
- Another round of bridge jumping! Every time, I think it’s the last hurrah of the season…and then we get one more scorcher and a perfect alignment of schedules. This week, five boys went together after school and had an absolute blast.
- John sent me this picture from Medford. I forgot to post it in my recap earlier this week, but I think it’s such a fun picture of Indy and I! It was treacherous to get to that spot!
Your turn.
- What’s one “happy thing” from your week?
- What was most stressful in your life this week?
- Does anyone reading ACTUALLY own goats?
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Here I am again, commenting on Thursday night because of our immense time difference.
Happy things are hard to think of this week; I am just so sad about Charlie Kirk. So, I looked for escape in library books (finished The Address, which I might have learned about from you, tried and quit Dear American Airlines, started My Italian Bulldozer). I also found escape in your beautiful blog photos—thank you! And I reminisced about being with my dear friend last week. (Thought of you, because we toured a lighthouse together!)
For extra thrills, I threw away a bunch of stupid stuff from the pantry, deleted more photos from my overloaded laptop, helped a friend scrape glue from the seams on a newly-poured but not yet painted pickleball court, and washed the clothes I found thrifting with my friend last week. I sure do know how to live large, eh?
And today, I fell asleep on the couch when I was supposed to be drawing. There are benefits to being self-employed, setting one’s own schedule, working from home.
You were first again! Congrats <3
You know how I feel about lighthouses! Sounds like a fun adventure.
I find decluttering to be very thrilling, so I fully support this form of adventure as well. Oh, and naps. I'm a BIG fan of naps.
My happy thing: taking my sons bowling. It’s been so hot and we’ve been hiding inside, so I decided they needed an activity. My daughter had bowling practice with her special olympics team, and I made they boys go and rented them a lane too. They had a lot of fun- even though no one is good- but it makes the random strike exciting.
Stressful? Now there’s an embarrassment of choices. (You know me, always a pessimist!) The two very anxious things: parent-teacher conferences for my hs son ( which were actually productive in the end but it’s a lot) and a bad fall I had on the weekend ( I fell down stairs, hit a door and banged up my head and arm and leg. Very messy. Things still hurt but have improved . Did not go to urgent care though probably should have – but dealing with it.)
I don’t think I’d like to own a goat, though it might help with lawn maintainance. My daughter has a dream of having a hobby farm with goats- if it ever happens, I bet I’ll be goat sitting ( but maybe not milking) in my future.
Enjoy your happy week! So glad Indy got on the team- that would have been such a heartbreak!
I think it’s sometimes more fun to do an activity I’m not good at. I can drop all pretense of trying to do well and can just let loose and have fun. Bowling. That takes me back! It has been years and years.
Sometimes it’s less about pessimism and more the sheer number of concurrent stressful situations. You have a lot of hard things (and some are long-term which is doubly exhausting).
That fall! How horrible. Oh my goodness. It’s traumatic both to have such a sudden shock like that and then to have all the physical ramifications of a fall. I am so, so sorry.
Phew that Indy got a spot, and yay for speaking up politely and getting results!
Buh bye werk email!!! I can’t wait until the day that I get to delete my company account off my phone.
It has been eye opening in the best way to see your thrift stores in person and to understand that it’s a way of life here. As the poster points out, there are so many benefits beyond merely saving money.
My happy thing of the week is pretty obvious…I spent it here, in your part of the world. I have to laugh when you said that you worried you had oversold it. You have criminally undersold it! It really is that good. It’s such a great place for kids to grow up, even if they have to milk nonexistent goats and paint their pillowcases.
The unhappy thing is that even though I’m working limited hours this week, work is still pretty obnoxious. I had to do a project last night that should have taken 20 minutes, but when I logged in I saw that the software had changed so instead of just being able to upload a file I had to key in the data manually so it took over an hour. I can’t wait until this nonsense is out of my life.
It would never cross my mind to yell at someone. I had resigned myself to the fact the rules were the rules and through some hiccup it hadn’t worked out. BUT, I wanted to do everything I could to move the needle and it worked out.
It is DEFINITELY a way of life in the Maritimes. People are very proud thrifters.
That is one criminal offence I’ll gladly accept. There is something vulnerable about embracing where you live with so much enthusiasm. What if someone else hates it? It’s a bit like sharing about a beloved book. You put a piece of your heart out there. So I am thrilled you are loving it. It really is a beautiful place to live and raise a family.
ARGH. Your work situation is death by 1,000 papercuts. Deep breaths. You’re almost to the end! And I hope
I’m glad Ally inspired you to make a HTF post! Your happy things were so lovely!
