Ten Things That are Making Me Happy

 

1. I ordered a huge box of my hard-to-find favorite NY Cheddar Kettle Chips and hid them high up in cabinet so no one can get them. I know my family knows they're there and just don't want them, but I feel sneaky and mean and I like it.

2. It's fall in Southern California! Basically this means we shift between highs of 65 to 85, but it's cool and night and I no longer have to run the AC>

3. I have these things, ummmm, I think they're called "plans," for several weekends in a row now. This is actually really huge for me, because pre-covid my weekends were booked solid and everything has come to a stand still. I've been feeling really, really depleted lately and I had to make some things happen. Over the next few weekends I am going to see a few friends, from a safe distance outside, take my son to the beach (finally! Now that the beaches are empty it will be a great time to get in some walking by the water), and Halloween fun around the house.

4. The Smartless podcast! It's just so funny and the guests are so good (yes, I'll probably mention it every week for awhile).

5. It's almost November, which means a week off school for Thanksgiving and Veteran's day, too. I'll have to do quite a bit of work during this time, just because distance learning plus being an English teacher equals grading for days, but I am still so thankful for the break. 

6. Christina Tosi's cookbook comes out this week and I totally bought it for myself. 

7. Yesterday I got over 26,000 steps, baked a really labor-intensive pumpkin cake, finished a book, finished a cross stitch hoop, and managed to spend time with Sawyer. I woke up sore and tired, but I can't deny that productivity is my drug of choice.

8. The two book clubs I am in are still going strong with monthly meetings. It's just all kinds of great- I get to meet up (online) with friends, I get to talk about good books, and I have reasons to read books I might not normally. I also think Julie and I are planning a post together, too!

9. I've read two memoir centered around chefs this month- if I had to choose, this would be one of my top five favorite genres. If I had time, I would sit and watch hours and hours of Chef's Table on Netflix. 

10. Sawyer's reading skills are just improving every single day- every time we read together I'm so impressed with what he's able to decode. I think it's a combo of me working with him, his school work, and the fact that he chooses to read during his independent time every afternoon. I just picked up the first book in The Bad Guys series yesterday and while he balked at the idea of something new at first, he quickly got on board. He's absolute obsessed with Harry Potter, which we read every night. I love it and hate it- I'm so glad he has found something literary to love, but they also take forerrrrrrrr to read and I want to introduce him to so many other books!