The Happy List #40

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Why, hello there! It’s me! That lazy cow who skipped last week’s happy list. Don’t worry (ha – as if you were), I still took some time to acknowledge the good things. I just couldn’t be bothered writing them down – oops!

I think I was just feeling super exhausted and not quite myself. Illness really did a number on our household and it took a lot of recovery time!

But it feels good to be back. I’m awake too early for a weekend morning, but my cycling obsessed husband can just throw me some time for an afternoon nap and some time to exercise (i.e. lip sync/sing my way through terrible songs from the 90s and noughties until I deem my step count to be acceptable). OK, husband? Least you could do, buddy haha.

So I bring to you, my happy list. A day early this week, because who needs consistency? I get points for enthusiasm, right?

Here are the things that have made me happy in the past week…

Returning to full health

Yep. Whatever that cold/flu virus was, it has finally left the building. It’s weird. I’ve been sicker than that before, but I have never experienced a bug that had such lasting after effects. It felt like it took forever to recover. I had a fever that took twice as long as usual to leave my body. I had some weird coinciding issues with a lack of appetite and an irritated stomach (that issue lasted the longest). Then I was just tired. Mr Unprepared caught the same thing and we just managed to do what we needed to do to survive – the house was a mess haha.

This week, I finally felt human enough to get stuff done around the house. Cooking dinner and school runs didn’t feel like an enormous task. My stomach didn’t give me grief. I was able to exercise (albeit gentler than usual). It’s wonderful and right now I am not taking this good health for granted!

Seeing family friends who are basically family

Yesterday, the Little Mister and I went around to my parents’ house to see some family friends who are visiting from interstate. Growing up, they were basically like an aunty and cousin to us (plus we now get to spend time with my ‘cousin’s fiancé too). It was awesome to sit down and chat, reacquainting the Little Mister with them.

Some people are just a joy to be around, y’know?

Those times the Little Mister was quiet and still

I love those moments when the day is almost done and the Little Mister has gone past his tired-hyper phase and is just chilling quietly on the couch, watching the TV for a bit. Like when I realise, oh hey, I haven’t been nagged for half an hour, and look over at him just happy to be in his own space.

I hope we have more of those moments over the school holidays haha.

Progress in making over the front of our house

This is a huge one. We have been talking about it for years. Our house is rendered and the paint was fading horribly in the weather. It was one of those house and land type package homes that was popular a decade ago (can’t believe it’s been that long). We moved in when it was already built by someone else, but before anyone had lived in it – a pretty sweet deal at the time (well – you know with the responsibility of a mortgage and all). Since then, the render colour has faded and looks so dated. Basically, we had some very obvious damage to the front door step (not a great first impression for visitors) and everything was an awful faded purply colour. Yuck yuck yuck.

The whole task of making over the front of the house seemed daunting to us. We weren’t sure how to tackle it. Did we want stacked stone feature walls? Did that renderer guy ever want to call us back (he did and was very rude after mucking us about – don’t get me started on him pinging right off the creep-o-meter)? Also, how the hell did you ask someone to fix a dodgy doorstep, when it was such a small job, but one we didn’t feel qualified for? And of course, ‘life’ and other priorities got in the way.

Luckily, we have moved forward lately. It’s so awesome. Mr Unprepared has done an amazing job painting our gutters and front door a new colour and we know what direction we want to go in with painting our render (colour etc). Also, by an amazing stroke of luck, our neighbour who was rendering his own garden wall, was so kind and fixed our front door step with some of the stuff he had from his own job. It’s really exciting. Our house is starting to look like a respectable residence and not like a neglected old package deal. Woohoo!

Hollywood Medium with Tyler Henry

Yep. It’s not a happy list without some mention of a reality TV show! Have you met me?? This one makes me so happy. Not everyone is into that medium/clairvoyance stuff, but I totally am a believer. I approach this stuff with some caution (i.e. I don’t believe in every medium I see on TV etc – some people honestly just seem like they’re spouting off BS), but I do believe in all that spiritual stuff. This guy, Tyler, is so amazing and it sounds funny but he makes me smile because he’s so nice. He’s only 19 and it cracks me up when he genuinely doesn’t recognise the celebrities he does readings for. While I get that things are probably edited somewhat by producers and maybe it’s a little tacky to do readings for the stars so publicly, I still find Tyler really credible and likeable. I want him to do a reading for me!!

I find this stuff super comforting and really moving, especially as I strongly believe I’ve been visited by late loved ones in my dreams at important times in my life.

Are you a believer?

Other stuff that has made me happy:

• Being able to confide in good friends when you’re having a tough day. Gosh, it makes everything seem like less of a problem.
• Being able to drink wine again (when I was sick it was an unbearable thought).
• The Little Mister coming into my room just now, already dressed for the day, telling me he made his bed because he wants to be like a grown up!
• Feeling well enough to blog again. There was nothing more frustrating than sitting in front of my laptop, feeling woozy and thinking, “Nope. Not gonna happen today.”
• Cooler weather – being able to wear jeans. I never thought I’d say that haha.

What has been making you feel happy this week?