The Optimistic Musings of a Pessimist

Five FIGs At the End of a Heavy Week

A quick reminder that one week from today—next Sunday, February 1—we’ll start tracking FIGs. For more information, here are all the details about our online gratitude crew.

The world has felt especially heavy…

Happy Things Friday: 23 January

Winter has arrived!

We had snow, snow, and more snow. (And then some rain!) The kids had a day off school on Monday and a delayed start on Tuesday. I got my cardio and…

Two Questions for Your Thursday (Inspired by James Clear)

Happy Thursday! Here are a few questions/thoughts I’ve been mulling over after a recent edition of James Clear’s newsletter.

A reader mentioned that she often feels overwhelmed because his newsletter always seems to leave…

Christmas 2025 Debrief: What Worked and What I Want to Change for Next Year

Is it too late to post about Christmas? This is clearly a rhetorical question, since this is my blog and I get to choose what I post and I AM going to post about…

Christmas, Holidays
Jan, 21, 2026
25 Comments

Frugal Things Lately: 20 January 2026 Edition

Every few weeks, I scroll through my pictures (and my brain) to come up with some frugal wins. Here’s what I came up with this time:

Before my sister arrived, I needed to stock up…

Frugality, Money
Jan, 20, 2026
38 Comments

A Four-Day Family Visit to Nova Scotia: What We Did (and What We Ate)!

Every day I keep reaching for my phone to scroll through the photos of my sister’s visit! There’s something unique about hosting family that feels both wonderfully full and fleeting—especially when the visit is…

Happy Things Friday: 16 January

I know I say this at some point every single month, but I literally cannot believe we’re already past the halfway point of January. Anyone else? Between the nebulous start to the new year…

Five FIGs At the End of a Heavy Week

Happy Things Friday: 23 January

Two Questions for Your Thursday (Inspired by James Clear)

Christmas 2025 Debrief: What Worked and What I Want to Change for Next Year

Frugal Things Lately: 20 January 2026 Edition

A Four-Day Family Visit to Nova Scotia: What We Did (and What We Ate)!

Happy Things Friday: 16 January

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