We have cows, but not goats. I’ve never felt the urge to have goats or other livestock. I think adding funny things to the “to-do” list is wonderful!
A happy thing this week: Riding my tricycle outside, enjoying the cool, crisp fall weather! Oh, how I love this time of year!
A more stressful thing this week: My blood test had a few numbers that were high, so I’ll have to deal with that.
John is always a jokester and Belle is cut from the same cloth. Indy didn’t even engage. He laughed and moved on, but Belle was keen to extend the joke as far as possible.
This is such a lovely time of year to be outdoors. Hooray for your bike.
Sigh. I know all about that blood work results not being ideal. It is unsettling and frustrating. Sending you best wishes as you sort things out.
Oh I am so glad the soccer thing worked out. How stressful! I would have probably burst into tears. I’m so glad it was handled! And yes, I am sure they get yelled at a lot. When the kids were small I was in charge of soccer scheduling for the community – games and fields and whatnot – ELISABETH IT WAS THE WORST. No sooner would I get the schedule done than someone would email me (no texting back then) to make a change and the whole thing would collapse. What I’m saying is youth sports ARE STRESSFUL.
Did I have anything stressful this week? Not really! There are goats at the farm market just down from us, actually quite a few goat places. Also cows and horses. It’s like I’m in the middle of farmland but am actually technically in a city.
Were sports like this when we were kids? Did coaches and staff get berated and yelled at? It seems like an epidemic at this point.
Yay for non-stressful weeks (especially as you gear up for a big adventure.
Well everyone is probably tired of hearing about it, but by far the most stressful thing this week was my sick cat- and my happiest thing is that she’s better now! Phew- life can go on.
I’m very glad you made this post! We all need to read about happy things. Thank goodness the soccer drama worked out- and yes, the fact that the director actually thanked you for being calm shows how much they get yelled at. Sad, but true! I see it all the time.
BIRCHIE! I can’t wait to hear about the next set of adventures.
When a kid or pet are sick it TAKES OVER YOUR LIFE. So of course it was the most stressful thing in your week and you get to vent about how stressful it was as long as you want. We can all relate in one way or another. I’m so glad Muffin is doing better and I hope Foxy is able to continue to integrate into your family.
We have one last hurrah together. She’s on her way back to my house this very minute.
I’m glad the soccer thing worked out and I am sadly not surprised that they were pleasantly surprised by how you handled it. My friend’s first job out of college was a director role at a youth soccer association. She got yelled at by parents SO MUCH. It was unreal.
This week was pretty good with no really stressful event luckily. I had a little bit of a stressful experience this morning when our power went out briefly during a zoom call I was on. It was an internal call and I rejoined on my phone so it wasn’t a big deal but it was just odd to have that happen mid-call! A happy thing from my week was just plain being home! I won’t be home much for the next several months…
I just…don’t get it. It’s sports. For kids. And even if it were for adults, why do people think it’s okay to scream at another human being? Sigh.
I’m so glad you’re home, especially after the horrible trip last time. You deserve the down time.
Happy thing: we booked a series of fun AirBnBs for a mini trip for our upcoming anniversary 😀
Stressful thing: my tiny rooster has figured out he can fly over the fence, and is teaching the others how to, which is … not fun for Chicken Momma, lol … Guess I’ll be learning how to clip wing feathers now (painless and impermanent solution that will last until they molt and grow new feathers).
I’m still dreaming of a trip to the Maritimes … maybe next year, after Mr has his Real ID and we both get our passports, haha
Having fun things on the radar is the joy that keeps on giving. You get the anticipatory delight and then you also have the relief of having plans made. Enjoy!!
Oh dear. It sounds like when a toddler suddenly learns to walk. It’s exciting but very inconvenient!
You would love the East Coast of Canada! It’s gorgeous.
Oh, I love that you still pulled together a Happy Things Friday even with a crazy week. What would a Friday be without it??
I can’t wait to go back and read all your “Birchie in Nova Scotia” posts; I’m sure you two had an absolute blast. And so nice that she’s coming back for the weekend!
My happy thing this week: our hike in the Alps was just wonderful! Smooth trails, perfect weather, and simply a joy to be out there. I’ll put together a post soon.
The only tricky part is all the logistics: unpacking, laundry, and the usual admin. Normally, that wouldn’t bother me, but we’re off to see Kai’s mum in North Germany on Sunday, I have a race tomorrow, and tonight we’re invited out by friends.
As you say, all’s well that ends well… but sometimes it takes a little stress to get there!
