Five Things That Make Me Happy:
- The past two days here in Portland have been drizzly and grey, which somehow just feels right. I’m sitting on the couch drinking tea in my fuzzy flannel pajamas and thinking maybe I should add a pair of warm socks.
- My older son turns nineteen next week, which absolutely floors me. I have a tendency to give all my good gift ideas away, (I call it “outsourcing” to grandma) and often end up with no idea of what to buy for the kids. However, I came up with a great idea, which although not officially compacty, will support a local artist and friend. I’m starting to plan fun activities for his birthday day of adventures, and am excited to help him celebrate his very last teenage birthday!
- I ended up having a change of shift delivery at work yesterday, which would usually not make my happiness list. (There’s a tremendous amount of charting with each delivery!) However, this particular baby was one of the cutest newborns I’ve seen in years! This little girl snuck in under any pending grumpiness.
- I know you’re probably getting tired of hearing it, but I am soooo happy that my blog is fixed and back in action! There was an unbelievable amount of back and forth with WordPress, my hosting company and WP Fixit, but it was all worth it in the end. (Gotta tell ya’, there were a few times when I almost decided that blogging was not worth the hassle.) It makes me unbelievably relieved to click over to The Non-Consumer Advocate and see a functional blog.
- My neighbors make me happy. I live on a rather short block, (only four houses) but all four houses are filled with wonderful people. I noticed this week that I was putting out the garbage for all four houses, which made me smile. We all know we can count on each other.
One Thing That’s Pissing Me Off:
- I succumbed to a stupid impulse purchase. I’ve been wanting a pair of cozy Ugg boots for years, but buying them used is pretty much a non-option. (They would have to be in brand new condition for me to even consider them.) I rationalized that this could be a compact-expection, as I would not buy a pair of used slippers. They were a crazy Amazon sale, setting me back $15 instead of $45. I knew they were off brand and certainly not real sheepskin, but I thought they would meet my around the house cozy-feet needs. I had enough Amazon $5 gift cards from Swagbucks to pay for them, and hey I had my mother’s Amazon Prime info to get the free shipping. (Are you starting to notice a lengthy list of rationalizations yet?) Needless to say, they are horrible, both in look and comfort. They feel like putting my feet into gutted Tickle Me Elmos. Scratchy and uncomfortable and almost magical with how fast my feet start to get both itchy and sweaty. I totally got what I deserved here, and I should know better.
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.”
{ 31 comments… read them below or add one }
Costco has very good sheepskin Uggs knock-offs for $4o.
Ive found all of our Uggs (the actual brand no knock offs) at Goodwill Outlet and each probably cost me about $1 each. It takes a while and you have to be willing to wash them. Yep they can be washed and air dried! Now my 2 older girls have Ugg boots and I have $$ still in my pocket. Don’t give up dear Katy!
I love your lists, Katy.
1. I am happy that I got the house clean. Amazing feeling.
2. Happy that the sun came out so I can hang out my laundry.
3. Enjoying a cup of hot green tea while chatting with my friends on Facebook, sharing tips on yogurt making. Last night’s batch was a resounding success!
4. Happy for Son #1 who got an acceptance to the college he wanted, and a generous scholarship too. 🙂
5. A late season tomato sits on my kitchen counter. (It’s the little things, sometimes, eh?)
I am happy that our crazy wild 50 pound puppy forces me to walk outside multiple times a day.
1) I spent a great weekend celebrating my daughters and my mothers birthdays.
2) My mom & sister came to visit for 4 days!!
3) My house was so very clean for all the company.
4) I found a couple cute tops at consignment.
5) Everyone is healthy. (It has been a rough year health wise for my family.)
6) I was offered a job that is from9am-2pm! I can still be the kind of mom that I want to be!
** my house needs a post company cleaning! my insomnia is out of control and my bank account is not my friend right now…
1) Happy that I met the deadline for a free photo book that I got while on vacation in Aug. Today was the last day to submit it and I didn’t wait until 11:00 tonight.
