Five Things That Make Me Happy and One Thing That’s Pissing Me Off

by Katy on January 18, 2014 · 19 comments

Five Things That Make Me Happy:

1) This photo from 1990:

Publicity photo

2) My next door neighbor and I took advantage of some lovely sunny weather to meet up for coffee and go for a walk. Great conversation and terrific company.

3) I extended my outside time by pulling out all the overgrown dead foliage from my garden, a job which I’d been procrastinating since the end of fall. My garden is no longer a slimy embarrassment, and hopefully I soaked up enough vitamin D to last until June.

4) My older son recently discovered Simon and Garfunkel, and I was able to quickly get him a stack of their CD’s from the library.

5) This article about a British couple that discovered a completely intact time capsule Victorian kitchen in their basement.

One Thing That’s Pissing Me Off:

1) I dropped my beloved garage sale pressure cooker on the floor and the handle broke in two.

Pressure cooker

Now your turn. What’s making you happy, and conversely what’s pissing you off?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }

Renee January 18, 2014 at 11:03 am

Making me happy
1. Puttering around the house in my pjs, straightening an completing small tasks.
2. A happy husband
3. My kids watching Fantasia and relation it to their grandfather’s love of classical music
4. Having a weekend with no scheduled plans.
5. Going to see Her tonight for date night!

Pissing me off
Two more weeks of this elimination diet before I can start incorporating things like dairy again. I miss milk. And yogurt. And butter. And cheese.

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Auntie Karen January 18, 2014 at 11:05 am

January sunshine in Portland no doubt made many folks’ “happy list”. Sorry about the pressure cooker handle. It looks like a Presto. They do a good job of making handle parts available. Depending on the model number, you might be able to snag a replacement from Amazon for as little as $2.

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Jenifer January 18, 2014 at 11:40 am

Happiness —

1. cleaned out the closet (80% empty! yay!);

2. lots of yoga classes (6-7 days a week right now due to a deal! yay!);

3. more fruit in my life (yay!);

4. a new contract for my company (yay!);

5. a simple way to update my credentials (yay!);

Frustrating

the yoga is actually terrible.

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Kate January 18, 2014 at 12:06 pm

1. The free treadmill we got from a friend’s in-laws last week
2. The glazed blueberry doughnut muffins I just made – 1/2 gluten-free for my hubby, who is now…
3. A very happy hubby who appreciates all the yummy food I make him despite his many wacky food issues
4. Having solved – and resolved – the mystery low spot in our kitchen floor by myself and for only $9
5. A second straight Saturday of not having to leave the house at all

Annoying me – the ceiling I’ve been painting that just looks awful, no matter what. Maybe I just need to put the heavy curtains back up and call it a day. 🙂

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Tina January 18, 2014 at 12:44 pm

Happiness:
1. It’s nice enough in Seattle to go for a walk
2. The house is clean after we spent the morning cleaning it
3. We are going out to dinner and using a gift card
4. Got a stack of movies I want to see from the library

Frustrating:
1. my 97 year old grandma is in the hospital and lives clear across the country 🙁

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Diane January 18, 2014 at 2:37 pm

Your #5 looks so much like Downton Abbey….what a fantastic discovery!

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Katy January 18, 2014 at 3:59 pm

I know, right!

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lori January 18, 2014 at 6:11 pm

The photo is you and your husband, yes?

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Maureen January 18, 2014 at 6:59 pm

Happy:
That I’m visiting family
My brother is going to help me move my already downloaded music to a different computer
I’m doing well at work
I’m saving all my OT money
Sad:
That my mother is not taking care of her medical bills and isn’t too worried about it. But my sister and I have discussed how we will deal with them. Thankfully mom is willing to work with us.

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Paige January 19, 2014 at 5:31 am

I broke down and purchased come Pyrex containers. I say broke down because I was trying to find some at the craft/antique malls that would lower priced to use…however apparently in Southeast Texas Pyrex is the equivalent of GOLD and it’s priced SKY HIGH!!! I’ve been wanting to start eating clean and making as much of the food I eat as I can on the rotating schedule I work. So ever since I purchased them Thursday night I have been loading them with healthy snacks and good made from scratch foods. I’m on my weekend of day shifts(6a-6p) and I’ve remembered each night to prepare food. YAY PAIGE! AND…I now keep a cup at work and brew tea to drink during my shift instead of buying from Sonic…which saves me money AND the environment from one more Styrofoam cup and plastic lid and straw being used.
Now I’ve got to wean myself off my morning Diet Dr Pepper and switch to the coffee we already have at the station.
These things feel like such small accomplishments…but baby steps. LOL
Thank you Katy for continuing to post and help us all learn to save.

