Five Things That Make Me Happy and One Thing That’s Pissing Me Off
Happy:
- My recently purchased $30 thrift store loveseat had developed a break in the rear support. This made the couch very uncomfortable, and was a huge bummer. So yesterday I removed the bottom upholstery fabric and identified the culprit which was a length of split wood along the back. My husband and I were able to screw a support piece across the board which completely fixed the problem. I stapled all the fabric back in place and the loveseat is now better than ever!
- My husband has a high school chum who works for Nike, and has been very generous with samples for our sons. (Especially our younger son who currently wears a size nine shoe, which yo, is the sample size!) My son now has new pairs of both indoor and outdoor soccer shoes and we didn’t have to spend a penny. And I learned that “LBJ” on a sweatshirt means LeBron James, not Lyndon Baines Johnson.
- I scored a lovely upholstered side chair for free while taking my son to school today. It had just been put out, and I’m pretty sure that none of my son’s classmates spied me scooping it up while still in my pajamas. Floral is not my style, so I’ll either sell it on Craigslist or put it in an upcoming garage sale. Either way, it’s free money for the ol’ college fund!
- The brand-new Portland sunshine-y weather means I can start using my outdoor clothesline again.
- I’ve been able to pick up two extra shifts from staff nurses who needed the days off. The 24 hours of pay will come in handy.
Pissed Off:
- My mother gave me $100 to share with my niece and nephew while we were in New York. I completely and utterly forgot that I had it and simply used it as part of my money. As stealing from kids is not one of my usual money saving tips, I put a hundred dollars into an envelope and sent it to my sister’s workplace as soon as I realized my mistake. (Along with a book my mother had also sent along with me to give to my sister. It had been put in my son’s suitcase, and also forgotten.) As of yesterday, the Media Mail envelope had yet to arrive, and I’m now questioning the intelligence of putting cash in the mail. Update: The money and book arrived safe and sound. Whew . . .
Now your turn. What’s making you happy and conversely what’s pissing you off? Please share your thoughts in the functional comments section below.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }
Media Mail IS really slow, so hopefully the package is just still on its way!
That’s what I’m counting on.
I’m happy that my snowball bushes will be blooming soon, clusters of small white flowers. In a good year with decent moisture they are the size of my fist. Sadly, this year I think the clusters will be the size of golf balls.
I am peeved because I think I need a new pair of computer glasses. The “Zoom” function alone is not cutting it anymore.
I believe they sometimes inspect Media Mail package contents (to make sure they are legitimate Media Mail) so maybe it was not a good idea. However, it can sometimes take a long time for a Media Mail package to make it across the country so all may be well. I probably would have sent a check but have sent cash successfully many times.
I am so happy that:
1. It is finally spring in the Mid-Atlantic region. The days are warmer, the bulbs are blooming, the trees are budding, the grass is greening, and there is so much daylight this time of year.
2. The warmer weather means our furnace is barely running. Hello lower energy bills.
3. I replaced the flannel sheets on our bed with regular (relatively)high thread count cotton sheets last week. It feels so good to sleep on them after a long winter.
4. I have rather accidently slipped into a cook from the pantry month. I always meal plan based on what is in the pantry but for the past few weeks because of being busier than usual and underwhelming grocery store ads I have not been buying anything except produce and milk. That means I’m actually using more of my stockpile and spending less.
5. I am establishing a closer friendship with a friend of a friend. She has been through some rough stuff lately and I want to do more for/with her.
Pissing me off:
1. My husbands job is becoming almost boundry-less. He has dinner out two nights this week, after working long, full days. He has something to attend on Saturday, after working all week. He loves his job and we are empty nesters so not a big deal but …
It is such a beautfiul spring day I didn’t want to complain about anything but you made me. Also if I don’t get off the computer now I’ll not be ready for my morning obligation.
Media mail can be very slow. Don’t fret yet. Hopefully there was a tracking number on it?
Hmm . . . I should go check the receipt.
Isent a package to my grand daughter. Sixty miles away. Priority mail. Took 10 days.
And you think YOU”RE pissed off?
Wow, that’s a long time for Priority Mail. I would be pissed as well.