2) Extra happy that I got round trip airfare from Miami to NY for $100. including checking luggage. Frontier is having a sale today and the trip to NY was $14.95. But with the luggage and seat charge and taxes and round trip it came to $100. Had to make a few changes, but way better than what I expected.
3) Happy that I’m finally feeling better and getting over the touch of the flu that I had last week. Sad that my husband now has it.
4) Made some white bean soup for dinner. I had all the ingredients on hand. Serving with some garlic bread that was in the freezer too.
5) Mad that my house has not sold even though it’s been on the market for 6 months and has had $25,000. in price drops. It’s a really nice house with lots of updates and freshly painted with new carpeting too! Only thing not going for it, is it has electric heat and a woodstove. But the electric heat is better and cheaper than oil heat because you can control it better. This house is in move in condition! There’s got to be someone out there who wants a nice house!!!!
oh, I hope your house sells!! I live in a remote old farmhouse and we are about 3 yrs away from wanting to sell it and move, and I wonder if anyone will want our old house. I love the location, on a rock road, no neighbors, I can see the sun come up and set, and love to watch the moon rise. I keep telling myself the right buyer will find my house, and they will find your house too!
I hear both of you, Maureen and Trish!
We just sold our house – for a lot less than we wanted – great location, updated, freshly painted and carpeted… Several foreclosures in the area and new construction nearby killed it for us: it appraised for less than the contract price, and we were forced to drop the price even lower 🙁 But in the end I am happy that we don’t have to pay 2 mortgages anymore!
Trish, your house sounds perfect! We bought a house in a rural setting, and I can totally appreciate sunrises and sunsets, and everything in between! Old farm houses have a lot of charm, I am sure yours will be a “dream home” for somebody.
Good luck to both of you!
I purchased both of my pairs of UGGS new with tags on eBay for about 1/2 of retail. Is that compacty enough? Nothing beats the real thing…
Katy,
You might be able to return the “Uggs” knock-offs. If they were sold by Amazon they should have free return shipping. I have very difficult to fit feet so I buy shoes on Amazon and sometimes have to return them. They generally have free return shipping on clothes and shoes.
Making me happy:
1. Beautiful fall weather with the leaves beginning to change but it is not cold yet.
2. Traffic today was light. I have no idea why but it sure made it easy to get to my volunteer “job” this morning and run errands this afternoon.
3. ALDI had pineapples on sale for $1.49 this past week. Most fruit is so expensive but with a bit of work pineapple is very reasonably prices.
4. My clothes for cooler weather still fit and since I don’t care about being fashionable I should be set for fall and winter.
5. Our yard waste is picked up every other week, as part of our property tax bill. I have been working in the yard when it is nice out.
One thing that’s pissing me off:
Some one I really care about is struggling with her Cystic Fibrosis. Despite many treatments over the past seven months things do not look good. This sweet sixteen year old may not be around much longer.
So sorry to hear about your friend with CF, it’s a terrible disease.
Katy your lovely lists always make me think!
Things that are making me happy
1. Thanks to the NCA core of advisers at the facebook page, I FINALLY have my emergency pantry up and going and that make me happy. My bills double in the winter and just knowing I have go to food and toiletries really eases my mind.
2. I’m happy I came up with a clever Halloween bookmark to hand make and sell at a festival this weekend so I can make grocery money for October.
3. Happy that I started and am sticking to a daily yoga routine. I found a great teacher online so it’s free!
4. Happy that we are healthy. It’s totally true that when you have your health, you have everything.
5. Happy that I work from home.
Something that I’m not so happy about:
6. Winter is on the way and I have no heating oil. Filling the tank costs $1K and I just don’t have it. HAPPY that I do have electric heaters and a little gas heater (but no gas at the moment)!
My in-laws are renting a cabin for our whole family to vacation for a weekend this month. I am really excited about a vacation I can’t afford, but get to be treated to!
That sounds lovely!
Never get tired of hearing that you are happy.
Katy,
I also think that you can return those boots. But, on top of that, don’t be so hard on yourself. You didn’t do anything wrong, and you’re not being punished because you bought something brand new.
