So much for taking the summer off of writing Happy Things Friday posts. I guess that reflects the fact that Happy Things still happen, regardless of the season. And Hallelujah for that.
I’m still not sure how to quantify time this July – some days the month seemed to be dragging on for an eternity, but also…poof. It’s now August!
This was such a wonderful week. One of my favourite weeks as an adult. To be fair, I was barely an adult when I had I first child and so it’s hard to remember a time when I didn’t have someone to put to bed. I love my kids and can’t wait to see them today and hear all about their adventures…but I have also loved this week without them completely and absolutely. Highly recommend. 10/10. I will move heaven and earth to get this to work same time, same place next year!
WORK MOTIVATION
I had a bit of an unexpected setback at work at the start of the summer and it was hard to feel much enthusiasm for the fall semester. But this week has done wonders for my motivation. I wrote the tech department and asked them to post some documents on a departmental website (streamlining my workflow) and they went above and beyond. I have about a dozen go-to e-mail templates that I regularly circulate and I methodically went through every single one and overhauled the structure and content. I created new documents (with fancy formatting and all).
I got caught up on admin work for our business and crossed all month-end responsibilities off my list.
It felt so good. For the entire time I’ve been a part-time working mother I have worked predominantly from home and I have always had children around for at least part of each day. It is revelatory to be working with only adults at home.
THRIFTING
What a great week for thrifting. When we made our little anniversary trek to Halifax, we hit six different thrift shops. Wednesday, after running some errands, we went to three more. That is a lot of thrift shops and I am delighted with every single item we sourced.
I occasionally get questions about what we thrift. Um…everything. Computers. Shoes. Clothes. Luggage. Kitchen appliances. Home goods. Sporting equipment. Furniture.
For perspective, here are the new clothing/accessory items I own:
- 4 pairs of shoes (1 pair: Blundstones, Birks, On sneakers, Asics)
- Underwear
- Socks
- Nylons
- One winter coat (though technically it was a warranty replacement, so free)
- One pair of sunglasses
- About half my earrings
That’s it. Not a single dress, shirt, skirt, sweater, pair of pants/leggings, pajamas, puffer coat, rain coat, winter or sun hat, set of gloves, winter boots, strappy sandal, purse, or bra (sports or otherwise) in my closet has been purchased new. Everything is thrifted. It’s about the same ratio for the kids. John does buy a bit higher proportion of his clothing new for work purposes but even then he scores some great deals. A few years ago he went to a suit shop and bought a $400 blazer; later that same day he stopped by a thrift store and found a similar blazer for $10. He returned the $400 blazer and wears the $10 blazer on basically every business trip.
I do think thrifting is an acquired skill, and I also realize we’re fortunate to have some wonderful local thrift shops.
What did we buy this week?
- About 8 pairs of shorts for L. His short situation was dire (he had some pairs that were 4T and he is a tall 9-year-old). All $4/piece or less.
- 1 pair of shorts + 2 button-up shirts (one long, one short) + 2 T-shirts + 1 polo + 2 pullover sweaters + 1 pair of casual pants for John. $6-15/item.
- A laptop ($40 for a Lenovo Thinkpad; works great and John will sell this on Kijiji for $250)
- Storage solutions. I lucked out with some great totes and organizers. Most were $1.50, one bigger tote was $4.50.
- A sleeveless jumpsuit ($5.75) + undershirt ($4) + like-new Puma sports bra for me ($2.95); I’m wearing all three items this very minute!
- A carry-on wheeled luggage for our trip to Portugal ($4)
- Two bento boxes for the kids ($4.50/each)
HOUSE DECLUTTER
I’ve already recognized that order is one of the five main things that gives me oxygen. Despite being relatively minimalist, we are still a busy family of four. And spaces quickly and perpetually descend into chaos.
This week provided the opportunity to declutter the house from top to bottom. Because of my hearing issue, I happened to be on prednisone which meant I had more energy than usual during the day…and insomnia at night. So guess who was reorganizing kitchen cupboards at 1:00 am? Me! That’s who. And it was 100% worth it and amazing.