Happy things:
1. Our property line is really weird, so the truly ugly and crooked power box in what looks like our yard but is really the neighbors’ yard just got some work done around it by THEIR landscapers and I didn’t have to pay a dime.
2. When I went out to make sure they were really in the right yard(I have no idea where the line is) I asked if they were going to just dump the sod they’d just dug & they said not only could I have it, but they’d be happy to place it in the low spots in my yard for me so they didn’t have to cart it to where they were told to dump it.
3. Received a damaged gallon of Dr. Bronner’s soap in the mail, which is mostly still there, but I will be refunded for the purchase since it’s damaged.
4. Found a copper-bottom Reverware stock pot at Goodwill for $3.17 including tax.
Not so happy – health symptoms that instantly make me go all “Worst Case Scenario” in my head and drive me crazy. I have an appointment and will be at the doctor this time tomorrow.
Ha! I would think it meant Lyndon B. Johnson as well!
To a bird watcher, LBJ is Little Brown Job. Any one of many mostly brown sparrow like birds that are easily confused with each other and therefore hard to identify.
But stealing from children is the best! They don’t call it “as easy as taking candy from a baby” for nothing, you know!
(For those of you in a state of shock: I am totally kidding.)
Ooooh, I like that chair! Wish I was close enough to contribute to the college fund!!
If you Craigslist that chair and want to get the discerning shopper, call it a “slipper chair.” (Dainty little boudoir seat for a lady to sit and put her shoes on—think complicated laces or button hooks.)
Thank you very much!
Katy
Lovely, warm 70+ degree days have me using my clothesline more and more.
The yard is going crazy, our seed potatoes have all sprouted, and I’m ready to buy tomatoes soon.
Spring/Summer makes for simpler (and less expensive) meals which decreases my ‘get dinner on the table’ stress level what with all the busyness that seems to come from having a 4 year old who wants to do EVERY sport.
Our hens are laying 5-9 eggs a day which means my son is having fun collecting and selling the eggs to our friends (he doesn’t get an allowance, he keeps 1/4 of the money he gets from selling eggs, the rest goes to savings).
My son is really into super heroes and so I had the clever idea to bring down his KidCraft fire station he hasn’t really shown any interest in playing with and set it up for his super hero figures as the ultimate Super Hero Hideout. I love that something he hasn’t played with in ages is getting new life.
The things that are pissing me off:
Before I knew it my dog decided he loved asparagus spears and has eaten them all down to the ground *sob*.
My son has another ear infection, this one stemming from swollen adenoids and now he has to go to an ear/nose/throat specialist. It’s impossible to tell if his congestion is cold or allergy related :/
I love my dogs like kids but… eating my asparagus Wow!
I love getting little pictures of people’s lives through this question. It’s a way to be nosy without being intrusive.
What’s making me happy:
1. Spring is finally making an appearance amid all the brown and gray of April. Let the clothesline season begin!!
2. I have quite a few lectures from Great Courses (aka Teaching Company) stored up and ready for listening to while I do housework or on long drives. It’s like reading, but you can be doing mindless work and the time flies by.
3. Score at the thrift store: a gorgeous dress for spring and summer that fits perfectly and makes me look great, all for $10. Coordinating scarf that happened to be there too: $4.
4. Part time job that is plumping up the savings account.
The fly in the ointment is Form CO-1 Charitable Organization Registration Statement from the Office of the Attorney General. I may be trained to read lawyer-speak, but there’s a reason why I’m not doing it myself. Dealing with legal forms makes me want to hide in a corner and cry. Especially the multiple parts that require multiple attachments and extra forms. Bleh.
Things that are making me happy:
1. I’m almost done with my cup of coffee and it’s still HOT. As the mother of an almost 2 year old, this is really rare.
2. We’re doing a pantry challenge this month, and I’m thrilled with the pantry space I’m starting to see!
3. One of my friends just offered to replace the back panel of our toddler Tula with STAR TREK FABRIC. I’m beyond psyched. I’ve been shopping for the perfect fabric for at least 45 minutes now. I’m even more excited because she’s willing to barter the replacement for some homemade bread!
4. My husband’s leave got approved for the first time in 2 years! We’ll be staying home since his parents are coming to visit, but it’ll be nice to have him here to entertain his parents while I clean and take care of the toddler during the day.