Some purchases work out and some don’t.
I actually wore them outside the house once, so they’re no longer returnable.
Oh well, at least you’re not out a ton o’ cash. You will also remind yourself of this experience so many times in the future that you will save far more than you ever spent. Negative reinforcement can be very powerful. No crying in baseball, over spilt milk or not-quite-wonderful slippers.
Off the wall, but do you know anyone in Phoenix? Nordstrom has a Last Chance store there. I was there one year after Christmas and there were loads of them on the racks. If you do, take a photo of what you want and your size and give someone an excuse to go on a scavenger hunt there.
I also saw a ton of Dansko shoes. They’re supposed to be so comfortable, but suck if you have skinny feet. People buy them, try them, don’t love them, return their lightly worn but bad-fitting shoes to their local Nordie’s and they can’t sell them as new so off they go to Last Chance.
Contact Amazon anyway, and explain that the boots are not meeting expectations. I’ve been really happy with Amazon customer service in the past, and they might take them back anyway.
Can’t hurt to try.
It would cost about half of what I paid simply to return them, so I think I’ll try to sell them for cheap-o on Craigslist. If for no other reason than they take up too much space in the closet!
Just wanted to chime in and say that I inherited a pair of Uggs from a niece. I have washed them a few times, not because of her, but because I wear them so much. If you did find a used pair, perhaps this would be an option?
Offer them up on craigslist!
You read my mind!
Last weekend we went to my husband’s (out of town) college reunion. 1. It was so much fun to take the tour and the see the place that was a seminal part of his adult life. And the huge military parade, with over 4000 (mostly) Navy undergrads in perfect formation was really something to see.
2. I also loved meeting his friends and classmates, many of whom I had heard so much about.
3. We found a couple of hours to go to the Spy Museum in Washington DC on the way home. It wasn’t cheap, but it was really fun.
4. The weather was stunningly beautiful, which made all the walking even more enjoyable.
5. Speaking of weather, it was a lot warmer than had been predicted, and I was melting in the heavy jeans I brought. So on a whim I stopped in a consignment store, and purchased a summer skirt and top in about 10 minutes. Fastest time ever! Great price! And so much more comfortable. 🙂
And the one less than happy thing? Now that we’re home, my husband has come down with the ‘flu. Boo.
I forgot to mention how happy I am that your blog is now back “in business” and that I once again get to enjoy regular posts from you and comments from your readers. I’m glad you didn’t give up.
You and me both, sister!
Have your sister make you some soft and cozy haflinger-style slippers from yarn from an unraveled thrift store sweater…VERRRRRRRY nca-Y! Actually, I think I have a pair I already made. For you, I will even add a leather sole (from a reused souece, NOT a cow I raised from seed.
Yes, please.
My son was able to trade in his Ray rice jersey for a new one (and a bigger size) too! My daughter is able to use an instrument from school this year for free and we got a music book free from a neighbor.
It’s been rainy and gray here in Seattle too and I’ve been LOVING it!! It was a really hot summer here and as a native, I just got way too sick of sun. Today we snuggled with the kitty on the couch and talked and drank tea and it was perfect!
Making me happy, the beautiful sunshine here in Northeast Ohio today. Pissing me off, I am working a 12 hour shift so I wont be able to enjoy it. But very thankful to have a job that pays me well.
About the boots, just buy a real pair of Uggs. I don’t know what size foot you have but I wear a 8 womens and can wear a Big Kid 6 in Uggs. Much cheaper. but not cheap. If you have ever had a pair though, they last forever. With our horrible winters here, I will never be without a pair. I kept buying knock offs that only lasted one winter, would leak, and I fell 3 times one season. My husband, who is quite frugal, insisted I get a good pair. That was 3 years ago. Yes I paid $160 for them but divide that over the number of times I wore them over 3 years. They are worth every penny. And they are still going strong. Uggs Austraila and Zappos have free return. My mother in law, who is also quite frugal, once said you can wear any kind of clothes, but you should always have good shoes. They take you everywhere. Wise words. Good luck.