Between the two of us, we did something to tidy every single space in our house and it feels restorative. We’ve lived in this house for seven years and I’ve never had a better handle on what we need, what we have too much of, and where things are located. When the kids get home later today I know it will all crash and burn in a tower of dirty laundry and shoes, but it sure was nice while it lasted.
I did a lot of reorganizing. For instance, we had extra shoelaces in FOUR different places. Why four? They are now consolidated in one place. We have been storing off-season shoes in an inconvenient spot for SEVEN YEARS. Why? They are now where they logically should be (which also happens to be the same closet where I’m storing all the shoelaces)!
Our games cupboard was a nightmare because we had a mish-mash of card games and board games on the bottom shelves. Downsizing some old colouring books – we’re past that stage of life – freed up a perfectly-sized drawer for card games, and now the board games have lots of space below. I’m not under any illusions the cupboard will stay looking this way, but at least we have a point of reference…
Oxygen, baby!
GOOD FOOD
Not to rail against the kids – they are generally relatively adventerous eaters – but it was so nice to not accommodate anyone else this week. John is an amazing cook and we either grazed on snacks, ate out, or he cooked. What a gift.
Last night we had a family of four come for supper (currently visiting from Germany, and this was the only night that would work though it was too bad they didn’t overlap to see the kids) and I literally didn’t lift a single finger with food preparation which really does make everything taste extra delicious!
BREAKFAST THIS MORNING
A fresh-from-the-oven muffin with a generous dollop of butter and coffee in my favourite mug. Yes, please! When I saw how the sun was shining on to the countertop it felt like a fitting representation of the week – bright rays of sunshine piercing through the clouds.
BONUS HAPPY THINGS
- Taking twenty blissful minutes to browse for new hair products (those I do buy new!)
- Air conditioning. I’m going to keep listing this until it’s no longer relevant. I feel like air conditioning is keeping me sane this summer.
- Plants. I don’t have a green thumb so anything that is still alive is very hardy. But it makes me happy to see little bursts of green in our living spaces from the plants that have survived.
- Amazon. I do very little online shopping (I don’t even order groceries for pickup; mostly because we shop sales and discounted items at the store which is a form of thrifting), but occasionally I need things from Amazon and it is rather delightful to sit in my PJs and click a button and know said items will come RIGHT TO MY FRONT DOOR.
- Watching Canadians medal at the Olympics. Always a thrill.
And that’s a wrap! I hope you’ve had many happy things in your life this week. August – are you ready for it? Are you good at keeping plants alive? What did you have for breakfast this morning?
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Michelle G.
I love all your organization, Elisabeth! Testing all the markers and pens is one of my favorite things when deep cleaning! All your thrifting finds make me jealous of your skills. I’ve lucked out a few times, but mostly I donate. I’m so glad that you had an excellent week. It was well deserved!! Let’s see – I am NOT good with plants. I couldn’t even keep an air plant alive. I am indifferent about August. It’s so hot and dry! I’m with you on being so grateful for air conditioning! I had pancakes (again!!) this morning!
Elisabeth
I actually find testing markers such a drag, so it was a big deal that I forced myself to do it. But I LOVE the finished result of having only markers that work (why won’t kids throw out dry markers; why do they always just put them back with the fresh markers!!???)
August doesn’t stand out as a month to me in the year. September, October and December are my big three/favourite months I would say.
I’m so hungry this morning and pancakes sound…amazing!
J
I could not love this more. A few years ago, Ted and Maya went to England to visit family (and then a couple of years after that, to Utah to visit different family) and both times, I REALLY enjoyed having the house to myself. I declutterred and organized and ate only things that I wanted to eat. I could declutter and organize with them around, but for some reason it’s when they are gone that I am motivated. I especially love that you tested all of your markers. <3
I am so impressed by your thrifting skills. You are definitely the QUEEN of thrifting. There is a possibility that I am going to have to start going into the office for work 2x a week (which is stupid because I have NEVER had to go into the office for this job/company, they are making sweeping decisions that are casting perhaps too wide a net). I have worked from home since 2006, so I have almost no professional clothes. My clothes are mostly casual work from home things, or ‘let’s go out to dinner’ things. You are going to be my motivation, and IF this stupid thing happens, I am going to thrift all of my new work appropriate clothes. I would really resent having to buy things new, for something that I don’t want to do.