And one thing that’s pissing me off- The landscapers came by yesterday and moved my banana tree to scrub my patio. The banana is now droopy and unhappy because they jostled it a little too much and (I suspect) damaged the root ball.
Happy Things:
1. I literally watched the GW employee shelve a beautiful 12″ world globe while I was visiting today. Managed to be the first person to it, priced at $1.49. I’ve been looking for a globe for some time. I was promptly congratulated by two women who were unfortunate enough to be a little further down the shelves.
2. It’s a beautiful spring day.
3. I finally got my son registered for Kindergarten today. I’m excited for him because I know he will love school. Well, at least I know he’ll love Kindergarten, haha.
4. The warmer weather means I can safely plant the herb seeds that my husband bought me for our anniversary. The gift came with everything I need and I’m very excited to embark on my first edible plant growing adventure.
Pissing me off:
1. My husband was supposed to help me get the boys ready this morning so I could get to the school and back to work on time. I couldn’t even get him to wake up (he stays home with the boys while I work during the day, and he works at night)! I managed to get everything done in the appointed time, but still, it would have been nice.
Great price on the globe!
1. spring!!!
2. garden is popping up, lettuce,spinach,peas,and asparagus
3. Hung laundry outside today, so only used the dryer for 10 minutes to warm them up.
4. Taxes are done ,as usual put them off as long as possible. And we’re getting a refund yeah!!!
5. Spring!!!
still don’t have a job. phone interviews are pissing me off. Who knows if you did well, you just never hear back.
1. It’s cooler and very sunny today. For people who don’t live in Florida and are cheering for warmer weather, this may seem weird, but oppressive heat is only a very few weeks away from Florida, with massive A/C bills — we are enjoying the extra bit of cool.
2. We got a refund from the IRS, when we thought we might have to pay. And I was able to do them myself online with tax software this year, instead of paying the accountant.
3. Flowers are blooming in my yard — I plant as many natives as possible to cut down on care.
4. Making my own kombucha — so much cheaper, and easy to do. I brewed more tea for fermenting last night and got a new batch started.
5. Wearing a free shirt and sweater with $4 consignment jeans and nice leather shoes from the clearance rack at a shoe store, $5.00 for a name brand pair.
Pissing me off: My leftovers lunch today sucks. It’s a hodgepodge of things I wasn’t that crazy about to start with, but I refuse to throw out good food.
robin–
if you can get a look up his nose (try a funnel and a light), if he has a cold the tissue you see will be red and angry-looking. an allergy will look pink, perhaps with a silvery cast and puffy–as the tissues are engorged with fluid.
Thanks!! I will definitely do that from now on.
1. I’m happy that my cat Thor came home from the vet today. He was very sick but he’s on the mend.
2. I’m happy that we had our baby emergency fund to pay the vet.
3. I’m happy that tax season is almost over. One return left to finish.
4. I’m happy that I got a check in the mail today and a refund from my tax software company to help replenish the emergency fund.
5. I’m happy that I have a teaching contract for the summer.
I’m pissed off that I can’t finish the last tax return on my desk because I’m waiting for a foreign tax return to be completed. I might have to put the last one on extension and I hate extensions!
Scored free replacement gym shorts for my son(he lost a pair). Scored two sets of free shin guards because same son also lost his. It is finally warm and spring break is one day away!
🙁 that said son keeps losing things.
I’m happy that:
1. The amaryllis are blooming on my windowsill. Very frugal plants that bloom every year and also throw off new bulbs.
2. Picked up a clear tote bin to top a repurposed recycling bin to create another small McGuyver greenhouse. This is WI, so you have to work to extend the growing season.
3. Spouse made dark chocolate mousse and put servings in Luminarc glasses with lids (thanks for the tip on these Katy!) It looked really beautiful. I later saw a photo of this exact dessert and presentation in a David Lebovitz blog about his new cookbook. Fun!
4. Coworker with a Lean Cuisine pizza expressed a desire to have my leftover pasta for lunch instead because it looked and smelled better.
5. Attending an orientation to the public library about their new Seed Library. Anticipating free seeds and starter tomato plants.
I’m pissed off that the recycling bin wasn’t picked up again. Have to put some time into problem-solving why Waste Management keeps missing us.