The Optimistic Musings of a Pessimist

My Year of Shmita: August Update

I needed August. Honestly, it felt like the first true month of rest in 2024.

There were some great moments in July, but unexpected situations really took me by surprise (go figure!) and left me…

Portugal, Sabbath, Travel, Year of Shmita
Sep, 22, 2024
31 Comments

Happy Things Friday: 20 September

Well. That was quite a week, starting with our great big Back to School party on Friday. It was long (probably two hours longer than it should have been) and loud and chaotic, but…

Introducing the Newest Members of Our Family

Sorta.

Meet…Belle.

And Indy…

It has never felt natural or overly conversational to refer to my children by their initials. But I also wanted names that had some sort of tangential significance for our family without using…

Top Five/Bottom Five: Fall

It is no secret that fall is my favourite season.

Let me clarify. September (of which only a sliver is technically fall) through to mid-October is my favourite season. The rest of the year…

Holidays, Personality Insights, Top Five/Bottom Five
Sep, 18, 2024
43 Comments

A Final Portugal Recap: Top Recommendations, Things I Want To Do Next Time + How Much It Cost

I’ve started getting into the habit of doing a post-mortem of sorts after we finish a trip. What worked, what didn’t, and what we ended up spending. I always enjoy reading these sort of…

Budget, Habits, Organization, Planning, Portugal, Travel
Sep, 17, 2024
37 Comments

Where Do You Keep That? (Part One)

I am shamelessly using Engie’s post prompt that she got from Stephany who got it from a recent episode of the Girl Next Door podcast when the hosts discussed where they keep various standard…