Midweek Meaner #18: Things That Are Making Me Smile

What’s making me smile?  Sometimes it’s just the little things in life.  With so much going on in the world these days we all need a few reasons to smile.  Am I right about that one?

This year has been full of changes and I must say that there are a lot of things that I miss.  If you know me well, you know that I am quite the homebody.  Yes, I can be chatty and outgoing but truth be known I really enjoy my peace and quiet and personal space.  Since moving into temporary housing until we figure out what we are going to do there is a LOT less of that personal space to escape to.  I must admit that I really miss it many days.  Here we don’t really have a space where we can sit outside and enjoy a pretty setting.  That brings me to the first thing that is making me smile lately.

What’s Making Me Smile Lately

Sitting on a park bench

Yes, there is a little pond right out in front of where we are living and the geese have come back to see us. There is a park bench that I go out to frequently right in front of the pond.  When we first moved in there were 4 geese around daily and then 2 babies appeared.  They moved on and now there is a new group of 8-10 most days on the little pond.  I actually go out and feed them and they just come up ready to get some good food.  The birds have never liked the bird seed that I bought when we moved in so the geese get it.

If you ever go out to feed ducks or geese, here’s a good guide as to what is good for them to eat.  I’m so glad I looked this up since I did the big no no of bread when I was a kid growing up and feeding ducks at the park.

My time out there is an easy was to get out of the house for a few minutes and get a good change of scenery and a little natural Vitamin D is the sun is shining.

My New Strawberry Keeper

Ok, don’t you hate it when you spend the money on beautiful organic strawberries and then they start showing signs of mold the next day.  Anyone else have this issues with berries this summer?

I finally googled this and found that if you soak your strawberries or other berries in water with a little bit of white vinegar for 5 minutes it will kill the bacteria and whatever else might be lurking there so that they will last longer.  I do that and then still use my favorite Fruit and Veggie wash on them before storing them.  Another way to make sure the pesticides and dirt are washed away.

Well, I must report that the strawberry keeper is working which makes me smile.  I just hate to throw them out.  They make them in multiple colors in case you are like me and keep other berries around too.  The blue one is next on my list to order.

Just in case you didn’t know I am a kitchen gadget junkie.  I just love them and wrote about some of my favorite ones and why.  You can read all about them by clicking here.

Teeccino is Really Making Me Smile

Little back story here first.  I have not been able to drink coffee for several years now.  When Mark makes a cup in our amazing machine it always smells so good that I really want a cup.  One sip and it just doesn’t taste good.  I guess that is some sort of natural reflex that I have since I know it will REALLY upset my stomach.  So I have been a black tea drinker in the morning for my get up and go drink of the day and have been quite happy.

Recently a friend asked me to watch a video about healthy eating, supplements, etc. to reduce inflammation in the body.  Well that is right up my alley.  My biggest takeaway was a tiny was that they recommended eliminating caffeine from your diet and suggested Teeccino.  Well, I immediately googled it.  They make teas that smell and taste like coffee that have no acid, no caffeine and no gluten.  Ding, ding, ding.  I HAD to try them.

I immediately went on to Amazon because you can find everything there.  This sampler box and this box of Dandelion tea (it had 1,400+ 4.5 star reviews) were my first order of Teeccino.  Since then I have ordered the sampler box of Dandelion teas and a box of the French Roast herbal tea.

So far my favorites are the French Roast for my morning cup of tea/coffee and the Dandelion Caramel Nut iced for a post lunch treat.  I’ll keep you posted on others that make me and my tastebuds smile.

Well, I have shared some things that are making me smile lately.  Let me know what is bringing you joy and making you smile.  We all need that in our lives along with a little SASs every day.

Hugs,