I’ve been trying to pause and notice the little things that bring me joy throughout the day. Little moments at home, crafting with the kids, playing around in the kitchen, cute decor pieces, and more. Noticing and appreciating these little things make my ordinary days feel so special. Below are five simple things making me happy right now 😊

1. Trying New Recipes 🧁

Nobody is surprised at this, right? I was sitting on my neighbor’s front porch with her the other day and we were discussing cupcake flavor ideas. She said I should try my hand at Black Forest cupcakes so I got to work!

I decided to make the cupcakes a chocolate cake filled with cherry pie filling. For the frosting, I skipped my usual buttercream and tried ermine frosting for the first time! It’s an old-fashioned frosting (known as “boiled milk frosting” or “cooked flour frosting”) that’s less sweet and more like whipped cream than buttercream.

The frosting was a little finicky and took longer to make than buttercream, but it came out great! It’s a fun recipe to have up my sleeve to switch things up! Once I frosted the cupcakes, I added more cherries on top and garnished them with chocolate shavings.

Doing a complete 180 from cupcakes… I also made homemade beef jerky like I wanted to haha. It was so much easier than I thought. Also, it’s way cheaper to make it homemade and I could see how you could really play around with flavors!

I sliced eye of round beef into strips and marinated it in liquid aminos, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, Italian seasoning, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper for about two hours. I then baked it on a cooling rack for three hours at 170 degrees.

Easy peasy! This would be a great snack if you’re trying to up your protein (or your iron levels like me 🙃).

2. An Easy Fall Craft for a Cozy Day at Home 🍂

We had some rain today so we spent more time inside than usual. It was time to do some crafting! I have picture frames in our entryway that I like to update each season. I printed out a tree trunk and branches and set the kids up with paint so they could make “leaves” on the tree with their fingers dipped in paint.

Their excitement over this activity was so sweet! I can’t wait to hang their trees up and admire them all season long 🥰

3. Fall Decor and Bucket List

We added fall decor around our house! I love to go on YouTube on our TV and search “fall ambiance” to put something cozy up on the screen.

We went to Hobby Lobby this week and I picked up this light up faux coffee mug and every time I look at it I get so happy! It’s just so cute!

I printed a fall bucket list and spent a good 15 minutes coloring it. Probably not the wisest use of my time but it was so fun and relaxing! Now I just need to fill it up 📋

4. Sweet Nap Time

I finished my last post by saying that I hoped Dakota got a good night’s rest. Spoiler alert: we didn’t get more than a wink of sleep haha. She was up so much in the night just trying to breathe and eat through her stuffiness. It was a long night. So long that we had coffee in the morning and then Jimmy went to Starbucks on his way into work 😂

She napped well today, thankfully! It was so sweet to see her resting contentedly 🥹

5. A Funny Homework Assignment

Sadie visited Jimmy at work and his brother (they work together!) gave Sadie a homework assignment.

“On the lines below, please list your favorite candy. This list is definitely not going to be used for your super cool birthday party…”

And the back 😂

For her favorite candy, she wrote: candy corn, Air Heads, Skittles, Fruit Roll Ups, and chocolate coins! What would you write? I’d write Starburst, Laffy Taffy, Mike and Ike, Three Musketeers, Twix, peach rings, and Nutter Butters (I know they’re not candy but whatever 😜).

A Few Bonus Things Making Me Happy

• The blood came out of my shirt (see the end of this post for the whole story 😆). Stain remover spray for the win! 🧺
• This vanilla coffee scented candle 🕯️
• Thinking of the next thing I want to bake! Might challenge myself to bake croissants?! 🥐

---

Taking the time to notice the little things reminds me that so much happiness is found in the everyday moments. These simple things might seem silly or small, but they make life feel so joyful 🫶

What little things are making you smile?

What are your favorite candies?