Elisabeth
I think, for me at least, when other people are out of the house I find it more fun to tidy/declutter because I don’t “lose” ground. When I tidy when the kids are home, they seem to undo my work as quickly as I do it. Being able to stay in a flow state is just wonderful and I had days of that. *chefs kiss*
Ugh – the office situation sounds like a drag. I’m hoping you DON’T have to return to the office but if you do, sending you the very best of wishes for finding thrifted gems. (I also had to chuckle about the resentment bit; it’s more fun to spend money to invest in clothes you WANT to wear for fun purposes.)
Lisa's Yarns
You are definitely the queen of thrifting! I bow down to you! I don’t thrift all that much because I am not someone who likes to look through racks of things and can easily get overwhelmed. So most of our kids stuff comes from hand-me-downs which I have to weed through to find things they will wear but it’s still far better than buying them. And then we are happy to pass our hand-me-downs along. I feel like there is a pervasive thought that hand-me-down or second hand are only for certain socioeconomic groups and I vehemently disagree with that. I’m motivated to use hand-me-down because it’s cheap/free and also for environmental reason. Hand-me-downs or thrifting = less things in the landfill. I wish we had the great thrift stores you have. I just don’t know of many around us! There is one good one close to us but I have to sort through racks of stuff which I just don’t love doing so have to be in the right mindset.
You kid-free week sounds amazing! They had a great time, you had a great time. Everyone wins! I am looking forward to having that kind of week at the end of August but I don’t forsee a lot of organizing/cleaning but maybe I will surprise myself. I would like to go through the boys’ toys while they are gone because we can certainly pare things down without them noticing. I try to do it occasionally and they very rarely ask where something went!
I’m pumped for a weekend with Kyria so am coming into the weekend with energy and optimism. Plus it will be nice to have another adult around. So tomorrow morning I could head out on my long run when I want to v waiting for Phil to come down (he doesn’t sleep in all that lake, usually until 7:45-8 and I think some of that time is spent on his phone which he 100% deserve given all the solo parenting he does). But tomorrow morning I can leave whenever I want to!
Elisabeth
Ha. Not sure where this fits in as a line item on my CV 🙂
I also get very overwhelmed by big racks of clothes. So stores that have a huge number of clothes, I ONLY look at things like housewares (basically shop the outside perimeter of the store). In terms of clothes, I get almost all of them from a store with small bins. For example, my go-to thrift store for clothes I can basically do the whole thing in 45 minutes (15 if I want to do a quick pass). I also don’t handle every piece of clothing in a bin. I look for colours or patterns I like and look only at those items. Definitely a very specific system, honed over many years!
I LOVE hand-me-downs (free!) the best though I feel like we’re past that stage of life now. For everything else, thrifting! Thankfully, both kids love thrifting (especially A). It’s like an adventure/treasure hunt. For years, and growing up as a kid, we didn’t have the money to buy things new, but we always looked for good quality stuff second-hand. I love the fact none of my clothes are new: it saves so much money, means I can play around with my wardrobe (when I want to swap out clothes, I take my old ones to a consignment store so sometimes I get MORE money back for a clothing item than I paid for it at the thrift store), and like you said is SO MUCH BETTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT. Textiles are one of the biggest areas of waste, and I’m happy to divert as much as I can.
Hope this weekend is AMAZING!!!!
Jan Coates
As a 50-plus year thrifter, love reading about your finds! Meanwhile, I’m working at a thrift shop here (in support of the food bank), and it’s so amazing the things we find – broken glass and smokey stuff being among the least desireable. But yesterday we got an almost new pair of men’s Blundstones, which somebody snapped up for $25! Love those kinds of bargains. Have fun reuniting with L&A!
Elisabeth
We are kindred thrifting spirits 🙂
Thrifting is all about the hunt; it’s like searching for treasure (though, one persons trash is another persons treasure).
