Happy List: #238

Welcome to the Happy List! We’ve got one week until Christmas Eve!

Nobody panic.

Unless you still have all the things left to do before Christmas arrives. Then you might want to start panicking just a little.

This week on the blog was all about Christmas trees. The tree in our living room is snow-flaked themed and then we also have trees in our bedrooms. Those are my favorite.

If you don’t follow along with us on Instagram or Facebook stories, please consider this your official invitation! There’s usually a project happening on stories.

Also, if we do something you like (it could happen!), it really helps us out when you share our blog or social media posts with your friends. It will give you a warm fuzzy feeling. We’ll get a warm fuzzy feeling. That’s the good kind of contagion!

Also, here’s your weekly reminder if you create something that makes you happy however big or small, please tag me! I really do love to see what you are making.

Now, here’s the Happy List!

SALT CELLAR

I’ve been looking for a little jar to hold salt and this ceramic salt cellar or salt pig looks pretty. I’d like to think that purchasing one that is set on an angle would prevent me from breaking it like I did the last one. Oops.

(image: Sawyer Ceramics via Etsy)

ENTRY LOVE

I stopped scrolling when I saw the below bench so I could ask Handy Husband if he could build me one like it.

He didn’t say no.

If the image doesn’t load, you can find it here on My Yorkshire Barn’s Instagram page.

MADE ME LAUGH OUT LOUD

(image: Facebook Knives McGee via Instagram)

I will forever think of celery this way after reading this. Hahahahaha!

THERE’S HOPE

According to scientists at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, Prozac has a chance of fighting atrophic macular degeneration. Age-related macular degeneration has no treatment and is a leading cause of blindness.

Won’t it be interesting to see if this research pans out or what else it leads to? Read more about the research here.

NEW WORD!

My son invented a new word that is so apt for our times.

He was describing to me all the enhanced safety protocols at his school since there are so many children quarantined after Thanksgiving.

Except there was one new development that he found to be the opposite of safe.

Him: Mom, now all the forks in the lunchroom are just laying out there for anyone to touch.

Me: Oh?

Him: They used to be wrapped, so they were sanitary. Now they aren’t and that just seems sani…*thinks for a moment*…saniTERRIBLE!

He was searching for the word unsanitary, but I think saniterrible is much more descriptive. What do you think of his new word?

And please tell me because I will tell him and that will make his day!

CHARMING PANTRY

The pantry in this home featured by Remodelista is absolutely charming.

I like how they embraced the original wood.

RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES

Let this be the year where you finally gift yourself the joy of rechargeable AA and AAA batteries.

Are they a little more expensive than regular batteries? Yes, but you can recharge them hundreds of times and the charge seems to last as long as regular batteries.

If my kids leave a flashlight on or some annoying toy, I don’t worry about it anymore because we can just recharge the batteries!

A bunch of brands manufacture rechargeable batteries. We haven’t noticed a difference in quality or performance. We just buy whatever is cheapest at the time.

We now have two chargers: an old one and this new model.

NO HEAD IN THE SAND HERE

Scientists in Japan have used ostrich cells to develop Covid-19 detection masks. How wild is that?

One of the filters in this detection mask is coated in ostrich antibodies that target the novel coronavirus. Ostrich cells were used because ostriches have shown resistance to Covid-19. The mask wears wore the detection masks for 8 hours. The ostrich antibody filter was then sprayed with a chemical that reacts to ultraviolet light if Covid-19 is present on the mask.

The scientists are now working on a mask that automatically glows if exposed to the virus. Wouldn’t that be a game-changer?

Who knows if any of this will come to market, but to imagine it all started with a flightless bird. This must be a cool time to be a scientist.

I couldn’t read the original press release since it was in Japanese, but here is a link to the Reuters article to read more.

HOMEMADE EGGNOG

I don’t like eggnog. I’m wondering if that’s because I’ve never tried homemade eggnog?

This might be my year to try making it because this recipe over at Lark and Linen makes it look easy.

(image: Lark and Linen)

POETRY MOMENT

This poem made me laugh with its truths about growing up.

Grown-up by Edna St. Vincent Millay

Was it for this I uttered prayers,
And sobbed and cursed and kicked the stairs,
That now, domestic as a plate,
I should retire at half-past eight?

Thank you for reading today’s Happy List!

Be good to yourself and others this weekend.

I’ll see you back here on Monday.

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