Ten Things to Smile About
I felt like I was kind of laming out by picking a ten things to smile about list for my Mama Kat post. But you know what? It’s a really good idea to stop and think about the things in life that we have to smile about, especially when passing through a period where it would be so much easier to list the things that make it difficult to smile.
And so, in the spirit of being grateful for what we have in life, I offer ten things to smile about from my week:
1. Cat One pooped on the carpet right inside the front door while we were all out running errands the other day. Inexplicably (and miraculously), nobody stepped in it when we came home and found it.
2. Kidzilla had a particularly hefty ADHD day this week. Thanks to our personal experience and loads of ongoing learning, Fab Hub and I were able to easily recognize it for what it was, and deal accordingly. The day turned out better than anyone expected. We may get the hang of this after all.
3. This summer supper…
Grab the recipe for Greek Style Tri-Color Quinoa Salad at www.sugarfreemom.com or grab the pin from my Pasta, Rice, and Grains board on Pinterest. I made two small substitutions, but they are negligible. Fast, easy, fresh, and good for you. Oh, and farm fresh tomatoes with lemon basil dressing next to it. Delicious.
4. Rainy mornings. Not the humid, muggy kind. Those are awful. But there is something wonderful about a cool, dark, rainy morning…especially if you don’t particularly have to get up and go anywhere right away.
5. A good book. Even better? A good book that you finally finish reading! I have one that’s been on the back burner for five years. I know, I know, if it were so good, why didn’t I finish it? I do that…picked up other things first and didn’t keep that one at the top of the pile. But this baby is going down.
6. A cup of tea. Tea is warmth, comfort, and health all wrapped up in one steamy cup of happiness. Have some every day. You’ll be amazed how good it feels. Add a cup to #4 and #5 above and you’re all set.
7. Good coffee. Forgive me for not being mainstream here, but by “good” coffee, I mean gold old-fashioned plain old brewed coffee. Not a whipped, blended, icy fancy thing. Just a good cup of coffee. Lucky for me, my Fab Hub makes the best coffee on the planet. Ask anyone who’s had it.
8. Unsolicited hugs and kisses from your kid. Self-explanatory.
9. Afternoon naps. I really don’t understand why we all fought this concept as children. Honestly. When I was a kid and my Mom used to grab twenty minutes in the afternoon I thought she was insane. Now, though, I love a good afternoon nap. It feels decadent, like I’m somehow getting away with something I shouldn’t be. And a long weekend nap? Also great. Those Rotten Cats may be onto something.
10. New blooms on the back deck. (Bonus points to the Fab Hub for also getting the gorgeous sky in the photo. We get some seriously cool sky views up here on Witch Mountain.)
Bonus: I can think of at least ten more things to add to this list…now that’s something to smile about!
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That you can smile about cat poo makes you a better woman than I am!
I loved this list. How sweet that you are able to see the pleasure in the little things, even as they are happening. And naps, you are so right about those!
Well, it was really only that nobody stepped in it and dragged it around the house. I guess it’s all about perspective.
Naps rule. Period.
You found the perfect word to describe naps: decadent. When I was younger, I remember my mother and I taking 1/2 hour naps every day and for me it was torture. I would watch the slow hands on the analog clock, willing them to move for the whole 1/2 hour. Now that I am the mom, I totally get why my mom made us do this every day. I love taking naps during the day…if it doesn’t make me feel too guilty.
There is definitely an element of guilt to wrangle with…I just fight it. I find myself much better equipped for the rest of my day after I’ve had a nap.
Dodging a pile of cat poo is definitely smile-worthy!
That’s precisely what I thought.
Can’t do the coffee thing, but the rest of the list SOOOOO resonates with me. Even a combo of several. Like how about loving up on your child while sipping tea and reading to her on a cool, dark, damp day?!
Look at you with your flower garden! Your thumb is getting more and more green every day. Looks like you have a great back yard for gardening too. Think you might try a couple of vegetables next summer? Why not start with a pepper and tomato in pots on your deck? You can do it! And I would love to see what all you create with a bushel of home grown tomatoes!
I am definitely considering tomatoes on the deck next year! We don’t actually have any yard at all – our townhome is actually a “condo” and we own the house itself, period. Any surrounding land is considered community property. The lush green expanse you see in the photo is the soccer fields behind the row we live in. Deceiving, isn’t it? I’m actually pretty sure the HOA doesn’t permit veg gardens, either. Like we have to get an OK to have certain flowers planted in the front beds if it’s not what the contracted gardeners do. So that’s on our list of things for our next home…someday.
Thank you so much for sharing your list…I find that some of my best lists are on the weeks when I DO NOT want to write one.
Love the view from your deck…what a fabulous view from the back yard you have. And the sunflowers are beautiful…such happy flowers. 🙂
Hi, Kris. Thanks to you, too! Glad you came by.
We do have a great view – not much to block the sky, the clouds, great views of storms (and lightning!). The sunflowers are our first attempt, but definitely a little bit of sunshine right here on earth.
Hey, welcome to the Ten Things (aka TToT)!
We’re having a Item#4 here (southern New England)… overcast, not raining but looking like it could and minute, temperature just ‘this side of beach!’*
I thought cats went to great lengths to hide that stuff! (We have always had dogs, never cats…so please allow for my making facts up). But with dogs and yards, I can identify with that pleasant feeling of not stepping in it!