San
You’re truly the queen of thrifting (and you clearly have some awesome local thrift stores. Prices at thrift stores here in CA are much higher, as far as my experience goes). But you do make me want to go thrifting again (soon!).
I love all your decluttering work (do you really only have three mugs? That’s so impressive. I could never LOL) and I am currently also working on decluttering parts of our duplex. I always say that we don’t own that much stuff, but a small space will make you feel like you’re drowning in clutter and I know there’s stuff to let go of.
I really like that sideboard cupboard by the way, did you thrift that too?
Elisabeth
NO. I have about 6 small mugs down below (three were in the dishwasher) and then we have two tall mugs on the middle shelf (John uses those), but then at the top shelf I have even more. I think a total of 15?
When we had four people living in a small 2-bedroom apartment, which included a lot of BIG work equipment, I could never, ever get on top of the clutter. There just wasn’t enough storage space (especially storage space that truly kept things out of sight).
Alas, that sideboard was new from IKEA. One of my favourite IKEA purchases ever. While we’ve sourced a few furniture items second-hand, it’s more challenging since we don’t have a trailer or truck so transporting things home is hard 🙁
coco
I admire your ability to work around kids. I can’t! I get easily distracted. I can tackle emails but I can’t think deeply. Working during the pandemic at home was so hard!
I also love order so I can relate the joy of tidying up! I enjoy doing a few times a month when I spend an hour tidying up one place.
Your breakfast looks so comforting! I haven’t had any yet but the plan is to finish the fridge items as we are flying home today.
Elisabeth
I don’t think I work well with the kids at home…I’ve just always done it!
Melissa
Yes to uninterrupted time to get things done, and being able to eat what you want. As you know I had a similar experience this week and it is great, even though you love and miss your family. Lucky you having a husband who is great cook. I love being down at Point Lonsdale and getting some home cooked meals that I don’t have to cook because we rotate cooking duties. Your thrifting prowess is impressive. I have a number of plants that I’ve kept alive for a few weeks now. Two are one that I divided when I repotted them earlier this year. I am very careful with my plant choice though. Most only need watering once a month and I have one that needs watering once a week but copes if I forget. I’ve cut a bit off that and am hoping to propagate it.
Elisabeth
John is such a good cook and I just love going for a while without thinking about meal prep. When it’s just the kids and I home I cook very differently (since only one adult eating, so I want to make sure whatever I make the kids are relatively enthused about).
Jenny
Yay! I’m so glad you had such a great week. I know… we love our kids, but it’s nice to have a break! And I”ll bet you’re enjoying having them back home now (hopefully they didn’t mess up your beautiful house TOO much!) And yes- you are the queen of thrifting.
To answer your last question, this morning I ate a breakfast sandwich and drank my tea in the car, while we started our road trip, woohoo!
Elisabeth
The house did look like a disaster zone for 24 hours, but that’s okay!
Stephany
All of this organization talk does my heart good. And somehow I didn’t even THINK about finding organizational bins and baskets at a thrift shop. But of course! I need to do some decluttering soon and I might hit up my local Goodwill to see what they have available once I know what I need. Great tip!
Elisabeth
Totes and such are SO EXPENSIVE. I love finding things at thrift stores. Admittedly, I can’t always find what I want or enough of one type so everything matches, but I’m always on the lookout for storage bins of various sizes and I have a small stash of them in my basement. When I go to organize a space, I “shop” my organization bin.
Ally Bean
You’re doing a wonderful job organizing your stuff. I appreciate your photos. I will admit though that in my worldview there is no such thing as “superfluous mugs.” I’m a sucker for anything that holds a beverage.
Elisabeth
For some reason having too many extra mugs REALLY stresses me out. It felt amazing to let a few mugs go!
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Anne
I hope to do the same thing in my apartment over the next, sigh, year? I have lived here too long, and despite regularly getting rid of things, and trying so hard not to bring in new things, it’s still in disarray in so many areas. My bathroom closet and cabinets are the worst. Thank you for the inspiration of “just doing it”.
ALSO – SO MANY happy things here. I am so, so glad you got the week you needed in so many ways, my friend. I hope you’re having an amazing break. <3