I have gotten to the point where I legit look to HTF posts for grounding during the week. And it really does make me open my eyes/ears/mouth (insert all the senses) in a different way because I’m actively trying to collect Happy Things.
We have had so much fun. And I can’t wait to hear all about your adventure. Phew. What a busy stretch, but thankfully it sounds like all wonderful things. Good luck with the race tomorrow!
$400.00 shoes for $11.99! Oh that is the deal of a lifetime. Yay!
Laughed out loud at: LOOK AT THOSE TINY KNEES! I was feeling that vibe before I read your words. Too sweet, those little timbits.
Thanks for the shoutout to my blog. I admire your creativity and determination to make your Friday feature happen. I tried to do something like that on Thursdays and failed. It’s not so easy.
I just can’t believe they were so tiny!!!
Thanks for the inspiration to do a HTF post this week; it really is such a positive habit in my life.
hey, I found you through San which led me to the cool blogger’s walking challenge 🙂 I know I’m just a rando dropping into your party but wanted to say hello and nice to meet you.
I hope I can come in regularly – am working hard again on my little blogging community. It’s dwindling a bit due to my lack of participation and changes in my life that no longer really make me a fitness/running blogger.
Welcome! Can’t wait to have you join in with the walking challenge. Less than 2 weeks to go.
The great thing about blogging is it’s there when you’re ready and have the time to come back!
ps no Goats here but my aunt and uncle used to have goats haha
Pretty sure if you skipped a happy things Friday post without warning everyone at this point, you’d get a ton of concerned checking in on you comments! I’m only half joking lol.
SO glad Indy ended up on the team. It’s one thing to have a life lesson of not everyone makes it after try outs it’s another to not get in before oversubscribed. (But why have tryouts if they all make it? And how can people have signed up when there were spots and get wait listed?! It sounds like there may be some registration kinks for the organization to work out.)
Thank you and Birchie for the postcard!!
Ha! I did once go a few days without posting (and didn’t “pre-warn” and I did get a lot of e-mails which warmed my heart).
So they call them “team formation” sessions not tryouts for this age category and there are two tiers (AA and AAA), so that’s was the tryouts are for essentially. Which team you’ll make.
Wow. YOU GOT THE POSTCARD ALREADY????? That is amazing. We mailed it Monday morning, so it made it your way much faster than I expected.
Thanks for doing a HTF even if you didn’t have a lot of time for it – always love these posts 🙂 So glad you got Indy into his soccer team – nice handling of the situation. I love the photo of you and Birchie – I haven’t read the updates on her visit closely yet, looking forward to that. Yay for one less email to manage.
Probably the low of my week was just trying to get on top of my own workload – I did a couple of extra long days getting stuff done. BUT I did make a lot of progress, and my high of the week was watching Eleanor run in a fun run for her last day of term yesterday, and then have Eleanor and Owen go with their Aunty for a weekend at her house. They were so excited and Al and I have a kid-free weekend now! So needed.
Awww. Thanks. It means so much to hear positive feedback and know other people enjoy HTF! It boosts my mood to hear about other people’s happy things and I’m glad I can do the same.
Enjoy the peace and quiet at home. I hope you get some adventure, some rest, and lots of good food.
I hope I get to visit you one day before we move out of the region. the pics look gorgeous, the exactly type of place I want to visit and I’m sure you are the best host one can ask for!
12 for a pair of almost new sneakers?! what a gem you found!
and yes, I take tea bags from hotel rooms too, after I try them usually.
happy thing this week is the concert (although I feel jet lagged now due to getting home midnight) the birthday party about to start, and potential running trip with a colleague.
The sneakers were such a great deal!
Enjoy the concert. What a busy (but fun) weekend you have in store.
The soccer knees and the Timbits sponsorship are just too dear!! And I’m so glad it worked out with Indy’s team. I think you handled it exactly in the right way — I’m conflict-averse so I think I’d have been tempted to just tell him “oh well, this is a hard lesson and life’s not fair sometimes” but you modeled such a healthy example of advocating for him in a respectful way.
The goats conversation is SO hilarious and I love the quintessentially teen rejoinder. But now I have to ask… were vacuuming the ceiling and shining skiis legitimate chores? I guess I do vacuum cobwebs out of the corner of the ceiling when I spot them…
Happy things this week: Nick threw me an epic surprise 40th birthday party at a beautiful winery! It was just perfect and I felt so loved by all the family and friends who showed up (including my dad who flew across the country just for the weekend to be here!). So, that pretty much tops the happy things list for the rest of the year for me!