The coffee thing I get, my wife being the one to keep 27 jars of coffee beans to be ground fresh…which, while I freely admit to loving the aroma, it is the caffeine I treasure.
Enjoyable list!
*never a fan of not-warm weather, I fear Summer is over for us
Hi, Clark. Thanks for the welcome!
LOVE New England – took our honeymoon there. If cats are supposed to go to great lengths to hide their poo, mine clearly did not get the memo. And coffee? Um, aroma plus caffeine equals awesome. It is admittedly my biggest vice! I’d be so happy for end of summer here – warm weather is nice, but when it’s time for school, the leaves should be flying and the air should be cool. None of this secondary summer for the first month or so.
Your list just oozes relaxed summery goodness! I appreciate that, as I’m trying to enjoy every last minute before I have to get back into a normal routine.
Hi, Kristi! Well, it’s a lot of that – trying to squeeze out every last second before the school year routine begins. Glad you came over! 🙂
You know you are a mom when you can be grateful for no one stepping in the cat poo greeting you at the door. Ha!
I enjoy those cleansing rains, too, as long as I don’t have to go anywhere. I love watching my kids head out and play in them, splashing in the puddles and simply having a great time.
This last week I have been exhausted and have taken some short cat naps. Amazing what a 15 minute snooze can do for you! Can’t feel guilty for napping when it allows you to reenergize and get more done.
Gotta be a bummer to look out at all that wonderful open land and not be able to plant anything in it. Looks like you’re using that deck to compensate as much as possible, though!
Thanks for linking up with us this week!
Hi, Christine and thanks for visiting!
I guess that must be a Mom thing – being happy that no one stepped in the poo. I’d be happier if there were no poo, but Cat One thinks it’s a great compliment to leave piles in major traffic areas of the house.
Splashing in puddles is a great thing to do – I even went out and bought rain boots so I could join my Daughter in the fun and not ruin my school shoes!
Love the sunflower!! Mine didn’t survive the hot weather and my lack of dedication, unfortunately. I hope I will manage to keep my plants alive once we have a yard 😉 Unexpected hugs from the kids are the best, and a good book with a hot cup of tea.. heaven! I love the cool mornings of early, early, early fall! Even though it warms up into the high 80s during the days, it’s still chilly in the mornings these days. Can’t wait for pumpkin season!!
I think the sunflower will make it – maybe. We deadheaded it, just for lack of any other ideas for survival after the first bloom croaked. The little Mothers’ Day flower my Daughter brought home from preschool did not fare as well – after the super hot weather and then lousy pounding rains, that little guy was toast. 🙁 But we’re looking forward to more gardening efforts next year since we had so much fun with this first attempt.
I hear you about the early fall with the hot afternoons – no thanks! I’d be happy to have it cool in the morning and pleasant (not hot) afternoons. Pumpkin season is awesome…just around the corner!
I’m so glad you linked up with this one! Excellent list! As a cat x2 owner, I truly appreciate #1. One of ours had a hanger turd fall off on the rug in my bedroom (probably where he finally outran it). I noticed it seconds before one of the cats did (pretty sure NOT the one who left it there). He gave it a sniff, then proceeded to try to cover it up.
Me, too, Dyanne! So many nice visitors after linking up and lots of fun reading their lists, too!
Only another cat owner can appreciate the humor in the hanger turd story. And isn’t it always true that it’s not the one who left it there who tries to play with it? Ugh. I was under the impression that cats were cleaner than dogs. Lies.
All of this is making me so grateful that I’m not the only person whose cat has hanger turds! I hadn’t realized that was really a thing. And the outrunning it part made me snort my soda – That is SO true!
Nice to know that my cat and I aren’t freaks of nature!
No, you are definitely not alone. When one of ours drops one somewhere, they all gather around it like the witches in Macbeth and stare at it like they’ve never seen one. Honestly.
I love the cat pooping on the carpet because it reminds me my cat. She does stuff like that all the time.
I want to add something that made me smile recently. It’s cat related, but it’s not my cat. There are some strays that live near my apartment. They see me every day and I’m friendly with them. Well, one of them must have been trying to be friendly back because I walked outside my door and found a bird’s head had been left at the front door. So I’m thinking it must be one of the cat’s trying to make friends. I have to admit, it got kind of a laugh out of me. I must be used to cats’ behaviors now.
Yes, you’ve definitely become accustomed to cat behavior when you are not surprised by (or entertained by) cat poop stories. This is like the hit topic of my blog this week.
And the bird head? Yeah, that’s a gift. That cat totally loves you.
Finishing books. Cup of Teas. Cup of Coffees. Naps. What more could you want in life?
Oh – the kisses and cuddles from kids? Alright then 🙂
A gorgeous, gorgeous list. Sorry I’m so late getting to it.
Thanks! Glad you came by to enjoy it – come anytime! 🙂
Those things all make me smile… even if some of them are fleeting for me (finishing good books, naps).
Even fleeting is OK sometimes…I just had a nine minute power nap (and by nap I mean passed out snoring in the chair because I’m exhausted).
[…] at number eleven. This took a bit of digging and a bit of stalking Lizzi’s blog, but I found the first post I linked to the TToT, thanks to an invite from our lovely Dyanne. So there’s number one – I’m thankful […]