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Katy @ Purposely Frugal January 19, 2014 at 6:18 am

Sorry about your pressure cooker. 🙁 I started using one and am loving it!

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Becky January 19, 2014 at 6:30 am

Oh happy day…
1.) Picking up dd from college in a couple of hours.
2.) Finished off a shampoo and conditioner (added water to those puppies and got three more uses) and have brought out a new set.
3.) Since I am a lunch lady, no school tomorrow – WOOT!
4.) It’s supposed to be 20 above today, which is great since we will be out and about.
5.) Found a couple of fantastic low-carb, simple recipes that I want to try and hope to make at least one when home with dd.

Piss off, yo.
1.) Parents live with us. That’s not what pisses me off. At this exact moment it is that my father is STILL in the bathroom shaving while I wait to use the bathroom so that I can leave soon.

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tna January 19, 2014 at 6:39 am

1. It’s a warm and sunny day.
2. My bike does not have a flat tire.
3. Rigatoni for breakfast(provided by the freezer and there’s turkey and dressing for dinner) no cook Sunday.
4. The chunky pearsauce (like applesauce) I made last night is good.
5. Meet up with family and friends.

Ick….cleaning the litter box. But it’s over and done and surely one of the cat’s top five what makes me happy today. >^..^<

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Penelope January 19, 2014 at 7:24 pm

Happy things:

1) My husband’s 50th birthday party, which I hosted, was awesome!
2) I only spent $8.00 on unnecessary stuff this week (it might not seem like much of a success to some, but it is huge for me! And even better, when I saw my total, I immediately knew I could and would do better next week!)
3) dinner tonight consisted of tacos made made from gifted elk burger and a jar of bacon salsa that a friend didn’t want. The sour cream was from my cleaning job (she often gives me food stuffs to take home). The only things I had paid for were the flour tortillas and sharp cheddar cheese.
4) Today my husband and I took the dog to the river for some fresh air and sunshine. I took some photos and got some much needed vitamin D!
5) The very physical withdrawl symptoms I was feeling from not shopping have diminished greatly and it is getting easier to say no to myself and not feel sad and deprived.
6) 3 day weekend, baby!!!

The one thing pissing me off…actually nothing is pissing me off right now 🙂

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Vivian Evans January 19, 2014 at 11:27 pm

1. My son’s 9th brithday today.
2. Watching a movie in 3d with him, his guest and my husband.
3. Baking his cake.
4. Gift of feeling like a kid again by.
5. Remembering the miracle of his birth.

1. Feeling overwhelmed by things I need to purge but having no idea where to start. 🙁

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Rosa January 20, 2014 at 6:37 am

That happened to my pressure cooker this winter too! I thought it was because my cupboards are so cold. It was the same part – the underneath handle.

Mine’s a Fagor and I was able to order a new handle online (our local hardware store would have ordered me a Presto one but they don’t carry Fagor). Unfortunately, including shipping it was almost $20! For just the platic underneth handle. I couldn’t believe it. But, it was easy to screw on and it’s been working fine for a few months.

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Amanda January 20, 2014 at 10:43 am

1. It is warm and sunny in VA
2. We’re about to start extensive renovations on our home.
3. I feel rested right now (a rare feeling these days as I have a six week old)
4. Our spending has been lower than normal this month. I love having breathing room in the budget
5. The house is clean

-1. Ask me in a week when it is freezing cold, the house is a mess and mortar grinders are running non stop. 🙂

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CarrieP January 21, 2014 at 5:11 pm

That picture of you and your husband is HILARIOUS!! That’s the only thing good I can think of now, but it really cracked me up and is totes charming & adorable, too.

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Nan January 26, 2014 at 9:37 am

Hi Katy,
Like your blog. Try JB Weld on your pressure cooker handle. They even have a high-heat version, http://www.jbweld.comproduct/j-b-highheat/ although I’m not sure this handle gets all that hot. I’m a big pressure cooker user, and think a lot of people would be if they realized how quickly they could prepare a high quality meal. Puts a microwave to shame with the outcome.

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