I am so glad I sent the e-mail! I had nothing to lose (and was VERY respectful in the e-mail) and I will admit I had low hopes they would allow Indy to participate so what a pleasant, happy surprise.
NO. They were NOT real chores. Hahaha. Though there are an alarming number of spider webs in the top corners of our walls, so it might not be a bad idea.
Kate, Happy Birthday! And what a wonderful celebration. That sounds so romantic and special. And I’m so glad your dad was able to make it out for such a milestone birthday and celebration.
I’ve been thinking about jumping on the “Happy Things” bandwagon, but every time I read your list (and others’), I feel like there is NO WAY I could write a post about happy things every week. My weeks seem to just “blend together” these days, but maybe it’s just a practice thing? Like, if I started writing these posts, I would pay more attention to happy things instead of NOT even recognizing them?
All this to say, I love that you find so many happy things every week. And yay for Indy being on the roster for the team. I have no experience with kids’ sports but I hear that parents can get pretty wrapped up in it and so I am not surprised that the team manager was appreciative of how calmly you handled the mix up!)
Wow, a postcard from Africa! That’s exciting! And I love that John brings you tea from his travels! You’re right – the tea bags at the hotels are free, so why not take them! #frugaltipoftheweek
It definitely gets easier with time. I feel like I’ve “trained” myself to look at things differently. I default to pessimism and being cynical and grumpy, so knowing that I’m always on the lookout for fresh Happy Things really does help shift my perspective.
I always enjoy these posts! So happy that you’ve been able to spend time with Birchie, and that Indy got on the team. WHEW.
No goats in our ‘hood. Sometimes I see them on the hillsides near the freeway, the city rents them to eat the vegetation and reduce fire risk.
The city rents them? That’s hilarious and, also, sounds like an very environmentally friendly approach to lowering fire risk! Win, win. The goats eat things that are otherwise unwanted.
My parents have neighbour goats which often escape from their paddocs … and my dad is always scheming on how to get them in their garden, towards the overgrown ruin, without eating all their actual plants. It remains a work in progress. He feeds the goats opposite the veggie scraps – but they are picky, they don’t like certain greens, and only some goats like watermelon. Every once in awhile, someone leaves the gate open and we have to go herd them all out of their garden. That’s what counts for excitement in rural Portugal.
That sounds pretty exciting to me!! Also, hilarious. And I love the idea of your dad’s schemes 🙂
Oh, how stressful, re: the soccer thing! I’m glad it all got sorted out. I’m sure the people organizing it get lots of angry parent emails, so your email was probably a breath of fresh air for them!
You had an amazing week – nothing beats a Birchie visit! And that exchange on the chore chart made me giggle. 🙂
Let’s see… my happy thing was book club where we surprised one of our friends for her birthday. So fun! My stressful thing is waiting on some final details for my new apartment, which finally came through late on Friday, phew.
Moving is STRESSFUL, especially when it’s coincides with a big trip. But I’m glad things are coming together and the stress will all be worth it for the extra bedroom.
What’s one “happy thing” from your week?
What was most stressful in your life this week?
Does anyone reading ACTUALLY own goats?
The goat thing is hilarious. “Is this dad?” Love it. Happy thing from my week was getting to go to ND yesterday and tailgate with Mini. So many laughs. I enjoy her friends so much. I guess having to decide not to allow Kay to attend an all day retreat on Friday. It was hours from home and she can’t be trusted with the level of supervision, and it was still hard. She hasn’t earned our trust. That was hard, as was attending a family therapy session with her and Coach – but the session went well. We had such a busy weekend – if a camera was following us around, well, I think it would’ve been downright entertaining. No, we do not own goats.
I think you have more than enough on your hands without adding goats to the mix 😉
I’m sorry things continue to be so challenging with Kay, but hope that progress is noticeable, even if it’s microscopic, as you work through the process of therapy and welcoming both girls into the family in an official adoption capacity!
Dorothy found a pair of Lulu dance pants and 2 NWT J. Galt sweatshirts this weekend– thrifting is SO FUN– you have gotten me addicted.
THIS MAKES ME SO UNBELIEVABLY HAPPY, Sarah!!!! I want to see pictures!
Glad you got that soccer mixup cleared. Indy would have been so bumped, no?
I can not believe you snatched these sneakers for such a price. You are wizard when it comes to thrifting.
I collect all tea bags from hotel rooms too. Only the fruit teas I leave. Who drinks that. And if I stay multiple nights I take them each day so they get refilled.
That’s so smart to collect them during your stay so it gets replenished!