Happy List: #401 – A Pretty Happy Home

Hello, hello! Welcome to this week’s Happy List. I am absolutely delighted to see you here.

This week on the blog I shared the second installment in our fieldstone wall series. How many installments will there be? I have no idea. I wish I could tell you though because that would mean we were close to being done. Ha!

I also shared some of my favorite fall crafts. I know, I know. It’s August. But the early bird gets the pumpkin spice.

As always, thank you for being here. I hope the Happy List is a bright spot in your day and leaves you feeling inspired and encouraged! Part of the fun for me is connecting with you. If you want to reach out, please comment on this blog post or email me here. You can also direct message me on Instagram or Facebook.

Now, here’s the Happy List!

RUSTIC BEAUTY

If you enjoy rustic design, this one is for you! Carolyn Malone has been turning 19th century cabins into a beautiful place to live on her property in Georgia. I poured over the photos in this article in Frederic Magazine.

(image: Laura Resen for Frederic Magazine)

lDial

lDial is a website that compiles a list of independent, community radio stations in one spot. The best part of the website is the “random” button. It will load a random station for you to listen to on your tablet or computer. I’ve been really into this lately!

It’s been fun to see what’s on the radio in Ann Arbor, Michigan, or Stanford University. Sometimes it is music. Sometimes it is news. Sometimes it’s a student DJ trying out new material. It’s ALWAYS fun.

Try it here.

(image: screenshot lDial)

GRANNY SQUARE BAG

I am very into this tote bag from Etsy. What a fun way to use a granny square.

It comes in different colors.

(image: talkingloves shop on Etsy)

WAY BACK WHEN

We’re moving our oldest child into college tomorrow, which means I should NOT be listening to emotional music about your kids growing up. Yet, here we are.

I know I’ve shared this song before, but it’s worth a repeat. If the video doesn’t load, watch it here on YouTube.

DIY PUMPKINS

Rachel at The Ponds Farmhouse came up with a cute way to use wood biscuits as mini pumpkins!

(Wood biscuits are used to join two pieces of wood together. We have this pack of them.)

In this craft, the pumpkins were used as place card holders, but I think they would be light enough that you could use them to make a garland too. Get the directions here.

(image: The Ponds Farmhouse)

AMERICAN FOOTBALL SHOULDER PADS

This one is for those of you who are or live with a football fan. Don’t say I don’t do you any favors!

You never know when you’ll need to drop some knowledge about the sophisticated design of the shoulder pads that the NFL and many college teams wear now. If they are made by XTech, they have a patented swivel pivot system, and can withstand 1,500 pounds of force. This thing is supposedly “comfortable,” but I have my doubts.

Learn more about them here.

(image: XTech via Core77)

TOMATO GALETTE

All of the sudden, our one tomato plant started giving us oodles of tomatoes. This tomato galette recipe from Love and Lemons is on my list to try. I’d recommend reading the comments because people have been riffing on the herby cheese blend and, of course, using store-bought dough.

(image: Love and Lemons)

P.S. I use their Basil Pesto recipe all the time! Then I freeze the pesto in ice cube trays so that I can portion it out as needed throughout the year. I often double the recipe by adding spinach, and if pine nuts are too expensive, I’ll use walnuts, cashews, or pistachios.

POETRY MOMENT

Intention by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer

To wonder. To wonder with no plan
for where it might lead. No strategy
for arrival. No finish line. No pot
of gold. No perfect score. No striving for.
To wonder. To wonder the way a small child
might wonder when seeing a roly poly for the first time —
oh, look at all those legs. Look at how
it curls! Look how it moves again. Feel
how light it is in the palm. Feel how
it tickles as it moves. Imagine
an awareness that new meeting a life form that old.
Can I be that new as I meet this infinite world?
To wonder not just with my mind
but with my belly. To let every neuron
spark. To notice where there is a channel
and imagine the great wing of life
is scraping it clean so the stream might flow
in new ways. To wonder beyond the edge
of the known, and in that spaciousness, play.